righteous by the lawe and workes of Moses lawe how muche lesse by the worke of vowes whan as scripture vtterly refuseth and defyeth all mans traditions and God wyll not be worshypped with lawes of mans tradicions Esay xxix Math. xv Marc. vii For onely fayth in Christe doth iustifye and not workes what so euer they be and syncere fayth wyll not suffer men to put confidence in theyr workes In dede fayth brīgeth forth workes because she worketh by charite but she suffereth no man to trust vnto them with thys vngodly opinion that he shuld be iustifyed by them because that were to deny the Lord that bought vs with hys precious bloud Vowes are wont to be taken with none other opinion thē that by them synnes shuld be done away and to deserue grace and remission of synnes therefore they spring of the ignoraūce of Christes religion they be playnely wicked therfor they be nought and of no pryce For euen the scoole mē say that those thynges be no vowes which do turne to the dāmage or hynderaūce of a mās saluation seyng that a vowe hathe the same thynges folowynge which an oth hathe that is iustice iudgement truthe To wyll desyre to be iustifyed by workes is to cast away the grace of Christ and that is to lese the true healthe and saluacion Therfore these vowes that be so greatly boasted of be no vowes and of no value for thys short argument of Paule fearfull to all vowers shall stande yf ryghteousnesse be of the law then Chryst dyed in vayne Galat. v. Ye are gone quyte from Christ as many as are iustifyed by the lawe and are fallē from grace Gala. ii We know that a man is not iustifyed by the workes of the law but by the fayth of Iesu Christe Yf these thynges be sayde vnto the Iewes the which presumed to be iustifyed by the works of moses law who can abyde our vngodlynesse which loke for those thynges by the workes of our lawes the which onely Christ geueth in fayth Therfore it repenteth vs of oure rechlesse vowe we desyre forgeuenesse of God for our syn done by oure folysh vowe we turne agayn to the lyberte which Christes bloude gat vnto vs with a sure belefe and defyenge the masters teachers of workes the opē enemyes of Christe we rather heare the saynge of the holy goost Gala. v. Stande in the lyberte where with Christ hath made vs fre wrap not your selues agayn in the yock of bondage As touching the places which they bring owt of the old testament for the mayntaynyng and stablyssynge of vowes they make nothynge for the purpose for the maner of vowyng pertayned vnto the Iewes now be put away as be sacrifices Actu xv Fayth in Christe maketh all outwarde thynges fre nother doth the bondage of vowes and our lyberte agre What nede many wordes Oure vowes be without faythe therfore they be syn Now who wold be afrayed to leaue forsake syn ¶ Of counsels the newe learnynge The gospell is diuyded into counsels and cōmaūdementes we be bound to kepe the cōmaundementes not to despyse the counsels The counselles be in .v. of Math. to loue our enemyes not to resist euell not to stryue in the court or law to lende euery one that nedeth such other lyke The wich yf they were cōmaundementes they were to heuy burthens for the new lawe Thus saye the Parisiās ¶ The olde learnynge We haue a counsel in the gospel of lyuyng syngle Math. xix .i. Corint vii But they that be in the fyfte of Math. they be no counselles but preceptes the which thynge is manyfest by the circūstaūce of the text For Christ dothe threatē the which he wolde not haue done yf he had onely coūselled He that doth threaten a payn doth propound set forth a law coūselleth not Moreouer it is cōmaūded Loue thy neyghboure as thy selfe That loue conteyneth in it those thinges which we haue spokē of And also lust is forbyddē therfore be the aforesayd forbyddē Whā mat he had rehearsed those thynges which the scoolmē rekē amōg coūsels sayeth by by after That ye may be the chyldren of youre father whiche is in heauen Math. v. Lykewyse also saynt Luke after that he had rekened vp these lawes sayeth And ye shal be the sonnes of the mooste hyest Therfore they that do them not shall not be the chyldren Surely a counsell her wolde not haue spokē after this maner yee thus dyd Chrisostom Austen Hilary vnderstand the wordes of Christe Then yf the Lord cōmaūded all those thynges why do we that be seruaūtes louse and breake the lawes of the Lord for oure pleasure ¶ Of matrymony The newe learnynge The fourthe degre of kynred stoppeth matrimony There be .xii. impedimentes of matrymony which hinder maryage to be made and lose it yf it be contract namely errour condition vowe kynred faute or cryme the diuersite of worshippyng power bond honesty yf thou be of affynite yf thou be impotent in rendrynge dutye These hynder mariage to be made yf it be made breake it agayne Certayne thynges ther be which hyndre mariage to be made but they lose it not yf it be contract that is the tyme of not spousynge and the forbyddyng of the churche Also a spirituall kynred is gottē by the sacrament of baptyme cōfirmation or byshoppynge the which letteth matrymony to be and putteth a sunder it that is made Itē the order of subdeacō deacon and presthod stop matrymony to be taken and putte it awaye yf it is taken bycause that the vowe of chastite is ioyned to those orders Also yf ther be a deuorcement both the man and the woman must abyde vnmaryed ¶ The olde learnynge Ther be degrees of kynne or consanguinite and affinite red to be forbydden in the .xviii. of Leuiticus namely father mother stepmother a natural syster lawful syster both of father and mother cosyn aūte of the fathers syde of the mothers syde the wyfe of myne vncle the doughter in lawe the wyfe of my brother stepdoughter the son of the stepson or stepdoughter the syster of my wyfe my wyfe beynge alyue Here is forbyddē the fyrst degre of affinite the secōd of kyne or consanguinite thoughe the doughter or nefe of my brother or syster is not rekened to be forbydden Seyng that these be prouyded taken hede of by the law of God they must nedes be honest so that it were folysh hardynesse for a man put his decrees to the worde of God Those thynges that be spoken of the tymes that be voyde of spousels of the forbyddynge of the churche they be mans inuencyons And the spirituall kynred hath no testimony in the scripture Therfore yf it shyne and glyster wyth neuer so fare and goodly a lykenesse we maye as easely despise it as receaue it Why doth not holy fraternite let mariage by the which we are all knyt together in Christe
They be my brethrē and my systers as manye as confesse Christ That the order is a let vnto matrimony it is nothynge els but fals speakynge throughe hypocrysye for yf matrimony be a sacrament as they say I can not se why holy order can not suffer the holynesse of matrimony Mariage is honourable as the holy goost wytnesseth Heb. xiii And they thynke that the holynesse of matrimony is cōtrary to the holynesse of order the which thynge the Apostle neuer knewe .i. Timo. iii. Tit. i. Where he wyll that a byshoppe shulde be the husbande of one wyfe and .ii. Timo. iiii He calleth it the learnyng of deuels yf ony man forbyddeth matrimony .i. Corin. vii He sayeth not onely it is better to mary thē to burne but he commaundeth openly in this maner For the auoydyng of fornicacyon let euery man haue his wyfe Who is that euery mā is it not manyfest that mariage is fre to all men which haue not the gyft of chastite Saynt Ierome sheweth a cause why in the .ix. of the Actes Christ called S. Paule a chosen vessell namely because he was the storehouse of the lawe and of the holy scripture And against Iouinian he sayeth I wyll brynge forth Paule the Apostle whom as ofte as I reade I thynke that I heare not wordes but thōderyng But they which defende the fylthy syngle lyuynge despyse this thonderynge of this chosen vessel as the barkyng of a dogge they thynke that he that is within orders synneth deadly yf he mary a wyfe God the father dyd orden mariage the sonne dyd cōmende and honoure it with his presence and with his fyrst myracle the holy goost pronounced it honourable Paule the seruaunt of Iesu Christ forbyddeth not bisshoppes and deacons to be maryed And they which boast them of the Gospell nombre the mariage of prestes amonge deadly sinnes as a prophane and vnholy thynge the which the holynesse of order can not suffer Why beleue they not at the leaste the sentence of holy fathers for Theophilactus vpon the .viii. Chapter of Mathew sayeth Learne here that mariage hyndereth not a man from vertue for the prynce of the Apostles hadde a mother in lawe Farthermore we do alowe no deuorcement but in case of fornicacion as Christe sayeth Math. xix where as it is lawful for the vngylty after the deuorcemēt to mary agayn the which thynge myght be easely done yf the man aduouterer or the woman shulde be kylled after the law of God Deute xxxii Now they tary both vnmaried the which is a deuorcement rather in name and in worde then in dede The texte of Math. xix is manyfest Whosoeuer forsaketh his wyfe but only for fornication and maryeth an other he cōmitteth aduoutry For this clause that is put betwene except it be for fornicacyon declareth ruleth the whole sentence that yf ony fornicacyon do chaunce in the meane season he that forsaketh the woman aduouterer and maryeth an other he beynge vngylty that he cōmytted none aduoutry And why do not we in such cases go rather to the scripture that is inspyred of God then to those wryters of sūmes seynge that the Apostle .ii. to Tim. the iii. Chapter pronoūceth and sayeth that the scripture is profytable for correccyon and teachynge ¶ Of Bysshoppes The new learyng A Byshop is of hyer authorite then a symple prest and hath the reseruacyon and kepynge behynde to hym of certayne causes for the hyer that the degre is the greater and more is the power And this new learnynge wynketh at and ouerseeth the pōpe pryde more then worldly of them which cal themselues the successours of the Apostles and preach not the word of God the which is the moost worthy hye office in the church ¶ The olde learnynge When ther rose a contention amonge the disciples which of them shuld be thought greatest amonge them Christ sayd The lordes of the gentyles haue domination ouer them but it shal not be so amonge you Where as Christ wolde haue taken cleane out of the disciples myndes the desyre of honoure For yf oure Lorde and mayster dyd not come to be mynistred to but to mynister and serue other as it is Math. xx how muche lesse shall it become seruauntes to swell and be proude with worldly desyre of honoure The which thynge the Apostle teacheth playnly i. Cor. iiii So sayeth he let a man reken vs as mynisters and seruaūtes and disposers of the secretes of God he sayeth mynisters and seruauntes and not lordes and prynces of the worlde So in many places of his epystles he calleth hymselfe This place sayeth he maketh agaynst thē which do geue themselues to sloggysnesse ydelnesse and to slepe thinke that it is an offence yf they reade scripture and despyse them as bablers and vnprofitable which ar occupyed in the lawe of the Lorde both day and nyght not takynge hede that the Apostle cōmaunded euen learnyng also after the rehearsynge of the cōuersacyon of a byshoppe ¶ Of Ceremonyes Men reken that ceremonyes haue the name of a towne in Tuscia called Cerete and by ceremonyes we meane the worshippynge of God but outwardly ¶ The new learnynge The ceremonyes which our fathers ordened must be kepte and not chaunged the which are worshippynge of god For the religious men and rude prestes do defende the ceremonyes what so euer they be so styfly as thoughe holynesse consysted and stode in thē only For we haue sene in these tymes the holy orders contende and stryue wyth vnstaūcheable hatred amonge them selues for ceremonyes ¶ The olde learnynge We may not swarue nother to the ryght hand nor to the lefte hand but we must walk in the kynges hye way Our lyfe is in that case thal we can not be without ceremonyes For we be not angelical spirites but mē as long as we lyue in thys vysyble world in the preson of thys body we must nedes haue difference of workes of places of offices of tymes of persones of other thynges For we be as the Apostell sayeth Romano xii many membres and one body not hauynge all one acte or office But after that the lyght of the gospell came and folowed the shadow of the law we shuld vse very few ceremonyes as we haue baptyme and the supper of the Lorde after the ordinaunce of Christ in the newe testament For we vse as we be alwayes redy to the worste to set muche by ceremonyes and to conceaue a vayne opinion and confidence to be iustifyed by them yf they be perfectly done yf we leaue them vndone we conceaue a folysh feare that is of euery hande a noughty conscience Therfore lest we shuld swarue away from the pryke of trew holynesse let vs take fayth and charite vnto vs as the rulers and gyders of ceremonyes in the whiche yf they were done they myght be done godly Before all thynges we muste take great hyde and diligent prouision lest ceremonyes hurte and destroye the head the roote of oure religion
we so lytell by the lyberte of the gospell that we had as leue our dreames as the moost holy gospel we do not reiect and refuse the constituciōs and ordinaunces of bysshoppes which vexe not the conscience but pertayne and be profytable for the cōmune peace and tranquillite of mens conuersacion onely we defy reiecte those lawes in the which ether they commaūde or forbidde vnder payn of deadly synne without the lawe of God Onely god ought to raygne in the conscience in whose hande peculyarly be menes soules The Apostle calleth hym the aduersary of God which goeth aboute to syt in the temple of God and boaste hym self as a God .ii. Tessalo ii And .ii. Cori. iii. We be the ministers of the new testament ministers of the sprit and not of the letter What auayle mans constitutions to iustificacion yf ye say that they prepare to obey God the easyer I answere There is nothyng that can prepare the mynde to kepe the law of God or fashion it but onely the grace of God The Apostle Galat. i. pronoūceth acursed not onely mā but also an angell of heauen that durst preach an other gospell then Paule preached Yf it be the power of God to saluacyon of all that beleue why do we myngle and ioyne our chaffe with so great a power And in the fyrst to the Corinthians the thyrde chapter Other fundacyon can no mā lay then that which is layed which is Iesus Christ Yf no man ought to put ony thyng to Moses law Deute xii why shulde we adde put vnto the gospell ony thyng seynge euen Cameracensis a scooleman calleth it the moost perfect lawe and ryghtest and the strayghtest in preceptes Why do we not leaue our lawes and follow the busynesse that Christ appoynted Math. the last Teache all people to kepe all thynges what so euer I haue commaunded you We be mynisters seruauntes of Christe and disposers of the secretes of God Now is it requyred of the stewardes or disposers that they be foūde faythfull These priuities and mysteries be the artycles of oure fayth of the Gospell the wysedome of the crosse the knowlege of grace gotten by Christe Let vs preache these thynges for the health of the people of God and let vs not abuse oure power the which the Lorde gaue vs to edifye with and not to destroye .ii. Corinth the .xiii. cha The Canon or rule that maketh the ordynaūces of fathers equale with the Gospel is openly vngodly and wycked the whiche euen oure aduersaryes can not receaue yf they knewe the canon of the scripture To be shorte fayth where with a ryghteous mā lyueth is conceaued taken and drawen out of the canonicall scripture and not of the decrees of the fathers as saynt Austyne wytnesseth in the .ix. boke of the cytie of God the .xviii. Chapter Then wherefore shulde I receaue it as an artycle of my fayth that whiche the scripture inspired of God hath not I am commaunded to proue and trye spretes whether they be of God or no the which lyberte of iudgynge of all doctrines by the scriptures no man wyll take frō vs. The wordes of saint Ihon in the .xvi. Chapter stablysh nothynge mans tradityons for God dyd fulfyl his promesse at Wytsonday when he sent the holy goost and led his discyples in to all trueth the whiche before that tyme they coulde not beare Who wyl denye that the memorye and remēbraunce of those that be departed dyd come from the Apostles vnto vs seynge that saynt Paule the fyrste to the Tessalonians the fourth chapter commaunded the Tessalonians that one shulde comforte another with the worde of the resurreccyon of the dead in Christe But now that we maye answer to theyr rethoricall argumēt where in they reason that by the breakynge of the ordynaunce of the church a man synneth deadly we answere that the knowlege of synne is by the the lawe Roma the .iii. Chapter The Apostle speaketh of Goddes lawe and not of mans Alwayes vnderstande I of mans lawe that is clere or whole mās law the which assayeth to binde mās cōscyence◠I moued by the scripture thinke that a mās cōscience nother ought nor can be boūde with mans constitucyon for we are indued with lyberte which we wyll vse the which lyberte is the lyberte of the conscyence .i. Corin. the .iii. Chapter All thynges be yours whether it be Paul ether Apollo ether Cephas wherby we vnderstande that nother Paul nor Cephas hath authorite to bynde mens cōscience where God doth not bynde The fyrst to the Corinthians the twelft Chapter Be ye not made seruauntes of men Collossenses the seconde Chapter You beynge dead wyth Christe why be ye holden styl wyth decrees And for the moost parte suche constitucyons be contrarye to the worde dede of the Apostles But as Gerson beareth wytnesse in the seconde lection of the spirituall lyfe the .vii. corollary It is not in the popes power nother in the councels power nor in the churches power to chaūge the learnynge geuen and taught of the euangelistes and of Paule Master Gasper Satzger dyd se this in the defension of the constitucyons of the churche the which openly and playnly graunteth that the learnynge that is without the scripture though it be good yet byndeth not by goddes lawe And it is no maruayl for only Christ ought to raygne in mans cōscience by his worde which onely maye saue and condempne Math. the .x. Chapter Feare not thē which can kyll the body and not the soule but fear hym which can cast both body and soule in euerlastyng fyre Truely yf they can make a constitucyon and commaunde it vnder payne of deadly synne they maye kyll the soule but the trueth of the gospell is otherwyse The sentence of Ezechiell is pronounced agaynst them in the .xiii. Chapter Wo be to them that make bolsters vnder the the heade of euery age to catch soules that they might kyl soules which dye not How doth the scoolemēs learnyng of the power of byndyng of mens constitucyons agre with it selfe seynge Thomas graunteth playnly that the commaundementes of the positiue law bynde more with the intent of the lawmaker then with the wordes of it so that he is more to be rekened a breaker of the cōmaūdement that doth agaynst the intent of the lawmaker thē he that swarueth frō the letter of the ordinaūce of the law But the intent of the maker of the positiue lawe is not that hys precepte shulde be alwayes kepte because that many impedimentes may chaunce in the which it is not expedient to kepe the law yee somtyme the kepynge of the precepte were damnable Wherfore in euery precept of the positiue lawe the excepcyon of a reasonable cause is admitted Now put the case that ther is a law that a mā shal not eat flesh on the fryday that a preste shal not haue a wyfe Here the intent of the lawmaker is to brynge to goodnesse But it chaunceth yf we kepe those