Two very Godly and comfortable Letters written ouer into England THE ONE TO A GODly and zealous Lady wherin the Annabaptists errour is confuted and the sinne against the Holye Ghoste plainly declared ¶ THE OTHER AN answer to a Godly Merchants Letter written for his comfort being greeued with the heauye burden of sinne wherin is declared the true confession of sinne Written by T. C. AT LONDON Printed by Edward Allde for Edward White 1589. A comfortable Letter written to a Godly and zealous Lady Wherin the Annabaptists error is breefly confuted and the sin against the holy Ghoast plainlye declared MADAME where as it pleased your good Lady ship to require me to writ vnto you my minde concerning the true sence and meaning of this place of S. Paule in his Epistle to the Hebrewes Heb. 6. 4 It cannot bee that they which were once lightned haue tasted of the heuenly gift and were become pertakers of the holy Ghost and haue tasted of the good woord of God of the power of the Worlde to come if they fall awaye and as concerning themselues crucifie the sonne of God a fresh and make a mocke of him that they should be renued againe by repentance Madame many in time The errour of the Nouatians and now of the Anabaptists past and at this present day mistaking this text and not truly vnderstanding it bothe haue béene and are incombred with the Nouacians erroure which is That after man by Baptisme and the holye Ghoste is regenerated and hath tasted of the grace of God and hath embraced Christe and his holye woorde if he fall to sinne againe he is without remedye of Saluation Vndoubtedly this is a verye damnable erroure inough to bring all them that are infected therewith to desperation But albeit they grounde this their errour vpon this afore aleadged texte of S. Paule and certaine other textes yet they misse the Marke because they take this Scripture too straitlye not referrng it to manye other places of scripture which plainely shew That when soeuer and how often so euer a Sinner repenteth him truely of his sinnes and coÌ„mitteth him selfe with a sure faith vnto yâ— mercy of God thorow Christ God receiueth him again to grace and saluation Doubtlesse No prophecy in the scripture hath any priuat 2. Pet. 1. 20. interpretation but must néedes be expounded according to the generall articles of the Christian faith and agréeable to other textes of holy scripture and so must this text be also Now trueth it is that there is almost innumerable texts in holy scripture that most plainlye do declare that when so euer a true repentaunte sinner by vnfained faith returneth vnto God and asketh mercy for Christs sake he shall vndoubtly haue it And albeit the holye scriptuâ—â— is full of such places yet heere by Gods grace I will shew and rehearse to you some of them to giue you occasion to marke them and such like places as you shal finde almost in euery leafe of the Byble Pro. 24. 16. A iust man falleth seauen times and riseth vp againe Marke yâ— scripture saith he riseth vp againe The wickednesse of the Ezech. 33. wicked shall not hurt him whensoeuer he conuerteth Note what it saith when soeuer he conuerteth Let the vngodly man forsake Esay 55. his owne waye and the vnrighteous his owne imaginations and turne againe vnto the Lord so shall he be mercifull vnto him Thou disobedient Israel Iere. 3. turn again saith the Lord and I will not let my wrath fall vpon you Thus saith the Lord doo Iere. 8. men fall so that they rise not vp againe or if Israel doo repent will not God turne againe to them Turne you vnto me sayth Zach. 1. the Lord God of hostes and I will turn me vnto you Remember from whence Apoc. 2. thou art falne and doo the firste woorks Mark in the Gospel of Luke 15. Luke the example of the vnthriftie Sonne Also Christe said vnto Peter Peter I haue prayed Luke 22. for thee that thy faith fayle not and when thou art conuerted strengthen thy Brethren Marke he saith When thou art conuerted c. Lo if you weigh these places of scripture afore alleadged and almost innumerable moe of the same sorte you shall perceiue euidentlye that though A Christian haue sinned neuer so ofte as who dooth not daylye offende God yet when soeuer he returneth vnto God by true repentance which consisteth of inward contricion a sure faith in Christ Iesu he is assured by the woorde of God to recouer and receiue againe the grace fauour and mercy of God which thorow his disobedience he had worthely lost and immediatly to enioy ful absolute and perfect remission and forgiuenesse of all his sinnes thorowe Iesus Christe in whome he reposeth all his faith truste and confidence of saluation The Gospell assureth him no lesse saying So God loued the world Ioh. 3. that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that who so euer beleeueth in him shoulde not perishe but haue euerlasting life More ouer if you mark wel the examples of godlye men which are registred in holye scripture you shall plainelye perceiue that albeit they were highly in Gods fauour yet for all that many of theÌ„ had great falles and committed very hainous offences but they did rise vp againe returning to Gods mercye by true repentance faith and so recouered againe their former grace which they thorowe their owne folly had lost Aaron was so muche Aaron fauoured of God that by Gods calling hee was made the high bishop and curate ouer his People And yet at the light request of the Israelites he let them make and worship the Golden Calfe contrarye to his Conscience by reason wherof bothe hee and they committed that most detest able sinne of Idolatrye and yet he by true repentaunce and faithe returning to grace was saued Dauid Gods deare darlinge Dauid after that hee had the knoweledge of God and had muche tasted of his grace béeing indued aboundauntlye with the holy Ghost and gratious giftes from aboue fell both into the sinne of adultry and murther And yet by true and vnfained repentance returning to Gods mercy was accepted and receiued againe into Gods fauour Manasses also contrary Manasses vnto his Conscience fell willinglye to Idolatrye but yet he rose againe by true repentaunce and faithe and recouered againe the grace of god So likewise that wicked The sinfull Corinthian 1. Cor. 5. man of the Citie of Corinthus whom S. Paule straitlye charged the Corinthians to excommunicate and erclude out of the holy congregation of Christian men and that they shoulde neither eate nor drinke with him because of his open and abhominable crime of incest and outragious whordome and yet when he declared him self to be truelye repentant for his great and infamous sin Saint Paule admonished 2. Cor. 2. them with all gentlenesse and Christian Charity to receiue him again
suche Persons as are hothe chaste honest vertuous and godly Beside that to remeÌ„ber dayly what painefull passion and death Christ suffered for our sinnes and filthy affections To consider also the certaintie and suddainnesse of death and what a straite account and reckoning must be giuen of euery idle woorde much more of filthye actes and vncleannesse But speciallye to vse daylye faithfull and feruent suite Praier and supplication vnto God for the grations gifte of chastity and cleannesse of heart And finally if these â—e practised and will not serue nor suffise for the auoiding of Whordome then in any wise to take a wife for when all other remedies faile that with the practising of the other will serue For that is the moste present medicine and natural remedy that God hath properly ordeined to cure the disease of filthye concupiscence whordome and adultrye after the doctrine of S. Paule which fayth To auoyde Whâ—â—do me let euerye man take his own wife and 1. Corin. 7. euerye woman her own husband Thirdly this priuate â—â—â—â—lession is chéefelye néedefull for them that are tormented in their Consciences and are not fullye perswaded yâ— their sinnes are forgiuen them by reason whereof they are halfe in desperation These I say haue muche néede of a discrete spiritual Phisition to comfort them For vnlesse their weak faith â—e staied and lifted vp by some comfortable restoratiues of the swéete promises of grace and mercy in Christs Iesu it is to be feared that their ghostly enemy Sathan will shortlye bring them to desperation and finallye to euerlastinge damnation Therefore héere the discreece â—oule Phisition will laboure with too the and nayle to beate into this spirituall pacients minde remembraunce the most swéet plain and euident promises of Gods aide and assistance to be alway ready to them that aske it in faithfull praier Wherfore it is verye néedefull to such weaklings in the Faithe that are so sore brused in Conscience to make all the haste that they can possible to the Heardman of their souls and plainely to open and acknowledge their gréefe vnto him desiring to here of his mouth the comfortable promises of grace in Christe Iesu to staye and lifte vp their weake and féeble Consciences Sainte Iames saythe Pray one for another that ye may bee healed For saith Iames. 5. hâ— the feruente Prayer of a righteous Man anayleth much If the praier of one godly person be of muche value then is the prayers of two good Christians agréeing togither in prayer for any Godly purpose of more value For Christe sayth If two of you shall agree vppon Math. 18. earth for what thing soeuer it bee that they desire they shall haue it of my Father which is in Heauen For where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest among them Marke that Christe sayth If two of you shall agree vppon earth c. And where two or three are gathéred togeather in my name there am I present among them And I pray you is not this weake faythed person and his curate consulting of these matters gathered togeather in Christes name If they be as vndoutedly they are then is Christ in companye with them by the assistaunce of his grace and presence of his God head Againe if they two thus assembled doo agree to pray together to God for the increace and establlshmeÌ„t of the fayth of this Spirituall patient then sayth Christe vnto them thus If two of you shall agree vpon earth for what thing so euer it be that they would desire they shall haue it of my Father which is in Heauen Good Lord what a comfortable place of scripture is this For we may learn by it that if there be but two persoÌ„s gathered togither in Christes name for any good and godlye purpose then is Christe presente with them And if they agrée to aske any godly requeste of God they shall haue it graunted what thing soeuer it bee saith Christ so it be a godly requeste contained within the lymits of faith charity and agréeing vnto 1. Iohn 5. the will of God For â—â— Iohn saithe If we shall aske any thinge according to his will he heareth vs. But heere one will say Obiection Sir me thinke you take the scriptures too straightly if you would binde vs to coÌ„fesse our faults only to a préest or onely to our owne Curate For albeit S. Iames saith Iam. 5. Knoweledge your faultes one to another Yet he saith not one lay man vnto a Préeste nor one Parishioneâ— vnto his own Curate and to no other but he saith generally one to an other Therefore I thinke that I may aswell make my confession to anye other man as vnto a Préeste or vnto mine own curate Answere Trueth it is that thou mayest freelye chuse anye discreete Christian man that is well learned in the holye Scripture and resorte to him for learning counsell and comfort but yet for all that there is none so meete for thy purpose in that behalfe as thine owne Curate if he be no Papist neither or corrupt iudgement in yâ— scriptures but be honest discreete well exercised in Gods holye woord For he is appointed of God to be heardman of thy soul at whose mouth thou maiste lawfullye require learning counsel and comfort yea hee is called and appointed of God to preach vnto thee and to all other his Parishioners both priuately and apertly secretlye and openlye the Gospell of Christ to comforte thy soule when néed is Which preaching of What is the true absolution Gods mercy freely giuen to the faithful for Christs sake what other thing is it then the true absolution of their sinnes For what other thing is the priuate absolution of the préest but a priuate or secret preaching of Christs Gospell What can the Préeste more promise the sinner by his absolution but therby to declare vnto him that if hee repent him of his sinfull life and vnfainedlye purpose to amend reposing his whole faith trust and confidence in the promises of grace and mercy in Christe Iesu that then Gods trueth shall saue him for Christs sake Can he promise the sinner anye other thinge then to bee saued if hée from the hart doo repent beleeue and purpose to walke in a newe life I think not Resorte therefore to thine own Curate if he be honest discréete and well learned as I saide before and thinke him to bee that person that is appointed of God to minister Christs Gospell and his Sacraments vnto thee at suche conuenient times as shall be needefull to the comforte of thy troubled conscience There is also another kinde of priuate Confession Confession of reconciliation which may aptly be called the confession of reconciliation As when I haue offended my christian Brother and haue prouoked him to anger It is my bounden duetye to reconcile my selfe vnto him and to acknowledge my faulte and desire of him forgiuenesse thereof This Confession
returneth vnto him againe to obtaine his mercy but are becom plain Apostataes vtterlye forsaking yâ— christiaÌ„ faith making but a mocke of Christe perseuering in their obstinate Apostasie vnbeléefe euen till their liues end as did Iudas the 1. Tim. 1. 2. Tim. 4. traitor Iulianus Apostata Simon Magus Porphirius Hymeneus and Alexander the Coppersmith Secondarily as touching the saying thretning of Christ saying He that de nieth me before men I shall Math. 10. deny him before my father It is to be considered that al the terrible thretnings that are in the holy scripture threatned against great sinners are threatned conditionally A good and general rule to be noted that is to saye if the sinners do not truely repent and return vnto God by Faith amendmente of life this plague and punishment or that shall light vpon them But if they at the Preaching reading or hearing of Gods holy woord doo repent return vnto God by faith godly life then that Plague threatned shall not once touch theÌ„ Example by the Niniuites vppon whome Ionas Gods Minister and preacher Ionas 3. or rather God by him pronounced this terrible iudgement saying There are yet Forty daies and then shall Niniuye bee ouerthrown But there as the Scripture sayth the people of Niniuy beleeued God and earnestly repented them of their greate sinnes and so was the sentence of GOD retracted and the Citye saued and not ouerthrowne So likewise this terrible sentence of Christe He that denyeth mee before men I shall deny him before my Father must néedes haue this condition ioyned A conditioÌ„ with it If he dooth not repent neither return again But Peter did bothe repent and returne againe vnto Christe For albeit his Faithe was weake and faynte as was the faith of all the Apostles yet it was not vtterlye extincte For Christe had saide vnto him before Symon I haue praied for Luke 22 thee that thy faith faile not And in any wise take héede and note this well Christe said not He that denyeth me I shal denye him though hee repente and return But remember wel that Christ said M 〈…〉 9. I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentaunce Peter therfore repented and returned vnto Christ again and so was receiued vnto grace and was saued Wherfore good Madam in this hard Texts of S. Paule vnto the Hebrewes way wel this condition if they full away For they only fall away which coÌ„mit that moste horrible crime which is called in the holy Scripture The sinne vnto death blasphemy against the spirit and sinne against the holy ghost which neuer shall be forgiuen neither in this world neither in the world to come Question But héere it might be demaunded what that sinne againste the holye Ghost is and wherein it differeth from all other gréeuous sinnes Answer Wherunto I answere That ther is difference in sins it may cléerlye be gathered of Christes woordes saying I saye vnto you Math. 12. All sinne and blasphemye shall be forgiuen vnto men but the blasphemye againste the spirite shall not be forgiuen vnto men Loe héer is the matter plainelye opened by our Sauiour Christe what kinde of sinnes shall be forgiuen and what neuer forgiuen Blasphemye againste the spirite shall neuer bee forgiuen all other sinne and Blasphemye shall bee forgiuen And Christe in sayinge All sinne shall be forgiuen compriseth both originall sinne and also actuall sin Moreouer Christe speaketh héere of thrée sortes Three sorts of Sinnes Sinne. Blasphemy Blasphemye against the Spirite of sinnes The first he calleth Sinne the secoÌ„d Blasphemy and the third Blasphemye againste the Spirite Which the scripture also calleth The sin vnto death and the sinne against the holy ghost These thrée kinds of sinnes and the difference of euery of them I intend by Gods helpe seuerallye to declare vnto you so breefelye as I can and so for this time commit you vnto God and firste consider well what sinne is Sinne is euery wilfull disobedience Act or déed Sinne. that is doon contrary vnto the Lawe and Commaundementes of God without murmur grudg or euill speaking either against the Lawe commaundementes or God him selfe that is the maker and giuer of the law As is Idolatrye superstition periurye swearing vnaduisedlye breaking of the Holye Daye dishonouring father and Mother Murther malice hatred enuy wrath strife treason sedition slaunder Whoredome theft and such like All these and such other are called and are indéed sinne so long as the dooers of them doo neyther murmur repine grudge nor speake euill againste God or his holye Lawe neither allowe in their conscience the thing and euil that they doo but rather doo vtterlye disalow accuse and condemn in their owne conscience those their owne damnable actes as euill and detestable The seconde kinde of Sinne is Blasphemye marke it well and consider howe it differeth first from sinne and then from the sinne againste the holy ghost Blasphemy Blasphemye is more haynouse then is sinne alone for all blasphemye is sinne but all sinne is not blasphemye For trueth it is that blasphemye compriseth in it selfe bothe sinne and also a murmure grudge reuiling euill speaking slander and reproche of God and Godlynes but it is alwaye coupled with ignoraunce and vnbeleefe and proceedeth not of such obstmate malice as continueth to the ende of the life as doth the sinne against the holy Ghost In this sinne of Blasphemy S. Paule offended before his conuersion vnto the faith of Christ Iesu For thus he speaketh of him selfe Before I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and a Tyrant but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorauntlye in vnbeleefe Loe heere it is plain and euident that this blasphemye though it be a greate offence yet it is remissible and forgiueable and is not excluded from Grace and mercy because it procéedeth of Ignoraunce and not â—f knowledge nor of obstinate malice that dooth endure to the liues end Neither is it the sin vnto death and therfore we maye lawfullye praie for such blasphemers As S Iohn saith If any man 1. Iohn 5. see his Brother sin a sin that is not vnto death let him ask and he shall giue him life In this simple blasphemy for so we may cal it many of the Iewes offended taking Christe to be nothing lesse then the Sonne of Dauid or Messias because his parents were very poore and him selfe supposed to be but a poore Carpenters Sonne which bare but a simple port in the worlde Yea and some of them that crucified Christe were ouerwhelmed in this simple blasphemy And therfore Christe prayed for them saying Father forgiue Luke 23. them for they know not what they doo So Peter in his Sermon excused the crucifiers of Christe saying Now deare brethren I knowe that you haue doon it thorough ignoraunce c. Repent you therfore and returne Acts. 3. that your sinnes may be doon away So did S. Steuen also praye
for his persecutors whom before he called Stifnecked aduersaries Acts 7. of the holy ghost Traytours and murtherers of Christe Doubtlesse he would not haue praied for theÌ„ so ear nestly vnles their sinnes had bin forgiueable And therefore their sinne and offence was no more but simple blasphemy The thirde kinde of Sinne is Blasphemye against the Spirite They committe blasphemye againste the spirite or sinne againste Blasphemy against the Spirite the Holye Ghoste which willinglye vpon knoweledge and aduisedly contrarie to their owne conscience doo denye forsake impugne slaunder reuile and persecute the plaine open manifeste and knowne trueth stifly maliciouslye and obduratly perseuering and continuing without vnfained repentance in that their wilful blindnes and obstinat malice so loÌ„g as they liue in this worlde As did Pharo Saul Herod Iudas the traitor Iulianus Apostata Porphirius Himeneus and Alexander the Coppersmith with other But mark this diligeÌ„tlye that we can not as farre I can perceiue certainly iudge of these Blasphemers againste the spirite before the time of theire departure out of this present life because we cannot certainelye knewe whether at the ende of their life they can repent and by faith returne and take hold of the mercy of God or not We maye coniecture Coniecturare vncertaine but wee cannot as I suppose certainlye define of them Let vs consider that the théefe that hung on the righte hande of Luke 23. Christe euen at the last houre repeÌ„ted him with a strong and Faithefull prayer committed him selfe wholy vnto the mercy of Christ and was saued In consideratioÌ„ whereof let vs thinke it to be our bounden duetye as the Prophets Christ and his Apostles did to reuoke and calback againe open sinners and blasphemers to earnest repentance for their owne sinfulnes and to haue a sure truste in the mercy of God and in the merite of Christes passion and death thogh they bee euen at the departure out of this present life For it is neuer too late so long as life lasteth Let vs therefore with all feruentnesse call vppon them and exhorte them in any wise with a good courage and a sure and vndoubtfull Fayth aske call and crye for gods mercy for his sweet sonne our sauiour Iesus Christes sake and vndoubtedly they shal haue it For sith the beginning of the Worlde hitherto was there neuer one that in faith asked mercy hartelye but hee had it thorow the gracious goodnesse of our aforesayde merciful Sauiour Iesus Christ vnto whom with the Father and the holye Ghost be all Lawde and Praise worlde without end Amen An aunswer vnto a godly Merchants letter wherin is plainlye opened the true way of confessing our sinnes THE grace and peace of GOD bee giuen vnto you thorough Iesus Christe c. Whereas in your last Letters to mee moste Trustye and assured Freende you instantlye desired me to write vnto you what I haue read and learned in holye Scripture touching The Confession of Sinnes Truelye Sir this your reasonable request I woulde if I were able right gladly satisfie But as you know I am farre vnable to pen this matter according to the woorthinesse therof Neuerthelesse when I consider with my selfe how muche I am bounden to you for your louing kindenesse dayly shewed to my poore kinsefolke and freendes in England I can-not but thinke it to bee my bounden duetye somewhat to gratifye you againe And albeit that ignoraunce rudenesse of stile and lacke of learning plucketh mee backe from the handling of this matter yet the consideratione of youre greate discretion and gentlenesse pricketh me forwarde to attempte what I can doo therein Certes I nothing doubte but that you will gentlye accept my simple rudenesse good will and endeuour in this behalfe no lesse then if the matter were Gloryouslye garnished with Eloquence and set foorthe with the moste profitable perswasions of the freshest Philosopher or Rethoritian in bothe Vniuersities in England I truste you will credite and imbrace the truethe though it bee neuer so basely and homelye written or declared vnto you For the trueth shall abide and flourish when al prophane painted perswasions and fond pharisaic all phantasies shall vanish awaye and be scattered abroad as drye dust before a whirle wind Wherfore to keepe you no longer from this matter I shall by Gods grace so breefelye as I can declare vnto you what I haue learned read in holye scripture concerning this article of confession of sinnes And that is this that followeth Of Confession of Sinnes THE holie scripture doothe diuerslye in suÌ„dry places set forth treat of the Confession of sinnes In some places it maketh mencion of a general and A generall Confession sollemn Confession openly made of all the People being assembled and gathered togeather at the appointment calling and exhortation of their high Magistrate Byshoppe Curate or publique Minister of Gods Woorde The cause thereof was commonlye some greate plague vengeance or punishment wherwith God scourged them for theire sinfull hainous and abhominable offences committed and doon by them and their forefathers example thereof we haue in the second booke of Esdras where it is thus written In the foure and twenty â—eem 9. day of this moneth came the Children of Israell together with fasting and sackclothes and earth vpon them and seperated the seede of Israell from all the straunge Children and stoode and knowledged their sinnes and wickednesses of their fathers stoode vp in their place and read in the booke of the Law of the Lord their God foure times on the daye c. And after a solemne rehearsall of the iudgementes and greate mercifulnesse of God declared in holye scripture they conclude thus saying Thou O God art righteous in al that thou haste brought vpon vs for thou haste doone right As for vs wee haue beene vngodlye and our Kinges Princes Preestes and Fathers haue not doon after thy Law nor regarded thy commaundements thine earnest exhortations wherwith thou hast exhorted them haue not serued thee in thy Kingdome in thy greate goods that thou gauest them c. and are not conuerted from their wicked works Beholde therefore are wee in bondage this day Yea euen in the lande which thou gauest vnto our Fathers to enioye the Fruites and goodes therof beholde there are we bondmen c. Loe Héere is a solemne open Confession Would God that this example of publique Confession of sinnes were well practised through out all Christendome namely at this day séeing yâ— the plagues of God doo daily increase more and more vpon vs our sinful liues abhominations iustlye deseruing the same and much more There are also thrée Three more sort of confeson of sins more sortes of Confession of sinnes declared in the holy Scriptures The first is secret confession of sinne only vnto God The second is an open confession before men The third is a priuate and secret confessioÌ„ made vnto man Confessioâ— vnto God only As touching yâ— firste it