after their death for them bycause they can not then helpe them But if it chaunce any man to lye at the poynt of death then with the wordes of the Gospell wée sende hym to Chryste to pray for the remission of hys sinnes to truste to the grace and mercie of God and so with full consolation hope for eternall lyfe And this and none other was the doctrine of the primatiue Apostolyke Church like as Paule writeth of the dead 1. Thes. 4. And therfore by Gods grace wée will kéepe the same The. xxxvj Question What they say to the glory of Lazarus and his systers Martha and Marie who prayed vnto Chryste for their brother Lykewise of Eutiches whom Paule raysed from the deade whether this were done without prayers and whether that Saint Peter did not rayse Tabitha to life by prayers The Answere I Suppose that Mary Martha Peter Paule prayed vnto God but yet not as our aduersaries teache vs to pray for the dead that is that God would be merciful to their soules and delyuer them from the fire of purgatorie and receiue them into eternall life but they prayed that vnto the glory of god they might be restored to this life And do they thinke that Lazarus Eutiches and Tabitha were in the fire of purgatorie and after their death suffered prayers I suppose they dare not affirme it And therfore they bring vs such examples as serue not their purpose but are onely to blere the eyes of the simple But if they say they were in Purgatory then I pray you howe proue they the same But some of them affirme say If Lazarus were in hell then could he not be deliuered for in hell there is no redemption but if he were in heauen then had he wrong to be brought agayne to this earth of miserie And héere therfore they conclude that there muste néedes bée a thirde or midle place To these I answer first that hereby they haue not proued this midle place to be purgatorie but that it may be as wel some other place only knoweÌ„ vnto god Secondly I say that their whole argument is false vaine Lazarus as the scripture there techeth was Christes frende and therfore his soulo was receiued into the bosome of Abraham after his death like as we may sée in the other Lazarus of whome Luke speketh ca. â—6 Neither had he any iniury offred him when his soule to the setting forth of Gods glory was agayne coupled to his body for all creatures doo of right and dutie serue their creator The Lord said vnto the these hanging on the crosse This day shalt thou be with me in paradise yet the. 3. day he rose agayn dyd not thereby suffer any wrong c. Truely I thinke that if these men which are called the Spiritualtie were compelled tobestow so much money for the dead vpon the laypeople as they for thys matter doo receyue of them their fire of Purgatorie woulde not burns so hotte and their prayers would come downe to a lower pryce But if thys doctrine of Purgatorie bée so necessarie howe commeth it then to passe I beséeche you that the Caste Churches in Grecia dydde neuer receyue it nor knowe of it vntill the tyme of Eugenius the fourth at whiche tyme very shortely after Constantinople was taken by the Turke The. xxxvij Question What they say to this place of the Machabees It is therefore an holy and holesome thoughte to pray for the dead that they may bee delyuered from their sinnes The Answere SAint Hierome Ciprian and Gelasius shall vnto this place aunswere for vs that this secoÌ„d boke of Machabées is read in the Church but hath not like authority with other canonical scriptures of the Bible to take authoritie thence as froÌ„ other scriptures in the controuersies of religion Therfore bycause in al the bookes of the olde new testament there is not one word spokeÌ„ of the sacrifices for the dead we leaue this place as we found it as not béeing able to proue any thing Agayne all the actes of holy meÌ„ are not to be folowed neither are they acceptable to god Geâ—eon for a good inteÌ„t made an Ephod in â—phra which yet had bin better if it had not bin done In the. 14. Chapter of the historie of the Machabées Raazias is praised for killing himself that he might not al into the hands of his enimies yet his act as the whole scripture techeth 〈◊〉 the best of the fathers do iudge deserueth neither prayse nor is thought wel of for euery man touching death ought to abide till God doo call And as touching this Booke I could say more but this is sufficient The ninthe Common place Of Sacramentes The. xxxviij Question How many Sacraments there be also whether those be effectuall signes of Gods grace by the which we receiue the same The Answere THe Romish church hath seuen Sacraments of al the which we do account but two to bée true Sacramentes of Chrystes church and that is Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord and vnto these we attribute so muche as the holie Scripture willeth vs And as touching these two Confirmation Extreme vnction or anoynting as they be now vsed in the church of Rome we do not acknowledge them for any Sacraments of Chryste neither suppose wée that they haue their original from gods word The other thrée that is penance Imposition of hands or Orders Matrimonie although we recken theÌ„ not amongst the Sacramentes of Chrystes church as we do baptisme the supper of the Lorde yet we acknowledge them to be profitable necessarie institutions of God and very holsome for the faythfull if they vse them in such sort and to the end for which they were ordeined and as the Saincts haue vsed them in times paste Neither doo wée allowe or thinke wel of al those things which the church of Rome doth vse in these thrée but we allow that only which is agreable with the worde of god But where we allow baptisme the Lords supper onely for true Sacraments I haue else where more largely taughte shewing that it onely belongeth to God and not to man to institute or ordeine Sacraments the signes of Gods verity and grace but also howe the promisses of God are in the Sacramentes and outwarde signes of his benefites Touching the efficacie and vertue of the Sacraments we answere that all those things which God hath ordeined haue power and vertue to bring to passe and performe al that for the which they were ordeined of God and so haue the Sacraments their power to whome therfore we ought not to attribute any other thing than that the Scriptures do attribute vnto them and for which causes they were ordeined Wherefore if we finde the Sacraments ineffectuall vnto vs that is not to be attributed to them as though the institution of God were of no sorce but it is to be attributed vnto meÌ„ which vse them
¶ Questions of Religion cast abroad in HELVETIA by the Aduersaries of the same and aunswered by M. H. Bullinger of ZVRICK reduced into 17. Common places Translated into Englishe by Iohn Coxe 1572. ¶ Imprinted at London by Henrie Bynneman for George Byshop To the right Reuerend father in God and my very good Lorde William by Gods prouideÌ„ce Bishop of Excester Iohn Cox Wisheth all grace and peace of conscience from God our heauenly father through Chryste Iesus our Lord nowe and for euer WHEN I HAD finished the translation of thys Booke right Reuerende father and being persvvaded by some of my godly freends to publishe the same in Printe for that it vvas a Booke not onely conteyning the vvhole summe of our Christian Religion but also ansvveres to all the obiections vvhich our aduersaries the Papistes may or can obiecte agaynst vs bearing any similitude or likelyhode of truthe and agayne also considering vvith my selfe that in these our dayes beeing the laste and therefore the moste perillous and daungerous dayes for so our sauiour Christ him selfe teacheth vs vvherin vve haue great neede to be furnished against the assaultes of the enimies of true Religion and vvaying vvith my selfe the godly minde of the author D. Henry Bullinger vvho vvrote the same in hys ovvne naturall tongue for the profite of his Countreymen as more largely appeareth in his ovvne preface vvhere he declareth vvhy he tooke this matter in hande a man of moste singular learning and vertuous liuing for vvhom all christendome is bound to magnifie the maiestie of god declaring his loue tovvards vs in sending such an excellent member to his Church vvho paynfully traueled not only in Lectures and Sermons euen in his olde and feble age but also vvrote many Bookes so that it can not vvell be discerned in vvhich of these tvvo exercises he did most excede in labor thought I could do God no better seruice and no greater pleasure to my Countreymen than to make them partakers of suche a precious perle as this For that it is a sure shield and strong furnished fortresse agaynst the carping tongs and clapping clacks of Moâ—â—â— his race For such is the gret frovvardnesse obstinacie of some men that althoughe God of his mercy and clemencie hath repressed and beateÌ„ dovvne the frosen frostie and darke mountayns of Popish Cimmeria vvherby the clearenesse of his Gospell vvas kepte from vs and hath caused the most comfortable bright beames of his Gospell to shyne foorthe ouer vs yet they most vvickedly blyndfield them selues vvyth the thicke and foggie mystes of mans imaginations and so rebelling agaynst God their Creator chose rather stubbornely to abyde in their olde horrible darkenesse than vvillingly to embrace the comfortable lyghte of so mercyfull a god VVherefore I mused vvith my selfe to vvhome cheefly I might dedicate this treatise amongst many graue and vvise personages I fouÌ„d none so meete as your fatherhoode and that for tvvo causes The one for that it hath pleased god of his mercy to take avvay hence vnto him selfe that moste precious levvel and excellent ornament of his Church D. Jewell late Byshop of Sarisburie for vvhose death vvhat sighes and teares are amongest the godly I ceasse to declare partly for that I vvyll not augmente and renue your Fatherhoods conceiued sorrovves vvhich you haue planted vvithin your breste such vvas the great amitie loue and faythfull frendship betvveene you and for that partly the aboundaunce of mine ovvne teares forceth the same such are the vehement affections of mans nature to vvhome this Booke vvas dedicated by one Iosias Simlerus one of the chefe Ministers in the Church of Zuricke vvho turned the same out of Dutche into Latin vvherin the author vvrote it as I sayd before that as the Booke vvas a defence and fortresse to many so he lykevvyse mighte be a sheelde and defence vnto the same agaynst the brauling tongues of the barking enimyes the Papistes vvho are euer ready to spit foorthe the pestiferous humors of their malitious and vngodly stomacks as their tyrannous practises from tyme to tyme haue and doo moste manyfestly declare VVherfore righte reuerende father and my singular good Lorde sithe it hathe pleased God as I sayde before to take avvay from vs such an ornament and Ievvel for some good cause vnto him knovven I offer this his defence into your hands beeing no lesse vvorthy to take so good a matter in hande The other is your good Lordshyps accustomable fauour and good vvill continually bestovved on the cheefe of my freends vvhich forceth me to dedicate this vnto you therby to signifie that althoughe there vvanteth povver and habilitie bothe in them and me to requite any parte thereof yet suche is our bounden dueties tovvards your Lordshippe that neither blinde obliuion nor tyme vvith his crooked sithe shall be able to cut that reuerende affection and loue from our brestes vvhich vvee haue duetifully conceiued tovvards you VVherefore I moste humbly beseeche you to accepte this my trauell in good parte and as the onely token of him vvho prayeth dayly vnto the almightie God that he may encrese you vvith honor and so gouerne you vvith his holy spirite that as you haue begun so you may continue a most vigilant and paynfull pastor in Chrystes Churche to the comforte and encrease thereof the quiet and discharge of your ovvn conscience the defacing and ouerthrovving of the aduersaries of the same and the incoraging and prouoking of your godly Ministers and Preachers to folovv your steppes in paynfulnesse diligence loue humilitie and other moste excelleÌ„t vertues for the vvhich amongst all the godly you are moste vvorthely commended and that so finishing your lyfe vvith a long and an honorable age you may vvith Chryst Iesus our head and onely cheefe pastor possesse the crovvne of eternall glory for euer and euer Amen Your Lorpships moste humble at commaundement IOHN COXE To the right reuerend Father in God Iohn Iuel Bishop of Sarisburie Iosias Simlerus vvisheth health I Haue heard oftentimes many godly men greatly desire some wryting in the which ther might bréefely be confuted all the chéefe argumentes of the Popishe prelates For saide they there is muche written very copiously and learnedly against them but all meÌ„ haue not leisure to reade ouer so great and large woorkes And furthermore to those which trauell and by crueltie of the persecuters of oure religion are forced to read them priuily these great volumes are to them very incommodious bicause they cannot easily be caried about with them nor thrust or hidde in their bosome And remembring that a fewe yéeres agone the reuerend father in God Iohn Parkhurst did often times desire me that like as D. Bullinger my father in lawe whome for reuerence sake I name had bréefely set foorthe the chéefe poyntes of our religion and confirmed the same by testimonie of holy scripture intituling it the Summe of Christian Religion so I in like maner shuld gather togither al the arguments which the papists
those Magistrates as Eusebius and Orosius doo testifie in their Histories And wée haue a manifest and an excellent example of this matter in the seconde thirde and sixte Chapters of Daniell And in the Historie of the Machabées and the Actes of the Apostles Furthermore the Churche which is called Chrystes Churche and is not so in déede hathe in it none of those things whiche it oughte for to haue for they neither truste in God nor in Chryste nor in his woorde but put their confidence in other matters and make diuerse Lawes and Customes of Religion and the seruice of GOD contrary to Gods woorde and hauing among themselues insimte Sectes yet wyll they bée called the Catholyke Churche And in thys Churche the godly Magistrate hathe power and authoritie to make and ordeyne Lawes and Statutes for the abolyshing and taking away of those thinges whiche are ordeyned contrary to the wyll and woorde of almightie god For Dauid Salomon Josaphat Ezechias Josias Constantinus and other godly Princes are euident examples héereof Therfore when the Magistrate for the profite and reformation of the Church dothe ordeyne Statutes and Lawes agreable to the woorde of GOD they ought moste diligently to bée obeyed of al men yea and if nede require the magistrate must bée assisted in them and those which will not so doo but resiste their Magistrates shall bée most sharply punished of god But the Popes and Prelates of the Romish Church to the ende they may defend and maintayne their honours pryde ryches pleasures and horrible wyckednesse haue hither vnto persuaded with Princes Noble men and Magistrates yea and by force haue héerevnto constrayned them that they shoulde beléeue that the lawes and reformations whiche touched their Pontificall state were cleane contrary to the holy churche God himselfe and all equitie and Justice And by this meanes they dyd not onely mayntayne their pompe and pryde but dyd also dayly encrease the same when as yet rather it had béene their partes to haue called them selues to accountes and to haue considered diligently the state of the Churche and of the afflicted Christendome and so to prouyde for the same and not onely to exhorte the Magistrates but also to helpe them and further them in the reformation hereof and for the spéedier redresse to beginne euen wyth themselues For these are the laste tymes and the indgemente of the Lorde in the whiche they â— all render a moste sharpe accounte is not farre off And blessed are those whome the corruptible trashe of thys lyfe dothe not lette but that they may readily prepare them selues agaynst his comming when he shal iudge bothe the quicke and the deade The Conclusion THus farre by the helpe of God to whom I render most hartie thanks haue I answered to 〈◊〉 Questions and taughte those to whom they shal be obiected how to answere them yea I haue taught what is to be thought of eche of these howe to confesse the true doctrine of Chryst and to take héede of the false And therefore nowe euen for Chrystes sake I hartily beséeche al you which sticke vnto the truth of the Gospell and minde not to returne to filthynesse of Rome that you answere soberly and without fcare and constantly abide in the truth béeing nothing amased with the dayly torments and afflictions which are euer at hande For the Religion my brethren for whiche you suffer persecutions disple asures and other gréefes is not of aâ—eight hundred yeres standing but hath ben euer from the birthe of Chryste yea and from the beginning of the worlde grounded vppon the Scriptures and is in déede the very true and auucient fayth On the other side wée are taughte that the doctrine and Religion of the Churche of Rome that now is is not onely a new doctrine but also deuised by men and ratified by the Counsels and Decrées of men with whom Chryst sayth that he is worshipped in vayne Our doctrine and religion giueth all glory to God and séeketh saluation in Chryste onely And bycause we haue all fulnesse in him wée haue no respecte vnto the creatures And him wée serue not with outwarde pompe and shewes but in spirite and truth in prayer and thanks giuing in righteousnesse charitie puritie fayth and mercy And euen common sense teacheth all men that the true seruice of God consisteth in these things whereas on the other parte all men crye out agaynst the vncertayne doctrine of the Romish Clergie béeing confirmed by no good authority yet they cry out agaynst their filthy lyfe their intollerable oppressions pride and tyrannie Wherfore although they haue great power glory and dignitie fauor and help of great and mightie men and that the poore menne which beléeue in Christ and embrace his woorde and despise the Romish church doe suffer persecutions imprisonment banishment yea and many times death that there appéereth no helpe many times from God but that it séemeth he doth rather fauor the other yet was al this foretold by the Prophetes Apostles yea and by our sauioure Christ him selfe who suffered for vs leauing vs an example to folow his steps And therfore we ought not to take any thought for our goodes frends body or life For we haue great promisses of grace helpe and rewarde from God if we abide stedfast vnto the ende On the other part our aduersaries are dreadfully threatned and shall in time fele the same that without dout Againe touching the things of this world we knowe they are vnconstant brittle and corrupt and therefore we caÌ„not long enioy them neither can the power or riches of our frends any thing profit vs For we shal all die and stand before the iudgement seate of Christe vnto whonte all our sinnes and secrete thoughts shall be made most manifest Therfore let no maÌ„ be gréeued though he suffer affliction in this life for the gospels sake For at that general day both the innocenciè and offences of all men shall appeare And hearken I beséeche you how louingly Christ speaketh vnto vs and comforteth vs Blossed sayth he are those vvhich suffer persecution for righteoufnesse sake for theirs is the kingdome of heauen Blessed are you vvhen they shall speake ouil of you and perfecute you and speake all manner of euill saying making lies vppon you for my sake Reioyce and be glad for great is your revvarde in heauen for euen so did they persecute the Prophets vvhich vvere before you The scholler is not aboue his maister nor the seruaunt greater than his lord If they haue called the good man of the house Belâ—cbub hovv much more vvill they call his seruaunts so you shall not therefore be a fraide of them for thereis nothing so hidden but it shall be knovvne Neither be you afraide of those vvhiche can but kill the body but feare you him rather that is able to destroy bothe body and soule in hell fire Are not tvvo sparovves solde for a farthing and yet one of them falleth not vnto the grounde vvithout the
are woÌ„t to bring out of the scriptures against vs our doctrin And he encoraged me héerunto saying that this labor wold not be so tedious harde vnto me as profitable and grateful vnto many good men And it would be the lesse laboure for that many of oure countrymen hadde wrytten very largely in the same matter so as there remained nothing else vnto me but to bring them into some bréefe order And as touching the profite héereof he sayde it mighte well be perceiued for that héeretofore there was sette foorthe an Enchiridion of common places by Iohn Eckius a very stoute champion on the Popes behalfe which being studiously and earnestly read of many Papistes confirmed them in their erroures and therefore he had no doubte but if some like booke were set foorthe by vs many would willingly reade the same and thereby also take greate profite which thing he sayd mighte well be gathered bicause that little Bookes of all those chéefe poyntes mighte very easily be spredde abrode by the Printers and so be studiously read of all men Wherefore these many other things which he was wonte moste grauely and learnedly according to his custome to rehearse vnto me did easily persuade me that suche a booke would be very profitable and acceptable to many but that I shoulde attempte or enterprise to begin such a worke I cannot yet persuade my self not for that there wanteth good will bothe to gratifie my friend priuely as also openly to pleasure others but bicause I stoode in doubt how to finishe the same But when the yere last past there was put into Printe a little boke by the Reuerende father Doctor Henrie Bullinger in whiche he Aunswereth to certaine Articles or Questions wherewith the Inquisitors of Bâ—â—â—ria as they say examine those whiche are suspected in Religion I thought with my selfe that the same would not only satisfie the minds of diuers godly men but also the speciall requeste of ourâ— Parkhurst and therefore haue I turned the same into Latine that all menne might reade it For in this booke are all the chéefe argumentes of the Papistes and especially those with whome they are wont to pose and trouble the minds of the simple and vnlearned bréefely confuted and answered And whereas Phillip Melancthon of moste woorthy memorie father of all the learned men that hither vnto haue liued in Germanie wrote a Boke answering these Articles of Bauaria as the title of his boke doth testifie yet of 61. questions he only answered but. 18. peraduenture supposing that by the Answeres made vnto those the rest also might easily be confuted But D. Bullinger hauing regarde to profite the simple and vnlearned maketh answere orderly to eche one of these questions and therfore though he tooke this matter in hand after that great learned man D. Melancthon yet is it profitable bicause not only Melancthon did not answer to them all but also bicause in that his aunswere are some suche things which are not altogither alowed of the godly and chéefely those things which are written in the 22. Article touching Free vvill Of the which matter I wil nowe say nothing but he that readeth both the bookes and wayeth the argumentes may easily iudge This Booke doe I sende vnto thée most learned Jewel first bicause of the great friendship betwéene thée and oure Parkhurst that so by you I may satisfie his desire and request or else that at the least he may héerewith contente hym selfe vntil some better learned than I may take this his desired work in haÌ„d Furthermore my desire was that by this a publicke testimonie might be extant not onely of my duetie towardes you but also of your loue towardes me which I not onely perceiued when we were togither but also do perfectly vnderstand by your letters since sent vnto me And although the Popishe doctrine be throughe Goddes great mercy quite chased away from youre Countrey of Englande for the which all godly doe greatly reioyce yet I truste this my work shal not be vnprofitable to wéede out of the minds of the simple the dregs of that Doctrine so as thereby the pure doctrine of Christe may be the faster and better engrafted And in the exercise héereof you haue not onely many helpers to me vnknown but also those whome I right well know men of excellent learning and vertue true Bishops in Christ D. Iohn Parkhurst D. Eduin Sandes D. Robert Horne The reuerend father Iohn Bale D. Iohn Pilkinton D. Thomas Leuer D. Iohn Fox and D. Laurence Humfrey all whome I beséeche Christ to preserue From Zurich Idib August 1560. Henrie Bullinger to the Christian Reader THere are almost euery where throughe Germanie scattred abrode certayne Questions written or Printed and that to the ende the professoures of the gospel and especially such as amongst theÌ„ are vnlerned might by them be troubled broughte into doute and as it were quite driuen from the gospel as from a newe doubtfull false and corrupt doctrine For some of these Questions are so coloured with scriptures that at the first sight they seme to haue some shew of truth But they all shute to this marke that they may thruste in and plant not the true church of Christ and his doctrine but the churche of Rome her doctrine manners statutes and other abuses Whereby it comes to passe by the infirmitie of man and by reason of persecutions that many coÌ„ceiue an euil opinion and lothsomnesse of the gospel and that chiefely when they see there is no man to instructe them strengthen and comforte them Wherfore when by some I was requested to make some breefe and plaine answere to the said Questions and somewhat to open the matter that bothe they might perceiue how to vnderstande those places of scriptures as also see that oure relion grounded on the Gospell is not suche as they slaunder it to be I toke that matter in hande And applied my diligence to defend the true religion as indede it is the duetie of euerye good Christian to comfort the godly and suche as were afflicted and according to the talent giuen me of God for without his helpe all mans doing is but vayne I answered the .lxi. questions for so many came vnto my hands therfore whether there be more or lesse in other places I know not Wherfore I beseeche thee good Christian Reader to take this my trauell in good parte and follow the Counsell of S. Paule who byddeth thee to proue all thinges and to keepe that which is good And thus much more I say for their sakes that shall eyther reade or heare this Treatise that if they bee weeried wyth the contentions and strifes in Religion and the sharpe tauntes that oftentimes fall out in that cause I haue in this Booke cheefelye laboured to teache the matter moste briefly and playnly and that without all heate of contention to Gods glory and the profitable â—difying of the godly The Artycles or Common places which are touched in these lxj