authoure namely that all menne should come to the Sée of Rome to finishe all controuersies of religion and that they should take al interpretations from the Popes holinesse But if the church of Rome were now as frée from errors as was the church in that time when Paule and Barnabas came thither we would not be ashamed to require and take answeres from hir But bicause the doctrine church which Peter planted in Judea is in this our age neither to be founde in Rome or at Jerusalem and they of Rome are rather founde like vnto those of whom Peter prophesied in the seconde chapter of his seconde Epistle we therefore by good right ought to depart from that church And yet doe we not spoile eyther the churche of Peter or the aunciente doctrine of their due honoure for we doe followe the true and aunciente Doctrine and churche of Peter and séeke to haue all controuersies of Religion iudged by the doctrine of Peter and the other Apostles Wherefore lette these Romishe harlottes looke rather vppon their owne wallet and diligently consider what greate honoures they giue to S. Peter and his seate and Churche which haue chaunged the same into a market of marchaundise and sincke of al horrible sinnes as al the world may sée and eache godly man dothe greatly lament In dede Paul spake his minde first in the councell at Jerusalem but what would yée therewith Knowe yée not that he accused his aduersaries and therfore it behoued him to speake first But yet I maruell muche that yée attribute not the cheefest place in thys councell to S. Peter For your contention is onely for the cheefest place the greatest pompe and glory For these men haue quite forgotten that doctrine of Christe saying Hee that vvill bee greatest amongst yee lette him be your seruaunte and submitte himselfe vnder all if he vvill enter into the kingdom of heauen And therfore me thinketh they are like to the Pharisies of whoÌ„ Christ speaketh in the gospel saying that they loue the vppermost â—eates and to be reueâ—enced of men But that they maye see me will denye them nothing that may iustly appertaine vnto them lette them endeuoure firste to be made like vnto Paule and Peter and then will we gladly giue them the cheefest place But if they be not suche then is there no cause why they should brag vnto vs of their holynesse and great titles for we may knowe them euen as the rotten trée is knowne by his frutes Further more the holy Ghoste was in that councell at Jerusalem for so it is written in the fiftienth of the Actes But what maketh that for you Or what doth it further your cause For it foloweth not that the holy Ghoste is in al your councels as we haue sufficiently proued already And againe we doe not call in Question the things which are inspired giuen by the holy Ghost but those things onely which you and your forefathers haue fayned oute of your owne braines and so thruste vpon the church contrary to the word of god But if you estéeme the holy Ghoste so much as you beare the world in hande yée do why then obey yée not the things which by his inspiration he hath deliuered For in the councell of Jerusalem in which the holy Ghost was present thus is it decreed It seemeth good to the holy ghost and to vs that vve lay no more burthen vppon you And why I pray yée haue not you and your forefathers obserued this Why haue yée laid so intollerable burthens on the backes of the poore Christians Why call yée vs heretickes for that we goe about to restore the churche to her former libertie and deliuer the same from these intollerable burthens But if those your ordinaÌ„ces are so necessary to saluation why theÌ„ do not you your selues obserue the same Truely you manifestly declare your selues to be of the number of those of whome our Lord said They lay heauie burthens vpon the shoulders of other men but they vvill not touche one of them vvith their little finger Matth. 23. The sixtienth Question Whether the church of Christe haue decreed any thing against or contrary to god and that theÌ„ they shewe the same in what pointes it consisteth The Answere WE haue already sufficiently spoken concerning the holy christian churche which dependeth only vpon the word of God and therefore we haue not either to charge or accuse the same But as coÌ„cerning the late vpstarte church of Rome we not only accuse it of diuers crimes but also haue already shewed that euidently what shée wanteth and wherfore we forsake and accuse hir The fourth Common place Of Free will. The seuententh Question Whether men haue not fre wil to doe good and euil The Answere THis Question touching the frée wil of man is the very ground foundation of that proude and arrogant doctrine concerning the merites of man as though there were any good in vs of our owne selues or as thoughe we were able to doe good fréely by our owne power for the which God muste néedes let vs haue eternall life But yet the holy scripture teacheth vs an other lesson how that man caÌ„ not do any good thing as of him selfe neither by all his power accoÌ„plish any good For his vnderstanding and frée will not being regenerated is so fowly blotted and defaced in him by his first traÌ„sgression and so wrapped in sinne and wickednesse that euen by nature he is caried hedloÌ„g vnto al manner of euil so as he is made very vnfit and vnapte to goodnesse And then what libertie or free wil can be attributed to such a man S. Paule saith The wisdome of the fleshe is an enemie to God neither is it subject to the lavve of God neither can it be Read the third Chapter also of his Epistle to the Romanes But who so euer is borne a newe by grace throughe the operation of the holy Ghoste of him is this saying of Christe to bee vnderstanded He vvhich dothe sinne is the seruaunte of sinne But if the same haue made you free then are you free in dede That is you are made frée from sinne the diuel death and damnation that fréely and with good will by the operation of the holy ghost and not by coÌ„pulsion you might do the good thing which you do And they whiche are so redéemed and indewed with Christian libertie they attribute not the good which they doe vnto their owne power and frée will but to the grace of Christe and to the holy ghost which worketh the same in them For Christe saythe in the fiftienth of Jhon He that abideth in me and in vvhome I abide he bringeth forthe muche frute for vvithout me you can doe nothing And S. Pauls saith in the second Epistle to the Corint and third chapter we are not able to do any good thing of our selues as of our selues but all our habilitie thereunto commeth of God. And in an other
a mans wyfe is not a wife onely in name or by supposition but is so in déede except the word of God deceiue vs But whereas the authors of these questions whosoeuer they were dyd call the lawful mariage of such men whordome or double adulterie it is horrible sinne and detestable impudencie yea haynous blasphemie and procéedeth from moste bytter malice I pray you let them remember the words of Esay saying VVo be to those which call good euyll and euyll good And call you the mariage of such as in tymes paste had made vowes a doubled whoredome and incest iudgâ— yée the lasciuious wicked and adulterous life of these spirituall men which neuer a whit obserue their vowes for a thing of nothing or a trifle For what haue they suffered for any such matter Or who hurteth theÌ„ for any such thing But those which haue maried yée séeke vtterly to destroy bothe with fire and swoorde and yet in the meane time yée suffer horrible and things woorthy to be punished which for the reuerence of the godly eares I let slippe and wil not once name But if yée be so bent to the earnest punishing of wickednesse and vngodlynèsse why then doe yée not punishe those faults which God him selfe and equitie and iustice commaundeth to be punished For where there is no lawfull impediment founde no manne ought to be punished for marriage But héere they Obiect the saying of S. Paule in his 1. Tim. 5. where he thus wryteth But refuse the yonger vvidovves for they after they beginne to vvaxe vvanton againste Christe vvill marrie receiuing dampnation bicause they haue broken the firste faithe But the Apostle doth not say that they sinne bicause they marrie but bicause as he plainely saithe they haue broken their firste faithe that is bicause they béeing yong haue dedicated them selues to the seruice of the Churche promising fréely to serue and attende on the necessitie of the poore and nowe doe it not and therfore haue they damnation iudgement and reproche bicause they were vnconstante in that function which they tóoke vppon them and not bicause they married And yet the order of the yonger widowes in the primatiue Churche is not to be compared with the order of youre Priestes Munkes and Nunnes bicause they hadde their institution from God but the order of youre Priestes Munkes and Nunnes was neuer instituted by god Laste of all the Apostle dothe open his owne meaning saying Therefore I vvill that the yonger vvidovves marrie to bring forthe children c. And that Paule speaketh in this place of them which haue dedicated them selues to the ministerie of the Church the whole circumstances of the woordes doe declare When in time paste it was asked of Saincte Cyprian the Martire what shoulde be done with those Uirgines which hadde vowed to kéepe their virginitie but by reason of the continuall resorte of menne they liued in an euill name a Synode of godly learned Bishoppes being called together he aunsweared If by Faithe they did vowe them selues to Christ they would continue chaste and vnspotted withoute any deceite But if they will not neyther yet canne so continue it is better they marrie than burne in their vnsatiable lustes Cyp. lib. 1. Epist. 11. And S. Augustine in his booke de bono viduitatis in his ninthe chap. vpon the words of S. Paule in his firste Epistle to Timothe and the fifth chapter hath interpreted the same place euen as wée haue done and also he addeth more saying that those men doe not rightly weighe this matter which denie suche marriages to be true wedlocke Furthermore these woords of S. Augustine are recited in the Decrees distinct 27. beginning at this woord Quidam thus Some say that those which marrie after they haue made a Uowe of chastitie are adulterers but I say to you that they doe gréeuously offende which doe put suche a sunder But we néed not the testimonies of men bicause there are sufficiente testimonies in the woorde of God which plainely biddeth them to marrie yée though héeretofore they had made any Uowe to the contrarie Wherefore to conclude I leaue this place to the iudgemente of the wise to discusse with them selues whether not onely those which doe forbid marriage but also those which separate those that are married and raile at it calling the same a double whoredome were not long before thys time described and condemned by S. Paule when he exhorteth the godly to beware of them saying Novve the spirite speaketh euidently that in the latter times some shal departe from the faithe and shall geeue heede to spirits of errour and doctrines of Deuils vvhich speake lies throughe hipocrisie and haue their consciences burned vvith an hotte iron forbidding to marrie and commaunding to abstain from meates c. 1 â–ª Tim â–ª 4. The. xvj Common place Of extreme vnction called enoyling The. lix Question Whether they vse enoyling The Answere MArke in the sixth chapter of his Gospell and S. James in his fifthe chapter make mention of annoynting But that kinde of annoynting doth very much differ from that which in our age is vsed in the Romish church to the sicke of whose life we stande in doubte For in the primitiue Churche the Apostles and their successoures did annoynte the sicke with Oyle and by that meanes they were restored to healthe And it was a certaine peculiare gifte of God and done as it were miraculously for euen as in the primatiue church was the peculiare gifte of healing so also was there the gifte of tonges For the Apostles laide their handes on the sicke and they receiued health spake with diuers tonges But as the gifte of tonges is â—eaffed in the Churche so also is that of healing by the annoynting with Oyle and therefore the ceremonie of imposition of handes and anointing with Oyle ceaseth All men know that in the primitiue Churche there were diuers things necessarily required as the gift of healing and of tongs with other miracles which wer signes for the vnbeléeuers and were done to confirme the religion but nowe when by the preaching of the Gospell faithe and the religion is published and confirmed the others haue ceased and are quite out of vse And therefore the annoynting vsed in the Churche of Rome is not by this confirmed that S. James and Marke doe speake of annoynting for their annoynting did muche differre from this and was neuer instituted by Christe or hys Apostles but deuised by men and that a long time after The Apostles vsed to annoynt with Oyle to the ende they mighte restore suche to health but the Papistes neuer annoynte any vntill they be paste hope of all recouerie neyther vse they this theyr enoyling for the healthe of his bodye but for the remission of sinnes Yea and in this their enoyling they pray vnto diuers Sainctes which liued long since the Apostles time and diuers suche other Ceremonyes they vse which were neuer knowne to the Apostles and therefore
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
a lawfull councell for as touching other Councelles which are vnlawfull and fosterers of their factions we doe not passe bicause we are not Heretickes as they were which contended againste Paule but we defende preserue and purely teache the Apostolicke doctrine which Paule proponed in that councel whereas our aduersaries defend the doctrine of Pauls enemies and by all violence and force thrust the same vpon men The summe of Paules doctrine was this That sinners vvere iustified before God by faith in Christ not by circumcision or the deedes of the lavv Against this doctrine did the enemies of Paul who notwithstanding were reckened amongste the faithful and taught the faith in Christ but yet not sincerely set them selues saying that they ought to be circūcised to keepe the law and to be saued by the workes thereof And that this was the doctrine and iudgemente of bothe the partes dothe euidently appeare by the xv chapter of the Actes and the Epistle to the Galathians Wherefore sith yée teache the merite of woorkes and dare to say that iustification is not of faithe only in Christe but by good woorkes consider whether we or yée with your doctrine come most neare to the iudgement and opinion of Paules aduersaries And althoughe they were suche yet neuerthelesse they proponed theyr opinion in the Councell at Jerusalem were heard for in the. xv of the Actes it is written that there was great disputation betwéene Paule and Barnabas Wherfore if we were Heretickes as we are not yet ought we by right to be hard in the councel as they were And bicause the example of the Apostles which yée doe vse sheweth that they condemned those which taught contrary to Paule and we haue already proued that yée teach the same it foloweth that yée also are condemned in them But if as you suppose the aduersaryes of Paule had no place in the councell then yée which agrée with them in opinion shall haue no place by your owne iudgement in a lawfull councell But if they which consented to Paules doctrine were admitted into the councell and gaue sentence against Paules enimies then oughte we by good righte to set in the councell and to giue sentence against you For we teach like doctrine with Paule touching Christe fayth in Christe and of iustification to wit that we be iustified by faith in Christe and not by workes And héereby it appeareth that this question maketh directly against your selues The second parte of this Question is whether the Apostles did take into the councel lay or vnlearned mē which folowed the foresayde heresie But yet these men do rather in this place séeke whether that lay men which followe herestes are to be admitted into councels Héere first is diligently to be considered who they are which folowe herestes and then to consider to what end this Question is directed and who they are which they go about to exclude frō councels To this second parte we aunswer that those godly Princes and magistrates and honest lay men which beléeue the gospel that we do preache doe not folowe heresies and therefore they may be admitted into Christian councels and assemblies We are not ignorante of your custome and tyrannous gouernement whereby sometimes yée doe admit lay men into your councels but yet to learne as yée terme it but when any waightie matter is to be cōcluded then yée exclude them and place them only in your councell which will geue sentence as you liste and those be your Bishoppes onely But in the same place of the Actes which yée alledge for your selues it is thus written Then it pleased the Apostles and elders vvith the vvhole churche c. In the which place lay and vnlearned men are numbred bicause they haue the grace and spirite of Christ And therfore they neither may nor ought to be excluded from councels which are ordained to the reformation of religion Neither oughte the Princes and Magistrates to suffer these spirituall nien as they call them selues to haue the whole authoritie of these matters to them selues The fourtenth Question Why did not Paule and Barnabas make an ende of this sector heresie at Antioche but came to Peter at Hierusalem and intreated him to giue sentence vpon it The Answere THE Apostles coulde not make an ende with their aduersaries excepte they would reuoke some part of their doctrine and bring it more neare to the doctrine of their aduersaries and that their aduersaries woulde gladly haue had them done But there can be no similitude of agréement betwéene these two sentences Faith in Christ iustifieth men vvithoute the vvoorkes of the lavve And this The lavv or vvorks dothe iustifie men before God and not faithe in Christe Neither was it méete that the Apostles shoulde retracte any part of their Doctrine and yéelde vnto their aduersaries For Paule speaketh héereof saying To vvhome vvee gaue not place by subiection for an houre that the truth of the gospel might continue vvith you Knovving that a man is not iustified by the vvorks of the law but by the faith of Iesus Christ. If then vvhile vve seeke to bee made righteous by Christe vve oureselues are founde sinners is Christe therfore the minister of sinne ▪ god forbid For if I build again the things vvhich I haue destroyed I make myselfe a trespasser Héereby it euidently appeareth that the Apostles could not agree with their aduersaries neither at Antioch neither at Jerusalem nor yéelde to any part of their doctrine neither yet would they Neither came they to Ierusalem to the ende they would make agréement and ioyne with their aduersaries much lesse then to intreate Peter that he woulde pacifie the matter betwéene them But the chéefest cause of their going was for that the Heretickes did bragge them selues to be sent from the Apostles that were at Ierusalem and that they agréed in their doctrine and that the doctrine of Paule and Barnabas touching the gospell did not agrée with the doctrine of the other Apostles Wherfore to the ende it mighte euidently appeare that this their bragge was false they went to Ierusalem and thereuppon the Apostles and the whole churche of Ierusalem writte to the churches of the Gentiles amongst whom the hereticks had scattered these things vntruely against Paul so among others they vse these words Bicause vve haue heard that certaine are come from vs and haue troubled you vvith their vvords to vvhome vvee haue giuen no commaundement c. Read the fiftéenth of the Actes and the second to the Galathians The fiftienth Question Whether that Paule did not speake his minde firste in that Councel Also whether the holy ghost were not there present Wherfore if these be true whie do they with their sectes spoile the Churche of Peter of her honor and how dare they call in dout those things which the holy ghost doth inspire The Answere NOw it may plainly appeare by this question to what end the former Questions were written by their
which were â—ut menne In lyke manner John the Baptiste than the which there was neuer any holyer amongste men whome Christe also commeÌ„deth sent his disciples from himselfe vnto Christe as to the true sauioure yea he rebuked them bycause they attributed more vnto him than was conuenient althoughe they yet attributed vnto him nothing so muche as these men nowe adayes attribute to the Sainctes Reade the first and seconde Chapter of S. John his gospel Wherfore sith it is moste sure that the Sainctes in heaueÌ„ haue not altered their minds then is it withoute all doubt that God is to be called vppon and prayed vnto through Christ only and that from him all things necessary are to be asked for and not from any Saincte The seuenth Common place Of the relikes of Sainctes images such like things The. xxxj Question Whether they beleeue that the going on Pilgrimage to the bones churches of the saincts be not a godly thing The Answere THis question compriseth in it three others First what we thinke of Pilgrymages that are taken in hande for religions sake Secondly what we thinke of the reliques and bones of the Saincts Thirdly what wée thinke of their temples To these wée aunswere All those things are godlie which men do being therevnto comauÌ„ded of God by his worde Wherfore if you wil haue vs iudge these Pilgrymages godlie then shew vs out of the scriptures where they were instituted and commanded of god For we can finde no one letter or title of holy Scripture where any mention is made of these pilgrymages but most perfectly know that our Lorde hath taught vs not to estéeme one place in this earth better than another nor to gadde hither and thither for the obtaining of grace For God is present and mercifull wheresoeuer the faithful haue néede of his grace and call vppon him with a true fayth Psalm 107. and. 145. Amos. 5. Jere. 7. 23. John. 4. 1. Timothe 2. and many other places Againe sithe in the Questions before going we haue alreadie shewed that the Sainctes sende vs from them selues to God and to his sonne Jesus Christe it is euidente that they allowe not of these Pilgrimages and that they are not profitable nor healthfull for those which take them in hand and therefore we ought not to doe them Touching the bones and Relikes of Sainctes there is thrée sortes of them Either they are their wrytings containing theyr Doctrine or some partes or menibers of theyr bodyes Or some exterioure things which they vsed as their garmentes and suche lyke Their wrytings therfore which containe their Doctrines are the right Relickes yea the vnspeakeable treasure of all good Christians which ought therfore to be had in moste great honor Againe the bones and bodyes of the Sainctes are worthy of their honoure as hauing parte in the Resurrection of the deade for the which they looke and were bisides the houses of that moste excellent spirite with which they were fulfilled But euen as the bodyes of the Patriarkes of Moses Aaron Josua the Kings Prophetes and the holy bodie of Christe of John Stephen and other the Apostles were moste honourably buried So are the bones of the Sainctes coÌ„mitted to the earthe vntill the day of iudgemente and are not to be digged vppe nor sette to be worshipped of the Christians in their churches as Athanasius hathe taughte in the life of blessed Anthonie Furthermore if we haue oughte which we knowe the Sainctes vsed in the time of theyr life yet oughte we not to woorshippe it For as the aunciente Fathers haue taughte vs suche woorshipping is superstition and displeaseth bothe God and the Saincts as before it is said what thing else may be said touching Relickes I héere omitte bicause theyr deceites are euidently knowne For oftentimes it happeneth that the heade arme or some one or other meÌ„ber of a saincte is found to be in two or thre places as though he had had thrée heades or thrée armes more than any other man Againe in the stead of Reliques fonde and foolishe things are offered vnto men to be woorshipped by meanes wherof the sainctes are rather dishonoured than honoured yet in this their marchandise they so shamefully behaue themselues that those whiche haue in them any sparke of honesty although they delighte in Papisticall doctrine yet are they dyspleased hereat Lastely Temples and Chappels are not to be dedicated and built vnto sainctes which now are in heauen but they only ought to haue sepulchres or graues as becommeth mortal men Wherfore although it may be supposed that our elders for some good intent did build temples vnto the saincts yet is it euident that it displeseth both god the saincts For temples are not to be built in the names of sainctes nor congregations oughte to be collected in their names for that honor is due to the creator onely as it may easily be proued by diuers authorities bothe of the scriptures of men which héer for breuities sake I do omit Wherfore we iudge that the christians haue néede of churches to be built to the honor of god of our lord Jesus Christ in the which his word ought to be preached publike prayers to be made the sacramentes ministred almes to be bestowed And of these churches we think very honorably and therfore gladly cal them the churches or houses of god of Christe and ought in no wise to be prophaned as I haue already else where sufficiently taught The. xxxij Question Whether they beleue that it is good and godly to light vp candels before the sacrament of the altare and the images and relikes of sainctes The Answere THe vse of candels is necessary in the churches in the nighte times by reason of the darknesse as in the morning before day c. And after this sorte did the apostles vse candels in the church or congregation Actes 20. But to set vp light in stead of a sacrifice to the woorshipping of sainctes or for the saluation of soules this is cleane contrary to the holy scripture and therfore condemned by Lactantius a most auncient wryteâ— Our hartes must be kindled vnto God in the Newe testament and we muste giue light by our good woorkes and that shal be an acceptable sacrifice vnto god And bicause the Lord commaundeth vs to take and eate the sacrament it is not lawful for vs to kéepe it and shut it vp but we must eate it and therfore there is no neede to set lightes before it But let them rather which are partakers of that sacrament prouide that the bright and shining light of true fayth may bée in their hartes for this setting vppe of lightes before the Sacrament is a new deuise found out of late and vtterly vnknowne to the Primitiue Church And as touching Images this is our iudgement First God hath forbiddeÌ„ to make Images to worship them as appeareth in the seconde Commaundemente Againe in the wrytings of the lawe the
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
within a whyle after perceyueth him selfe not able to kéepe them yea that it is a cause of whooredome lustes and manye other sinnes but he dothe well and godly if he kéepe not that foolishe Uowe that is to saye if he cut off those causes of sinne And so the Fathers teache saying In euill promisses breake thy promisse And that vvhich thou haste vnaduisedly vovved doe it not c. But that which we do vow with good aduise béeing iust and honest according to the lawe of God that let vs faythfully and constantly obserue without all disceite For the iuste God is a reuenger of all lying and wicked men that kéepe no promise wyth God or man And I speake thys from the bottome of my hart least any man should mistake our doctrine and say that we teache lybertie and that men shoulde not kéepe their fayth and promyse For wée doo euen from our hearts detest all filthy and vngodly libertie The. lvj Question Whether Chryst be not able to giue vnto those the gyft of chastitie whiche doo desyre and craue the same frō the bottome of their heart chiefly to those which labour and apply them selues earnestly to their studie and moderate them selues in meates and drinke The Answere AS it oughte not to bée sought so may wée not héere séeke what God may or can doo but what he hathe commaunded and what he wyll doo And wée muste moste warely obserue thys precepte Thou shalte not tempt the Lorde thy God. Wée all knowe that all thinges are possible to God and yet muste we knowe that this rule is for euer obserued in Chrystes Churche that it followeth not that he dothe all things that he can but wée must diligently marke what he commaundeth and byddeth vs to doo And this rule if wée apply it to this place it will appeare that thys is the commaundement of God that he which perceiueth him selfe to haue the gyfte of chastitie should vse the same so that he well perceyue that he hathe grace so to doo and that he which hath not this gyfte shoulde marry and not put him selfe in danger or tempt god For Saincte Paule speaketh of thys matter saying That he would intangle no man. 1. Corinth 7. And howe diligently they applye their Bookes in Monasteries howe they labour and what abstynence they vse in meates and drinkes I leaue it to the iudgement of any wyse man to discusse For it is euident that they seldome apply their Bookes but gyue them selues altogither to idlenesse dayntinesse and satisfying of their paunche In déede their talke hathe a goodly shewe but yet wyse men can well ynoughe perceyue what they are and therefore wyll not suffer them selues to bée seduced alwayes wyth thys spirituall babbling when they so manyfestlye perceyue their wyckednesse But if there bée any that wyll bée wylfull blynde then let their owne confusion fall on their owne pate The. lvij Question If any man be caste into pryson and fed hardly he doth not feele any great temptations Therefore is it not possible he shoulde keepe his vowe which he hathe made to Chrysts church which keepeth him selfe vnder by abstinence The Answere ALthough you haue made no mentiō in these your questions of the imprisoning torments with which you haue so gréeuously tormented the honest and godly maryed men either for mariage or for some other poynte of Religion neuerthelesse those good men whiche lyue nowe in this age may know and those which shall lyue after vs shall manyfestly sée that you are tootoo cruell in persecuting and tormenting I beséeche you consider with your selues why and wherefore you doo it If it so greatly delight you to chasten naughtie wycked men with imprisonment and with harde fare why then doo you not imprison whoremongers and adulterers and not those which liue chaste in mariage why do you not looke vpon you selues And why doo you not keepe vnder with abstinence those drunkards and horrible offendors But those men you neuer punish but you punish those whom God cōmaundeth to fauour and whom God commaundeth you to punish those you let goe You are nothing seuere towardes vyce and too cruell towardes goodnesse which God hath forbidden to punish I beseech you remember the auncient Histories of all ages and you shall sée that God dyd neuer forsake his for although he kepte them a long tyme vnder the crosse yet at the laste he delyuered them at his pleasure and they which dyd afflitte them for righteousnesse sake he terribly rewarded them with moste sharpe and gréenous punishments You would fayne be called spiritual and then fauour and mercy would better become you than thys rigor and crueltie But if you do rather delight in crueltie take héede least that corner stone agaynst whome you thus stryke bée found ouer harde vnto you and least it fal vpon you and grind you to péeces Feare God and take héede in tyme for all thinges haue an ende VVoe sayth the Lorde to those that spoyle for they shall be spoyled Oftentites in déede it commeth to passe that in the tyme of miserie men are least prouoked or moued wyth affections and that by reason of the gréefe of sicknesse or other myseries and yet hereby it followeth not that they should kéepe them selues vnmaryed all their lyfe tyme Saincte Paule who very well knew and had good experience of the grace and helpe of God and the infirmitie of our flesh dyd permit those that are maried to separate them selues for a time but yet by the consent of both the parties that therby being in some great distresse they might the more feruently giue them selues to prayer and yet he addeth héere vnto And come togyther agayne least Sathan tempt you for your incontinencie And why I pray you doo not these which would so fayne bée called Apostolike men giue suche counsell to those which are troubled and specially sithe wée haue so many wofull examples before our faces of those which whylest they professe chastitie fall into suche daunger that they at the last lose soule honors body and goodes The. Lviij Question Whether a Priest whiche marieth a wyfe by name and as he supposeth contrary to the vowe which he hathe made do not greeuously sinne and whether suche a mariage bee not double whordome and inceste and ought to be punished by the sworde according to lawe The Answere I Beseche you speake more fauourably for this kynde of speache is too filthy declareth what you are and encreseth most gréeuous iudgement agaynst you For that mariage whiche is done in the feare of god and for lawfull causes is bothe iuste and lawefull and béeing celebrated betwéene those whom no cause which God hath ordeyned dothe separate And the lawefull causes are declared Gen. 2. 3. Cor. 7. But the vowes of the Spiritualtie are neuer once named amongest the impediments of mariage wherefore they may marry notwithstanding their vowes And the mariage of those are true and holy and suche