either they should be scorned or not tollerated Vndoubtedlie the holie fathers of old time both sorrowed and moorned when they were driuen by anie necessitie to dwell from the people of God Whereof Dauid is a witnes who sighed when he was by reason of the vniust violence of Saule forced to liue among the desert places And it appéereth in the Psalms Psal 120 5. with how gréeuous lamentation he complained that he was compelled to haue conuersation among such as were strangers and enimies vnto God Dan. 1 8. Daniel with his fellowes might haue enioied the pleasure of the kings table and delicate fare but he refused those plesures and commodities least he should contaminate himselfe with the delicate meats of the Ethniks and with the vnpure bankets of the vnbeléeuers verse 14. Moses also as it is written in the 9. chapter to the Hebrues when he might haue béene reputed the sonne of Pharaos daughter and thereby attaine to great honors contemned all this and went vnto his brethren which were pressed with miserable seruitude in working of claie and bricks They which followe not these examples surelie declare themselues to haue but small hart to the glorie of God and that they will not redéeme the same with anie losse of theirs be it neuer so small Doo we saith Paule vnto the Corinthians the first epistle prouoke God 1. Co. 10 22 Or be we stronger than he Wherefore they which be weake and vnlearned whilest they be so hardie to haue conuersation among the infidels without controuersie they tempt God and in a maner prouoke him as though they would be stronger than he Surelie there might be manie other reasons gathered to this purpose but those which I haue brought thall suffice at this time 19 Now let vs come to those which do so dwell among the infidels It is not lawfull to dwell with infidels if men be compelled to communicate with vngodlie ceremonies as they are enforced to be present at their vnlawfull rites whether they be learned or vnlearned constant or wauering What they be in this case it is no matter now for I take them one with another I saie that to none of them such an habitation or acquaintance is to be borne withall but either they must flie frō thence or rather suffer death than to commit idolatrie Paule as we haue mentioned before said Flie from idolatrie The lawe the prophets the old new testament are full of edicts 1. Co. 10 14 commandements lawes admonitions and rebukes whereby strange worship is forbidden Daniels fellowes chose rather to be cast into the fornace Dan. 3 18. than to worship the image set vp by a most mightie king Machabaea the mother 2. Mac. 7. with hir children would rather be martyred than eat of swines flesh against the lawe of GOD. There be infinite martyrs reckoned vp which most constantlie suffered death bicause they would not forsake their professed religion hauing alwaies this before their eies Feare you not them which can kill the bodies Matt. 10 28 1. Cor. 6 16 c. Paule in his first epistle to the Corinthians affirmeth the same Bicause we be the temple of God the members of Christ 1. Co. 10 20 and partakers of the Lords table vnto whom nothing may be common with the table of diuels 20 All these things are to be applied vnto our times forsomuch as in the Papasie the godlie dwelling with the vngodlie be compelled to be present at their Masses and their polluted sacrifices which is in no wise lawfull for them But some take these probations of me now alledged to be vnderstood concerning the sacrifices doone vnto idols and not touching superstitions which are now growne into vse in the Papasie But they ought to consider with themselues that there is no outward worke to be accounted for the worship of GOD vnlesse by the word of God it be ordained Which if it be not it can be nothing else but an inuention of man for we cannot without faith worship God and faith can haue no place if the word of God be withdrawne Wherefore in humane actions be they neuer so gorgeous vnlesse GOD by his word allow them ther can be no worship of him Surelie if we be minded to honour men we are first accustomed to marke wherwithall they be delighted and this being knowne vnto vs then we thinke we haue bestowed our labour verie well when we haue doon those things wherein they are wont to take delight and pleasure Whie then deale we not in like sort with God that we may serue him with that worship which he by his scriptures hath allowed Esaie 1 13. We doo heare in Esaie that he was rather wearied with oblations sacrifices incense and burnt offerings which without faith were brought to the temple than that he reioised at them He abhorreth and detesteth these kinds of sacrifices as the prophets haue taught vs. But if so be that those things were spoken concerning the sacrifies which had the word of God that onlie bicause they were doone without faith what are we then to thinke of mans inuentions and fained worshippings which séeing they be destitute of the word of God they cannot be doone with faith We may verelie saie that they apperteine vnto idolatrie And this may sufficientlie be gathered héereby bicause there is no true God that will be worshipped with those things Wherefore it resteth No true God delighteth in handiworke seruices that the vngodlie while they adioine such rites vnto their holie seruices doo worship not the true God but him whom they haue fained to themselues to delight in the same And for so much as in the whole cause of things there is no such God they worship an idoll of their owne fansie and therefore iustlie and worthilie may be called idolaters 21 But they saie that those things which be doone and said in the Masse had their beginning from the institution of Christ although they were afterward corrupted by mans default Surelie that auaileth them nothing forsomuch as in these matters we may not haue a regard or consideration to their beginning but to their nature and forme and there must be diligent héed taken whether they agrée with the word of God The brasen serpent Num. 21 8. The brasen serpent had his beginning by the commandement of God and it was also commended by miracles For the Israelits by looking vpon it were deliuered from the venemous biting yet neuerthelesse when the Iewes did worship it and offered incense to it the godlie men did so detest it as the most holie king Ezechias brake it in péeces 2. King 18 4 and vtterlie put awaie the worshipping thereof Wherefore the beginning must not be regarded but the vse must be considered and whether it be agréeable to the first institution The Hebrues when they compelled Aaron to make them a calfe to worship were not minded to fall from the true God
of God they must not in anie wise followe their mind An example of the Machabeis What time as the Macedonians Antiochus Demetrius and Alexander withdrew the Iewes which then liued vnder them from the true worshipping of God the Machabeis would not be obedient vnto them And whereas that house of priesthood was chéefe next vnto the kings familie it reuolted from those kings least that the sincere and ancient religion should be destroied And here in alledging of these things I count not the bookes of the Machabeis to be such as that I iudge from thence should be taken firme arguments of doctrine but bicause I reckon that historie to be true as the which is not onlie conteined in those bookes but also hath béene written by other authours 43 I will also adde the act of king Ezechias An example of Ezechias verse 7. verse 7. as it is written in the second booke of Kings the 18. chapter For as it is written in the 16. chapter of the same booke Achas had yéelded himselfe vnto the king of Assyria to whom he did not onelie paie tribute but for his sake he changed the worshipping of the true God For he going to méet the king at Damascus commanded an altar to be made at Ierusalem according to the paterne of that which he had séene at Damascus and he followed the seruice and religion which the Assyrians vsed But Ezechias his sonne being verie godlie perceiuing that those things which his father had doone were repugnant to the word of God fell vtterlie from the king of the Assyrians who then ruled ouer him as a superiour power But first he assaied to pacifie him with gifts and monie but when he sawe that would take no place he then defended himselfe and his people against him with all his power Neuerthelesse Seditions must be auoided so much as is possible in these things so much as is possible we must auoid seditions and most warilie prouide that vnder the pretence of religion princes séeke not their owne These things if they obserue and resist their superiour magistrates onelie for godlinesse sake let them not mistrust that they commit anie iniustice Moreouer the holie scriptures command Rom. 13 1. that Euerie soule should be subiect to the higher powers But that must be vnderstood as much as shall be lawfull by the word of GOD. For in the same scriptures it is written that the magistrate is a terror not vnto good works but vnto euill So as if the inferiours promote not euill things but good verse 3. they doo not then resist their powers Wilt thou not feare the higher power saith the apostle Doo good and for that thou shalt be praised Then if they defend godlinesse they shall deserue rather praise than blame but if thou doo euill feare the superiour power for he beareth not the sword in vaine for he is the minister of God a reuenger vnto anger against him that dooth euill All these sentences doo confirme the minds of the inferiour powers that they should be nothing afraid of the superiour power when they in defense of religion obeie him not Howbeit if thou wilt saie By what lawe doo inferiour princes resist either emperours or kings or Common-weales when as they defend the sincere religion and true faith I answer By the lawe of the emperour or by the lawe of the king or by the lawe of the Common-weale for they be chosen of emperours of kings and of Common-weales as supporters to gouerne whereby iustice may more and more flourish To the end therefore that they should rightlie iustlie and godlie gouerne the Common-wele according to the charge committed vnto them they were appointed wherefore they doo according to their duetie when in cause of religion they withstand the superior power Neither can that superior power iustlie complaine if in this case Iustinian the inferior power fall from it The emperor testifieth in the Code that his mind is not that anie of his decrées should take place in iudgements against right but that they should be made frustrate if happilie they be perceiued to varie from iustice Wherevpon Traian is not without cause commended who deliuering the sword and the girdle vnto the gouernor said If I rule iustlie A goodlie sentence of Traian vse it on my side but if I rule vniustlie vse it against me 44 Gregorie the bishop of Rome cannot be excused who perceiuing that the lawe made by Mauricius was vniust for he had decréed that none which was encombred with affaires of the Common-weale or appointed to the warres should be made a clarke or monke wrote indéed to the emperor that when he had séene his lawe he was woonderfullie afraid and therefore desired him either to remit somewhat of the rigor thereof or else vtterlie to alter it Howbeit he added Now that he had doone his dutie in admonishing him according to the obedience and seruice which he ought vnto him he would publish the lawe at Rome as he was commanded A fault in Pope Gregorie Doubtlesse this act of Gregorie cannot but be reprooued bicause he ought not to haue obeied the superior power in that thing which he iudged to be vniust and wicked When we write of these things in this maner we doo not open anie waie at all vnto seditions but onelie our care is that those things may be giuen to God which are due vnto God and vnto Caesar the things which be due vnto Caesar If the higher power would require either the goods or things of this world for the vse of the publike weale my counsell is that they should be giuen but not when those things be required to be ouerthrown and subuerted which haue respect to the worship of God And by this means surelie we may excuse iust Naboth 1. King 21 3 Naboth is excused which would not grant to the king his vineyard for he did not that of couetousnes and pride but bicause he sawe the lawe of God thereby to be violated whereby it was ordeined that lands and possessions among the people of Israel should remaine distributed by iust diuision This lawe of God the king went about to violate and to the performance thereof he sought the consent of that man which he with a good conscience could not haue doone Whether the inferior officers shuld resign their râ—ome◠〈◊〉 they be constrained to wicked things Some thinke that when the superior powers go about to constraine their inferiors to do wicked things it were good and méet that they which exercise the inferior office should resigne and depart from their office but I thinke not so For this were to fall from his vocation which he ought not to doo especiallie when we sée that his surrender must be made to the vngodlie which either resist or oppresse the kingdome of God I iudge therefore that they ought to continue vntill by force they be deposed by the superiour powers that they through
otherwise by a Sacrament of his bodie and bloud The same father against Adamantus The Lord doubted not to say This is my bodie when hée gaue a signe of his bodie Againe vppon the 3. Psalme He admitted Iudas vnto the feast in which he commended and deliuered his disciples the figure of his bodie and bloud Also against Maximinus in the 3. booke 22. Chapter In the Sacramentes is considered not what they be but what they shew because they are signes of thinges which being one thing doe signifie an other Hereby thou séest that the fathers doe not mislike nay rather they appoint a signification of the bodie in this Sacrament Furthermore we haue shewed out of the holy scriptures that such manner of speaches there be where the verb substantiue Is is taken for It signifieth And so this is become a slender Argument Therfore whereas they obiect that Christ sayd not It either signifieth or it representeth we aunswere that it may be so vnderstood out of the holy scriptures and this we haue plentifullie shewed before Neither as they thinke doe we argue on this wise This saying is elsewhere had after this manner therefore it must be so vnderstood also in this place but we onely preuent them who whē they ought to prooue their Transubstantiation doe bring This is my bodie which place is in controuersie and the sense doubted of They obiect vnto vs an absolute sense and they obstinately stand therein which by other places of the scripture appeareth not to be firme séeing this saying is very oftentimes to be vnderstood otherwise in the holy scriptures We for our opinion of the Eucharist haue many other reasons Neither doe we bring this as our owne Argument but onelie we aunswere them when they obtrude such a phrase that it most often signifieth otherwise and that therefore of the same it is weakely concluded by them 41 Afterward they argue as touching adoration That by affirming bread to remaine after consecratiō there is no Idolatrie committed that if there remained bread it should be adored in the Sacrament I maruell that these men are so mindefull of true adoration when as otherwise both pictures images are woorshipped among them But they say that they woorship not these things but those which be represented by the same But how commeth it to passe that they will not graunt the selfe same thing of bread if it remaine that it shall not be woorshipped but that which is signified thereby Further why did they not with the like reason remooue from thence accidentes least those peraduenture should be worshipped Perhappes they will make this excuse that none will there worship accidentes when as we know neuerthelesse that the pictures and figures which they suffer in the Temples be accidents before which men doe fall downe For if they would worship the substances of wood or of stones they should haue euery where in the woods and in the streates which they might woorship Againe rude and simple men cannot distinguish or put a difference betwéene accidentes and substance And they that feine themselues to be mooued with so great a zeale ought to transubstantiate the cup least perhaps when it is shewed it should be woorshipped And certainlie this hath alwayes séemed vnto me to be a very light Argument although it be obiected by the Schoolemen yea those of no small account It is moreouer obiected that vnlesse Transubstantiation be appointed then in this Sacrament two natures or bodilie substances shall be put both together and in one and the selfe same place Who wil not here maruell that these men haue so great religion and reuerence towardes nature as though they would not violate the lawes thereof where neuerthelesse they appoint accidentes to be thinges hanging without a subiect which is most of all against the decrées of nature And through their absurd deuise they escape not that which they feare because when they affirme the accidents to remaine among those accidentes there is a bodie that hath quantitie dooth occupy a place whereas also they would haue the flesh of Christ to be corporally present The aduersaries are compelled to put two quantities and two bodies together which hath a quantitie and that it lyeth hidden vnder accidēts they must of necessitie graunt that there are two quantities and two bodies together But according to the opinion which we affirme there is no perill of this absurditie 42 They saide moreouer that it agreeth not with the dignitie of Christ that his bodie should be ioyned to the substance of breade which is a verie vaine thing For it is not affirmed that of the bodie of Christ and the nature of bread is made one subiect as of the diuine nature and humane nature in Christ Neither yet doe we sée what greater dignitie there is of the Accidents than there is of the bread that if the bodie of Christ bee assigned to be with them it might not aswel remaine with the substance of bread And séeing the diuine nature is said to be euen in hell without abridging the worthinesse therof and this bodie as they iudge is deliuered to be eaten truely and substantially euen of the wicked who be most vnpure and most vnworthy of the same why are they afrayde onely in respect of dignitie to ioyne the body and bloud of the Lord vnto bread and wine especially when there must be a cōiunction of the signification Moreouer they had a consideration of the sacrifice for they say that the bodie and bloud of the Lord are offered in Masses and if this alteration be not then we shall offer nothing but onely the thing signified and shadowed Here shall Cyprian answere for vs who vnto Coecilius the 3. Cyprian What is a sacrifice in the Suppe◠of the Lord. Epistle and second Booke saieth that it is the Passion of the Lorde which wee offer And who knoweth not that the Passion of Christ is not present in the hands of the sacrificer sith it is a thing that was doone in times past whereof there is made a memoriall and for the which thankes are giuen vnto God But all this that they pretend in this Argument is a fained deuise whereby they imagine that the sonne of God himselfe is by the Priest properly and truely offered vnto the father Wherein how greatly they erre the place now serueth not to declare 43 Now must we shewe that which they afterward obiected Certaine rules for vnderstanding of the Fathers when they speake of this Sacrament that as touching the opinions of the Fathers which séeme to be against our purpose they make not against vs. But before I come to the expounding of them I am minded to say somewhat before which may be vsed as certaine rules for vnderstanding of the Fathers Of these rules looke in the Treatise against Gardiner the first part séeing they speake most loftily and deale most earnestlie of this matter of the Sacrament First it must be
Hoper and in the Court also gentlemen and noble men Anthonie Cooke Iohn Cheeke Richard Morison and other more which shall not bee needefull to name these not onelie liked Martyr but also loued him But yet among them all the most reuerend man Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterburie and primate of England most singularlie embraced our Martyr who being himselfe verie well learned yet did he attribute so much vnto Martyr as in the greatest causes he vsed his Counsell And therfore how often soeuer as Martyr had any vacation frō the publike labours of teaching he sent for him and imparted with him his counsels touching most weightie matters And after that the charge of writing lawes Ecclesiasticall was committed by the King first to xxxij and then to xvj persons he brought to passe that Martyr was one of them and againe at the length when the whole charge was committed by the king to the Archbishop of Canterburie alone he onely taking three associates for this purpose namelie Gualter Haddon and Rouland Taylor Doctors of the ciuill lawe the thirde he woulde haue to bee Martyr Being aided by the helpe of these he prescribed to the Church of England those lawes which euen nowe deserue great praise among all the godly and learned Nowe did all England inioy peace and tranquillitie and was happie in Religion and in lawes wel instituted And in so great a happinesse of the whole kingdome Martyr coulde not chuse but seeme to be happie and blessed who inioyed the friendship of good men and godlie Bishops But all these things were sodenlie chaunged and subuerted by the troublesome time of Queene Maries raigne For pure Religion was banished out of the Churches the syncere policie of the Church extinguished the lawes thereof abrogated and all good men cast into prisons In so great an alteration of all things Martyr was forbidden his function of teaching and was threatened moreouer that without commandement of the Magistrate he should not mooue a foote nor that he should carie away from thence any part of his goods vnder grieuous paine if he should so doe He obeyed the Edict but when he sawe that there was a delaie made he wrote of his estate vnto the Counsell He desired that his accuser might bee brought before him and his cause examined Who when they could not determine any thing against him they gaue him leaue to depart Wherefore he went directly to London and there finding the Archbishop of Canterburie did verie much comfort him by his comming The Bishop was then come to London that he might refell those things which his aduersaries had falsely spred against him among the common people For in so much as he was of great authoritie with all men the Papistes by their preachers published among the common people that by his commaundement Masse was restored at Canterburie and that himselfe also promised the Queene that he would say Masse at the kinges funerall and therewithall they cast out certaine speeches of a disputation that shoulde bee had As soone as he was priuie hereof he purged himselfe by a writing published Also he testified that he was readie in publike disputation to defende the Religion instituted by King Edward If saieth he the Queenes Maiestie will giue mee leaue I with Peter Martyr and other foure or fiue which I will choose to mee trust by the fauor of God to prooue woorthie to bee allowed of all men not onelie the common Ecclesiasticall prayers and holy administration with the rest of the rites and Ceremonies but that the whole doctrine and order of Religion appointed by our high soueraigne Lord King Edward the vj. to be more pure and more agreeable to the word of God than any thing that we haue knowen to be vsed in England these thousand yeares past onelie so that all things may bee iudged by the worde of God This protestation and counsell of his he declared to Martyr who allowed thereof and shewed that he was readie for the disputation and that he would not auoide any perill for Religions sake Howbeit while they are in attending for this disputation the Archbishops of Canterburie and Yorke and also the Bishops of London and Worcester were cast into prison for by these kinde of meanes the aduersaries meant to dispute with them Then stoode Martyr in great daunger aswell for the same Religion as also for the familiaritie and friendship that he had with these men Neither was he himselfe ignorant hereof but trusting in his owne innocencie and that he had committed nothing against the lawes of the Realme he meant not to depart without obtaining a Pasport Wherefore he againe propounded the matter to the Counsell and shewed that he came not of his owne accord into England but was called by King Edward his Maiestie and was sent by the most honorable Magistrate of Strasborough and he shewed both their Letters Patents but nowe since there could bee no vse of his trauell he desired leaue to depart Which after he had obtained yet his friendes scarcelie beleeued that although he had receiued the Queenes Letters that he could depart away safe For his aduersaries said that so great an enemie of the Popes Religion should not be suffered to scape out of their hands but should be plucked euen out of the ship to prison and punishmēt and he was also bidden to beware of lying in waite for him which if he passed the Occean Sea yet the same were prepared for him in Flaunders and Braband Neuerthelesse by the goodnesse of God he after a woonderfull manner escaped all these daungers and vndoubted snares laide for him For whereas of straungers some depart into Friseland and some into Denmarke he gat the Maister of a ship which was a godlie man and one that feared God who vppon the sea coast of England kept him priuilie xiiij dayes together in his owne house and now all aswell his friendes as enemies thought that he was sayled awaie with the rest of the straungers whereas he at the last tooke shipping out of England and the Maister of the ship ariuing for his sake at Anwarp in the night was brought by him vnto his friendes and being set in a waggon by them before day came safe vnto Strasborough through the Countries which were most enemies vnto him and chiefely by the goodnesse of God and then by his owne expedition he auoided all the snares of his aduersaries At Strasborough his olde friendes excellent and learned men Sturmius Sleidan Zanchus Herlinus Dasipodius Sapidus Hubertus and the rest did receiue him with great ioy For in the greater daunger that they knewe him to haue bin so much the more his safetie and sudden comming brought ioy vnto them Also the Senate since they verie well knewe his vertue and doctrine commanded that straightwaie should bee restored vnto him his auncient place which he had before his departure into England But in the meane time some which wished him not well spread sinister rumours of him namely that
chance killeth his fellowe is forgiuen bicause that action was not voluntarie Matt. 8 29. The deuill is constrained to speake a truth is compelled to depart from them which were possessed but yet he deserueth no praise or rewards at all Num. 22 31 Balaam is of the angell compelled by the sword that he should not curse the people of God he hath no praise at all bicause he did it not willinglie The definition of violent as it hath an outward beginning so doth it not giue anie helpe as a thing that worketh or that suffereth And it declareth that originall sinne is no violent thing bicause it is an inward corruption in vs and we further it by that naughtinesse which dailie we adde therevnto But and if anie man will saie that we are without knowledge and vnderstanding when the same is gotten and that it commeth by occasion of the first naughtie motions of our mind wherein is giuen no choise or deliberation we answer that those things which Aristotle saith must be vnderstood as touching morall and actuall doings for these sinnes did not he knowe Howbeit this sufficeth vs that such things cannot be called violent séeing they haue their beginning from within Also we grant that there be mingled actions and we affirme that they ought to be reckoned among those which be voluntarie and therefore the holie scriptures doo exhort vs vnto them persuading vs that wée must indure anie thing rather than to run into sinne Paule saith We must neuer doo euill Rom. 3 8. that good may come of it Acts. 5 29. We must rather obey God than men Matt. 10 38 and 16 24. Matt. 10. 39. And we are called To take our crosse and to followe the Lord. And he is said to haue found his soule which hath lost the same Neither hath the deniall of a mans owne selfe anie other respect These actions be of the mingled sort bicause no man would choose these things except by chance but these things we will and we doo partlie to auoid sinnes and partlie to be ioined vnto the Lord. Howbeit thou wilt saie that these things haue an outward beginning wherfore they be rather violent For vnlesse the Lord did these things in vs none of vs would doo them We grant that the beginning whereby our wils are changed is from without but our wils being changed by the spirit of God are inward vnto vs and at their commandement we are mooued vnto these actions and therefore they ought to be called voluntarie for they are not doone of God without vs. Yea and we be praised and dispraised for these mingled actions for Christ saith that He will denie before his father Matt. 10 33 those which shall denie him before men Neither saith he will I be ashamed of him which is not ashamed of me before men And they in verie déed are commended which for Christ his sake do suffer gréeuous vexations Matt. 5 10. Blessed saith he are they which suffer persecution for theirs is the kingdome of heauen In such things as these saith Aristotle is pardon giuen As when Dauid that he might not be slaine feigneth himselfe before king Achis 1. Kin. 21 13 to be mad But there be certeine things which we should neuer be led to commit And what be those They be sinnes And it is an old saieng Vsque ad aras that is to wit Sauing a mans conscience and religion Iob is an example vnto vs who in aduersities could neuer be driuen either by the reprochfull speaking or bragging of his wife to blaspheme God And they which are driuen vnto these things so farre is it off that they find mercie as they rather fall from the hope thereof as in the epistle to the Hebrues it is said of them which departed froÌ„ the knowen truth So did it happen to Spiera the Italian to those which slew themselues when they had abiured the Gospell Aristotle propoundeth two things verie hard The one is what a man should suffer for anie thing The answer is easie We must suffer anie thing rather than we should depart from Christ and his holie commandements Matt. 16 26. What auaileth it a man if he gaine all the world and suffer losse of his owne soule Matt. 10 28 Feare ye not them which kill the bodie but are not able to kill the soule saith the Lord. Of the other difficultie we haue experience in our owne selues and we often sée followers which onelie beléeue for a time Againe The spirit is readie Matt. 26 41. but the flesh is weake But on the other side we comfort our selues bicause All things are possible to him that beleueth Mark 9 23. And Paule said Phil. 4 13. that He was able to doo all things through Christ which strengthened him Iustlie moreouer did Aristotle reprooue them which thought that honest and iust things are voluntarie but affirmed that dishonest things are not voluntarie for we must not thinke so in anie wise Rom. 7 18. Paule said I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing Yea and if we haue anie thing that is good that must be altogither transferred vnto God For vnto the Philippians we read Phil. 2 13. that It is God which worketh in vs both to will and to performe 60 Now let vs sée what is to be said touching ignorance There is a certeine ignorance after which repentance dooth foorthwith followe vpon the perceiuing of the error and sometime no repentance at all dooth followe As touching the latter member Luk. 23 34. the Lord saith Forgiue them for they knowe not what they doo The same thing did Stephan praie Acts. 7 60. Among those neuerthelesse for whom praier was made some did otherwhile repent and some did neuer repent Also Ionathas tasted honie 1 Sam. 14 43 being ignorant what his father decréed and knowing his fathers decrée he sorrowed not but rather was angrie with him But Paule when he perceiued his error sorowed In like maner sorowed they of whom Peter said in the Acts I knowe that they did it of ignorance And that they sorowed those words which they speake doo declare Acts. 2 37. Men and bretheren what behooueth vs to doo The sorowe which followeth doth not alwaies shew that there happened no sinne for both they which crucified the Lord sinned and also Paule sinned for these men were ignorant of that which they ought to haue knowne But if there had happened to haue come a certeine ignorance of the circumstance which could not haue béene knowne as in Noah when he was dronken Gen. 9 â—1 who had not séene the wine before neither knew the strength and propertie thereof And as it happened vnto Iacob when he laie with Lea in the place of Rachel Gen. 29. verse 21 â— for both of them were ignorant what to doo and were excused But he that knoweth not the generall and principall
vnderstood onelie concerning the seuen nations which were inhabitants of the land of Chanaan Neither thinke they that God did forbid but that the Hebrues might marrie with other nations They adde also that as touching the Chanaanits that lawe might somtime be dispensed with for Rahab the Chanaanite bicause she was godlie and fauoured the Israelits Matt. 1 5. became the wife of Salmon who not onelie was an Hebrue but a prince of the tribe of Iuda I omit Iuda Gen. 38 2. that went in to a wife of the Chanaanits bicause he was otherwise vncleane so then it is not lawfull to ground an argument vpon his example More probable is that which is written in the 21. chapter of Deuteronomie verse 11. where GOD gaue leaue vnto the Israelits if themselues would to marrie the strange women which were captiues among them But first he would that the head of hir that should be married should be shauen hir nailes not pared hir garment changed and that she should moorne for hir parents by the space of thirtie daies Herby they gather that such marriages were not by all meanes forbidden Yea and Boaz married Ruth a Moabite and Dauid tooke Maacha the daughter of Thalma the king of Gessur Ruth 4 13. 2. Sam. 3 3. Salomon also had the daughter of Pharao Neither for this cause was he reprooued of anie naie rather he séemeth to be commended bicause he loued Iehouah 1. King 3 1. and 3. I passe ouer Samson of whose matrimonie with a stranger it is euidentlie written in the booke of Iudges Iudg. 14 1. Moreouer there is a place brought out of Paule in the first to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 7 12. wherein is decréed that It is lawfull for the beléeuer to abide with a wife that is an vnbeléeuer Hereby they gather that the diuersitie of religion maketh not but that marriages may be firme Yea and Augustine De adulterinis cōiugijs ad Pollentium in the 23. chapter and also De fide operibus the 19. chapter affirmeth that there is no euident place extant in the new testament that such kind of marriages should not be contracted Neuerthelesse Ierom in his first booke against Iouinian sharpelie inueiheth against this kind of matrimonie and dooth openlie witnesse and complaine that such marriages in his time were not eschewed Also the same Augustine in the place now alledged De fide operibus is sorie that men did not thinke it to be sin to contract marriage with them that be of a sundrie religion But there is a doubt put as touching Salomon bicause he séemeth not to be altogither cléere of sinne by reason of these marriages sith in the 23. chapter of Deuteronomie verse 3 8. there is mention made that some nations were altogither to be excluded from the conuersation of the Israelites For the Ammonites and the Moabits were perpetuallie to be excluded from the church of the Iewes but the Idumeans and Aegyptians onelie vnto the third generation And yet did Salomon immediatelie in the first generation admit an Aegyptian woman into the church of the Hebrues Looke In 1. King 11 1. and Gen. 24 at the end 35 Now on the contrarie part let vs bring foorth the reasons which condemne and forbid this kind of matrimonie And it is prooued not to be lawfull vnles that partie which was of the condemned religion shall depart from the same For when as God so oftentimes forbad these kind of matrimonies he added the cause verse 4. lest the vnbeléeuing partie shuld allure the faithfull partie vnto idolatrie Bicause if the vnbeléeuing partie abide in his or hir religion the other partie dooth put foorth it selfe into great hazard which the heauenlie father would haue vtterlie to be turned awaie from his children Wherefore if the beléeuer thinke that he shall abide stedfast in this kind of wedlocke he vndoubtedlie séemeth to tempt God Further we learne by the example of Salomon who at length made idols and churches for his outlandish wiues what successe such matrimonies had 1. King 11 4 And Iosaphat on this behalfe sinned gréeuouslie 2. Chr. 18 1. and 21 6. Achab also though he were an euill prince yet became he much woorse by reason of Iezabel 1 King 16 verse 31. Moreouer what happened vnto the Israelites when they shamefully kept companie with the daughters of Moab in the booke of Numbers it is manifest Num. 25 1. Iacob and Rebecca tooke it in verie ill part that Esau married strange wiues Gen. 27 46. And Esdras Esdr 10 10. after his returne out of Babylon when he perceiued that the Israelites had coupled themselues with the Moabites and with forreiners of a diuerse religion he vndid those matrimonies the which if they had béene stable by the lawe of God it had not béene lawfull to haue seuered those persons Againe Paule in the second epistle to the Corinthians the sixt chapter verse 14. when he writeth Doo not ye beare the yoke with the vnbeleeuers it may séeme that he forbad this and it is thought that he alluded it vnto the lawe of Moses Deut. 22 1◠which forbad that they should not till the ground with an oxe and an asse togither For when a yoke is put vpon beasts which be of diuers natures or forms the worke goeth not well forward Herewithall the apostle added For what fellowship hath vnrighteousnesse with righteousnesse or what partaking hath light with darknes Some man will saie that this place séemeth not to be extended vnto matrimonie séeing Paule dooth there reprooue the Corinthians bicause they persuaded themselues that it was lawfull to kéepe companie with the Ethniks in outward things without committing of sinne Therefore Paule would that so much as is possible they should seuer themselues from them and he brought foorth a sentence which is vniuersall and not particular touching matrimonies But if the sentence were generall and that he pronounced the same of other affaires how much rather shall it be of force in the contracting of marriages togither with them Erasmus Erasmus also in his annotations saith that the same apostle dooeth not onelie forbid outward dealings togither but marriage also And vndoubtedlie reason persuadeth the same bicause the propertie of marriage is to be a participation of heauenlie and humane things For if this be attributed vnto fréendship much more it shall be proper vnto matrimonie séeing the same is a fréendship most néerelie knit 36 Cyprian Cyprian who is brought foorth by Augustine in the places now cited in his epistle De lapsis dooth lament that the church in those daies was troubled with that detestable vice euen in like maner as it was about the time of Augustine and Ierom They prostitute saith he the members of God vnto the Gentils Ierom. And Ierom in his first booke against Iouinian writeth that the Christian parents doo prostitute their members vnto the idols And he further
wherein libertie to marrie againe may be at the least wise granted to the partie offended Neither doo the holie scriptures shew of anie other kind of diuorse Howbeit I would answer Innocentius that the one married partie must not be beléeued that accuseth the other of heresie vnlesse the mater be prooued by iust and lawfull examination Moreouer Punishments must be laid vpon heretiks I thinke it best that such punishments be laid vpon heretiks as none may lightlie be led to professe heresie Wherfore we must determine that the surest waie is to take héed of such marriages at the beginning And if it happen afterward that there arise anie heresie of great importance among them which is tried out by lawfull examination let there be waies and meanes attempted wherby the infected partie may repent Which if it take no place A free diuorse betweene an heretike and true professor and that the infected partie will not dwell with the faithfull or else is not readie to doo this without committing blasphemies and contumelies against Christ they must be separated with a frée diuorse Now remaineth that we answer to the arguments which séemed to make against our opinion 39 First it was said that God ment such matrimonies of vnlike religion onelie as touching the seuen nations of the land of Chanaan Deut. 7 3. I answer that the cause An answer which is afterward added is generall namelie least men should turne from the true GOD and from the right worshipping of him But héere we will demand that if turning vnto the true God had happened among them whether it were lawfull for the Hebrues to contract with those nations I thinke it had not béene lawfull without some speciall dispensation of God bicause God had wholie cast out those nations And as for that which was brought touching matrimonie licenced with a captiue woman Deut. 21 11 I first saie that if a man will more narrowlie behold that lawe he shall easilie perceiue that such matrimonie was not allowed by God the which neuerthelesse he granted to the Hebrues by reason of their incredible follie Which I héereby gather bicause he willed that the head of a strange captiue woman should be shauen that if perhaps she pleased an Hebrue by reason of hir beautifull haire now being shauen he might beginne to mislike of hir He also ordeined that hir garments shuld be changed bicause euen those as often it commeth to passe might procure that loue He also commanded that they should let their nailes growe to make them the more deformed And he willed that there should be a moorning for thirtie daies that if she were loued before for hir mirth and amiablenesse now she should lesse please for hir moorning and vnhandsomnesse With these conditions GOD indeuoured to make a medicine for raging loue Ouer this there is added a great burthen that if she began to be misliked he ought not to haue hir for a bondslaue or else sell hir to another but he was commanded after a diuorse was made to let hir go frée Those conditions being obserued at the last he condescended that she should be a wife which must be vnderstood although it be not expressed that she should be first well instructed in religion and should be conuerted vnto the true GOD. But touching those examples brought of them Matth. 1 5. Ruth 4 15. 2. Sam. 3 3. 1. Kings 3. 1 which in old time married such women I confesse that some such were married who neuerthelesse did first admit the true and sound religion But I iudge that Salomon had perhaps doone better if he had refreined from the daughter of the Aegyptian bicause I doo not thinke that Pharao was much better than Achab with whom the matrimonie being made was reprooued by God How it is ment that Salomon loued Iehoua And whereas it is written in the historie that Salomon loued Iehoua that I doo vnderstand was ment by the loue which he had at the first before he was yet corrupted For afterward when he was growne to old age his hart through strange women was alienated from God And as concerning Augustine which said that in the new testament there is no expresse commandement extant whereby such kind of marriages are forbidden Tertullian and other fathers are put for an answer to Augustine I set against him Tertullian Ierom and other fathers who refer to this place the words of Paule to the Corinthians the second epistle and sixt chapter which I alledged before And that which he wrote in the former epistle Let him marrie in the Lord they refer vnto this place verse 14. and shew that they were spoken against this kind of matrimonie And where it is alledged that manie in old time did not absteine from the marriages neither did thinke that they sinned thereby that haue not we to doo with For while Paule liued there were manie which had recourse to idolatrie and thought not that they did ill therein euen as manie thought that whooredome was not to be reckoned a fault which neuerthelesse the apostle dooth earnestlie reprooue and sheweth it to be sinne And that which to the Corinthians is decréed by the same apostle 1. Cor. 7 12. that The beleeuing husband may dwell with the vnbeleeuing wife if he will and be contented therewith we answer that we in this place doo reason of marriages to be made and not of such as be alreadie made So as the apostle saith there He or she that hath an vnbeléeuing spouse Whereby it appéereth that he speaketh of matrimonie that was contracted before But touching Salomon whether he brake the lawe which is in Deuteronomie Deut. 23 3. and 8. of the not bringing in of nations into the church of the Iewes either neuer or else till manie generations were past I saie that that lawe must be more diligentlie weighed and more narrowlie scand what is To enter into the church What was to enter into the church of the Iewes For as I thinke we must not beléeue that a man being a proselyte and conuerted vnto the true God and circumcised should wait so long after he were iustified to be admitted vnto offering of sacrifices and common praiers Wherefore it is verie likelie that in the lawe was ment their infranchising into the citie whereby they might be in possibilitie to execute offices and to be in the state of marrieng wiues of the tribes of Israel And so as concerning this Salomon shuld not be accused for breaking the lawe séeing the same prouideth it for men and not for women I thinke therefore that matrimonies of this kind are not to be made bicause they be rather snars than marriages Of Degrees forbidden to make contract in marriage 40 This séemeth first to be agréed vpon In Iudg. 1. Looke In Gen. 19 at the end and 38 11. and 2. Sam. 13 at the beginning Leuit. 18. 20 that in the 18. and 20. chapters of Leuiticus are
among other things we must note that this lie of Iehu did not rashlie escape from him séeing in that iournie it was conceiued in his mind and fixed in his heart And in my opinion it cannot be called an officious lie bicause it did hurt manie by giuing an offense For on the one part the people thought that they had gotten a godlie and holie king but on the other side beholding his proclamation they suspected that he had destroied Achab and his familie not for religion sake but for the desire of the kingdome Wherefore they iustlie condemned him of hypocrisie Others defend the lie which he vttered in saieng that it was amended through the good intent of the speaker But a good intent dooth not make a good action when the nature thereof is euill and that Euill things Rom. 3 8. according to the doctrine of the apostle ought not to be committed that good things may come thereof They procéed further and saie that it is inough that God knoweth the heart of him that speaketh No neither is that sufficient bicause it is not onelie néedfull that we approoue our selues vnto GOD but we must doo it euen to men also so much as is possible To the intent that they Matth. 5 16 seeing our good works may praise and glorifie the father Neither is that of anie great weight when they saie that this lie was to indure but a short time séeing it should come to passe within a few daies that the mind of him that spake it should be manifest insomuch as Iehu was about to slaie the Baalites whereby the people should knowe how great an enimie he was vnto that kind of idolatrie For these men be verie much deceiued which imagine that sinnes must be measured by a space of time séeing in a verie moment a horrible crime maie be committed Neither is it to be doubted but that the Baalites did for the time being confirme themselues in their peruerse idolatrie through that fact of Iehu Further they committed great sinne in preparing of themselues to sacrifice they were constreined therevnto by the authoritie of the king who had called them togither by setting forth his edict who also had commanded the kéeper of the vestrie to giue vnto them the accustomed garments which they hauing receiued did violate the lawe of God By which place it euidentlie appeareth that they in their sacrifices had garments which were peculiar and differing from others that were vsuall and prophane For the diuell indeuoreth in all the things he can to imitate GOD Exod. 28. who ordeined that Aaron in ministering before him should haue garments curiouslie wrought He commanded also that his children to wit the meaner priests should weare certeine apparell which he had appointed for them 1. Kin. 10 22 So likewise did the Baalites prouide to be doone in their idolatrie 24 Such kind of lieng and fraud was vsed in times past when Augustine liued to discouer the error of the Priscillianists These wicked heretikes did priuilie corrupt manie and in the meane time could scarselie be called to place of iudgement or there be condemned bicause they dissembled their heresie and being accused they vtterlie detested and denied it by oth notwithstanding that in their mind they reteined still a pestiferous meaning nor yet did they cease to seduce beguile Whervpon manie of the faithfull sort taking it grieuouslie The guile of Iehu was vsed in the persecution of the Priscillianists that they should kéepe themselues close they to the intent they might drawe them out into the sight of the world and discouer them would otherwhile haue accesse to some of them and feigne that they also were fauorers of the Priscillianists So then they hearing this shewed vnto them their secrets Augustine reprooued the Catholikes and persuaded them to absteine from this kind of lieng and for the same cause wrote an excellent booke intituled De mendacio to Consentius Againe they that defend Iehu 1. Kin. 18 23 obiect Elias vnto vs who séemeth to haue prouoked the Baalites vpon mount Carmel to doo sacrifice vnto the idoll But betwéene these things there is no small difference for Elias did not of himselfe and absolutelie stirre them vp vnto sacrifice but prouoked them for the accomplishment of a miracle namelie to put in proofe whether part should cause fire to come from heauen Further the Baalites at that time were prepared for their dailie sacrifices yea and they made oblations vnto their god euerie daie after a sort called vpon him continuallie But this happened not now among the Baalites séeing they durst not for feare of the new king Iehu doo sacrifice to their idoll Wherfore they which professe the Gospell must not confirme themselues by these arguments and in the meane time pollute themselues in poperie by abiurations and wicked masses It sufficeth not to haue a sincere heart onelie but God dooth also require our outward actions for he being the creator of the whole man dooth also challenge the whole vnto himselfe Wherefore me thinketh we should confesse it to be verie good indéed that the Achabites and Baalites should be destroied but not that all the circumstances vsed therein should wholie be allowed Neither shuld we be verie carefull to discharge Iehu of sinne sith he was otherwise a worshipper of golden calues neither did he as the holie scriptures declare walke perfectlie in the lawe of the Lord. 2. Kin. 10 31 Indéed he was appointed to subuert the seruice of Baal but not to promote and dissemble the same Wherefore I cannot sée how this kind of lieng may be excused vnlesse perhaps it be said that he did not lie in respect of his owne mind and iudgement but by the motion of God which stirred him vp vnto such a lie euen as in like maner he willed the people to borowe costlie garments and gold and siluer vessels of the Aegyptians when as yet the Hebrues knew verie well that these things should not be lent but quite taken awaie from the owners but yet God commanded that so it should be as we read in Exodus Exod. 12 3. But of Iehu this cannot be affirmed Indéed the Baalites deserued thus to be seduced by fraud séeing they deceiued the people and that in a most weightie matter And they which had sollicited incensed kings and a quéene against the prophets men of God now they themselues also deserued to be circumuented by fraud and guile Howbeit Iehu in the meane time is not excused from pernicious lieng I am not ignorant that there is both good guile and ill guile Good guile and euill guile and that it is lawfull sometimes to vse good guile But this whereof we now intreat I affirme to be ill guile and therefore vnlawfull Indéed the lawe commanded that the idolaters should be slaine Deut. 13. 5. and 6. but it willed not that by this kind of lieng and legierdemaine it should be doone 25 Iehu
were annointed is deriued from the Hebrue word Ieschah And why he was so called the angel declared For saith he he shall saue his people from their sinnes This word Christ is a Gréeke word in Hebrue it is called Meschiah that is annointed In old time among the people of GOD kings prophets priests were annointed for verie hard conflicts rest vpon them which are appointed to these offices Wherefore vnder that token they be admonished that they should become like vnto wrestlers if they will doo according to their vocation And no man is ignorant but that the wrestlers were accustomed to annoint the parts of their bodie before they buckled togither Vnction interpreted to be an abundance of the spirit Or else which is a good deale the more likelie by vnction was signified abundance of the spirit with the which these thrée kind of men are indued sith prophets kings and priests in the administration of their functions haue néed of an abundant spirit And that the inspiration of the spirit is in the holie scriptures called vnction we haue no néed to doubt Esaie saith Esai 61 1. The spirit of the Lord vpon mee therefore hath he annointed me Luke 4 18 Which place Christ interpreteth to be written of himselfe so as it néedeth the lesse exposition of vs. And in the psalme by the testimonie of the epistle to the Hebrues Heb. 1 9. Psal 45 8. it is spoken as touching our sauiour Therefore hath God thy God annointed thee with oile of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes And in the Acts of the apostles the 10. chapter Acts. 10 38. Peter preached vnto Cornelius the Centurion of Iesus of Nazareth whom God annointed with spirit and with power And in the epistle of Iohn it is written 1. Iohn 2 20 verse 15. The vnction shall teach you in all things Also in the 105. psalme when there was mention made of Abraham Isaac Iacob c it is written Touch not mine annointed And he could not call them annointed so farre as can be gathered of the holie scripture by reason of anie externall and symbolicall vnction wherefore it is wholie to be referred vnto the instinct of the holie spirit Neither must it be passed ouer that our Lord Iesus Christ atteined to so abundant plentifull vnction of the spirit as the same by him floweth also vnto vs which beléeue in him according wherevnto it is written in the second epistle to the Corinthians the first chapter in these words verse 21. It is God surelie that confirmeth vs togither with you in Christ and hath annointed vs who also hath sealed vs and hath giuen the earnest of the spirit in our hearts Whereby it cōmeth to passe that so manie as truelie beléeue are not vnfitlie called both Christs christians 12 But this we must note that those ceremonies of the lawe did vanish by the comming of Christ In 1. Sam. 10. at the beginning Wherefore the papists and some of the fathers also were lead with a certeine false affectation in that they obtruded to vs their annointing Of annointing Looke In 1. King 1 34 c. They would haue that oile of theirs to be set foorth so curiouslie with such pompe and solemnitie as no other sacrament is so highlie commended vnto vs by Christ This is the disposition of men that they alwaies make more account of their owne inuentions than of the commandements of GOD. But these men in their oile doo dreame I cannot tell what more than a marke that cannot be blotted out And yet what the same is they vnderstand not neither being asked be able to teach others what it meaneth But all these things Christ by his comming did abrogate wherefore there is now no néed of oile It is sufficient if ministers be lawfullie chosen that they may with some authoritie teach the people Neither is it now néed for kings and princes to be annointed Looke part 4. pla 1. art 21. But if so be there be anie that at this daie be annointed the whole consideration thereof in my iudgement belongeth to ciuill ordinance not to religion Albeit therein also séemeth to be some false affectation of the Iewes for now we be all annointed and christians and it is sufficient to haue the thing it selfe There is no néed of a signe after that we haue dedicated our name vnto Christ And we are said to be annointed not bicause we be stroked with oile but in respect that we haue atteined vnto that which the oile in old time signified Oftentimes the thing it selfe is put for the signe and the signe also for the thing Christ was neuer annointed with oile Christ was not annointed with oile Esaie 61 1. Psal 105 15 so far as we read and yet Esaie thus writeth of him The holie spirit be vpon me bicause he hath annointed me And in the 105. psalme Dauid saith of Abraham Isaac and Iacob When they were but a few in number and God had led them about defended them and punished kings for their sakes Touch not saith he mine annointed We read not that Abraham Isaac and Iacob were annointed with oile yet bicause they were consecrated for to instruct the people of God they be called Christs and annointed The thing it selfe is vsed for the signe 13 Christ also is called Lord. In Ro. 1. 7. Whie Christ is called Lord. Looke In .1 Cor. 8 6. Which name dooth fitlie agrée with him for all things are giuen vnto him by the father and he hath paied the price for our saluation wherefore he is iustlie called Lord. And we may gather that héereby he obteined this name bicause the Hebrues neuer pronounce the holie name Tetragrammaton written of foure letters which is Iehouah but pronounced by other words that is Elohim and Adonai which signifieth might or dominion Which thing séemed to be the cause that the 70 interpretors when they read this name Tetragrammaton translated it by this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is Lord. As it appeareth in manie places of the which we will alledge one Psal 110 5. The Lord said vnto my Lord where in the first place is written Iehouah which they translated Lord. So as when Christ is called Lord it is as much as if he had béene called God Although Tertullian against Praxea saith that Christ is called Lord when he is ioined with the father for then the father is called God But and if the sonne being ioined with him should also be called God the Ethniks might thinke that we grant more gods than one Wherefore to withstand their suspicion we make this word Lord an epitheton of the sonne But if we name Iesus Christ by himselfe and alone he is plainlie called God as it appéereth in manie places of the scriptures And he vseth a certeine similitude A similitude As a beame of the sunne when we make mention of it by it selfe we call it the sunne and we saie that
diuell and this doo we read in Ambrose And Tertullian in his booke De anima declareth the same albeit he affirmeth Ambrose Tertullian that the same place is more sincerelie to be vnderstood of concord Wherefore séeing by these allegories nothing certeinlie can be gathered the argument is verie weake 26 But touching the sentence In 1 Cor. 3. 12. which they cite out of the third chapter of the first to the Corinthians vnderstand it on this sort They that build pretious things should be circumspect and prouide well for themselues These â—e the authors of sound doctrine the which is compared to most noble and excellent things yea and if we giue credit vnto Dauid it farre excelleth them séeing it is said in the psalme Psal 19 11. that The commandements of God are to be desired aboue gold and pretious stones Howbeit at this daie they haue transferred this ornament of siluer gold and pretious stones vnto crosses The gold pretious stones at this day are not in doctrine but in chalices and crosses Boniface the fift chalices and candlesticks which gold siluer and pretious things they carefullie looke vnto when as in the meane time they suffer leaden and more than iron doctrine to be carried about Wherefore that saieng of bishop Boniface in the Triburian councell appéereth most true who as it is read in the 18. canon when he was demanded whether woodden vessels should be vsed in the holie mysteries answered Of wodden priests and golden vessels and of the contrarie When we had golden priests they vsed vessels of wood but now our woodden priests haue brought iâ— golden vessels By this diuersitie of stuffe are shewed the degrées whereby Christ is more or lesse described expressed set foorth in doctrine euen as on the other part wood haie and strawe declare that Christ who is the foundation is more or lesse disfigured and dishonoured by strang doctrines Chrysostome thinketh Chrysost that this saieng is not ment of teachers For saith he if they teach ill and others perish bicause of them wherefore dooth Paule saie that the builders shall at the least wise be saued séeing destruction is rather due to them than to their hearers bicause they gaue them an occasion to erre But if they haue taught well and others through their owne fault haue taken no profit the teachers are without blame Neither is it méete that they should suffer anie harme they shall be saued neuerthelesse but yet so as it were by fire But that deceiued Chrysostome in that he compared the hearers and teachers togither What deceiued Chrysostome But we for our part thinke certeinlie that these things must be referred vnto doctrines Wherefore it may be that the opinions of them which haue not wiselie built being reiected and condemned they themselues so they haue kept well the foundation may be saued but yet so saued as they shall not escape without fire And certeine it is that here onelie is intreated of those builders which haue not forsaken the foundation Wood haie and stubble thou maiest vnderstand to be the commandements and inuentions of men Matt. 15 â— of the which it is said In vaine doo they worship me with commandements doctrines of men Herevnto belong vaine and curious questions Vaine and curious questions which séeing they further not to edification Paule vnto Timothie commanded them to be auoided Let vs vse examples Some man teacheth 1. Cor. 4 34 He disputeth by examples She that is vnmaried thinketh of those things which be the Lords This is a good foundation but if thou adde Let it be a decrée that priests shall be constrained to liue a sole life now doest thou build with strawe Fasting furthereth praiers it maketh the mind perfecter the foundation is not euill but they adde Let daies be prescribed let a choise of meats be had vnder paine as they call it of deadlie sinne let these things be commanded now doo they build haie Further yet Psal 116 15 bicause The death of the saints is pretious in the sight of the Lord it is méet that the memorials of martyrs should be had in honor this doctrine doth not varie from the foundation but when they inferre that their bones must be worshipped their names called vpon and their images adored all this shall be accounted stubble and sticks The metaphore is most plainelie drawne from these things for they deface the foundation and séeing of nature they be withered they cannot long endure and they be the fire food and nourishment whereby the flame is kindled By time errors are discouered Matt. 10. 26 27 Wherefore the daie shall declare them for those things which are corruptlie taught cannot alwaies lie hidden For there is nothing hidden that shall not be reuealed But if that naughtie opinions be not presentlie made manifest yet as time commeth on they are declared We sée at this daie by experience that manie things are discouered the which haue béene hid manie yeares In the remoouing of errors we must deale warilie In the remoouing of which things we must deale warilie least perhaps we roote vp good things togither with euill the which hauing afterward found the error we be not able to restore againe What Paul vnderstandeth by The daie Wherefore by the daie is vnderstood manifest reuelation when as darkenesse shall be driuen awaie so that we may giue iudgment of the thing according as it is in déed And for the bringing of this to passe God vseth sundrie means and manifold waies whereby he lighteneth their minds that be astraie God illuminateth by diuers means Heb. 4 12. Sometime he vseth the preaching of the Gospell for the word of GOD is a sharpe and two edged sword and entreth euen into the inward parts of the hart And sometimes he sendeth the calamities troubles of this world whereby he may instruct men Aduersities of their owne nature bring not light Which thing neuerthelesse agréeth not with aduersities according as they be of their owne nature séeing they compell men to cast out blasphemies against God and driue some to desperation but then they bring light vnto our minds when the mercie of God vseth them vnto our saluation It is written in Esaie Esaie 2 22. It shall come to passe in exceeding great tribulation that a man shall cast awaie his idols either of gold or siluer his moles I saie his bats And Manasses the king of Iuda Manasses 2. Par. 33 12 then confessed idolatrie to be vnprofitable when he was led awaie captiue and cast in prison And it happeneth not seldome that vnto them to whom it hath not béene giuen to thinke well of religion all their life long this is oftentimes granted them at the last houre and when they are in the pangs of death they vnderstand that those superstitions and abuses wherewith they had béene wrapped themselues were both vaine and full of harme Which I
for these causes it happeneth that they cast awaie the word of God defend the most shamefull violation of all holie things and with prisonments and fiers pursue and destroie all those which indeuour to reforme anie thing in religion 5 Paule in the first epistle to the Corinthians Distribution and vocation verse 17. the 7. chapter saith As God hath distributed to euerie man as the Lord hath called euerie one so let euerie man walke In which place we haue mention made of distribution and vocation that we may be taught that there is nothing rashlie doone neither that there is anie man in the world which at his owne will or indeuour taketh vpon him his owne proper state or condition Who at his owne pleasure is borne a prince or a seruant a rich man or a poore man And so in like maner of other states These things are diuided vnto euerie man by God according to his will and prouidence What vocation is Vocation is said to be the declaration of the will of God by the which he leadeth vs vnto faith and saluation and placeth vs in some certeine state and kind of life Euerie one of vs ought so to be towards God as a souldier is vnto his capteine for the souldier in the campe taketh not vpon him an office or place A similitude according as he himselfe will but he dealeth and bideth in place according as his capteine shall command Wherfore in the christian state of life and vocation there must no alteration be rashlie made by a christian man But let vs consider An exception from a rule set downe that these things may not be vnderstood of the states kinds of life which be most plainelie repugnant to the word of God for those that be of that sort must forthwith be reiected For no harlot vsurer or vnpure vower of chastitie ought to pretend that he will not change his state vocation to be turned to a better séeing these detestable states must be imputed to our owne fault and not to the will of God Finallie Euerie man must be content with his owne state The difference betweene the Ethniks and christians concerning this vertue Paule persuadeth no other thing but that euerie man should liue content with that state which is allotted vnto him so it be honest which thing is so méet and agréeable to the vprightnesse of nature as the Poets and Ethnike writers as well Gréeks as Latines haue allowed the same Howbeit betwéene them and our apostle this difference there is that they referre the distribution of sundrie states vnto fortune and chaunce but our apostle doth ascribe it vnto the diuine prouidence Wherein he iudgeth and speaketh godlie séeing all things which happen vnto vs are referred to the most high cause of the will of God 6 But this sentence of Paule séemeth to bring the christians into most strait bondage if it be not lawfull for them by anie meanes to change their vocations If a man be called from the plough as Cincinnatus and other ancient Romans were vnto the state of consulship and gouernement of the common weale shall it not be lawfull for him to receiue the same Againe a man being poore if a conuenient occasion of a more cōmodious estate be offered whie may he not change his poore estate into a better kind of life But héerevnto we answere that Paules speaking is of those changes Of what changing of vocation Paule speaketh which cannot be doone without the offending of our neighbour and without the note of inconstancie which things must wholie be auoided by christian men as it appeareth of vnfit matches in matrimonie of circumcision gentilitie seruitude and fréedome the which things be not changed without offense without note of newfanglenesse But it is not forbidden by these woords but that thou maist sometime change a dangerous state into that state which shal be of more safetie when as thou doost the same prudentlie without offense vnto anie man and which is most of all to be required that thou doost it not against the word of God Moreouer if thou be called by iust meanes vnto an office or vnto the rule of the church now is it not thine owne selfe that translateth thée from one vocation vnto an other but thou are promoted by God The verie same must be determined when thou shalt be compelled by anie great necessitie to enter into anie new state and condition this also is to be ascribed vnto God being the author of that necessitie In like maner if there be an occasion offered of dooing well the businesse of Christ 1. Cor. 9 22. if thou be otherwise affected Paule must be followed who was made all things to all men Onelie beware that thou séeke not thine owne nor yet deale rashlie And séeing thou oughtest to be as the labouring beast towards God suffer him to go before thée to lead thée by his will cōduction vnto that state which thou must take in hand The diuell is woont by deceiptfull temptations to bring gréeuous euils vpon the simple sort Sometimes by faire meanes he persuadeth them that doo serue and deceiueth them by this meanes Séeing Christ hath alreadie deliuered you séeing all things be yours it is an vnséemelie thing that you should serue in this sort Whie doo ye not shake off the yoke Whie doo ye not take vpon you to vse that gift which is granted you by Christ By these or such like reasons it is to be thought that he mooued the Iewes who asked Christ Matt. 22 17. Whether it were lawfull to giue tribute vnto Caesar In like maner when we be oppressed by anie wicked prince sathan thus reasoneth God in Deuteronomie ordeined Deut. 17 15 that a king should not be chosen but among the brethren but he is not of the number of the brethren which professeth not the same religion and godlinesse whie therefore doo you not mind to reuolt from this tyrant Whie doo ye not depose him which is so great an enimie to religion Howbeit we must harken vnto the word of GOD whereby it is commanded that we should not onelie obeie princes that be good but them also that be shrewd And let this place also come to remembrance that vocations are distributed by God and that we must not rashlie séeke to ouerthrowe them 7 But this must we chéeflie hold for a Maxime that It is sinne Rom. 14 23. whatsoeuer is doone without faith But thou wilt saie The Iewes In 1. Sam. 14 verse 32. Whether we are more vnhappie than the Iewes which haue no answers of our affaires if they were to take anie great thing in hand might require an answere of God we at this daie cannot do so are we therefore lesse beloued of God than were they I knowe that manie are woont to complaine of this matter as though our state were woorse than was the state of the Iewes But here we must vse a
respect it selfe wherevnto it is doone is of no small importance bicause To knéele as they saie if a man haue no regard vnto the idol hath nothing therein that can sauour of sinne whereas on the other part whosoeuer boweth himselfe vnto an image hauing regard vnto it may not be counted frée from idolatrie Whervpon they thinke that that respect being remooued from Naaman and the same being in the king the sinne of idolatrie did sticke onlie in the king and not in Naaman And these wittie heads bring a similitude of a prince A similitude whom manie noble personages doo accompanie while he goeth vnto an harlot For they be not guiltie of the whooredome in following their Lord according to their dutie bicause they are bound by iust and honest lawes so to doo neither doo they accompanie that man as a hunter after harlots but as their prince But this similitude that is brought differeth much from the matter which we haue in hand for they that so followe a prince doo not by that following enter into suspicion of whooredome for all men knowe that the harlot belongeth to their prince and not to them but in the prostrating of Naaman before the idol there appéereth no difference séeing that the worshipping of the image might equallie be ascribed as well to Naaman as to the king 13 And this by the waie is to be noted in this disputation that consideration must be had of the person which so knéeleth who is somtimes vnknowne and therfore while he is séene in the temple prostrating himself togither with other before the image it is thought that he dooth the verie same thing that others doo But if so be it be knowne that he abhorreth the worshipping of idols he might be thought to be present and prostrate with the king for some other cause especiallie if there had in the meane time happened a protestation which the holie historie sheweth not to be doone by Naaman in the temple of the Assyrians Also they ascribe it to be a vertue in him and not a vice that he would reteine still his place and principalitie Bicause saie they it behooued to take héed least an vngodlie and wicked idolater should be placed in the stéed of him but the familiaritie which he had with the king helped verie much to the furtherance of godlines These things indéed are after a sort spoken plausiblie I will not saie subtilie and cunninglie And it cannot be easilie told how prone men are by all meanes either to excuse sinnes or to make light of them Wherfore passing ouer these things let vs followe that which we find in the holie scriptures to wit that we must not onelie auoid sinnes We must absteine not onelie from euill but all apparance of euill 1. Thes 5 2◠but we must also absteine from all apparance of euill and that it is not lawfull for anie man by his example to induce an other man to sinne Wherefore séeing Naamans dooing would haue a manifest forme and token of idolatrie and by an argument of example would confirme others in the wickednesse of idolatrie therefore it was euill and must néeds by a right sound iudgement be condemned And as concerning that which is alledged of a dangerous successe vnto Naaman and of his profitable familiaritie with the king we must not giue such héed therevnto as in respect thereof vniust and vnlawfull things should be committed séeing the apostle in expresse words hath said in the epistle to the Romans We must not doo euill that good may come therof Wherfore aboue all things let vs beware of ill exampls idolatrie Rom. 3 18. We must not doo euil for good sake let the euents successes of things be cōmitted to God Further whie should we excuse Naaman from fault seing he himselfe in his owne worke acknowledgeth the same For he desired not that God would forgiue or be mercifull vnto him in an honest and iust act Besides this howsoeuer we excuse his idolatrie we can not defend his shamefull dissimulation Vndoubtedlie Christ said Let your light so shine before men that they seeing your good works may glorifie your father Matt. 5 16. And so we must take héed least that men beholding our wicked works should blaspheme the true God whom we worship and we by that meanes be confirmed in their vngodlinesse If we ought in euerie thing to deale sincerelie that doth godlinesse and religion require to be most deuoutlie fulfilled in them It is not lawfull for godlie men to halt on both sides neither is it lawfull on this behalfe to serue two masters and as the lawe commandeth 1. Kin. 18 21 we must not plough with the oxe and the asse togither Matt. 6 24. The féeld also is forbidden to be sowen with séed of sundrie kinds Neither was it granted Deut. 22 10. that we should weare a garment wouen togither with woollen and linnen bicause the rite of a thing forbidden and of a thing commanded by God ought not to be confounded togither Wherefore Naaman which had alreadie professed the woorshipping of the true God is not allowed by the iudgement of godlie men to bow himselfe downe togither with the king before the idoll Rimmon Much more valiantlie than he did the princes of the religion behaue themselues at Augusta with Charles the fift of that name for they indéed went with the emperor An example of the princes of the religion in our time as he was going to his Masse but they brought him no further than the church doores from thence they departed What they beléeued or what they iudged of the Masse they openlie testified by their going awaie 14 It is demanded by some what was to be doone of the captiue maid which was compelled to serue hir idolatrous mistresse What the captiue maid was to doo and to hold vp hir garments when she went to the temple of hir God She should haue béene aduised to go séeing she might not otherwise doo but she ought to haue taken héed that she knéeled not downe or made anie shew of adoration and reuerence vnto the idoll that all the standers by might perceiue how frée she was from idolatrie For it is not absolutelie and in all respects forbidden to godlie men that they should not be present in churches while prophane and execrable rites be exercised No absolute commandement that the godlie shuld not be present in churches among the prophane worshippers 1. Kin. 18 27. For Elias was present when the false prophets did sacrifice vnto their Baal but yet as one that mocked them and that boldlie And he triumphed against them saieng Crie out alowd bicause perhaps that God of yours is either in his iournie or in his lodging or sleeping or occupied about some great busines he heareth you not It is greatlie to be weighed with what mind with what countenance with what gesture with what words a man is present where horrible
but bicause those words are spoken vnto the obstinate and hard-harted therefore are they seuerelie and sharpelie vttered We might also saie that although it were said of Christ that he should not breake a shaken réed nor yet put out a smoking log bicause he came to saue and not to destroie Esaie 8 14. yet doubtles is euen he called a stone to stumble at and a rocke to be offended at for their sakes which with blind and damnable furie ranne vpon him Mal. 4. 5. That daie also was horrible vnto the Iewes bicause of the blindnesse that was cast vpon them Vnto which thou maist adde that the land was smitten with a cursse I meane the land of the Iewes the which by reason of their incredulitie was destroied laid waste by Titus and Vespasian It is said that Elias that is Iohn should turne the harts of the fathers vnto their children Luk. 1 16. and the harts of the children vnto their fathers By which words there séemeth to be attributed vnto a prophet or minister more than is fit For it is the part of God and not of a prophet or of anie man to change the mind harts But vnto this we answer that when we happen vpon the like spéeches In what sense the conuerting of harts is attributed vnto prophets we must not vnderstand an outward ministerie apart frō the spirit strength and power of God but that some one certeine ministerie must be as I may saie conglutinated wrought togither of them Which if it be vnderstood by the figure Synecdoche there is nothing to let but that the same which is proper vnto the one should be attributed vnto the other 1. Cor. 4 15. So Paule saith that he begat the Corinthians by the Gospell And Christ said vnto his apostles Iohn 20 13 Whose sinnes ye forgiue they shall be forgiuen Howbeit these and such like spéeches the ecclesiasticall prelates haue abused and haue wrested them to confirme and inlarge their owne tyrannie as though it might for this cause be lawfull vnto them to challenge vnto themselues armies prouinces kingdoms and empires when as neuerthelesse they haue their owne outward ministerie speciallie ioined vnto them by the spirit The holie scripture vseth these formes of speaking to stir vp and inflame men the more to the studie of the word of God and to the loue of the holie ministerie But now if these things should be seuerallie considered and set apart by themselues we be taught far otherwise Esaie 43 25 For God saith in Esaie I euen I it is that doo forgiue sinnes And by Iohn it is said of Christ Iohn 1 29. Behold the lambe of God behold him that taketh awaie the sinnes of the world And concerning the ministerie Paule saith 1. Cor. 3 6. Neither he that planteth neither he that watereth is anie thing but it is God that giueth the increase And againe when the same apostle had said that he laboured more than the rest Yet not I saith he but the grace of God that is in me 1. Co. 15 10. And when it is said that The harts of the fathers shall be turned vnto the children and the childrens harts vnto the fathers it must be thus vnderstood namelie that it should come to passe by the preaching and ministerie of Iohn that the faith and charitie of the first fathers that is of Abraham Isaac and Iacob shall be deriued vnto their children So as the children shall be like to those parents which in times past were beloued of God and were habitations of the holie Ghost Wherefore betwéene them shall be renewed the vnitie which by reason of the sinne of the posteritie had béene discontinued Yet neuerthelesse Iohn by his ministerie did not wholie performe it but deliuered it as it were by hands vnto Christ to be finished 24 These things haue I argued concerning the place of Malachie according to the interpretation of Christ and the angell from which interpretation the Iewes doo verie much varie Triphon disputing with Iustin Martyr is bold to saie that he knoweth not whether Messias be borne or not borne But this he affirmeth that he shall not haue that power vnlesse that Elias come who should annoint him and declare him vnto the people And this he not onlie once speaketh but he also repeateth it twise whereby it appéereth that this opinion of the returne of Elias sprang not vp first among the fathers of our church but that it was deriued from the Iewes whose fables and imaginations should not so much haue hindered the ancient fathers But the occasiō of the error may some saie that God himselfe hath séemed to giue who absolutelie said in Malachie Behold Mal. 4 5. I send vnto you Elias the prophet but he said not I will send a certeine man vnto you in the spirit and power of Elias As who should saie that God doth not vse such kind of spéeches in other places In the 30. chapter of Ieremie it is written of the Israelits verse 8. Strangers shall not haue dominion ouer them but they shall serue the Lord their God and Dauid their owne king Eze. 34 23. 37 24. Also in the prophet Ezechiel the 34. chapter and else-where such promise is oftentimes repeated namelie that Dauid himselfe should gouerne the people of God And if so be that by Dauid are vnderstood the godlie and holie princes or rather Messias himselfe that was the principall paterne of all these and that the returne of Dauid as touching his person and substance of his bodie was not looked for euen in like maner should they and especiallie the Scribes and Pharisies haue vnderstood those words which were spoken by Malachie concerning Elias But they not onelie vsed not a iust indeuor in the interpreting of the scriptures but rather for the hatred against Iesus our Lord did peruerslie abuse that testimonie But yet there resteth a doubt by what reason it is said 1. Kin. 17. c Iohn 10 41 How Iohn Baptist came in the spirit and vertue of Elias that Iohn came in the spirit power of Elias séeing Elias shewed manie signes but Iohn shewed no miracle We must saie that the likenes betwéene Iohn and Elias is vnderstood of some to be as touching the zeale boldnesse of rebuking conflict with kings and such other like or that there was a knot of true coniunction in the ministerie bicause either of them hauing found right religion fallen awaie and consumed was therevnto ordeined that he should restore the same Which thing both of them namelie Elias and Iohn performed with a mightie spirit Iohn Chrysostome vpon the latter epistle to the Thessalonians intreating of Antichrist saith that both of them were alike in office for Iohn was the forerunner of the first comming and Elias of the latter That Helias was present with Christ vpon the mount Thabor Matt. 17 3. 25 Further we must not passe it ouer that Elias
Ioh. 2. 27 And Iohn in the first Epistle the 2. Chapter speaketh of the oyntment of Christians And hée addeth The ointment shall teach you all things What the word of anointing signifieth Furthermore we are to consider that the word of annointing is metaphorical and signifieth the institution or promoting vnto the functions alreadie rehearsed Wherefore it is said that Elias annointed Elisa because hée instituted him a Prophet And it is said that Azael was annointed by Elisa because in the name of God he foreshewed that hée shoulde be King although he vsed not the outward annointing 22 But séeing we speake nowe of such annointings whereunto the word of GOD was peculiarlie applied Whether vnction be rightlie transferred vnto Christian Princes Looke part 2. p 17. Art 12. I cannot maruell enough why the same haue béene translated vnto the Kings and Emperours of Christians I knowe that some saie that the same thing is politicall and therefore maie bée retained But they which thus aunswere both are deceiued themselues and doe deceiue others For it is counted for a religious ceremonie and therefore it is doone in the temple and is exercised by no other but by Bishops and Cardinals Indéede I allow that Kings and Emperours shoulde bée consecrated openlie by the voyces and acclamations of the people and especiallie godlie praiers to bée vsed therein but I doe not thinke that annointing should be called backe from the Iewish Ceremonies And much lesse doe I commend that whereby the Priests and Bishops are annointed The rite of vnction hath not bin long in the Christian Church And verilie the Church of Christ of long time was ignorant of these annointings as by a sure argument maie be confirmed by a certaine rescript or letter of the Romane Bishop in the decretals in the title De sacra vnctione Innocentius the third answereth the Patriarch of Constantinople and among other thinges saith that Bracharensis the Bishop came vnto him whom hée perceiued not to bée annointed when he was created Bishop and he addeth a cause namelie that in your Regions Bishoppes were not accustomed to bée annointed If then vntill that age this vnction was not vsed in Greece and in the East the Church of Christ aboue the space of a thousande and two hundreth yeares was destitute of the same throughout those Regions Which neuerthelesse the same Innocentius thought to bée so necessarie as he caused the same Bracharensis to bée annointed at Rome But wée read not in anie place that the first Christian Emperours were anointed I read that Leo the first successor vnto Martianus was crowned by the Patriarch of Constantinople yet not that hée was annointed Certainlie he receiued not the Empire of the Patriarch but by that rite confessed himselfe to belong vnto the Church and to agrée vnto the sound and receiued doctrine But at what time the annointing of Princes first began within the Christian dominion I cannot for a certaintie perceiue but I thinke it to bée a newe thing I am not ignorant of the fable that is caried about of the holie oyle of Remigius The oyle of S. Remigius wherewith the kings of France are sacred but thereof we must not take a firme sure testimonie But I returne to the decrée of Innocentius Two sorts of oyle in the Popish Religion according as he there teacheth they obserue two sorts of oyle in Poperie One they call the oyle of the Cathecumeni of the sicke which is pure and méere oyle Wherunto they put nothing but that which they commonlie call blessing And this they cal the oyle of the Cathecumeni or of the sick There is an other oyle which they cal Chrisma and it consisteth of common oyle and of Balme the which Balme being not had at this daie otherwise than supposed and counterfeit they are founde to lie and deceiue the simple people With this oyle they annoint Bishops vppon the heade and handes Of which rite hée rendereth a reason What is signified by annointing of the Byshops head namelie that by annointing of the head they signifie the authoritie and honour of a Bishop and by that which is doone vppon the hands they note the office and ministerie of a bishop Further he addeth After the comming of Iesus Christ Psal 45. 8. who was annointed aboue his fellowes the annointing of a king was translated to the Arme or shoulder but that in bishoppes the annointing of the head was still retained as though kings cannot resemble Christ so much as bishoppes doe But as they bée ambitious they woulde haue Bishops to be preferred aboue Princes and magistrats Rom. 13. 1. whereas the Scriptures testifie that they be the Vicars of God Yea and they vse their Chrisme oyle for the annointing of Bishops and not for Kings whom they onelie annoint with their blessed oyle because they wil haue a great differēce to be betwéen themselues and these In the same rescript of Innocentius we read withall that all Christians are twise annointed namelie before baptisme they annoint with the oyle which they call blessed The anointing of all other Christians the brest and the shoulders of the Infant that shall be baptised but after baptisme is taken they annoint the crowne of the heade and the forehead with ointment Which thing is also doone in Confirmation They transferred also these their oyles vnto men at the point of death The anointing of men ready to die of Wals such like Vnder what pretence vnction was brought into the Church then also vnto walles altars and bels in like maner vnto Challices and such other thinges the which we perceiuing to procéede from a superstitious zeale are to be disallowed being taken from the old Iudaisme That same Innocentius excuseth the Church that in this doing they vse not the Iewish rites because these things in the newe Testament doe signifie other things than in the old Testament As who shoulde saie it were in their power to ordaine Sacraments and to make a certain newe signification of them And these things haue I said by the waie as concerning vnctions Of the authoritie or contempt of Ministers 23 But howe grieuous a thing it is to contemne Prophesie In 2. Kings 2. verse 23. How great a crime it is to contemne prophesie Exo. 20. 12. Looke 2. kin 1. ver 9. and to deride the ministers of God it maie be declared by manie Arguments First of all two points of the lawe are violated to wit that wherein it is saide Honour thy father and thy mother For the ministers of God are instéede of parents For Paul saide that hee was in trauell againe of the Galathians Gal. 4. 15. 1. Cor. 4. 15 and that he begate the Corinthians by the Gospell An other law is broken Leui. 19. 32 wherby God commanded that honour should be doone vnto Elders And Elizeus was not onelie an Elder but he was also of that sort which labored in the worde And
of sinnes it cannot be denyed but that they are of God For they haue a respect of Iustice For so doth God oftentimes for the sinnes of the people raise vp an vngodlie Prince But although he be vngodlie he must be obeyed After what sort wicked kings must be obeyed howbeit so farre forth as Religion shall permit And if he shall command vngodlie things he must not be heard Neither is it lawfull with silence to dissemble anie thing that the King doeth peruerslie and vngodlie We ought to warne counsell reprooue chasten and amend him for so did the Prophetes Also for defence of the common weale we must obey without exception Therefore Cicero Cato Pompeius and others must not be blamed who tooke warres in hand against Caesar But when he had once attained to the Empire no priuate man ought to haue takē armes against him Therefore when Augustus Caesar had heard railing wordes to be spoken against Marcus Cato being nowe dead because he dealt tyrannouslie against Iulius answered that Cato was a good Citizen in that he would not haue the present state of the common weale to be changed So that God raigneth together with kings whether they be good or euill Kings be the heads of the common weale Psal 18. 44. And kings maie be called the heads of the Common weale For so Dauid writeth of himselfe Thou hast set mee to be the head of the Nations Yet are they not properlie but Metaphoricallie called heads For euen as from the head is deriued all the sense and motion into the bodie so the senses by good lawes and motions by edictes and commandements are deriued from the prince vnto the people And this strength excéedeth not the naturall power 2 Now as touching the other question none may after this maner be called the head of the Church No mortall man may be called the head of the Church for heere the consideration is farre otherwise than in a common weale For the Church is a celestial diuine and spirituall bodie Sense can be giuen vnto hir by no mortall man For those things which pertaine to the sense of the Church be of such sort as neither eare hath heard Esa 64. 4. 2. Cor. 2. 9. nor eye hath séene neither haue they ascended into the heart of man for all quickening of the Church procéedeth from the holie Ghost So as they which will raise vp vnto vs a newe head of the Church are not wel aduised what they saie For regeneration and remission of sinnes doe flowe from the spirite of Christ and not from man Onely Christ is head of the Church Ephe. 4. 15 Also the Scriptures doe sufficientlie testifie that Christ alone is giuen to be head of the Church Paul vnto the Ephesians saith Christ is the head of the Church by whom all the members by order of assistance make increase of the bodie And vnto the Colossians Col. 2. 19. speaking of hypocrites They hould not saith he the head whereby all the bodie is knit together by synowes ioyntes And againe vnto the Ephesians Let vs therefore growe vp in him which is the head Ephe. 4. 15 namelie Christ So that euerie sense and mouing of the Church floweth from Christ alone not from anie mortall man But thou wilt obiect An obiection that Princes vndoubtedly cannot ingender ciuill vertues in the mindes of their people Wherefore the reason on both partes is a like The consideration of the Church and cōmon weale is diuerse Yes verilie they can for that doth not excéede the power of nature For vertue springeth of frequented Actions So when as princes by lawes and edictes driue their subiects vnto actions they also driue them vnto vertues But the spirit of God and regeneration is not attained by manie actions but onelie by the blessings of God For these gifts of God flowe vnto the Church by ioyntes and synowes that is by preachers and ministers For their part is to teache the people to minister the Sacraments to excommunicate offenders and to reconcile the penitent For albeit that Christ is the onelie head of the Church yet doth he vse the ministerie of these men Whether in the Church may be an outward head that should gouerne the ministers The order instituted by Christ must not be changed Aristocratia 3 But thou wilt saie that although the inward senses and mouings of the Church be of Christ yet there maie be an outwarde head to rule ministers and to kéepe them all in their duetie There maie not be neither vndoubtedlie is it lawfull to change the order appointed by God For God would that in the Church there should be a gouernment of the best men that Bishops shoulde take the charge of all these things should choose Ministers yet so as the voyces of the people should not be excluded That Byshops are to choose ministers But euen as the Israelites cast awaie the gouernment of God that they might make themselues a king euen so they that would haue the Pope to be the Head of the Church haue cast awaie Christ the true head of the Church Paul vnto the Ephesians saieth Eph. 4 11. that Christ Gaue some to be Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists some Pastors some Teachers for edifying of the Church neither addeth he that he set one ouer al these persons Who commāded these men to alter this order Further when Matthias was to be substituted in the place of Iudas Acts. 1. 15. Acts. 6. 3. and when Deacons should be created the matter was referred not vnto the Pope but vnto the people Besides this That the Pope cannot be the vniuersall Byshop if the Pope were head of the Church he should be the bishop of bishops or the vniuersal bishop which thing no reason would beare But least that the Papists should thinke that there is smal weight in my words let them heare Gregorie the cheife of all Popes Arguments of Pope Gregorie touching this matter Hée in the fourth book of the register in the Epistles vnto Mauricius the Emperour vnto Constantia the Empresse vnto the Patriarch of Ierusalem Alexandria Antioch and vnto Iohn of Constantinople writeth at large of this matter I will comprise his arguments in as fewe words as I can There cannot saith he bée one head of the whole Church For if paraduenture that head should fall into anie heresie it would of necessitie bée that the whole Church should be corrupted And that the same head maie bée corrupted Nestorius and Macedonius may be a tryall who sometimes gouerned the Church of Constantinople The one of these affirmed distinct persons to be in Christ the other denied the holie Ghost to be God Furthermore if there might bée one onelie head of the Church he saith it would of necessitie be that the authoritie of all other Bishops should be deriued vnto him But that would be absurde Therefore Cyprian saith that there is one Bishopricke whereof
wise it stood with the common weale of Rome In the miserable most daungerous times It created a Dictator who behaued himselfe as a Monarch It appointed also a Senate hauing respect vnto vertues and merites By reason whereof it might be called a gouernment of manie Howbeit in the most weightie affaires and in confirming of lawes and decrées the matter was brought vnto the common people of Rome by meanes whereof it was iudged to be a gouernment of the people 10 Cyprian writeth vnto Cornelius the Bishoppe of Rome Cyprian that he laboured much with the people that they which are fallen might haue pardon Which if it might haue béene giuen by him selfe there had béene no néed that he should so greatlie haue trauelled in perswading of the people Augustine And Augustine against the Donatistes sheweth the same when he saith We must then cease to excommunicate if the holie people shall be infected with one and the selfe same vice For it will not saith he consent to excommunication but will defend and maintaine him whom thou shalt excommunicate Wherefore this right pertaineth vnto the Church neither ought it to be plucked from the same against which opinion they chiefly are Excommunicatiō must not be committed to one Byshop or Pope which would haue the same to be committed vnto one Bishop or Pope because they saie that a bishop is the vniuersall Church as they speake virtuallie But at this daie we sée that he is oftentimes the whole Church as I maie so saie viciouslie This vnderstand thou of them that be euil that deale tyrannouslie They are woont to saie that this is therefore to be doone that tranquillitie maie be kept For if so be that consent of voices should be left vnto the multitude there wil be tumults and seditions raised vp But these men ought to consider that the Citie of Rome was in better state when it suffered those broiles of the Tribunes and people than afterwarde when it was come vnto Tyrantes For in those turmoiles of the people thou maiest perceiue some good and wholsome laws continuallie to be made and manie wicked were condemned By meanes whereof the Romane common weale flourished and stood But when it was come to the Tyrannie of one it suffred Neroes Domitians Caligulaes and Commodoes and other like pestiferous persons Euen so when excommunication was turned to one man thou maist often times sée him with great abuse excommunicate others who is himselfe excommunicated and cut off both from Christ and from the true Church which thing is in no wise conuenient to be doone For he that commandeth a man to be banished it is necessarie that he himselfe haue the right of the Citie And that the Bishoppes of Rome be excommunicate and be strangers from the Church A proofe that the Pope is excomunicated frō the Church Gal. 1. 8. the Epistle to the Galathians doth sufficientlie teach where it is said If anie man shall preach any other Gospel than we haue done let him be accursed And that they doe teach otherwise than doe the holie Scriptures it is so euident as it néedeth no proofe Further it is required that they which be excommunicate should be present neither can it therefore be that they which be in England or in Spaine should be condemned by them which be at Rome Of this matter as we haue aboue declared The Councell of Africke did the councell of Africke complaine And Cornelius the Bishoppe of Rome in the time of Cyprian sent backe to bee absolued into Africa those which were there excommunicated Tertullian And Tertullian in Apologetico Chapter 39. writeth that iudgements were giuen in the Church with great consideration as with them that were assured of the sight of God and that there was a singular prouidence of the iudgement of God the elders or Priestes sitting as chiefe who attained vnto the degrée and honour not by reward but by testimonie that is to wit because they were allowed for their life maners 11 There is a saying of some The opinion of them which say that excommunication is not needfull that in times past séeing Magistrates were Ethnickes excommunication might take place but not at this daie when as the Magistrate is a Christian who with the sword and ciuil punishments taketh awaie euill from among the Cities and Church But let these men know that there be manie vices whereat the ciuill lawes do wincke as adulteries drunkennesse euill talke and such like kind yet cannot those things be suffered of the Church Againe the Magistrat doth oftentimes punishe by monie by a certaine exile and prisonment for a time which punishments being performed he restoreth them to be citizens neither requireth he anie repentaunce but the Church cannot reconcile vnlesse they be such as be penitent Wherefore let not iurisdictions be confounded The difference betweene ciuil power and ecclesiastical power in reconciling Let one be ciuill and an other Ecclesiasticall Yet doe we not denie but that princes or a Magistrate hath that principall power by which although he exercise not all offices and all Arts in a common weale yet doeth he prouide that all things be doone in due order 1. Chro. 15 25. c. 2. kings 12. 2. king 18. 4 2. kings 22. c. And if so be that the ministers of the Church behaue not thēselues well he correcteth them as Dauid Ioas Ezechias and Iosias reformed the religion and Priestes 12 Now let vs sée When excōmunication must be vsed Augustine The Donatists when excommunication must be vsed Augustine in the 3. booke against the Epistle of Parmenianus and in manie other places against the Donatistes writeth that the same must be vsed when there is no danger of schisme The Donatistes did vrge him obiecting that the Catholikes haue no Church because they wanted excommunication On the otherside Augustine obiected Cyprian who in his Sermon de lapsis Cyprian complaineth that certaine bishoppes of his time were greatlie corrupted who notwithstanding the poore did starue they would possesse plentie of siluer they drew lands vnto them by craftie practises and by manifolde increasing of vsuries they made their gaine the greater from whom neuerthelesse Cyprian did not seperate himselfe and yet neuerthelesse we must not beléeue but that he had a Church Therefore Augustine saide If it maie be doone without schisme let it be had if otherwise let vs staie our selues For that would be to séeke destruction and that which was inuented for charitie sake would be repugnant vnto charitie He also bringeth the parable of the tares Mat. 13. 29. The parable of the tares wherin Christ would not haue the tares plucked vp least the wheate should be destroied together with it And he calleth to minde the example of Christ Iohn 12. 6. Mat. 26. 21 Iudas communicated with the Lord. who forbare Iudas whom he knewe to be a thiefe and did communicate with him in the institution
are continually preserued after one order as though they may in no wise be chaunged where neuerthelesse it may be and daylie commeth to passe that those things which in olde time were good doe vtterly degenerate The Church of the Hebrues in the olde time was verie acceptable vnto God 1. King 9. 2 Mat. 21. 13. Ier. 7. 11. so long as right religion florished therein but when that was afterward polluted that which was the temple of God was turned into a denne of theenes which they not considering trusted vnto it more than was méet always crying on this wise The Temple of the Lorde Verse 4. c. as though their common wealth shoulde not perish so long as the Temple remained Euen so our aduersaries thinke so that the name of the bishops church and the outward pompe and shewe of the ministerie bée at Rome there the Church is when as they haue subuerted all things which make to the nature of the Church of Christ It is a grieuous crime to depart from the Church but when that is called the Church which is not who will disallow the departing from thence The Hebrues in the time of the Apostles bosted that they had the Church but séeing they refused the Gospell of the sonne of God the Apostles vpon iust cause departed from theÌ„ And this did Ezechiel beforehand declare in the tenth Chapter Verse 18. when he saw the maiestie of God lifting it selfe vp into heauen and forsaking the Temple of Ierusalem Besides this Iosephus testifieth that when the Roman warre was at hand there were voices heard from the secret places of the Oracle who oftentimes repeted Let vs depart from hence And the ecclesiastical historie bewraieth that the Christian Church which was at Ierusalem was translated to Pella when the war was at hand Againe into Chaldea the Church of the Iewes remooued vnder Nabuchad-nazar So as ther is no cause why these men should assure themselues that the continuance of the Roman Church is vnchangeable 39 But some of them say that among the people of Israel changes were easily made but after the comming of Christ and that the seate of Peter was setled in the Citie of Rome it is not to be thought that these alterations would at any time happen But let them tell vs what assurance they haue aboue other Churches Whether the Roman Church shall neuer change his place If they goe about openly to perswade that the Churches of Constantinople Alexandria and Antioch are subuerted wherfore be they exempted from the like mutations Assuredly Paul did not so thinke For vnto the Romanes speaking vnto the nations conuerted vnto God he saith Ro. 11. 21. that they shoulde diligently take héede to themselues because God who spared not the naturall braunches would in like manner not spare them Wherefore they erre as farre as heauen is wide if they affirme that Christ and the holy ghost are so bounde to the seate of Rome as they will neuer go from thence So long they tarried there as that Church did leane vnto the true foundation But when it began to be founded vpon the sand of mans traditions it was subuerted Neither can it be saide that it is of God séeing Christ prescribed a rule that they be of God which heare the worde of God Rom. 8. 47. And afterwarde of them which boasted themselues to be the Church he boldly pronounced yee heare not those things because ye be not of God And what congregation can there be of the Church if it be not of God And the cause why the Romanists admit not the worde of God is for that they perceiue it to be woonderfully against them Furthermore what Church I pray you can that bâ— which iudgeth not it selfe to stande safely vnlesse that Christ and his word be driuen away He that beléeueth not those things let him more narrowly behold their dealings They haue transformed the Church into a court or place of iudgement for so they speake among themselues and these words they vse euerie where and moreouer a farre greater labour is vsed in the stile of Chauncerie which consisteth altogether of frauds and guiles than in any studies of diuine things Gregorie in the register the 4. booke in the epistle 251 and 55 writing of the holy ministerie faith that séeing it is fallen within it cannot long stand without This did he iudge 800. yeares past And shall we thinke that that Church hath truely stoode hitherto Malachie in the second Chapter saith Verse 8. Because ye haue gone out of the way and haue caused manie to fall therefore haue I made you to be despised Wherefore in going from the Romanists we haue not forsaken the Church but haue fledde from an intollerable yoke and from the conspiracie against the Euangelicall doctrine It is a woonder that these men would perswade Christians that it should be permitted them by God without any limit yea continually to wast the vineyard of the Lord to yéelde no fruite for it but to murder the seruants of the Lorde which are sent vnto them to demaund any fruite Vndoubtedly they be much more foolish than the Hebrues which answered Christ when he had put foorth the parable of the vineyard He will cruelly destroy those wicked men Mat. 21. 41 and wil let out his vineyearde vnto other husbandmen Why doe not these men remember that it was said of the verie trueth it selfe vnto the Iewes Ibid. ve 43 The kingdome of God shal be taken from you Séeing then they be in the same faultes séeing the cause is all one séeing he is the sonne of God I sée no cause why wée should doubt but that the power dignitie and true nature of the Church is taken away from them But to disprooue this our departure they bring a place out of the epistle of Iude which blameth the wicked because then haue separated themselues But the answere is readie A place of Iude expounded because it ought not to bée ascribed vnto vs that wee haue departed from the Pope God hath seuered vs from him as it hath béene shewed by his Oracles and precepts Acts. 4. 19. neither could we forget the saying of the Apostle that we must rather obey God than men Euen as when there is a iust diuorce for adulterie Matt. 19. 6. man diuideth not them whom God coupled together but God himselfe by his word and law seuereth man and wife in that case 40 Also they inforce against vs as they thinke a verie strong reason Whether al that hitherto haue liued vnder the Pope haue perished in demanding whether all men that were before vs and haue liued vnder the obedience of Rome are perished yee say they are nâ—we men and lately spruÌ„g vp séeing yée were scarsly to be séene 30. yeares past or thereabouts But there be aboue 900. yeares past since Boniface the 3. whom ye make author of the Popedome It were most absurde to be said
according to their mind some are made gouernours ouer countries and other some are displaced A saying of Dioclesian Wherefore Dioclesian said A good wise and warie Emperour is oftentimes set to sale by his subiects The Prince is at home in his palace they that are familiar with him accuse and defend before him whom they will Yea and among the Romanes the Senators were many times circumuented The course of iustice is by many deceites hindred neither doeth it much force whether it be doone by violence or by guile because the publike weale is hurt both wayes and the institution of God contemned And thus farre as touching these things 27 Neither must we héere passe ouer that which hath bin often said that the Magistrate must not be obayed if he commaund anie thing against the word of God For when he so dooth he is no Magistrate Rom. 13. 3. Because as Paul saith He is the Minister of GOD to good So as if he commaund thinges contrarie to the word of God in that behalfe he is not his Minister But thou wilt say that sometime grieuous troublesome and difficult thinges are commaunded which neuerthelesse are not against the word of God What is to be doone in these cases We must obay For we are commaunded to obay our Masters though they be seuere so that they commaund nothing against the word of God which if they doe we must aunswere them with the sentence of Peter who saith Acts. 4. 29. We ought rather to obay God than men Nabuchad-nazer would haue his Image woorshipped Dan. 3. 18. The faithful Hebrewes aunswered Thy Image O king we will not woorship 2. Mach. 7. Antiochus commaunded the Hebrewe woman to eate swines flesh but she choosed to die together with her seuen sonnes rather than to commit anie thing against the law of God Also the Martyrs both in the olde time and also in our time suffered most extreme punishmentes and most cruell deathes because they would not sinne against the Lawe of God Eusebius Eusebius Caesariensis writeth that Constantius the father of Constantine fained vppon a time as though he would put out all the Christians An example of Constantius the first which would stand to their Religion out of their honors and offices But they which were godlie in déede fréelie gaue ouer their dignitie and chose rather to leaue their honors than to depart from Christ But this turned to their good for the Emperor imbrased thē And those which had denyed Christ for to kéepe their dignities he vtterlie remooued from his person saying that they also would not be faithfull vnto him which were vnfaithfull to God Constantius the second an Arrian Afterward Constantius the sonne of Constantinus being an Arrian went about to drawe the faithfull Byshops to his heresie But they chose rather to be banished than to followe that wicked purpose of the Emperor Afterward Iulian the Apostata opened the Temples of the Idols Iulian the Apostata labored to driue the Christians to the Ethnick Religion and woorshipping yet such as were godlie in déede held the Religion of Christ more deare and néere vnto them than their life Yea and Achilles in Homer saith Achilles I will obay princes but yet so they commaund thinges honest and iust And these thinges not onelie belong to subiectes but also to inferiour Magistrates Of meane or inferior powers For what if the superiour prince commaund the inferiour Magistrates to receaue the Masse in their Cities vndoubtedlie they ought not to obay If a man will say he is the superiour power and therefore ought to be obayed I will aunswere in thinges that be ciuill and humane let them obay asmuch as behooueth but in no wise against God We must alwayes runne vnto that principle Propter quod vnumquodque est tale id ipsum est magis tale That is to say That whereby a thing is such as it is is the more such it selfe And therefore if we obay the Magistrate for Gods cause much more must God himselfe be obayed So then the inferiour Magistrate ought not in such cases to haue a regard what the superiour power chargeth but what GOD himselfe hath commaunded Whether the consent of the Church must be expected in the reforming of religion 28 There be some which say that before we depart from the obedience of the Magistrates as touching Religion we must expect the consent of the Church They which thus speake let them consider that Christ neuer so commaunded euerie man for himselfe is wholie bound to the lawe of God whether others consent or dissent If the goodman of a house haue manie seruantes which he commaundeth to doe his woorke in the countrie A similitude but some of them when their Maister is absent will loyter ought the rest therefore to be idle because some consent not to their common businesse Paul waited not for a consent Did Paul when he was called to preach Christ tarie for the consent of his other brethren No truelie But as he writeth to the Galat. Gal. 1. 15. When it had pleased God to reueale vnto me his sonne that I should preach him among the gentiles I did not straightway aske counsell of flesh and bloud neither went I to the Apostles which were before me but I went into Arabia Wherefore he taried not for the consent of other but straightway obayed his calling So also ought we to doe after that God hath opened vnto vs his trueth we must not tary When a consent must be attended for In déede if the thing be doubtful and darke we must tarie for a consent But our cause is manifest and without all obscurenesse Which if we will omit till a consent be had the thing it selfe is lost and good occasions broken off Tyberius would haue brought Christ into the number of the Gods howbeit he thought that the consent of the Senate should be had But the Senate would not and by that meanes it came to passe that while consent was expected Christ could not be counted among the Gods whereas Tyberius had bin able to bring it to passe by himselfe But I pray you let them tell vs for whose consent will they tarie For the Byshops consent But they no doubt will neuer consent since they are sworne enemies of the trueth 29 Now let vs returne vnto the inferior Magistrates of whom we spake before Look part 2. cap. 4. Ar 42 We must remember what God hath commaunded children concerning their parentes Honor thy father and thy mother Exo. 20. 12. By which wordes vndoubtedlie is commaunded honor and obedience towardes higher powers For they haue the place of parentes towardes the inferiour Magistrates But let vs see what Christ hath pronounced as touching this matter Mat. 10. 37 He that loueth saith he father or mother more than me is not woorthie of me The same without doubt must we think of the Magistrate which
against the God of Daniel should dye The like decrée made Darius afterward Ib. 6. 23. So likewise our Magistrates ought wholie to take away all Idolatries blasphemies and superstitions so soone as euer they shall finde them out The Ethnick princes neuer thought that the care of Religion appertained not vnto their power The Ethnick Princes accounted the care for religion to be in thē Why was Socrates condemned at Athens I demaund not now how rightlie or iustlie for as it is thought in a manner of all men Anitus and Melitus lyed against him This I speake for that he was for no other cause condemned but for Religion Socrates was condemned by the Magistrate for matters of Religion as though he taught new Gods and led away the youth from the auncient and receaued woorshipping of the Gods and he was by a prophane Magistrate condemned Wherefore the Athenians thought that the preseruation and care of Religion belonged to their Magistrate Leui. 24. 16 The lawe of God commaunded that the blasphemour should be put to death not I thinke by euerie priuate man or by the priestes but by the Magistrate The Ethnick Emperours also in those first times did for no other cause rage against the Christians but because they thought that the state of Religion belonged vnto their iudgemēt seate And assuredlie as touching this opinion they were not deceaued For none as Chrysostome saith either Apostle or Prophet Chrysost reprooued the people either Iewes or Ethnickes because they had a care of Religion but they were deceaued in the verie knowledge as touching Religion because they defended their owne as true and condemned the Christian as vngodlie and blasphemous Constantine and Theodosius and manie other godlie princes are commended because they tooke away Idols and either closed vp or else ouerthrew their Temples Howbeit they did not these thinges in anie other respect than that they thought the charge of Religion to belong vnto them otherwise they should haue bin busie fellowes and should haue put their Sickle into an other mans haruest The Donatists tooke this in verie ill part and gréeuouslie complained thereof in Augustines time because the Catholick Byshops required ayde of the ciuill Magistrate against them Augustine But Augustine confuted them by the selfe same Argument which I haue a little before rehearsed And addeth this moreouer why did ye accuse Caecilianus Byshop of Carthage before Constantine if it be wicked for an Emperour to determine concerning Religion 32 Furthermore there is gathered by those things which the same Father wrote against Petilianus and against Parmenianus also in manie other Epistles how that the Donatists accused Caecilianus as it is said before Constantine the Emperor who first referred the cause to Melchiades bishop of Rome And when by him they were ouercome they againe appealed to the Emperor neither reiected he their appellation frō him Appellatiō from the Pope to the Emperour in matters of religion but committed the matter to the Bishop of Orleance by whom they were againe cōdemned Neither rested they so but they appealed againe to the Emperour who heard them decided their cause condemned them and by his sentence quitted Caecilianus Where are they now which so often and so impudently crie The right of calling Councels in the Emperours that there is no appealing from the Pope and that the causes of Religion belong not to the Ciuill Magistrate To whom in the olde time belonged the right of calling generall Councels pertained it not vnto Emperours As for the Councell of Nice the Councell of Constantinople of Ephesus and of Chalcedon Emperours called them Leo the first of that name prayed the Emperour to call a Councell in Italie because he suspected the Gretians about the errour of Eutiches and yet could he not obtaine it And the Bishops were called togther to Chalcedonia whereat the Emperour was also present as was Constantine at the Coūcell of Nice Neither doe I thinke that they were there present to sit idle and to doe nothing but rather to set forth vnto the Bishops what they should do and to prouoke them to define rightly Theodoretus Theodoretus telleth that Constantine admonished the fathers to determine al things by the scriptures of the Euangelists Apostles Prophets and scriptures inspired from God Iustinian also in the Code wrote many Ecclesiasticall lawes of Bishops of Priestes and other such like Yea and Augustine himselfe hath taught that the Magistrate ought after the same maner to punish Idolaters and Heretikes Augustine with the same punishment that he punisheth adulterers withall for so much as they commit whoredome against God in minde which is much more heinous thā to commit whoredome in bodie And looke by what law murtherers are put to death Whoredom a more grieuous crime than adulterie by the same also ought Idolaters and Heretickes be punished for that by them are killed not the bodies but the soules Although the common people are stirred vp onelie against Homicides because it séeth the bloud of the slaine bodies but séeth not the death of the soules Surelie it is profitable that the Magistrate should take this care vpon him and by his authoritie compell men to come to the Sermons and to heare the word of God for by that meanes it commeth to passe that through often hearing those things begin to please which before displeased God hath prospered those Princes which haue had a care of Religion As the histories teach God hath oftentimes made godlie Princes famous through most noble victories which haue had a care of these things 33 Besides it cannot be denied but that it is the Magistrates dutie to defend those Cities and publike weales ouer which they are gouernors and to prouide that they take no harme Seeing then Idolatry is the cause of captiuitie plague famine ouerthrowing of publike weales shall it not belong vnto the Magistrate to represse it and to preserue both the true and sounde Religion Lastlie Paule teacheth fathers to instruct their children in discipline and in the feare of God But a good Magistrate is the father of the countrie wherefore by the rule of the Apostle he ought to prouide that subiects be instructed as common children Neuerthelesse Kinges and Princes which saie that these things pertaine not to them do in the meane time let giue and sell Bishopricks Abbies and benefices to whom they thinke good neither thinke they that this belongeth not to their office onelie they thinke that they ought not to take knowledge of matters of Religion and they neglect to prouide that they whom they promote to most ample dignities should execute their office rightly This therfore onelie remaineth for them euen that God himselfe will at length iudge of these things and reuenge their negligence The fourteenth Chapter Of the office of Magistrates especially in exercising of Iudgement PRinces for the most part in the time of great quietnesse In 2. Sam. 8. 15.
That Princes must flie from idlenesse as though they had made an end of their labors vse to giue themselues to sportes and to pleasures For so Alexander when he had ouercome Darius was made féeble through riotousnesse But farre otherwise did Dauid behaue himselfe For he thought it not ynough to haue conquered his enemie but thought that the priuate euils and iniuries at home belonged also to his office A similitude since that a publike weale is corrupted euen as is a humane bodie not onely by outward discommodities but also by inward euils as it were by certaine noysome humors Yea and such ought to be the ende of warre that peace among Citizens and domesticall discipline maie be established Iustinian And therefore Iustinian in the Preface vppon the Institutions of the Ciuill lawe The Maiestie of the Emperour saieth he ought not onely to be adorned with armes but also armed by lawes that eache time aswell of warre as of peace may be rightly gouerned and that the Romane prince may not onely be conquerour of his enemies in battailes but also by right course expell the lewdnes of malicious detractours and that he may become aswell most religious for the lawe as triumphant ouer his enemies And the law is not mans opinion as some haue foolishly thought but an euerlasting precept procéeding from nature being the guide and from the lawe And that which is here spoken as touching nature that doe wee much more truely vnderstand of God himselfe the authour of nature For that which GOD hath set downe ought to be a lawe vnto vs. And that lawe men doe oftentimes vnderstand by some light of nature and as Cicero saieth by a long experience of affaires and gouernment of common weales For things being in such sort marked of wise men committed to writing and declared in their kinds and distributed in their parts become at the last a certaine Art or else some similitude of an Art Vlpian in the Digestes in the Title De Iure legibus saieth that Ius that is right is so called of Iusticia that is Iustice This agréeth not with the Grammarians For they affirme that the word Ius is absolute that that onely is iust which is doone Iure that is by law or right so as they think that Iusticia is deriued of Ius but not Ius of Iusticia But these things I passe ouer This is certaine that that thing is first which expresseth any thing and the next is that which executeth and worketh that which is expounded That did Aristotle cal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a remedying of iniurie Then followeth a certaine habite pronenesse of doing whatsoeuer is expressed This may hereby also be prooued In al Acts the obiect is before the science that in all Artes there is first a matter to be wrought vpon then a science For number is first before Arithmetick and song before musicke and euerie thing that may be knowen before knowledge thereof Wherefore right goeth before iustice For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is righteousnes is as it were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the in being of right I knowe there bee some which defend Vlpian and say that he considered not the verie nature of things in themselues but so as it is brought forth and breaketh out into Act. But how soeuer it be the matter is not of great weight A Prince ought to take speciall héede that he minister iustice and that he doe it with a good minde and iustly How iustice is to be ministred For it is not sufficient that some good thing be doone vnlesse the same also be doone well And this who so doe Vlpianus saieth they may be called Priests For they be Priests and presidents of the lawes And lawes be holy things as it is in the Code De Legibus in the lawe Legis Wherefore to giue sentence and to speake law is a holy thing That sentence which is written namely that Dauid did execute iustice and iudgemēt 2. Sam. 8. 15 some do so expound it as they vnderstand that he did not pronounce al things out of the written law but euen much according to equitie and reason sith that also is to doe iustice But for equitie and reason there is no place except where nothing is prouided for by the lawes that is where neither reward of well doing nor punishment for wicked actes is expressely appointed And it is specially to be noted which is added namely To all the people For that betokeneth that he did execute iudgement sincerely and truely without respect of persons And this is it so to beare rule as thou maiest be a helpe to the people Salomon in his prouerbes Pro. 16. 12. By iustice saieth he shall the kings seate be established for euer Contrariwise Tyrants because of their iniquitie shal soone be taken away Howbeit to execute iustice is manifolde and hath many parts The parts of right iudgement For it behooueth both paciently to heare wisely to know vprightly to giue sentence and couragiously to doe execution Considering that many doe oftentimes iudge rightly but yet for want of courage they onely haue their sentence in papers Wee must take héede that the guiltie be punished that discipline be established that good lawes doe florish that good manners may be preserued This vertue is most profitable not onely in peace but also in warre These things ought a Prince specially to doe For he should be as it were a certaine liuing lawe But contrariwise they doe wickedly which thinke that the iudgement of causes doe nothing at all pertaine vnto their office Such was Anthonius Caracalla who woulde neuer giue iudgement And vnto Adrian when he excused him selfe that he was not at leasure to helpe a poore woman it was answered Then I would not haue thee to beare rule That the charge of Religion belongeth vnto Princes 2 But thou wilt say In 1. Sam. 28. 3. Whether it be lawfull for a King to decrée as touching Religion Deu. 18. ve 10. 11. 12 Is it lawfull for Princes to determine of Religion Vndoubtedly it was lawfull for Saule to abandon Witches and Southsayers sith God commanded them to be taken away But they which saie that Prophane Princes as they call them ought not to deale in these things they prouide verie ill for the safetie of the Church Two obiections For what if a Pastor become a Wolfe who shall take him away but the Magistrate Or if the Bishops as it happeneth gouerne not according to the dignitie of the Church nor by the worde of God who shall punish them But King Ozias they say when he woulde sacrifice was striken with a leprosie 2. Par. 26. ver 19. 2. Sam. 6. 7 And Oza when he had put his hand to the Arke that was falling out of the Cart was striken to death Wherefore Princes say they ought not to intermeddle with these things What shall they then do
by armed force I aunswere First he must doe nothing with furie or blind motion but must be able specially to ouerrule his affections Further he ought to be more easilie intreated in his owne iniuries than in other mens For euen as he is not liberall which giueth of an other mans but rather he which departeth with somewhat of his owne so he is mercifull which rather forgiueth his owne iniuries than he which forgiueth other mens First therefore a Prince ought to weigh with himselfe his calling whether he came to that dignitie by good meanes or rather intruded himselfe by violence and oppression And let him beware that he minde not by the bloud of Citizens to defend that which he naughtily attained to himselfe But if he perceiue and knowe for a certaintie that he was placed in that office by God he ought by all iust meanes to defend himselfe For now he doeth not so much defend himselfe as the Commonweale and the ordinaunce of God He ought in no wise to séeke his owne but the glorie of GOD and safetie of the Church and especially if the enemie be such as mindeth either to destroy or peruert the worshipping of God Cicero is commended because when strength of armes was offered him by which he might haue defended himselfe yet he chose rather to goe into banishment than for his owne cause to shed innocent bloud Albeit in that he afterward repenting himselfe wrote vnto Atticus that he might haue died valiantly he may not therein be allowed for he was not also constant in that which he had rightly purposed Otho the Emperour when he perceiued that the matter tended to the slaughter of Citizens gaue place of his owne accord and that rightly in verie déede Howbeit in that he slue himselfe he cannot be praised But the moderatiō of our Dauid is by all meanes to be commended 2. Sa. 15. 14. for he when Absolon was in armes chose rather to giue place than to set Citizens together among themselues being otherwise readie to execute the will of God howsoeuer it were If he shall say saith he thou pleasest me not I am readie let him doe that which seemeth good in his owne eyes An obiection So these things being diligently considered it is lawfull for a prince to defend him selfe Ierem. 34. But what shall we say of Zedechias the King for he when he had a lawfull calling and was besieged by Nabucad-nezar an Idolatrous Prince and sawe that the Citie and religion should be vtterly ouerthrowen would not yéelde himselfe and for that cause is condemned Some man perhaps will say that his calling might not séeme to bee lawfull sith that the Kingdome might rather haue belonged to Ioachim But this will not I say for in so much as the same Ioachim was alreadie led away captiue it séemeth that of right the succession returned to his Vncle Zedechias Ibidem Howbeit these things appeare more probable vnto mée Zedechias had broken his othe and couenaunt he was an Idolater he had defaced the lawe and religion of God Ouer this God had giuen him commaundement by Ieremie that he shoulde yéelde himselfe but he woulde not obey but set himselfe against the word of God Also it was now time that that people shoulde bée sent into banishment because their sinnes were come to their fulnesse For neither was the king better than the people or the people than the king But what shall wee say of those Romane Popes when two or thrée be created at one and the selfe same time Is it lawfull for them as they are woont to doe to maintaine their election by force and armes It is not lawfull For neither is the succession of them lawfull nor yet the ende good séeing as much as in them lyeth they deface and oppresse the law of God 11 But is it lawfull for the Ministers of the Church to beare armes Whether it be lawfull for Ministers of the Church to warre Look In 2. Kings 11. It is not lawfull For they must auoide all things which may hinder their function And Aristotle in his Politicks saith that two offices must not bee committed to any one man because no man can be fit for both the functions séeing either of both requireth a perfect and whole man Yea and scarcely can there be any one man founde that can well execute the one or the other For first the office of a minister is to teach the people Which function howe great it is by it selfe alone euerie one maie easilie vnderstand Secondly to pray daie and night for the people lastly also to exercise discipline Who is able so to doe these thrée things as he can haue leasure besides to fight Paul vnto Timothie saieth Suffer thou afflictions as a good souldier of Christ 1. Tim. 2. 3. Let no man going on warfare intangle himselfe with the affaires of this life that he may please him which hath chosen him to warfare There is no mā crowned but he which hath lawfully contended He warneth Timothie that he ought to be a good souldier therefore that he prepare himselfe to afflictions For if thou wilt doe thine office rightly thou must of necessitie suffer many things And he addeth No man going on warfare intangleth himselfe with the businesse of this life For both in the Code and in the Digestes Souldiers are commaunded to leaue both the trade of Marchandize and also husbandrie to the intent they may alwayes doe that which they are commaunded But howe much rather must this be intended of the Ecclesiasticall function In holy seruices the Crier was woont to proclaime Doe this to the intent the Priest might vnderstande that he ought wholy to be occupied in holy things The office of a good Pastor is no slight thing which may be executed without singular diligence and attention Ib. ver 5. None shall be Crowned saieth Paul but he that hath striuen lawfully that is he that hath doone euen so much as the lawe commaundeth And Paul in another place 2. Cor. 10. 4 Our weapons saieth he be not carnall but the power of God to cast downe euerie high thing that aduaunceth it selfe against God This is the armour that must be committed vnto Ministers Howbeit if an enemie vpon the sudden besiege the Citie That ministers may sometime take armes and hath euen now laide siege to the walles the Minister of the Church may rightly take Armes and repell violence and doe that which becommeth a good Citizen Notwithstanding when other souldiers shall come he must retire himselfe to his office But this will the Bishops neuer graunt For if any man perhaps shall kill an enemie him they account for irregular And for the proofe hereof they alleage forsooth the fact and example of Dauid 2. Par. 22. 8. God saieth vnto him Thou canst not build a Temple vnto mee because thou hast shead bloud Beholde say they he is forbidden to build the temple because of bloud
Ciuill trouble was that the King would haue had his dominion to inioy the commodities of life and to florish in wealth and abundance but those good things were maruelouslie diminished and extenuated through want of Raine and dryth of thrée yeares space So as the common wealth was troubled both as touching Religion and also the necessarie helpes of this life This in effect is the chyding of Ahab the King against Elias But now must we consider how Elias behaued himselfe with the King Doubtlesse he committed nothing vnworthie of a Prophet and legate of God He dealt constantlie Elias defended the dignitie of his office and with valiant courage defended he the ministerie of Gods worde He humbled not himselfe at the Kings féete he craued no pardon neither did he promise that he would amende if he had doone any thing vnacceptable vnto him not that he was proud or arrogant but because hee sawe that this accusation did directly assaile the word of God as though the disturbance had risen thereby If hée had béene to deale in his owne priuate businesse I doubt not but that he would haue vsed modestie méete for a godlie man but to haue the estimation and dignitie of the high God to be impaired he might not abide Wherefore he aunswered It is not I that trouble Israell but thou and thy fathers house 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He vseth a contrarie accusation and returneth the crime vppon the accuser that is vpon the wicked King Neither must he be accused of insolencie because as Paule hath declared to the Galathians the 1. Gal. 1. 8. Chapter Hee must bee taken accursed whosoeuer although it shall bee an Angell that teacheth otherwise than the gospell or truth of God sheweth it selfe And if Angelles are not exempted Kings also must not be exempted Doubtlesse it behooued Elias to haue a great spirit that hée should aduenture to oppose himselfe against a furious King The selfe same thing also did Iohn Baptist shew Matt. 14. 4. who set himselfe against Herod otherwise a most cruell King Helias addeth a cause why Achab his ancestors troubled Israel namely for that they forsooke the true God and who was the GOD of their Fathers and contemned his commaundementes and lawes seruing strange Gods This he saith was the originall fountaine and roote of disturbance And for because this is a great matter and that the knowledge thereof serueth verie much for these times wherein the Papistes say that we be the disturbers of the Church and the authors of sedition and we in like manner returne vpon them that these euils haue sprung vp from themselues it shall be verie necessarie for determining of the cause Of trouble or sedition to speake somewhat herein as touching trouble or sedition And what the worde of troubling signifieth and from whence the translation was deriued I haue expressed a little before Now let vs come to a iust definition of the thing The Etymologie of trouble or sedition Vlpianus But first I thought it good to shew the Etymologie of that worde namely Trouble Vlpianus according to the opinion of Labeo in the Digestes in the Title Vi fractorum bonorum saieth in generall that this worde Tumultus is deriued 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Cicero Tumultuari Cicero in the 6. Booke De Republica as it is reported wrote that sedition is a disagréement of men among themselues when one draweth one waie and another another waie The Gréekes call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the Authors of sedition and trouble the Hebrewes call Hakerim the Gréekes cal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is troublers And thus much as touching the word 3 But as concerning the true nature or definition Sedition defined Sedition or trouble belong to the predicament of Action For they which make any trouble doe it either by iudging of contrarie and diuerse things or by vttering of the same or else by perfourming of them by the worke it selfe It is an Action I say not naturall but voluntarie which is referred vnto vice The next generall worde thereof is contention Séeing in euerie trouble men contend one against another Vnder this generall worde there may be reckened foure kindes The kinde◠of sedition For the same happeneth either amongst many or else betwéene one or two If there be many that contend those either bee kinsfolkes and néere friendes or else they be forreiners and straungers Plato in the 5. Dialogue De Republica saieth that the Gréekes be kinsfolkes and friendes and the straungers he calleth Barbarous If wee shall contende with such men he thinketh it to be warre but when the Grecians fought among themselues that he said belonged vnto sedition But and if the contention be about holie and religious things that is commonly called Schisme When a contention is named Schisme but if a contention be stirred vp betweene one or two then it is a braule as the same Vlpian affirmed according to the opinion of Labeo in the Lawe before alleaged Neither will they haue it to be a trouble or Sedition if two or thrée or foure contend among themselues but as they say there must be a good manie These be the chiefe kindes of contention Howbeit of warre brawling I will not now treate But trouble Schisme that is sedition aswell in religious things as in ciuill things I will comprehend in one 4 And forsomuch as Actions are woont to be knowen by the obiectes that is by the matter about which they bee occupied as sight is knowen because it consisteth in the apprehending of light and discerning of colours also hearing because it admitteth soundes and wordes therefore must wee consider what doeth sedition or trouble and about what things it is conuersant We say that the same argueth a Priuation of two most excellent things to wit of Order and of vnitie What is Order Order if we credite Augustine is a disposing of things like and vnlike giuing to euerie thing their owne places All things in the world be not equall and after one sort But then are they said to be in order when they be well disposed obtaine places fit for themselues And mens actions haue then an order when they are tempered to things according to their owne state and dignitie Whereuppon Chrysostom excellentlie well wrote in the 23. Homilie vppon the Epistle to the Romanes That God appointed amongst men manie differences of Rule and subiection For we finde there be Maisters and seruants Parentes and children man and wife Magistrate and subiects Olde men and young men but the Actions of men will not be set in order vnlesse they be made agréeable vnto these and such like degrées But this cannot be doone vnlesse things be ordered according to the rule of the lawe Wherefore séeing trouble is said to take away order we perceiue that the same taketh away the lawe which
furthest Regions to sée and heare Salomon 1. kings 10 ver 1. c. and shal it not be frée for them to goe where they may heare the verie selfesame wisedome of true Salamon that is of Christ Was it lawfull for the Eunuch of Quéene Candaces to trauel out of Aethiopia to worshipe at Ierusalem and shall it not bee lawfull for our brethren to goe into those places wherein God is syncerely worshipped and Christs institutions rightly kept Thou wilt perhaps take exception Acts. 8. 27. that neither the Quéene of Saba nor the Eunuch went their waies to be perpetually absent but onely tooke in hande a pilgrimage for a time Verilie I also may say that they which flie for religions sake do go away with that minde that they may be absent so long as it shall please God that they bee readie to returne home so often as they shal be called backe by him and that by his fauour there is aâ—ay of returne opened vnto him Also the words of Paul are alledged in the first to Timothie the 5. Chapter Whosoeuer prouideth not for his owne Verse 8. and especiallie for them of his housholde hee hath renounced his faith and is worse than an Infidell In this place we must take speciall héede to what purpose the Apostle spake these words His talke was of widowes shewing howe they should be qualified that should be maintained at the charges of the Church For séeing the Church perhaps was charged aboue measure with some who to spare their owne purses woulde haue their widowes admitted therefore Paul warned that euerie man to his owne power shoulde relieue his owne And héereupon is it that he addeth a little after Ib. ver 16. If anie faithfull man or faithfull woman haue widowes let them minister vnto them that the Church may not be charged that there may bee sufficient for them that be widowes indeede Certainely Paul by these words declareth that those onely be true widowes which cannot reléeue themselues by their owne reuenues and gaines nor yet haue any friendes which will helpe them so as the wordes of Paul on this wise declared séeme not to forbidde flying away He that flyeth In what sorts eche one must behaue themselues towards their owne if he haue any widowes or other poore kinred let him helpe them of his owne if he haue wherewithall If they will goe away together with him let him not forsake them But if he be a poore man and doe make any commoditie abrode no man forbiddeth him to sende a part of the gaine vnto them Thus also a man ought to be affected towards his parents vnlesse either because of their sicknesse or their impotencie of bodie the presence of the childe shal be necessarie For then they must not be forsaken But if the sonne shall depart not against the will of his parents and is afterward certified that his presence is necessarie for them hee ought straightway to returne to helpe and comfort them according to the lawe of God But if in that place there be a daunger of persecution he must not mistrust the helpe of God For since that God hath throwen him downe into that necessitie hee will not leaue his seruant destitute of helpe But if thou being weake in faith and being bounde by no commaundement wilt tarie when thou maist go thy wayes thou must not do that vpon hope of gods helpe since that god shewed thée the way to escape which if thou vse not thou canst not coÌ„plaine but of thine own self Of them which are coupled in marriage But what shall we speake of them which be ioyned together in matrimonie First that it is not lawfull to the wife for auoyding of persecution to depart from her husbande vnlesse that he for the weakenesse of her faith consent that shee may withdrawe herselfe for a time The lawe of God hath made subiect the wife to the husbande therefore shee ought not to depart without his good will But yet it shall be the wiues part if the husbande goe away to followe him that they may peaceably and without daunger dwell together But if that shee for iust causes cannot followe or she being more obstinately bent will not she must not be left behinde least the chastity of them both be hazarded For in Matrimonie there is a necessarie dwelling together of man and wife for as much as neither of them hath frée power of their owne bodie 1. Cor. 7. 4. So as if the husbande will tarie he shall hope for the aide of God in persecutions For it is expreslie commaunded him that he should tarie But if that both of them be indued with singular chastitie one of them may depart from another for a time euen as they say that Paul with his wife did when he walked through the world preaching of the Gospell For he did not leade her about with him 1. Cor. 9. 5. as the rest of the Apostles did Howbeit we must vnderstande that a vowe is héere vnlawfull because they ought one to depart from another with that minde and vppon that condition that they may méete together so often as either of theÌ„ shall require For so God commaunded by Paul in the first to the Corinthians the 7. Verse 5. Chapter namely that they shoulde ioyne together in one least they shoulde giue place vnto the temptation of Sathan As concerning seruauntes Of Seruants there néedes not much to be saide For it is not lawful for them vnder pretence of religion or persecutions to flie from their Masters Exod. 21. 6. Phil. 13. For in the holie Scriptures it is expresselie commaunded that they shoulde not doe it Therefore when they be so bounde if they doe remaine God will vouchsafe that they shall not bée brought into the daunger of a false oth if they from the heart and with a syncere faith commende themselues vnto him for as the holie Scriptures testifie Psal 9. 10. hee is at hande with them in due time and doeth faithfullie succor them especiallie since he by his commaundementes doeth cast them into those daungers As for Bishoppes and Pastors we said before that they ought not to forsake their flockes except they be driuen out by force But because we haue spoken plentifullie of this matter I come nowe vnto Princes Of Princes of whome manie are frée hauing the highest authorite so as they maie reforme their Churches by a restitution of the pure and true religion Wherefore these if they bee indued with godlinesse ought not to forsake their subiectes but being placed in that power must serue God whose ministers also they be as it is written in the Epistle to the Romanes whereby the light of the Gospel may by them be maruellouslie kindled Rom. 13. 3. For the people also are woont to imitate their Princes And such is the authoritie power of princes as they maie constraine their subiectes to obedience Wherefore they doe easilie
all meanes to haue me tarie here Howbeit what he shal bring to passe I know not This neuerthelesse must I shewe you that my purpose was in my iourney to goe to Geneua and to bee there for a while in your companie But the winter which is nowe at hande hath terrified me from anie further iourney doubtlesse that which I haue nowe deferred I hope the next spring I shal bring to passe And if you think that I be able to doe you anie pleasure here onelie giue we warning and it shall suffice I wish you well to fare in the Lorde and that you maie long remaine in safetie to the Church of Christ At Strasborough the 3. of Nouember 1553. To Maister Iohn Caluin ABout the feast of Easter I wrote letters vnto you right worthie sir but it was by a yong gentlemā of Hungarie who was slaine not farre from Selestade Wherfore since there happened so sorrowful a mischaunce they could not be brought vnto you And those thinges which I then knewe and wrote since I doubt not but that you had knowledge of them by some other meanes I thinke them not fit to be repeated There is a verie fearefull newes reported of out of England namelie that there the Parliament as they call it hath assented to restore vnto the Pope his most tyrannicall gouernment The popish kingdome restored in England And Philip is and is accounted king of Englande The good men on all partes flie frō thence as much as they can And I can not expresse howe great a disturbance there is of all thinges And nowe amongest vs there bee thrée excellent knightes namelie Morisin Cheeke and Cooke no lesse famous in godlinesse than in learning who I thinke within fewe daies will come vnto you These thinges I therefore write to the intent that you together with your Church will pray for that state not onelie afflicted but in a manner ouerthrowen Doubtlesse nowe are the Bishoppe of Canterburie and the rest of the Bishoppes in extreame daunger We here liue in peace and quietnesse as touching outwarde matters and nowe we perceiue we are deliuered of feare touching our French Church whereas manie before suspected that something woulde bee chaunged in doctrine and administration of the Sacramentes Which neither is nor I hope shal be doone I would to God that the cōtention of some against their pastor might be taken awaie But yet doe I trust that at length it will be quieted and as I iudge wil easilier be quenched by dissembling our iudgment than if men resist by violence and power And this euill hath also néede of prayers Finallie I would haue you vnderstande that this doeth greatlie gréeue me together with other good men that against the trueth against your good name they spread verie foule and false reports as touching the eternall election of God and that heretikes ought not to bee put to death But it maketh no matter since as wee heare in these thinges which they write they dare not confesse their names I saide as we heare because there is not one of those namelesse bookes brought hither to Strasborough Wee that be here and especiallie Zancus and I doe defende your part and the trueth so much as in vs lieth But how Maister Alasco was ill intreated through out Denmarke and the Churches of Saxonie you maie vnderstande by this man that deliuereth you my letters Fare you well and pray for vs. Zancus saluteth you verie much I in like maner pray you salute in my name Martinengus and also Galeatius the Marques and N. From Strasborough the 9. of Maie To Maister Iohn Caluin SIr I lately receiued letters from Vienna that I shoulde sende them vnto you which before I did not because I had no sooner a conuenient messenger And nowe I write partly vppon this occasion and partly because it séemeth now lōg since I saluted you Which duetie though I haue slacked for a time yet will I not suffer it wholie to cease And besides this my good wil there hath happened another thing namely that a fewe dayes past I read with great pleasure the worke which you set foorth in defence of the wholesome eternall predestination of almightie God Wherefore since I was greatly delighted with the reading thereof I thought it iust and my part to giue you thankes And I doubt not but that vnto your labour will come a iust and aboundant fruite as touching them which bee chosen and predestinate vnto eternal life by GOD vnto whose glorie it was taken in hand And I also haue gathered manie things for the confirmation of this matter in my Commentarie vppon the Epistle to the Romanes which certaine monethes past I sent vnto Basill to Peter Perne to be imprinted which Booke neuerthelesse could not at this Mart be finished which nowe I let you vnderstand to assure you that euen for good cause and with all my heart I am glad of your writing We haue here no newes but that your selfe knowe The inauguration of the newe Emperour after an vnusuall forme and manner and hitherto not heard of hath bread an incredible woonder For by this Coronation as they terme it the authoritie of the Romane Antichrist séemeth more to bee ouerthrowen than euer before And by what meanes the Archbishops which be Electors coulde bee brought to consent vnto this maner of inauguration no man in a maner can tell But howsoeuer it is we will expect the workes of God Hither came two from Vienna the one of which is a preacher but the other is an Earle young in déede of age but yet well exercised in learning and one that much fauoureth Religion He was a Counsellour to the newe Emperour but nowe he dwelleth with Maximillian the King of Bohemia hens well inclined to the Euangelicall Churches and indeuoureth to shew that the Lutherans and wee iudge one thing as touching the matter of the sacrament but yet hitherto he could not make this plaine vnto some He iourneieth to Tubinge and Hedilborough from thence to Philip into Saxony who he saith that hee for a certaintie knoweth to be now constrained to write testifie what his opinion is touching the question of the sacrament God graunt him such constancie as becommeth his learning and godlines Both of these men affirme that king Maximilian is enclined to the religion of the Gospell and wisheth that the Church of Vienna should be altogether reformed These were the things which I had to write vnto you I beséeche God the father of our Lorde Iesus Christ that he will long preserue you in health to his Church From Zuricke the 21. of Aprill I pray you salute in my name our fellowe Ministers To Maister Iohn Caluin TRuelie sir it was neither griefe nor maruell vnto mée that a fewe daies since when you sent letters to our friende Maister Bullinger by whom you would make the excuse you wrote nothing vnto mée But this was verie grieuous vnto me before to heare that you were sicke and
celebrate their assemblie As yet nothing is doone sauing that thrée dayes a goe they mette together The Quéene mother was present and the King and also the king of Nauarre and other Péeres The Cardinals also and the Bishoppes were present The OratioÌ„ of Beza before the King and Queene mother The matter was committed to Beza that hee shoulde make the entrie or Preface of the conference who spake in Frenche the space of one houre as they say But towards the ende when he happened to make mention of the Eucharist he said that this they ought to knowe that the bodie and bloud of the Lorde is as farre from the bread and wine of the supper of the Lorde as heauen is from the earth These words so offended and stirred vp the Byshops as they began to mutter and finallie to make a rumor so that Beza had much a doe to make an ende of his Oration The Princes feare least hereof the Ecclesiastical men wil take an occasion of breaking off or rather of refusing the conference And this did the Prince of Condie affirme vnto me yesterday that they haue determined to offer vnto the King a confession of their faith and to haue a contrarie Preface whereby they may confute Beza and then to testifie that they will not deale with vs but he added withall that this should not be permitted them by the Kings Maiestie The Cardinall of Turnois after Bezaes Preface said vnto the Quéene mother least she should beléeue any of those things which Beza had said that he hoped by the helpe of God of our Ladie and of all the Saintes that all those things which were nowe alleaged shoulde both be confuted and vtterly abolished But the Cardinall of Loraine in his assemblie of Bishops saide as touching Beza I woulde to GOD that yesterday either wee had bin deafe to his blasphemies or else that he had bin dumbe Peter Martyrs fâ—l conference with the Queene mother This day namely the xj of this moneth I was called to the Quéene mother who verie courteouslie both sawe me heard mee I deliuered her the letters of our Magistrate and also those letters which belonged to her sonne I was a long while with her Such things I spake then as séemed most to belong vnto the present cause and that with great libertie She conceiued verie great hope of mée but we must pray that it be not frustrate which I am afraide of For she woulde haue the Church reformed but yet by leaue and consent of the Church men which thing coulde neuer yet be brought to passe nor now can be I excused praised and confirmed vnto her those things which Beza had spoken And when shee made mention of the Confession made at Augusta I answered that the holie scriptures ought to be sufficient for vs and that shée shoulde not perswade her selfe that if the Confession of Augusta were receiued it woulde be doone with the consent of the Ecclesiasticall men Also the verie same day and in the same place I was with the King of Nauarre who talked with mee a great while before he reuealed himselfe In fine when I had the letters in my hand to be deliuered vnto him he demaunded what letters those were I saide that they were to be deliuered vnto the king of Nauarre I saieth he am the same man Then I gaue him his due honour and deliuered them He dealt verie courteouslie with mée but to tell you the trueth he is verie colde as they say in Religion and goeth vnto Masses He also spake of the Confession of Augusta whom I answered as before I saide to the Quéene The Chauncellour of Fraunce dealt there with mee in the same matter coulde get no other thing of mée Finallie I so departed froÌ„ the Quéene as she saide she woulde talke manie times with me I will expect and will certifie you of such things as shall happen Our aduersaries haue set foorth foure principall things to be disputed of namelie of the authoritie of the Church of the strength and power of Councels of the authoritie of the scripture and of the Reall and substanciall presence of the bodie and bloud of Christ in the Eucharist Fare you well my most louing friende God kéepe you many yeares in health Pray for the cause of Christ for the kingdome of Fraunce and for me loue mee as you doe I louingly salute all my fellowe ministers also your sonnes daughters and sonnes in law and especiallie your wife I saluted in the name of you and of my fellow ministers all these coloquutors who on the other side sende salutations vnto all you Also Iulius and Gulielmus Stuccius whom you haue ioyned with me desire me to salute you Fare you well from S. Germans the 12. of September To the same man 52. SO often as occasion shall be offered of writing vnto you my Reuerende and most louing Gossip I wil not omitte the same Wherefore I did write the 12. daie of this moneth Nowe vnto those letters I will adde such thinges as did followe afterwarde An Oration was to bee made fower dayes since by the Cardinall of Loraine wherein he should haue confuted the Preface of Beza And when our brethren and associates were to goe thither namely to Poissi where the assemblie of the Ecclesiasticall persons is holden it was long and verie much debated in the kings Court whether I shoulde be fetched thither or no and it was in a maner determined that I should not goe because the Cardinals and Bishops woulde not suffer mee to be there Howbeit the Quéene at the hower of going thither called me foorth and commaunded mee to goe The Prince of Condie tooke order that I shoulde be brought by him that was his Secretarie and hee sent his owne Mule whereby I might be brought both easily and quietlie Wherefore I went thither apart from the brethren for they when the houre was néere went foorth before me And wheÌ„ we were come to the men who beare as they call them speares and halberdes which were the garde of the kings person suffering none to enter in but such as shoulde The Duke of Guise who was captaine woulde not let me enter but when hee had hearde of the Princes seruaunt that I was Peter Martyr he tooke me by the Arme and brought me in Wherefore being entered into the Hall I sawe a great companie of Cardinals and Bishops sat within a verie large place inclosed behinde whome sat a verie great nuÌ„ber of Abbotes Doctors Sorbonistes and Moonkes When I had séene these thinges and perceiued that neither the Quéene nor the King nor other of the noble personages were present I withdrewe my selfe into a corner of the lowest part of the hall that I might there sit and attende the comming of the brethren For I knewe not whither they were gone And since I was there alone I could not be hid The Cardinall Chastillion together with two Bishoppes in their Cardinall and Bishoppes apparell first
in the most honorable place of the Temple And because the Papistes should not attempt the like thing afterward her bones were mingled together with the bones of Fridesuide whom in times past they deuoutlie worshipped Wherefore in that the bodie of a most godly woman was shamefully cast awaie is a notable monument of the Romish Tyrannie which spareth not the faithfull neither aliue nor dead but in that it was restored to the Sepulchre where it was before testifieth a good and gratefull minde of the Englishmen towardes their Maister whose wife she had lately bin And for so much as by this occasion we are come to the rehearsall of English affaires and that as it seemes there hath bin saide ynough of those things which he did and taught at Strasborough I will nowe hereafter shewe why he went into England and what he brought to passe there When Henrie the King of England was dead Edward his sonne by the counsell of his Tutors especially of Edward Duke of Somerset his Vncle and Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Caunterburie the primate of all England decreed to abolish the Popes Religion to reforme the Churches according to the word of God And because the Ministers of Churches who should preach the word of God ouer all the kingdome are to proceede out of the Vniuersities he determined first of all that they should bee reformed that afterward out of these the pure iuice of sound doctrine might be deriued into euerie part of the kingdome And because that Peter Martyr by the iudgement of all learned men for his singular learning and incredible skill of many things seemed one of all other most meete for this charge he at the Kings desire was called thither by the Archbishop of Caunterburie Therefore at the ende of Nouember 1547. with licence of the Senate of Strasborough where he had nowe taught fiue yeares he departed into England Barnardinus Ochinus accompanying him who likewise was sent for by the same Archbishop And when the Archbishop had stayed them with him for a time and had intertained them with all manner of courtesies Martyr by the Kings commaundement had appointed to him the charge of interpreting the holie scriptures in Oxford In that Vniuersitie he first expounded the 1. Epistle of S. Paul to the Corinthians because therein are handled diuers and many principall matters which serue for the controuersies of our times in such sort that the doctrine of this Epistle if it be profitablie aptly read it may cure all the faults wherewith the synceritie of the Church is corrupted and may conuince all abuses and Papisticall superstitions The Papistes of whom there were yet a great number in Oxford did in deede at the beginning indifferent patiently abide Martyr to teache and some of them also frequented his Lectures confessed that they had his doctrine in admiration but others and especially the Maisters of Colledges restrained their scholers from his Lectures and made no further stirre But after that he had condemned their vowes of sole life and that consequently vppon occasion of the Apostles wordes he began to treate of the Lordes Supper they thought it was not for them to bee any longer at quiet For whereas their forefathers hauing first obscured and then corrupted the doctrine of this principall matter which gate of error being opened they brought into the Church all superstition and Idolatrie they could not abide Martyr who with maruelous indeuour deliuered the trueth of the Eucharist from their errors and corruptions And to the intent they might procure vnto him not onely hatred but also great daunger they first of all railed on him with their vsuall accusations namely that he impugned the doctrine of the forefathers that he abolished the Ceremonies well instituted that he prophaned the holy sacrament of the Altar and scarce forbare the treading of it vnder his feete After this hauing made all things readie they without his knowledge fastened vpon euerie Church papers writen in the English tongue that the day following he woulde dispute openly against the presence of Christes bodie in the holie supper Wherefore the day following they occupie the Auditorie they dispose of their trauels in places conuenient and commaund them to bee readie as neede should require to make clamors and tumult yea and to fight too And for audience sake there flocke together not onelie the students of all the Colleges but also some and that no small number of the tumultuous people partly to beholde the euent of the things and partlie that they might be present with both parties if perchaunce any vprore should arise In the meane time Martyr ignorant of all these things prepared himselfe at home that after his woonted maner he might make his Lecture at the howre appointed when in the meane time his friendes being much mooued at the vnusuall concourse of people came home vnto him and declared all the matter perswading him that he shoulde staie at home and not procure himselfe any daunger forsomuch as the aduersaries were so prepared as they migh seeme rather to contend by armes than by Arguments He aunswered that he might not slacke his duetie nor neglect the charge which the King had committed vnto him that he was neuer Author of any tumultes whereof they themselues could best beare recorde and that nowe also he would not giue vnto the aduersaries any cause of disorder but would reade after his accustomed manner further that there was many in this congregation which expected the accustomed reading whom he might not disappoint And nowe as he was going to the Auditorie being accompanied by his most faithfull friendes there mette him by the way a seruaunt of Smith who plaide the chiefe part in this Tragedie and deliuered letters vnto him whereby his Maister challenged him to disputation There did his friendes againe admonish him that he should returne home they declared the daungers that he was in But he neuerthelesse stood fast in his purpose He went to the Auditorie with modest speache pacifying as much as he could the aduersaries which challenged him answered that he refused not the disputation but that now he came not hither to dispute but to reade so they cōdescending he read his lecture after the accustomed maner with great admiration of all men For they which before wondered at his singular doctrine and eloquence now did they also honour in him his incredible constancie and courage For in so great a murmur of the people and fuming of the aduersaries he so perfourmed his Lecture as in him was no chaunge of countenance and colour no hacking of his words no tripping of his tongue and finallie no trembling of members or palenesse shewed anie tooken of feare When the lecture was doone the aduersaries vrged him more stoutly and with great clamours prouoked him to dispute neither accepted they his most modest excuse that hee woulde dispute yet at an other time and that nowe hee was not readie since they so cunningly had
Pastour and Maister as vnlesse they might haue their wishe they shoulde of necessitie as it were languish with sorrow But Martyr although hee were most readie to serue his owne Country mē yet did he not think it meet to determine any thing of his owne mind but referred the whole matter to our Senate and to the Ministers of the Church and because they would not allowe of this calling for that in verie deede they sawe that they coulde not let Martyr depart at this time without verie great hinderance to the schoole and Church and that the brethren had in the Italian Church at Geneua many both good and learned men whome they might verie well appoint in the place of Maximilian Celsus hee himselfe also submitted his will to their will and pleasure And moreouer also when a fewe yeares afterwarde his olde friendes called him againe into England offering him large conditions adding therewithall that the Queene so shee were assured of his minde was readie to send for him by a messenger into England he againe as before committed himselfe to the iudgement of the gouernours of our Commonweale Who would not accept well of his loue towardes our Church and Commonweale of his reuerence towardes the Magistrate of his constancie in retaining of the charge which he had once vndertaken Who seeth not that he had not a minde most farre from ambition and couetousnesse since he might haue taught elsewhere with greater concourse of people with greater glorie and with a more profitable stipend With these things he was no more mooued than if they had belonged nothing at all vnto him But on the otherside howe readie he was to doe seruice to other Churches and howe litle he feared any daungers is sufficiently declared by his going into Fraunce which he tooke in hande the last yeare by the commaundement and will of our Magistrates whereof if I shall speake somewhat I beseech you continue still your good will of hearing mee and yet will I not verie long abuse your patience When at the xx day of Iulie the Bishoppes of the French Church had bin commaunded of the King to assemble at Poyssi and that a Parliament of the Princes of Fraunce was also called at the same time our men in Fraunce were in some hope that there might bee appointed some conference in matter of Religion from whence might redound great commoditie to the Church Wherefore there were appointed certaine men by the Churches which in the assemblie of all states might promote the free course of Religion and there were also chosen many Doctors which might dispute and conferre with the Aduersaries And because the singular and excellent learning of Martyr and his incomparable power of disputing was wel knowen vnto them they thought it meete that he onelie of all straungers by name shoulde bee sent for Wherefore by the Christian Churches and by those Princes which had taken vppon them their protection vnto Zuricke was sent a noble man whose name was Cl. Bradella and together with him came also the notable learned man Theodorus Beza who in all these actions had the greatest charge These men inquired howe the Senate woulde bee inclined howe the Ministers of the Church and howe Martyr himselfe if there shoulde bee any conference appointed and that hee by speciall name shoulde bee sent for by the king And when hee knewe that there was none for his part that woulde bee negligent in so godly a purpose the one returned vnto Geneua and the other tooke the right way into Fraunce Not many weekes after Beza being called vnto the conference went thither by post and Bradella returned to Zuricke bringing with him letters from the Queene Mother the King of Nauarre and from the Prince of Condie and the Admirall wherein they required of the Senate that Martyr might be sent vnto them and therewithall they sent letters patent of safe conduite that our men might see there was no perill therein Wherefore since it seemed that the matter was not to bee slacked the Senate gaue their consent to the calling and willed Martyr to prepare himselfe to the iourney At the same time by chaunce returned to the Court Mattheus Cognetius a verie excellent man the kings Embassador with the Heluetians who receiued Martyr into his traine and conducted him safe to Paris from whence he going to the Court was most courteously receiued by the brethren being saluted by the king of Nauarre and by the most noble Princes the Condie the Admirall was sent for to the Queene of Fraunce whom after he had saluted according to the accustomed reuerence and had talked as concerning his comming afterwarde he exhorted her to aduaunce the pure Religion For hee shewed her that by a godly reformation of the Church shee shoulde not onely doe good to the kingdome of Fraunce but also to all Europe because all men had cast their eyes vppon the kingdome of Fraunce He saide that great perils were at hande and appeared but yet that shee shoulde not feare them because God will bee alwayes present with those Princes which haue a care of this matter That he ayded Aza Iosaphat Ezechias and Iosias which corrected the people when they were altogether corrupted with Idolatrie That Constantius when hee had Collegues yea rather superiours with him in the Empire Dioclesian and Maximian yet durst embrace Christ That Constantine euen in the greatest daungers when hee had gotten Licinius an enemie to the Christians for his Collegue yet brought peace vnto the Church He said that if God had holpen those he woulde not bee vnlike vnto himselfe but euen the selfe same that hee hath bin before He saide moreouer that kings ought most of all to serue GOD vnto this ende that their labour may bee applyed not according to their owne will but according to his and that nowe this one thing was most of all to bee indeuoured that Religion and holy seruice might bee reduced to the first originals and that superstitions brought in might be remooued That God in deede coulde doe this without the helpe of Princes and that he sometime had so doone but yet that hee was nowe minded by an ordinarie way in this wise to make Princes glorious and therefore it was meete that they shoulde not forget that they are no lesse appointed to bee the keepers of the first table than of the seconde and so it was not lawfull for them to let slippe the care of diuine worshippe Hee added moreouer that they ought not to bee heard which affirme that this belongeth not vnto Princes since it is farre otherwise decreed in Deuteronomie and that Paule woulde haue a Magistrate to be the furtherer of good workes among which the worshipping of God is the principall The Queene testified that shee was desirous of the trueth and that therefore also shee sent for him that he might giue counsell how a concorde might bee made so as there might bee a peace made without offence of the aduersaries
The doctrine thereof verie comfortable 3 4a b Augustines reasons touching the defence of his treatises of it 3 3. 2 b The doctrine thereof is not against the vse of preaching 3 3a Howe it is obscure and not obscure 3 4a Their reasons which would not haue it disputed of 3 2 a It is certaine 3 3 a and cannot be deceiued 34 b 35 ab 4 117 b That it is a part of the Gospell 3 5 a What things are to be taken heed of in preaching it 3 â— b Neuer any man openlie denied it 3 3 b 5 a Whether there bee any and to whom it belongeth and belongeth not 3 5 ab 8 b Some children of the Saints belong not to it 2 233 b Whether by the doctrine thereof a fatall necessitie be confirmed 3 4 b 5 a 34 b 35 ab Cauils about it and proofes for the same 1 208 b 209 a Whether the predestination of God touching Dauid were the cause why Saule was cast out of the kingdome 1 208b 209 a Predestination and grace may be called lots as saieth Augustine and why 1 60 a Howe Gods predestination and his prouidence doe agree differ 3 8 b How his foreknoweledge and predestination doe agree and differ 3 8b His loue election and predestination ioined together 3 9 a ¶ Looke Prouidence Predicaments The ten commandements and the ten predicaments haue a likely respect 2 427 b 553 a 4 83 b Priest Wherein a prophet and a priest doe differ 1 18 a A popish priest serued in stead of a Sanctuarie 4 268 b High priest The definition of an high priest 4 22 a Whether hee might endeuour to haue children 3 195 b 196 a Priests Of the distinction of priests by companies turnes in the time of the Lawe 3 195 b Forbidden to drinke wine 3 â—97 b Beautie required in them that should serue in the Sanctuarie 1 149 a What is meant by that they were saide to eate the sinnes of the people 4 169 a Whether the Machabees being priests did well in taking the kingdome vpon them 4 232b 233 a In what maner we be all priests and kings 4 12ab Ministers no where called priests in scripture 4 222 a Of Baals priests howe guilefully Iehu dealt with them 2 539 b 540 ab They bored themselues with small pikes 1 21 b Massing priests described and how they erre from the trueth of the ministerie 4 20 a The maner of their consecrating 4 13 b 14 a In their anticular confession they sinne two manner of wayes 3 236 b They might erre and did erre 1 18a Priuiledged from tributes and taxations 4 34 ab Howe contrarie they be to the priests of the lawe whom they would seeme to imitate 3 â—97 b Of woodden priests and golden vessels and contrarie 3 239 b Priesthood The Priesthood of Melchisedech more excellent than the Priesthood of Aaron 2 245 a Both that of Leui and that of Melchisedech represented Christ 4 236 a Melchisedechs order remaineth in the Church 4 223b Contention for the priesthood in Dauids time 4 247 b Why in olde time the kingdome and it were committed to one man 4 327 b Aarons and Christs distinguished 4 83 a Christs had two ministeries 3 307b Preparation Of Preparation to saluation 3 108 b 109 a Whether that of the heart be in mans power 3 111 b 112 a Prerogatiues What prerogatiues the lawes of Ethnikes and the ciuill lawes gaue such as had many childreÌ„ 2 431a They must not be drawne to common examples 2 429 a ¶ Looke Priuilege Presence Of the presence of God howe the same is to be meant 1 25 ab It striketh a feare in the godly as for example 1 31 a Diuerse signes and tokens thereof 1 25 b How the flesh of man is terrified thereat 1 21 b ¶ Looke God Of Christes Reall presence in the Eucharist 4 189. 190. 191. 192. 193. 194. 195. 200 b 156. 157 144. 145 146. Presence totally and definitiuely what it is 4 188 b Present What it is to bee present definitely in a place 1 87 a Prescription What is required vnto the law of prescription 1 96 b 97a Howe ignorance may be may not be a let vnto it 1 97 a Of the difference betweene it and Vsucapio when the same difference first began 1 96 b A decree of lawe that fraude shal be no let vnto it 1 97 a Why it was introduced or brought in 1 96 b Custome hath some affinitie therewith 1 97a Vsed of Ieptha against the Ammonites 1 96 b The time thereof in things moueable and vnmoueable how long it is 1 97 a Of the right the antiquitie and the author thereof 1 96 ab How and by what meanes custome and it is broken 1 98 b A definition of the same out of the Digestes 1 96 b The Ecclesiasticall rules touching it doe differ from the ciuill lawes and why 1 97 a No prescription against the worde of God though neuer so ancient 1 97 ab 3 244 a Presumption Presumption worketh an ouerthrowe 3 285 a Pride Pride a cause of contumely 2 529 b A cause of painting the face 2 508 b The effects thereof and that the same proceedeth froÌ„ the will 1 156 a Of the vngodly noted 3 321 b 322 a Of Philosophers noted through their knowledge of naturall things 1 2 a The diuell deceiued through his owne pride 1 83 b The scope of Paule to pul down the pride of women 2 513 b 514 a ¶ Looke Ambition Princes Princes must flie from idlenesse 4 245 b Gods Vicars vppon earth 4 248a b Clemencie is meete for them 4 248 ab Whether matters or religion belong to them 4 244 b 246 b 247a b In what respects they are to bee obeyed 4 285 a Obedience to them limited 4 308 b Whether they may defend their owne persons by warre 4 285 b 286 a Deposed from their dominions by their subiects 4 325a They may send priuie searches and offer rewardes for finding out of conspiracies 4 299 b Whether they and great men are to haue Church goods giuen them 4 31 b 32 ab 33 a Whether they can ingender ciuill vertues in their peoples mindes 4 36 a Of the annointing of them 4 14 b 15 ab What maner of ones the Iewes had 3 161 b Whether they hauing more prouinces thaÌ„ they can ouersee may be suffered 4 38 b 39 a A lesson for them touching gouernment 2 616 a Their charge touching Gods seruice what it is 2 324 a 325 It is their part to admonish and correct Clergiemen 4 235b In what cases they haue not power ouer heretikes though they be in their dominion 2 538 b Why they weare the signe of the Rose vppon their crownes â— 349b They sinne more grieuously than the common sort and why 2 554 a The originall of their annointing 4 236 b Called Pastors and why 4 227 a Their office and charge 4 231b The care of the Church belongeth to
Whether they are miserable before God 3 55 ab Whether they haue good workes by grace 3 54 a They doe worke together with GOD. 3 51 ab They doe sometimes most grieuously offend 3 34 a How they haue power to be made the sons of God 3 73 a What kind of grace is giuen to them 1 2b Wherein the similitude that they haue with God doeth stand 2 612 b 613a Men distinguished into Regenerate and not regenerate which of their sinnes be punished to the third fourth generatiō 2 362 b Why parents Regenerate do beget children with originall sinne 4 117 a Why the holy Ghost is powred into the heart when we be Regenerate 4 114 a Not Regenerate Men not Regenerate are drawne perpetually whether they will or no to sinne 1 3 b Of their freedome 2 270 a 254a Of a naturall fault procured by Adam and reigning in them 1 3 b They can doe nothing that may please God 3 130 a They are euill trees 3 101 a Their nature and why they can doe no good worke 2 267 a 3 299 a Whether they are iustified by their works 3 142 ab How the holy Ghost is in men not Regenerate 3 140 b Regeneration The state of man before Regeneration 3 94 ab 96 ab 46 a Euen in infants 3 10b Wee bring nothing therunto proued 3 28 b 2 258 a Of workes before and after it 3 16 b 118 a 2 257 b 258 a That which remaineth after it is sinne but not imputed vnto vs 2 233 b Scriptures to prooue that before it wee bee not free 2 255 ab The meanes whereby it is wrought and not wrought 3 80 ab Circumcision and Baptisme sacraments thereof 2 594 a Children haue neede of the sacrament thereof 2 214 b It argueth that originall sinne is in vs. 2 218 a It needed not if our first generatiō were faultlesse reade the similitude 2 214 b By whom it is wrought 2 627 b 268a Notable points to be marked about it 2 226 ab It pertaineth not onely to the substance of the body or grosser parts of the mind but especially also vnto the will and minde 2 225 b 226 a Originall sinne is not vtterly rid away no not thereby 2 233 b From whence it hath originall that it is vnperfect in this life 2 564 a Of beginning proceeding therein 4 27 a By what things it is doone 4 136 b How it is and is not attained 4 36 a The testimonie thereof 4 113 a What it is and whereto it tendeth 4 112 ab Whether it is not to be granted but by the word 4 136b Signified by the thousande yeares of Christs reigning with his saints 3 358 b Begun in this life and when it shal be perfected 3 331 b It argueth that wee had a carnall generation 2 214 b The two instruments that God vseth to the same 2 233 a There is a change therein though Pighins denie it 2 222 a The Pelagians vpbraided the Catholikes of foolishnesse as though they shoulde say that by Regeneration sinne is not blotted out but onely raced 2 274b Reioyce Whether wee sorrow and Reioyce both at once 3 212 b Religion In cases of Religion it is no dallying or dissembling 3 265 a Plato allowed no innouations in thinges belonging thereto 1 99 b What affections and loue we ought to haue to the same reade that place 4 88 ab By what rule controuersies therein are to bee decided 4 49. 50. 51. 52 53 Slaundered with tumults sedition 4 319 ab Why Chrysostome calleth it Philosophie 2 42◠a Whether matters thereof belong to ciuill Magistrates 4 243 b 244a Whether in reforming thereof the consent of the Church must be expected 4 242a b Whether it bee lawfull for Princes to determine thereof 4 246 b 247 ab P. Martyrs opinion touching contention about it 2 391 a The Iewes and auncient Sibyls are a testimonie thereunto 2 329ab Cyprian the Martyrs wordes touching constancie in Religion 2 316 a Whether the loue of children is lesse to bee esteemed than it 3 184 a Whether it pertaine vnto men to decree concerning Religion 3 172 b 173 a What bee the two chiefe pointes thereof 2 607 b 608 b What is olde and what is new as also why newnes in religion must bee auoided 1 99 a Plinie a perpetuall enemie therof 1 85 b 86 a What Princes and Magistrates ought to doe in their iurisdictions both to their owne subiects and strangers concerning it 2 324. 325. 326. To lie in a case of Religion is a most hainous sinne 2 544 a Remembrance Remembraunce doeth not properly accord with God and why 1 109 a Remission Whether Remission bee had of sinnes to come 4 108a It consisteth not in Baptisme 4 134b 135 a Offered in the Sacraments 4 113 a It is to bee put as well in circumcision as in baptisme 4 108 ab Whether it bee certaine 3 226 b It is promised without condition 3 87 a What circumcision is saide to haue had it 4 108 a Three things to bee considered touching it 2 634 b Vnto what trifles some vaine men ascribe it 3 102 b No where to be hoped for but in the Church 2 634 b Howe often it is assured vnto vs. 2 635 b Whether it can bee deserued 3 114 a After it followeth life 2 636 b It was in the olde Testament 3 586 b Whether it bee gotten by charitie 3 148 a By what faith it is obteined 3 150 a It goeth before repentance 3 203 b 204 a Freelie without exaction of punishments 3 237 b Whether it depend of the Sacraments 4 104 a 107 ab Whether it bee had any other wayes than by faith 4 194 b Two similitudes of Augustine which prooue that wee cannot unpart the Remission of originall sinne vnto our children 2 243 b Of what sinnes there is no Remission 3 206 b 207 a Remisse of sinnes for Remission of sinnes a phrase of the auncients 4 216 b 217 a Repent Howe God is saide to Repent him 4 234 a 1 207 a 208 a 209 ab Repentance Whether Repentance be a Sacrament 3 210 b 211. 312 a 208 b What is required thereunto 3 113 b 114 a It is not in mans fréewill 3 28 a 43 b 15 b Not in all alike 3 109 ab Tokens thereof 3 235 b The fountaine of the same 3 203 b Two causes of the teares thereof 3 246b Two parts of the same 3 213 ab In what place of the minde it is placed 3 204 b Priuate publike and solemne 3 207 b The chiefe meanes whereby wee are called to it 3 226 a 227 a Whether it bee a reuenging iustice 3 208 b Remission of sinnes goeth before it 3 203 b 204 a Howe it is not demed to them that bee condemned 4 252 ab Teares are not alwayes the token thereof 3 245b How that of the guiltie might be prouided for 4 250 b It doeth not alwaies change Gods iudgements no not
Circumcision and what it signified 150 a Baptisme and it be all one and how 150 a Collects and the reason of those praiers and their name 136 a Commandement which is the soule of all the rest 102 b 103 a The first and last obserued of none 167 b Commandements of God must be distinguished and how 160 b Foure in the first table and which they be 165 a Six in the second and what they be 165 a Why some are affirmatiue and some negatiue 169 b What we haue to note in the contents of the ten 164 b The coniunction of them 165 a The substance of them 164 a b Thrée kinds of actions handled in them 164 b What we must doo when two contrarie méet which cannot be performed both at once 166 a b 71 a b 72 a Commings of Christ in the scripture onelie two 231 b Common-weale and what kind of rule were good therein 163 a Platos imagined 52 a Communion or coniunction of vs with Christ 105 b 97 a What opinion Cyril held thereof 106 b The instruments or knots of the same 98 a Of the beginning and ending thereof 106 a Signes and tokens of it 98 a Distances of places hinder it not 97 b Of the Communion of the parts or members of the bodie 97 b Communion in the morning a deuise of man 119 b 120 a ¶ Looke Eucharist Concubines of the patriarchs were their wiues 152 a Concupiscence of two kinds recited in the last precept of the lawe 165 a Confession of sinnes both to God and men allowed 157 a Thrée maner of waies in the sacrifices 170 a How flight in persecution is a kind thereof 70 a Auricular must not be taken out of the church 170 a Coniunction of vs with Christ in the Eucharist 140 b 141 a b 106 a b 184 a b 220 a b 124 a b Disagréement touching the same 97 a Whether it be doon by Christ or by faith 126. How it is increased in Christ 124 b 125. 126 a 127 a A certeine kind common to all men in generall 105 b That the weakenesse of faith letteth it not 126 a Of the members of the church 139 a b 140 a b Of Christs humanitie and diuinitie 3 a b. Coniunctions two which we haue with Christ 97 a Conscience cléere a great comfort 112 b We must doo nothing against it 122 a b. Consecration is a sacramentall thing 242 b The force therof speciallie in the Eucharist 138 b 239 a When and how that of the bread in the Eucharist was made 212 a Consequent denied by denieng of the antecedent 130 b 131 a Constancie in persecution for true religion exhorted Read the 47. epistle beginning at pag. 139 Renewed in the godlie 145 b Consubstantiation of Luther and Brentius 153 b Contempt of Christ 3 b Contraries cannot be togither in one subiect at once 204 a b 205 a b. Contrition and how it is not effectuall to the remission of sinnes 157 a Controuersies about the vnderstanding of scriptures 187 a Conuersion and whether it be by compulsion 111 b 112 a 119 b Touching the power of God therein 108 b Thervnto we bring nothing actiuelie 117 b 118 a Whereto it and our disposition to doo good must be attributed 110 a b 111 a b 112 a b Of Paule 115 a Whether he therein were drawne by frée will 118 a b. Correction brotherlie extendeth to euerie estate 170 a Couenant and the definition and scope thereof 160 a What God requireth of vs to him ward therein 28 b 29 a That in the lawe and that in the Gospell all one 150 a What Iewes at this daie belong not to the same 150 b What God ment when in that which he made with the Leuites he promised peace 28 a b. Councels generall and how they are to be regarded 210 b 197 a b That they cannot erre as the Cardinall of Loren saith 152 b Not to relie or leane too much to them 249 a b. Counsell asking of God in euerie enterprise 38 a Court of leauing it or liuing in it 158 b Creation of all things and probable propositions concerning the same 144 a Creatures haue a substance circumscriptible 190 b How it commeth that some be cleane and some vncleane 147 b Wherin their holinesse standeth 163 a Crosse is Christs triumphant chariot 5 b 6 a 8 a How it maketh all things sauorie 9 a b How diuerslie men be addicted to the same 4 a Crucifix and of worshipping the same 121 a b The image thereof must not be on the table when the word is preached or the sacraments ministred 123 a b. Curiositie defined and what is intended thereby 152 a Why it dooth much hinder faith 163 a Cursses are lawfull for the godlie and so are oths 164 b What we are to gather by those that were laid vpon our first parents 146 a b. D. DAgon and the forme and figure of him being the Philistines god 86 b Dansing and what is thereof determined 161 a Deacons and whie they were ordeined in the church 50 a 42 b Dead and touching their buriall in chosen places and speciallie in temples 152 a Death more feared in the time of the lawe than of the Gospell 149 a Of bodie and soule set before Adam 145 a Of sorrowing and reioising therein and the causes thereof 155 b The crueltie therof complained of 82 a How the godlie desire that which they feare 67 a How the feare of the same is not of it selfe faultie 73 a b. Of two sorts the one bodilie the other spirituall 74 b Within what bounds the feare thereof must be restrained 67 b A thing to be feared 66 a How it dooth alwaies bring feare 67 a Whether there be a faultinesse in the feare thereof 66 a Not good by it selfe 67 a Whether the feare thereof in a Christian man be sinne 65 b A sermon of Christs 1 a and so forward In what respect he stroue with it 5 a Dearth and prouision against it when and by whom to be made 157 a Disagreement and bearing of hatred differ 176 a b. Discipline ecclesiasticall and how necessarie a thing it is 88 b Where the rule thereof must be sought for 89 a Vnder what pretense it is reiected 88 b Disputations must not be counted vnprofitable nor refused and whie 176 a Diuell let loose and at libertie 103 b Diuine is a god speking among men 49 b. Diuinitie a sermon concerning the studie of the same 43 b and so forward The ancientnesse thereof 45 b The vtilitie and profit of it 46 a The worthinesse thereof 45 a 249 a b Schooles for it and what ought to be read in them 89 a b The cheefe thing whereby to iudge matters thereof 210b How that when it is commended vnder one labour are reaped two fruits 44 b The nature and propertie of it set foorth by similitudes 56 b A kind thereof condemned whie 54 a A definition thereof 56 b Diuinitie or Godhead and a distinction
commanded by the lawe of God lest he be guiltie of the sentence of Paule Tim. 5 8. where he saith He that hath not a care of his owne and especiallie of his familie hath renounced his faith and is woorse than an infidell Yea and the same apostle hath commanded Ephe. 6 5. that Seruants should of necessitie obeie their masters 14 Now there resteth that we shew reasons out of the holie scriptures for the disallowing of this conuersation First our Sauiour doubted not to saie in Matthew verse 29. the fift and the 18. chapters verse 8. If thy hand foot or eie offend or hinder thee cut it off and cast it from thee The which words notwithstanding as the sounder sort of interpretors haue shewed he spake not concerning the members of the bodie but ment them by such as be our familiar acquaintance and most nigh of kindred They all are to be separated from our companie although they séeme to bring vs profit and commoditie when either they seuer vs from God who is our eternall saluation or put lets and hinderâ—nces whereby we be withdrawen from him Chrysostome intreating in a maner of this argument Chrysost in the 56. homilie vpon Iohn saith If we cut off a corrupt member from the bodie least it should corrupt other parts of the same which vndoubtedlie we doo not bicause we despise that member for Who euer hated his owne flesh How much rather should we doo the same in those which be wickedlie ioined vnto vs not despising of them but prouiding that our saluation be not hazarded by them when as we sée that we be not anie thing able to profit them Wherefore in this case there ariseth no profit by desiring and mainteining of familiaritie and concord To this also tendeth the lawe of Christ which he gaue in the 18. chapter of Matthew verse 17. that They which be in a maner past all hope of saluation and doo not heare their brethren iustlie admonishing them yea and which despise the voice of the church correcting them let them be accounted as Ethniks and Publicanes verse 5. Which thing Paule also taught who in the first to the Corinthians the sixt chapter commanded the incestuous person to be excommunicated least a little leuen might pollute the whole dough of the saints verse 33. 15 Moreouer the same apostle taught and that in the same epistle the 15. chapter out of a verse of Menander the poet that Good maners be corrupted by naughtie communication And thereby he shewed that the right faith of the resurrection was sore impaired among the Corinthians which were new come vnto Christ and that by reason they were ouer readie to giue eare vnto the arguments and prophane reasons of philosophers or rather heretikes A similitude No man can sufficientlie conceiue how the words of inchantment doo corrupt the tender faith of the weake Wherefore the Corinthians were profitablie seasonablie warned with them all other weake in faith are warned to refraine the conuersation of infidels A similitude The physicians also doo counsell that when a contagious disease infecteth either a familie or a néere neighborhood they while they be yet in helth should not comd to the sicke For in the bodies complexions of men there is a certeine like affection whereby a contagion issueth easilie from them which be sicke vnto others that be whole and sound the poison whereof although it be not presentlie felt of them which were not warie of themselues yet within a while after it infecteth deadlie Wherefore séeing we be willed to take such héed of the diseases of the bodie much more we ought to preuent the vices of the mind that we drawe them not vnto vs. 16 Moreouer our nature is so framed Our nature is on euerie side subiect to corruption by reason of naturall or originall sinne as we be subiect on euerie side to corruption as both the holie scriptures and manie experiences doo dailie teach vs so as there is no doubt but that we shall easilie drinke of the poison of other mens sinnes if we doo not verie diligentlie auoid the same And those sinnes as they doo without anie labour cleaue vnto vs before we be aware so being once conceiued they can not be plucked from vs but with verie great paines Chrysost Wherefore Chrysostome in his 56. homilie vpon Iohn the which I cited a little before séemeth wiselie to saie If we could make them the better and not hurt our selues he speaketh héere of infidels we should doo all things But séeing we be not able to further them bicause they be past amendment and that we may gréeuouslie hurt our selues they are vtterlie to be cut off Further to confirme his saieng the more stronglie he bringeth in that which Paule in his first epistle to the Corinthians and 5. chapter writeth verse 13. Take awaie euill froÌ„ among you Which words of the apostle cannot certeinlie be vnderstood of sinne for the Gréeke word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Euill by which kind of spéech a wicked man is ment Wherefore I shall not erre at all if I somewhat bend the apostles words vnto the commoditie of them which be weake saieng Depart ye from among them that be wicked For if when ye be weake and vnskilfull you be among them you must as well heare as sée verie manie things against godlinesse and religion which you professe But those things séeing you be neither able to refell nor reprooue ye shall séeme to be cited as witnesses of blasphemies and reproches against the truth And perhaps a sting will remaine in your minds wherwith ye shall be disquieted in conscience longer than yée thinke for Let vs giue care to the Wise man which rightlie and faithfullie admonisheth vs He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith and he that hath fellowship with a proud man Eccle. 13 1. will become like vnto him Take no greater burthen vpon thee than thou art able to beare nor ioine not thy selfe with one that is mightier than thee Ecclesiasticus the 13. chapter These things doo two maner of waies apperteine to the matter present Mens sins are as pitch vnto other men First in that the vices of other men are likened vnto pitch the which sticketh wonderfull fast to the fingers and garments of them which touch it Secondlie we be faithfullie admonished that we should haue a consideration of our owne proper strength 17 Let I beséech you the examples of the holie scripture teach vs. Examples out of the holie scriptures The Israelites were seuentie yéeres captiues in Babylon and were so infected with the conuersation of the vnbeléeuing nations as when leaue was afterward giuen them first by Cyrus then by Darius most mightie kings to returne home manie of them would not returne but being delighted with the commoditie of houses lands and trade of merchandize they remained still among the Chaldaeans Medes
and Persians so great was the loue godlinesse and studie of religion cooled among them Indéed they were reprooued by Esdras Nehemias and Zacharie but they were little the better thereby And how much the Hebrues were corrupted through the long conuersation Exod. 32 1. which they had with the Aegyptians the things which by by they committed in the wildernes doo manifestlie declare For when as yet they had before their eies the singular benefits of God towards them they departed from him vnto idolatrie And bicause in Aegypt they had séene an oxe superstitiouslie worshipped they prouoked Aaron to make them a calfe to worship which being giuen vnto them with great reioising they began to crie These be thy gods ô Israel Num. 25 1. which brought thee out of Aegypt Moreouer trauelling through the wildernesse when they came to the borders of the Moabites and accompanied with that nation more familiarlie than became them they were brought to this point that they did not onelie with the shamelesse harlots of Moab abhominablie commit fornication but also offered sacrifice vnto that most fowle idoll Baal-Peor and suffered themselues to be trained vp in the most vnpure seruices thereof Matt. 26 70. Peter a chéefe apostle when he had entered into the wicked hall of the high priest and there had béene in the companie of the maidens and vngodlie seruants did forsweare his maister Iesus Christ our sauior which fault afterward being departed from thence he most bitterlie lamented Esaie 6 5. When Esaie beheld God sitting in the temple like a iudge and angels standing about him which most purelie celebrated praises vnto him although he séemed not to himselfe to be guiltie of his owne fault yet he cried out Wo is me that I dwell amidst a people of vncleane lips For no doubt that man of God felt that he had gotten no small infection by reason he had dwelt so long with an vncleane people Alexander of Macedonia Alexander of Macedonia which by wars and notable victories had subdued to himselfe a great part of the world became so delicate and effeminate by the maners of the Persians whom he should haue drawne to his owne maners and qualities as he himselfe tooke of their garments deintinesse hautinesse and pride so far was he from bringing them to the ordinances of the Macedonians that he incurred great hatred of his owne soldiers Nor is this to be passed ouer that the long conuersation of the godlie with the infidels vnlesse the fruit of their conuersion be manifest and be by all meanes indeuoured dooth bréed a let or hinderance to their saluation For when they perceiue that our men liue so familiarlie with them they thinke not that their superstitions and idolatries wherewith they be corrupted can be so verie euill or much to be detested And peraduenture they be come to that passe that perseuering in these points they distrust not but that they may hope to obteine saluation For vnlesse it were so they could not persuade themselues that our men would dissemble it Besides these things there be verie manie of our men that by the example of this mingled conuersation thinke that they also may doo the same which they sée others doo whereby it commeth to passe that by the déed or example of some euill hath a larger scope and our faith and godlinesse is counted but a iest among the infidels and Papists And oftentimes it chanceth which we knowe happened in the time of Paule as we haue in the first to the Corinthians that they which otherwise were faithfull 1. Co. 10 21 doo through this conuersation communicate with vngodlinesse and with polluted customs For by ouermuch familiaritie with the infidels there is a step made by little and little to followe their superstition and idolatrie Wherefore the apostle did not proclame without a cause Ibidem 14 Flie from idolatrie I will not saie also it is vnpossible but that among our men being weake without learning and knowledge and being conuersant among the infidels sometimes spéech of religion may happen wherein they slip not yet when they cannot ouerthrowe the sophisticall and craftie subtill arguments of the aduersaries there ariseth manie times bralling and strife and from that they fall into hatred cursing and reproches which haue no edification but rather hinder it so farre is it off from stepping forward vnto the same To this purpose serueth that which Paule wrote in the second epistle to the Corinthians 2. Cor 6. 14. Drawe not the yoke with the vnbeleeuers What fellowship hath righteousnesse with vnrighteousnesse Or what participation is there betweene light and darknesse What agreement betweene Christ and Belial Or what part hath the faithfull with the vnbeleeuer Or how agreeth the temple of God with idols These words are so manifest as they néed no interpretation Neither must they be vnderstood onelie for contracting of matrimonies séeing they are extended largelie and generallie and apperteine to all kind of conuersation which for our own sake we haue with the vngodlie 18 I knowe verelie that the shadowes of the old lawe are now remooued from vs by the benefit of Christ Num. 15 38 yet neuerthelesse we are not to doubt but that those things abide whereof the people of God was by them at that time admonished Wherefore I demand what God ment when he commanded the Iewes to sowe borders to their garments which they ware This surelie was the mening What ment the hems of the Hebrues garments that they being taught by that signe should perceiue themselues to be seuered from the Ethniks neither that it was lawfull for them to ioine themselues with them but so much as necessitie constrained GOD more than once forbad them that they should not returne into Aegypt Deut. 17 16 nor yet desire the aid of strange nations for he would haue cut off from his people Exod. 23 32 all occasions of superstitions and idolatrie Iud. 1 36. Yea and the historie of the Iudges testifieth that the Israelits gréeuouslie sinned bicause they brought those idolatrous nations vnder tribute and had made a league with them and dwelled togither in the same cities countrie with them And surelie to what euill it turned them the historie it selfe doth shew for they brought not the Chanaanits vnto the true worshipping of God but they themselues rather forsaking their God became idolaters togither with them I speake not how the conuersation betwéene the Hebrues and Samaritans was so hatefull euen vntill the comming of Christ that the sillie Samaritan woman Iohn 4 9. of whom Iohn maketh mention said vnto Christ that the Iewes vsed no familiaritie with the Samaritans Besides this it is not verie conuenient for christians to take awaie from themselues the boldnes and libertie of the frée talking of Christ which they must doo of necessitie if they dwell among infidels For if in liuing familiarlie among the vnfaithfull they should conferre of Christ