bread is referred to the fleshe and the kinde or forme of wine to the soule Againe it is taken or receaued vnder both kindes for to signifie that Christ did take vpon hym both an humaine body and an humaine soule and also for to signifie that the receauyng of this sacrament is auaileable both to the fleshe and also to the soule For if it were only receiued vnder one kind it shoulde be signified that it is auaileable onely for the tuition and safegarde of the one Hearken what Gerardus Lorichius one that is a great defendour of Transubstantiation a papist for his life saieth to this matter They be false Catholiques saieth this man that are not ashamed by all meanes to hinder the reformatiō of the Churche Thei to the intent the other kynde of the sacrament maie not be restored vnto the laie people spare no kynde of blasphemies For they saie that Christe saide onely vnto his apostles drinke ye all of this but the wordes of the Canon be these take and eate ye al of this Here I beseche them let them tell mee whether they will haue these wordes also onely to pertaine vnto the apostles Thā must the laie people abstaine from the other kinde the bread also Whiche thyng to saie is an herisie a pestilent and a detestable blasphemie Wherfore it foloweth that eche of these words was spoken vnto the whole church Thus far Lorichius the papistes owne doctour Let them make what shift soeuer they will or can they shall neuer be able to cleare them selues but that they be most abominable prophanatours of the Lordes Sacramentes and misteries and also most detestable and accursed sacriledgers sith that they do not only robbe the christian people for whom our Sauiour Christ did shed his most precious blood of the cheefe and most principall part of his Sacrament but also doe abstayne them selues from it whensoeuer they list hauyng no commaundement of the Lorde for to doe any suche thyng Therefore we may turne the saying of S. Basill against them who saieth these wordes Who so forbiddeth the thing that God commaundeth and who so commaundeth the thing that God forbiddeth is taken as accursed of all them that loue the Lorde Where you haue done the like against the commaundement of the Lorde and commaunded what he hath flatly forbidden your whole religion declareth for through your owne cōmaundementes ye make Gods commaundementes of litle force yea you haue done contrary to your owne lawes and decrées which do excommunicate all those that dare presume to take halfe of this sacrament and leaue the other halfe vnreceaued The blessed martyr Saint Ciprian doeth say Howe shall we teache exhort and prouoke them saieth he to shed their blood for the confession of the name of Christ if we do deny or wyll not geue vnto them the blood of Christ when they should fight and stande manfully in the quarell of their maister and Lorde Christe Or howe shall we make them apt to drinke the cup of martyrdome if we do not permit nor suffer them to drinke the cup of the Lorde in the Church by the right tha◠they haue to communicate with vs May not all men see and perceiue by these fewe words of this holy and blessed martyr what wrong and iniurie these antichristes do vnto vs Haymo saith Appellatur calix communicatio propter participationem quiae omnes communicant ex illo The cup is called the communication because of the participation for that euery man receaueth of it This saith he and yet no Protestant nor Caluenist If any warre doth chaunce for the name of Christ as is at this day in Fraunce and Flaunders or if any persecution for his religon sake doth happen they wyll geue vs good leaue to stande in the forefront of the battayle yea they wyll thrust vs forwardes and be ready them selues to shed our blood and yet they will not as much as suffer vs once to receaue the mysticall cup of the Lordes blood whereby we shoulde be animated and encouraged to shed our heart blood in the quarell of his trueth Besides this any childe may easely perceaue by these fewe aucthorities by me alledged that they were woont in the Primatiue Churche to minister indifferently vnto all men of what condition or estate soeuer they were the Communion in both kindes and that it was counted a playne sacriledge that is to say a playne robbing of Gods glorie to do otherwise For they did alwayes sticke to the institution and ordinaunce of the Lorde tyll at the length in the abominable and sacrilegious counsell of Constance a most wicked and vngodly decree was made to the contrary Many other reasons are they wont to bring for the defence of their accursed and detestable sacriledge If the mysticall Cup say they were indifferently ministred vnto al men and women that come to the Lordes boorde it might chaunce that it shoulde be at one tyme or other spylled whiche thing coulde not happen without a great slaunder in the Churche And therefore for auoyding of this offence that might happen by reason many hath the paulsie and fallyng sicknesse it hath bene appointed by the fathers that the Sacrament shoulde be only ministred vnder one kinde Belike our Sauiour Christe the wisedome of the father when he did first institute his Sacrament coulde not by his eternall spirite foresée such thinges nor yet the blessed Apostle Saint Paul when he did aboue .xxvj. yeres after his maisters ascention write vnto the Churche of the Corinthians Might not wée by as good a reason bicause that many offences do dayly arise by the preaching of Gods worde put downe the Scriptures altogether as antechrist is wont to do where soeuer he beareth any rule Might we not with as iust cause sith that many do surfet by meate and drinke and in their drunkennesse do worke mischéefe take awaye cleane from them the vse of meate and drinke Shall we because that good thinges may through the naughtinesse and negligence of men be misused take away the right vse of them or abolishe therefore the institution and ordinaunce of GOD who hath ordeyned and appointed such thinges for the comfort health of men Let them geue a straite charge to their ministers that they be sober and discrete when that thei go about such holy mysteries and that they take good heede to them selues that no such offences do arise through their negligence or rashe behauiour If they would do so and suffer the holy institution of the Lord to stande whole then shoulde they do well and please God highly who requireth nothing else but a true obedience towardes his statutes and lawes whereas in doing as they do they declare them selues to be voyde of the spirite of God and of all due obedience that ought to be in all faithfull christians and true seruauntes of God. For we must be subiect to God in obedience ioyned
and stinckyng harlotte of Antichriste Thei haue alwaies in their mouthes this saiyng of saincte Augustine non crederem Euangeli◠nisi me ecclesiae catholicae authoritas commoueret I would not beleue the Gospell excepte the aucthoritie of the Catholike Churche moued me These fewe words haue thei tossed to and fro to presse out of them that is not in theim and would seme to goe aboute to proue the creature aboue the creatour that made all thynges But as S. Augustine saieth he beleued the Gospell because of the Church so likewise he hath said Exore veritatis ecclesiam agnosco participem veritatis By the mouthe of the truthe I knowe the churche that is partaker of the truthe But whereas thei would seme to goe aboute to proue by Augustines woordes that the Churche is aboue the worde of God their folie herein is easily espied if wée consider the cause that moued Augustine so to speake The Manichees would needes goe about to proue and make men to beleue that the Epistle of Fundamētus was of as good aucthoritie as the Epistles of Paule Peter Iames or Ihon. And that their Manicheus was the Apostle of Christe Augustine aunswereth theim and saieth he can not bee so easily perswaded by the same reason to receiue the Epistle of Manicheus as the Epistles of Peter and Paule c. He giueth a reason why for because saieth he in receiuyng of them thei had the aucthoritie testimonie and commendation of the Catholike Churche but Fundamentus Epistle hath no aucthoritie nor testimonie but onely of the Manichees theim selues whiche were openly shutte out from the Churche whiche by no meanes can be in equall aucthoritie with the aucthoritie of the Churche So if wée marke Augustines woordes well wée shall easily perceiue that he maketh not the Churche iudge of the scriptures nor yet graunteth any aucthoritie to the church ouer the scriptures but onely as witnesses and testimonies whiche bee the true canonicall scriptures from the Apochriphes and counterfecte Scriptures as this Epistle of the Manichees And that this is the true meaning of sainct Augustine one of their owne doctours and a Papiste for his life saieth vpon these woordes of sainct Augustine before recited Errare cos qui ijs dem Augustini verbis abutuntur ad probandum quod Papae vel cōcilium vel ecclesia possit immutare quae ab Euangelistis Apostolis sunt tradita That is to saie they do erre whiche vse the same wordes of sainct Augustine to proue that the Pope or Counsaile or the churche maie alter or chaunge what so euer haue been deliuered by the Euangelistes and Apostles No◠wee maie not gather herevpon that the aucthoritie of the churche is greater then the aucthoritie of the scriptures because that there bee many founde whiche dooe take the holy scriptures for authenticall as moued by the aucthoritie of the Churche In deede to them the Churche séemeth better then the holie scriptures but thei bee farre otherwise of them selues Els Moyses should by the same reason bee of greater aucthoritie then Christe because that many beleued in Christe moued by the aucthoritie of the scripture of Moyses as Christ saith If you would beleue Moyses ye would beleue me also We reade in Iohn thus And of that citie many of the Samaritans beleued in Christe vppon the woorde of the woman whiche bare witnesse and saied For he tolde me all thynges that I haue doen. Accordyng vnto this argument the aucthoritie of the synfull woman was more then of Christe and so it was in deede at the firste of more reputation with the people of the citie to whom Christe was yet vnknowen But of it self it was not so nor afterwardes whē thei hearyng the doctrine of saluation of Christe hym self thei saied vnto the woman Now we doe not beleue because of thy woordes for we haue heard knowen that this is verely the sauiour of the worlde Sainct Ihon shewed Christe vnto the people yet he was not greater then Christe In sainct Peter we doe reade in this wise Likewise ye women also bee subiecte vnto your husbandes that thei also whiche dooe not beléeue the woorde maie be wonne without the worde through the conuersation of the woman c. Ergo whereas the vnfaithfull husbande is stirred vnto the faithe of Christe by the regarde of the conuersation of his wife whiche he seeth is honeste chaste faithfull and obediente whereas he coulde not bee moued by the preachyng of the Gospell maie we gather that the conuersation of the woman is better or greater then the Gospell In deede so it appeareth but it is to hym whiche is still vnfaithfull not vnto hym which doeth acknowedge the trueth of the Gospell and the aucthoritie of God. The Churche had in tymes paste greate estimation of holy conuersation whereby many were brought vnto the faithe of Christ and the aucthoritie of the church did them good But yet it was not of it selfe better then the truth of the Gospell ¶ The xxxlx Chapiter ¶ Of the office and aucthoritie of the Churche and how i◠maie erre and how it cannot erre THE Churche we graunt as part we touched before hath three offices touchyng the worde of god The first and formoste of them is that as a witnesse she keepeth the holie bookes of the Canonicall scriptures But thereby it can not be proued that it is lefull for her to peruerte or alter any thyng in the saied holie bookes As publique and priuate writynges are committed to Scriueners or Notaries to be laied vp and kepte of them And yet none will saie he maie alter any thyng of those writynges The seconde office is to preache and publishe the wordes committed vnto it by God but it maie publishe nothyng but what is taught by the worde to them deliuered as a common crier who although he publishe the decrees of Princes and Magistrates yet he is not aboue the decrees of Princes and Magistrates but his whole office is faithfully to pronounce all thynges as he hath receiued them of the Prince addyng nothyng to it nor takyng ought awaie The thirde office is sithe that she is indued with the spirite of God it must therefore discerne and trie the sincere and vncorrupte bookes of holie scriptures from the counterfecte and Apochriphas So many can descerne the true and proper writynges of Plato and Aristotle So we can descerne God from the deuill and yet are we not to be compted equall with God much lesse can we thinke that we doe excell hym Now we haue saied somewhat of the office of the Churche I will also declare the whole aucthoritie that she hath by the woorde of GOD. The aucthoritie then of the true Churche of our Sauiour Christe doeth moste chiefly consiste in fower thynges First this true and faithfull Churche hath aucthoritie to choose and ordeīne ministers as wee learne by the example of the Apostles and of the Churches that bee spoken
saie that in this place one is not taken for onely And therfore that their doctrine maie haue a better shewe of a trueth they alledge Moyses who speaking of the creatioÌ„ of the world writeth on this maner And so of the euenyng and mornyng was made one daie Here saie thei vnus one doeth not signifie one onely but firste For afterwardes sire other daies are named So likewise when sainct Paul doeth write that there is one Mediatour of God and men whiche is Iesus Christ his meanyng is not that he onely is a Mediatour and that there is none other but he But his meanyng is that our sauiour Christe is the firste or chief Mediatour If thei coulde aswell proue by the scriptures that GOD hath ordeined other mediatours besides Christ as Moyses did proue that God did create and make many daies then would I confesse that in this place of the Apostle one must be taken for firste But vntill thei haue proued vnto me that God hath appoincted and ordeined some seconde thirde or fourth Mediatours and aduocates betwéene hym and vs I will in nowise receiue their expositioÌ„ but will saie and beleue still that by this worde one sainct Paul doeth vnderstande one onely For with as good a reason when sainct Paul saieth in the same self sentence There is one God the Idolaters might â—â—uille and saie if we should alledge that place against them for to proue that there is but one God that this worde vnus one is not there taken for one onely but for firste or chiefest The like also might thei dooe if wee should bryng in the saiyng of Moyses where he saieth Audi Israel Dominus deus tuus Dominus vnus est that is to saie Heare O Israel the lorde thy God is one Lorde And truely the aunciente Idolaters of Rome when the Christians did bryng in both Moyses and Paule against them thei woulde aunswere as our Papisticall Hardonians and Louanistes doe now that is to saie that both Moyses and sainct Paul did not by this woorde one vnderstande alone or onely but firste or chief Might not when S. Paul saieth in an other place there is one faith one baptisme c. Might not I say the Hemerobaptistes who Epiphanius doeth speake of vse the like cauillation for to defende their Sacrilegious Baptisme wherewith thei Baptized them selues euery daie to the vtter prophanyng of the holie Baptisme whiche Christe our sauiour hath appoincted to bee receiued of euery man once for euer Thei might haue saied if any man had gone about to reproue their hereticall doynges by these woordes of the Apostle Sainct Paul did meane there by this woorde one not one onely but the firste or chief Baptisme and so should haue eluded or mocked awaie all that coulde be alledged against them Againe thei dooe alledge that whiche is written bothe in Luke and Iohn that is to saie howe Marie Magdalene did come vnto the Sepulchre vpon one of the Sabboth daies There saie thei one is takeÌ„ not for one onely but for the first so that vpoÌ„ one of the Sabbothes is as muche as if one should saie on the firste daie after the Sabboth Why maie it not be so taken in Paul Forsoothe I doe confesse and graunt that bothe in Luke and Iohn this woorde vnus one is taken for firste but it is by reason of a Genitiue case that bothe the Euangelistes doe adde vnto it that is to saie Sabbati or Sabbatorum but saincte Paul vseth no suche maner of speakyng but saith plainly vnus deus vnus mediator dei hominum Iesus Christus that is to saie There is one God and one Mediatour of God and men that man Iesus Christe He saieth not that our Sauiour Iesus Christe is one of the Mediatours but that as there is one God so there is one Mediatour of God and men whiche is the onely begotten sonne of God our Sauiour Iesus Christe And verely if we looke narowly vpon their saiynges and doctrines wée shall finde that thei will not onely haue more Mediatours Aduocates then christ but also that christ our sauiour is not the first or chief Mediatour but that he is onely nexte after the firste For as vno Sabbatorum in one of the Sabbothes doeth signifie the first or next daie after the Sabboth so after their opinion vnus mediator shal bee as muche as nexte after an other And so Christe shall not be the first Mediatour betweene God and men but next after the first what a detestable blasphemie is this againste the onely begotten sonne of God As for the wordes of the Euangeliste saincte Iohn where he saieth that we haue an Aduocate with the father thei saie plainly that wee can not proue by theim that Christe is our Mediatour and Aduocate only For saie thei as it were a foolishe argument to reason on this maner Saincte Peter is an Apostle Ergo saincte Iames is none so were it a fonde reason if we should saie Christe is our Mediatour Ergo the virgine Marie and the sainctes be not our Aduocates and Mediators Now let vs see how abhominablie thei dooe peruerte the scriptures and worde of god Sainct Iohn saieth not Christe is our Aduocate but wee haue an Aduocate with the father Thei saie that our reasons and argumentes are foolishe but I will shewe that theirs are moste childishe Were it a good argument to saie We haue a Quéene of Englande that is to saie Elizabeth the firste Ergo suche a one is Quéene All the worlde doeth see that suche consequences and conclusions were naught â–ª euen so to saie we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the righteous Ergo the virgine Marie and the Sainctes bee our aduocates is a verie naughtie and foolishe argumente For the conclusion or consequence of it can in nowise be good Now to saie Sainct Peter is an Apostle Ergo sainct Iames is none that were againste all reason sithe that wee are certified by the scriptures and worde of God that saincte Iames is aswell an Apostle as sainct Peter is But where haue thei in all the whole bodie of the Bible that the virgine Marie and other Sainctes are appoincted to be our Mediatours and Aduocates Yea saie thei againe it ought to bee no marueile if we doe attribute that vnto the virgine Marie and other Sainctes whiche doeth parteine onely vnto Christe For wee finde in the scriptures that one thyng is attributed bothe to God and vnto the creatures though it be not after one maner and sort as when our sauiour Christ doeth saie in the Gospell of Iohn I am the light of the worlde yet notwithstandyng in the Gospell of Matthewe he saieth also to his Apostles Ye are the light of the worlde Againe sainct Paule writeth these wordes Other foundation can no man laye then that whiche is laied whiche is Iesus Christe here he doeth appoinct Christ to bee
the onely foundation of the Christian faithe and of all godly doctrine and yet in an other place he saieth Ye are citizens with the Sainctes and of the housholde of God and are builte vpon the foundation of the Prophetes and Apostles And in the Apocalipse of Iohn we reade that the wall of the newe citie hath twelue foundations and in them the names of the twelue Apostles Here doe we see saie thei that Christ is called the light of the worlde and yet notwithstandyng the Apostles are called the light of the worlde also Likewise we see that christ is called the foundation yet notwithstanding the Apostles are called foundations also why should not then the virgine Marie and the sainctes be called Aduocates Mediatours and intercessours as well as our Sauiour Christe though it be not after one sorte and maner Why ought men to bee offended if folowyng the phrase of the scriptures wee doe attribute vnto the blessed virgine Marie and vnto the other Sainctes the office of mediation and intercession As for the first it is to bee vnderstanded that our heauenly father and his sonne Christe Iesus our Lorde haue many tymes of their speciall grace communicated or giuen that name vnto men that did not properly pertaine vnto them not for to saie that thei were so in very deede and of their owne nature but by reason of some office and dignitie that God did putte theim in also to the ende that thei should haue their office in greater estimation as it dooeth manifestely appeare by the example of Christe and of his Apostles whiche thei do commonly alledge For our sauiour Christ is the true and natural light of the worlde but the Apostles are the light of the worlde onely by the denomination or communication that is to saie the Apostles were not called the light but onely because that thei were lightened and deliuered from darknesse by the light of our sauiour Christ. And for this cause the holy Apostle doeth call the Christians light when he saieth Ye were in tymes paste darkenes but now ye are light in the Lorde Now our sauiour Christ lighteneth no man but onely to this ende that he should shine vnto other with good workes as he him self sufficiently declareth saiyng Let your light so shine before men that thei maie see your good workes and glorifie your father whiche is in heauen Also Christe doeth geue this name to his Apostles because of the office that he called them vnto whiche was the preachyng of his holy Gospell and of the worde of God which in the scriptures is called light After the same maner Magistrates Kynges and rulers are in the Scriptures called gods not bicause they are so in deede or that suche a name doeth properlye pertaine vnto them but bicause of the dignitie that GOD hath placed them in and also to the ende that the subictes shoulde haue their princes in greater reuerence beyng obedient vnto them as vnto god But when god doth take awaie this office from them he doth also take awaie the name In like maner now the apostles are no more light For they be no more in place where thei can shine vnto men by good workes they be no more in the office of preachyng I would faine that these greate learned doctours shoulde shewe mee a place in all the scriptures wherein the wisdome of the Father our sauiour Christe or the angelles and apostles dyd euer geue either vnto the virgine Marye or vnto anye of the sainctes the name or office of mediatour intercessour ▪ and aduocate then would I saie that their distinction might take place but no suche place can they shewe though they shoulde breake their heartes As for the place that they doe aleadge out of the Epistle to the Ephesians it is plaine enough and néedeth no exposition at all For if we looke narowly vpon the wordes of Sainct Paul we shall finde that he doth not saie Ye are built vppon the Prophetes and Apostles but are builte vpon the foundation of the Prophetes and Apostles The Apostles then and Prophetes were not the foundation but they had all one foundation whiche is our Sauiour Iesus Christ vpon whom as vppon a sure and strong rocke they both builded the Churche of God. And in the Reuelation of Iohn by the twelue foundations wherein the names of the Apostles are written are all the Sermons that the twelue Apostles did make vnto the twelue tribes of Israell to be vnderstanded And they be called foundations bicause that by them Christ our sauiour who is the onely foundation of the Churche of GOD was preached vnto them bicause I saie that by them the true and only foundation whiche is our sauiour Christe was layde Saint Iohn doth not saie that the Apostles are foundations but that their names be written in the foundations Whereby it appeareth plainely enough that al that our Louanian papistes go aboute is to paruerte the true saiynges and meanyng of the sacred scriptures and worde of god Yea though it were so that they could prone by the places by them alledged that the Apostles were called foundations yet it woulde helpe them nothyng For as it hath been saide alreadie before we doe not finde in all the whole body of the Scriptures that either God our sauiour Christe or his Apostles did euer call the Sainctes intercessours aduocates or mediatours betwene God and men Therefore I saie againe that we neede no suche distinctions as they doe make to the vtter blasphemyng of the onely begotten Sonne of God our sauiour Iesus Christ whom I do stedfastly beléeue to bee the onely mediatour betweene God and vs as the Scriptures doe plainely testifie vnto vs in euerie place Some there be among them whiche beyng compelled by the Scriptures to confesse that our Sauiour Christ is the only mediatour betweene God and men are woont to replye on this maner and to saie that although christ our sauiour is an omnisufficient mediatour betwéene God and man yet wee must haue some intercessours aduocates and mediatours betweene hym and vs For howe durste we els beyng synners come before his presence or direct our praiers vnto hym Is it not written that God heareth not synners Moreouer when we haue a matter before any earthly Prince muste wee not haue mediatours for to bryng vs vnto his person And also to speake and intreate for vs Who of vs all durst be so bolde to come vnto an earthly kyng without suche meanes that is to saie not beyng brought to him either by some of his Counsell or by some of his Chaumber or else by some of his Lordes or Gentlemen How dare we then to bee so bolde to come without intercessours aduocates and mediatours vnto him that is Kyng of all Kynges Prince of all Princes and Lorde of all Lordes In comparison of whom all the Princes of the world are nothyng But who can be more meete for to bryng vs
God thei vse commonly saiyng That the dead sainctes do see and beholde in the brightnesse of the diuine countenaunce of God that shineth vpon theim as it were in a bright glasse all the necessities conflictes and troubles of men because that it is onely grounded vpon the vaine phantasie of worldly wisedome it oughte not to take place in such a waightie matter as this is But thei are also wont to alledge a place out of the Reuelation for to proue that the sainctes doe knowe all that is doen here in this worlde because that the Apostle saieth there And thei folowed the Lambe wheresouer he goeth These words saie thei doe sufficiently declare that the Sainctes are euery where with the Lambe If thei bee euery where with hym then doe thei knowe all thynges And herevnto be thei wont to adde the saiyng of saincte Hierome who expoundyng these wordes saieth on this maner If the Sainctes doe folowe our Lorde euery where and he is euery where and in all places then we muste beleue that thei that are with our Lorde bee euery where also not locally but by a celeritie or quickenesse that thei haue to perceiue that whiche God will haue theim to knowe As touchyng the place that they doe aleadge out of the reuelation of Iohn it serueth nothing for their purpose For the hundreth foure and fortie thousandes that folowe the Lambe wheresouer he goeth do signifie all true faithfull christians whiche folowe Christe that is to saie which doe frame their liuyng and conuersation after his example and doe endeuour themselues in all their doynges to folowe his holy and blessed coÌ„maundementes mortifiyng their bodies and offeryng them a liuely sacrifice vnto almightie God the father of our sauiour Iesu Christ. But we muste marke that saiyng of Sainct Hierome at the ende of his exposition he doth adde that the sainctes are in all places not locally but by a celeritie or swiftnes that they haue to vnderstande and perceiue that which God will haue them to knowe Now doe I denie that it is the wil and pleasure of God to shewe vnto the dead Sainctes what is doen here in this worlde And â—yll they haue proued by the Scriptures that God will haue the dead sainctes to knowe all that is doen here amongst vs I will by the grace of god abide still in the same opinion But I knowe that they shall neuer be able to doe it Saint Augustine shall aunswere Hierome and them both when he saieth these wordes Vbi siquidem sunt spiritus defuâ—â—â—â—rum vbi non vident neque audiunt quae aguntur an revenium iuistâ— vita hominibus ita tamen est eis cura de viuis quanquà m quid agant omnino nesciant quemadmodum nobis cura est de mortuis quamuiâ— quid agant vtique nesciamu That is to saie in englishe the soules of the dead are there where they do neither sée neither heare what is dooen or happeneth to men in this life suche care is with them for the liuyng that they are vtterly ignoraunt what they doe here in the earth as our care is for the deade whiche knowe not what they doe whose wordes are verye plaine and neede no exposition at all But put the case thei coulde proue that the sainctes knowyng our necessities doe praie for vs yet it should not folowe that we ought to praie to them or to make them our intercessours and aduocates sith that we haue no suche commaundement in the scriptures nor yet is there any example either of the Patriarches Prophetes or the Apostles of our Sauiour Iesus Christe The Scriptures doe certifie vs in certaine places that the Aungels doe praie for the elect people of GOD and that they doe also offer our praiers vnto hym yet ought we in no wise to praie vnto them For why they can doe nothyng but that that God commaundeth them to doe yea nothyng will they doe without his commaundement Therefore if we will haue them to ayde and assiste vs we must direct our praiers vnto god alone desiring and beseching his diuine maiestie that he vouchesafe to commaunde his holy Angels to ayde and succour vs in all our necessities troubles And then the blessed Angels hauing a commaundement or commission of God for to doe it wyll most gladly and most diligently assiste and helpe vs but we may not desire God to comaunde the dead Sainctes to doe the same bicause that thei be not appointed and ordeined thereto as the angels are The dead sainctes haue performed their course For vnto men it is not geuen of God to helpe one another but onely in this life present whiles they be yet in this transitorie worlde whiche thyng sainct Paule doeth well declare saiyng Whiles we haue tyme let vs doe good to all men Ye see that Sainct Paul saieth dum tempus habemus whiles we haue tyme as if he shoulde saie GOD hath appointed none other tyme vnto vs for to helpe one another but onely this present life Sainct Iames saieth also praie one for another that ye maie be saued Whereby God doth commaunde vs twoo thinges The one is that we shoulde praie one for another that is to saie that we should praie for them that praie for vs Therfore if the sainctes should praie for vs we should also be bound to praie for them but to saie that we must praie for the deade Sainctes it is to doe the Sainctes greate iniurie and wrong For it is written in their owne Canon lawes Iniuriam facit Martyri qui orat pro Martyre That is to saie he doth wrong vnto a Martyr that praieth for a Martyr Secondly we are coÌ„mauÌ„ded to pray one for another that we may be saued that is to saie whiles we are yet in the waie of saluation that we maie come to our waies ende It appeareth by this that it is not the will of God that we shoulde praie one for another but onely whiles we are in this worlde that so we maie exercise the workes of charitie whiles we haue tyme as it is saide before An other place doe they alledge out of Ieremie which is this Though Moyses and Samuell stoode before mée yet haue I no heart to this people Why say thei should Ieremiah speake so of the dead excepte be knewe that they did make intercession for the liuyng I maie a greate deale better reason after this maner Sith that neither Moyses nor Samuell did praie for the people of Israell it appeareth that there was then no intercessour of the dead For who of all the Sainctes shoulde haue taken thought for the people if Moyses did not who in this thing did exceede and passe all men whiles he did liue Therefore thus I saie I might make my argument againste them In the extreame necessitie of the people Moyses did make no intercession for them It is most likely theÌ„ that none at al did make intercession for them sith
are spoken vnto Peter thei are spoken vnto all Priestes or Ministers Beda plainly saieth these wordes Potestas ligandi soluendi quamuis soli Petro a domino data videatur tamen absque vlla dubietate noscendum est quod caeteris Apostolis datae est The power of bindyng and loosyng notwithstandyng it séeme to bee giuen onely vnto Peter yet without all doubte wee muste vnderstande that it was giuen also to the reste of the Apostles Sainct Augustine saith Petrus quando accepit claues ecclesiam sanctam significauit Peter when he receiued the keyes signified the holy Churche Therefore saieth he when thei were all asked Peter alone doeth make an aunswere and it is saied vnto him And I will giue thée the keyes of heauen as though he alone had receiued aucthoritie to binde and to loose whereas he had spoken that for theim all and receiued this as bearyng in hym self the persone of vnitie with them all The meanyng is this when our Sauiour Christe did aske his Apostles whom thei thought hym to bee Peter alone did make aunswere whiche did serue for theim all For though one alone had aunswered yet Christ tooke it as if thei had all aunswered like to a Iurie of twelue men one maketh aunswere for all and the Iudge accepteth it as though euery one had spoken And as the aunswere of one did serue for them al so the promise that was made vnto one was made vnto them all Whiche thyng is moste true For looke what he did promise to one the same doeth he performe vnto them all saiyng these wordes As my father hath sent me so doe I sende you And when he had spoken these words he did blowe vpon thē saiyng Receiue the holy ghoste whose synnes soeuer ye dooe forgiue shal bee forgiuen vnto hym and whose synnes soeuer ye doe retaine thei shal be retained vnto hym Whiche doeth plainly agree with the woordes that he speaketh vnto them in the .xviij. Chapiter of Sainct Matthewe But I thinke it expediente and necessary for the instruction of the vnlearned and ignoraunte people to shewe what our sauiour doeth vnderstande by the keyes And here will I bryng nothing of mine owne but Chrisostome an auncient writer of the Greke churche shall discusse all the whole matter The keye saieth he is the knowledge of the worde of the scriptures whereby the gate of the truthe is opened vnto men And the kepers of the keyes are the ministers vnto whom charge is giuen to expounde and declare the scriptures Saincte Tertulian also saieth Quam clauem habebant doctores nisi interpretationem legis What key had the doctours of the lawe sauyng the exposition of the lawe Sainct Hierome also hath these wordes Duces ecclesiae habent claues scientiae vt aperiant scripturas creditis sibi populis Vnde praecipitur vt magistri aperiant discipuli ingrediantur The capitaines of the Churche haue the keyes of knowledge to open the scriptures vnto the people to them committed Therefore commaundemente is giuen that the Maisters should open and the Scholers should enter Sainct Ambrose saieth Remittuntur peccata per dei verbum cuius leuites est interpres Synnes bee forgiuen by the worde of God the expounder whereof is the priest Saint Augustine agreyng with them all saieth Claues est dicenda qua ad fidem pectorum dura reserantur That ought to bee called the keye wherewith the hardnesse of mens heartes is opened vnto faithe Here maie wee see that all the true preachers of Goddes worde are the kepers of those keyes and not the Bishoppe of Rome onely for of hym Christes woordes maie bee verified when he saieth Ye haue taken awaie the keyes of the kyngdome of heauen and neither dooe you enter your selues nor will you suffer others that would enter Of the Popes keyes it is well saied of Veselus Claues Pape praelatorum non aperiunt regnum dei sed claudunt potius The Popes and the prelates keyes dooe not open the kyngdome of God but rather shutte it It was saied generally vnto theim all Go ye into the vniuersall worlde and preache the Gospell vnto euery creature he that beleueth and is Baptized shall bee saued and he that beleueth not shal be condemned In these fewe wordes of our Sauiour Christe twoo thinges are to be considered and marked Firste we doe learne by them that the keyes of the kyngdome of heauen that is to saie the preachyng of the Gospell is committed vnto them all I meane vnto all the Apostles and not to one more then an other Secondly wee learne by theim that to loose is none other thyng but to certifie by Gods woorde the consciences of the true beleuers that their synnes are freely forgiuen thorowe faithe in our Sauiour Christe iesu Whiche thyng beyng doen by the true and faithfull ministers of the Churche here vpon the earth taketh no lesse effecte in all true repentaunte synners then if it were dooen in heauen in the sacred counsaile of the holy and blessed Trinitie And for this cause doeth Christ our sauiour saie What soeuer ye loose here vppon the earth is loosed in heauen Therefore saincte Hierome accordeth herewith saiyng Quaecunque solueritis super terram erunt soluta in caelo Soluant autem eos Apostoli sermone dei testimonijs scripturarum exhortatione virtutum What soeuer thynges ye loose vppon earth thei shall bee loosed in heauen but the Apostles loose them by the woorde of God and by the testimonies of the scriptures and by exhortation vnto vertue Sainct Augustine also saieth Now are you cleane bicause of the worde that I haue spoken vnto you Quare non ait mundi estis propter Baptismum quo loti estis Nisi quia in aqua verbum mundat non quia dicitur sed quia creditur Wherefore saieth he not you are cleane because of the baptisme wherewith ye are washed Sauing that euen in the water it is the worde that maketh cleane Not because it is spoken but because it is beleued Againe he saieth Fides nostra est clauis regni coelorum Our faithe is the key of the kyngdome of heauen Ambrose saieth these woordes Remittuntur peccaeta per verbum dei cuius leuites est interpres Sinnes be forgiuen by the worde of God the expounder whereof is the Leuite or Prieste Therefore S. Paule calleth it Verbum reconciliationis the worde whereby we be reconciled to God. Againe he called it Potentia dei ad salutem omni credenti The power of God vnto saluation to euery one that doeth beleue And on the contrary parte to binde here vpon the earth it is none other thyng but to certifie by the same worde the vnfaithfull synners whiche will giue no eares vnto the glad tidynges of the kyngdome of heauen their synnes are stil in remembraunce before God vnto euerlastyng condemnation because thei will
iudgement euen as the vnfaithfull and reprobate can geue no iudgement of the worde of God nor yet alowe it Whereby we maie then conclude that the certitude veritie and infalliblenesse of Gods worde doeth not depende or hang vpon the opinion and iudgement of men but that it doth altogether depende of the holy spirite of God whiche by his owne force vertue and strength doth verifie it and constraineth the faithfull to alowe and receaue it as the bright and cleare beames of the Sunne doe compell the eyes to confesse that the Sunne is cleare and bright For the shéepe of our Sauiour christ doe both heare and vnderstande the voice of their shephearde and not the voice of a straunger And all the Prophetes haue prophecied and taught and the apostles also haue been verified and aucthorized by the vertue of hym that spake in theâ— so that all the whole worlde could not withstande it It is nowe easie to see that the true catholique Churche of God though she knoweth which is the true worde of god and which is not and that by the inspiration of the same holy spirite that they were inspired withall whiche did leaue vnto vs by writyng the holy and sacred Scriptures that be conteined in the olde and newe testament I meane the canonical bokes of them both for as Sainct Chrisostome saieth Ergò suam erga homines amicitiam innouare volens quasâ— longè absentibus literas mittit conciliaturus sibi vniuersam hominum naturam Therefore god mindyng to renewe his fauour towardes man sent his holie Scriptures as it were his letters thereby to reconcile to him selfe all mankynde â–ª Ireneus saieth Apostoli tunc euangelium praeconiauerunt Postea verò per dei voluntatem illud in scripturis nobis tradiderunt fundamentum columnam fidei nostrae futurum Then the Apostles preached the Gospell and afterwardes by Gods will thei deliuered the same to vs in writyng to be a foundation and a piller vnto our faith But here to speake of the Papistes obiections howe that the Churche was before the worde it shal be superfluous to waste paper and Inke in so fruictlesse a question For we say generally the worde was before the church for Moyses wrote the worde of God that he spake to Adam of the séede to come So saieth Sainct Paul God spake in olde tymes many waies and in sundrie sortes vnto the fathers And saint Chrisostome saieth God the creatour of mankynde from the beginnyng spake vnto men by hym selfe in his owne person We speake not so precisely and nicely of Gods worde written in Paper For so it is a creature corruptible and shall consume and perishe as other corruptible creatures doe But the worde of God whiche we speake of endureth for euer Saincte Hierome thereto agreyng saieth these wordes Quomodo aeternae erunt scripturae diuinae si mundus certo fine est terminandus Verum est quidem quod librorum pelliculae cum ipsis literis abolandae sunt Sod quià subiungit dominus verba mea verò noÌ„ praeteribunt proculdubio quod illiâ— apicibus pollicetur erit aeternuÌ„ That is to saie in englishe thus How shall the holy scriptures be euerlastyng seeyng the worlde shall haue an ende True it is that the Parchement or leaues of the bookes with the letters and all shal be abolished But forasmuche as our Lorde addeth my wordes shall neuer passe doubtlesse the thynges that are promised by the same letters shall laste for euer ¶ The .xxxviij. Chapiter ¶ The true Churche is knowen by the worde of God. SO that the woorde of GOD enduring for euer is it that the holy catholike and true Church is knowen by and euer hath been Therefore sainct Augustine saith Exore veritatis ecclesiam agnosâ—o participem veritatis By the mouthe of the truthe I knowe the churche that is partaker of the truth And againe he saieth I would the Churche should be shewed not by the decrees of men but by the heaueÌ„ly oracles or wordes of God Wée muste seeke the Churche in the woordes of Christ whiche is the truthe and beste knoweth his owne bodie The holie Scripture sheweth vs the Churche without doubtyng In the holie scriptures the Churche is plainly knowen We muste knowe the Churche by the holie Canonicall scriptures as we knowe the heade Sainct Chrisostome also saieth Nullo modo cognoscituÌ„r quae sit vera ecclesia nisi tantuÌ„modo per scripturas It is not any wayes knowen which is the true Churche of Christ but only by the scriptures S. Augustine saith Non audiamus haec dico haec dicis sed audiamus haec dicit dominus Ibi quaeramus ecclesiam ibi discutiamus causam nostram Let vs not heare these wordes this saie I this saiest thou But let vs heare these woordes thus saieth the Lorde There lette vs seeke the Churche there let vs discusse our cause I will not haue the holy Churche to bee shewed by mans iudgement but by Goddes woorde Saincte Ambrose also doeth saie these wordes Ecclesia fulget non suo sed Christi lumine The Churche shineth or is knowen not by her owne light but by the light of Christ which is by the worde of God. These testimonies of the godlie fathers of the Catholike Churche dooe flatly declare that the Churche is knowen onely by the worde of God and not by mans decrees nor statutes therefore the true Churche doeth not take vpon her to adde any thing vnto it or to take ought away from it she doth not presume to forge newe articles of our faithe and to sette forthe news lawes and decrees for Goddes holie woorde but she contenteth her self with the worde lawes and ordinaunces of her true husbande and heade Iesus Christe Therefore that whorishe churche of Rome whiche moste presumpteously forgeth daiely newe lawes and Articles of our faithe settyng forthe euen with fire and sworde the fonde doctrines and inuentions of men for the true and infallible woorde of the liuyng GOD mainteinyng openly that their Churche is aboue the woorde of GOD and that it is of more force and greater aucthoritie for these are their owne woordes set out in their owne bookes A doctrina Romanae ecclesia Romani pontificis sacra scriptura robur trahit authoritatem The holie scripture taketh strength and aucthoritie of the doctrine of the Romain Churche and of the Bishoppe of Rome Againe in the same booke he saieth I meane Siluester Prierias maister of the Popes palaice Indulgentiae authoritatae scripturae non innotuere nobis sed authoritate Romanae ecclesiae Romanoâ—umque pontificum quae maior est Pardones are not knowen to vs by the aucthoritie of the Scriptures but by the aucthoritie of the Romaine Churche and of the Bishoppes of Rome whiche is greater then the aucthoritie of the scriptures These I saie boldely can in nowise bee the true spouse of our sauiour Iesu Christe but the abhominable
also tréene vessels and earthen vessels and some to honour and some to dishonour Let vs geue diligence and labour as muche as it lieth in vs that we maie be a vessell of Golde or of syluer And truely this doctrine is moste necessarie to be marked and also to be folowed For as all the benefites that God doth of his méere mercie and goodnesse graunt vnto his Churche doe parteine vnto all bicause the Communion and felowship that is betwixt the members of Christes bodye So without this Communion and felowship of the sainctes there is no remission or forgeuenesse of sinnes but eternall and euerlasting condemnation For how coulde it be that they shoulde enioy the priuiledge of the true members of Christ that doe by a self willl deuide themselues from his body as the Papistes dooe now in these dayes Shoulde not that braunche deserue to be dried vp and to be caste into the fire that woulde wilfully deuide it selfe from the true vine The .xl. Chapiter ¶ Our offences and synnes are forgeuen vs by faith through Christe and not by our workes and merites ALso my beléefe is that in this church sinnes are freely forgeuen through faithe in the mercie of God obteined and purchased vnto vs by the merites of the death passion bloodsheddyng of our sauiour Iesu Christ wihout any of our owne deseruynges or merites or without any matter of satisfaction that we be able to make though wee were able to liue as long as euer any man did liue vpoÌ„ the earth For if any amendes coulde haue beene made for synnes or if any iustification could haue been gotten by the workes of the lawe Christ needed not to haue dyed And therefore the lorde saide right well I am he I am he that taketh awaie thy wickednesse and that for mine owne sake and thy sinnes wil I remember no more Here haue we a promise that God will put awaie our wickednesse and synnes not for our deseruinges or merites but for his owne sake that is to say of his frée mercie and goodnes as saieth sainct Paule Iustificamur gratis ex gratia ipsius Wee be iustified fréely of his grace Againe we iudge that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the lawe And for this cause his only begotten sonne our sauiour was by the angell called Iesus bicause that he should saue his people from their synnes If our good workes merites and deseruinges could saue vs from our synnes why should they not be called by that name For there is none other name vnder heauen geuen vnto vs whereby we must or can be saued Therefore I doe thinke it moste conuenient and méete that we saie with Barnarde Mèritum meum miserationes domini Non sum ego inops meriti quam diuille non est inops miserationum Si miserationes eius multe multis ego sum in meritis Hoc totum est hominis meritum si totam spem suam ponat in domino That is to saie My merite is the mercie of god So long as god is not poore of mercy so long cannot I be poore of merites If his mercies be great then am I greate in merites This is the whole merite of man if he put his whole affiaunce and trust in the Lorde I marueile much of the papistes and meritmongers that are so bold to set vp their owne righteousnes and merites But before we seeme to speake any thyng to their obiections I thinke it best to declare in what signification this word to iustifie ought to be taken This worde iustificare to iustifie hath been of S. Paul borowed of the common vse of the lawe for in iudgement to iustifie a man it is to assoyle or quite him of the crime that is laide to his charge or that he is accused of and to pronounce him righteous iust innocent and guiltlesse After the same maner when we saie that God doeth iustifie vs our meanyng is that God doeth assoyle and quite vs of all crimes offences and trespasses that can bee layde to our charge or that we can be accused of that he doth pronounce vs iuste and righteous in his sight that is to saie that firste he doeth pardone and forgeue vs our synnes he couereth them and doeth in no wise impute them vnto vs but imputeth vnto vs righteousnes not our owne whiche is none at all but the righteousnes of his Sonne our Sauiour and so through his righteousnes doeth both saue vs and make vs blessed so doth the Apostle expounde this our iustification saiyng As Dauid doth set foorth the blessedfulnes of the man vnto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without woorkes where he saieth Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgeuen and whose sinnes are couâ—red Blessed is the man vnto whom the Lorde imputeth no synne As for the places of sainct Iames where he saith Was not our father Abraham iustified through workes when he offered Isaac his sonne vpon the aulter And a little after ye see then how that of workes a man is iustified and not of faithe onely It maketh little for their purpose if it be well considered We reade that Abraham beleeued the Lorde it was accompted vnto hym for righteousnesse whiche text is of Paule alledged after this sorte If Abraham were iustified by woorkes he hath wherein to reioyce or glorie but not with God for what saieth the Scripture Abraham beleued God and it was imputed vnto hym for righteousnesse Whereby the Apostle proueth strongly that Abraham was iustified by faith But this that saincte Iames doeth speake of whiche is the offeryng of Isaac was doen thirtie yeres after that the scriptures did pronounce Abraham iustified or that his faithe was compted vnto hym for rigteousnesse Uerely sithe that fifteene yeres afore that Isaac was borne Abrahams faith was imputed vnto hym for righteousnesse it was impossible that he should be iustified by the offryng of his sonne Isaac whiche was as I sayd before thirtie yeres after That that the Apostle goeth aboute here is onely to shewe that the faith which Abraham was iustified by was no idle or deade faithe but suche a faithe as made hym obedient vnto God as it is plainely set foorth to the Hebrewes Therefore if the circumstaunces bee considered there is no repugnaunce or coÌ„trarietie in the doctrine of the Apostles at all For what contrarietie or repugnaunce could there bee in their doctrine sithe that they were bothe led by one spirite Therefore we shall marke that the holie Apostle saincte Paule in his Epistle to the Romaines and to the Galathians did dispute and reason against them which did attribute iustification to workes But saincte Iames did write againste them which did vtterly contempne and despise good workes And therefore Paule sheweth the causes of our iustification Iames sheweth theffectes and fruites of the same Paul declareth how we are iustified Iames declareth how wee are knowen to bee iustified Paule excludeth
third is when any man forgiueth his brother which offendeth hym as Christ saieth If you doe forgiue vnto men your father shall forgiue you yours And saincte Paule saieth Forgiue one and other if any man haue a quarel to an other euen as Christe forgaue you euen so dooe ye But as concernyng that forgiuenesse of synnes whiche is necessarie to our saluation doeth depende onely vppon the grace mercie and loue of God without any our merites or worthinesse And that our synnes are clearely taken awaie by Christes death and passion and that he will cast them into the bottome of the Sea or els remoue them as farre from hym as the Easte is from the Weste and the Northe parte of the worlde from the Southe part of the same We must beleeue this without any doubtyng or waueryng tremblyng or fearyng mostâ— constantly and assuredly ¶ The .xlij. Chapiter ¶ It is no presumption to bee sure and certaine of our Saluation HEre the Papistes raue and saie wee are presumteous so to affirme the certaintie of grace and saluation for saie they Paule biddeth and counsaileth vs with feare and tremblyng to worke our saluation I aunswere This feare riseth in consideration of our owne weakenesse and vnworthinesse not of any distruste or doubte of Goddes mercie But rather the lesse cause we finde to trust in our selues the more cause we haue to truste in God. Now concernyng the assuraunce or certaintie of our saluation the scriptures are full Sainct Paule saieth There is no dampnation to them that be in Christe Iesu the spirite of God beareth witnesse to our spirite that we are the children of God I knowe that neither death nor life nor Angelles nor powers nor principalities nor thynges present nor thynges to come nor height nor deapth nor any creature els shall be able to remoue me from that loue that God beareth towardes me in Christ Iesu our Lorde Iob also saieth Although he kill me yet will I put my truste in him Notwithstandyng I will reproue my waies before his sight Againe he shall bee my saluation Againe I am sure that my redeemer liueth and he shall stande the last on the earth whom I my selfe shal sée and my eyes shall beholde and see God in my fleshe Dauid also saith In thée O Lorde haue I trusted I will neuer be confounded Tertulian saith Vt câ—rtum esset nos esse filiâ—s dei misit spiritum suum in corda nostra clamantem Abba pater That we might bee certified that we be the children of God he hath sent the holy ghoste into our hartes criyng Abba father Saincte Cyprian hath these wordes Et tu dubitas fluctuas Hoc est deum omnino non nâ—sse Hoc est Christum credentium magistrum peccato incredulitatis offendere â–ª Hoc est in ecclesia constitutum fidem in domo fidei non habere And doest thou stagger and stande in doubte of thy Saluation that were as muche as not to knowe God That were as much as with the sinne of vnbeliefe to offend Christ the maister of beleuers That were as muche as beyng in the Churche in the house of faithe to haue no faith Prosper saith Securi diem iudicij expectant quibus in cruce domini gloriantibus muÌ„dus crucifixus est ipsi muâ—do Thei vnto whom the worlde is crucified and are crucified vnto the worlde waite for the daie of iudgemente without feare Saincte Augustine also saieth Praesume non de operatione tua sed de Christi gratia gratia enim saluati estis inquit Apostolus Non hic arrogantiae est sed fides Praedicare quod acceperis non est superbia sed deuotîo Presume thou not of thy owne workyng but of the grace of Christ for the Apostle saieth Ye are saued by grace Here therefore is not presumption but faithe To proclaime that thou hast receiued it is no pride it is deuotion Againe he saieth Non mea praesumtione sed ipsius promissione in iudicium non venio It is not of my presumption but of his promise that I shal not come into iudgemente Sainct Basile also saieth Paule boasteth and presumeth of the contempte of his owne righteousnesse Saincte Ambrose plainly saieth I will not glorie for that I am a iust man but for that I am redeemed therfore will I glorie Not for that I am voide of synne But for that my synnes bee forgiuen me I will not glorie for that I haue dooen good to any man nor for that any man hath dooen good vnto me but for that Christ is my aduocate with the father and for that Christes blood was shedde for me To ende sainct Barnarde saieth What safe reste or suretie can the weake soule finde but in the woundes of our sauiour As he is mightier to saue so dwel I there with safetie c. I haue committed a greate synne my conscience is troubled yet shall it not bee shaken downe because I will remember my Lordes woundes For he was wounded for our synnes This is our presumpteous doctrine that we teache agreyng to the scriptures and with the holie and auncient fathers of the catholike Churche But their whole Papisticall doctrine of truste in mens workes and merites leadeth directly to the goulfe of desperation and dampnation and therefore saincte Cyprian saied of them verie well and truely Asserunt noctem pro die interitum pro salute desperationem sub obtentu spei porfidiem sub praetextu fidei Antichristum sub vocabulo Christi That is thei teache vs night in steede of daie destruction in stéede of health desperation vnder the colour of hope Infidelitie vnder the pretence of faith Antichriste vnder the name of Christe The .xliij. Chapiter ¶ Of free will. AS touchyng frée will whiche is so much extolled of the Pelagian Papistes that wyll make vs to beleue that we are able to deserue and that we are of power and streÌ„gth as of our selues to fulfill kéepe the lawes of God to beleue and repent and so consequently to obtaine life and saluation I saie it is a most detestable heresie and robbyng of Christes power â–ª to whom all power is geuen and also abolishyng of his precious death merites and goodnes towardes vs and a robbing of God to geue to mans will that is onely the giftes of god As sainct Iames saith Euery good and pefecte gifte is from aboue and coÌ„meth downe from the father of light as it is manifest in all the whole Scriptures to be proued For if there were suche abilitie power and strength in vs and suche a libertie of wil as the papistes affirme Why doeth not all men beleue the ghospell call vpon God repent praie confesse their synnes doe good workes kéepe the lawe enter into life receiue Christ keepe them selues from euill thoughtes wordes workes synnes sickenesse troubles aduersities famine thirste pouertie and such like But the Scripture telleth vs another
5. Ioh. 5. Obiection Aunswere Howe the faithfull shall appeare in iudgement Iames. 2. Matth. 25. Matth. 19. Luk 22. 1. Cor. 6. VVild. 3. Rom. 4. Galat. 3. Ephe. 2. Gen. 25. The misterie of Iacobs putting on of his brothers apparell Ambro. de Iacob vita beata lib. 2. Psal. 32. Rom. 4. Matth. 5. Iames. 2. Galat. 5. Esai 64. Rom. 10. Rom. 5. Matt. 5. Galat. 3. Rom. â— Iohn â— Matth. 6. Psal 14. Psal. 53. VVild. 2. Eccle. 5. 1. Cor. 15. Luk. 12. Rom. 2. Iames. â— Matth. 25. Luk. 13. Matth. 7. Psal. 6. 1. Iohn 3. Iames. 2. Luk. 16. Prou. 21. Tobi. 4. Eccle. 4. Eccle. 13. Eccle. 14. Luk. 14. Luk. 16. Eccle. 28. Matth. 12. Rom. 10. Galat. 3. Luk. 17. Esai 64. Rom. 4. Psal. 143 Iob. 9. Iob. 14. Luk. 21. Iob. 13. 1. Iohn 4. Iohn 20. Rom. 8. Matth. 24. Reuel 1. 1. Cor. 15. 1. Thess. 4. 1. Peter 5. Iames. 4. 2. Tim. 1. Matth. 1. Luk. 2. Phil. 3. 1. Tim. 1. 1. Tim. 2. Luk. 21. 1 Peter 4. Ephe. 4. 2. Peter 3. Matth. 24. 2 Peter 3. Reuel 3. Reuel 14 Matth. 25. Ephe. 6. 1 Thess. 5. 1. Iohn 5. 1. Peter 5. Hebre. 4. Coloss. 4. Ephe. 5. 1. Cor. 6. Coloss. 3. What is signified by Psalmes by Hym-es by songes 1. Thess 3. Rom. 8. Matth. 16. Matth. 7. 1. Cor. 10. A speciall caueat or warnyng 1 Thess. 5. 2. Peter â— 1. Tim. â— Matth. 24. Luk. 21. Obiection Luk. 21. Aunswere Matth. 24. Howe the wordes of Christ are taken of many What the same doth signifie What the Moone doth signifie Reuel 6. What the starres doe signifie Reuel 6. Daniel 12. Matth. 24. Chrisost. in MatthaeuÌ„ The true meaning of the darkning of the sunne moone and starres Esai 13.24.34 Iere. 15. Ezech. 32. Amos. 8. Ioel. 2.3 Mich. 3. Luk. 23. Reuel 6. Eccle. 5. Matth 24. 1. Thess. 5. 2. Peter 3. Reuel 3.16 Hebre. 10. Matth. 11. Malach. 3. Luk. 1. Matth. 17. 2. Cor. 11. Matth. 24. Enoch and Elias be come alredy Reuel 11 Matth. 18. Hebre. 6. Matth. 24. Luk. 17. Gen. 6. Gen. 18. 2. Tim. 2. Gen. 6. â— Gen. 18.19 Antechrist False christes False prophetes Matth. 24. Mark. 13. 2. Peter 3. 2. Tim. 3. Iude. 1. 1. Tim. 4. 2. Peter 3. Hebre. 10. Rom. 2. 2. Peter 3. 1. Tim. 2. Ezech. 18. 1. Thess. 5. Matth. 24. Reuel 3. Matth. 24. Mark. 13. Luk. 17. Christe as touchyng his manhoode is ignoraunt of the latter day Actes 1. Rom. 12. Prou. 25. Eccle. 3. Rom. 12. Ephe. 5. 1. Thess. 4. Rom. 2. Matth. 25. 2. Thess. 2. 2. Thess. 2. Psal. 28. Franciscus Zarabella Distict 96. Satis euideÌ„ter Extraua IohaÌ„ 22. cum inter in Glossa Impress Lugduni Anno 1555. Concil Trid. sub Paulo 3. De electi cap. licet Conci Leteran Session 6. pag. 601. Paulus Aemilius lib. 7. Grego in Iob. cap 34 lib. 25. cap. 14. Anselmus in 2. Thess. 2. Eusebius de praeparat lib. 7. 2. Thess. 2. Rom. 1. I beleue in the holy ghost 1. Cor. 12. Rom. 8. Acts. 2. 2. Cor. 3. Ephe. 1. Rom. 5. Iohn 16. 1. Iohn 1. 1. Peter 3. 1. Cor. 6. Rom. 8. Psal. 51. Psal. 1. Matth. 5. 1. Peter 2. Iohn 7. Esai 55. Esai 44. Iohn 7. Ezech. 36. Matth. 3. Actes 1. Ephe. 4. Barnard in die Petecost Sermo 2. 2. Peter 1. The doctrine conteyned in the olde and newe Testament is sufficient vnto saluation 2. Tim. 3. Chrisost. in 22. cap. Matth. Hom. 41. Hom. 1. in Epist. ad TituÌ„ In Matth. 22. cap. Hom. 4. August ad Fratres in Here. Athana cont Gentiles Lyra in vlti cap. prouerb Galat. 1. Iohn 1â— Ezech. 13. Matth. 15. 1. Iohn 4. Chrisost. de sancto adorando spiritu 2 Peter 1. Matth. 11. Reuel 3. Actes 16. Iohn 6. Esai 54. Lodoâ—â—tus citatur ab illyrico in Norma Concilij Albertus Pigghius controuer 3. de ecclesia Martin Kemnitius in examine Concil Trident. pag. 32. Pigghius Hâ—â—rar lib 3. ca. 3. â—ol 〈◊〉 3. All these are the papistes saiynges Iohn 10. Ephe. 5. 2. Peter 1. Ephe. â— To beleeuâ— God as God â—â— god Hebre. 11. Psal. 50. We must beleeue in Gods power Gods prouidence Gods goodnesse Gods mercie August in Ioh. tract 29. I beleue the Catholike Churche 1. Peter 1. Ephe. 2. What the true Church of Christ is Ephe. 5. Ephe. 5. Iohn 15. Matth. 1. Matth. 18. The Church is bounde to no seuerall place â— Reg. 19. Rom. 11. Hylarius cont Auxentium The outward tokens of the true Catholike Churche Ephe. 1. Who can be the head of the Church Coloss. 1. Ephe. 1. An Argument Hieroni. ad DamasuÌ„ Grego lib. 4. Epist. 30. Churche of Rome is an whore Matth. 16. Argumentes of papistes whereby thei go about to proue the supremacie of the Pope Iohn 1. Not that ye shoulde bee heades of his Churche Aunswere Barnarde Serm. 78. Cyprian de simplicitate PraelatorÌ„ Origen in Matth. tract 1. Hieroni. cont Iouinia lib. 1. Ambro. de dignitate Sacerdotali ca. 2. August de ago Christia cap. 30. Beda in Homi. in Euang. queÌ„ ane dicunt August in Iohn tract 50. In tract 124. Matth. 16. An example Iohn 20. Matth. 18. What Christ meaneth by the keyes Chrisost. in Matth. 23. cap. Hom. 44. Tertul. cont Marcionem lib. 4. Hieroni. in Esaiam lib. 6. cap. 24. Ambro. de Cayn Abel lib. 2. August de Sanct. Ho. 27. Who be the kepers of the keyes of gods kingdome Luk. 11. Veselus subditis superio Mark. 16. Two things are to be marked in Christes wordes What it is to loose Actes 3. Rom. 1. Rom. 4. Matth. 18. Hieroni. in Esaiam lib. 6. cap. 14. August in Ioh â–ª tract 80. August in Iohn tract 39â— Ambros. 2. Cor. 5. Rom. 1 â–ª What it is to binde Matth. 18. August in Ioh. tract 50. Cyprian de simplicitate Praelatorum Matth. 16. August in Io. tract 124. 1. Cor. 10. Ephe. â— 1. Cor. 3. August de verbis domi Serm. 13. 1. Cor. 1. 1. Cor. 10. Beda in Cor. 1. Ambr. ad Ephe cap. 2. Hieroni. super Matth. cap. 16. Chrisost. Serm. 21. de Pente Cyrill dialog de Trinitate lib 4. Hylary de Trinit lib. 6. Iohn 1. 〈◊〉 1. â—â—â—istes are â—â—rsed by gods worde Obiection Aunswere Matth. 22. Actes 1. 1. Corin. 9. Gala. 2. Peter no higher in aucthoritie then the other Apostles Actes 8. Gala. 2. The true Churche is contented with the only worde of god The Church doeth alowe the Scriptures as a witnesse Luke 14. Iohn 15. Matth. 27. Ephe. 5. The Church aloweth the scriptures as a subiect A similitude Iohn 10. Reuel 21. The propertie of a true wife Galat. 3. Foolishe sayinges 1. Peter 1. An excellent similitude Whereof the certitude of Gods word doth depend A similitude Iohn 10. Chrisost. in Genesis Ho. 2. Ireneus lib. 3. cap. 1. The worde was before the Church was Hebre. 1. Chrisost. in Gene. Hom â–ª 2. Esai 40. Hieroni. inâ— Iob. cap. 27. August in Psal. 57.
or Hell. That christes soule should not néede to goe downe thither to fetch them out And also declared that Christ vsed the like woordes vpon the Crosse by whiche is declared that his soule departyng from his bodie wente straight into heauen and not into hell the place of the dampned But that the efficacie vertue and power of his death and passion did pearce through and into the verie hell it self by his diuine power and Godheade that all the damned soules felt their full paine and iuste damnation for their infidelitie And Sathan hym self felt all the power and strength of his tyrannie and darkenesse was weakened vanquished and fallen to ruine and vtter decaie c. And that the soules of all them that died in the faithe of Christe beyng in heauen felte the fulnesse of their redemption how it was now fullie perfected and ended for them c. This beyng by me taught it was noysed abroade in the peoples eares and that by no meane men that I hadde denied an article of the Creede and that I was an open heretique and suche a one as was not worthie of life but cruell death When those reportes and false rumours came vnto mine eares I besought God to strengthen me in his faith and giue me pacience knowyng well that after the waie which they call heresie so worship I and teache the God of my fathers beleuyng all thynges whiche are written in the lawe and the Prophetes I also considered with my self what will this people saie and reporte when as thei shall happen to reade my booke wherein this article of Christes deseension into hell is handeled that thus beginne to condemne and iudge me before they haue knowen or heard the trueth opened vpon the occasion whereof I cleane altered my former preface to the reader that I had made before made this as an apologie or defence thereof against suche as will or shall carpe against it Wherefore I beseche thee frendly reader to lende me thy eares to heare me thy eyes to see me thy tongue to reade me thy mynde and harte to iudge me with an vpright iudgemente accordyng to the truthe of Goddes woorde whiche as Dauid saith is a Lanterne vnto our féete and a light vnto our pathes that is it that giueth wisedome vnto the simple it is that that giueth lighte vnto the eyes by it the seruaunte of God is made circumspecte our Sauiour Christe willeth vs to searche the scriptures for those are thei that beare witnesse of hym For the mynde muste bee taught and instructed of the will of God by the woorde like as the eyes are taughte and instructed by outwarde thynges For as Augustine saieth Titubat fides si diuinarum scripturarum vacillat authoritas If the aucthoritie of the holie scriptures wauer then dooeth faithe stumble I will nowe accordyng to my small skill saie of this matter somewhat more largely then I haue saied alreadie in my booke whether sufficient or insufficient I shall praie thee to stand an indifferent iudge To thee it is dedicated and for thy sake it is written Here must I saie vnto thée euen as S. Hierome somtime said to his reader in the like case Quaeso lector vt memor Tribunalis domini de iuditio tuo te intelligeÌ„s iudicanduÌ„ nec mihi nec aduersario meo faueas neue personas loquentiuÌ„ sed causam consideres That is I beseche thee good reader that remeÌ„bryng the iudgement seate of the Lorde and vnderstandyng that as thou iudgest so thou shalt bee iudged thou fauour neither me nor myne aduersarie And that thou regarde not the persons but the cause onely Firste thou shalte vnderstande gentle reader that this Article of Christes descendyng into helle is not reade as Rofinus saith in the Romaine Crede nor yet in the Nicen Crede the Easte Churche had it not the Counsaile of Ephesus and Constantinople left it out For wee maie reade by the writynges of the olde Fathers that that parte whiche is reade in the Crede was not in olde tyme so muche vsed in the Churches yet I doe confesse it is a necessarie article meete to haue a place in the Crede as a thyng that conteineth a verie profitable misterie of a waightie matter Sainct Cyprian vnto this saieth Sciendum sane est quod in Ecclesia Romana Symbolo non habetur addituÌ„ descendit ad inferna Sed neque in Orientis ecclesiis habetur hic sermo Knowe ye for certaintie that the Churche of Rome hath not added this in the Crede he descended into hel No neither yet the Easte Churches hath added this kynde of speache in the Crede Unto this Erasmus fullie agreeth saiyng Atque adeo quum Symbolum Nicenae sine Constantinopolitanae Synodi nihil aliud sit quam huius Symboli explanatio ne illic quidem quicquam est quod huic particulae respondeat Ipsa denique inconcintas sermonis arguit ab alio quopiam intertextum emblema That is Moreouer although the Simbole or Crede of the Sinode holden at Nice or the Sinode holden at Constantinople is none other thyng then a declaration of this Simbole or Crede called the Apostles Crede yet there is not so much as any thyng that is correspondent to this particle Finallie the verie incoÌ„cinnitie and vnhandsome ioyning or hanging together of the speache and oration is an euident argumente that this parcell or particle he descended into hell was put in among the other Articles by some other man As is supposed by Thomas of Aquine and immediately after he sheweth the cause why the auncient fathers put not this Article into the Crede he descended into hel Quia vetustissimi patres magna Religionâ— cauebant ne quid asseuerarent duntaxat in Symbolo quod non esset euidenter expressum in sacris literis vtriusque testimenti Talâ—â— sunt articuli omnes hoc vno excepto That is because the fathers of auncientest tyme with great Religion toke heede were warâ— that thei would not affirme any thyng namely in the Crede whiche was not expressed in the Scriptures of bothe Testamentes Suche maner Articles are all the other onely this one he descended into hell excepted Thus farre Erasmus Sainct Augustine in his booke de Fide Symbolo expoundyng the Crede of the Apostles comming to the Article of Christes sufferynges declareth of his pacience and humilitie in sufferyng death euen the death of the Crosse to take awaie the horror of death from vs and that he was crucified and buried vnder Pontius Pilate addyng Pilates name for the certaintie of the tyme and that he laie in a graue and before that in the wombe of his mother in whiche graue and bellie neuer none laie before nor after c. But of this article of Christes descention into hell he neuer speaketh worde of it nor yet reciteth it for if it had been an Article putte in the Crede at the
firste would sainct Augustine haue left it out thinke you or at least â–ª neuer to haue spoken woorde of it in this place hauyng suche an occasion and oportunitie as he had in entreatyng of the beleife I can neuer beleue that for of al the old writers he was moste precise and vigilante in suche poinctes of Religion that touched faithe So that it must euidently appeare that it was putte in by some aftercommers as Erasmus before hath saied Whereby we maie vnderstande the care of the godlie ones then that woulde not putte foorth or affirme any thyng whiche could not bee proued by the Scriptures So Hierome saieth Omne quod loquimur debemus affirmare de scripturis sanctis What soeuer we affirme we must proue it by the holie scriptures For Augustine saieth Sine scripturarum autoritate nihil definiendum est Nothyng is to bee determined or affirmed without the aucthoritie of the holie and sacred scriptures And likewise Saincte Paule saieth Now is the righteousnesse of God made manifeste without the Lawe hauyng witnesse of the Lawe and of the Prophetes Whereby is gathered that all truthe and righteousnesse of Gods Religion and our faith in the redemption of his sonne muste haue the witnesse of the Lawe and the Prophetes that is to saie the holie Scriptures will euer acknowledge and allowe it And whereto it giueth no witnesse that is alwaies false and erronious For as sainct Hierome saieth Hoc quia ex sacris literis authoritatem non habet eadem facilitate refellitur qua probatur Seyng this saieth he speakyng againste those Fathers that did affirme that that Zacharie whiche Christ spake of beyng the sonne of Barachie was Iohn Baptists father hath no aucthoritie out of the scriptures it maie bee as easely denied as affirmed Therefore I saie searche the holy scriptures as they of Berea did as coÌ„cernyng this matter in question and yet thou shalte neuer bee able to finde there that euer Christe our Sauiour in bodie or soule descended into hell after his death to the place of the daÌ„pned or into any Limbo Onely thou shalt finde there that he died and rose againe the thirde daie c. Some will here replie and saie What sir you saie not truely Are there not scriptures sufficient to proue he descended into hell although there are sondrie places yet there are fower principall places as in the Psalmes in Zacharie in the Actes of the Apostles and in Saincte Peters Epistle I praie you saie thei is it not writen in the Psalme thus Non derelinques animam meam in inferno I doe graunte it is so written but it followeth not hereby to proue that his soule or that Christes soule should goe vnto hell the place of the damned for soule in this place doeth not signifie the soule of Christe but it signifieth the bodie or persone of Christe and by hell he vnderstandeth not the place of the damned but the graue or sepulchre and therefore Stephanus translation hath Non relinques corpus meuÌ„ in sepulchro thou shalte not leaue my bodie or persone in the graue So hath the Tygurian translation also For this Hebrue woorde Nâ—pesch signifieth a bodie or person as you maie reade in Leuiticus and in Numeri Also for this worde Soule in that place and many others is taken for the whole naturall man for we reade in Genesis that all the soules that came with Iacob into Egypt whiche came out of his loynes were in the whole thréescore and sixe foules that is thréescore and sixe persons or bodyes And in the Actes it is sayde There were added to the Churche by Peters Sermon about thrée thousande soules that is thrée thousand persons And so Peter vseth the same when he saith Wherein fewe that is eight soules were saued in the water that is eight persons or bodyes S. Paul also vseth that worde saying Let euery soule be subiect vnto the higher powers c. That is let euery body or person be subiect c. By this you may soone perceaue what Dauid meaneth by this word soule that it shoulde not lye in the graue for euer but shoulde rise vp againe So Iob saieth in matter one although in other wordes where he saieth Though after my skinne wormes destroy this body yet I shall see God in my fleshe As for this worde Hell it is taken in diuers significations in the Scriptures as you may â—ée in my booke where I do intreate of this article but in this place it signifieth not the place of the damned but the graue wherein he was buryed So likewise S. Cyprian dâ—eth expounde that worde hell saying Vis tamen verbi eadem videtur esse in eo quod sepultuâ— dicitur That is howbeit there séemeth to be the same strength of the worde hell in that he is sayde to haue béen buryed As for the place of Zacharie where he saieth Thou also shalt be saued through the blood of thy couenaunt I haue loosed thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water serueth litle and nothyng at all for the proofe of Christes descention into hell For the Prophetes meanyng is in that place that God saueth his Churche by the blood of Christe whereof the blood of the sacrifices was a figure and is here called the couenaunt of the Churche which he did make with Abraham promisyng vnto him that all nations should be blessed in his séede which is our sauiour Christ. And so Zacharie compareth the babylonicall ouerthrowe wherein the people was oppressed to a drie pyt So that he vnderstandeth by the prisoners not any soules in hell but the children and seruauntes of God which were and are captiues vnder Sathan the deuyll mans enemie who was prefigured before by that cruell tyraunt Pharao and by the king of Babylon And by the waterlesse pit he vnderstandeth the goulfe of all miseries calamities whence it is impossible for man to come out by any meanes without the helping hande and out stretched arme of Gods almightie power And that you shall not thinke this to be of my owne exposition I wyll shewe you what S. Augustine saith vppon this place Alio loco ad ipsum Christum in spiritu Propheâ—ia loquens de remissioâ—e peccatorum per eius sanguinem Tu quoque inquit in sanguine Testamenti tui â—misisti vinctos tuos de lacu in quo non est aqua Quid per hunc locum velit intelligi possunt diuersa sentiri etiam secundum rectam fidem Mihi autem videtur non eo significari melius nisi humanae miseriae siâ—cam profundiâ—atem quodammodo sterilem vbi non sunt fluentia iustitiae sed iniquitatis lucum Dâ— hoc quippe lacâ—â— in psalmo dicitur eduxit me de lacu miseriae de luâ—â— lâ—mi that is to saie And in an other place speakyng of the spirite of prophecie vnto Christe hym selfe touchyng the remission of synnes through his blood
Thou also saieth he hast through the blood of thy Testamente lette the prisoners out of the pitte where no water is what he will haue to bee vnderstanded by this lake or pitte men maie iudge many waies and that after the right faithe But I thinke that nothyng can better bee vnderstanded by it then the drie and as it were the barraine profunditie of the depenesse of mans miserie where the streames of righteousnesse are not but the mudde of iniquitie And of this pitte it is spoken in the Psalme and he hath saieth he broughte me ▪ out of the pitte of miserie and out of the myre and claie Hitherto Augustine Thus you may easely perceiue that this saiyng of the Prophete nothyng appertaineth vnto the deade whiche are alreadie deliuered from those miseries that are signified by the waterlesse pitte but vnto the liuyng For he saieth directlie after Turne you to the strong holde ye prisoners of hope Whiche woordes can not bee applied to the deade but to the liuyng onely For the Prophete biddeth them turne into the holie lande where the citie and temple are where God will defende them Sainct Hierome therefore saieth to all them that doe hang vpon bare wordes of the scriptures Nec putemus in verbis scripturarum esse Euangelium sed in sensu non in superficie sed in medulla non in sermonum folijs sed in radice rationis That is Neither lette vs thinke that the Gospell cōsisteth in the wordes of the scriptures but in the meanyng not in the barke but in the pithe not in the leaues of wordes but in the roote of the meanyng Peter cōfirmeth this saiyng So that ye first knowe this that no prophecie in the scripture is of any priuate interpretation Thus much as concernyng the place of the Prophete Zacharie As for the place in the Actes of the Apostles what is saied aboue vpon the Psalme maie suffice for that that was spoken by Dauid in the Psalme was prophetically spoken of Christ not that his soule should goe and preache or bryng out any soule from hell that was nothyng the Prophetes meanyng But he prophecied there onely of the death and resurrection of Christe For so dooeth saincte Peter open and expounde it saiyng Therefore seyng he was a Prophete and knewe that God had sworne with an othe to him that of the fruicte of his loynes he would raise vp Christe concernyng the fleshe to set hym vpon his Throne He knowyng this before spake of the resurrection of Christe that his soule that is his person or bodie should not be left in graue neither his fleshe should se corruption Here note that where in one place he calleth it by the name of the soule or bodie immediately he nameth it fleshe Thus you maie see howe one Scripture openeth another So Hierome saieth Moris scripturarum obscuris manifesta subnectere that is It is the order of the scriptures after harde thynges to ioyne other thynges that bee plaine Sainct Augustine also saith Solet circumstantia scripturarum illuminare sententiam The circumstaunces of the scriptures is wont to giue light and to open the meanyng M. Theodorus Beza translateth that verse Non derelinques animam meam in inferno thus Non relinques cadauer meū in sepulchro For as he saith Nequ◠enim Petrus hic disputat de animi immortalitate sed de corporis resurrectione eaque eiusmodi vt nulla praecesserit corruptio Peter faith he doeth not here in this place dispute of the immortalitie of the soule but of the resurrection of Christes bodie in suche maner that no corruption could or should corrupte it Againe he saieth Dico igitur nunquam praetermissuros fuisse Euangelistas istiusmodi historiam descensus animae Christi ad inferos arbitror quod cum veterum pace dictum sit somnia esse quacunque de hac re apud illos cōmemorantur that is Therefore I saie that the Euangelistes would neuer haue ouer passed or lette slippe with silence suche an historie of the descendyng of the soule of Christ into hell if it had been so and I iudge say by the leaue of the auncient fathers what soeuer of this matter thei haue written or remembred amongeste them to bee but dreames and phantasies c. Therefore sainct Augustine giueth this counsaile Nemo de Christo creda◠nisi quod dese credi voluit Christus That is Lette no man beleue more of Christe then Christe hath willed thee to beleue And this bee spoken as sufficiente for this present vpon this place of the actes Nowe lastly is that place of S. Peter where he saieth that Christ was put to death concernyng the flesh but was quickned in the spirite by the which he also went and preached vnto the spirites that were in prison Herevpon they blowe vp the Trumpet but yet stay a litle thou must note gentle reader that here is no mention made Anima Christi of the soule of Christe but that he went tantum spiritu onely in his spirite For as M. Caluin saieth Sunt autem haec longe diuersa animam Christi venisse et Christum praedicasse spiritus sui potentia These are saith he great differences to say that the soule of Christe to haue come And to say Christe to haue preached by the power of his spirite Nowe friendly reader here is the difficultie in these two wordes Spiritus carcer the spirite and the prison Understande that by this worde spirite is not meant nor taken in this place for the soule of Christe but for the power of his Godhead For it was not his soule that was able to quicken him self but the spirite of god quickned him that is his godly and diuine power that quickned his humanitie Paul openeth this very plainly to the Cor. saying Christ was crucified concernyng his infirmitie yet liueth he through the power of god c. Where Peter nameth it the spirite Paul calleth it the power of god And he calleth it the operation of God which raysed and quickned him from the dead And to the Romanes he shewth that the vertue of the spirite was not onely shewed in the person of Christe but is shewed also vpon vs all saying If the spirite of him that raysed vp Iesus from the dead dwell in you he that raysed vp Christ frō the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies because that his spirit dwelleth in you By these places we may vnderstande what Peter meant by the spirite that is Gods diuine power and might and not the soule of Christ. Nowe in that Peter calleth it a prison is not to be taken here that he vnderstandeth by it the place of hell for the damned but he aludeth it to that place of Genesis where it is sayde Non permanebit spiritus meus in homine inaeternum quia caro est My spirite shall not striue with man because he is but fleshe So that
he saieth knowe ye that when the soule is departed from the body either is it by and by put in Paradise or els it is thruste into â—ell for hâ—â— synnes But to staie lonâ— vpon the foolishe and lippe labour praier for the dead it shall be needelesse for although they I meane the Papistes haue deuised diuers and sundry lyes as ye may â—eadâ— in their legends â–ª how that the soules of the dead appeared to their fréendes willyng them in any wise to proâ—â—â—e Masses and 〈◊〉 for them for that they were in the paines of 〈◊〉 and so vnder 〈…〉 robbed the peoples purses and did their soules lesse good â–ª yet I saie they haue no warrant in gods boke for their 〈◊〉 ¶ The .ix. Chapiter ¶ Against praiyng for the deade â–ª and apparitions of the dead after their departyng hence FOR if praier were so necessarie for the deade no doubte holy scripture would haue made mention thereof as it doeth of all other thynges needeful for vs to learne Sainct Paule saieth I would not haue you ignoraunt brethren concernyng theim which are a sleepe that ye sorowe not as men without hope for if we beleeue that Iesus is dead and is risen euen so theim which sleepe in Iesus will GOD bryng with hym and in the ende he concludeth with this Counsell wherefore comforte your selues one another with these wordes Here Paule had a good occasion to moue the people to praie for the dead if it had been necessarie for when he had comforted them with the hope of the resurrection he woulde haue saide comfort your freendes soules or the soules of the dead with your praiers almes déedes Masses Diriges but he neuer spake worde of all this but simplie saide comforte your selues one another in this life meanyng with the worde of God which certifieth vs that we shall all dye yet rise againe at the ioyfull and general resurrection with these our brethren and sisters and meete the Lorde in the Clowdes wherefore the Scripture saith the dead hath no parte in this world not in any worke vnder the Sunne Sainct Hierome vpon that place saieth the dead saith he can adde nothyng vnto that which they haue taken with them out of this life for they can neither doe good nor synne neither encrease in vertue nor vice c â–ª To what ende then doe our praiers extende or what good doth it them when in hell they can not increase in good nor in heauen to vertue so either it â—â—â—teth not or needeth not Sainct Ambrose saieth vpon these wordes I am a straunger in the earth as all my Fathers wâ—re therefore saieth he as a pilgrime he hasâ—ed to the common coâ—â—trie of the saintes He that hath not here receiued forgeuenesse of his sinnes shal not be there for he cannot come into euerlasting life for euerlastyng life is the forgiuenesse of our synnes But S. Ciprian plainely saieth Quando ist huc excessum fuerit nullus iam locus paenitentiae est nullus satisfactionis effectus Hic viâ—a aut amittitur auâ— tenetur hic saluti aeternâ— cultu dei fructu fidei prouidetur That is as muche to saie after we be once departed out of this life there is no more place of repentaunce there is no more effecte or workyng of satisfaction life is here either lost or won euerlastyng saluation is here prouided for by the due worshipping of God and the fruictes of faith and a litle before in this same place he saith againe Transierunt omnia illa tanquam vmbra erit tunc sine fructu paenitentiae dolor paena inanis ploratio inefficax depracatio That is all those thynges passe awaie as a shadowe meanyng pride riches vaineglory whiche he speaketh of before then he shall be without fruict of repentaunce grief of paine and in vaine weepyng shall be then and praier shall be of no force Thus good people you see by Scriptures and Fathers how vaine praier is for the deade but yet the Pope hath for money all thynges to sell. For as one saieth of Rome Roma dat omnibus omnia dantibus omnia Romae cuÌ„ praetio Rome giueth al things to them that giue all thynges at Rome will passe for money for it is an olde saiyng Curia Romana non captat ouem sine lana The Courte of Rome will not take the shéepe without the â—leese And there full well was Rome painted out of his trade of marchaundise by one Baptista and yet he was no Caluenist but a Papist which saieth Vonalia nobis templa Sacerdotes Altaria Sacra Coronae Ignis Thura praeces Caelum est venale Deusque That is amonges vs in Rome Churche Priestes Alters Masses Crownes Fire Incence praiers and heauen are set to sale yea God hymself among vs maie be had for monie But I leaue this for that the breath of Rome declareth his owne stinche the Lord hath opened all her sleightes that they which cannot see maie yet feele and vnderstande it Well by these testimonies then you maie see that praier for the dead auaileth nothyng and that the Popishe Priestes haue no Pater noster without a Penie And as for the apparitions of soules it is false for after they be deliuered of the burden of the fleshe thei are in ioye and felicitie and wander not abroade as foolishly is surmised Heare therefore what Saincte Chrisostome an aunciente doctour saieth to this Quid ergo respondebimus ad illas voces anima calis ego sum excipit non anima defunctiest quae ista dicet sed demon qui hec vt 〈…〉 decipiut effugit moâ—â— Quare â—â—ularum haec verba imò desipientium ducendit sunt patrorum ludibria iterum non potest anima a corpore separata in his regionibus errare iustorum anima in manu dei sunt infantium similiter non enim peccarunt Peccatorum verò post hunc exitum continâ—â— abducuntur quod à Lazaro Diuite planum efficitur c. That is what shall wee saie therefore to those voyces which saie I am suche a soule â–ª he aunswereth that voice that speaketh these thynges is not the soule of any person departed but it is the deuill which doth faine these thynges to deceiue the hearers wherefore suche wordes are to be counted olde wiues tales and foolishe fables of children for the soule separate from the body doth not wander in this worlde for the soules of the righteous are in the hande of God likewise soules of infantes for they haue not synned the soules of the synners after their departure are straight waie caried to their place whiche plainely appeareth by Lazarus the righteous and the wicked riche man. Saint Augustine also saith that the spirite of Samuel which the woman sorcerer raysed to Saul was noâ— the soâ—le of Samuell but the deuyll which appeared in Samuelâ— likenesse for to deceyue Saul And therfore he pronounceth playnly
and saith either they be sayinges of lying men or the wonders of deceitfulll â—eâ—uls Thus thou mayest plainly sée howe vainely and deceitfully Rabanus Archbishop of Magunce reciteth out of Gregorie the first and of Beâ—ta with the rablement of all the papistes the apparitions of soules departed to mainteyne their fained purgatory and praiyng for the dead which I confesse to be most flat against the written worde of God. By all these testimonies which without all dout haue a most sure grounde and foundation in the worde of God and agree in all pointes with his holy Scriptures All they and especially Saint Augustine doth playnely ouerthrowe their newe forged purgatorie prayer for the dead and apparitions of soules ¶ The .x. Chapiter ¶ Children that are dead borne or dye befâ—â—â— that they can 〈◊〉 to baptisme are 〈…〉 nor yet go into the popishe limbe ALso the Lymbe of the children that either be styll borne or else dye afore that they can receaue baptisme these after the doctrine of the papistes shall neuer enter into the kingdome of heauen but shall be euerlastingly deteined kept in a Lymbe besides the hell of the damned Where though they shall not nor do not feele the paynes and tormentes of the vnquenchable fire of hell as the other damned do yet they shal be depriued for euer of the fruition of Gods glorie and of all other 〈◊〉 and ioy of heauen cursyng continually both father and mother and the houre that euer they were conceiued and begotten so that it were better that a whole citie yea a whole realme should perishe and â—â—icke downe than that one onely childe shoulde deceasse and dye vnbaptized Thus they do blasphemousâ—y preache and teache and set foorth by writing not onely to the great derogation of Gods mercie but also to the great discomforting of the poore seely parentes vnto whom such thinges haue by the prouidence of God happened chaunced either through sicknesse or by some other casualtie and mischaunce that both men and women are at all times subiect vnto in this wretched miserable worlde yea for to declare and testifie openly vnto all men that they do not holde them for true members of the body of Christe â–ª but for such as be euerlastingly banished from the socretie and felowship of all faithfull Christians and of all the blessed spirites and soules thei will in no wise suffer them to be buried in their hallowed grounde I meane among other Christians but cause the poore afflicted parentes to burie them in a ditch or in a doung hill as a dise stinckyng caâ—â—on how much better into more conformable or agreeyng vnto the Gospell of christ were it to teache the poore miserable and afflicted Parentes that there can bee no faulte offence or trespasse but onelie in breakyng the Lordes commaundementes and that where no despising of his holy â—â—â—â—tution ordinaunce is there he doth accepte the good will of them that would gladly haue obeied his lawes and commaundementes if they had not been â—etted by some vrgent and vnexchuable necessitie If then any infantes or children bee preuented by death afore that the faithfull Parentes can bryng and offer theim vnto God by baptisme whiche aboue all thynges they would haue had if it had béen possible by any meanes to be ministred vnto their fruict séede and issue whom they knowe to be comprehended with them vnder the couenaunte that God hath made with Abraham and with all faithful beleuers we must not by and by with suche cruell temeritie and rashnes that hath no grounde but only vpon the foolish perswasion of men folowyng their owne fantasies and dreames holde them for damned and cast awaie For besides that which hath béen said already we must consider and way not with our Ballaunces but with the true and infallible Ballaunce of gods holy word and sacred scriptures that we bee not saued by the outwarde ceremonies of the Sacramentes but by the vertue strength and efficacie of the Lordes couenaunt that he hath made with vs saiyng vnto our father Abraham I will be thy God and the God of thy seede after thee Wherunto he hath added his sacraments as heaueÌ„ly seales of his blessed will fauour towardes vs and our seede whose God he affirmeth hymself to be as well as ours Sainct Paule saieth that faithe was imputed vnto Abraham for righteousnes How was it then imputed when he was circumcised or vncircumcised not when he was circumcised but when hee was vncircumcised after he receiued the signe of circumcision as the seale of the righteousnes of the faithe whiche he had when he was vncircumcised that he should be the father of all them that beleeue not beyng circumcised that righteousnes might be imputed to them also So we see why the sacramentes were ordeined to be as seales and witnesses to our weakenes of Gods promises made vnto vs and our seede for euer so the Lorde saide vnto Abraham In thy seede all nations shal be blessed If then we do take holde by faith vpon his holy couenaunt we and our children shal be saued by the vertue strength and efficacie of it though it were so that by some casualtie or chaunce not commyng through our owne fault we shoulde be put from the outwarde seales or sacramentes of it In déede if it were so that we might conuenientlye receyue the Sacramentes that the Lorde instituted and ordeyned in his worde and yet would not receyue them but contemne them and despise them as thinges nothing parteyning vnto vs I woulde not say for all the goodes in the worlde that either we or our seede shoulde enioy the benefites of the couenaunt For that were a playne contempt or rather a rebellious stubbournnes which we can in no wise excuse before god who doth alwayes punishe most sharply and with all seueritie the contemners of his holy institution and ordinaunces But if we be preuented by death or beyng letted by some other vrgent necessitie or cause can not rightlye come by them nor receyue them I do stedfastly beléeue that the omitting of them shall not be imputed vnto vs The Lorde had ordeyned in his lawe that all men children should be circumcised addyng vnto it a verie terrible threatenyng when he saieth Euery man childe that hath not his foreskin cut of his soule shall perishe from his people bicause he hath broken my TestameÌ„t And yet it is not to be thought but that many died afore they came to eight daies olde at which age not afore they ought to bee circumcised that all men children that died amonges the Isralites euen after this Lawe was made not hauyng their foreskinnes cut of accordyng to this lawe did perishe or were damned for how many thousand besides the infirmitie of naturall death were slaine drowned in the great riuer Nylus in Egipt by the commaundement of that cruelty of Pharao afore that their foreskinnes could be cut of shal
Morauians Both Origene and also Cyprian were wonte to minister the Communion vnto the litle children that were brought in the armes of thâ— Parentes when thei came to receiue the sacrament geuyng vnto them not onely the misticall bread but also the misticall Cup. And in Saint Augustines tyme they did commonly minister the Sacrament in both kyndes vnto the young infantes and children when they were baptized And all this did come to passe bicause the auncient fathers and great learned men did take the saiynges of our Sauiour Christe after the rigour of the letter Whereof it did come also that some did thinke that if a man after that he was baptized had once receiued the sacrament he could neuer be damned or at least he should once be deliuered from damnation bicause that our Sauiour Iesus Christe did saie I am the bread of life whiche is come downe from heauen he that shall eate of this bread shall liue for euer They did alwaies sticke vnto the bare letter saiyng that our Sauiour Christ who had promised the same could not lie But Saint Augustine doth both reproue and also confute that errour These men are like to the person of Trumpington who readyng the .27 Chapiter of Mathew on Passion sonday as they call it and when he came to these wordes Eli Eli â—ama-sabacthani called the Churche wardens to hym and saide truely this booke doth appertaine to the Bishop of Ely for his name is here I will scrape out his name and put in our owne parishes name and so he did then he began to reade againe Trumpington Trumpington Lama-sabacthani Thus wee may see what absurdities men be wonte to fall into for lacke that they do not examine throughly the meanyng of the scriptures but will goe still to the rigour of the letter Saint Hierome saieth very notablie Non in verbis scripturarum est euangelium sed in sensu The gospell standeth not in the bare wordes of the Scriptures but in the meaning Therfore we maie saie vnto them as Saint Ciprian once saide to the Nouatian heretiques Andite Nouatiani apud quos scripture câ—lestes leguntur potiùs quam intelliguntur Hearken hereto ye Nouatian heretiques amongest whom the heauenly Scriptures are read rather theÌ„ well perceiued or vnderstanded For if folowyng the doctrine and opinion of the Papistes touching the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ we would take after the rigour of the letter the same that our Sauiour Christ doth speake of the eatyng of his fleshe and of the drinkyng of his bloud without all doubt wee shal be faine to confesse that all thei that haue once receiued the Sacrament shal be saued and that all they that neuer receiued it and so die shal be damned for euer Whereby it must needes folowe that it is no lesse necessary to minister the Sacrament of the body and blood of christ vnto the children then to baptize or christen them Wherfore I should thinke good that they should aswell geue aucthoritie vnto the Midwiues to minister the Lordes supper vnto the infantes in time of necessitie as thei geue them aucthority to minister baptisme whiche is a Sacrament of no lesse efficacie and dignitie then the other is yea rather by their doctrine it is of more vertue and strength For I haue not yet read that euer they condemned any bicause that they had not receiued the Sacrament of the Euchariste wheras they doe sende all them to the deuil that die without the receiuing of baptisme thought they would neuer so faine haue come to it But wheras we spake before of Midwiues how they baptized by the aucthoritie of the papistes in tyme of necessitie I speake it not so as that I doe allowe their doynges for I am of a cleane contrary mynde and doe saie with sainct Paule that none ought to take aucthoritie vppon them in the Churche to vse any ministration vnlesse they are called lawfully as Aaron was Christe gaue aucthoritie to his Apostles onely to baptize and to preach Sainct Paul in no wise would haue a woman to speake in the congregation muche lesse to minister a Sacrament whiche must be alwaies doen with doctrine for they must go both together Therefore was it rightly condemned flatly forbidden in the councell of Carthage without any maner of exception that women should once presume to baptize any at all And where they hang so much of necessitie if the childe be readie to dye that then she may and ought to do it Saint Augustine doubteth whether it be lawfull or no for them to do it at that instant of necessitie for his wordes are these Et si laicus necessitate compulsus baptismum dederit nescis an pie quisquaÌ„ dixerit esse repetendum Although a laye man compelled by necessitie do geue baptisme I can not tell whether a man may godly say that it ought to be iterated Howe the custome was before that Augustine was borne is gathered of Tertullian that it is not permitted to a woman to speake in the Church nor teache nor to baptize nor to offer that she shoulde not clayme to her self the execution of any mans office much lesse of the priestes Of the same thing Epiphanius is a substantiall witnesse where he reproueth Martion that he gaue women libertie to baptize Many foolishe women and men do say if the infantes dye without baptisme they are depriued of Gods grace and of their saluation Not so God pronounceth that he adopteth our infantes to be his owne before they be borne when as he promiseth that he wyll be a God to vs and to our séede after vs In this worde is conteyned their saluation for the first foundation of our saluation is neither faith hope loue nor feare of God but the election of GOD by whiche are saued not only they which of full yeres of vnderstanding do beleue hope loue feare call vpon heare and obey god c But also infantes albeit that they be taken out of this life without baptisme wherfore let vs not hang so much vpon creatures that we exclude and doubt of our creatour and for our foolishe good intentes sake will suffer sacramentes to be ministred by women cleane and besides the expresse worde of god Wherefore I do holde and beleue that it is no more méete and lawfull for a Midwife to baptize children in tyme of necessitie then it is for her to preache publikely and minister the Euchariste openly or otherwise But let vs come againe to the saying of our sauiour Christ â–ª that they haue alwayes in their mouthes for to condemne and cast away the poore séely infantes and children of the christians which dye without baptisme It is to be vnderstanded yea they that will consider diligently and weigh the absurdities that do ensue and followe of the exposition of them that do vnderstande it of baptisme going thus to the rigour of the letter shall
in smal reputation And therfore that hee might the better shewe and put before our eyes the nature of originall synne and so moue men to haue the Sacramentes in better estimation and reuerence he doth declare that though the litle children haue yet no actuall sinne of their owne notwithstandyng they be not without synne that deserueth death euerlastyng damnation bicause of their corrupted nature whiche thei haue as it were by right of inheritaunce drawen of their fathers and mothers in their conception and birth Wherefore it was well sayde of one Gulielmus that a man is in suche maner conceaued in the wombe as if a man should fall into a mierie déepe and stony place and so shoulde both be drowned be arayed with myre and also be hurte So saieth he by originall synne we are drowned into the darkenesse of ignoraunce we are defiled with lustes and concupiscence and we are wounded in our powers and faculties of the mynde to doe any good For they haue both been conceaued and borne in synne and can be none other but such as the sinfull ofspryng originall is For that is borne of flesh is flesh What can be cleane that commeth of an vncleane seede A woolfe can engender none other then a woolfe nor yet a Serpent any other then a Serpent And as we doe not let to hate yong whelpes of a Woolfe though they haue yet killed no shéepe or the yong ones of a Serpent though they haue not yet cast out their poyson bicause of their wooluishe and poysoned natures So we must iudge that God hath no lesse occasion to hate and condemne vs euen from our mothers wōbe bicause of our peruerse and malitious nature that is engendered within vs. And that we might the better vnderstande that suche corrupted and peruerse nature is in the children and yong infantes euen from their mothers wombe the holy ghost doeth testifie vnto vs by the mouth of the blessed Apostle Saint Paul that they are also subiect vnto death whiche is the first fruicte and rewarde of synne Whosoeuer was then aucthour of this booke he had a good cause to aggrauate or set foorth to the vttermost this naturall corruption and to saie that not onely they that be of age but also the very infantes and children are euen from their mothers wombe guiltie of euerlasting damnation when thei die without Baptisme if he doe vnderstande by it the grace and mercie of God and the pourgyng that we haue in the blood of our sauiour Iesu Christe whiche by baptisme is signified and represented vnto vs and also communicated vnto the chosen and elect of God. And verely I thinke that he did so vnderstande it For if he will after the rigour of the letter take there baptisme for the visible signe and outwarde ceremonie I would in no wise hold with hym sith that he alledgeth no sufficient auctorities of the scriptures for to proue and confirme this saiyng of his which is both so rigorous and so repugnaunt vnto the goodnesse and grace of God as it hath been already sufficiently proued But I doe rather iudge that he doeth vnderstande by baptisme the vertue and efficacie of the blood of Christe whiche is signified and represented vnto vs by the visible signe and outwarde ceremony wherby neuerthelesse is signified and comprehended all the whole vertue of the true baptisme of Christe after the phrase and maner of speaking that the Scripture is wont to vse For in it the signe and the figure are many tymes taken for the thynges that are signified and represented bicause that the scripture doeth moste chiefly speake vnto the faithfull which do not receiue the sacramentes in vaine without the spirituall thyng that is represented by them And therefore the Apostle saieth all ye that are baptized are apparelled or clothed with Christe Simon Magus was baptized outwardly by Philip and yet I doe not beleeue that euer he had put on our sauiour Christe and that he was apparelled with him Neuerthelesse S. Luke who hath written the historie saieth that he did beléeue vsing the common phrase and maner that men doe vse commonly speakyng of thinges as they doe appeare outwardely and leauyng the iudgement of the hearte vnto god Whiche phrase and maner of speakyng is also customably vsed in the Scriptures And therefore Sainct Augustine and other auncient writers doe expounde this place of Sainct Luke after this sort and maner he did beléeue that is to say he did fayne him selfe to beléeue Now these thinges being diligently considered and weighed all men may easily perceyue what ought to be the right vse of the Sacramentes what ought to be the true baptisme and the true regeneration or newe birth of man Whiche if they do once vnderstande perfectly and well they shall be no more in doubt nor yet in any perplexitie touching the litle infantes and children that dye without baptisme but will leaue them in the handes of God and commit them to his bounteous goodnesse and mercis and so endeuour them selues that they them selues may be of the number of the faithfull the children of the euerlasting Testament wherein god hath promised that he will be our God the God of our séede after vs. If they do so they may be sure that God wyll according to his promise saue them and their children though he taketh them away in the very mothers belly or before that they can receiue the outward and visible baptisme which is but a signe of the spirituall and inwarde washing wherewith God is able him selfe to baptize the young infantes children of his faithfull seruauntes assoone as they begin to liue in the mothers wombe Againe they shall if they be once brought to this poynt espie out the deuillishe and abhominable errour of them that did cary their styll borne children vnto idols for to obteyne life vnto them as to our Ladye of Ipswiche and to our Ladye of Walsingham to Ioseph of Aramathia to Saint Rocke and to such other It ought to suffice nowe at this tyme that the soule of our sauiour Iesus Christ is deliuered from the paynes of the vnquencheable fire of hell and the poore séely soules of the christians that dye in the Lorde put out of pickpurse Purgatorie and brought into the heauenly rest and that the wofull prison that the papistes did builde for the poore children and infantes of the faithfull that be styll borne or dye without baptisme is quite ouerthrowen to their owne shame that deuised the place and to the comfort of the séely infantes in the euerlasting habitation so that in despite of all popishe heartes there shall remayne no more but heauen and hell as it is sufficiently declared vnto vs by the wordes and example of our Sauiour Iesu Christ. All these good benefites haue we gotten by Christes precious death bloodshedding and buryall such comfort I say that tongue can not expresse such
veritie of his body It is not conuenient nor méete that the same that is in God shoulde be euery where as god For the infallible Scripture saith of vs that we be in God that we liue and moue in him and yet we are not in all places as he is And a litle after he concludeth saiyng Ne dubites christum esse in aliquo loco celi propter veri corporis modum Doe not doubte Christe to be in some certaine place of heauen bicause of the propertie and fourme of a verie body for he had said a litle before Christ in that he is God is euery where or in all places and in that he is man he is in heauen Againe he saieth in an other place Corpus enim domini in quo resurrexit in vno loco esse oportet veritas eius vbique diffusa est The body of Christe in the which he rose can be but in one place but his trueth is dispersed euery where Againe he saieth Spatia locorum tolle corporibut et nusquam erunt quia nusquam erunt nec erunt tolle ipsa corpora qualitatibus corporum non erit vbi sint ideo necesse vt non sint That is to saie take awaie from bodies limitation of places and the bodies will be no where and bicause they bee no where they will be nothyng take awaie from bodies the qualities of bodies there will be no place for them to bee in and therefore the same bodies must needes be no bodies at all Againe he saieth Christus secundum presentiam corporalem in Luna in Sole in Cruce simul esse non potuit Christ as touchyng his corporal presence could not be in the Sunne in the Moone and vpon the Crosse at one tyme. Saint Ciryll also saieth Secundum carnem abiturus erat adest autem semper virtute deitatis Touching Christes body or fleshe it is gone notwithstandyng he is present alwaies by the power of his godhead againe Nam si corpore abfuero tamen presens vt deus ero Although I shall bee absent in my bodie notwithstanding I shall be present as I am God. Saint Origene also speaketh most plainely It is not christ as being man that is whersoeuer two or thrée be gathered together in his name neither christ as being man is with vs al daies vnto the worldes ende nor Christ as beyng man is present with the faithful euery where gathered together but the diuine power or nature that is in Christe Gregorie a Pope some tyme of Rome saieth in the like sorte Verbum incarnatum manet recedit manet diuinitate recedit corpore The worde incarnate doth tary and doth go awaie doth tary and remayne by his diuinitie and Godhead doeth depart or go away by or in his body But yet Vigilius Martyr doeth make the matter more playne when he saith If the nature of the fleshe and of the worde is all one howe doeth it chaunce that whereas the worde is euery where the fleshe is not also founde to be euery where For when it was in earth truely it was not in heauen and nowe that it is in heauen truely it is not in the earth and in so much it is not in the earth that we loke that Christ shal come from heauen touching his fleshe whom touching the worde we beléeue to be alwayes with vs. Therefore after your opinion either the worde is conteyned in place with his fleshe or the fleshe is euerywhere with the worde For one nature doeth conceaue no contrarie thing in it selfe But it is most contrarie and vnlike to be euerye where and to be conteyned in place I trust that we haue already sufficiently proued that although the humanitie and Godhead of Christe be so ioyntly ioyned together in vnitie of person that the one can not be separated from the other yet it foloweth not that wheresoeuer the Godhead is there the manhoode and humanitie must be also Therefore when the Scriptures saith that our Sauiour Iesus Christ is syt downe on the right hande of the father they shal be fayne in despite of their heartes there to vnderstande with Saint Augustine by the right hande a place of eternall rest felicitie and ioye where our Sauiour Christ touchyng his manhoode beyng accompanied with all the holy angels and with all the blessed spirites and soules departed doth raigne with the father in coequal glory and maiesty For that the same right hande whereon our sauiour Christe should sit is a certaine locall place it euidently appeareth by his owne wordes where he saith If any man doeth minister vnto mee let hym folow mee and where I am there shall my minister be also Againe I wil that thei which thou hast geuen vnto mée be with mee where I am that they maie see my glory which thou hast geuen vnto mee Who doeth not see that he doeth here speake of some certaine locall place where his elect and chosen should be with hym in euerlastyng glorie and ioye For touchyng his Godhead his chosen and elect are with hym and he with them according to the promise that he hath made vnto vs saiyng Beholde I am with you alwaies vnto the worldes ende Againe if any man loue mee he kepeth my worde and my father shall loue hym and we will come vnto hym and dwell with hym Therefore those places and textes must bee vnderstanded of Christe beyng true and perfect man with whom beyng in the glorious kingdome of his father all his faithfull seruaunts and ministers shal be ▪ Else if they will still mainteine stiflie that Christe touchyng his manhoode can be euerie where thei shal be faine to graunt also that his faithfull seruauntes and ministers be euery where with him For he saieth where I am there shall my ministers be also ¶ The .xiiij. Chapter ¶ Againste popishe transubstantiation THis aunswere I knowe they will make Sith that our sauiour Christe did saie holdyng the bread of the Sacramente in his handes This is my body the body of christ muste needes be wheresoeuer the Sacrament is ministred though it be in ten thousande places at once For he saide and thei were made he commaunded and they were created This is most certaine sure his word must be fulfilled it must needes be as he saide though we can not comprehende by our naturall reason howe it can be doen or brought to passe Moreouer saie they where as twoo witnesses by the lawe of God are sufficient to proue and confirme a trueth we haue foure of the chéefest that euer were in all the whole worlde For we haue thrée of the Euangelistes and the blessed apostle Sainct Paul whiche doe with a whole and full consent rehearse these wordes that we haue alledged whiche the trueth hym selfe did vse in the institution of his Sacrament all after one fashion Whiche thyng they would not haue doen if our Sauiour
Christe had meant some other thyng then the bare wordes do sounde but one or other woulde haue expounded them Againe how could it be that they that do eate of that bread and drinke of that Cup vnworthilie shoulde be guiltie of the body and blood of Christ and receaue their damnation bicause they make no difference of the Lordes body excepte the verie naturall body and blood of the Lorde were there present in the holy communion Firste and formost I graunt that the worde of the Lorde must be fulfilled and that it must néedes be as the truth saith But then we muste take the wordes of that the Lorde doeth speake in their right sence and according to the meanyng that he hath spoken them and not after the vaine imagination of of mens wittes For that holy father Tertullian saieth we must not bryng our owne sences to the readyng of Scriptures but we muste take the sence that the Scripture doeth geue by conferryng one Scripture by another and therefore he saieth Oportet secundum plura intelligi paâ—ciora The fewer places must be expounded by the mo Saint Hierome also saieth Non in verbis scripturarum est euangelium sed in sensu The Gospell standeth not in the bare wordes of the Scriptures but in the meanyng Saint Augustine also saith Solet circumstantia scripturaruÌ„ illuminare sententiam The circumstances of the scriptures is wont to geue light and to open the meanyng Else it will bee verie straunge as when he saith I am the dore I am the true vine we might by as good reason imagine that hee is a materiall dore and a material vine and that his Apostles are vine brauÌ„ches because that he saieth and ye are the braunches Againe ye are speakyng to his Apostles the Salte of the earth Againe when Paul did saie and the rocke was christe men readyng or hearyng the same might haue surmised that the Apostles were verie Salt that the Rocke whiche the Isralites dranke of in the wildernes was very Christ in deede why bicause that the wordes doe sounde so and seeme vnto the ignoraunt to signifie so Therfore if we will haue the true and liuely worde of god to take effect we muste with diligent conferryng of the Scriptures searche out the meanyng and right sence of it as wee haue saide a little aboue out of the Fathers else we may saie long enough euen vntil our heades do ache this is gods word thus and thus did the Lorde say before that we can proue any thyng And whereas they doe boast and crake so much of their witnesses which do al with one consent rehearse these words of the lordes institution This is my body after one maner and fashion they do in that point but deceaue the poore simple and ignoraunt people For although thei doe nothyng varie in the repeatyng of these wordes This is my body yet when they rehearse the wordes of our Sauiour Christe whiche he spake touchyng the Cuppe they doe sufficiently declare howe these wordes of Christe ought to be taken and vnderstanded and what is the true sence and meanyng of them For where Matthewe and Marke doe saie in the persone of Christ This is my blood both Luke and the blessed apostle S. Paul as faithfull interpreters of our sauiour christes wordes doe saie This cup is the newe Testament in my blood Which wordes if they be well considered and marked doe open the vnderstandyng of all the whole matter For as the Cup or that whiche is in the Cup is the newe Testament by the newe Testament hee doeth vnderstande the frée remission of our sinnes that we haue through the merites of his death passion and bloodshedding so the bread is the body of Christe But the cup doeth onely signifie and represent vnto vs the newe Testament that is to say the forgeuenes of our sinnes whiche we haue in the blood of Christ whereof we are made partakers in his holy and blessed Sacrament therefore we can conclude none otherwise but that the bread doeth onely represent and signifie vnto vs the blessed body of christ which was broken for vs the vertue of which body is communicated and geuen vnto vs by the due ministration and worthy receauyng of the holy and blessed Communion Againe if the multitude of witnesses ought to take place three of the chéefe Euangelistes do testifie vnto vs that our Sauiour Christe did saie Ye shall not haue me alwaies with you vnto whom we may adde Peter for the fourth whose wordes are these Repent ye therefore and turne that your sinnes may be done awaie when the time of refreshyng commeth whiche we shall haue of the presence of the Lorde and when God shall sende hym whiche before was preached vnto you that is to wit Iesus Christ who must receaue heauen vntill the tyme that all thynges whiche God hath spoken by the mouth of his holy prophetes sence the worlde began be restored againe Here Doctour Harding with the residue of the louanistes â–ª wil replie and saie why sir this place of Peter maketh litle or nothyng for you for this worde oportet in the Actes whiche signifieth must dooth not importe so much as you woulde inferre of necessitie as may euidently appeare by Saint Paul where hee saieth Oportet Episcopum esse vnius vxoris virum A Bishop must be the husbande of one wife Here you maye see saie they that oportet doeth not importe suche a necessitie as you make that he that neuer was maried may be a Bishop Here gentle reader vnderstande thou that this place of Paul by them alledged is not alike whiche these Papisticall Louanistes goe about to compare For in comparyng of the Scriptures we must not consider the naked words but the meaning thereof for as saint Hierome saieth Ne putemus in verbis scripturarum esse euangelium sed in sensu That is let vs not thinke the Gospell standeth in the words of the scriptures but in the meanyng For this place of Sainct Paul by them alledged doeth declare of what equalitie a Bishop ought to be But in the other place S. Peter teacheth vs the place where Christe must necessarily be vntill the ende of the worlde whiche wee ought to beléeue to be true accordyng to our Creede And this comparison of this worde oportet doth no more aunswere this place of Peter in the Actes then if I woulde saie of you being here present Oportet te hîc esse You must néedes be here which importeth such necessitie for the time that you can none otherwise be but here And yet our Popecatholiques goe aboute in wordes to auoyde this necessitie with an other oportet in another sence as this Oportet te esse virum bonum You must be a good man here oportet doeth not in verie deede conclude anye such necessitie but that you may be as euill a man as a papist Thus you maie see
the yron gate that leadeth into the citie it did open vnto them of his owne accorde Shall wee saie nowe that an Angell was able so to open and shut againe the doore of the prison that the apostles were in that none of the keepers coulde perceaue nor espie it when it was doen And that our Sauiour Christ who is the Lorde of al angels was not able to open and shut againe the doore of the Parlour where his apostles were either by the ministerie of his angels or by his owne diuine and godly power but that he must be seen and hearde when hee was doyng of it Shall the yron gate of Herodes pryson open of his owne accorde vnto Peter and vnto the Angell and shall not the doore of the Parlour where the apostles were gathered together open and shut againe of his owne accorde vnto the onely begotten sonne of god but that either it must be opened by mans hand or els the sonne of God must creepe through it Here then do we learne that all power is geuen vnto our sauiour Christ both in heauen and in earth and that all creatures be subiect and obedient vnto him For he did declare no lesse by this miraculous commyng in to his apostles and disciples Therefore when they do say and all to mainteyne their monstrous doctrine that Christe went through the doores as they were fast shut whiche thing they do by false interpreting of the Scriptures as it doth appeare both by the Gréeke and Latine text they do not a litle derogate to his diuine and godly power For they make that he coulde not come to his apostles the doores being shut fast except he should put away from him all the properties of his true and naturall body that he tooke of vs in the virgins wombe of whom he tooke his vndefiled substance specially sith that after their doctrine and saiynges he went through the same doores beyng shut as he is in their sacrament where they will haue his body to bee without his due proportion of lymmes and all other dimentions that doe pertaine to a perfecte mans bodye whiche is nothyng els but to take awaie altogether the veritie truth of his manhoode But let vs graunt vnto them that he went as they will haue it through the doores as they were made faste what shall they get by it For after our sauiour Christ was gotten in and the apostles were abashed and affraied supposing that thei had seen a spirite he saide streight waies vnto them why are ye troubled and why doe thoughtes arise in your hartes Beholde my handes and my feete that it is euen I my selfe Handle mee and see for ▪ spirites haue not fleshe and boones as ye see mee haue And when he had thus spoken he shewed them his handes and his feete Now hauyng the scriptures so plaine vnto vs as we haue whiche doe witnesse vnto vs that our sauiour Christe hauing in his owne person pourged our synnes is set downe on the right hande of the maiestie on high wee are abashed at their doctrine and be afraied lest they will haue vs to receaue and worship a false Christe we are troubled at the straungenesse of this newe learning of theirs and thoughtes doe arise in our heartes Therfore if they will haue vs to be without trouble in our consciences and myndes if they will haue vs to beléeue and credite them let them so worke that we maie handle and see hym let them shewe vs his handes and his feete and then the battaile is fought and the victory theirs For Saincte Augustine saieth plainely without any darke speakyng Christum secundum humanitatem visibilem corporeum localem atque omnia membra humana veracitèr habentem credere conuenit confiteri That is to saie in englishe we muste beléeue and confesse that christ accordyng to his humanitie is visible hath the sustaunce and properties of a body is conteined in place and verely hath all the members and the whole proportion of a man Therfore let them as we haue said shewe vnto vs that we may see Christ in the cake or otherwise the feelde is ours the ouerthrowe and shame theirs ¶ The .xv. Chapiter ¶ What it is to be guiltie of the body and blood of Christe BUt now I will come to their common obiection that thei be wonte to make out of the eleuēth chapter of the first to the Corinthians where the apostle doth say whosoeuer shal eate of this bread or drinke of this cup vnworthely shal be guiltie of the body and blood of the lorde or he shal eate and drinke his owne damnation bicause that he maketh no difference of the Lordes body How coulde it be saie they that they whiche doe eate of this bread drinke of this cup vnworthely should be guiltie of the body and blood of Christe or that they should eate or drinke their owne damnation bicause that they make no difference of the Lordes body excepte the verie natural body and blood of Christe were there present in the holy Sacrament I will first declare what it is to receaue this holy Sacrament vnworthely and then will I aunswere at large to al the rest They eate and drinke vnworthely this holy and blessed sacrament that come vnto it not hauyng truely examined their owne selues that come vnto it without faith in the merites of the death passion and bloodsheddyng of our Sauiour Iesus Christe or without true repentaunce vnfained confession of their synnes vnto God without amendement of their owne liues and without loue and charitie Thei do also receaue vnworthely that handle the misteries otherwise then the lorde hath instituted and ordained them For they can not haue a deuoute mynde to God that presume to minister or receaue the Sacramentes and misteries otherwise then the aucthour of them hath appointed For there shal be a iudgement where euery man shall geue aunswere howe he hath receaued euen at the day of the Lorde Iesu Christ. For they that come to it not obseruyng the tradition ordinaunces and institution of the Lorde and without a christian like conuersation are guiltie of the body and blood of the Lorde Sainct Ambrose saieth But what is it to be guiltie of the body and blood of the Lorde euen to bee punished for his death For he is dead for them that set nought by his benefit Saint Ciprian also saieth ▪ Impijs in morte christi nullus superest quaestus iustissimè eos beneficia neglecta condemnant That is to saie the wicked haue no gaine by the death of Christe but the benefites that they haue despised doe most iustely condemne them Saint Augustine plainely saieth Habent foris sacramentum corporis christi sed rem ipsam non tenent intus cuius est illud sacramentum Et ideò sibi iudicium manducant bibunt Outwardely they haue the Sacrament of Christes body but the thyng it selfe inwardely in their
teache Moyses another lesson For wheÌ„ he was comming to the fierie bushe he did bid him to put of his shoes because that he stoode in a holy place whereby we are admonished of two thinges First howe that God doth preferre our bare skinne which he hath sanctified with the blood of his sonne before the skinne of dead beastes which shall neuer rise againe nor be partakers of the glory that the children of God shall haue at the general resurrection of all fleshe both in their bodies and in their soules Secondly howe that we ought to put away all dead workes from vs if we will truely and as we shoulde do handle holy thinges or if we loke for to obteyne true holynesse at Gods hande These godly lessons should thei teache the people when thei come to the Communion and as true and faithfull Pastours thei should endeuour themselues to deliuer them from the abominable superstition of these false apostles whiche according to the doctrines and preceptes of men be woont to say Touche not eate not handle not ¶ The .xvij. Chapiter ¶ Againste woâ—shippyng of the Sacrament NOw to speake of the detestable Idolatrie that they doe with all tyranny and crueltie compell men to commit making them to worship a péece of bread in steede of the liuyng God creatour of all thynges it will be necessarie for whereas the Sacrament of the body and blood of christe was instituted and ordeined for to put vs in remembraunce of the death passion and bloodsheddyng of our sauiour christ and that we should in it being duely ministred and worthely receiued be made partakers of all the merites thereof that is to â—aie be put in full possession of all that he did purchase by the death of his bodie and by the sheddyng of his blood thei make of it a plaine ydoll causing the simple ignoraunte people to geue godly honour to the corruptible elements of bread and wine which thyng they can not deny but to be directly against all the scriptures which doe alwaies teache vs to lifte vp our heartes and mindes vnto the Lorde that is to saie vnto the thynges that by the Sacraments are signified vnto vs and not vnto the visible elementes and signes of them For as sainct Chrisostome saieth The Infidell when he heareth of the water of baptisme thinketh it to be onely plaine water but I that beléeue in Christe doe not onely see water but also the cleansyng of the soule by the spirite of god I consider christes buriall his resurrection our sanctification righteousnes and the fulnes of the spirite the thing that I see I iudge not with my bodily eies but with the eyes of my minde Thus farre he Sainct Augustine therefore plainely saieth to them that hang so vppon the visible signes Ea demum est miserabilis animae seruitus signa pro rebus accipere This is a miserable bondage of the soule to take the signes in steede of the thynges that be signified And for this cause were they wonte to saie Lift vp your heartes all the people or congregation aunswered We haue lifte them vp vnto the Lorde To be shorte Christe our sauiour who sayeth that he hath shewed and declared vnto vs all that he hearde of his father maketh no mention at all of this worshippyng but sayeth onlye Take eate c. The blessed Apostle S. Paule who doeth sette forth at large the whole institution of his master Christ saieth not Let a man fall downe on his knees and worship the bread and wyne But let a man examine him selfe that is to saye descend into his owne conscience and trye his owne hart and so let him eate of this breade and drinke of this cuppe If any suche worshippyng had ben requisite and necessarie both Christ our Sauiour himselfe and also his Apostle woulde not haue left it out vnspoken of Whereby we may conclude that all that thei do in the honouring of the misticall bread and wine is a méere inuention of theirs and a most detestable idolatrie which ought in no wise to be suffered in the church of christ For by it the honour that is due vnto the liuing God only the creatour and maker of all thinges and vnto his sonne Iesus Christ our Lorde and Sauiour is geuen vnto the dumbe and insensible creatures and corruptible elementes of bread and wine That they are corruptible creatures Saint Augustine saith If we beholde the visible creatures as the bread and the wine wherein the sacramentes are ministred who seeth not that thei be corruptible But if we consider the thinges that are wrought thereby who séeth not that thei can not be corrupted Saint Origene saith The meate that is sanctified by the word of God by prayer according to the materiall part that is in it passeth into the belly and so foorth into the priuie c. Therefore let vs folowe S. Chrisostomes councell where he saieth Nolimus creatorem cum creatura confundere ne illud audiamus seruierunt creature potius quà m creatori Let vs not confounde the creature and the creatour both together lest it be saide of vs they haue honoured a creature more then their creatour For saith he in a nother place creatures are to worship the creatour to be worshipped But here thei will say that thei worshippe not the bread and the wine but the body and blood of Christe that be there really present vnder the formes of bread and wine for to be receaued of the faithfull communicantes Be not these Saint Augustines wordes say they No man doth eate the fleshe of christ except he worship it first not only we do not sinne if we worship it but rather we do sinne if we worship it not They can neither proue by this place of Saint Augustine that the body and blood of Christe be really present vnder the formes of bread and wine nor yet mainteine their idolatrous worshipping of the Sacrament by it For all faithfull christians being commaunded to lift vp their heartes do worshippe the fleshe of Christe in his Godhead sitting in glorie on the right hande of the father before that thei feede vpon it by faith through the mightie operation of the eternall spirite of god And that this is the meaning of Saint Augustine it may easyly appeare by that that foloweth For by and by after he saith that wee ought not to sticke long in the fleshe but to clyme vp higher vnto the godhead of christ And verely their very wordes that they do vse afore that thei go about or euen when thei go about their holy misteries saying vnto the people Lift vp your heartes do vtterly condemne them For by them folowing in this point the custome of the auncient Catholique Churche thei doe exhort the people that thei sticke not vnto the visible elementes and signes of bread and wine but that thei lift vp their heartes and mindes
our mediatours of intercession I woulde faine knowe of them where they learne this in the holy Scriptures and worde of god I am moste sure that as they cannot finde in all the Scriptures that we ought to praie vnto the dead sainctes So shall they finde that Christ is there appointed to be our aduocate and intercessour euen after his glorious resurrection and ascension when he had alreadie performed all maner of thynges that parteine to our saluation and to the redemption of all mankynde For S. Paule saieth It is Christe whiche is dead yea rather whiche is risen againe whiche is also on the right hande of God and maketh intercession for vs And to the Hebrues he saith plainely that Christ our soueraigne Bishop and high priest liueth for euer for to make intercession for vs Else what should his continuall appearyng before the face of God for vs whereof he speaketh in the ninth Chapiter of this same epistle profit or auaile vnto vs Againe Sainct Iohn the Euangeliste who did write his Epistles a greate while after Christes ascension when our attonement was already made and our peace fully purchased doth sende vs to none other aduocate but only to Iesus christ the righteous He saith not there in that place If any of you do sinne ye shal haue me who am the deare beloued disciple of Christ and did sleepe vpon his brest to be your aduocate vnto the virgin Marie his mother whom he did commit vnto me and whiche dyd loue me so well that she toke me for her sonne Againe he doth not say Get you to the virgin Marie or to my felowes the Apostles or to the Patriarkes and Prophetes â–ª that be alreadie dead and in glorie with God but putting him selfe in the number of sinners he saieth If we haue sinned we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christe the righteous He had not forgotten the wordes of his maister whiche he him selfe had set foorth by writyng For Iesus Christ did not say All that ye shall aske my father in the name of my mother or of the Patriarches and Prophetes or of myne Apostles and Disciples it shal be geuen vnto you but he saieth Whatsoeuer ye shall aske the father in my name it shal be geuen vnto you And S. Paul doth not only testifie vnto vs that he did in the time of his flesh offer vp prayers supplications with strong crying and teares and that he was hearde but also he doth write as it hath been alredie aleaged that he is on the right handâ— of God where he doeth incessantly make intercession for vs. Moreouer where S. Paul doth say â–ª that there is one mediatour of God and men whiche is that man Iesus Christ hath he not a respect vnto the prayers that he had spoken of before For after that he had sayde that we must pray for all men for a confirmation of that saying he addeth by and by that there is one God and one mediatour And none otherwise doth S. Augustine expounde it when he saith Christian men do pray one for another in their prayers But he for whom no man doth pray but he for all men is the onely and true mediatour Paul the Apostle although he were a chiefe member vnder the head yet because that he was a member of the body of Christe and did knowe that the high and true priest of the Church was entred not into the holy places that be made with handes which were but similitudes of true thinges but into very heauen he doeth also commende hymselfe vnto the praiers of the faithfull Paulus non facit se mediatorâ—m inter populum deum sed rogat vt prose orâ—nt inuicem omnia membra corporis Christi Paul maketh not hymselfe a mediatour betwéene God and the people but requireth that thei praie all one for a nother beyng all the members of the body of Christ bicause that the members are carefull one for another and if one suffereth thei doe all suffer with it And set the mutuall praiers of al the members that be yet here labouring vppon the earth ascende vp vnto the head which is gone before into heauen In whom is the satisfaction for our synnes For if Paule were mediatour the other Apostles also shoulde be mediatours and so there shoulde be many mediatours Neither coulde the reason of Paule stande where he saieth For there is one God one mediatour of God and men that man Iesus Christe in whom we are also one if wee keepe the vnitie of faith in the bonde of peace Haec Augustinus c. And in another place hee saieth these wordes At verò sacerdotem si requiras super caelos est interpellat pro te qui in terra mortuus est prote But if thou seeke for the Priest he is aboue in heauen where he maketh intercession for thee which vpon the earth died for thee Here any man may sée if he wyll sée at least howe substantiall their distinction is and what grounde it hath in the scriptures worde of god Besides all this I might reason against them vpon the right vnderstanding of this word Intercession whiche among the Latines signifieth nothing els but the letting of a matter that it goeth not forwardes When we say then that Christe maketh intercession for vs our meaning is that that he doth by the merites of his death passion and bloodshedding let or stop the wrath and vengeaunce of God that it beÌ„ not powred vpon vs for our filthy sinnes and offences Againe we say that he maketh intercession for vs when he suffereth not the ears of the father to be stopped vnto our prayers but causeth them to be hearde and accepted And it is a maner of speaking borowed of the auncient Romanes For when the Consules and Senatours of Rome went about to make any decrée or lawe that did séeme to be preiudicial and hurtfull vnto the common weale then the officers of the people called Tribunes were woont to let that decrée or lawe that it should not go forwardes and thereof did come intercessio Tribunorum that is to say a let or prohibition of the Tribunes that some matter might not go forwardes Euen so that almightie and most righteous God the father of sauiour Iesu Christ hath euery day and euery houre â–ª a most iust occasion by reason of our detestable enormities to destroy vs both bodyes and soules and by his determinate decrée and sentence to condemne vs to the euerlastyng punishmentes of hell fire But we haue in the Senate house of heauen a most mightie aduocate which doth continually appeare before the face of God for vs that so he may by his omnisufficient intercession stop this determinate decrée and sentence of that righteous iudge that it do not proceede and go forward against vs. But what if any man besides the Tribunes had taken vpon him or presumed in the olde Senate
house of Rome to prohibite let or stop any decree or law that the Consules and Senatours went aboute to make shoulde not he haue been taken as a traitour bicause that he had contrarie to the order of the coÌ„mon weale presumptuously taken that thyng vppon hym that did onely apperteine to the office of the Tribunes And shall we saie that thei that doe attribute the office of mediation or intercession vnto dead Sainctes who if they were aliue would rent their clothes and shapely reproue them if they should see suche thynges to be doen vnto them which office doeth onely pertaine to our Sauiour Christ Iesus are not guiltie of high treason against God who hath appointed in his holy and sacred worde his onely begotten sonne to be the omnisufficient mediatour betwixt hym and vs But gentle reader marke well their wordes and doctrine we confesse and acknowledge say they we haue but one mediatour of saluation but we haue many mediatours of intercession if Christe be onely as you confesse he is mediatour of saluation wherefore then doe you thus call vpon the blessed virgin Christes mother Salua omnes qui te glorificant Saue thou al them that glorifie thée Here you intrude vpon christes office and against your owne doctrine make her a mediatour not of intercession but also of saluation Why say you this in your Portes booke in your massing bookes of T. Becket Tu per Thomae sanguinem quem pro te impendit Fac nos Christe scandere quo Thomas ascendit For the blood of Thomas whiche hee for thee dyd spende graunt vs Christe to clymbe where Thomas dyd ascendâ— Here you sée not onely intercession but also saluation in the blood of Thomas Therefore to shewe that the saintes are saluatours and our wayes to heauen Antoninus saith in his tyme where S. Paul and Fréer Dominicke were painted together the maner was vnder the image of S. Paul to write these wordes Per hunc itur ad Christum we may come to christ by and through this Saint but vnder the image of Freer Dominicke they wrote this Sed magis per istum yet much rather by this Saint whereby was meant that Dominickes aucthoritie and office was better able to saue men before God then Saint Paules Thus you may sée by a taste as it were all the rest of their doinges for that that they do is nothyng but to blinde the poore ignoraunt people whereby they may leade them whersoeuer they list thus they haue God and Christ Iesus in their mouthes and prayers only to be a cloke for them as it was to the Pharisées which Christ reproued sharply and as S. Paul saith They professe God in worde but denie him in their doinges these papistes are like to the Rat catchers for they wil take good bread cheese butter and within wil put arsnecke poysoÌ„ the good bread butter is nothing els â–ª but to alure them to eate the secrete hiddeÌ„ poyson to their destructioÌ„ so the papistes in the beginning of all their prayers they say OmnipoteÌ„s sempeterne deus and at the latter ende of their prayers they say Per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum but betweene the beginning endyng there is set in the merites passions sufferinges intercessions mediations of saints that through theÌ„ their sufferinges bloodsheddynges merites and holines wee should obtaine heauen and life euerlastyng to our saluation if these be not murtherers and poysoners of christen soules that vnder the preâ—ence as you haue before hearde of Gods name and Christes iudge you Therfore the prouerbe in them may be verified Sub melle iacet venenum vnder hony is hid poyson But now to other obiectioÌ„s of theirs I must prepare my selfe They wyll nowe replie and say that in the common weale of Rome there were many Tribunes whiche were all intercessours that is to say which had all power and aucthoritie to let such decrees and lawes â—hat they thought to be hurtfull vnto the commons why shoulde it not be so in heauen myght we not haue there many intercessours also In déede in the common weale of Rome such an order was taken that as many Tribunes might be had as it was thought good and conuenient for the tyme But it is otherwise in the heauenlye court For there it hath been appoynted by him that is the highest ruler of all that wée should haue but one intercessour aduocate mediatour of God and men whiche is our sauiour Iesus Christe who alone is able bothe to stoppe the wrathe and vengeaunce of God that it should not procéede against vs and also to obtaine at his handes all maner of thynges that be necessary for our saluation so that he needeth no companions nor felowes for to assiste hym as the Tribunes did in the citie of Rome Whereby we maie well conclude that this distinction which our papistes doe make commeth of none other but of Sathan the deuell who doeth all that he can for to minishe the glorie of Christe And that all men maie the better perceiue that it is so ye shall vnderstande that the olde auncient idolaters did vse the like distinction for to mainteine their false goddes For when thei were compelled both by the scriptures and also by strong argumentes and reasons to confesse that there was but one God Then would thei saie it is true in deede that there is but one God of creation that is to saie whiche hath created heauen and earth but not of gouernaunce For saie thei there be many Goddes of gouernaunce For some gouerne the aire some the earth some the sea c. Wee maie see then that this is an olde tricke of the deuills Sophistrie whiche dooeth still maintaine mightely with fire and sworde by his accustomed ministers and valiaunt champions our maisters of the cleargie Whiche though it be sufficiently detected alreadie and so aunswered that any childe in the streete maie easily spie out their craftie and subtile iuggelyng and their deuillishe conueighaunce in the peruertyng of the holie scriptures sacred worde of God yet for the further enarmyng of the simple and ignoraunte people whom thei doe moste easily deceiue with their gaie painted words holielike vtteraunce as you haue heard a little before I will by the helpe of God and assistauÌ„ce of his holie spirite aunswere shortly the chiefeste and moste principall argumentes that thei make coÌ„monly for to maintaine yea against the manifeste scriptures of God the intercession or meditaion of Sainctes ¶ The .xxvij. Chapiter ¶ The principall argumentes that the Papistes alledge for praiyng to sainctes Aunswered FIrste when we doe alledge this text of S. Paul For there is one God and one mediatour of God and men that man Iesus Christe to proue thereby that as there is but one God of all so there is but one mediatour betwene God and vs Besides the afore alledged and confuted distinctioÌ„ thei bée wont to
vnto him and also for to speake and intreate for vs then the blessed virgin Marie his mother then his holy Apostles and Martyrs whiche haue all shed their blood for the maintenaunce of his trueth Doe we not reade that Adoniah did sende Bethsabe vnto Salomon her sonne for to intreate for hym Againe when Absalon was fled by reason of the shamefull murther that he had committed was not he reconciled againe vnto Kyng Dauid his father by the meanes of Ioab the chief Capitaine of the Kinges armie and by the wise talke of a woman of Thecua Be not these sufficient examples for to proue that wee ought not to come vnto Christe who is suche a mightie kyng and whom we offende so many waies without intercessours aduocates and mediatours These be the gaie painted reasons wherewith they dasell the eyes of the ignoraunt people Whiche séeme at the firste to be of some importaunce and waight but if they be duely examined and tried with the touchestone of Gods worde they shal be founde to be méere deceytes But or I proceede any further I will shewe what their intent is ▪ and that the chief and principal marke that they shoote at is to make themselues intercessours aduocates and mediatours betwixt the sainctes and vs For if we be once brought into that beléefe that we may not come vnto Christe nor direct our praiers vnto hym excepte we haue the Sainctes for our mediatours aduocates and intercessours wee shall also at length suffer our selues to be perswaded that we are not worthy to praie our selues vnto the saintes but that we must haue Monkes Fréers Nonnes and Priestes for to be mediatours betwixt them and vs And for this cause as we see daiely by experience doeth the poore simple and ignoraunt people bryng Golde and Siluer vnto them euen as thei that haue any thyng to doe in the Lawe be wont to offer giftes and presentes vnto Lawyers for to haue their matter to be discussed and heard Whereby we may knowe and see what the offpryng and originall of the inuocation of Sainctes is And that the couetousnes of Priestes is the mother and Nurce of all Idolatrie and superstition I do not denie but that we haue a commaundement to praie one for a nother whiles wee are yet in this life but yet we ought not to make marchaundise of our prayers or to thynke that they can haue any effect but only by the intercession of our Sauiour Iesu Christe or that we muste direct them to any other but to hym onely for to haue them offered vnto the father For we haue neither commaundement nor example in all the Scriptures that we shoulde direct our praiers vnto dead Sainctes For it might be that we shoulde call vpon many whom we knowe not whether thei be Sainctes or not or whether they be in Heauen or in Hell. But we are sure that our Sauiour Christe is in heauen Againe although we were neuer so sure that they bee in Heauen yet can no man tell whether they knowe what we doe here in this world or not whether they heare vs and be able to helpe vs or not For we learne rather the contrary in the Scriptures then otherwise But he whom we ought to direct our praiers vnto muste haue all these properties yea we must be assured and certified in our consciences that hee hath them els we shall neuer be quiet in our myndes Firste he muste bee of power and ablenesse to helpe and ayde vs I meane to graunt vs our petitiō and request For what should it auaile vnto vs to praie vnto one that were not able to helpe and aide vs Secondly he must be willyng to helpe aide and succour vs For what profite were it vnto vs if he were able to helpe vs a thousande tymes if he woulde not doe it Thirdly he must be such a one as can heare our praiers when soeuer they be made For what shoulde benifite vs though he were neuer so able to ayde and helpe vs if he could not heare our praiers what could also his good will helpe vs Fourthly hee muste be of abilitie to heare the praiers of all men in the worlde though thei should all praie together in one instaunce and minute of an houre For else he might bee letted from hearyng of our praiers by the praiers of other men and so many tymes we should praie in vaine bicause that geuyng eares to the petitions of other men he could not heare vs Last of al he must be such a one as knoweth better our neede necessitie then we our selues are able to declare But where shall we finde any either in heauen or in earth that hath all these properties but God alone and his sonne Iesus Christ our Lorde Therefore I maye boldly conclude that we ought to directe our petitions and praiers onely to God and to his only begotten sonne our Lorde and sauiour who is the onely meane and waie for to come vnto God the father Truely I would faine knowe of them why we should be more afraied to come vnto Christe then vnto any other Is there any that is mightier and wiser or more bounteous and mercifull then he is He biddeth all come to hym that be heauie laden and he will refreshe them and ease them Shall one synnes let vs to come vnto him Yes forsoothe say thei For it is written that God heareth not sinners But Christ is true and naturall God Ergo sithe that we are synners he will not heare vs except we haue some intercessours and mediatours to speake and intreate for vs. Because that thei haue alwaies in their mouthes this saiyng of the blinde man whom beyng thus borne Christe had made to see I would wishe all men to marke diligently all the circumstaunces of the place out of the which thei alledge this saiyng for there thei shall see that the Scribes and Pharisées went aboute to perswade the poore blinde man whom our sauiour Christe had made to see that Christe was a despiser of God and of his holie Lawes and ordinaunces and that therefore he was not of god This poore séelie soule then in the defence of our Sauiour Christe did bryng in this saiyng God heareth not synners As if he should haue saied if he that hath healed me were suche an vngodly persone as ye would make him that is to saie a despiser of God and of his holy statutes and ordinaunces then would not God haue heard hym but GOD did heare hym and did make me who was borne blinde from my mothers wombe to sée by the meanes of him therefore he is no suche abhominable synner as ye woulde make hym Whereby we maie gather that there bee twoo maner of synners some there be that be obstinate synners whiche doe moste vngodlie despise bothe God and his woorkes and also contemne his lawes and statutes of such doth the blinde man speake in that
because forsoothe that the kyng is a man and knoweth not vnto whom he maie commit the cōmon weale But for to get the fauour of God from whom nothing is hidden for he knoweth all mens merites we haue no neede of a mediatour or intreatour but of a deuoute mynde But nowe will I bryng in a similitude whiche hath a sure foundation and grounde in the holie Scriptures and sacred woorde of God whiche shall quite ouerthrowe theirs For why It is onely grounded vpon the imaginations and dreames of their owne heades What if there were a kyng benigne gentle mercifull and bounteous that he would make an acte or proclamation whereby he should exhort his subiectes that if any among thē had any matter or suite thei should all boldely without mediatours or meanes come vnto hym promising that he would heare them deliuer them frō their troubles and aduersities and from the handes of them that do oppresse them would not al men by that acte or proclamation take a wonderfull boldenesse to come vnto the king him selfe Who excepte he were starke madde or did mistrust the kynges proclamation would seke for any mediatours or meanes for to haue accesse vnto so bounteous a prince But we haue a moste sure acte and proclamation which is enacted and made in that most holie glorious and sacred counsaile of the blessed trinitie whereby we are exhorted bidden and commaunded to come boldely vnto hym who alone is able to heale all our infirmities and to deliuer vs from all troubles and aduersities be thei neuer so greate and our enemies neuer so mightie Firste the father doeth set forthe this comfortable Proclamation vnto vs saiyng Call vpon me in the daie of trouble so will I heare thee and thou shalt glorifie me Here wee are not onely exhorted bidden and commaunded to call vpon God in the daie of trouble but also we haue a promise that if we doe it we shal be heard and deliuered who then beyng in trouble would not come boldely vnto God and call vpon hym with a good and sure confidence sithe that it is his blessed will pleasure biddyng and commaūdement whervnto he hath added so comfortable a promise that wee should doe so In the Prophete Ieremie he crieth out saying Ye shall call vpon me and I shall heare you beyng then so louynglie called let vs come vnto the seate of his mercie with a stedfast truste and hope that we shal be heard But whom I praie you would not that sweete Proclamation which his onely begotten sonne our sauiour Iesus Christe doeth make vnto all repentaunte synners encourage excéedyngly Come vnto me saieth he all ye that labour and are laden and I shall refresh you And in an other place Uerely verely I saie vnto you what soeuer ye shall aske my father in my name he will giue it you Doeth not the eternall and heauenly wisedome of the father speake these woordes Euen he whiche can not lye whiche can not denie him self why should we then be afraied to come vnto hym Or what neede haue wee to seeke for any Mediatours aduocates or intercessours for to make any intercession for vs sithe that he doth call vs so gently vnto him bindyng hym selfe and his promises with an othe which can neuer be broken Also the holie ghoste who procéedyng from them bothe is the thirde persone in the blessed Trinitie doeth set forthe vnto vs a very comfortable edicte or proclamation whē he saith by the mouth of the holie Prophet Dauid The Lorde is nigh vnto all theim that call vpon hym in truthe And in an other place who soeuer calleth vpon the name of the Lorde he shal bee saued Here haue we the moste sure and infallible proclamations of the father of the sonne and of the holie ghoste whereby wee are moste louyngly and mercifully called vnto the mercie seate of almightie God and also assured that wee shal be hearde when soeuer wee doe call vpon hym in faithe through our onely mediatour and aduocate Iesus Christ our Lorde Is it not then a manifeste signe and token that we do not stedfastly beléeue the promises of GOD nor trust in his mercie whereof wee are assured in his truthe when wee doe direct our praiers to any other then vnto hym or when wee seeke for other meanes to come vnto hym then he hym selfe hath appoincted in his holie Scriptures Reade all the whole bodie of the scriptures throughout from the one ende to the other and ye shall not finde that euer the Patriarches Prophetes or Apostles did praie to any other Mediatour Intercessour or Aduocate but onely vnto God a lone For there is no other Mediatour that can bee founde and appoincted vnto vs besides that blessed seede of Abraham our sauiour Christe Iesus For whereas thei doe alledge that it is read in the scriptures that the Aungelles doe some tyme praie for the electe people of God and also that thei dooe offer our praiers before the Lorde That same maketh nothyng for their purpose except thei coulde proue that the Sainctes bee ministryng spirites sent to minister for their sakes whiche shal be heires of Saluation or that thei be appoincted to waite vpon vs as the Angels are which haue a charge giuen them ouer vs to keepe vs in all our waies yea and also to encampe rounde aboute theim that feare the Lorde And this ministerie and office of theirs because that thei be immortall shall continue as long as there bee any men abidyng here vpon the earth that is to saie vntill the number of the children of God be fulfilled But as for the sainctes it goeth otherwise with them For as thei are bounde whiles thei be yet in this life to doe those thynges that pertaine to their vocation accordyng to the office that God hath called theim vnto So when thei haue once performed their course and are at rest with God thei haue no more to do with the liuyng their ministerie and office is at an ende and if thei make any praier vnto GOD it is that their bloud maie bee auenged on theim that dwell on the earth desiryng that the number of their felowes and brethren maie be fulfilled and that the glorious kyngdome of God beyng come thei maie receiue their glorified bodies whiche nowe lye in the earth till the generall resurrection of all fleshe I do not doubt but that thei doe wishe vs good and are very desirous to haue vs in their blessed felowship for as muche as thei are members of the same bodie that we are of But to saie that thei knowe our necessities or that thei heare our particuler vowes and praiers and offer theim vnto god It is a méere inuention of men For we haue not one onely iote in holie Scriptures that doeth certifie vs of it And as touchyng their goodly shift whiche beyng wholie destitute of the scriptures and woorde of
that Moyses did passe all men in humanitie gentlenesse and mercie The meanyng of the Prophete then is this that God was so offended with the people that he woulde not spare them though Moyses and Samuell whose praiers he was want to heare aboue all other should make intercession for them The like in a maner haue we in the Prophete Ezechiell where the Lorde speaketh on this maner If Noah Daniell and Iob were in the Citie as truely as I liue they shall deliuer neyther sonnes nor daughters but saue their owne soules in their righteousnesse As if he should saie though Noah Daniell and Iob were then aliue againe thei should not deliuer their owne sonnes and daughters but should saue onely their owne liues in their righteousnes my wrath and indignation is so kindeled against that stiffenecked people And so the afore alledged place of Ieremiah ought to be vnderstanded For the wordes are as muche as if he should saie Though Moyses and Samuell were nowe aliue and shoulde stande before me makyng intercession for this people as thei were wont to doe yet would I not for their sakes withdrawe my plagues from this wicked and frowarde generation I woulde not heare them nor geue eare vnto their praiers but woulde in my furie vtterly destroie this rebellious and stiffe-necked people Reade and marke diligently the circumstaunces of both places and ye shall finde that it is the true sence and meanyng of them As for the place that thei doe bryng out of Genesis saiyng that Iacob doth pray that his name and the name of his forefathers Abraham and Isaac may he called vpon his posteritie It helpeth their matter nothyng at all For the meanyng of the holy Patriarche is not that his posteritie should call vpon him or vpon his forefathers Abraham and Isaac for helpe and succour but that his posteritie might be named after hym and also after Abraham and Isaac thereby to declare that the coueuaunt that God had made with Abraham Isaac and Iacob dyd parteine vnto them And therefore whensoeuer the faithfull Israelites did make their praiers vnto God they did alwaies beseche hym to remember his seruauntes Abraham Isaac and Iacob puttyng hym in remembraunce of the couenaunte wherein he had promised that he woulde for Abraham Isaac and Iacbos sake shewe mercie fauour vnto them But howe litle they dystruste in the merites and intercessions of their forefathers it is easy to see in the prophete Esay for there the whole Churche crieth out saiyng Abraham knoweth vs not neither is Israell acquainted with vs But thou lorde arte our father and redéemer Therefore be at one with vs againe for thy Seruauntes sake that are of the generation of thine heritage To be shorte whensoeuer they did name in their praiers their forefathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob it was not for any helpe that they looked to haue at their handes but for to put God in remembraunce of the couenaunt that he had made with them and with their posteritie for euer But nowe that we haue our Sauiour Iesus Christe in whose blood the couenaunt is both established and sealed vp In whose name should we set foorth or offer vp our praiers vnto God but in his only Moreouer that same maner of phrase that Iacob did vse is often times founde in the scriptures as when Esay saieth Then shall seuen women take holde of one man and saie wee wyll laie all our meate and clothyng together in commune Tantum nomen tuum innocetur super nos Only that thy name maie be called vpon vs that is to saie onely let vs be called thy wiues or after thy name that yet it maye be saide that we are suche a mans wiues They be also wont to bryng in the dreame of Iudas Machabeus whiche is made mention of in the Machabees where it is written that Iudas Machabeus did shewe vnto his Souldiers that he had séene in a dreame Onias Ieremiah holdyng vp their handes towardes heauen and praiyng for the people Doth not this saie they proue sufficiently that the dead sainctes doe praie for vs First I doe aunswere that the booke out of the which this place is alledged is not authentike nor yet Canonicall as Sainct Hierome proueth All men maie see what aucthoritie that booke ought to haue in thinges that perteine to our saluation For firste of all they cannot denie but that it is an abridgement of fiue bookes that one Iason Cireneus had written which whether he was a Iewe or a gentile no man is able to tell For the booke was set out and written in the Gréeke tongue and not in the Hebrewe Moreouer whā the holy ghoste doth set foorth any thing vnto vs for an infallible doctrine or an vndoubted trueth he is not wont to vse any excuse as the authour of this booke doth Last of al what wisedome were it to grounde any doctrine parteinyng vnto the faith vpon a dreame did hee not thinke also in his sleepe that Ieremie did deliuer him a golden swoorde yet when he awoke he had no suche thyng I might therefore conclude that as Ieremiah did deliuer hym a golden swoorde so he with Onias dyd praie for the people But Ieremiah did deliuer hym no swoorde in deede but only in a dreame Whereby it foloweth that the prayng of Onias and of Ieremiah was dreamishe also But let vs graunte that it was so as Iudas Machabeus did dreame yet we doe not reade that Iudas Machabeus and his hoast did by and by direct their praiers vnto them or that thei dyd desire them to praie and make intercession for the hoastes of the Israelites whiche shoulde within a whyle ioyne in battaile with the hoastes of the enimies But we reade that thei al praied with their Captaine vnto God saiyng O lorde thou that diddest sende thyne Angell in the tyme of Ezechiah kyng of Iuda in the host of Sennacherib didst slea an hundred fourscore and fiue thousandes sende nowe also thy good Angell before vs O Lorde of Heauens in the fearefulnes and dread of thy mightie arme that they which come against thy holy people to blaspheme them may be afraide Here maie we sée that Iudas Machabeus notwithstanding his gaie dreame did trust onely in the Lorde vnto whom onely his praiers he directed and not vnto Oniah nor yet vnto Ieremiah folowing in this the example of all the holy Patriarches and Prophetes that were before hym They do so abhominably wreast all the other places of the Scriptures whiche they be wont to alledge for the mainteinyng of their Idolatrous inuocation of Sainctes that a man will be ashamed to stande in the confutyng of them All their refuge at length is that the sainctes were hearde whiles they were aliue For it is written Our Fathers called vpon thée were helped they trusted in thée were not confounded If say they they were hearde when they were yet compassed about with
infirmities how muche more are thâ—â— now hearde beyng in glorie with God How muche better did the blessed Apostle Saincte Iames reason when he did saie Helias was a man mortall euen as we are and he praied in his praier that it might not raine and it rained not on the earth by the space of three yeres and sixe monethes And he praied againe and the heauens gaue raine Doe we not rather learne by their example to praie boldely vnto God though we be compassed about with infirmitie as they were then otherwise The holy prophete Dauid doeth not saie that the fathers were hearde bicause that they praied to any of the Patriarches that were before them but bicause that they praied vnto God and trusted in him The same selfe lesson doth Iames geue vnto vs. Let vs therefore â–ª folowe their examples and we shal be hearde as they were As the arme of God is not shortened since so his mercie is not waxen lesse He is as readie nowe to heare them that call vppon hym in truth and veritie as he was then Haue we not besides al this a mediatour an aduocate that appeareth continually in the sight of God for vs It is vnpossible then but that we shal be hearde whensoeuer we call faithfully vpon our heauenly Father through our onely Mediatour and Aduocate Iesu Christ our Lorde ¶ The .xxviij. Chapiter ¶ How and wherein wee ought to honour the Sainctes NOwe when thei haue nothyng to saie for their inuocations to deade sainctes beyng conuinced by the holie scriptures thei crie out and saie beholde these newe preachers dishonoureth defaceth spoileth maketh none accompt of the holie and blessed sainctes in heauen and especially thei dishonor the blessed virgine Marie the sweete mother of Christe Iesus to whom was more grace giuen then to any other creature and maketh no more of her then of another woman c. Belie vs not ye papistes for we giue to them that honour as we are commaunded in the holie scriptures to giue them And therefore sainct Cyrill saieth very truely At sanctos Martyres neque deos èsse dicimus neque adorare consueuimus laudamus autem eos potius summis honoribus quod pro veritate straenue certarunt fidei synceritatem seruarunt that is to saie in Englishe But neither we saie that the holie Martyres are Gods neither haue we vsed to worshippe or honour them but wee rather praise them with greate reuerence for that thei haue striued earnestly for the truthe and haue kepte the sinceritie of the faithe of Christe And Saincte Augustine sheweth also howe we must honour them saiyng Honorandi ergosunt propter imitationem non adorandi propter religionem The sainctes are to bee reuerenced and worshipped for imitation that is to followe their godly doinges and conuersation and not to honour them for any religion to make them our Gods or aduocates and to haue our confidence in them this kinde of honour wée giue to the sainctes and none other And wheras you saie there was more grace giuen to Marie then to any other creature because she was the mother of Christe You maie also learne in the booke of God to bee the childe of God is a greate deale greater grace then to bee the mother of Christe Therefore sainct Augustine saieth Beatior ergo Maria fuit Percipiendo fidem Christi quam concipiendo carne Christi Materna propinquitas nihil Mariâ— profuisseâ— nisi faelicius Christum corde quà m carne gestasset Marie was more blessed in that she receiued the faithe of Christ then in that she conceiued the fleshe of Christe Motherly kindrede could haue doest Marie no good vnlesse she had borne Christ more blessedly in her hart then she bare him in her fleshe And in an other place he saieth Mater mea quam appellastis faelicem inde felix est quiâ— verbum dei custodiuit non quia in illa verbum caro factum est My mother whom ye haue called blessed therefore is blessed because she hath kepte the worde of God not because the worde in her was made fleshe Therefore Epiphanius saieth Christe saied vnto his mother woman what haue I to doe with thee My houre is not yet come Lest any man shoulde thinke our Ladie was of greater excellencie he called her woman as it were prophesiyng of the kindes and sectes of heresies that were to come in the worlde lest any man hauyng to greate opinion of that holie Saincte should fall into this heresie and into the dotage of the same For in deede the whole matter is but a mockerie and an olde wiues tale and sothely to saie nothyng els but the handelyng of an heresie Therefore Origene saieth Si mensuram transcenderit charitatis qui diligit qui diligitur in peccato est If loue passe the measure of charitie aswell he that loueth as also he that is loued is in synne The saied Epyphanius saieth further Let no man eate saieth he of this errour touching saint Marie for though the tree bee faire yet is not this fruite to be eaten Although Marie bee beautifull and holie and honourable yet is not she to bee adoured But these women worshippyng Saincte Marie renue againe the Sacrifice of wine mingled in the honour of the Goddes Fortuna and prepare a table for the deuill and not for God as it is written in the Scriptures thei are fedde with the meate of wickednesse And againe their women boult flower and their childreÌ„ gather stickes to make fine cakes in the honour of the Queene of heauen Therefore let suche women bee rebuked by the Prophete Hieremie and let them no more trouble the worlde And let them not saie we worship the Queene of heauen Thus he applied the wordes of the Prophete vnto the virgine Marie beyng Idolatrously abused by the heretiques called Collyridiani as she and other Sainctes are by the Papistes abused now in these daies This shall now suffice for to proue that Christ our Sauiour touchyng his manhoode whiche he did take of vs is and shal be vnto the worldes ende in heauen on the right hande of the father that is to saie in felicitie ioye and glorie beyng exalted aboue the heauens made lorde ouer all creatures bothe in heauen and in earth and hauyng receiued a name that passeth all the glorie that man can reporte And that as heauen muste holde hym vnto the tyme of the restitution of all thynges that God hath spoken by the mouthe of his holie Prophetes since the worlde began beyng neuerthelesse here among vs touchyng his diuinitie and godheade and feedyng vs by his eternall spirite and by the veritie of his holie institution and ordinaunce with the heauenly foode of his precious bodie and blood so he doth appeare alwaies in the sight of God for vs beyng an omnisufficiente intercessour aduocate and mediatour betwixte God and man so that we neede not to goe vnto
Gods promises Now the maister and teacher of trueth the aucthour of light the well and fountaine of wisedome knowledge and vnderstandyng This is he that doeth pourge and cleanse vs from all filthines and ouersprinckleth vs with his sanctitude and holines that we may be made the worthy temples of almightie god This is he that with his effectuall wateryng doeth make vs fruictfull vnto righteousnes for to bryng foorth aboundauntly the fruictes of our faith that our heauenly father may be glorified through our good workes conuersation and outwarde liuyng For the whiche cause he is many tymes called water as in these places of the prophete All ye that are a thirst come vnto the waters Againe I will powre water vpon hym that is a thirste and Riuers vpon the drie lande Wherunto the saiyng of Christe doeth agree where he biddeth them that bee a thirste to come vnto hym and to drinke of the waters of life Although he be other whiles so called for the efficacie streÌ„gth power and vertue that he hath to pourge and make cleane where the Lorde promiseth in Ezechiell to washe his people with cleane waters The same is he that consumeth and burneth awaie the inordinate lustes concupiscenses of our flesh kyndelyng our heartes with the diuine loue of GOD and of heauenly thynges wherefore he is called by God right fyre Finally this is he that by his inspiration doeth make vs wholie to liue vnto God so that we be no more ledde by our owne sensualitie but folowe onely his motion and guidyng Therefore is it saide of Barnarde verie well Quid bonus in nobis spiritus operatur monet mouet docet monet memoriam mouet voluntatem docet rationem That is to saie what good doth the spirite or holy Ghost in vs he doth warne moue and teache he doth warne our remembraunce he doeth moue our willes and teache our reason Therefore if there be any goodnesse in vs it is the fruicte of his grace and vertue But all our giftes without hym are méere darkenesse of the mynde and wicked peruersenesse of the hearte And as I doe beléeue that all the giftes and benefites that we doe receaue of God through his onely begotten sonne our sauiour Iesu Christ are by this holy spirite printed grauen and sealed vp in our heartes and myndes so do I beléeue that all the Canonicall bookes of the olde and newe Testament were written and sette forthe vnto vs onely by his diuine inspiration and that the doctrine that is conteined in them without all other is sufficiente vnto Saluation as the blessed Apostle doeth testifie saiyng Continue in the thinges that thou hast learned whiche also were committed vnto thée seyng thou knowest of whom thou hast learned them and for as muche also as thou haste knowen the holy Scriptures of a childe whiche bee able to make thee wise vnto Saluation through the faithe whiche is in Christ iesu For all scripture giuen by inspiration of God is profitable to teach to improue to amende and to instructe in righteousnesse that the man of God maie be perfecte and readie vnto all good workes Wherevnto Chrisostome doth agree saiyng what soeuer is required vnto saluation all the same shall ye finde in the holy scriptures And in an other place He hath at his tyme saieth he reueiled and opened his woorde by the preachyng that is committed vnto me And this is the preachyng the Gospell doeth conteine all thynges bothe present and to come honor godlinesse faithe to be shorte he hath comprehended all thynges in the woorde of his preachyng Againe he saieth what so euer is required for our saluation is alreadie conteined in the holy scriptures he that is ignoraunte shall finde there what he maie learne he that is stubborne and a synner maie finde there scourges of the iudgemente to come he that is troubled maie finde there ioyes and promises of euerlastyng life thorowe the beholdyng of whiche he maie be stirred to good workes Sainct Augustine saieth reade the holy scriptures wherin ye shall finde fullie what is to bée folowed and what to bee auoided Athanasius also saieth the holy scriptures saieth he beyng inspired from God are sufficiente to all instruction of the truthe Lyra one of the Popes owne doctours hath these wordes Like as in a merchauntes shippe are carried diuerse thinges necessarie for mans life So in the holy scriptures are conteined all thynges needefull to our saluation Who so euer then doeth affirme and saie that the doctrine of the holie ghoste whiche is conteined in the canonicall bookes of the olde and newe Testamente is not sufficiente vnto saluation and that besides it wee haue neede of mens traditions and doctrines as though without them we could not haue in the sacred booke of God a sufficient instruction in thynges that pertaine to life euerlastyng Or who soeuer saieth affirmeth that this holy spirite doeth teache and set for the any other worde or doctrine then is conteined in the sacred bookes of God I dare boldely affirme that the same man is not lead with the same holie spirite who is the lorde and giuer of life and who procéeding from the father the sonne should leade vs into all truthe and bryng into our remembraunces whatsoeuer Christ our Sauiour the heauenly wisedome of the father hath taught and set forthe for the saluation of mankind but with the spirite of errour I meane with the spirite of sathan the deuill who to the vttermoste of his power causeth men to contemne despise and sette at naught the holie commaundementes of almightie God that thei maie set vp their owne traditions and dreames and all vnder the title name and colour of the holie ghoste Wherefore it is moste needefull and necessarie that wee haue alwaies before our eyes the saiyng of the blessed Euangeliste saincte Ihon where he saieth Dearely beloued beleue not euery spirite but proue the spirites whether thei bee of God or not Also S. Chrisost. saith agréeyng with the same Many saith he do boast of the holy ghost but they that do vtter and set out their owne phancies and dreames do pretende him in vaine for as Christ doth witnesse that he speaketh not of him selfe but out of the lawe the Prophetes Si quid praeâ—er Euangelium sub titulo spiritus obtrudatur ne credamus Quia sicut Christus legis Prophetarum impletio est ita est spiritus Euangelij If any thyng be brought vnto vs vnder the name of the holie ghost saieth he besides the Gospell let vs not beleue it For as Christ is the fulfillyng of the lawe and the prophetes so is the holie ghost the fulfillyng of the Gospell For without that spirite we haue neither eares to heare nor eyes to see it is that spirite that openeth and no man shutteth The same shutteth and no man openeth The same spirite opened the sicke womans hearte that she should
of in the booke of the Actes but this must bee doen accordyng to the rules and canons of the Apostles If they be blamelesse the husbande of one wife vigilante sober and apte to teache c. Secondlie it hath aucthoritie to teache by the lawfull ministers I meane by these ministers that are lawfully chosen with the laiyng on of handes accordyng to the rule and Cannons of the Apostles And these ministers ought to teache and set foorthe none other thyng then thei haue receiued of the Lorde hauyng alwaies before their eyes the saiyng of Christ our Sauiour Docete eos obseruare quaecunque precepi vobis Teache them to keepe and obserue all thynges what soeuer I commaunde you And the same it is that we call Potestatem clauium The power of the keyes which as it hath been sufficientlye declared before consisteth in preachyng free remission of synnes vnto the faithfull and true repentaunte synners and eternall condemnation vnto the vnfaithfull and vnrepentaunte Whiche thyng if it bee duely dooen accordyng to the institution and ordinaunce of our Sauiour Christe taketh no lesse effecte then if it were doen in heauen And vnder this doe we comprehende the aucthoritie that the churche hath to excommunicate open synners and to receiue them again if thei shewe true tokens of repentaunce and of amendemeÌ„t of life Thirdely the true and faithfull Churche hath aucthoritie to minister the sacramentes by the ministers thervnto lawfully appoincted so that it bee doen accordyng to the institution and ordinaunce of our sauiour Iesu Christe vsyng suche tymes and seasons as thei shall thinke moste expediente for the same Fourthly and laste of all it hath full aucthoritie and power to examine the doctrines and to trie the spirites whether thei bee of God or not as it is manifeste and plaine by these saiynges Lette twoo or three Prophetes speake in the Churche and let other iudge Againe Proue all thynges and holde that whiche is good Saincte Ihon saieth Dearely beloued try the spirites whether thei bee of God or not But this triall muste bee doen with the touchestone of Gods woorde whiche with the holie ghoste ought to be the chiefe president in all Sinodes and Counsailes So saincte Augustine saieth againste Maximinus these woordes Nowe neither ought I to alledge the Counsaile of Nice nor thou the counsaile of Ariminum to take aduauâ—tage thereby for I am not bounde to the aucthoritie of the one nor thou restrained to the determination of the other Sed scripturarum authoritatibus non quorumque proprijs sed vtrisque communibus testibus res cumre causa cum causa ratio cum ratione concertet But by the aucthorities of the Scriptures not peculiar witnesses vnto either of vs but common and indifferent vnto vs bothe let one matter with an other cause with cause and reason coÌ„tende with reason Saincte Hierome therefore saieth Omni studio legende nobis sunt scripturae in lege domini meditandum die ac nocte vt probati trapezite sciamus the scriptures are to be read of vs with all diligence and to meditate daie and night in the lawe of the lorde that we maie become perfecte exchaungers to knowe the false counterfecte doctrine froÌ„ the true doctrine of Christe Sainct Origene also hath these woordes Sensus nofiri enarrationes sine scripturis testibus non fidem habet Our iudgemente and expositions without witnesse of the holie scripres haue no credite Thus wee maie plainly see that all our matters muste bee tried by the Canonicall bookes of the holy Scriptures So farre foorth doth the aucthoritie of the true Churche extend which as it can not erre as long as she taketh gods word the holy ghost for her guide so assoone as she forsaketh Gods worde and the guidyng of the holie ghoste she falleth into all kinde of errours at length doeth become the Synagogue of Satan the Church of the malignaunt the stinckyng haâ—lot of antichriste Howbeit the whole vniuersal Church doth neuer so fall awaie from the truthe of Goddes woorde but that God dooeth alwaies preserue vnto hym selfe a certaine number whiche will neuer agree nor consente vnto vngodlinesse and from whom the spirite of trueth is not taken awaie And because that these bee vnknowen of the worlde as thei that lacke the outwarde tokens and signes of the true Churche of Christe whiche are the preachyng of Gods worde and the ministration of the sacramentes and the vse of true discipline accordyng to the institution and ordinaunces of the Lorde are commonly called the inuisible Churche not bicause that men are inuisible whiche thyng can not be as long as they bee here conuersaunt vpon the earth but bicause that thei be only knowen and seen of God who knoweth onely who be his who be not And this faithfull congregation whether it hath the outwarde signes of the true Churche of Christ or not as long as it beareth aboute this body of synne is subiect to many infirmities but for Christes sake thei are not imputed for when it is saide that it is without spot or wrinkle that is to be vnderstanded by imputation through Iesus Christ our sauiour And therefore it is called the glorious congregation And I doe also beleue with sainct Augustine that this catholique Churche is the Barne floore of the Lorde and that in it vntill the daie of iudgement Chaffe shal be mixed still with the Wheate My meanyng is this that in the Church both good and badde true beleuers and hypocrites are conteined together in the felowship of the sacramentes and that it shall be so vnto the worlds ende Whiche thyng we doe learne by the parable of the good seede and of the Darnell and of the Nette that is cast into the Sea and whiche doeth drawe of all kynde of fishes vnto the shore But we must in the meane while beware that we do not because of the Chaffe Darnell and rotten fishes seuere and diuide our selues from the Churche as the wicked Anabaptistes doe which for euery triflyng matter do diuide them selues from the Churche though the worde of God bee neuer so finely nor sincerely preached and the Sacramentes moste rightly ministred according to the institution and ordinaunce of the Lorde Why do we not rather folowe the godly counsell of the blessed Martyr of God S. Cyprian that he geueth vnto vs Although saith he Darnel Tares are seen to be in the church yet our faith and charitie ought not to be letted that bicause we do sée Tares and Darnell to be in the Church we shoulde therfore forsake the Church but rather we ought to endeuour our selues that we may be good corne that when the good corne is gathered into the Garners of the Lorde we maie receaue a rewarde of our labour and worke Also in a great house there be many vessels not only of Golde and Siluer but
woorkes as not the cause of our iustification Iames approueth woorkes as effectes proceedyng of the same Paul denieth that any good workes can be in them that be not iustified Iames affirmeth that they which be iustified caÌ„ in no wise be without good workes But ye shall heare what S. Augustine saith touching this matter Non sunt coÌ„trariae duoruÌ„ apostoloruÌ„ sententiae Pauli Iacobi cum dicit Paulus iustificari homineÌ„ sine operibus Iacobus dicit inaneÌ„ esse fideÌ„ sine operibus Quia Paulus loquitur de operibus quae fideÌ„ praecedunt Iacobus de ijs quae fidem sequntur That is to say in englishe The saiyng of the two Apostles Paul Iames are not contrary whereas Paul saith a man is iustified without workes and Iames saith faith without workes is in vaine For Paul speaketh of the woorkes that goe before faith Iames speaketh of the workes that followe after faithe Thomas of Aquine also saieth I acobus hic loquitur de operibus sequentibus fidem quae dicuntur iustificare non secundum quod iustificare dicitur iustitiae infusio sed secundum quod dicitur iustitie exercitatio vel ostentio vel consummatio Res enim dicitur fieri quando perficitur vel innotescit Iames in this place speaketh of suche woorkes as followe faithe whiche workes are saied to iustifie not as iustification is the procuryng of righteousnesse but in that it is an exercise or a shewyng or a perfectyng of righteousnes For we say a thyng is doen when it is perfected or knowen to bee doen. So that wee maie easily see that the offeryng vp of Isaac is a testimonie of the faithe and righteousnesse of Abraham he could not be iustified by it but rather it was thereby declared that he was iustified alreadie So that this obedience of his to the worde of God did onely manifest and shewe that he was when he beleued Goddes promises made righteous before God through the same faith and beliefe That was the meanyng of Dauid when he saith That thou maiest be iustified in thy wordes and ouercome when thou arte iudged that is to saie that thou maiest bee declared iuste and thy goodnes and truthe appeare in performyng thy promises when man either curiously or arrogauntly would iudge thy workes Therefore this worde iustificare to iustifie is not taken of saincte Paule in that signfication that sainct Iames taketh it in for of Paule it is taken for to deliuer from synne and for to impute rightousnesse But Iames doeth take it for to declare and shewe one iust and righteous Sainct Paule doeth speake of a liuely faithe whiche can no more bee without good workes then the Sunne can bee without lighte or fire without heate But sainct Iames doeth speake of an idell faithe which maie bee in the reprobate yea in the deuill hymself as the Apostle writeth in the same place I might bryng many placâ—s of Scripture wherein the excellencie of faithe is highly sette forthe but one or twoo shall suffice at this tyme. In the actes we haue these wordes out of S. Paules sermon that he made to the Iewes at Antiochia a citie of Pisidia Be it knowen vnto you therefore brethren that through this man is preached vnto you the forgiuenesse of sinnes And that from all thynges from whiche ye could not bee iustified by the lawe of Moises by hym euery one that beleueth is iustified These wordes are plaine and neede no exposition at all for all wee see that he taketh awaie altogether iustification from the lawe of Moises and doeth attribute it vnto faithe in our Sauiour Iesu Christe But to the Romaines he maketh the matter more plaine when he saieth Thei haue all synned and are destitute or voide of the glorie of god But thei are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus whom God hath set forthe to be a purchaser of mercie through faith in his bloud Marke here First he saieth thei haue all synned â–ª and that thei are depriued of the glorie of GOD by whiche woordes he sheweth openly before our eyes the miserable estate that mankinde was in Secondlie he sheweth how and by what meanes we are deliuered from it I meane from that damnable estate that we are in by our own nature and first birthe when he saieth thei are iustified freely by his grace Now if we bee iustified freely by the grace of God where are our workes merites or deseruinges become For if any workes deseruynges or merites doe goe before our iustification how can it bee saied that wee are iustified freely by the grace of God our heauenly father Therefore he saieth in an other place By grace are ye saued throughe faithe and that not of your selues it is the gifte of God not of woorkes leaste any man shoulde boast hym selfe S. Ihon saith Blessed are they that haue washed their roabes not in their own merites but in the blood of the Lambe Againe I will giue the thristie to drinke of the well of life not for his deserts but for nothing Sainct Ambrose an holy father saieth As there be no synnes so detestable that can kéepe of the gifte of grace so there can be no workes so excellent that vnto them by the iudgement of retribution or recompence the same shoulde be due whiche is fréely geuen and graunted For the redemption of the blood of Christe should waxe vile and the mercie of God be faine to geue place to the prerogatiue of mens woorkes if iustification which is doen or wrought by grace were due vnto the merites that go before so that it shoulde not be the free gifte of the giuer but the rewarde or hire of the worker What plainer wordes can there be spoken therefore Iob saieth if a man will dispute with God he is not able to aunswere hym one for a thousande and therefore he saide Verebar omnia opera mea I stoode in doubt and was afraide of all my workes Although I were perfect yet my soule shall not know it if I woulde iustifie my selfe myne owne mouth shall condemne me and Esai saieth all our righteousnes is like a menstrous cloth of a woman Therfore al our doctrine is grouÌ„ded vpon the wordes of Christ when ye haue doen all say that ye be vnprofitable seruaunts therfore haue deserued nothing Sainct Origene therefore saieth Say ye that ye be vnprofitable seruauntes For notwithstandyng we haue done all things that are commaunded yet haue we done no good thing For if our doynges were good in deede then were we not vnprofitable But any good déede of ours is called good not rightly or duely but by abuse of speache So Sainct Augustine saieth if God woulde deale with vs accordyng to that we haue deserued he should finde nothyng but that he might condemne Againe he saieth what bee the merites of any men For Christe that came not with his due rewarde but
with his grace that was not due founde all men synners beyng hymself onely frée from synne and a deliuerer of synners And againe in a nother place he hath these words Opera manuum mearum non commendo Timeo enim ne cum inspexeris plura inuenias peccata quà m merita Lorde I commende not the workes of my handes For I am afraide least when thou shalt beholde them thou shalt finde mo synnes then good deseruynges So saith sainct Hierome Si consideremus nostra merita desperandum est If we beholde our owne merites we must be driuen to desperation Origene also affirmeth the same saiyng Ego vix mihi persuadeo vllum opus esse posse quod ex debito remunerationem deposcat I doe scarcely beleue that there can be any woorke that maie of duetie require rewarde Againe hee saieth Quia omniae conclusae sunt sub peccata nunc non in meritis sed in misericordia dei salus humana consistit For as much as all men are shut vp and cloased vnder sinne now the saluation of man standeth not in mans merites but in Gods mercie Barnarde saieth Non est quo gratia intret vbi iam meritum occupauit That is There is no meanes for grace to enter where merite doth keepe place VValdensis one of the Popes owne Doctours saieth these wordes Quid dignum facimus vt participes caelestibus fieri inuencamur Apostâ—lo dicenâ—e existimo quod non sunt condignae passiones huius temporis ad futuram gloriam quae reuelabitur in nobis Reputo igitur saniorem Theologum fideliorem catholicam scripturis sanctis magis concordem qui â—alâ— meritum simpliciter abnegat That is to saie what worthy thing doe we that we may be faunde in the felowship of the heauenly spirites the Apostle saieth I iudge that the afflictions of this tyme are not worthy of that glorie that shal be reueiled in vs Therfore I take hym to be the souÌ„der deuine the faithfuller catholike and more agreable to the holy scriptures that vtterlie denieth all such kynde of merite These testimonies are plaine against all the meritmongers of Rome Louane Let vs take heede therefore of their daungerous and heriticall doctrine leaste while we go aboute to stablishe our owne righteousnesse beyng ignoraunt of the righteousnesse of God and haue not submitted our selues to the righteousnesse of god And thereby shall heape to our selues wrath in the daie of trouble For Christe saieth Saincte Paule is the ende of the Lawe for righteousnesse vnto euerie one that beléeueth The .xlj. Chapiter ¶ Faith onelie iustifieth vs before God. YET these Papistes and Iustiâ—iaries will saie stil that although we finde in holy scripture that faith iustifieth yet we fynde not quod soâ—â—fides iustificat that faith onely iustifieth so that this worde onely or alone hath been newly added by heretiques whoÌ„ they doe commonly call Solifidians These iooly felowes doe nothyng but seeke a knotte in a Rushe as the prouerbe is for although we haue not expressie this worde sola only or alone yet haue we many other wordes that are equiuolent or equiualent that is of the same importaunce and force For when the holy ghost saieth that we are iustified fréely by the grace of God through the redemption whiche is in Christe Iesu whom God hath set foorth to be a purchaser of mercie through faith in his blood doeth he not exclude al maner of workes deseruinges or merites from our iustification attributyng it onely vnto faith â–ª whereby we doe apprehende and take holde on the grace and mercie of God so surely fealed vp vnto vs with the blood of that immaculat lambe our Sauiour Iesu Christe in the selfe same Chapiter he saieth againe we conclude that a man is iustified by faithe without the workes of the lawe Who doeth not see that he doeth here also put awaie all maner of thinges from our iustification faith onely excepted But the Papistes in this pointe are like vnto the Arians which bicause those wordes â–ª â—omoâ—fias consubstantialis be not founde in the Scriptures will in no wise admitte nor alowe them although the thinges signified by them are moste infalliblie and certainely conteyned and set out in the booke of god And therfore the Apostle writyng to Titus saieth Not by the workes of righteousnes whiche we had doen but accordyng to his mercie he saued vs that wee beyng iustified by his grace should be made heires accordyng to the hope of eternall life Againe he saieth God hath saued vs and called vs with an holy callyng not accordyng to our workes but accordyng to his owne purpose grace which was geueÌ„ vnto vs through Iesus Christe afore the worlde was Truely whersoeuer this purpose of God is their woorkes merites and deseruinges can take no place in the iustification or saluatioÌ„ of man Whereby we may gather that by the frée mercie and goodnes of God apprehended and taken holde vpon by faith we are deliuered froÌ„ euerlastyng damnation and made felowe heyres with his sonne Iesus Christ our Sauiour whose righteousnes he doth impute vnto vs making vâ—heires of his eternal euerlasting kingdome of heauen All these things I say and beleue do we obtaine only by faith without any merites goyng before Let vs see nowe what the holy learned Fathers of the Churche so many hundred yeres ago haue taught vs thereof Saint Ambrose saieth Iustificati sunâ— gratis quia nihil operantes neque vicem reddentes sola fide iustificati sunt dono deâ— They are iustified freely bicause workyng nothyng nor making any recompence they are iustified through faith onely by the gifte of god Againe in the same place these be his wordes Sic decretum dicit à deo vt cessante lege solam fidem gratia dei posceret ad â—alutem This was Gods determination that the lawe beyng at an ende the grace of God shoulde require faith onely vnto saluation Againe Sola fides posita est ad salutem Onely faith is laide or appointed vnto saluation Theodoretus saieth Non vllis operibus nostris sed per solam fidem mystica bona consequuti sumuâ— â–ª Not by any workes of ours but by only faith we haue gotten the mistical good things S. Basile saith Haec est nostra integra perfecta gloriatio in deo quando propriae iustitiae nos inopes agnoscimus Sola autem fide in christum iustificati This is our ful perfect reioysing in God when we acknowledge that we are voyde of any our owne righteousnesse and are iustified by only faith in Christe Nazianzenus saieth Credere solum est iusticia Only beléeuyng is righteousnes Origene also saieth these wordes â–ª where nowe is thy boastyng it is shut out Paule saieth that the iustification of only faith is sufficient So that a man onely beleuyng may be iustified although he haue doen no good workes
at all Hesichius also saieth The grace of God is giuen onely of mercie and fauour Et fide comprehenditur sola And is embraced and receiued by onely faith Saint Chrisostome saieth Illi dicebant qui sola â—ide nititur execrabilis est hic contrà demonstrat eum qui sola fide nititur benedictum esse They saide who so staied himselfe by only faith is accursed Contrariwise Saint Paul proueth that who so staieth hymselfe by onely faithe he is blessed Hierome also hath these wordes ignorantes speakyng of the Pharisies quod sola fide iustificat deus se ex operibus legis quam nunquam custodierunt iustos esse putantes They not knowing that God iustifieth onely by faith and supposyng themselues to be iuste by the workes of the lawe whiche they neuer obserued they would not submit themselues vnto the remission of synnes least thei should seeme to haue been synners Saint Hilarie hath these wordes in Mathewe and vppon this text Râ—mittuntur tibi peccata tua thy synnes are forgeuen thee and writeth on this maner Moâ—et scribas remissum ab homine peccatum hominem enim tantum in christo Iesu coÌ„tuebantur remissum ab eo quod lex laxare non poterat Fides enim sola iustificat That is to saie It moueth the Scribes that synne was forgiuen by man For they did onely beholde man in Christe Iesu and that to be forgeuen of hym whiche the lawe could not release For faith onely doth iustifie This is the herisie that we teache according to the holy scriptures and learned fathers of the catholique Churche But they obiect againe that good workes deserue bicause it shal be rewarded for saie they S. Iohn saith their workes folowe after them And Christe saieth to his disciples he that geueth a Cup of colde water to any of these little ones for my â—ake shall not loose his rewarde And sainct Paule saieth your worke shall not be in vaine in the Lorde Christ saieth againe Reioyce and be glad for your rewarde is greate in heauen and â—â— the Hebrewes it is saide God is not vnrighteous that hee shoulde forget our labour Wee graunt good woorkes haue their rewarde But the same rewarde standeth in mercie fauour and not in duetie Therefore we saie consideryng the weakenesse and synfull corruption of our nature there can be no works in vs so pure and perfect that we may therby of right and of duetie deserue euerlastyng life For God hath a kyngdome an inheritaunce for children and not a rewarde for bounde seruauntes and slaues Therfore Gregorie Nanzianzene saith if thou he a bound seruaunt or a â—laue then feare the whip If thou be a hirelyng then looke onely for thy rewarde but ouer and besides this if thou be a childe then reuerence God as thy father Doe well bicause it is good to obeie thy Father Yea and although thou shalt haue nothing els yet euen this shall be thy rewarde that thou hast been obedient to thy father Therfore we must saie saieth christ when we haue doen whatsoeuer I commaunde you saie ye we are vnprofitable seruauntes Hilarie to this purpose hath these wordes If we fast once saieth he we thinke we haue satisfied If out of the barnes of our householde store wée giue somewhat to the poore wee beleue we haue fulfilled the measure of righteousnesse But the Prophete hopeth all of God and trusteth of his mercie Sainct Basile also saieth He that trusteth not to his owne good deedes nor hopeth to bee iustified by his woorkes hath the onely hope of his saluation the mercies of god Augustine therefore saied verie well Qui diligit aliud preter te Minus diligit te O God he the lesse loueth thee that loueth any other thyng besides thee But before we declare how good déedes are rewarded Let vs see what good woorkes these are that the Papistes doe so muche talke of shall bee rewarded or that deserueth euerlastyng life Firste thei teache vnto the pleople that are ignoraunte to heare Masse euery daie deuoutely to lye prostratâ— before deade Images to mumble out a nomber of prayers vnto Sainctes to goe on Pilgrimages to builde vp Chaunteries and Churches and to cause Trentalles of Masses and Diriges and other trumperie to bee saied for the deade Item to giue largely of their substaunce and gooddes to idell Priestes Monkes Friers and Nonnes to giue money gold siluer and silke to make crosses chalices coapes vestementes and other like plaierly garmentes to furnishe out the stinckyng Masses to saie our Ladies Psalter to praie vpon Beades to vse obserue and kepe Pharisaicall fastynges with the Popishe idle holie daies and solempne feastes and to receiue holie breade holie water holie palme holie asshes and holie fire holie creame holie candelles and holie oile c. These are the good woorkes and beste woorkes that they haue set forth to bee doen of all people and who soeuer speaketh againste those woorkes they are taken for enemies to GOD and as rancke heretiques but all those good woorkes of the papistes are not required nor yet commaunded of God to bee dooen therefore thei dooe rather deserue the name of synne and of detestable abhomination before God then of good workes The true good woorkes are voide of all superstition thei are alligated or bounde neither to place nor to the persones nor to tyme for thei are as certaine fruites of our whole life testifiyng of the goodnesse of our harte and expressyng the nature of our heauenly father which not onely of the faithfull but of the very infidelles are rekened and taken for good workes and minister occasion vnto them to glorifie our father whiche is in heauen The workes of faithe workyng through Charitie and loue are good woorkes For GOD doeth worke them in vs and by vs them doeth our sauiour Christe set out saiyng I was an hungred and ye gaue me meate I was thirstie and ye gaue me drincke I was naked and ye clothed me I was harbourlesse and ye harboured me I was sicke and in prison and ye visited me The Apostle also doeth sufficiently teache vs what be the good woorkes that God doeth require of vs but what should I alledge one or twoo textes sithe all the whole Scriptures do euerywhere exhort vs still vnto good workes what those good workes are S. Paul doeth declare when he saith We are the workmanship of god created in christ Iesu vnto those good workes that God hath prepared for vs to walke in If any man should aske me nowe what bee those good woorkes that he hath prepared for vs to walke in I would aunswere that all those woorkes that God doeth bidde and commaunde vs in his holie and sacred worde are those good workes that he hath prepared for vs for to walke in And those I saie and beleue ought onely to be called good workes and none other And therefore
doctrine as some places thereof I will recite first the Lorde saieth in Genesis I will henceforth curse the earth no more for mans sake For the imagination of mans heart is euill euen from the verie youth of hym Againe in Deuteronomie the L. saieth Ye haue séen all that the Lorde did before your eyes in the lande of Egypte vnto Pharao and vnto all his seruauntes Thine eyes haue seen these greate tokens and wonders And yet vnto this daie hath not the Lorde geuen you a hearte that vnderstandeth eyes that see and eares that heare What coulde Moyses saie more vnlesse he shoulde call vs blockes and stones And in Ezechiell the Lorde saieth A newe hearte will I geue you and a newe spirite will I put in you as for that stonie hearte I will take it out of your bodie and geue you a fleshely hearte I will geue you my spirite among you and cause you to walke in my commaundementes to kéepe my lawes and to fulfill them This place doeth teache vs sufficiently that excepte our stonie heartes be taken awaie from vs and fleshely that is to saie obedient heartes geuen vs in stéede of them and a newe spirite put into vs whiche should worke obedience towardes the Lordes commaundementes we are able to do nothyng we can in no wise kéepe the lawes of God nor yet fulfil them Ieremie also saieth by the spirite of God I wil geue them one heart and one waie that they maie feare mée for euer for the wealth of them and of their children I will put my feare in their heartes that they shall not depart from mée In another place he saieth Conuert thou mée and I shall be conuerted for thou art the Lorde my god And againe he saith O Lorde I knowe that the waie of man is not in his owne power neither is it in man to walke and to direct his steppes Salomon also saieth The kynges hearte is in the hande of the Lorde as the riuers of waters he turneth it whither soeuer it pleaseth him ▪ Dauid saith Turne awaie my eyes from regarding vanitie and quicken mée in thy waie Incline mine heaate vnto thy testimonies and not to couetousnes Sainct Iohn saith A man can receaue nothing excepte it be geuen from aboue he speaketh not there doubtlesse of the common giftes of nature but of the speciall giftes of the holy ghoste Unto this the wordes of Christe agrée when he saieth No man can come vnto mée excepte it be geuen him of my father For this cause when Peter had saide Thou art Christe the sonne of the liuyng God Christe made this aunswere vnto hym againe Blessed art thou Symon the sonne of Ionas for fleshe and blood hath not opened that vnto thee but my father that is in heauen And againe whosoeuer saieth he doth heare and learne of the father commeth to mée and they shall all be taught of God This is the worke of God that ye beleue in hym whom he hath sent Sainct Paule strongly beateth downe the vaine pryde of our fréewill men where he writeth on this maner The naturall man perceiueth nothyng of the spirite of god Whereby he doeth vnderstande that the naturall man whiche is not renewed in Christe can not perceiue the thynges that be of the spirite of god For why thei are but foolishnes vnto him And againe he saieth Suche truste haue we through Christe to Godwarde not that we are sufficient of our selues to thinke any thing as it were of our selues but our ablenesse commeth of God. Now if we be not able to thinke a good thought except◠God doeth put it in vs how much more vnable be we either to will or to doe anye thyng that good is or acceptable in the sight of God And in his Epistle to the Philippians he saieth It is god that worketh in you both the will and the déede euen of his good pleasure And to the Romaines he hath these wordes So then it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercie Therefore we wyll omit many other textes And beléeue verily the words of christ alowyng and ratifiyng all these places of Scriptures before recited when he saith Sine me nihil potestis facere Without me ye can doe nothyng All these Scriptures doe shewe our vnablenesse weakenes and imbecilitie and that we bee the seruauntes of synne vntill and before we be regenerated and renewed by the holy ghoste and made newe creatures What fréedome then can we iustly boast or bragge of Vbi spiritus domini saieth sainct Paule Ibi libertas Where the spirite of the Lorde is there is libertie and fréedome Againe Si vos filius liberauerit vere liberi eritis That is to say If the sonne therefore doe make you frée ye shal be frée in déede These sayinges doe sufficiently declare that as long as we are voyde of the spirite of God and are not set at libertie by the sonne wee are naught else but the bondslaues of Sathan the deuyll of synne and of death All this doeth teache vs that of our selues ▪ we be not able to thynke a good thought as of our selues Therefore Sainct Augustine doeth define fréewyll after this sort Liberum arbitrium est facultas rationis voluntatis qua bonum eligitur gratia adsistente malum verò ea desistente That is to saie frée will is a vertue or power of the reason will whereby the good is chosen when the grace of God doeth assiste and the euill when it is awaie or is withdrawen The meaning is that by frée will if wee haue the assistaunce and helpe of the grace of God wee are able to choose that whiche is good but if the grace of God be awaie or be withdrawen wee can doe no more but embrace that whiche is euill and hurtefull to our owne soules Therefore saide Paule verie well to the Corinthians By the grace of God I am that I am his grace which is in mée was not in vaine but I laboured more aboundantly then thei al yet not I but the grace of God which is with me And in another place he saieth thus I liue yet not I now but Christe liueth in mee Alwaies we sée that all our ablenes power strength fréedome and wyll commeth by the onely grace of God by wis workyng spirite through Iesus Christe our sauiour and not of our owne selues Where as they cauaile and saie man hath free will to doe good and a power to receiue the grace of God alledgyng the place of Ecclesiasticus for their purpose where he saieth God made man from the beginnyng and lefte hym in the hande of his counsell and gaue hym his commauddementes and preceptes if thou wilt thou shalt obserue the commaundements and testifie thy good will. Before man is life and death good and euill what him liketh shall be geuen
him He hath set fire and water before thee reache out thy hande vnto which thou wilt They doe herein shewe their ignoraunce if the matter bee waighed for all men knowe this booke is not autenticall nor numbred among the canonicall Scriptures therefore Sainct Hierome saith it is Apochrypha That is to say a thing that is hidden secrete or darke whiche hath no certaine authour or whiche is not autentike that is asmuche to saie as of aucthoritie or bookes which were not receiued by a common consent to be read and expounded publikely in the Church neither yet serued to proue any pointe of christian religioÌ„ saue in asmuch as they had the consent of other Scriptures canonicall to confirme the same or rather whereon thei were grounded But lette vs graunte that it is Canonicall what get thei by it For it maketh nothyng for their purpose For before we declare how it maketh nothyng for their matter we must consider of man what he was before he fell what he was after he fell and what he is when he is regenerated and newe horne againe of the spirite by the will of god If you marke this texte well you shall easily perceiue that he speaketh of man as he was before his fall in his firste estate of his creation and being in his originall innocencie and righteousnes And that doeth sainâ—te Augustine saie whose woordes are these Freewill before the fall was an vpright freewill before which fire and water was laied of God and the first man did reache his hande to whiche he would he did choose fire and forsooke water Sée the righteous iudge the same which man beyng free did choose he did receiue he would haue euill and the same did followe hym Againe he saieth I saie that free-will was in that man whiche was created firste For he was so made that nothyng could with stande his will if he woulde haue kepte Goddes commaundementes but after that he had synned through freewill he did caste vs all that come of his stocke into necessitie Againe he hath these wordes The fault whiche followed the synne and whiche is the punishemente hath tourned libertie into necessitie Againe Man vsyng free-will not well did bothe loose it and hym selfe And in an other place he hath these woordes Verum est magnas arbitrij liberi vires homo cuÌ„conderetur accepit sed peccando amisit It is true saith he that man when he was made did receiue greate strength of freewill but he loste it in synnyng These aucthorities of saincte Augustine doe sufficiently declare how the place that thei alledged out of Ecclesiasticus ought to bee vnderstanded for there doubtlesse the wiseman speaketh of man as he was firste created in the estate of innocencie not as he was with his posteritie after his fall whereby as Augustine saieth All men haue loste their naturall possibilitie and ablenesse and their naturall or originall innocencie And so oughte all the doctours to be vnderstanded when soeuer thei speake of free-will in man for thei speake of that freewill that was in AdaÌ„ before his fall And therefore sainct Augustine when he saith Ad ValentinuÌ„ Si noÌ„ est liberum arbitrium vt mundum iudicat deus If there bee no freewill how shall God iudge the worlde He meaneth there that God shall iudge vs all by his iustice in that freewill that we had in Adam before his fall whiche some men in his tyme did vtterly deny any freewill to bee in Adam at all vpon occasion whereof he saied these wordes to staie the contentions that then was For in an other place he openeth his full mynde and iudgemente saiyng Cum autem de libera voluntate recte faciendi loquimur de illa scilicet in qua homo factus est loquimur That is When wee speake of freewill of doyng well we speake and meane of that freewill in whiche man was first made before his fall And hereto sainct Hierome agreeth writyng vppon Ieremie when he saieth these woordes And therefore the heretiques bee wonte to promise felicitie and to open vnto synners the kingdome of heauen saiyng Thou maiest followe the maiestie of GOD and bee without synne sithe that thou hast receaued the power and strengthe of freewill and the vnderstandyng of the lawe whereby thou art able to obtaine what soeuer thou wilte And so the saied heretiques doe deceiue the poore simple and ignoraunte persons and specially women whiche beyng loden with sinnes are ledde to and fro with euery winde of doctrine deceiuyng by their flatterie all them that giue eares vnto them Here we see that sainct Hierome doth call them all heretiques that saie that men be able by their freewill to dooe bothe good and euill They do further obiect and saie that if man hath not that power of his owne strength to kepe the whole lawe and performe it why then are we commaunded to kepe it vpon paine of dampnation and if for not keepyng wee shal bee punished then are wée punished wrongfully and God shall seeme to bée vnrighteous to giue vs a lawe and to require performaunce of vs of the same when it is not in our powers and freedome to obserue it as â—e commaundeth And againe what neede so many exhortations to turne to hym to beleue hym to heare to repente to amende our liues c. if we haue not a wyll and power of our selues to doe al this And againe God saueth no man againste his will. As to the firste in that God giueth his lawe vnto vs to bee obserued and requireth of vs due fulfillyng of the same and for not doyng of it he will punishe vs he is in all this a iuste and righteous god And in that wée can not fulfill the lawe as it requireth the fault nor hardnesse of it to be kepte is not of God nor yet of the law it selfe for the lawe of it self is easie and so are all the commaundementes of GOD and if any difficultie or hardnesse bee in them it commeth not of the nature and propertie of the commaundementes of God giuen â–ª vnto vs but of the corruption of our owne nature Therefore sâ—inct Paule setteth foorthe this in plaine wordes saiyng What soeuer the law coulde not fulfill in as muche as it was weake because of the fleshe that same did God performe sendyng his sonne in the similitude of synfull fleshe and by synne dampned synne Two thynges are to be learned in Saincte Paules woordes Firste that it commeth not of the lawe that men are not able to fulfill it but of the imbecilitie and weakenesse of the fleshe Secondlie we doe learne that God doeth by his sonne Iesu Christe supplie the same that by reason of the weakenesse of our fleshe wee bee not able to fulfill God therefore is not vnrighteous to aske the performaunce of his commaundementes at our handes although we can not satisfie it accordyngly No more then if I were bounde to paie one
the inner man that Christ maie dwell in your hartes by faithe Againe he saieth Greeue not the holie spirite of God by whom ye are sealed vnto redemption But that thyng that he requireth there he desireth God to graunte it to the Thessalonians saiyng Wherefore we praie alwaies for you that our GOD make you worthie of your callyng and fulfill all good purposes of his goodnesse and the worke of faithe with power that the name of our Lorde Iesus Christe maie bee glorified in you and ye in him through the grace of our lorde Iesu Christ. Again I planted and Apollo hath watered but it is the lorde that giueth the increase For in the Lorde we liue and moue and haue our beyng As we maie easily see in that Christe did saie vnto the man that was sicke of the palsie Arise take vp thy bedde and go home It did not folowe that he had strength to arise excepte Christe our Sauiour had giuen it hym but when Christe did saie vnto hym arise he did straight with it giue hym strength to arise Euen so when God dooeth by his Preachers speake vnto them whom he hath chosen alreadie and doeth bidde and exhorte theim to arise out of the bedde of synne straight therewith he giueth them strength to doe it Saincte Augustine agreyng herewith saieth Iubet ergo deus continentiam daâ—continentiam Iubet per legem dat per gratiam Iubet per literam dat per spiritum God doeth commaunde continencie and he doeth giue continencie he commaundeth it by the law he doth giue it by grace he commaundeth it by the letter he doeth giue it by the spirite And therefore he saieth moste excellently in his booke of confessioÌ„s Continentiam iubes da quod iubes iube quod vis Thou commaundest continencie giue that thou commauÌ„dest and commaunde what thou wilte Againe Lex data est vt gratia quaereretur gratia data est vt lex impleretur The lawe is giuen that grace should be sought grace is giuen that the law should bee fulfilled Againe Quod bene viâ—imus quod raecte intelligimus deo debemus nostrum nihil est nisi pâ—ccatum quod habemus That we liue well that we vnderstande a right wee haue it of God of our selues wee haue nothyng but onely synne that is within vs. Againe sainct Hierome saith Non dixit dedi â—is liberi arbitrij potestatem vt ipsi se suo labore saluarent sed ego custodiui eos ego seruaui Christe saied not I haue giuen to them the power of free will that thei by their owne labour should bee saued but I haue kepte them I haue reserued them These testimonies both of Scriptures and Fathers doe sufficiently declare that whatsoeuer God doeth requre of vs the same he must worke in vs by his holy spirite For of our selues we are able to doe no maner of thyng that good is Therfore saieth Sainct Augustine Homo sibi sufficit ad peccandum vt iustificetur non sibi sufficit nisi ab illo iustificetur qui solus est iustus Man is able or sufficient of hym selfe to synne that hee shoulde be iustified he is not able or sufficient of hymselfe excepte he shoulde be iustified by hym whiche onely is iuste Againe in the same place hee saieth I doneus est homo ad vulnerandum sed nunquam idoneus est ad sanandum se quando vult egrotat noÌ„ quando vult surgit Man is apte and meete to wounde hymselfe but he is not apte and meete to heale hym self when he will he is sicke not when he will he doeth rise And where as they saie God will saue none againste his will it is true in déede For thei are made willyng by hym before whom he will and dooeth saue and whom he made willyng them doth he also helpe aide and assist that they may do the thyng that he hath made them willyng to doe wherefore Christe said No man commeth vnto mee excepte my father doeth drawe hym And againe it is God that worketh in vs both the will and also the deede according to his good pleasure Sainct Augustine saieth agréeyng herewith No man saith he can beléeue hope or loue vnlesse he will but euen the selfe same will to beléeue hope and loue coÌ„meth not but from god Againe Nos volumus sed deus in nobis operatur velle Nos operamur sed deus in nobis operatur operari pro bona sua voluntate Hoc nobis expedit credere dicere Hoc est pium hoc est verum vt fit humilis submissa confessio detur totum deo Tutiores viuimus si totuÌ„ deo damus noÌ„ auÌ„t nos illi ex parte nobis ex parte coÌ„mittimus We will but it is God that worketh in vs to will. We woorke â–ª but is God that worketh in vs to worke accordyng to his good pleasure This is behouefull for vs both to beleue to speake This is a godly this is a true doctrine that our coÌ„fession maie be humble and lowly and that God may haue the whole We liue in more safetie if we giue all vnto God rather then if we commit ourselues partely to our selues and partely to hym Sainct Gregorie saieth Ipse aspirando nos preuenit vt velimus qui adiuuando subsequitur ne inaniter velimus He doeth preuente vs with his grace that we may be willing and with his healpyng hande he doeth followe vs leste we should will in vaine Sainct Barnarde saieth Neque enim aut inchoare bonum donec à misericordia preueniamur aut agere bonum donec adiunemur à gratia aut coÌ„summare in bono possumus donec gloria repleamur Neither can we beginne saieth he any good vntill we be preuented by mercie or els to doe any good vntill we be holpen by grace or els that we can ende in goodnesse vntill we bee fulfilled or replenished by glorie Therefore doeth Sainct Augustine call it Gratia praeueniens preuentyng grace Thus we maie sée that God saueth no man that is vnwillyng to be saued or that doeth withstande and resiste alwaies his blessed wyll and pleasure But before thae he saueth anye man he maketh that same man by his grace to consent and agree vnto his blessed will and pleasure yea he doeth reache forthe his hande vnto hym for to plucke hym vp Wherefore saieth Fulgentius Ye see of whom wee haue this good will that we must bryng vnto God euen of hymself and not of vs For it is he and none other that doeth woorke it in vs by his holy spirite Euerie good worke then which we doe worke in God the same doeth God woorke in vs For all thinges are of hym through hym and in hym bothe our good worke and our good will then be both of hym Hec Fulgentius Note here that wee saie not that man was bereft of his vnderstandyng