from al sinne Therefore the moste proper phrase of speech is to saye that we are sanctified through faith by the bloud of Christe who saide I sanctifie my selfe from them that they also may bee sanctified through the trueth The latter is that they which are sanctified by the bloud of Christe through faith doe day by day sanctifie them selues and giue their mindes to holynesse To y doing and studie whereof the Apostles doe moste earnestly exhorte the Sainctes For Peter saith As hee which called you is holie so be ye also holie in your conuersation because it is written Bee ye holie for I am holie Sainct Paule saith This is the will of God euen your holinesse c. 1. Thessal 4. Sainct Iohn saith Nowe are wee the sonnes of God yet it doth not appeare what we shal be but wee knowe that when he shal appeare we shal be like him for wee shal see him as he is And euery one that hath this hope in him purifieth him selfe euen as he also is pure Nowe this purging or purification which is made by our care and industrie is called by the name of sanctification not because it is made by vs as of our selues but because it is made of them that are sanctified by the bloud of Christe in respecte of Christe his bloud For vnlesse that sanctification which is the verie true and onely sanctification in déede do goe before our sanctification I meane that whiche we worke is none at all But if that go before then is this of oures imputed for sanctification although in the meane while the spottes of sinne remaining in vs doe defile it and that we do put no confidence in it Therefore so often as thou shalt reade in the holy scriptures that righteousnesse is attributed to our good woorkes thou shalt thinke streightwayes that it is done for none other causes than those which I haue hitherto alreadie declared vnto thee For the Apostolical spirite cannot be repugnant or contrarie to it selfe This wil yet be made a great deale more manifest if we call to remembraunce and doe consider that the Apostles had to deale with two kindes of men the one sorte whereof did affirme that they were sufficiently able of their owne strength to satisfie or fulfill the lawe and that they coulde by their desertes and good woorkes merite eternall life yea they affirmed that the merite of Christe was not sufficient enoughe to the gettting of saluation vnlesse the righteousnesse of men were added therevnto Against these Paule disputed verie constantly and pithiely in all his Epistles For they made Christe and the grace of God of none effect The other sorte of men were such as abusing the doctrine of grace and faith did wallowe like swine in all filthie sinnes beecause they thought that it was sufficient vnto saluation if they did saye that they beléeued But they neuer declared their faith or beléefe by any good woorkes although occasion therevnto were giuen them Against these did S. Peter very well and wisely dispute in the 1. Chap. of his 2. Epistle and S. Iames in the 2. Chap. of his Epistle For hée affirmeth that Abraham was not iustified by faith onely but by workes that is to say that he was not iustified by a vaine opinion but by faith which bare and was full of good woorks For Iames doeth vse the names of Faith and iustification in one sense Paule in another Paul putteth faith for an assured confidence in the merite of Christ and hée vseth Iustification for absolution and remission of sinnes for adoptioÌ„ into the number of the sonnes of God and lastly for the imputing of Christ his righteousnes vnto vs But in Iames faith doth signifie a vaine opinion and iustification doth import not the imputing of righteousnesse but the declaring of righteousnesse adoption For it is vndoubtedly true that the holy Apostles of Christ S. Peter and S. Iames would not by their writinges make voyde the grace and merite of Christ to aduaunce the merites of mortall men but rather to withstand the vnpurenesse of them which put the faith of Christ in perill of disgracing to the offence of all good men liuing in the meane while most wickedly in detestable sinnes without repentaunce Therefore the Apostles of Christ requiring good workes at the handes of the faithfull doe first of all require a true and liuelie faith and doe referre them both vnto the grace of God. Let vs therefore most firmely hold that the Apostles doe attribute iustification life and saluation to good workes improperly to true faith properly but most properly to Christ who is the subiecte foundation of true faith For although true faith is not without good woorkes yet doeth it iustifie without good works by it selfe alone For it is most certaine that life and saluatioÌ„ are bestowed on vs after the same maner that health and life was giuen to the children of Israel whiche in the wildernesse were poysoned of the Serpents They had their health restored them not by any workes but by the onely beholding and loking vppon the brasen Serpent therfore we also are made partakers of eternall life by faith alone which is the true be holding and looking vp to Christ As Moses saith our Sauiour did lift vpp the SerpeÌ„t in the wildernesse so must the sonne of man be lifted vp that euerie one whiche beleeueth in him should not perishe but haue eternall life And the Apostle Paule saith Yee are saued by grace through faith not of yourselues it is the gift of God not of works least any man should boast c. With this doctrine of the Euangelistes and Apostles doe the testimonies of certaine doctors of the Church agrée Some of whiche I will recite vnto you déerely beloued not because these testimonies of the Scripture are not sufficient but because we wil not séeme to be the beginners bringers in of newe doctrines although in very déed that cannot be newe which is deriued out of the Euangelicall and Apostolicall doctrine albeit that all the doctors of the Church should gainesay or denie it Now therefore giue eare how some euen of the best of them do not in words onely say and write but also by proofes shewe that faith alone doth iustifie ORIGEN a very ancient writer vppon the 3. Chap. of the Epistle of Sainct Paul to the Romanes doth say Paul saith that the iustificatioÌ„ of faith alone is sufficient for a man so that euery one that doeth beléeue onely is iustified although no workes are once wrought by him Now if we require an example where any was euer iustified by faith alone without good workes that théefe I suppose is example good enough who being crucified with Christ did crie from the Crosse â—ord Iesu remember mee when thou commest into thy kingdome In the writinges of the Euangelistes there is mention made of no good worke whiche hee in his life time did and yet because of this his faith onely
but yet bycause the fleshe dothe striue with the spirite so long as life remaineth on the earth therefore the godly haue néede with faith and the holy Ghost to wash and wipe their féete that is the reliques and spottes wherewith they are disteined by their dayly conuersation in this world But nowe wherevnto belongeth this that is added The communion of Saintes These wordes are neyther read in Cyprian nor Augustine nor yet by them expounded Wherefore it is likely that they were added for the better vnderstaÌ„ding of that which went before for that it might appeare that the Catholike Church is the fellowship or companie of the faythfull he added The communion of Saintes as if he shuld haue sayd which church is a communion of Saintes Paule called them Sainctes which for their fayth are sanctified by the bloude and spirite of god Also this word CoÌ„munion is verie euideÌ„t and comfortable For first the meaning thereof is that betwixt God vs ther is a Communion that is a fellowship participatioÌ„ and so consequently a parting betwixt vs of all good and heauenlie thinges And then also we vnderstand that we are fellowes and partakers with all the Saintes that are liuing either in heauen or on earth For we are members of theÌ„ vnder one head Christ For the Apostle Iohn saith That which wee haue seene and heard we declare vnto you that ye also may haue fellowship with vs and that your fellowship may be with the father and his sonne Iesus Christ Hereunto appertayneth that trimme similitude of the body members vnder one heade which the Apostle Paul handleth at large in déede but what is he that can worthily enoughe set forth the great goodnesse of Gods gifte benefite in that wée are made fellow partners of God with whom we are most nerely conioyned and haue a part in all his good heauenly things what can bee more delightfull to oure eares then to heare that all that Saints as well in heauen as in earth are our bretheren and that we againe are meÌ„bers partners and fellowes with theÌ„ Blessed be God which hath so liberally bestowed his blessing on vs in Christe his sonne To this place belongeth the discourse vppon the Sacraments of which of the Church I meane at an other time more fullie to entreate This for the present time is sufficient For this that I haue said doth abuÌ„dantly enoughe expresse set out the fruite of faith in the father the sonne the holy ghost to wit that wée haue participation with God and al the Saints and that in this fellowship we are sanctiâ—ied 〈◊〉 all filth or vncleannesse being clensed and holie in Christe our Lord. Now followeth the tenth article of our beliefe which is The forgiuenes of sinnes The second fruit or commoditie of our beliefe in God the father the sonne and the holie ghoste is here set forth that is the remission of sinnes which although it be coÌ„teyned in sanctification spoken of in the last article is in this place notwithstanding more liuely expressed Without the Church as it were without the arke of Noe is no saluatioÌ„ but in that Church I meane in that fellowship of Christe the saincts is full forgiuenes of all offences That this maye be the better vnderstoode I wil diuide it into some parts First of all it is néedeful to acknowledge confesse that wée are sinners that by nature and our owne proper merits we are the children of wrath damnation For S Iohn doth not in vaine nor without a cause call euerie one a lyar that saith he hath no sinne And God which knoweth the harts of men hath coÌ„maunded vs euen till the laste gaspe to pray saying Forgiue vs our debtes Moreouer in the Gospel wee haue two excellent examples of meÌ„ openlie confessing their sinnes to God the prodigall sonne I say and the Publican in S. Luk. Let vs therfore thincke that wee are all sinners as Paule also taught yea as he hath euidently proued in the first Cap. to the Romanes let vs fréely confesse to God our sinnes with Dauid in the 32. and 51. Psal. saying My sinne haue I made knoweÌ„ to thee mine iniquitie I haue not hid I haue saide I wil confesse mine vnrighteousnes against my self thou haste forgiuen the iniquitie of mine offence Haue mercie on me O God accordig to thy great mercie c. The Psalme is knowen Secondarily let vs belieue that al these sinns of ours are pardoned forgiuen of God not for the acknowledging and confessing of our sinnes but for the merit and bloud of the sonne of God not for our owne workes or merits but for the truth and mercie or grace of god For we do plainly professe saying I belieue the forgiuenes of sinns We say not I buy or by gifts do get or by woorkes obtaine the forgiuenes of sinnes but I belieue the forgiuenes of sinnes And the word remission or forgiuenesse doth signifie a free pardoning by a metaphore taken of creditours and debitours For the creditour forgiueth the debitour when he is not able to pay therefore remission is a forgiuing according to that saying of our Sauiour in the Gospell A certaine lender had two debitours when they were not able to pay hee forgaue them both Hereunto belongeth that also in the Lords prayer And forgiue vs our debtes For our debts are our sinnes them do we request to be remitted that is to be forgiueÌ„ vs In this sense also saith S. Paule To him that worketh is the reward reckoned not of grace but of due debte But to him that worketh not but belieueth on him that iustifieth the vngodlie his saith is counted for righteousnes Euen as Dauid describeth the blessednesse of that man vnto whom God imputeth righteousnes without works saying Blessed are they whose vnrighteousnes are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered Blessed is that man to whom the Lord will not impute sinne Wherefore in respect of vs which haue not wherewithal to repaie our sinnes are freelie forgiuen but in respect of Gods iustice they are forgiuen for the merit and satisfaction of Christ Moreouer it is not the sinnes of a few men of one or two ages or a few certaine number of sinnes are forgiuen onely but the sinnes of all men of all ages the whole multitude of sinns whatsoeuer is is called sinne whether it be original or actuall or any other else to be short all sinnes are forgiueÌ„ vs Which we do hereby learne because the onely sacrifice of Christ is effectual enough to wash away all the offences of all sinners which by fayth come to the mercie seat of Gods grace And yet by this wée do not teach men to sinne because the Lorde hath long since made satisfaction for sinnes but if any man do sinne wee teach him to hope well and not to despaire but to flee to the throne of Grace For there wée say that Christ sitting at
these woords of the Lord in the Gospel must be beateÌ„ inâ—o the head of euery godly hearer Think not saith hee that I am come to destroy the lawe or the Prophets yea I came not to destroy but to fulfil theÌ„ Verilie I say vnto you heauen and earth shall passe but one iote or title of the lawe shall not passe till all bee fulfilled Whosoeuer therefore shall loose one of the smallest of these coÌ„mandements and shall teach men so he shal be called the least in the kingdome of heauen But whosoeuer shal doe and teach them hee shal be called great in the kingdome of heauen Let euery one therefore bée assuredly persuaded that the lawe of God whiche is the most excellent and perfecte will of God is for euer eternall and cannot be at any time disolued either by men or Angels or any other creatures Let euery man thinke that the lawe so farre as it is the rule howe to liue well and happilie so farre as it is the bridle wherewith wée are kept in the feare of the Lord so farre as it is a pricke to awake the dullnesse of oure flesh and so farre as it is giuen to instructe correcte and rebuke vs men that so farr I say it doth remaine vnabrogated and hath euen at this day her commoditie in the Church of God and therefore the abrogating of the lawe consisteth in this that followeth I told you that Gods commaundementes require the whole man and a very heauenly kinde of perfectnesse which whosoeuer performeth not hée is accursed and condemned by the law Nowe no man doth fulfill that righteousnesse therefore are wée all accursed by the law But this curse is taken awaye and most absolute righteousnesse is fréely bestowed on vs through Christ Iesus For Christ redéemed vs from the curse of the law being made the curse righteousnesse and sanctification for vs men And so in this sense the law is abrogated that is the curse of the lawe is thorough Christe taken from the faithfull and true righteousnesse is bestowed vppon vs thorough grace by faith in the same Christ Iesus For he is that blessed seede in whoÌ„ all the kinreds of the earth are blessed Hée is our righteousnesse For Paule saith By him euerie one that beleeueth is iustified from all things from which ye could not bee iustified by the lawe of Moses Therefore the law is put for the curse of the lawe or else the law of God is taken for that whiche is bewrayed or made manifest by the lawe that is to say it is taken for sinne For by the lawe commeth the knowledge of sinne Therefore the lawe is abrogated that is sinne is taken away not that it should not be or not shewe it selfe in vs but that it should not be imputed vnto vs and coÌ„demne vs For there is no damnatioÌ„ to them that are in Christ Iesu Moreouer the lawe is taken for the vigeance or punishment which is by the law appointed for transgressours Therefore the lawe is abrogated because the punishment appointed by the lawe is taken from the neckes of the faithfull beléeuers For the law is not giuen to the righteous man. For Christ deliuered the faithfull from eternall punishments whiles hée being guiltlesse did suffer afflictions for wicked sinners Furthermore the Apostle saith The fleshly mind is enimitie against God for it is not obedieÌ„t to the law of god nether can be But now this hatred or enimitie of Gods law is by faith pulled out of the harts of the faithful in stéed of it is graffed in the loue of gods most holy wil so that in this sense also the lawe is said to be abrogated beecause the hatred of the lawe is taken away And therefore the Apostle compareth them that are vnder the lawe to bondslaues and them that are frée from the lawe to sonnes and children to whome also hée attributeth the spirite not of bondage but of adoption For forbecause ye are sonnes sayth he God hath sent the spirite of his sonne into your heartes which crieth Abba father c. To these may be added that the lawe of God hath types and shadowes and that the Ceremonies are verie burthensome euen as also the whole lawe is called a yoke But nowe the sonne of God came into this world who fulfilling the figures shewed to vs the verie truth and did abolish those types and shadowes so that nowe no man can condemne vs for neglecting or passing ouer those Ceremonies or figures so againe in that sense the lawe of God is abrogated y is to say that kinde of gouernement whiche Moses ordeined did come to nought when Christ did come and his Apostles began to teach For they without regarde of the Ecclesiasticall regiment appointed by Moses did congregate Churches to whiche they taught not that kind of regiment which Moses had ordeined For they did coÌ„stantly reiecte the priesthoode of Aaron the sacramentes the sacrifices and choice of dayes of meates and of apparell which Moses had taught their elders And in stéed of al those rites they preached Christ alone and his two Sacraments c. This haue I said hetherto generally touching the abrogation of the law and now againe I will more largely expound the same by seuerall partes The whole lawe is diuided into the Moral the Ceremonial and the Iudicial lawes The Moral lawe nowe is conteyned in the tenne commaundements the first precept whereof doeth teach vs to honour and worshipp one God alone not to match any strange gods with him This coÌ„maundement did oure Lord Iesus in the Gospell so earnestly vrge and diligently teach that wée may perceiue very well that in it nothing is altered The second precept forbiddeth idolatrie that is the worshipping and honouring of al maner images whether they be the images of GOD himself or of any of his creatures But it is knowen that the Apostles in the doctrine of the Gospell did vse all meanes that they could to banishe and driue away all kinde of idolatrie Paule Iohn crie Flee from idolatrie And wheras Christ and his Apostles doe most diligently teach vs to sanctifie glorifie Gods holy name they doe thereby giue their consent to the establishing of the third coÌ„mandement which doth forbid to defile Gods name by taking it in vaine The 4. alone of all the commaundements concerning the sanctifying of the sabboth day is of S. Augustine called Ceremoniall But it must not be simplie vnderstoode to be Ceremoniall For so farre forth as the outward worship of God requireth a certeine appointed time to be exercised in carrieth with it the sacrifices of the lawe so farre I say it is ceremoniall but in respecte that it teacheth to méete in holy assemblies to worship God to pray to preache to be partakers of the sacraments and to offer spiritual sacrifices therein it is eternall not ceremonial As I haue before declared in the exposition of the Sabboth The fifte precept touching
dothe admit a godly and religious interpretation The worde of God is a rule for all men and ages to leade their lyues by Therefore ought it by interpretation to be applyed to all ages and men of all sortes For euen our God him self did by Moses in many wordes expounde and apply to his people the lawe whiche he gaue and published in Mount Sina Furthermore it was a solemne vse among the auncient Prophets first to reade and then by expositions to apply Gods law to the people Our Lord Iesus Christ him selfe expounded the Scriptures The same did the Apostles also The word of God therfore ought to be expounded as for those whiche woulde not haue it expounded their meaning is bicause they would sinne frely with out controling or punishment But wheras the Scripture doth admit an exposition it doth not yet admit any exposition whatsoeuer For that which sauoureth of mans imagination it vtterly reiecteth For as by the spirite of God the scripture was reuealed so by the same spirit it is requisite to expound it There are therefore certaine rules to expounde the worde of God religiously by the very worde of God it self that is so to expounde it that the exposition disagrée not with the articles of our fayth nor be contrarie to charitie towardes God and our neighbour but that it be throughly surueyed and grounded vpon that whiche went before and followeth after by diligent weighing of all the circumstances and laying together of the places And chiefly it is requisite that the heart of the interpreter be godly bent willing to plant vertue and plucke vp vice by the rootes and finally alwayes ready euermore to praye to the Lorde that he will vouchsafe to illuminate oure myndes that Gods name maye in all thinges be gloryfied For his is the glory honour and dominion for euer and euer Amen Of true fayth from whence it commeth that it is an assured beliefe of the minde whose onely stay is vpon God and his worde ¶ The fourth Sermon IN my last sermoÌ„ I declared vnto you howe that the perfecte exposition of Gods worde doth differ nothinge froÌ„ the rule of true Faith and the loue of God and our neighbour For vndoubtedly that sense of Scripture is corrupted which doeth square from Faith and the two points of charitie I haue now therfore next to treate of true faith and charitie towards God and our neighbour to the intent that no man may finde lacke of any thing herein And first therefore by Gods help and the good means of your prayers I wil speake of true Faith. This word Faith or beliefe is diuersly vsed in the common talke of men For it is taken for any kinde of religion or honor done to god As we say the Christian faith the Iewish faith and the Turkish faith Faith or beliefe also is taken for a conceiued opinion of any thing that is tolde vs as wheÌ„ we heare any thing rehearsed vnto vs out of the Indian or Ethiopian hystorie we by by say that we beleue it and yet notwithstanding we put no confidence in it nor hope to haue any commoditie therby at all This is that faith wherewith Saint Iames sayth that the deuill beleeueth and trembleth Last of all faith is commonly put for an assured and vndoubted confidence in God and his word Among the Hebrues faith taketh her name of truth certainty and assured constancy The Latines call that faith when that is done which is sayd Wheruppon one sayth I demaund of thee whether thou beleeuest or no Thou aunswerest I beleue do theÌ„ that which thou sayst and it is faith Therfore in this treatise of ours faith is an vndoubted beliefe most firmely grounded in the minde This faith which is a setled and vndoubted persuasion or beliefe leaning vpon God and his worde is diuersly defined by the perfecter diuines S. Paul saith Faith is the substance of things hoped for the euidence of things not seene The substance or hypostasis is the foundation or the vnmoueable proppe which vpholdeth vs and wheron we leane and lye with out perill or daunger The things hoped for are thinges celestiall eternall inuisible And therefore Paul saith Faith is an vnmoueable foundation and a most assured coÌ„fidence of gods promises that is of life euerlasting all his good benefits Moreouer Paul himselfe making an exposition of that which he had spoken immediatly after saith faith is the argument of thinges not seene An argument or proofe is an euident demonstration whereby we manifestly proue that which otherwise should be doubtfull so that in him whom we vndertoke to instruâ—te there may remainâ— no doubt at all But now touching the misteries of god reuealed in gods word in themselues or in their owne nature they can not be seene with bodily eyes and therefore are called things not séene But this faith by giuing light to the mind doth in harte perceiue them euen as they are set forth in the word of god Faith therfore according to the definition of Paul is in the minde a most euident seeing and in the hart a most certaine perceiuing of things inuisible that is of things eternall of God I say and all those thinges which he in his word setteth forth vnto vs concerning spirituall things To this definition of Paules they had an eye which defined Faith in this sorte Faith is a grouÌ„ded persuasion of heauenly things in the meditation wher of we ought so to occupy our selues for the assured truthes sake of Gods worde that we may beleeue that in minde we do see those things as well as with our eyes we do behold things sensibly perceiued easy to be seene This description doth not greatly differ from this definition of an other godly learned man who saith Faith is a stedfast persuasion of the minde wherby we do fully decree with our selues that Gods truth is so sure that he can neither will nor choose but performe that which he in his worde hath promised to fulfill Againe Faith is a stedfast assurednes of conscience which doeth embrace Christ in the same sort wherin he is offered vnto vs by the gospell Another there is which after the same manner almost defineth Faith in this sort Faith is a gift inspired by god into the mind of maÌ„ wherby without any douting at al he doth beleue that to be most true whatsoeuer god hath either taught or promised in the bokes of both the testameÌ„ts The very same author of this definitioÌ„ therfore doth extend fayth to thrée termes of time to the time past the time present the time to come For he teacheth to beléeue that the worlde was made by God and what so euer the holy Scriptures do declare to haue bene done in the olde worlde also that Christ dying for vs is the only saluation of them whiche beléeue and that by the same God at this daye also the worlde and Church are gouerned or preserued that in Christe the faythfull are
of the Apostles Créede saith He sayd not in the holy church nor in the remission of sinnes nor in the resurrection of the body For if he had added the preposition In then had the force of those clauses beene all one with the force of that that went before For in those words wherein oure beliefe touching the Godhead is set downe we say in God the Father In Iesus Christ his Son in the holy ghost but in the rest wher the speach is not of the Godhead but touching the creatures or mysteries the preposition In is not added that we may say In the holy Churche but that the holy Church is to be beleued not as we beleue in God but as a congregation gathered together to God and that the forgiunesse of sinnes is to be beleeued not that we ought to beleeue in the forgiunesse of sinnes and that the resurrection of the flesh is to be beleeued not that we ought to beleeue in the resurrection of the fleshe So then by this sillable In the Creator is discerned from the Creatures and that that is Gods frō that that is mans This saith Cyprian S. Augustine in his booke De Fide et Symbolo hath I beleeue the holy Churche not I beleeue in the holy Church There are alledged also his wordes in his epistle Ad Neophytos touching consecration Distinct 4. ca. 1. We saide not that ye had to beleeue in the Church as in God but vnderstād how we said that ye being cōuersant in the holy Catholique Churche should beleeue in God. Much more euidently doth Paschasius in the first Chap. of his first booke De Spiritu Sancto say We beleeue the Church as the mother of regeneration we do not beleeue in the Church as the authour of saluation He that beleeueth in the Churche beleeueth in man For man hath not his being of the Churche but the Churche beganne by man Leaue of therefore this blasphemous persuasion to think that thou haste to beleeue in anye worldly Creature since thou mayst not beleeue neither in Angel nor Archangel The vnskilfulnesse of some haue drawne and taken the preposition In from the sentence that goeth nexte before and put it to that that followeth adding thereto also too too shamelesly somewhat more then needed This hath Paschasius in that booke of his which Saint Gregorie the greate Bishop of Rome liked very well of What say ye to that moreouer that Thomas of Aquine reasoning of faith in the seconde booke Part. 2. Artic. 9. quest 1. sayth If we say I beleeue in the holy Churche we muste vnderstande that oure fayth is referred to the holy Ghoste whiche sanctifieth the Churche and so make the sense to be thus I beleeue in the holy spirite that sanctifieth the Church But it is better and according to the cōmon vse not to adde at all the sillable In but simply to say the holy Catholique Churche euen as also Pope Leo sayth This hath Thomas So nowe ye haue hearde the opinions of the auncient Doctours of the Churche Cyprian Augustine Gregorie Paschasius Pope Leo and also of Thomas of Aquine whiche taught nowe in the later times And dearely beloued ye doe vnderstande by proofes taken out of the Canonicall Scripture that we must acknowledge and confesse the holy Catholike Churche but not beléeue in the holy Catholique Church And nowe we haue to sée what that is that is called the Churche and what is called the Catholique church Ecclesia whiche worde we vse for the Churche is properly an assembly it is I saye where the people are called out or gathered together to heare somewhat touching the affaires of the common weale In this present treatise it is the company communion congregation multitude or fellowship of all that professe the name of Christe Catholique is as muche to say as this fellowship is vniuersal as that that is extended throughe all places and ages For the Churche of Christe is not restrained into any corner among the Donatists in Aphrica it stretcheth out it selfe throughe the compasse of the world and vnto all ages and doth conteine all the faithfull from the first Adam euen vnto the very last Saint that shall be remaining before the end of the world This vniuersall Churche hath hir particular churches I mean the churche of Adam and of the Patriarches the Churche of Moses and of the Prophetes before the byrth of Christe the Christian Churche which is so named of Christe him selfe and the Apostolicall Church gathered together by the Apostles doctrine in the name of Christ And finally it containeth these particular Churches as the Churche of Ierusalem of Antioch of Alexandria of Rome of Asia of Aphrica of Europe of the East of the West c. And yet all these Churches as it were members of one body vnder the onely heade Christe for Christe alone is the heade of his Church not onely triumphant but militant also do make one onely Catholike Churche in whiche there are not to be founde either heresies or schismies and for that cause is it called the true Church to wit of the right and true opinion iudgement fayth and doctrine For in the Church onely is true fayth and without the Church of God is neyther any trueth nor yet saluation So then in this Article we confesse that all the faithfull dispersed through out the whole compasse of the earth and they also that at this time liue in heauen as many I say as are already saued or shall euen vntill the very end of the worlde be borne to be saued are one bodye hauing gotten fellowship and participation with God and a mutuall communion among them selues And for bycause no man can be made one with God vnlesse he also be holy pure euen as God is holy and pure therefore we beléeue that the Church is holy that is that it is sanctified by God the Father in the bloude of the Sonne and the gift of the holy Ghost We haue hearde testimonies inough in the former Sermons Therefore this one of Paule shall be sufficient which he writeth to the Ephesians Christe loued the Churche and gaue him selfe for it to sanctifie and to cleanse it in the fountaine of water through the worde to make it vnto him selfe a glorious Churche not hauing spot or wrinckle c. By which words we vnderstand that the church is called vndefiled altogether cleane not in respect of it selfe but bycause of Christe For the Church of Christ is so farre foorth holy as that yet euery day it doth goe forwarde in profiting and is neuer perfect so long as it liueth on the earth And yet notwithstanding the holinesse of it is moste absolutely perfect in Christ Wherevnto veryly belongeth that notable saying of the lord He that is washed hath no need but to washe his feete onely for he is wholy cleane For the faythfull are purely cleansed by Christe who washeth them with his bloud
the law and the Prophets Moreouer oure Lord fulfilled the lawe in that he did most absolutely in all poinctes satisfie the will of God being himselfe the holiest of all in whome there is no spot no euill concupiscence nor any sinne in him is the loue of God most perfecte righteousnesse altogether absolute which righteousnesse he doth fréely coÌ„municate to vs that are most vnperfect if wee beléeue and haue oure hope fast settled in him For hée forgiueth vs our sinnes being made a cleansing Sacrifice for vs and maketh vs partakers of his owne righteousnesse which is for that cause called Imputed righteousnesse Whereunto the testimonies of the Apostle do apperteine God saith Paul was in Christ recoÌ„ciling the world vnto himselfe not imputing their sinnes vnto them For him which knew not sinne he made sinne for vs that we might bee made the righteousnesse of God by him Againe Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse without workes So also if wee beleeue in God throughe Christ our faith shal be imputed to vs for righteousnesse For by faith we lay hold on Christ whom we beleue to haue made most absolute satisfaction to God for vs and so consequently that God for Christ his sake is pleased with vs and that the righteousnesse is imputed to vs as our owne and is in déed by gift our owne because wee are nowe the sonnes of God. These things being diligently weyyed it shal be easie for vs to aunswere them whiche make this question and doe demaunde since no mortall man doth of himself exactly satisfie the law Howe then is righteousnesse life and saluatioÌ„ promised to them that do obserue the lawe Our aunswere is forsoothe that that promise hath a respect to the perfect righteousnesse of Christ which is imputed vnto vs Otherwise it is assuredly certaine that the holy Scripture doth not so much as in one iote disagrée or square in any pointe from it selfe The Apostle doth plainly say If there had a lawe beene giuen which could haue giuen life then had righteousnesse beene of the lawe but now the Scripture hath shutt vpp all vnder sinne that the promise might be giuen by faith to them that do beleeue Wherefore he kéepeth or doeth fulfil the lawe euen of the tenne commaundements who doth the thing for which the lawe was chiefly ordeyned But the lawe was chiefly ordeyned as I did declare a little before to the ende that it might conuince vs all of sinne and damnation and so by that meanes send vs from our selues and lead vs by the hand to Christe who is the fulfilling of the lawe vnto iustification to euery one that doeth beléeue And therefore hée doth fulfil and kéepe the lawe who hath no confidence in himselfe and his owne woorkes but committing himselfe to the very grace of God doth séeke all righteousnesse in the faith of Christ Whereuppon now it is euident that these two sentences of Christ oure Lord are of one sense meaning Whosoeuer beleeueth in mee he hath life euerlasting And If thou wilt enter into life keepe the commaundements For Paule also in the 13. Chapiter of the Actes saith Be it knowen vnto you brethren that thorough Christe is preached to you the forgiuenesse of sinnes by him all that beleeue are iustified from all the thinges from which he could not be iustified by the lawe of Moses And to this place nowe belongeth all the woorke of iustification of whiche I haue at large disputed in an other place Now that faith wherewith we beleeue that Christ hath satisfied the law and that he is oure righteousnesse and our perfection is neither of our owne nature nor of our owne merits but is by the grace of God powred into vs through the holy spirit which is giuen into our hearts This spirite abiding in our heartes doth inflame our breastes with the loue and desire of Gods lawe to doe oure endeuoure to the expressing and shewing of the lawe in al our workes and conuersation Which desire and endeuour although they be neuer fully accomplished by reason of the sâ—eashes frailetie or weakenesse of mans nature which remayneth in vs euen till the last gaspe and end of our life is notwithstanding acceptable to God by grace for Christe his sake alone neither doeth anye Godly man put any confidence in this other but in the first fulfilling of the lawe as that which is onely absolute and perfecte For Paule in his Epistle to the Romans crieth out O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death And yet immediatly after he answereth I thanke God. to wit because he hath redéemed me from death through Iesus Christ our lord So then I me selfe with the minde serue the law of God but with the fleshe the lawe of sinne There is then no damnation to them whiche are graffed in Christ Iesu which walk not after the fleshe but after the spirite c. Wherfore since we are in Christ we are in grace and therefore is God pleased with oure woorkes which being giuen to vs by faith and by the liberal spirite do procéede from an hart that loueth God the giuer of them all For Iohn saide This is the loue of God that we keepe his commaundementes And his commaundementes are not greeuous Hée addeth also the reason thereof and saith For al that is borne of God ouercoÌ„meth the world nowe euerie one is borne of God that doth beléeue as is declared in the first of Iohn By whiche it is easie to reconcile these 2. places which séeme at a blushe to iarre one with an other The lawes of God are heauie which neither we nor oure fathers were able to beare And The lawes of God are not greeuous or heauie to be borne For they are not heauie to the faithfull whiche are in Christ and to those which haue the gift of Gods spirite that is to those that are reconciled to God by Christe their Lord and Sauiour Without Christ faith in Christe they are most gréeuous and heauie to be borne of euery vnbeléeuer So the faithfull béeing stirred vpp by the spirite of God doth voluntarilie and of his owne accord do good to all men so farre as his abilitie doeth suffer him will not in any case do hurt to any man not forbecause hee feareth the punishment that in the law is appointed for the disobedient vniuste and wrongfull dealers but forbecause he loueth god And so also he fulfilleth the Iudicial lawe Here I know full well the thou wilt make this obiection and say if the law be fulfilled that the fulfilling thereof hath a place in the Sainctes faithful ones what néeded then I pray you the abrogating of the lawe What néeded Paule and all the best diuines to dispute so largely of the abrogation of the same I wil therefore say somewhat of the abrogation of the law first generallie then by partes peculiarly But first of all
the remnant and those thinges that are remaining behinde And Sainct Peter saith that Christ suffered for vs leauing behinde him an example for vs that wee might followe his trace and footesteppes Therefore the Apostle affirmeth that he by suffering fulfilled the remnaunt which was behinde After this againe they alledge the wordes of the Apostle Paul where he saith If I haue all faith so that I can remoue mountaines out of their place and yet haue not charitie I am nothing For vpon this they inferre Therefore not faith onely but also charitie yea rather charitie than faith doth iustifie But we say that Paul in this sentence doth neither denye that faith alone doth iustifie nor yet doeth attribute the iustification of the Sainctes to charitie For when we affirm that we are iustified by faith or when wée make faith the cause of iustification which thing must be by often repetition beaten into our memories wee do not vnderstand that faith as it is a vertue in vs doth worke and by the qualitie that sticketh to vs doeth merite righteousnesse in the sight of God but so often as wee make mention of faith wee vnderstande the grace of God exhibited in Christe whiche is through faith freely applyed to vs and receiued as the free gifte of God bestowed vppon vs And in that sense doeth Paule vse the name of faith when he affirmeth that faith doth iustifie But in this place of the thirteenth Chapter to the Corinthians hee doth not so take the name of faith but putteth it for the power of workinge miracles as is manifest by that which followeth where he saith So that I can remoue mountaines That faith doeth not comprehende Christe wholie but onely the power in shewing of miracles And therefore it may be sometime in an vniust man and an hypocrite as it was in Iudas Iscariot to whom the faithe of miracles profited nothing because hee was without the iustifying faith which faith is neuer without but of it selfe ingendreth charitie Againe whereas they obiect that saying out of the Gospell of Saincte Iohn Whosoeuer knoweth my commaundementes and keepeth them he it is that loueth mee and my father will loue him and we wil come to him and make our abidinge in him Therefore for the obseruation of the commaundements that is for our woorkes sake Gâ—d is ioyned to vs we againe alledge this saying of the same Euangeliste and Apostle Iohn By this wee knowe that weabide in him and he in vs because he hath giuen vs of his spirite But that spirit of God is a free gifte Therfore wee are ioyned to God by meere and frée grace It followeth in Iohn And wee haue seene and do testifie that the father hath sent the sonne to bee the Sauiour of the worlde Thou hearest I hope by what it is that the worlde is saued and what Christ the Sauiour of the worlde is Nowe who knoweth not that hee was sent vnto vs of the father by the méere and onely grace of God It followeth nowe howe that Grace is receiued Whosoeuer confesseth that Iesus is the sonne of God God abideth in him and he in God. But in the sixte of Iohn in steede of confesseth is put beléeueth And no merueile since out of a true faith a true confession doth arise By faith therefore are we saued and by faith are wee ioyned vnto god But letting passe these wranglers who will neuer bee without store of such sophistical shifts we do againe returne to our purposed argument to shewe you howe and in what sense life and iustification are attributed to workes They that are well exercised in the reading of the holie Scriptures that they may reconcile the places of scripture that seeme at a blushe to bee at discorde do teache that faith works in verie déede are not separated one from another For the same holie spirite which giueth faith doth therwithall also regenerate the vnderstanding and will so that the faithfull doeth ardently desire and do his indeuour in all things to doe seruice to GOD his maker Therefore for the vnseparable knott betwixt faith and good workes which alwayes kéepe company and attende vpon faith we saye that iustification is somtimes somewhat vnproperly attributed to workes which is somewhat more properly to bee attributed to faith but moste properly of all to be ascribed to Christe apprehended by faith who is in verie deede the foundation subiect of our faith I will yet assaye to make this more manifest In true faith there are two thinges to be considered Reconciliation and Obedience Reconciliation because by faith wee vnderstande and verily beléeue that God is reconciled to vs for Christe his sake by whome wee are adopted into the number of the sonnes of god And Obedience because they that are reconciled doe wholie yelde them selues to him to whome they bee reconciled with carnest desire and zeale to doe his will and pleasure So then wee saye that faith is of two sortes the iustifying and the obeying faith Of the iustifying faith Sainct Paul maketh mention where he saith Beeing iustified by saith we haue peace toward God through the Lorde Iesus Christe by whome wee are reconciled Againe hee maketh mention of the obeying faith where hee saith Knowe yee not that to whome yee giue your selues as seruauntes to obey his seruauntes ye are to whome ye do obey whether it bee of sinne vnto death or of obedience vnto righteousenesse that is to saye which obedience maketh you to doe the thinges that are righteous and to bee the seruauntes of righteousenesse which shall turne to you to eternall life and not the seruauntes of sinne which turneth vnto death Nowe therefore iustification is properly attributed to the reconciling righteousenesse through Christe Iesus and is improperly ascribed to the obeying righteousenesse or righteousenesse of obedience For the obeying righteousenesse is of the reconciling and without the reconciling righteousnesse obedience shoulde not bee called righteousenesse To which this also is to bee added that they which are iustified doe not put any confidence in this obedience as that which is alwayes spotted in this worlde by reason of our fleash To this also agreeth this other explication which I will here annexe The moste proper woorke of faith is purification and sanctification For Sainct Peter doeth expressely saye that by faith our heartes are purified But in sanctification the holie scriptures doe shewe to be two especiall thinges Firste that all the faithfull are fréely purified by the bloud of Christe Iesus For againe the same S. Peter saith Ye knowe that you are redeemed not with transitorie thinges as golde and siluer but with the precious bloud of Christe as of an vnspotted Lambe Sainct Paule saith Ye are sanctified by the will of God through the oblation of the bodie of Iesus Christ once made For with that one oblation he made them perfecte for euer whiche are sanctified Sainct Iohn also saith The bloud of Iesus Christ the sonne of God doth cleanse vs
both labour and suffer rebuke because wee haue oure hope settled in the liuing God c. And here it will do well to reckon vp and cite the testimonies of Scripture which doe concerne the reward of good woorkes I wil therefore recite a fewe but such as shal be euident and perteyning to the matter The Lord in Esaie crieth Say to the iuste that it shall goe well with him for he shall eate the fruite of his studie or trauaile And wo to the wicked sinner for he shal be rewarded according to the workes of his hands In Ieremie we read Leaue off from weping for thy labour shal be rewarded thee And in the Gospel the Lord saith Blessed are ye when men speake all euill sayinges against you lying for my sake Reioyce ye and be glad for great is your reward in heauen The Apostle Paule also saith Glorie honour and peace to euery one that worketh good to the Iewe first and also to the Gentile Againe Wee must all appeare before the Iudgement seate of Christ that euerie one may beare the deedes of his bodie according to that whiche hee hath done whether it bee good or badd And againe Euery one shall receiue a reward according to his labour Now let vs remember that the reward is promised and great gifts are prepared for them that labour manfullie To sluggardes and slowebacks are imminent the euils of this present life and also of the life to come To them that striue lawfully the garland is due But if it happen that the reward be defferred and that they whiche striue receiue not the promises by and by out of hand yet let the afflicted thincke that their afflictions tend to their commoditie and that they are layd vpon them by their heauenly father Let not their courage therefore faile them but let them shew themselues men in the fight and call to God for ayd For whosoeuer perseueareth vnto the end he shal be saued Let euerie one call to his remembrance the old examples of the holy fathers to whome many promises were made the fruite whereof they did not reape till many a day were come and gone wherein they stroue against and did ouercome full many a sharpe temptation The Apostle Paul cryeth I haue fought a good fight I haue fulfilled my course I haue kept the faith Hēce foorthe there is layde vpp for mee a crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall giue mee in that day not to mee only but to them also that haue loued his appearing They must lay before their eyes the truth of God who saith Heauen earth shal passe but my word shall not passe The Israelites verily were a longe time holden captiue in Aegypt but the Lord did not forgett his promise For in a fit and conuenient time he set them out at libertie with abundant ioy glorie for the triumph gotten ouer their oppressours The Amalechites and Chanaanites did a great while I confesse exalte themselues in sinne and wickednesse But when the measure of their iniquitie was fully filled then were they thoroughly recompenced for their paines by him that is the seuere reuenger of vnrepented wickednesse The Scripture therefore exhorteth all men to haue sure hope perseuearing patiēce and constancie inuincible Of which I spake in the third Sermon of this third Decade To this place doe béelong as I suppose those excellent wordes of S. Paule where hee saith It is a faithfull saying For if wee bee dead with him we shall also liue with him if wee be patient wee shall also reigne with him if we denie him he also shall denie vs if wee be vnfaithfull hée abideth faithfull hee cannot denie himselfe And againe Cast not awaye your confidence whiche hath great recompence of reward For ye haue neede of patience that after ye haue done the wil of God ye may receiue the promise For yet a verie little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarie And the iust shal liue by faith and if he withdraw himselfe my soule shall haue no pleasure in him But wee are not of them that withdrawe our selues vnto perdition but we pertaine to faith to the winning of the soule Yet for all this we must not abuse these such like testimonies touching the reward of woorkes nor the very name of merites where it is found to be vsed of the fathers neither must we wreste it against the doctrine of méere Grace and the merits of Christe oure Sauiour Wée must thincke that the kingdome of heauen the other special gifts of God are not as the hire that is due to seruaunts but as the inheritaunce of the sonnes of god For although in the last day of iudgment the iudge shall reckon vpp many workes for which hee shall séeme as it were to recompence the elect with eternal life yet before that recital of good workes he shall say Come ye blessed of my father possesse the kingdome prepared for you since the beginning of the world Now if thou demaundest why he shall in the day of iudgement make mētion rather of works than of faith Mine aunswere is that it is a point or vsuall custome in the lawe for iudgement not onely to be iuste but also by the iudges pronunciation to haue the cause made manifest to al men wherfore it is iust And God doeth deale with vs after the order of men Wherefore he doth not onely giue iust iudgement but will also be knowen of all men to be a iust and vpright Iudge But we are not able to looke into the faith of other men which doth cōsist in the mind and therfore we iudge by their words and déeds Honest words and works beare witnesse of a faithfull hearte whereas vnhonest prankes and speaches doe bewray a kinde of vnbeliefe The workes of charitie and humanitie doe declare that wee haue faith in déed whereas the lacke of them do argue the contrarie And therefore the Scripture admonisheth vs that the iudgement shal be according to oure workes To this sense agréeth that in the 12. of Matthew where it is said By thy deedes thou shalt be iustified and by the same thou shalt be condemned To Abraham after he had determined to offer his sonne Isaac it was said Because thou hast done this thing and hast not spared thine onely begotten sonne I wil blesse thee and multiplie thee exceedingly c. But it is manifest that God made that promise to Abraham before Isaac was borne yea hée made it as soone as Abraham was brought out of his countrie therefore the promise was not nowe first of all annexed as a reward vnto the works of Abraham c. Therefore God examineth oure workes according to his owne fauourable mercie and not with the extremitie and rigour of lawe and doth reward them with infinite benefits because they procéed from faith in Christ albeit that for the sinne which abideth in vs they be vnpure nothing meritorious
without all controuersie that it needeth no businesse to proue it at all Hée verilie doeth euery minute augment in vs his giftes while wée are intentiue to doe good workes For in the Gospell hee saith To euery one that hath shal be giuen and hee shall abounde And from him that hath not shal be taken euen that which he hath not and shal be giuen to him that hath To this also may be added that God is fauourable to them that worke righteousnesse and doth enrich them euen with many temporal gifts and at the last bring them to life euerlasting For the Apostle Paul doth expressely say God shall reward euerie man according to his deedes to them whiche by continuing in welldoing seeke for glorie and honour and immortalitie eternall life And againe Glorie and honour and peace to euerie one that worketh well Although the Godly in all their good workes do not as I told you before respecte so much the recompence and reward at Gods hand as the aduauncement of Gods glorie the fulfilling of his will and profite of their neighbour For Paule sayeth Doe all thinges to the glorie of God. And againe Let no man seeke his owne but euery one an others profite euen as I doe in all thinges please all men not seeking mine owne commoditie but the profite of many that they may be saued Therefore all the Godly doe so directe and temper their woorkes that they maye please delight or honour God and profite many men For in so doing they expresse or represent the nature of God whose sonnes they both are and are also called For hee doeth liberallie powre out his benefits vppon all creatures and therefore his sonnes are beneficiall and bent to doe good to all men Thus much had I hetherto to say touching the nature or propertie cause end and effecte that is the very true and right meaning of good workes by whiche I hope it is euident to bee perceiued howe in what sense the Lord in the Scriptures is sayd to attribute the name of righteousnesse and iustification vnto the good woorkes of the Sainctes his seruauntes and that that true principle of oure rereligiō remayneth firme vnreproueable wherein wée confesse and hold That wee are iustified by the Grace of God for Christ his sake thorough faith and not for workes Now therfore there is nothing more behind but this onely for vs to make our humble petition to God for true faith in Christ our Lord and that by his grace hée will so guide vs that we may 〈◊〉 in workes put that in practise 〈◊〉 hetherto wée haue béene taught in 〈◊〉 wordes of this treatise that is to saye that wée may in good workes in déede expresse the faith which wée in words professe that wée haue in Iesus Christ our lord Amen ¶ Of sinne and of the kindes thereof to witt of originall and actuall sinne and of sinne against the holy Ghost And lastly of the most sure and iust punishment of sinnes ¶ The tenth Sermon WEe Haue lastlye now to discourse of sinne which as I told you is to be referred to the treatise of the law Of whiche that I may lawfully religiously rightly and profitablie speake to the edifying of you all I shal desire you to make your humble prayers with mée to God the father in the name of Christ his sonne our gratious Lord and mediatour Sinne is of most men taken for errour for that I meane whereby we do not only erre from the thing which is true right iust and good but do also followe and decline to that whiche is naughte The Latines deriue their word peccatum sinne of pellicatus whorehunting whiche is a faulte of wedded people that are corrupted with the spirite of fornication as when mē preferre harlotts before their lawfull wiues And this definition verilie doth wōderfully agrée to this present treatise For all wée that do beléeue are by faith handfasted to oure God as to our spouse and husband if therefore wée prefer other Gods before him or choose rather to serue them If I say we let passe the true Gods in déede to follow the shadow of Gods vaine hopes and the pernicious pleasures of this world then do we sinne in déed and commit fornication against oure spouse husband But the learned sort doe for the most parte put a difference betwixte peccatum and delictum which both in effect doe signifie sinnes But they call that delictum when the thing is not done that should be done and that they call peccatum when that is done that should be left vndone S. Hierome séemeth to haue taken delictum for the first fall to sinne S. Augustine sayeth that peccatum is committed of him y sinneth wittingly delictum of him that sinneth of ignoraunce I sée that those woordes are in some places confounded and that the one is vsed for the other In some places the errour or delictum is vsed as the mylder terme peccatum in a more gréeuous sense an heynous crime a mischiefe a reuolting or wickednesse for the greatest of all For S. Augustine sayth Neither is euery peccatum crimen beecause euery crimen is peccatum Therefore wee saye that the life of a man liuing in this transitorie world maye be found to bee without that heynous offence crimen for which al the world doth crie out vpon and accuse him but if wée say we haue nullum peccatum no sinne as the Apostle sayth wee deceiue our selues and the trueth is not in vs Amonge the Hebrues sinne is called by sundrie names which do import signifie ouerthwartnesse peruersenesse a fault an errour a reuolting infirmitie vice ignoraunce and transgression For to transgresse doth signifie to depart from the truth from oure duetie or office not to kéepe the right path but to turne awrie from the prescript rule of the law of god Now that rule or lawe of God is of the Hebrues called Thora that is to say a direction or a leading by the hand For it doeth directe a man in the wayes that are acceptable to the lord And therefore the Gréekes call sinne by the names of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Againe in the Hebrue tongue sinne is as much to say as a turning awaye from good to euill also a reuolting as when thou drawest thy neck from out of the yoke of his power to whome thou art a seruant finally it signifieth the crime or guilte whereby wee indaunger oure selues to the rodd of punishment Verilie S. Augustine taketh much paines to finde out a proper definition of sinne In his second booke De cōsensu Euangelistarum he sayeth Sinne is the transgression of the Lawe Ad Simplicianum lib. 1. Sinne is an inordinatenesse or peruersenesse of man that is a turning from the more excellent Creatour and a turning to the inferiour creatures De fide contra Manichaeos Cap. 8. hée sayeth What is it else to sinne but to erre in the preceptes of truth or in the truth it selfe
blasphemers of the Gospell of Christ do sinne more grieuously than the Sodomites did and that God which is a sure reuenger will surely plague them for it either in this life or in the worlde to come or else in both with vnspeakeable miseries and endlesse torments Let vs therefore beléeue the Gospell of the sonne of God firste preached to the worlde by God the father then by the Patriarches after that of the Prophets and lastely of the onely begotten sonne of God Christ Iesus his Apostles whose heauenly voyce doth euen at this daye sounde to vs in the mouthes of the mynisters sincerely preaching the Gospel vnto vs. Secondarily wee haue to consider what it is that the heauenly preaching of the Gospell doeth shewe vnto the worlde to wite the Grace of God our heauenly father For the Apostle Paule in the twentieth Chapter of the Actes saith that hee receiued the ministerie of the Lord Iesus to testifie the Gospell of the Grace of God. Nowe therefore I will at this present saye so much of the grace of GOD as is sufficient for this place The woorde grace is diuersly vsed in the holie Scriptures euen as it is in prophane writinges also For in the Bible it signifieth Thankesgiuinge and also a Benefite and almes as 2. Cor. 8. Moreouer it signifieth prayse and recompence as in that place where the Apostle saith If when ye do well ye are afflicted yet do beare it that is praisworthie before God. It doeth also signifie facultie or licence as when wee saye that one hath gotten grace to teache and execute an office For the Apostle saith that he receiued grace and immediately to expounde his owne meaning hee addeth to execute the office of an Apostle Moreouer the gifts of God are called grace because they are giuen gratis and fréely bestowed without looking for of any recompēce And yet Paule in the fifte to the Romanes distinguisheth a gifte from grace For Grace doth signifie the fauour and good will of God towarde vs But a gifte is the thinge whiche God doth giue vs of that good wil such as are faith constancie and integritie They are saide to haue founde Grace with God whome God doeth dearely loue and fauour more than other In that sense Noah founde grace in the eyes of the Lorde Ioseph founde grace in the eyes of the Lorde of the prison And the holie virgin is read to haue founde grace with the Lorde because shee was beloued of God and verie deare vnto the Lord as shée whome he had singularly chosen from among all other women But in this place and present argument Grace is the fauour goodnesse of the eternall godhead wherwith he according to his incomprehensible goodnesse doeth gratis fréely for Christe his sake imbrace call iustifie and saue vs mortall men Nowe here mée thinketh before wee go anye further it is not amisse to examine and search out the cause of this Gods loue to vs exhibited For we sée that there is a certein relatiō betwixt the fauour of God vs men to whom his fauour is so bent It is a matter neither hard nor tedious to be found out For in vs there is nothing wherewith God can be in loue or wherewithall hee may be moued or stirred vp to imbrace vs yea in so much as wee are all vnpure sinners and that God is holye iuste and a reuenger of iniquities he hath matter ynoughe to finde in vs for which he may be angrie at and with iust reuengement plague vs So then the cause of Gods loue to vs wardes must of necessitie be not in vs nor in any other thing beside God considering that nothinge is more excellent than man but euen in God him self Moreouer the moste true Scripture doth teach vs that God is of his owne inclination naturally good gentle as Paul calleth him Philanthropon a louer of vs men who hath sent his owne sonne of his owne nature into the worlde for our redemption whervppon it doeth consequently followe that God doth fréely of him selfe and for his sonnes sake loue man and not for any other cause Whereby immediately all the preparamentes incitaments and merites of men beeing dissolued by the fire of Gods greate loue doe vade and passe awaye like smoke For the grace of God is altogether free and vnlesse it be so I cannot sée howe it can bee called Grace But it behoueth vs in a thing so weightie to cite some euident testimonies of the holie Scripture to confirme our mindes withall against all sophistical trifles and temptations of the diuell Our Lorde in the Gospell said So God loued the world that he gaue his only begotten sonne for the world that euery one which beleue in him shuld not perish but haue life euerlasting Loe here this goodwill of God which is the fauour and loue wherwith God embraceth vs is the cause of oure saluation For Christ hauing suffered for vs is our saluation Now God of verie loue hath giuen Christ both to vs for vs Neither may we thincke that God was first moued by oure loue to him ward to shewe like mutuall loue to vs againe and to giue his sonne for vs For he had determined before the beginning of the world to woorke our redemption through Christ his sonne And Iohn the Euangeliste in his Canonical Epistle sayth Herein is loue not that we loued God but that hee loued vs and sent his sonne to be an attonement for our sinnes To these testimonies although sufficiently plaine and stronge enough I will yet add some proofes out of the Apostle Paul y so this argument may be more euident that the great agréement may appeare which is betwixt Euangelists and Apostles in this doctrine of grace Paule therfore sayeth All haue sinned stand in neede of the glorie of God but are iustified freely by his grace thorough the redemption that is in Christ Iesu Againe to the Ephesians he sayeth Ye are saued thorough grace by faith that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of woorkes least any man should boast Againe to Titus The grace and loue of God our Sauiour towards all men hath appeared not of the woorkes of our owne righteousnesse which he did but according to his mercie hath he saued vs. Likewise in the 2. Epistle to Timothie the first Chapiter he sayeth God hath saued vs and hath called vs with an holie calling not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen vs in Christ Iesus I thinke verilie that if a man had béene sett of purpose to haue feigned any thing for the defence of this matter hee could not haue framed any sentence so fitt and euident as these woordes are So nowe it is manifest that the grace of God is altogether frée as that which excludeth all our woorks and merits And this frée loue of God is the only cause and true beginning of the Gospell For
the bottome of his heart And yet it was not the crowing of the cocke of it selfe alone that stirred that motion in him but that and the woord of Christe together who had said vnto him Verilie I saye vnto thee the cocke shall not crowe till thou hast denied mee thrice Wherevppon S. Matt. sayeth And Peter remembred the wordes of the Lord which had sayed vnto him Before the cock crowe thou shalt denie me thrice c. With these also is ioyned a more secrete touching of Peters mind For the good Lord touched the heart of Peter as the Euangeliste testifieth saying And the Lord turning himselfe about loked vpon Peter That loking back of the Lord made Peters hart to melt and drue it from the destruction wherinto it was about to fall Therefore if our cares be pierced with the woord of God and oure heartes touched with his holie spirite then shall wee like true penitents vnfeignedly reuerence dread the Lord. And therewithall being humbled before the most iust holy God whom we with our sinnes do so much offend and prouoke to wrath indignation we confesse his iudgment to be iust against vs and fréely acknowledge all the sinns and iniquities that in the word of God are obiected against vs crying out and saying with the Prophetes Thou verily O Lord art righteous thou art true thy iudgements iust but wee are most vnrighteous lyers wicked and wholie ouerwhelmed with detestable iniquities There is nothing sound or sincere within vs All that wee haue is corrupt and miserable Wee haue sinned wee haue beene wicked wee haue done vniustly wee haue forsaken thee Wee haue gainesaid thy seruants the Prophets we haue not obeyed the words of thy mouth To thee therefore O God doeth righteousnes belong and to vs wretches shame and confusion This humiliation frée confession of sinnes doth God require of penitent sinners touching which I wil hereafter speake somewhat more For now I returne more fully to expound the feare of the Lord. At this present I speake of the syncere feare of God for we confesse that the feare of God is of two sorts sincere and vnsincere The sincere feare of God is perceiued in the faithful and is a godly reuerence consisting in the loue and honour of god For the Prophete bringeth in God saying The sonne honoureth the father and the seruaunt the maister Therefore if I be a father where is my honour If a Lord where is my feare And Paule sayeth Ye haue not receiued the spirite of bondage againe vnto feare but ye haue receiued the spirite of adoption by which we crie Abba father Therefore the sincere feare of God in them that doe repent is not the seruile dread of punishment but a carefull studie mixt with the loue and honour of god An honest wife feareth her husband and a gratious daughter feareth her father yet ech of them doeth therewithall loue the one her father the other her husband and doeth with an holy loue indeuour herselfe to kéepe his fauour feare least at any time she should do any thing to loose it And therefore penitents do not only feare because they knowe being taught by the spirite of God that they haue committed sinnes for which they haue deserued to be forsaken of the Lord but doe also loue him as their merciful father and are therefore sorie with all their heartes for their sinnes committed and doe aboue al thinges most ardently require to be reconciled againe to their mercifull GOD and louing father For with this sincere feare of God is ioyned the griefe or sorrowe which is conceiued by the spirite of God for our sinnes that we commit S. Paule maketh mention of two sortes of sorrowes The sorrowe that is to God-ward sayeth he doth bring forth repentaunce not to be repented of but contrarilie the sorrowe of the world bringeth death The king and Prophete Dauid sorrowed to Godward when he cried Thine arrowes sticke fast in mee and thy hand doth presse me soare There is no whole part in my flesh because of thy displeasure there is no rest in my bones by reason of my sinne And so forward as is to be séene in the 38. Psalme Whiche althoughe it were written of his gréeuous disease or sickenesse doth yet notwithstanding as it were in a shadowe shew vs the great griefe that is in the Saincts for offending their good and gratious father with their continuall sinnes To Godward was the sinnful woman sorie in S. Luke who falling prostrate at the Lords héeles did washe his féete with teares and wyped them with her haire To God-ward was S. Peter sorie and wept as we read ful bitterly for his offēce The godly are greatly greued because they doe so oftentimes offend so fouly so good a God and gratious father No woordes I thincke can possiblie expresse the griefe and sorrowe that they conceiue But the Prophete Ieremie describing the contrarie affection of impenitent sinners doeth saye Doe men fall so that they maye not rise againe Doeth any man go so astray that he may not turne againe Howe doth it happen then that this people of Hierusalem is turned away so stubbornely I gaue eare and hearkened they spake not rightly there was none that did repent him of his wickednesse to say what haue I done Euerie one of them turned to his owne course like a fierce horse headlong to the batteile The worldly griefe is the sorrowe of such men as knowe not God are without faith the true loue of God yea of such as yéeld vnder the burthen of sorrowe aduersities verie sinnes Like to this also in a maner is the cōsideration of the vnsincere feare of god For the wicked with their head the diuel do feare God not as a father whome they are sorie to offend and to whome they desire to be reconciled as to a father but as a tormentour béecause they knowe that he wil reuenge their euill déedes And therefore with Iudas they runne to the roape There is in them no loue of God no honour no goodwill no reuerence but meere hatred horrour and vtter desperation But such feare the Apostle and Euangeliste Iohn denied to bee in charitie saying that perfect charitie casteth out all feare I meane not that feare of the Lord that is the beginning of wisedome but that of which I haue spoken all this while the feare I meane that is in the diuel and wicked men his members And nowe by this we gather that vnto penitentes faith in God and the merite of Christ is most of all and especially néedeful In which sense it is I thincke that many haue made faith a part of repentaunce which as I do not greatly denie so yet doe I sée that S. Paul made as it were a difference betwixte faith and repentance when in the 20. of the Actes hee sayeth that hee witnessed both to the Iewes and Gentiles the repentaunce that is toward GOD and the faith in
faithfull dispersed on the seas condemned to the galleys for the confession of the true faith we may find many that be holden in captiuitie vnder Antichrist of the whiche we will speake in the next Sermon folowing we may finde also a wonderful many in Graecia Natolia Persia Arabia or in Africa being the seruants of Iesus Christe and worthy members of the catholique church of Christ being shut out and debarred from the holy mysteries of the christians through impiety crueltie of Machomet neuertheles we shall finde them almoste nearely ioyned together in one spirit and one faith with all the true members of the Church and marked also with visible signes Therefore the word and the Sacraments by common decrée are the markes of the Church not putting apart or disseuering the faythful from the communion and societie of other faithfull being by some necessitie shut out from the visible companie of those that are faithfull But to the perfect vnderstanding of the markes of the Churche this belongeth also and that most principally that it is not enough to brag of the worde of God or of the scripture vnlesse also we imbrace reteine and defende the true sense and that which is agréeing with the articles of faith For if ye corrupt the sense of the scripture and vrge the same in the churche then dost thou not bring foorth the sincere scripture it selfe but thyne owne opinion and thy fansies which thou hast deuised of thine owne mind The Churche of the Arrians did not refuse the word of the Lord but rather laboured both to beautifie and defend their owne blasphemous errours by the testimonies of holy scripture That Church denyed our Lord Iesus Christe to be of one substaunce with God the father which thing sith that the sense of the scriptures and of the auncient faith amonge the chiefest pointes of our faith doth both affirme and vrge truely it alleadged not the sincere and pure word of God how so euer it boasted of it but an adulterate word yea and thrust in and defended her heretical opinion for the true and perfect meaning of the holy scripture and therfore it had not the true mark of the Church neyther was it the true Church of god By this one vnhappie example we may iudge of al other Churches of heretiques who thoughe they séeme not to be voyde of the testimonie of Gods worde yet for all that in very déede they haue no puritie of Gods word in them That whiche we haue sayde concerning the worde of God is also necessarily to be vnderstoode of the vse of the Sacraments for except they be orderly and lawfully vsed I say in that order in the which the Lorde him selfe instituted them they are no markes or signes of the Churche of God. Ieroboam truely sacrificed yea he sacrificed vnto God but bycause he sacrificed not lawfully he was accounted a straunger and a faller off from the true Church of god Yea Dauid him selfe brought with greate deuotion and much ioy and melodie the Arke of the Lorde of hostes but bicause he carryed it not lawfully vppon the shoulders of the priestes by and by in steade of greate ioy the excéeding sorrowe which folowed declared that it is not enoughe to vse the Sacraments and ordinances of God vnlesse ye vse them lawfully whiche if you doe God will acknowledge you for his Moreouer those which of old were baptised of heretiques were not for that cause rebaptised againe by the auncient catholikes bycause the heretiques baptised not into the name of any man or into the societie of their errours or heresies but baptised In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghoste neyther did they inuocate their owne name or the name of Archheretiques but of Iesus Christe Wherefore not the baptisme of heretiques but the baptisme of the Churche yet ministred by heretiques they not refusing they allowed not the Churches of heretiques as knowne to be true by true signes but they acknowledged that heretiques vse thinges properly belonging vnto the true Church neyther that it doth any thing at all derogate or take from a good thing if any wicked or euill man doe administer it We doe not acknowledge at this day the vpstart Romishe Churche of the Pope we speake not nowe of that olde Apostolique Churche to be the true Churche of Christe yet we doe not rebaptise those which were baptised of the priestes embrued with Popish corruption For we knowe that they are baptised with the baptisme of Christes church and not of the Pope in the name of the holy Trinitie to the articles of the Catholique faith not to errors not to superstitions and papisticall impieties Finally we confesse that not at this day the vnworthinesse of the minister can derogate any thinge from the seruice of god In like sorte also we refuse not the Lordes prayer or the Apostles Créede or finally the canonicall Scriptures themselues béecause the Romishe churche doeth also vse them for she hath them not of her selfe but receiued them from the true church of god Wherfore we vse them in common with her not for the Romish churches sake but because they came from the true church of Christe doe we vse them Beside those outwarde markes of the church which the true beleuers haue common with hypocrites there are certaine inwarde markes specially belonging onely to the godly or els if you will rather call them bondes or proper giftes These doe make the outwarde markes to be fruitfull and without the outwarde markes being by some necessitie absent doe make men worthie or acceptable in the sight of god For without these no man can please God in these therefore is the true marke of Gods children And those be the fellowship of Gods spirite a sincere faith and double charitie For by these the faithfull béeing the true and liuely members of Christe are vnited and knit together first vnto their head Christe then to all the members of the ecclesiasticall bodye And the consideration héereof doeth chiefely belong to the knowledge of the true Churche of GOD whiche though she should suffer rotten members yet is she not defiled of them thorough their outwarde coniunctiō For with continuall studie she laboureth by all meanes to kéepe her selfe vndefield to god And first of all the Euangelicall and Apostolicall doctrine doth teach vs that Christe is ioyned to vs by his spirit that we are tyed to him in minde or spirite by faithe that he may liue in vs and we in him For the Lord cryeth out in the Gospel saying If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke He that beleeueth in me as the Scripture saith shall haue streames of liueing water flowing out of his bellie To which saying by and by the Euangelist addeth this But this he spake concerning the spirite which they should receiue that beleeued in him Againe he promising in his Gospell his spirite vnto his Disciples yea euen vnto
some of thinges to come They thincke them signes of thinges present whiche signifie those things to be preseÌ„t which are signified as the Iuie garlaÌ„d haÌ„ging for a signe doth giue vs to vnderstand that there is 〈◊〉 to be fould where it is hanged vp The signes whiche our maister Christ wrought did signifie that the Messâ—s and the kingdome of god promised by the prophetes was come Vnder signes paâ—t they comprise all tumbes monuments of the dead and those stones pitched of Iosue in the middest of Iordane signifying to them which came after what was done in times before The fléece did giue to Gedeon a signe of thinges to come y is to say a signe of the victorie whiche he should haue ouer his enimies But those signes being well considered not neglected maye more amplie and plainly be diuided into other signes wherof some are giuen of men and some ordeined of God himselfe Signes or tokens are giuen of men whereby they shew and signifie some thing and by the which also they kéepe some thing in memorie among men or do as it were seale vpp that which they would haue certeine sure After this maner is euery description or picture demonstratiue called a signe For in Ezechiel cap. 4. Hierusalem which was portrayed in a tyle is called a signe They also in ancient time termed the images of the dead signes because by those images they would renue a freshe the memorie of them whose signes they were called kéepe them in remeÌ„brance as if they were aliue Yea and the holy scripture calleth idols signes as it appeareth in Esaie cap. 45. and the 2. Paralip 33. So stones beeing sett or layed to marke out any thing as land marks and all tumbes or monumentes are signes Rahaâ— of Hiericho said to the Israelits Giue me a signe by oath that you wil shew mercie to me and they gâ—ue her a rope to hange out of her wiâ—â—owe Behold the rope was a signe 〈…〉 faith and trueth wherewith the 〈…〉 as yee would say seale themselues surely and without all dissimulation to take diligent héede that Rahaâ— should not be destroyed We Zwicers terme such signes giuen or receiued in confirmation of faith and trueth Wortzeichen beecause they are added to the woordes and doe as it were seale them and Warzeichen also because by them we doe as it were giue wittnesse that in good faith and without all fraude or guile we will performe that in déede which we promised in word Nowe these kinde of signes are of diuers sortes For some are mute or dumbe and perteine to the sense of the eyes of which sort are the standards vsed in warre crosses banners flaming fiers whereof mention is made Num. 2. Psal. 73. c. Neither is any man able to reckon vp all of this sort for euer anon new come in as pleaseth men Iudas gaue a signe vnto his companie Whomesoeuer sayeth he I shall kisse that same is hee take him The ioyning of right handes whiche pertayneth to the sense of féeling is a signe of faithfulnes helpe and fellowshipp yea it is a dumbe signe whiche signe Paule calleth the Right hand of fellowship Hitherto belong diuers mouings and gestures Some of them are pertayning to the voice which are conceiued by hearing and are vttered by mans voice or by the sound of things which haue no life By mans voyce are vttered woords whistling whatsoeuer other things are of this kinde wherevnto watchwoords vttered by the voice maye be added as Schiboleth in the 12. Chap. of the Iudges Moreouer voices without life are they whiche are made by trumpets flutes hornes gunnes drumbes by ringing of bells and sounding instrumentes which also extend very farre and largely Now signes are giuen of God to this end to teach admonishe vs of thinges to come or of thinges past either that they may after a sort lay before the eyes of the beholders represent in a certaine likenesse the thinges themselues whereof they are signes or else that they maye as it were seale the promises and woords of God with some visible ceremonie celebrated of men by Gods institution to be short that they might exercise oure faith and gather together those whiche are scattered into one assemblie or companie And these are not all of one sort but do much differ betwéene themselues For some haue their beginning of naturall causes and yet neuerthelesse are giuen as signes of God to put vs in minde of things past or to renue his promises and to teache men thinges that haue béene done of which kind is the rainebowe mentioned by Moses Gen. 9. For when the floud ceassed that God made a newe league with Noah and ordeined the rainebowe for a signe of his couenaunt he made it not a new but beeing made long afore appearing by natural causes by a newe institution he consecrated it to the intent it might cause vs to call to our remembrance the floud and as it were renue the promise of God that is to say that it should neuer come to passe againe that the earth should be drowned with water Now this signe hath not any ceremonie ordeined wherby it might bée celebrated amonge men neither doth it gather vs together into the societie of any bodie or fellowship But this signe is referred chiefly to God saying I will sett my rainebowe in the clouds that when I see it I may remember the euerlasting couenant made betweene mee and you Not much vnlike to this are signes wonders signes say in the Sunne the moone and the starres whiche doe forewarne men of destruction and calamities to come vnlesse by repentance they amende but neither haue these any ceremonie ordeined to celebrate the remembrance of them or to gather vs together c. Againe there be other signes altogether myraculous not naturall thoughe there bée naturall thinges in them of which sort Gedeons fléece is and the shadowe of the Sunne going backe in the diall of king Ezechias These signes as we read them to haue béene once shewed so by no institution are they commaunded to bée followed or for some certeine end to bée celebrated To Ezechias they were giuen at that time to signifie wittnesse the victorie which he shuld haue against his enimies and the recouerie of his health Altogether méerely meruailous are those things which in the last of Marke by oure Lord Iesus Christe are called signes giftes I meane of healing and speaking with tongues giuen vnto bestowed vpon men not by any power of maÌ„ or vertue of healing in him but by the power and vertue of Christ onely Those signes declared vnto men that that was the true and vndoubted preaching of the Gospell whereby Christe is declared to bee Lord of all Lord of life and death of Sathan of hell also it selfe For nowe when through the name of Christe the dead doe rise and diseases being
of the inuisible grace whiche by faithe onely is receiued Whervpon yet againe it followeth that the signe is not confounded with the thing signified but bothe of them do reteine their substance and nature distinguished What doth not the scripture expressely pithily make a difference betwéene the outward ministerie of man and God the inward worker and giuer of spirituall gyfts For Iohn Baptiste saith I baptise you with water But he Christ shall Baptise you with the holy Ghoste Wherewith agréeth that saying of Peter Baptisme saueth vs not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but in that a good conscience maketh request to God. To this nowe pertcineth that euident testimonie of saint Augustine which is read 3. Quest lib. in Leuit. Quest. 83. In these wordes Wee must diligently consider as often as he saith I the Lord which sanctifie him that he speaketh of the priest when he also spake this to Moses thou shalt sanctifie him Howe therefore doth both Moses and God also sanctifie for Moses doth not sanctifie for the Lord but Moses doeth sanctifie in the visible sacraments by his ministerie and the Lorde by inuisible grace by his holy spirit where the whole fruit of visible sacraments also is For without this sanctificatioÌ„ of inuisible grace what profite haue we by visible sacraments Thus farre August As Iohn Baptist made distinction betwéene his owne ministerie in Baptisme and the power of Christ euen so maketh he distinction betwéen the ministerie of preaching the drawing of the spirituall teacher I am saith he the voyce of a crier in the wildernes make streight the way of the Lord. And againe He that commeth from on high is aboue all he that is of the earth is earthly speaketh of the earth he that coÌ„meth from heauen is aboue all and what he hath sene and heard that he testifieth c. Saint Paule also agréeing therevnto sayth Who is Paule What is Apollos but ministers by whom ye beleeued euen as the Lorde gaue to euerie man I haue planted Apollos watered but god gaue the increase So that neither is hee that planteth any thing neither he that watereth but God that giueth the increase Albeit the comparison of ministers with the signes agrée not altogether and in euerie part which I told you before â–ª because ministers are fellowe labourers with Christ according to their office but the signes which are without life are not so vnlesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we translate vnto them that whiche is the ministers yet by other proofes I suppose it to be made plaine that the signe thing signified do reteine their natures distinguished in the sacraments These things doe specially disproue and conuince those who are persuaded of that papisticall traÌ„substantiation of bread and wine into the substance of the bodie bloud of Christe For these men vtterly denie that the breade and wine béeing consecrated in the mysteries do remaine in their owne substances For they contend that these substaÌ„ces of bread wine are annihilated turned into the verie bodie and bloud of the Lord so that after the consecration the accidents of bread and wine doe remaine and no part of the substance thereof at all For they say that the Lorde in expresse words pronounced ouer the bread wine This is my bodie This is my bloud that the Lord can easily bring to passe by his own omnipotencie that that which he said may be as he said For proofe wherof they alledge these such like places that the Lord for soothe fashioned man out of the clay of the earth by by of the rib of man made woman also turned Lots wife into a piller of salt therfore y he by the selfe same his power can make of bread his bodie of wine his bloud And these truely are their bulworkes But we in another place haue plentifully disputed of the meaning of the Lords words This is my bodie So that it is superfluous to make long repetition of them I haue also tolde you y of the omnipotencie of God we muste not gather determine whatsoeuer commeth into our braine also that Gods power doth nothing against trueth neither against it selfe and that no Godly man ought to take that in hand vnder pretence of the power of God whiche is repugnant to the plaine Scriptures and the articles of the catholique faith Now it is euident and plaine that after consecration there remaineth in the sacrament the substaÌ„ce of bread wine And herein we néed no other witnesses than our verie senses whiche perceiue sée taste and féele no other thing than bread and wine but while clay was turned into a mans bodie the ribb into a woman Lots wife into a piller of salte they were not as the sacrament of the supper that which they were before neither did there appeare vnto the senses any iotte of the clay of the ribbe of Lots wife Verie foolishly therefore and vnaptly are these examples applyed to the mysterie of the Lordes supper wherewith they nothing agrée whiche thing also we touched before The Gospel verie diligently describing the moste holy institution of the Lordes supper and the maner thereof maketh no mention of miraculous transubstantion but calleth the bread and wine whiche the Lord tooke and distributed to his disciples and which they also receiued by the names of bread wine as wel after the words of consecration as they tearme it were spoken as also before consecration Doeth not the Lorde in the 26. cha of Mat. call the wine being coÌ„secrated not wine only but the fruit of the vine after a more vehement and significatiue kinde of spéeche lest any shold be ignorant that the wine was wine in déede and so remained In Marke we reade this of the Cuppe And he tooke the Cuppe and when he had giuen thanks he gaue to them And they dranke of it and he saide vnto them This is my bloud of the new Testament c. Loe they dâ—anke all sayth he of the Cuppe before the words of consecratioÌ„ as they terme it were spoken therefore they dranke wine Nowe if so be they answere that this place of the Euangelist is to be expounded by the figure Hysteroâ—protero that is wheÌ„ any thing is declared out of order preposterously theÌ„ admitt they tropes figures in the celebration of the supper which notwithstandinge they haue contended ought simplie to bee vnderstoode without the help of tropes or figures But Paule also the Apostle in the 1. Cor. cap. 10. calleth the bread of the Lorde beeing nowe in the verie holy vse and that I may so say consecrated by the name of bread And in the 1. Cor. 11. chap. the thirde time hee calleth it bread To this apperteyneth that the Actes of the Apostles doe testifie how that the Churche of the Apostles do call the whole mysticall action The breaking of breade not The breaking of
whiche are persuaded that the sacramentall speaches are not to be expounded as figuratiue and borrowed but most properly and literally so that by that meanes the water bread and wine are not nowe signes and tokens onely of regeneration and of the body of Christe giuen and of his bloude shed for vs but regeneration it selfe and the verie substantiall body and bloude of oure Lorde Iesus For being of this opinion they are offensiue vnto the common manner both of speaking and interpreting vsed in all ages they are also repugnaunt to true fayth yea to common sense Whereby it commeth to passe that by their confounding of the signe with the thing signified they bring in a seruile weaknesse that I may vse S. Aug. words A carnall bondage For he Li. 3. de doct Ch. ca. 9. intreating of the Sacramentes of Christians sayth The Lorde him selfe and the Apostles in their doctrine haue left vs fewe thinges in steade of many and those most easie to be done most reuerend in vnderstanding and moste pure in obseruing as is baptisme and the celebration of the body and bloud of the Lorde Which Sacramentes euerie man when hee receyueth being instructed acknowledgeth wherevnto they are referred that wee should not worshippe them with carnall seruitude or bondage but rather with spirituall freedom or libertie And as to folow the letter and to take the signes in stead of the thinges which are signified by them is a point of seruile weaknesse so to expound the signes vnprofitably is a point of euill wandering error And yet he speaketh more plainly chapter 5. First of all you must beware leâ—t you take a figuratiue spech according to the letter For to this agreeth that which the Apostle saith The letter killeth but the spirite giueth life For wheÌ„ that which is figuratiuely spoken is taken as though it were spoken properly it is carnally vnderstanded Neyther is there any thing that may more agreably be termed the death of the soule then wheÌ„ that wherein we excell beasts which is vnderstanding or knowledge is made subiect to the fleshe by following the letter For he that followeth the letter vnderstandeth words translated or borrowed as proper or naturall neither doth he referre that which is signified by a proper worde to another signification but if for an example he shall here mention of the Sabbaoth he vnderstandeth it no otherwise but as one day of the seueÌ„ which by continuall course come goe And when he heareth mention made of sacrifice it wil not out of his heade but that this is ment of that whiche was wont to be done aboute offering of beastes and fruites of the earth To be shorte this is the miserable bondage of the soule to take the signes for the things them selues and not to bee able to lifte vp the eyes of the mynd aboue the bodily creature for the obteyning of euerlasting light Thus farre August By these wordes of Augustine we doe gather that they reuereÌ„ce the sacraments by spirituall libertie which neither stick to the letter neither worship and reuerence the visible thinges and elements as water breade and wine in steade of the thinges signified but being rather admonished and stirred vp by the signes they are lifted vp in their mindes to behold the things signified The same Augustine in the same booke chapter 15. teaching when and after what manner a trope or figure is to be receiued or acknowledged sayth In figuratiue speaches this manner of rule shall be kept that so long you viewe with diligent consideration what is read vntill the interpretation come vnto the rule of charitie For if it be not repugnaunt to charitie thinke not that it is a figuratiue speach And yet more plainly hee addeth in the 16. chapter following If it bee an imperatiue speache eyther forbidding any haynous offence or wicked deede or coÌ„maunding any profitable or good deede it is no figuratiue speach But if it commaund any wicked deede or forbid any deede of charitie then it is figuratiue Except ye eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloude ye haue no life in you Hee seemeth to commaund some horrible offence or wicked deede therefore it is a figuratiue speache commaunding vs to communicate with the passion of Christe and comfortably and profitably to lay vp in our remembraunce that his fleshe was crucified and wounded for vs The Scripture sayth If thine enimie hunger feede him Heere no man doubteth but hee commaundeth well doing but that whiche followeth For in so doing thou shalte heape coales of fire vppon his head A man would thinke that a wicked and euill deede were commaunded therefore doubt not but that it is figuratiuely spoken And so foorth All these thinges doe conuince their errour whiche interprete sacramentall speaches as proper and reiect al figures and tropes especially in the institution of the supper Neuerthelesse I am not ignoraÌ„t what they set againste this last testimonie of S. Augustin that the words of our sauiour in the sixte of Iohn doe make nothing to the interpretation of the ministration of the sacrament and therefore that the place of S. Augustine doth nothing agrée to our purpose But it is manifest that in the same booke S. Augustine disputeth of signes and of the sacramentall speaches And that is manifest also by many other places oute of S Augustine that he often alledgeth these wordes of our sauiour out of the sixte of Iohn to expounde the celebration of the supper But why doe they nothing perteyne to the celebration of the Supper Doth he speake of one body in the Supper and of an other in the 6. chap. of Iohn shal we beleue that the Lorde had and hath two bodies Our Lorde Iesus hath but one body the whiche as it profiteth nothing being eaten corporally according to S. Iohn 6. chapter euen so that body being corporally eateÌ„ doth nothing auaile according to S Mat. 26. chapter But this matter we haue elsewhere handled And of as little force is this vnsauourie obiection of theirs which is that the consequence is false when we argue thus Circumcision is the couenant the lambe is the Passoeuer Sacrifices are sinnes and sanctifications or cleansings are sacramentall speaches mysticall and figuratiue therefore this also This is my body is a mysticall and figuratiue speache For since in Sacramentes there is the like reason why may wee not frame arguments from the one to the other And that sacraments haue the like reason it is receyued of all them whiche acknowledge the trueth aright and it shall be proued hereafter to the full But if it be not lawfull to reason froÌ„ the sacraments of the olde testament and by them after a certeine comparison to interprete ours and by ours to make them plaine truely then the Apostle did not well who by a false consequent by comparison we reade to haue argued from their sacrameÌ„ts vnto ours in the 1. Cor. 10. and to the Coloss
the same manner hath hee heere lefte with vs a memorie of the mysteries stopping bridling hereby the mouths of heretiques For whē they say Whereby appeareth it that Christe was offered and many other mysteries Then we alleadging these things doe thereby stop their mouthes For if Iesus be not deade whose representation or signe is this sacrifice Thus farre he You perceiue I suppose how this writer doeth bring against heretiques the Sacrament of the super for the testimonie of truth that is to say of the lords true death Wherefore as the Gospel is called a witnesse and the Preachers of the Gospel witnesses euen so we call sacramentes witnesses of the same trueth whiche though they be dumb yet neuerthelesse are visible after which name S. August calleth them Visible words For the preaching of the Gospell consisting of wordes heard with the eares is a speaking witnesse but sacraments which consist of signes and are séene with the eyes are spéechlesse witnesses and as it were remnauntes and remembraunces of the preaching of the gospel Yea sacraments were instituted by God to that end that they might visiblie confirme vnto vs the ready good-will of GOD towarde vs and also the preaching of the Gospel and all the promises of life and saluation and that they should be as it were seales sett and fixed to the Gospell and promises made by God whiche might testifie and confirme that faith in Christ is true righteousnesse That whiche I haue saide I will confirme by the writinges of the Apostles But I taught a little before that there is allone ground of the sacraments of the olde Testament and of the new a few things onely excepted so that now by very good right by the comparing of both together wee may estimate and vtter what the force and vse of our Sacraments is Paule therefore to the Rom. 4. chap. saith We say that faith was imputed to Abraham for righteousnes howe was it then imputed When hee was circumcised or when he was vncircumcised Not when hee was circumcised but when hee was vncircumcised after hee receiued the signe of circumcision as the seale of the righteousnes of the faith which he had when he was vncircumcised that he should be the father of all thē that beleeue not beeing circumcised that righteousnes might de imputed vnto them also and the father of circumcision not vnto them onelie whiche are of the circumcised but vnto them also that walke in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had when he was vncircumcised All these are Pauls words Amōg which first of all some words are méete to be expounded then we must séeke after the sense and meaning of the Apostles wordes and last of all we must apply them to our purpose touching the sacrament The Apostle héere vseth two wordes that is to say The Signe The seale Signum the word signe is more generall stretcheth very far but a seale is a word that properly belongeth vnto sacramēts which are seales and confirmatiōs For al signes seale not For some by fignificatiō onely do accōplish their duetie But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly is to seale for assurance and confirmation sake of faith or credite wherefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a seale whiche is set to to kéepe confirme our faith and promise and to be without all daunger of deceipte And héere as else where very often the Lord doth imitate the manner of men For we men are wonte by setting to our seales to confirme our writings couenauntes and faithfull promises which we before had made by word And that this hath alwayes béene the cause of the instituting vse of seales appeareth plainely by these testimonies of the Scriptures When the children of Israel vnder Ezra made a couenaunt with the Lord by and by they set downe their couenaunt in writinge and seale the writing to be a testimonie of the trueth as in Nehem. the 9. chap. and Hag. the 2. chapter thou mayst read I will take thee to my seruaunt Zorobabel thou sonne of Salathiel saieth the Lord and wil make thee as a signe or sealing ring for I haue chosē thee As if he had said All mē shal certeinlie learne that in the sonne of Salathiel y continuaunce of the posteritie of the Messias doeth consiste and remaine Thus writeth Ieremie chap. 22. As truely as I liue saith the Lorde if Chonenias the sonne of Iohoakim king of Iuda weare the signet or seale on my righte hande yet will I pluck thee thence whiche is as much as if he had saide Though thou were hee in whome I wil kéepe my promisses yet shalt thou bee ledd captiue into Babylon To this agréeth that of Matth written of the Iewes So they went and made the Sepulchre sure and sealed the stone without doubt against deceiptfull practises they appointed a watch It appeareth therefore by these testimonyes where to the vse of seales serueth These thinges béeing thus declared let vs nowe diligently searche out the counsell and meaning of the Apostles wordes Paule sheweth that iustification happeneth vnto men by the power and vertue of no woorkes of no ceremonies or sacramentes but by the onely merite of Christe through faith To proue this he bringeth the example of Abraham of whome the Scripture hath pronounced Abraham beleeued God it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse Thence he gathereth that Abraham was iustified by faith yea that that was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse Where bothe by the worde or force of imputation and by the whole sentence of Moses he doeth moste strongly reason shewing that through grace righteousnesse is imputed by faithe Where-vnto hee ioyneth also a testimonie out of Dauid touching righteousnesse by imputatiō I handled that place in the first Sermon of the fourth Decade Then hee returneth againe to the example of Abraham and applyeth to his purpose that place alleadged out of Genesis waying the circumstaunces of the manner and time of his iustification and sayeth How was it thē imputed Whē he was circūcised or when he was vncircumcised Not when hee was circumcised but when hee was vncircumcised Whiche thinges verilie are playner than that they require any exposition But because the Iewe might obiect Why then the institution and vse of circumcision was of no force but voide vnprofitable and vaine For if Abraham were iustifyed before he was circumcised what could circumcision profit him further And if it brought nothing surely it was superfluous and vnprofitable Paule preuenting that obiection maketh aunswere And he receiued saith he the signe of circumcision as the seale of the righteousnes of faith c. Circumcision saith hee was neither voide nor vnprofitable For albeit it iustifie not neither cleanse nor apply the giftes of GOD yet it followeth not therefore that there is no further vse of it For it hath an other end For he receiued the signe of circumcision for a certeine seale of the righteousnesse of
and sure Some also haue saide very wel I four mindes be destitute of the holie Ghoste the Sacramentes doe no more profite vs then it doth a blinde man to looke vppon the bright beames of the Sunne But if our eyes be opened through the illumination of the spirit they are wonderfully delighted with the heauenly sight of the Sacramentes And Zwinglius in Libello ad principes Germanil sayth It doeth not offende vs though all those things which the holie Ghoste worketh be referred to the externall Sacrament as long as wee vnderstand them to be spoken figuratiuely as the fathers spake Thus saith he And although Sacraments seale not the promises to the vnbeléeuers because they mistrust thē yet neuerthelesse the Sacraments were instituted of God that they might seale The wicked and vngodly person receiueth not the doctrine of the Gospel yet no man therefore doeth gather that this doctrine was not instituted of God to teache Some one there is that wil not giue credit to a sealed Charter yet doeth it not therfore followe that the sealed charter serueth not to assure or confirme ones faithe Therefore since the doctrine of the Gospel worketh nothing in him that is obstinate and rebellious since the sacramentes doe nothing moue him that is prophane and vnholie neither profite the wicked by any manner meanes that commeth not to passe through him that did institute them or through the worde and sacraments but through the default of the vnbeléeuer In the meane time of them selues they are instituted to profit and to seale and to haue their holie vse end in the holie And thus much haue I said of that principall vertue of sacraments that they be testimonies of gods truth and of his good wil towarde vs and are seales of all that promises of the gospel sealing and assuring vs that faith is righteousnesse and that all the good giftes of Christe perteine to them that beléeue There is also another end and vse of sacramentall signes that is to say that they signifie in signifying do represent which were superfluous to proue by many testimonies since it is moste manifest to all men at least by that which we spake before Now to signifie is to shew and by signes and tokens to declare and pointe out any thing But to represent doth not signifie as some dreame to bring to giue or make that now again corporally present which somtime was taken away but to resemble it in likenes and by a certeine imitation and to call it back againe to minde and to set it as it were before our eyes For we say that a sonne doth represent or resemble his father when after a sort he expresseth his father in fauour and likenes of manners so that he which séeth him may verily think that he seeth his father as it were present And after this manner doe sacraments stir vp help our faith while wee sée outwardely before our eyes that whiche stirreth vpp the minde worketh in vs and warneth vs of our dutie yea that very thing which we a while before comprehended in our minde is nowe after a sorte visibly offered to our senses in a similitude parable type or figure to be viewed and weighed in our minde that mutuallie they might helpe one another The similitude therefore or Analogie of the signe to the thinge signified is héere by the way to be considered I told you before that Analogia is an aptnes proportion and a certeine conuenience of the signe to the thinge signified so that this maye be séene in that as in a loking-glasse The matter shall be made manifest by examples The bountifull and gratious Lord of his méere mercie receiueth mankinde into the partaking of all his good gifts and graces and adopteth the faithfull that nowe they bee not onely ioyned in league with God but also the children of God whiche thing by the holy action of baptisme béeing in stéede of the signe or the verie signe it selfe is most euidētly by representation laid before the eyes of al men For the minister of GOD standeth at the holie fonte to whome the infant is offered to be baptised whom he receiueth and baptiseth into the name or in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holie Ghoste For we maye finde both Into the name and In the name So that to be baptised Into the name of the Lord is to be sealed into his vertue and power for the name of the Lord signifieth power into the fauour mercie and protection of God yea to be graffed and as it were to be fastned to be dedicated and to be incorporated into god To be baptised In the name of the Lord is by the commaundement or authoritie of God to be baptised I meane by the commission or appointment of God the father the sonne and the holie Ghost to be receiued into the companie of the children of God to be counted of Gods household that they whiche are baptised are be called Christians and be named w the name of God béeing called the children of God the father c. His spéech therfore doth somewhat resemble that which we read else-where that The name of God was called vppon ouer some one which is in a maner as if we should say that one is called by the name of God that is to be called The seruaunt sonne of God. They therefore which before by grace inuisibly are receiued of God into the societie of God those selfe same are visibly now by baptisme admitted into the selfe same household of God by the minister of God and therefore at that time also receiue their name that they may alwayes remember that in baptisme they gaue vpp their names to Christ and in like manner also receiued a name After this manner by a most apt Analogie the verie signe resembleth the thing signified To be short baptisme is done by water And water in mens matters hath a double vse For it clenseth filthe as it were renueth man also it quencheth thirst and cooleth him that is in a heate So also it representeth the grace of God when it cleanseth his faithfull ones from their sinnes regenerateth and refresheth vs with his spirite Beside this the minister of Christ sprinckleth or rather powreth in water or being dipped taketh them out of the water whereby is signified that God verie bountifully bestoweth his gifts vpon his faithful ones it signifieth also that wee are buried with Christe into his death and are raised againe with him into newnesse of life Pharao was drowned in the gulfe of the redd sea but the people of God passed throughe it safe For our old Adam must be drowned and extinguished but oure new Adam day by day must be quickned and rise vp againe out of the water Therefore is the mortification and viuification of Christians verie excellently represented by baptisme Now in the Lords supper bread and wine represent the verie bodie and
treatise of the sacramēts therefore at this presēt we will do no more but touche them briefly for memories sake meaning to handle those things somewhat more largly which shall by occasion arise as they are intreated vppon But this word Cōmunion I meane the societie cōiunction or partaking of the lord Christ by the which through his spirit he doth wholy knitt and ioyne himselfe to vs and wee are made partakers of him by faith are coupled vnto him so that being by him deliuered from sinn and death we may liue in him being made heires of euerlasting life and that hée maye liue in vs and bee wholie ours as we be wholie his Neither doe wée say that the communion of the Lords body bloud is any thing else For by his body which was deliuered ouer to death for vs and by his bloud whiche was shed for the remission of our sinns it is come to passe that we being purged from oure sinnes are made his members and he now quickeneth vs and susteineth vs as food which giueth life wherevppon wee are also said to eate and drinke him as the meate and drinke of life The promise therefore wherof we made mention euen now is none other than the woord of God which declareth vnto vs that life is in Christ only For Christ deliuered his body to the death and shedd his bloud for the remission of our sinnes that we beléeuing in him maye haue life euerlasting But this promise communion of Christ is not nowe first of all giuen in the supper or by the supper For the Lord our God immediatly after the creatiō of the world promised life and remission of sinnes vnto Adam his séed through Christ afterward renued the same promise w Noe Abraham Moses Dauid and the other fathers And that the fathers did communicate with Christ were partakers of his goodnes Paul the Apostle w the whole scripture is a witnes But this so great goodnes happened not to the fathers onely For the promise was made vnto vs also and the communion of Christ was conueyed vnto vs is conueyed particularly vnto euery one of vs in holy baptisme also in the manifest preaching of the Gospel moreouer we receiue the same by faith by which we are ioyned to Christ and are made his members Therfore as we are not void without Christ before the supper but are quickened by him made his members or partners so in the verye action or celebration of the supper the promise is renued vnto vs and we renue continue that fellowship which we haue with Christ by the body and bloud of Christe spiritually truly participating his life and all his good giftes through faith And by this meanes we eate the Lords body and drinke his bloud Moreouer the Lord doth visibly declare scale vnto vs the spirituall cōmunion promise of life made through Christ by visible signes to wit the banquet of bread and wine ioyned to his word or promise namely that he is the quickening bread and drinke that we hauing receiued the signes by faith and obedience beeing therto sealed do take vppon vs the promise communion of Christe by imprinting or transferring into our bodies the seale or sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ Of which thing the Apostle hath also intreated in the first Corinth cap. 10. And also to the Rom. cap. 4. we also haue said more thereof in the generall treatise of the sacraments But before I intreate further of other ends of the supper consisting in the description thereof I wil recite what othersome allege of the promise and communion of Christ They condemne our doctrine as hereticall For they contend that the lord promised the hee would giue vnto the faithfull his very body bloud to be eaten dronken vnder the forme of bread wine therfore it must by al meanes and without al contradiction be beléeued that the bread is the Lords naturall body and the wine his bloud that these ought to be eaten and dronken not only spiritually but also corporally vnto life euerlasting And that Christ is bodily present in the supper and the the bread is his body the wine his bloud thus they proue That which the lord speaketh cānot be false for he is the trueth it selfe But he saith that the bread is his body the wine his bloud Therefore the bread and wine of the sacrament are verily really and essentially the body bloud of Christ Whiche trueth they say must simply he beléeued although reason it selfe the whole world all senses and nature it selfe be against it We answere the in déede all things are very true which the Lord hath spoken who is truth it selfe but in that sense which he himself said and vnderstood not in that meaning which we wil inforce vpō his words Wherfore before all things we must search out the true sense of the Lords words in the supper This is my body This is my bloud c. These men crye out saying that the Lords words ought to be expounded simply according to the letter For they are wordes of the testament and the same would not haue his words to be taken by a trope of figure But wee say that all the Euangelical and apostolical bookes are numbered vnder the name of the testament therefore throughout all and euery place of the Scripture nothing must be corrupted nothing added nothing taken away vnlesse we will be subiect to the curse Wée are also constreined to confesse that there be infinite sentences in the holy scripturs which if we will procéede to expound simply according to the letter we shall ouerthrow the whole scripture the true faith or we shall séeme to goe about to reproue the scriptures of lyes or contradictiō I wil bring forth one of two examples of this sort The Euāgelist S. John writeth The word became flesh Now if we wil cleaue to the very words then must we say that God was chaunged into man But forasmuch as this sense is contrary to the faith and the scriptures For God is immutable and Christ is perfect God and man without all mingling or conuerting of naturs but remayning stil in their ownepropertics and so do we admit this exposition which declareth that the word toke flesh and that God was made man And this sense is not against scripture For Paul saith that the sonne of God neuer toke vpon him the nature of angels but the séede of Abraham And therefore the eatholique fathers together with the apostle doe expoūd this word Est is by this word Assumpsit toke vppon him Whereof Theodoret hath intreated at large in his Polymorphus Dialog 1. Againe the Lord saith in the same John The father is greater than I we should make an inequalitie in adoring the Trinitie if wee should contend that the Lordes words are simply to be vnderstood without interpretation But by cōference of other
not onely the sacramentes of the bodie and bloude of Christ We answere that Paule saieth thus in plaine wordes Who soeuer eateth of this bread and drinketh of the Lords cup. c. Marke this he sayeth Who so eateth this bread drinketh of this cup vnworthily hee saith not Who so eateth the flesh and drinketh the bloud vnworthily For they whiche eate the Lorde are not without faith and Christe dwelleth in them and they in him If thou yet meruaile how the vnbeléeuers can bée guiltie of the Lordes body and bloud being eaten but sacramentally learne this out of other places of the Scripture The Lord saith in Iohn Verilie verilie I say vnto you he that receiueth whomsoeuer I shall send receiueth me and whoso receiueth me receiueth him that sent mee Wherfore whose receiueth not an apostle trespasseth not against y Apostle but against God himself although in y mene while he hath not séene god nor will not séeme to haue repelled him Wee read how y the iudge will say to them that are on his left hand Departe from me you wicked into euerlasting fire For I was hungrie and you gaue me no meat I was thirsty you gaue me no drink c. But harkeÌ„ now how the reprobate wil make exceptions againste thus sentence of the Iudge Lord when did we se thee hungrie or thirstie and ministred not vnto thee TheÌ„ heare again what the iudge wil answere Verily I say vnto you in that yee did it not vnto one of the least of these ye did it not to mee wherfore like as he that sinneth against a minister or a begger sinneth agaiÌ„st Christ himselfe although in y meane while he hath not hurt Christes person in any point so is he also giltie of the body bloud of Christ whosoeuer receiueth the sacrament of the body bloud of Christ vnworthily although in the meane seasoÌ„ he haue not receiued the very body bloud of the lord Paul saith in another place that reuolters do crucifie againe vnto them selues the sonne of god He also denieth in an other place by all manner of meanes that it is possible for Christe to be crucified or to dye any more Therefore Christ cannot be crucified againe by the Apostataes or reuolters how beit their shamefull falling away from him is so estéemed of as if they had crucified the Sonne of God. Although therefore the wicked doe not eate the Lordes verie bodie nor drinke his bloude neuerthelesse they are guiltie of betraying the Lords body and bloud as farre as in them lyeth If a rebell treade vnder his foote y seale or letters of the Prince or Magistrate although hee touche not the Magistrate him selfe nor treade him vnder his foote yet is hee sayde to haue troaden the magistrate vnder his foote and is accused not for hurting the seale or defiling the letters but hee is charged of treason and accused for treading the Prince vnder his féete What meruaile then if we heare it said that they which do eate the Lords bread vnworthily are guiltie of the body and bloud of Christ For the bread and the mysticall cup are a sacrament and seale of it Hetherto haue we disputed of the eating of the bodie of Christe and of drinking of his bloud haÌ„dling euery one point therof with asmuch breuitie as we could Now we go to knit vp the other endes of the Lords supper béeing placed in the description of the supper We said that the supper was instituted by the Lord that it might represent visibly the gifts of God vnto the Church and lay them foorth before the eyes of all men But we haue learned by the whole discourse of this matter that Christ him selfe is a most full rich treasure of all the giftes of God as namely froÌ„ whom béeing deliuered for vs vnto death we haue all things belonging to life remission of sinnes life euerlasting Since these things be inuisible gotten by faith they be also visibly that is to say by sacraments represented almost vnto all the senses to the sight to hearing to tasting and to féeling to the intent that man béeing wholy therwith moued bothe in body and soule may celebrate this moste comfortable mysterie with greate reioycing in heart Héere vnto now apperteyneth that analogie whereof I haue spoken before in the 7. Sermon of this Decade whereby I would haue these things to be better learned Furthermore we haue said that the supper was instituted of the lord that he might visibly gather together into one body all his members which were in a maÌ„ner dispersed throughout all parts of the world Whervppon we haue said that the holie men some where else did call the supper a league or confederacie We are knitt inuistbly with Christe and all his members by vnitie of faith and participation of one spirit but in the supper we are ioyned together euen by a visible coÌ„iunctioÌ„ For now not by words but by déedes also but by mysterie but by sacrament we are very néerly knit and ioyned together opening and declaring to all men by celebrating the supper that we are also of the number of them that beléeue that they are redéemed by Christ and that they are Christes members and people But we binde our selues together vnto Christe and the Church bothe that we will kéepe the sincere faith and promising that wee will vse good déedes and charitie towards all men Looke for more touching this matter in the seuenth Sermon of this Decade Héerevppon truely did S. Paule proue that it is not lawfull for them whiche receiue together at the Lords table to eate of meate offered to Idols and to take parte of prophane sacrifices Which thing if at this day many would rightely weigh and consider they would not séeme to be séene so busie in straunge and for reigne sacrifices We said also that the Lord instituted the Supper that thereby hee might kéepe his death in memorie so that it should neuer be blotted out with obliuion For Christes death is the summarie of all gods benefits He wold haue vs therfore to kéep in memorie the benefite of his inâ—arnatioÌ„ passion redemption and of his loue And although the remembrance of a thinge that is past bee celebrated to wit of his death yet the same belongeth greatly vnto vs quickneth vs. Neither most we thinke that this is the lest end For there is none so diligently expressed as this is For the Lorde repeateth this saying Doe this in the remembraunce of me But the holy rite or holy actioÌ„ béeing ioyned with the word or with the preaching of Christes death the redemption of mankind how mauelously doth it renue from time to time that benefit and suffereth it not to be forgotten Last of al we said that the supper was ordeined of the lord that therby we might be admonished of our duety praise thanksgiuing It is our dutie to be sincere in the faith of Christ to imbrace all our brethren