Again The supper of the Lorde was not institutedto the end that such a sacrifice for synne (as they fayne) shuld be made of it / but that in the vse of it the communicantes shuld be put in mynde / and made partakers of that only propiciatorie sacrifice which christe offered ons only for all euer vppon the crosse. And therfor ther Masse / in which they wold worcke such marueyles / and the Lordes supper ar vtterly vnlyke. But here they will reply and saye.The fathers do speake thus of this Sacrifice / We graunte indeede / that the fathers do often tymes speake so as thoughe that the lorde wer offered in this administracion of the Sacrament / or sacrificed: But they vsed this worde / Sacrifice, improperly / for by that kinde of speaking they did onderstonde / the offringes of praise / and sacrifices of thanckes made and gyuen for christes sacrifice done vppon the crosse / This they called to sacrifice. Our sacrificing prests ar not content with this / for they will haue their own worcke to be an vnwonted worcke / belonging to them alone / which neither the scriptures / nor the fathers do teache: ffor to offer this Sacrifice of whiche the fathers do speake / partayneth not to the preist alone / but to the whole poeple that stõdith by / and doth cõmunicate / And so it is acommon oblacion and sacrifice of all / not of the preiste more then of the poeple / but this only that the preist both in wordes and action / doth go before the poeple.de Ciuitate dei. lib. 10. cap. 6.Augustine doth saye / that the churche is offered in that offeringe which it doth offer. For all which do communicate / they do offer them selues vnto godd / and do testifie that their will is / to abide in christe.The papistes do holde also that the breade is turned into the substaunce of christes bodie / and that ther remaynith nothing but the qualitie and accidẽce of breade as whitenes / &c. for the substaũce / saye they / is christes bodie. But the scripture saith that christe in his laste supper did gyue breade vnto his disciples /1. Cor. 11.and paule callith it breade also / yeat in the Masse the papistes saye that it is otherwise.The vse of the breade and wyne by christis instituciõ is only / that the congregacion shuld eate and drincke therof in the remembrance of christe / But the papistes in their Masse do most shamefully abuse them both. For wheare as the worde of godd saythe:Deutron 6math. 4.Thow shalt worshipp the Lorde thy godd and hym only shalt thow serue / They in ther masse do lyfte vpp the breade and wyne / and euen in the rowme of godd they sett them furthe to be adored and worshipped of the poeple: now how farr this differrith from the vse of christes supper eich man may se. Yea what can be more vile and filthie Idolatrie / then to adore and worshipp a peace of brede ãd cupp of wyne / as godd? Be not offended that I dovse theise bare names. I do confes / that whosoeuer acording to the Lordes Instituciõ doth cõmunicate with the cõgregaciõ and dothe eate the breade ãd drinke of the cupp of the Lorde / beholding the deathe of christe with Lyuely faithe / the same man is in sprete ãd after his manier / made partaker of the body ãd bludd of the lorde. Contrari wise if thow do not vse the breade and wyne acordinge to the ordinaunce of christe / but gase vppon them / then ar they nothinge els to the / but breade ãd wyne: But if in a popishe Masse / or in the popishe hãging / heauing / carying / or handelinge of them / thow do worshipp them / thẽ ar they vnto the a false Idoll / ãd thow indeede a filthie Idolatror. If therfor thow wilt be partaker of the body and bludd of christe in the holy supper / then eate the breade and drincke the cupp as the lorde hathe instituted. Godd wold haue the poeple in the vse of the holy Supper to ascend vppwarde into heauen in mynde and affectiõ / that they might ther cleaue fast vnto christe. And therfor the true ministers of the churche do labour to the vttermost of their poure / thus to lifte vpp the poeples mynde into heauen / that they shuld not seeke christe in the worlde / that they shuld not thinck ony fleshly or earthely thinge of hym: Theise men clean contrarie in the order of their Sacrament and Masse do miserably detayn the poeple in the earthe / bynding and holding them to the visible signes.1. Cor. 14The apostle commaundith that thinges shuldnotbe doone in the congregacion in a straunge tongue/ except ther wer an Interpretour / that the thing being vnderstonded of all / the hearers might saye / Amen / and that the edifyinge of them shuld be sought. Now theise men in their masse do all in the Laten tongue / which is to the common poeple vnknown / and they do defend this theyr doing euen against the worde of godd. But it is most certayn that christe our sauiour in his administration / and after him all his apostles and disciples which wer hebrues / vsed theyr vulgare hebrue tongue / the Grecians also their greke tonge. And euen vnto this daye the Sclauonians in their churches vse their vulgare and commen speache.Those wordes of our greate and singuler consolation / in wich the partakinge of Christes bodye and bloude is promised / the papistes in their Masse speake secretlie / they whisper them so that euen they which knowe the Latine tonge cã neither heare thẽ nor vnderstande them. And so do they rumble them vp to their owne selues as thoughe the people were vnworthie to heare thẽ: But christ in his super spake thẽ openlie. And so the greke churche ãd the Churche of India / do yet speake thẽ with ã audible voice And the aunciẽt manier was / as Ambrose and Augustĩe amõg other of the fathers do testifie that the people dyd answer vnto those words. Amẽ. But as I suppose the papistes do thus murmure ãd speake these words in secrete / bicause they wolde not haue their Lies knowen / for they do saye / Take ye andeate / and this so oftẽ as ye do / do yt in the remẽbraũce of me. But who taketh / or to whõ do they giue? The wordes be spokẽ to the people: And yet they thẽ selues do eate and drike vp all alone / and do distribute vnto no mã ells. Is not this to make a lie? To lie alwaies is takẽ to be an euill thĩge / but before god to lie / is a moste shamles and wiked thinge: who dothe eate (o ye lyyng papistes) or who doth drinke wyth you? If ye do distribute at any tyme to ony other ye do yt not when ye your selues receyue / but ye chose for them an other time / yea and another kinde also / for to thẽ ye do minister but the breade onlye. Thus ye se that all theise thinges which these massers do in their masse / ar contrarye to the institution of Christe. Ther masse then and Christes supper ar not lyke.The papistes saye that by their Action (I meane ther handeling of ther breade and wyne) they do applie vnto others the profitt of Christs bloudie sacrifice and passiõ. Of a Sacramẽt they saye that they make sacrifices to profit the quicke and the Deade. and this do they ĩ ther masse. But the scripture teacheth / that there is but one only propiciatorie sacrifice / able and auaylable to take awaie synnes / whiche Christe Iesus offered in his owne fleshe vpon the Crosse. And that euerie man muste applie vnto him selfe by liuelie faythe the benefite of that same sacrifice of christe / as the scripture teacheth likewise / that eche man is iustified by his own faithe, andthat eche man in his owne righteousnes or vnrighteousnes / doth liue / or die. It teachithe also that christe did institute the sacrament only to this end that the congregacion shuld eate and drincke it in the remẽberaunce of that same his Sacrifice. And that eiche one in the drincking therof shuld apply vnto himself by faithe / the fruite of that Sacrifice. Now compare the doctrine of the scriptures and of the papistes in this pointe together / and thou shalt se that their Masse is contrarie to christes Institucion. But as they haue / so still will they saye:That aswell the liuing as the deade be helped by this their acte applied at their pleasure. If they wolde saie that thei profyt others by praier / that were tollerable. But they go further and saie / that ther verye massinge worcke it selfe / hathe so moche vertue / power ãd strenghthe in it / that it shall profit not only all kyndes of mẽ / but all such creatures ãd beastes for whom they do say ther masse / bicause in it they do applye the benefite of christes passion: but ye must vnderstõd whẽ they be payed for ther labor. This is an horrible error in no wise to be suffered / for as I sayed / ther is but one only sacrifice propiciatorie to take awaye synne / which one sacrifice eiche one of vs must applie vnto our selues by liuelie faythe / And this applyinge faithe is the only gifte of god: But on this grounde buylde they their purgatorie and mutch other such pelf / by which they do pycke mens purses. They saye ther Masses alsoin the honor of this / or of that saincte. And of what saintes? suche verylie whose histories are not certaynlie knowen / and are of none authoritie / yea many of thẽ are no better then poetes fables / of whõ not vnworthelie we doubte whether they be sainctes or no: But be it that they were true sainctes / yet this their doinge is moste cõtrarie to christes ordinance / for Christe did institute his supper to this ende that it sholde be vsed in the remembrance of his deathe and not of other mens / weare they neuer so holye.In their masse they haue also diuers and sundrie rytes ãd customs / clothes / signes / gestures / tornes / remouinges / ãd blissinges / of and with the breade ãd wine / but christe vsed none of all theis in his supper: And what they do meane by these thinges the poeple doth not knowe / neither can the priestes them selues for the most part tell what is ment by them: for if ye aske the meaninge of them / either cã they saye nothinge at all / or if they do saie owghte / they do not saye all one thinge / but thinges that be moste cõtrarie / wherby a mã maie iudge that there is no truithe at all in their wordes. But here they do saie. Thinkest thou that the foolishe vnlearned people in the olde Lawe dyd vnderstand all the legall ceremonies? no it was not requisite / no more is yt nowe: To this I answer / Althoughe that all the poeple dyd not knowe what was mente by them in the olde lawe / It sufficed yet that they hade the worde of god for them / Nowe do yee shewe vnto vs theworde of god for theise your signes and it shall sufficevs.Agayne the godly and lerned preistes could shew what was ment by the rites and ceremonies of the lawe / and that by the word of godd: but ye can do neyther of theis: for ye haue enuented theis toyes in your own braynes: signes ye do call them but ye do not know what thinges they do signifie. And therfor as in rites your Masse doth differ from christes supper / so whẽ ye saye your pleasure of your rites / ye ar not to be beleaued: for faith hath no place where goddes worde doth not shew it selfe. I saide that massemungers in their masse do committ Idolatrie. Their bready god hanged vp in a pix / and their Images / vnto which they turne them selues and do make their moste vncleane seruice and sacrifice do proue this true: Neither do they accompte it sufficient to behold theis their Idols when they saye their Masses / but also they so offer vnto them / they cense them / they bowe the knee vnto them: let them nowe denye whilest they will that they do not worship the breade / nor the Images / yet this worship they do them / This kinde of worship (I saye) which is giuen customabilie vnto god alone / as the lawe of god teacheth. But seing they giue this vnto these Idols / are they not Idolatrors? yes truly. And howe thẽ dare ony christian be present there / to vncouer the heade to bowe the kne to offer and do such like thinges with them?They saye that ther Masse is christes Institution / And our men (of whom I now haue spoken) do saye that the Masse hath sum affinitie with christes institucion of the holy supper.But I saye that the olde heathens myghte wyth more coloure of truithe / excuse and defende their sacrifices by that maner / then these men maye do their masse. ffor verylye the sacrifices of the heathen haue lesse departed from the maner which the fathers vsed in sacrificinge before the lawe giuẽ / which also the lorde approued in the lawe / thẽ these massers do frome the supper which Christe / and the Apostle paule hathe prescribed. In bothe their sacrifices was the inuocation of god / a Temple / an Aultar / slayne sacrifices / sacrificinge priestes / sleynge of beastes / sheddinge of bloude / salte / wine / oyle / mele / an holy feaste / holy garmentes / washinge / censinge / fyer / singinge / prophecies / and suche other thinges / all which to repeate it were to longe: let our Massers (if they can) shewe so many thinges which Christe did in the holye supper: Which thinge if they can not do / then let them cease to boaste that their Masse is the institution of Christ and the Apostles / from which it differethe so farre that if the Apostles and fathers of the primatyue churche were nowe here to beholde thismasse / they sholde not knowe it to be the lords supper / but wolde surlie marueyle at suche a monstruous mahometrie.I omytte also that in and with their Masse they haue many Anniuersaries yearemyndes / diriges done for the deade: But The Lord did not institute ony of them. If they saye that Cyprian and others of the fathers do speake of suche Annyuersaries: I answer that those of which the fathers do make mencyon / were nothinge els but thãckfull remẽbraũces of the Martirs departed / in which they did gyue thancks to godd for thẽ. They also in their Masses do call vppon the saintes and holy men departed / which is a thing most contrarie to true godlynes / and vtterly vnknown and vnpracticed in the administracion of the Lordes supper.And to be shorte all their thinges which they do in their Masses / they do choppe and chaũge / they bye and sell and sett them furthe to most vile and filthie gayne. Wherfor / my most Louing Brethern take ye diligent heede / les whilest ye pretend to worshipp godd in your going to Masses / and to entreate hym to be mercifull vnto yow / ye do not most mightyly kindle his wrathe against you by hearinge of theise Masses: which as ye playnly do se / ar nothing els but a shamfull deuise sett vpp to deface the deathe of christe / a pestilent practise fownde out to ouerthrowe the true vse of the Lordes supper / and an Idolatrie inuented to infect the poeple and to make them Idolatrors.whearby eich man may easilyiudge/ how great a synne it is / to be partaker of a Masse.But notwithstondinge all this which is spoken / yeat theise men whiche thincke that they maye dissemble at the Masse / cease not to saye / That thoughe the Masse be not the Lords supper / but an Idolatrie / yet is not the presẽce at it so earnestly to be forbidden / seing that such thinges haue been graũted vnto the Infirmities of mẽ: If a man do aske them wheare:Naman.They do bringe forth the Example of Naaman the Syrian / and by it they will neades haue it made Lawfull vnto them to communicate with wicked supersticiõs.4. Reg. 5.for he prayed Heliseus / saye they / that he might be suffred to kneele in the temple of Rymmon that Idoll / whẽ the kinge did worshipp / and leane vppon his arme. whom the prophet answered / goo in peace. And that / saye they / which was permitted vnto Naaman / whi do ye forbyd vnto vs? ffurst theise men shuld weye with them selues / whether that we only haue redde this Example of Naaman / or not. So we thincke that the holy Apostles and Martirs of the olde churche which wer occupied nighte and daye in the holy scriptures / did not consider this acte and Example? Truly they wer not ignorant of the historie / yet did they neuer knowe this vnderstandinge of it: for if they did / whi then wolde they not folow this example / especially when they might therby haue saued their lyues?But these holy and godly learned men did seethat thinge in this historie / which our men do not consider / namely this / that Naamã now newly cõuerted to the faithe was a smoking flaxe which was not to be putt out / a weake and shaken reade which was not to be brosed in peices / and that as yet he was very weake / for he was not yet prepared and readye to denye and forsake hymself and all that was his for goddes sake. He thought that it might cõme to pas that he shuld together with the knowledge of the Lyuing godd / easili holde and keape still his old place / office / and dignitie / if he coulde happen to haue that / which he desired of the prophet: And when he did well perceyue that this was his infirmitie and synne / it trobled himso that therfor he desired the prayers and helpe of Heliseus: he desired hym / that if he shuld happen to fall into this euill / yeat that he might be fauored / that he mighte finde mercie / ãd that Heliseus wold praye that the Lorde wolde forgyue hym. Who doth at ony tyme aske forgyuenes for that which he accõptithe Lawfull? forgyuenes is asked for synnes only / Naaman therfor acknowledged this his acte to be a synne: And if I so fall (quod he) then praye the Lorde to forgyue me. This place therfor doth make most against our men / and euen the same wayes which they go about to excuse their facte / by the same it is most playnly proued to be synne. Let them aknowledge therfor in their doĩge that thinge / which Naaman the Sirian did. And let them begg the mercie of godd / and the prayers of godly men / that thesame thing which they haue euell doone / and do / maye be pardoned them. Neither did Eliseus / as our men do thincke / graunte Naaman licence or libertie to do so as he hadd sayde / but only he saide vnto hym / goo in peace: which manier of speaking was a kind of takinge leaue vsed in that age. And as for any other thinge ther can none be gathered out of thos wordes / onles it be this that he promised to do that which Naaman required: goo thy wayes (saithe he) I will do as thow desirest / I shall praye for the. The prophet doth not reiect hym / if he shuld fall into this euell. As we do not vtterly reiect nor shutt theise mẽ frõ grace which thus do fall: Yeat must we sharply reproue their doinges that they may acknowledge their fault and synne / and vnfaynedly lament and repẽt the same. And we ought also hartily to praye that they may be raysed vpp agayn. They do obiect also certayn wordes out of the Epistle of Ieremie / which is ẽtitled Baruch. The wordes ar theise.Bar. 6.Now shall ye see in Babilon godds of golde / of syluer / of wodde / and of stone / borne vppõ mens shulders to caste out a fearefulnes before the heathẽ / But loke that ye do not as the other: be not afrayed let not the feare of thẽ ouercome yowe. Therfor when ye do see the multitude of poeple worshipping them behinde and before / saye yee in your hartes / O Lord / it is thow that oughtest only to be worshipped / Of theise wordes our men do gather / that it is sufficient for them when they ar present at Idolatries/Masses / and popishe supersticions / to saye in ther harte / O Lord it is thow that oughtest only to be worshipped. In answer to these men: furst I saye / that this booke entitle Baruch is none of the Canonicall scriptures: And therfor no man is bownd to the doctrine of it. But admit the booke wer of sufficient auctoritie / Then theise men must vnderstonde / that the prophet doth not gyue the Iues leaue to comme vnto the temples of Idols / that ther they might be present at vngodly Idolatrie / bowe ther knee / and so make vpp the matier / with sayinge in their hart to the true and lyuyng godd / O Lord / it is thow that oughtest only to be worshipped. But he gyuith the Iues instruction against Images which wer caried about / ãd Idolatries which wer vsed in those places wher they were exiles: ffor the Maneir of the Babilonians was / not only to haue Images in ther temples / but also to haue them sett abroode and caried openly vppon mens shulders. As it is not vnlike that the Image of Nabugodonosor, which beinge dedicated in the feilde of dura, was caried aboute the whole Regiõ with Musicall Instrumẽtes ãd sõges / at the sownde of which whersoeuer the Image was seene / commaundemẽt was gyuẽ vnto all mẽ that they shuld worshipp it: which Daniels felows wolde not do. Of theise thinges I saye / that epistle entreatithe / playnlye to warne the godly / that they shuld not adore / nor worshipp thos Idols thoughe that the heathenishe poeple did so bothe beforethem / and behind them / but when they did see this Idolatrie / detesting it / they shuld then saye / O lord / it is thou to whome worshipp doth only belõge: he saied not / bowe the knee with thẽ / and saye in your hartes / o lord / it is thou &c. but when ye do see these Idols and Idolatrye / say so. These seyngs and suddayn meetings in the cytie streetes ãd fieldes / could not be auoyded / and therfor the godly were to be enstructed and admonished / how they shuld behaue them selues in that case.But our men / as they are veraye bolde to abuse the scripture for their purpose / go on further and aske / how it happened that Daniel was not throwen into the fierie fornace with his felowes?Daniel. 3.seing lyke punishement was appointed vnto all men which did not worshippe. They will of necessitie haue it graunted them therfor / that Daniel did dissemble / (as they now do) and that therfor nothing was done vnto hym: And that thinge which Daniel dyd / they thincke that they maye do. I aunswer our men thus / that they do not reason well to saye / He was not punished / therfor he was ther and worshipped / they do out more in the consequẽt / then is in the antecedẽt / and so to reason is to make a subtill cauillacion / taking that to be a cause which is no cause. For there might be many other causes / wherfor Daniel was not likewise punished: happilie the Image ãd he did not meete together: or yf he did meete it / men did not mark what he did: or els though men marcked that he did not worshipp / yet he was not accused:or yf he were accused / yet through the singular fauour which the King did beare vnto him he was delyuered from punishmẽt. It must not then forthewith folowe / that Daniel for feare of death did present himself before that Idoll / and did dissemble his Religion / doing there as other Idolatrors did: this we must not iudge of Daniel /Daniel. 6.seing in the lyke quarell / he was not afrayde to be thrown vnto the lyõs. Now seing there may be many other causes why he was not caste into the fire with his felowes / why do these men chose vnto them selues this one cause? and that such a one / as is sclaũderous vnto that holy man / of which in the holy scriptures / there is not so much as a suspicion contayned. Yet they do thinke that they do not vnaptly saye for themselues / and defend their cause / when they do alledge that out of the Actes of the Apostles:Actor. 21.where mencion is made howe that Paule / through the councell of the Elders of the churche of Hierusalem / did take on hym a vowe with other foure men / and did purifye hymself after the maner and custumme of the Iues. Yf (saye they) suche an Apostle dyd take thys lybertye to vse in Iurie the ceremonies which were now abrogated / euẽ we also maye vse / and comme vnto the rites / and ceremonies now vsed in our countrithe. For the better vnderstõding of this matter we must first well consider what the somme of Paules preachinge was:Rom. 3.We do suppose (saith he) that a man is iustified by faith / without the workes of the Lawe.Gal. 3.And as many as are vnder the deedes of the Laweare subiect to the curs.Abac. 2.Agayne the Iuste man shall lyue by his faithe.Rom. 1.This is the somme of Paules doctrine / wherby it doth appeare / that Paule did not vtterly condẽne the obseruing of the ceremonies of the Law / but only whẽ it was done with this minde / as thoughe that Iustification did not cõme therby. And the same his meaning he vtterith most playnly to the Galathians / where he saithe.Gal. 5.As many of ye as are circumcised / ye are fallen from the grace of Christe: for Christe shall not profite you at all: ye are gone quite frõ Christe / as many as are Iustified by the Lawe / As yf he wold saye / These thinges of theyr owne nature do not alienate and separate vs from Christe / but only when they be done with this mynde and purpose / to be Iustified by them: Take awaye this opinion / and this euell hurtefull purpose being remoued / then Paule cõmendeth these worckes / and all other ciuyle ordinaunces cõmaunded / and appoynted to that Nacion: he condẽneth them not / but so farre as they wer iustly and not supersticiously vsed / he did leaue thẽ in theyr place /Gal. 3.ãd did not hinder the obseruacion of them. As he dyd also write / that in the Lord / there was neither Iue nor gentill / neyther nonde nor fre.Gal. 6.And that in Christe Iesus / neyther circumcision auaileth any thing at all / nor vncircumcision / but the obseruing of the commaũdements of God / or a new creature.1. Cor. 7.And againe yf any be called being circũcised / let him not adde vncircũcision. If anye be called vncircũcised / let hym not be circũcised. Let euery man abyde in thesame estate / in which he is called. All these indifferẽt thinges / might somtyme be well obserued / somtyme be as well left vndone / as most serued for edifying in godd. Of which vse and obseruacion of thẽ1. Cor. 9.Paule doth speake / when of him self he saieth: I am made all vnto all mẽ / that I might wynne manye: Vnto the Iues / I am made as a Iue / to thẽ which are without the lawe / as though I were without a lawe. This sentence he hath also confirmed by examples:Actor. 16.For when he was required to circũcise Timothie / because that the custumme which was yet in force might be kept / he did it: But when they wolde enforce him to the ouerthrowĩg of the christiã libertie / that he shulde likewise circumcise Titus /Gal. 2.In no wyse wolde he gyue place vnto them / no not for the space of one houre / and because (saith he) false brethren came in / to espie out / or to betray our libertie. S. Paule did obserue these thinges then / when it might be done without an euell mynd / when no hurte shuld ensue of it: The cause ãd end why Paule did it / was to auoide the offendinge of the beleauing Iues / les yf he did it not / they shuld therby be alienated and turned awaye from Christes gospell / which they had newly receyued. But we must not compare these ceremonies of the old lawe with the Inuencions of men / they can not be iustly compared with Massing: They were plainly taught in Goddes worde / but these masses and popishe Idolatries are thrust vnto vs by the subtiltie of the deuell / and craftye deceyuing of mẽ. They werethingesindifferẽt / and as such thinges might be well vsed. But these are thinges vtterly euell and can not be well vsed. They after Christes ascenscion into heauẽ wer not forbidden / and therfor might be obserued / so long as the Temple and common welth of Israel did cõtinue and the citie was vndestroyed / and vntill the full reuelinge and preachinge of the gospell was had / vntill by it the churche of Christe / which was to be gathered of the Iues and gentils / were well / and fully vnited and knitt together.Aug. Epistol. 19. ad Hieron.Neyther wer those ceremonies / as Augustine saith / suddenly and without honor to be buried and throwen awaye. But these masses / and such popish supersticions / which are farsed full with Idolatrie / alwayes haue beene / are / and shalbe forbiddẽ. Those thinges might therfor be keapt and obserued for a tyme / so that men did not vse them with that mynde (as I sayed) to be iustified by them. Wherfor yf thow wilt consider the matier it self / that is / the nature of the acte / Paule can neither be therin reprehended / nor yet can these dissemblige Massehaunters vse his well doinge as a defence for their euell doinge: but much les can this be done / yf thou wilt searche out the mynde / councell / and entent of Paules doinge. Bothe these thinges these mayntayners of massehaunting do want. For furst they are occupied in a thing which is contrary / and repugnant to Godds worde / as it is already declared. Secondly / in thys their dissimulacion they do only seke themselues / for to thend that they maye retayne their riches / dignitie/ and estimacion by falling to poperye they offend the weake and drawe them by their example from Christe to Antichrist / wheras Paule did herin obserue thinges commaunded in Goddes worde / and thẽ to this ende only / les the beleauing Iues shuld fall backe frõ Christ / and that he might the more easily drawe others / which yet beleaued not / to the gospell of Christe. Furthermore these men do saye / that they by their dissimulacion will auoide offence. For (saye they) yf we shuld so vtterly forsake the Masse as ye wolde haue vs / we shulde be taken as wicked mẽ ãd euell doers / ãd so shall we geue great offence in out countrithes. I graũte that these men do seke to auoyd offence / but what offence? euẽ the offẽce of the world. They will not offend / but whom? Tyraũtes / ãd such as ar the very limmes of antichrist. And why? les they shuld procure against thẽselues theyr wrath / poure / and tyrãnie. But this is that offence / which Criste sayeth shuld not be auoided:Mat. 15.Let them alone (saith he of the Phariseis) They are blinde ãd the leaders of the blinde. Heere we must consider which be euell offences / and such as are to be auoyded indeed. Euẽ those I say / which are an Impediment to the setting forth of the gospell / which do offend and hinder mẽ / be they simple / or wicked / that they do not embrace pure doctryne / and turne vnto Christe. Now beholde / I pray the / by cõming to the Masse / what offence thou doest gyue? The Idolatrous ãd supersticious people / ar they not offended by this thy doing? Yeas verely. For when they do sethe haũte their masses / they say / these gospellers do cõme to our masses / which they wold not do yf our masses wer so euell as thei call thẽ: wherfor we may perseuere ãd cõtinue in our old purpose. And on the other parte / the weaker brethrẽ / which are but newly turned / ãd not farr entered into the knowledge of Christ / whẽ they do se these better lerned professors / enseyng bearers / and chief men in the scole of Christ comme to the masse / they are taught to do the lyke: and wher before they wer perswaded not to comme at masses / now they thincke that they were then deceyued / and that it is but a fonde precise scrupulositie so to abstayn from masses: and it cometh to pas / that where they shuld go forwarde in the waye of truth / now they do go backe. Thus both the wicked and the godly / are offended by thy example: It is playne therfor that vnder the cloked colour of auoyding of offence / these men do fall into the very offẽce gyuing. They say morouer: It is nedefull to cõdiscende vnto the weake: for there are many which are not persuaded that the masse is naught / and therfor are neyther ready to forsake their countrie / nor to dye in the quarell / whiche men yf they shulde perceyue that we did not come to masse / they wold not gyue then any ear or credite vnto vs in the other matiers and chief pointes of religion: wherfore we must gyue and yealde somwhat vnto their infirmitie / as Paule doth teache the Romayns. This they saye.Rom. 14.But what will Paule / I praye you / that we shuld yealde to the weake? This verily / fyrst that weshuld not please our selues: Agayne / that we shuld not so lyue after our own mynde / that we shulde cõtemne their saluacion. We do graunte therfor that som thinge is to be gyuen vnto the infirmitie of the weake brother / but euen with Paule / we will not suffer that to be done / but in thinges indifferẽt. But those thinges which of them selues ar euell and forbidden of Godd / must not be done in respect of any man.Rom. 3.For that same Rule doth stonde certayn which gyueth leaue to no mã to do euell that goode maye comme theron. To abstayn / or not to abstayn from meates / was then a thing indifferẽt. In such thinges they which be stronger must beare with the Infirmitie of the weaker: but meate eating ãd Massehauntinge are not lyke / for this is no thing indifferẽt / but manifestly euell / as it is sufficiently proued / and therfor it is not to be done in respect of bearing with any man that is weake. But are the weake alwayes to be borne with all in thinges indifferent? no truly / we must not alwayes yealde to the weake but only whylest they be taughte: And when they do vnderstonde the thing that is taught them / and yet do wauer and doubt of a wilful scrupulositie / their infirmitie is no longer to be norished nor born with all: For we must not so beare with them / that out libertie shal be in subiectiõ to their frowardnes / nor that therby we do hurte others by our example.Agayn they obiect and saye: Yf we shuld do as ye wold haue vs to do / then must we eyther flye out of our coũtrithe / or els forthwith shall we suffer deathand so the congregatiõs shalbe left vtterly desolate / ther shall be none lefte to teache and norishe those afflicted mẽbres which shall remayne in our churche: Better it is / that by our bearing and dissemblinge / ther do remayne yet sum leight / then that by doing as ye wold haue vs all together shuld be putt out.1. Cor. 15.If sum do remayne ther / it wilbrustforthe at lẽgthe / and a litill leauẽ will soure the whole lũpe of dowe. &c. Truly for all this goodly clooke / it is easily perceyued that through this dissẽbling the edifying of the churche is hindered and not furthered. These men pretẽde with Athlas to beare vp heauẽ withe their shulders / but they do ouerthrow altogether: Godd doth se more thẽ we / in the thinges which shall happen to the churche: We must obeye hym in seruyng hym ãd his churche with the cõfessiõ of truthe. The issue / and succes / let vs cõmitt vnto hym to whom the churche doth belonge: And let vs do that wherunto we ar called. The churche shall be destroyed thẽ / thow sayest: Let God care for that / he will well prouide for that / let vs not doubt. Wel maye theise mẽ be answered / as the lorde answered Peter / whẽ he called hym / sayinge:Ioan. 21.folowe me: Peter made a staye at it and asked hym what Iohn shuld do. If I will (saith Christ) haue hym to tarye / what is that to the? do thow folowe me. So if thow aske in this case / what shall then be done with the churche? I aunswer / what is that to the? Do thow the thinge wher vnto thow art called. Besids this oftẽ tymes the doctrine of the gospell is more sett furth / andbetter receyued / when it is mayntayned by deathe / and fleinge / then when by words only it is propownded and taught: for then men are taught by deedes / as before they wer by wordes: Haste thow confessed the gospell in wordes? This then remayneth for the to do: die / or flye for the gospell so shalt thou cõfesse the same indede. And Let vs not feare the desolatiõ of the churche / for wher one of our brethern dyeth / or flyeth for the doctrine / in his rowm shall rise vp a great sorte. But if we stãd and continue in dissemblinge / thẽ is the light of the truithe put owt / nether is there any cõfession made indede.They bringe in also the examples of Zacharie / Iohn the Baptist / the virgin Marie / and Ioseph / which in the corupted and infected tymes whẽ they lyued dyd cõme vnto the seruice of God in the Tẽple of the Iues / The same thing maye be permitted to thẽ (they thincke) and that yt is as lawfull for thẽ to partake ãd vse the ceremonies in the popish churche be they neuer so corrupt. True it is that ther were many wicked doctrines and euill opinions at that tyme emongest the scribes and pharisees. But yet the estate of thẽ was far otherwise / thẽ it is in our tyme: They hade corrupted the doctrine of the law and of iustificatiõ. They were couetous / That thing which they dyd / Was done with out fayth / and therfor abhominable before God / yet the rite and maner of sacrificing apointed by Goddes lawe was not chaũged / for the same beastes were offered which the lawe dyd cõmaũde / the same daies were obserued / and ceremonies / and therfore it was lawfull to vse thẽ inasmoche as they hade the worde of Godd forthẽ. And eiche mã that so vsed thẽ receyued accordĩg to the measure of his faithe. For the corrupte doctrines / sentẽces and manieres of the priestes / Bishoppes and scribes / dyd not hurte at all the prophettes and godlie men which wer thẽ selues cleare frõ thẽ / of a contrarie mynde to thẽ / in all thinges thinking according to Godds worde / yea dyd also reproue and sharplie rebuke those thinges: which thing Augustine dothe witnesse as he is allegded. 23. q. 4. ca. Recedite. and in many other places there. Let our sacrificinge priestes do the same vnto vs at this daie. Let thẽ celebrate the lordes supper and vse other ceremonies / so as by Godds worde they be apointed / thẽ we will not draw backe at all / but vse thẽ / thoughe they thẽ selues thincke corruptlie / and liue more wickedlie / we shall bewaile / we shall admonishe / we shall reproue / we shall accuse thẽ / and they shall beare their owne synne. Their synne shall not hurte vs / nether will we absteyne frome the sacramentes for their nowghtines / but vse thẽ. In which doĩge we shall not cõmunicate with their wickednes / for we shall vse the rite and ceremonie as thelordecõmaũded / and instituted. And this thing mẽt Christ whẽ he saide.Matth. 23.The scribes ãd pharisees do syt in Moses chaire / what they byd yow do / that do / but as they do / see that ye do not. So Christe commaunded the leper whom he hade clẽsed to go vnto the priest.Luc. 2.The blessed virgin likwise she might well after the birthe of our sauiour Christ offer the payre of Turtles or too yonge pigeons / because it was so commaunded in the lawe. By this example our men can not heare masse / because it is a thinge contraryto godds worde: But let these papistsgiuevnto vs the sacramentes / as Christe dyd institute them / and we shall vse thẽ / and yet neuerthelesse reproue their wickednes. Nowe our men beinge thus at all pointes answered / and ouercommed / do flye to this atlenghth. Thoughe saye they it be a synne to go to Masse and suche popishe pelfe yet it is but a light synne / and not se seuerely to be reproued. What (say they) we do many thinges which we shuld not fo. but God forgyuithe thẽ. &c. To the last I aunswer: The goodnes of Godd which doth forgyue synnes vnto them that be truly penitẽt / doth not diminishe at all the gretnes of the synne. Wherfor I will aunswer only / to that they saye / that it is but a light synne. Which thinge whilest they do saye / they do not thincke this with themselues / that all synnes haue their proper wieght and burthen. For doinges and the nature of thinges done ar not to be considered simplie of themselues, but they ar to be weyed by godds worde and laws / by which they ar forbiddẽ: By it / wicked actes and thedoingeof them ar to be iudged: And seing that the poure of the lawe and worde of god is all one in all cõmaundmentes / by it / the weighte / burthẽ and greatnes of synne cõmitted / is to be weyed considered and iudged.Iacob. 2.S. Iames therfor in this cause doth saye. He that hathe obserued the whole lawe / and dothe offend in one / is made giltye of all. Which sayinge truly is harde and sharpe / but most true / and teachith all men that they shuld not extenuate synne. But this placeof Iames / is not to be vnderstõded / as thoughe that all synnes wer equall and like.August. Epist. 29. ad Hiero.That doth Augustine truly and playnly denye: He saith that the Stoickes do go about to proue it / when they saye / that all vertues are cõioyned and knitt together / so that he which hathe one of them hath all / and he that wãtith one wãtith all. For wisdome (saye they) is not fearefull / nott intemperate / nut vniuste / therfor it hath ioyned with it the vertues which be contrarie vnto these vices: And likewise iustice / strẽghthe / tẽperaunce and other vertues are not vnwise / but are ioyned with wisdome / wheruppon they do conclude / that all vertues are conioyned and knitt together. Theise thinges / saith Augustine /Iaco. 3.do not agre with the holy scriptures / which do witnes.1. Ioan. 1.That in many thinges we do all offend / and If we saye that we haue no synne / we do deceyue our selues and ther is no truithe in vs. Wherfor seing that we synne in many thinges / and in synnynge we cã not haue that vertue which is cõtrarie to that synne which we do committ / and yet it may be that he which fallith in one synne / many be cõstaunt in other vertues / the opinion of theis philosophers is fals. As for example: Be it / that one be of an hastye nature / or do exceade measure in eatinge / and yet he gyuith euery man his own / and will gyue his life in Godds cause: though this man be fearce / and intemperate / yet is he called a iust mã / and a stronge man. S. Augustine doth also putt awaye the similitude of the stoicks / whiche is. That the mandoth die in the waters / if they be but half a handfull ouer, his heade / aswell as he ouer whos heade they are / ten / or twentie cubites. This is no apte similitude / saith he / therfor let vs take an other more fitte for our purpose / of light namely and darcknes. Certaynly when one is in darcknes / the more he dothe departe and go out of it and drawith nighe vnto light / he begynnith the better to see sumwhat / and so though that yet he be compassed with darcknes / yet is he sumwhat partaker of the lighte. But he that wull knowe more of this matier / let hym reade that Epistle of Augustyne: Wher he prouith playnly / that all synnes ar not like / as the Stoicks did thincke: Now to return to our place / which we did rehearce. He that offendith in one / is giltie of all. Ther is no obseruacion of Godds Lawe to be receued with an exception / as thoughe we might chose one parte of it to obserue / and separate or sett asyde the other parte at our will and pleasure to neglecte it. The commaundemẽtes of the lawe ar conioyned of the lorde and knitt together / and so gyuen vnto vs: We must not now disseuer / and separate thẽ as we lust / but without exception we must obserue the whole lawe. We must consider and loke vppon the Auctoritie of the lawe gyuer / which is Godd / It is of force aswel in one cõmaundement / as in the rest. This doth Iames seame to meane / when he saith:Iacob. 2.He that hath sayde / Thow shalt not committ adulterie / the same hath sayde / Thow shalt not kill. As if he shuld saye / he is no les contraried in any oneof theise commaundemẽtes / then in an other. And therfor (to adde this by the waye) let them wel consider what they do which do profes to receyue the gospell / and yet they do refuse ecclesiasticall disciplyne: Wheras the lorde / which hath reuealede and opened the gospell vnto vs by Christe / doth appoint discipline to be a parte therof. Theise men do synne against the whole lawe. The papistes do also synne herin / which do preache their parted righteousnes / as meritorius of congruitie. But to returne / this is also manifest / that he that synnith in one / is therfore giltie in all / for that as now by lust and tentacion / he is caried into sum one transgression / and so dothe synne / euen in like manier shuld he offend in an other euill / if he wer assaulted in the same sorte / and whith that same violence of tentacion. And Augustine in the place before alledged. doth saye. That therfore he is made giltie of all / bicause he synneth against charitie / vppon which the obseruacion of the whole lawe is grownded. To be short therfor / when we do thus fall into synne / we must not lightly tryfle it of and excuse it / sayinge that it is but light / and small: for synne is not to be considered of the matier / and manier of the action only / but of the force poure / and dignitie of Godds worde which doth forbidd it. And yet les I shuld seeme to be to rigorus and strayte in this matier of massehauntinge / let ther be hadd a consideracion / or difference of the matier / and doinge.And truly I can not see / how this kinde of synne and doinge cã be iudged to be light / or small / seing that it is a transgressiõ committed against the furst table of the lawe / in which the worship due vntto Godd is cõmaũded which worshipp being sownde and safe in a mã other vices and synnes ar the more easily corrected: And agayn this being corrupted / all other actes are most vnacceptable vnto Godd. Whordõ by Godds lawe is to be punyshed by deathe / yet is it a synne but against the .ii. table. And what shal we thincke then of spirituall whordome? how seuerely doth Godd iudge it? how sharply ought it to be punished? If therfor thow dost consider the commandement which thou breakest / it is of God: If the matier / it isaganistthe furst table and therfore thys synne is the more heynus and weightie. Besids this / our men do counte this Masse hauntinge a fault to be either contemned / or not so depely to be considered in theim bicause they do not synne with mynde will and affection / but as it wer compelled and of necessite. But I aske them / what manier a violence and compulsion this is throughe which that necessite commithe of which they make their excuse? Truly they can not saye that it is ony other / then bicause they wolde not ronne into the daunger of the losse of their Goodes / their estimacion and lyfe.Aristote. Ethi. lib. 3.This is then no absolute necessite but such a one as risith of ther own corrupt affection and will, wich prouith that their action is volũtarie. As Aristotle in his Ethicks doth saye of thelosse which shippmen do suffer in a tempest / which do cast out of their ship al their Goodes whẽ they be in daunger of shipp wracke: They seame truly to be compelled to do it / and yet willingly they do it / and therfor they are sayed .To do. bicause that withe deliberacion and aduise / they do determin / both with iudgemẽt and will / rather to abide the losse of their goddes / thẽ of their lyfe. Which thinge as the mariners do wisely determyne / so our men do folishly / which for the loue that they beare to their lyfe / bodie ãd goodes do not chose to abide the losse of thẽ all / in refusing to come to these detestable masses / to gayn therby lyfe / and saluacion euer lastinge. And so do they cõmitt doble synne. Furst they synne willingly. Thẽ they do prefer earthly thinges before heauẽly / outward thinges before inward / the bodie before the soule / their Goodes before God: Which is not done but of such / as ar the very childrẽ of the world. Of affectiõ verily / though they do saye nay / they do that which they do / but of that inordinate affection which they do beare to their riches. Wherfor this is no iust excuse which they make. For as well might the Corinthians / euen by the very same reason / haue sayde to Paule. If we do comme vnto these feastes wher the meates offered vnto Idols are eaten / we do it not with that mynde as thoughe we allowed such sacrifices / but we ar compelled therunto / for if we shuld auoide theise solemne feastes / we shuld be taken as sedicius men / euell citizens / vncourteous / we shuld loose our frends / ãd most profitable healpand defence / Yea and paraduẽture our goodes and countrith, Paule hearith noone of all these thinges / but doth sharply reproue thẽ / as in the furst epistle which he wrote vnto thẽ it doth appeare.Exod. 32.Aarõ also by the same reason might haue excused the making of the goldẽ calf / and sayed / I did it not with my mynde / I was cõpelled / and if I hadd not folowed the mynde of the poeple / they wold haue stoned me. &c. But Moses / who did well perceyue that this was not of an absolute necessite / but did rise of such a corrupt grownd and matier as neither righteousnes doth suffer to be receyued / neither Godd doth admitt / he cõdemnith the act / ãd doth sharply reproue Aaron for it. Thise men ought also to thincke this: That the masse is as it wer the signe ãd sure marke / the pleadg / ãd seale / by which the papists do knowe who be theirs / frõ others. For whether a mã gyuith almos / whether he prayeth / whether he lyueth a chaste lyfe / and so forth / they passe not at all: This only they do regarde / whether he hearith Masses: which thĩg if they perceyue that he doth / for thewhichthey thĩke that mã to be ther own / ãd on the other parte / to abhorr the Masse and not to heare it / is euen the begynninge of fallinge from ther kyngdõ / and from Antichriste. Wherfor we may call Massehearinge / The publique profession of poperie / the badge of the most vile and filthie Idolatrie which is vsed in our age. In this therfor / ĩ which papistes put so mutch confidence / that they make therof the very marcke wherby the godly are known from their men / noChristian must dissemble. For if he do / then doth he publiquely professe hymself to be a papist / which is euen to denie Christes gospell: And this to do / is so greate a synne / as no mã cã extenuate by ony blind cloke or reason. But thow wilt saye: Ther be greate daungers / of which I am in present ieoperdie / and I shall also sett mi self forthe to other most heauy daũgiers / except I be partaker and do cõmunicate with papists in the Masse / and such popishe Idolatrie. I grant that ther are daungers / such is theyr Tyrannie. But remember thou / That Godd hath forseene all theise daungers before / and also hath shewed that they shuld comme / of which though he wer not ignorante / yet did not his wisdõ chaunge his lawe to haue them auoyded: He commaunded / and doth / that Idolatrie shall not be cõmitted but that mẽ shuld flye from it / which commaundement he wyll haue kept what soeuer perill dothe cõme theron. Wherfor let vs cast our care vppon hym which hath gyuen vs this commaundemẽt / for he which doth know righte well / that theise euels are ioyned with the obseruinge of his commaundementes / he will care for them which for rightuisnes shalbe persequuted. Truly the violence / and nature of persequution and daungiers is not such / that it can chaunge Godds lawe: neither that he will haue his lawes chaunged for them. Let persequutions be howsoeuer they be / yet Godds lawe remaynith vnmoueable. Let vs not seeke then to deuide and part ourselues / and our seruice / betwenGodd ãd the deuell / as thoughe we wold gyue our mynde ãd affectiõ vnto Godd: ãd in poperie and supersticious Idolatries to gyue our bodyes doĩges / and outward actiõs vnto the deuell.1. Cor. 6.Our mynde is Godds seate / our bodie is his Tẽple.Mat. 22.Gyue therfore to Godd / that which belongith vnto hym. Thincke what thow lust of doing and dissemblinge for thy commoditie: Yeat this Rule / and certayn Canon of the holy ghost must now either rule the /Roma. 3.or herafter in Godds iudgement cõfownde the. Euell thinges are not to be done that Goode shuld come theron.Now seing that we haue sufficiẽtly spoken of priuate men and subiectes / in and through all the partes and membres of our distictions and diuisiõs / it remaynithe that we shuld entreate of Princes: for so at the begynning we ordered our diuision.Of Rulers and Princes.Of Rulers and princes / I make this diuisiõ / Some there are which be chiefe princes / suche as do not depẽd and hange on other / of whõ the Ciuilians do saie / that they haue a mere Rule. Other are vnder Rulars and such as be of lesse authoritie then they / which do depende and hãge on the higher princes / either by the right (as they saie) of fee / or ells because they are their officers / and mynisters / that is to saye (as they be commonlye termed) their deputies / lieutenaũtes and executours of their office. I will firste speake of the higher / absolute / and mere Rulers: And of themA questionI will both aske and answere this questiõ: Whether it be lawfull for thẽ to suffer and permite in their dominiõs the free and familiar conuersatiõand dwellinge togither of the vnfaithfull with the faith full:The answerI thinke that it is lawfull / but yet so that they muste take hede of certeyn thinges / and obserue ans kepe certeyn Rules and conditions.The firste is / that they do not enforce nor compell their faithfull subiectes to ioyne with the vnbeleauers in their assẽbles / nor in such vnholy kyndes of worshipp of Godd as are cõtrary to Godds worde: for then shold they not be Godds ministers / as they are taughte to be in the epistle to the Romains /Rom. 13.but rather the ministers of the deuill / of Antichriste / and of their furie. Then sholde they be a feare vnto them that do well / and not to them that do euill / neither sholde they promote the worke of God / but the tyranye of Antichriste.The secõde is / they muste not graunte nor suffer / the vnfaithfull to vse their supersticions and wicked Idolatries which are cõtrarie vnto Godds worde. For it is not sufficient / that they do not compell the godly to wicked supersticiõ and Idolatrie / but also they muste forbidde the same to the wicked Idolatrours: For not doinge of this Salomõ is greatlie accused:3. Reg. 11.Indeed he did not compelle the Iues to worshipp Idolles / but yet did he permit and suffer his wyues and concubines, wich were straungiers, to haue their Chapells amonge the Iues / in which they worshipped Astaroth / Chamos ãd such idolls / For which cause the lorde was so angrie wyth him / that as he suffered his true worshippe to be parted ãd diuided / as he suffered seruice to be done partlieto God and partlie to Idolles. Euẽ so was his kingdõ diuided / parte of it came vnto his sõne / ãd parte to Ieroboã the sõne of Nabat. And agayn for doing of this / Achaz / ãd other wicked kĩges wer reproued of the prophetes. Magistrates are apoĩted to be the defẽders / ãd executours of the first table of the lawe as well as of the secõde: with what obseruatiõ thẽ of iustice cã a magistrate graũte or suffer Idolatrie to be vsed? It is writõ that he hathe the sworde to punishe euill thĩges and vices. If it be his part to punishe theues / ãd not to permitt them / the same must he do to Idolatrours. Or ells we must saie that Idolatrie is no such synne ãd vice as theft is / or that with other vices it is not to be punished. And that theis prĩces maye do this the better / they muste thẽ selues take hede that they be cleare frõ these Idolatries ãd supersticiõs. Augustine writĩg againste the donatistes dothe ĩ manye places notablie intreate ãd hãdle this sentẽce of the psalme.Psal. 2.And nowe ye kĩges be wise be warned ye that iudge the earthe. Serue the lorde wyth feare. &c. It is reasõ ãd semyng faithe he that kinges sholde serue the lorde / neither is it spokẽ of kinges in respecte that they are mẽ / for so are they boũde to obserue cõmen lawes euẽ as other mẽ are / but as kĩges they be admonished to vse their power giuẽ thẽ of God / ãd their sword to defẽde the catholike truithe / and to represse the wicked which do oppugne the church ãd truithe of Christ: wherfore it is not lawfull for prĩces to graũt vnto the wicked and vnbeleuers their euill and vngodlie Godds seruice and Idolatries / but they muste maynteyn to their power / those holy rites ãd ordinaũces of godds seruicewhich do agree with the worde of God / ãd forbid those which are cõtrarie to yt. I do not saie that they must be to curius in ceremonies / as many are / which wolde that ĩ any wise all rites ãd ceremonies sholde be throughli ãd in all places of oone sorte / ãd manier: But this theis princes shold prouide / that the ceremonies vsed in ther churches sholde not be contrarie to godds worde / yea and that they sholde most neerely agre therwith / ãd shuld make for godly edyfyinge and decẽt and comelye ordre in the churche: But of their liknes / ãd that ĩ all places the rites / ãd ceremonies shold be of one forme / I do not thinke it a thing worthie the labor. For what matter maketh it if some men do receyue the sacramẽt stõding / other sittinge / other kneling. And if in some places whilest the bretherẽ do cõmunicat / a place of the scripture be redd / or some psalmes be sõg of the people / or other songes of thankes geuing. Nether is it any great matter / when a corps is caried to the buriall / whether that mẽ do followe the hearce holdĩg their peace / or singing of psalmes / or suche other thinges as maye edifie them that do stãde by. These thinges are to be lefte so free that in the churches suche maie be vsed / as shall seme most meete for the edyfyinge of the people. Yea I suppose that this varietye and chaunge in rytes / and ceremonies / dothe not a lytell profyte ãd helpe to bring in a true opiniõ of ceremonies / and to haue it kepte also: that is / that mẽ shuld beleue that all those ceremonies which the holie scripure doth not apoint / are not necessarie vnto saluaciõ / but maye be chaũged accordinge to the estate of tyme / ãd as shall serue for edifyĩg / as they shall thĩkGodd which haue in their hand the orderinge the churche. That moste worthie commen wealthe of the venetians / which haue vnder their dominions / many Cities and places in Grece / they do in eche of them permit and suffer the rytes / and ceremonies / bothe of the Greke churche / and of the Latin churche / for those wise men do thincke / that the dyuersytie in outward ceremonies which are not taught in Godds worde is not hurtefull. I do not alledg this to allowe all such ceremonies as they do permitt in thos places / but only to shew that they thincke it not a matter of necessite to haue all one forme of ceremonies: The verie same thinge before thẽ did Augustine iudge as in his epistles to Ianuarius / and Cassulanus it dothe apeare.The thirde thinge is / that the princes and rulers which do suffer these vnfaithfull mẽ to dwell ĩ their dominions sholde prouide that they mighte be taughte the truithe: and in this behalfe they muste not neglect them: for as the princes do declare their gẽtilnes in suffering thẽ to dwell in their dominions so this their pacience muste be directed to the glorie of God: And howe can that be soughte in theis vnbeleauers / if they be suffered to abyde in their noughtie opinion without teachinge: Surely by thys meanes in processe of tyme they be made no whit the better / but a greate deale worse then they were before.The fourth is / that these princes take Godd hede / that by this dwellinge and cõuersation which theydo graunte vnto the vnfaithfull / they do not infecte the poeple cõmitted to their cure and chardge with their scabbe of vnbelefe ãd errour. Charytie is to be shewed vnto straungiers indede / but yet not so that they muste hurte the poeple amõg whom they lyue. And this shal the princes remedie very wel / if that they do not always beare with the corrupt blindnes of thevnbeleauers/ but after sufficient teachinge do compell them to embrace true religion. I say that when they haue prouided that these vnfaithfull haue bene taught a good whyle and truly instructed / they must then enforce and compell them vnto those holye and pure rytes and worshippinges of Godd which are commaunded in the scriptures: for princes and rulers must not alwayes / nor yet to longe suffer theyr cytyzens and subiectes / to lyue without exercise of godlynes and vertue. The ende of policall gouernemente is / that the subiecte both sholde lyue in felycytie / ãd also in the practyse of godlynes / because that godlines and the true worshipp of God is the chefest of all vertues.But some man will obiecte against me / and say / yf so be that the vnfaithfull be not yet persuaded / they shall then embrace truthe against theyr conscience / which thinge yf the prince compell them to do / then he compelleth them to synne. Here must we make a difference betwene the thinge that of it selfe is synne / and that which is so by chaunce / by some fortune / or some other thinge that happeneth / per accidens, as the Logicians do saye: for whẽ theMagistrate / in the matter which now we haue in hãd / dothe propounde vnto these his subiectes / the thing that is right / goode / iuste / and cõmaunded of God / prouidinge to haue them taughte therin / and they will not be taughte / yf then he enforceth them owtwardlye to vse none other order in religion then is commaunded of Godd / and to forsake all other / he doth that which is iuste and appertayninge to his office. But that synne is entermingled in this matter / truly it is not throughe the faulte of the prince / but it is of the vnbeleif of these men / of whiche the prince can not be iustly accused / when he hath diligẽtly done his part / that they shold be well instructed. Morouer them which do obiecte this consider / that by the same reason that they accuse these princes we may accuse God: for he doth propounde his lawe / which is moste perfyte to be obserued of all men. Shuld men saye? we are weake / our nature is corrupte and infected / neither can we do these thinges as thou dost commaunde them / And why dost thou then enforce this lawe vpon vs? If we do cõtrarie to that which thou doest commaunde / verely we synne / and yf we go not about to do it we synne / we shall synne also yf we go aboute to do that which thou commaundest / for we want of perfection / neyther do we obey as we sholde do: wherfore do what we will / we shall not auoyde synne: vnto this the Lorde wolde aunswer. The thinges that I do propounde to be obserued of you are iuste and perfect / no man can accuse them of wickednes / But in thatye are weake and do fall / and faile in fulfilling of my lawe / the faulte muste not be layed vnto me / for it is of your own malice and corruptiõ / and not through my faulte / for the which I maye not withdrawe my holy commaũdements / Yet thus I haue prouided helpe for you / Beleue in my only dearly beloued sonne / and loke what so euer ye wante / wherin soeuer ye do fayle / and not fulfyll my commaundementes / it shall not be imputed / nor laid to your chardge vnto euerlasyinge deathe: yea your endeuoyrs and your doinges / although they be not fully perfect ãd absolute / yet will I accepte thẽ well / they shall please me / and I will allowe thẽ. Euen so shall the good prince and Magistrate saye: The thinges which are conteyned in Goddes worde / suche thinges as are comlye and do edifie / do I require of you / yf your mynde and conscience do go agaynst them / ye can not impute it vnto me / I haue laboured and done my parte that ye sholde not be ignoraunt / and miserablie perish in ignoraũce. I haue caused you to be sufficiently instructed / and nowe will I procede exhorting / admonishinge / and demaundinge of you obedience in these thinges: do you reade the holye scriptures / heare the teachers and pastours / ãd pray the Lorde to open the eyes of your harte and mynde. Thus in aunswering to this obiectiõ I shew what a goode prince in this case may and must do. That thinge also is not to be passed ouer of which Augustyne maketh mencion / that he hymselfe was somtyme of this opinion / that nothing sholde be violẽtlyedone agaynst heretiques / but that they shold only be taughte / But his mynde altered after that he was admonished by some wyse Bishoppes / howe certeyn cities / which somtyme were altogether corrupted with the errour of the Donatistes / were cõpelled by the violence of the lawes of good Emperours to receyue the catholike faith / ãd these at lẽgth were so syncerelie tourned vnto the truthe / that they dyd gyue to God moste hartye thãckes for that violent enforcement / sayinge that nowe thoughe they might safelye / yet by no meanes wolde they retorne any more to suche pernicious and hurtfull opiniõs. The prince therfore / after that he hath gyuen them sufficient instruction / yf he shall enforce these men vnto the embracing of such rites and ceremonies as are good and godlye indede / he shall do no hurte at all but muche good. I do meane that this sholde be practysed only vpon suche as be cityzens / and naturall borne subiectes / or suche as beinge straungers borne / do as denizens dwell in theyr domininiõs / ãd so by priuiledge haue the benefite of theyr coũtrithe: Otherwyse yf they be but straũgiers which do passe through their countrithe / or such as do come either to bye or to sell marchaundize / there is no suche violẽce to be shewed towardes thẽ. And yet this thing they must take heade of euen in thẽ / that they do not seduce their people ãd subiectes which are of a good iudgement / that they do not infect them with vice and errour. The Israelites / as I thincke / ar in this pointe to be folowed. They did admitt no straungerto be as a Iue / or proselyte / neyther did they gyue vnto any the libertie of their countrith / except he did fyrst circũcise himself / admitt Moses lawe / did cõmunicate / and became partaker with them in theyr Sacrifices / submitting himself to their discipline: Which thinge / seing it was well and diligently obserued of them / why shuld not our princes do euen the same? That they shuld suffer no Citezen / nor subiect / eyther naturall / or straũger born / but that they shuld compell and enforce hym / to receyue such religion / and obserue such rites and ceremonies / agreing with Godds worde / as they by common autoritie haue establyshed. Now will I speake of those princes and Rulers / which ar vnder these chief Rulers. Whome I do deuide into two sortes. Eyther they are such as haue Iurisdiction / poure / and auctoritie / which commeth to them by discent frõ theyr Auncetours / or els committed vnto them of Emperours / Kinges / and common welthes: Eyther els they haue no Iurisdiction nor Rule ouer others / neyther by discent from theyr auncetours / nor by commission from other higher princes / but only are taken and estemed as men of worshipp / for the auncientnes of their house and blud / or for their riches. This last sorte do not differ at all in a maner from priuate men / of whom I haue spoken before / for these are mere subiectes as they are. Therfor (I do suppose) that the former Rules / appointed vnto priuate men and subiectes are to be committed vnto thẽ / to be obserued of thẽ / in such maner as I hauebefore declared. But of this other sorte of Princes and Rulers / of which some by right of inheritaũce / some by vertue of office committed vnto them / are Rulars and gouernours of countrithes / cities and places. Of these I do saye and pronoũce this / That in matters which do belong to Godd and true Religion / they ought to do no other things / but those / which I haue already shewed that the muste do / which are meere / absolute / and the hygher princes and Rulars. For it is not lawfull for them / no not at the commaundement of theyr hygher Princes and Lordes / to compell those subiectes ouer whom they haue rule / to recyue wicked Religion and supersticion / neyther to permitt the vnfaithfull in the places where they do beare Rule / to haue theyr vngodly Idolatries and supersticions. This must thei not do / no thoughe they were (I saye) therunto cõmaunded by theyr hygher princes and Lordes / of whom / and vnder whome / they haue theyr auctoritie. But yf thou wilt saye / that they must obey theyr hygher poures / I will graunt that / but (as the sayinge is)vsquead Aras, that is vntill they do come to matters of Religion / and vntill they do commaunde in Religion thinges contrarie to Goddes worde and truthe. For when they shall commaunde that which is against Godd / and is hurtefull to the conscience of mã / these magistrates must not obey thẽ. For these vnder Rulars are called into a parte of the cure and charge of the goode gouernemente of the countrie / by the force of theyr dignitie and office:They must not therfor putt those thinges in execution / whiche are agaynst Godd / and are hurtefull to theur countrye: Yea they ought both to persuade by reason / and to defende by poure the contrary.The Lacedemonians / when they whiche hadd ouercomme them / did demaunde of them such thinges as were against the ciuile lawes and libertie of their citie / They answered / If ye do commaunde vs to do thinges which ar more weightie and greuous then death / we wyll rather dye then do them: Thus ought these vnder Rulars answer theyr higher Lordes / when they do commaunde them to do thinges which are to the defacing of Godds glorie ãd truth / and to the wounding and vnquieting of the consciences of the subiectes / whiche thinges are more weyghtie and greuous then death indeede. In Cyuile thinges they may gyue place to the vniust commaundementes and decrees of theyr hygher Lordes / but that ought they not to do in the cause of Godd / and pure Religion. The Machabees at such tyme as the Iues were vnder the rule of the Macedonians (Antiochus / Demetrius / and Alexander / I meane) which princes did leade the people awaye from the true worship of God / and from the seruice taught in hys worde / wolde not obeye them. But that house and tribe of the prestes calledAsmonei, whiche in dignitie were nexte vnto the house and stocke of the Kinges / and bare the chief Rule nexte vnto it / les that the true worshippe of Godd commaunded and taught in the lawe / and which hadd bene retayned and vsed in theyr countrye / shuldebe thus leafte and forsaken / they did Rebell against thos kinges as the hostorie doth witnes. But if this historie for the insufficiencie of the auctoritie of the bocke (which yet is a true historie / as Iosephus also doth witnes) will not suffice to proue this matier: Then let vs consider what Ioiada the bishopp did in the dayes of Athalia:4. Reg. 11.She hadd by violence obtayned the kingdomme / ãd so was she the supreame ordinarie poure: But yet he sturred vpp a commotion agaynst her / And he brought the Sonne of Asa / Kinge Ioas / I meane (who was saued by hym frõ her bluddy sworde) into the kingdome: For he knew that by Goddes worde the kingdome was gyuen to the house of Iuda / He perceyued also that she went about to haue all good Religiõ / and true godlynes / vtterly ouerthrowen. Therfor as she had vniustly shedd innocẽt bludd / euen so he most iustlye commaunded that she shuld be slayne.4. Reg. 18.Kinge Ezechias also / was in subiection to the King of the Assyriãs / for Achaz his father hadd submitted hym selfe vnto hym / and did not only paye hym tribute / but also for hispleasuredid chaunge Godds Religion: for whẽ he wente to Damasco to meete this Kinge / he commaunded that an altar shuld be made at Hierusalẽ / after the patrone and fashion of that which he hadd seene at Damasco. This Kinge Achaz his sonne / godly Ezechias / perceyuinge that these thinges whiche his father hadd done / were repugnant and contrarye vnto Godds worde / hurtefull also to the consciences of his subiects / he (I say) did fall awayfrõ the Kinge of the Assyrians / which yet was now his superior and hygher poure. Indeede he soughte fyrst to pacifie hym with gyftes / which thing when he coulde not do / then to the vttermost of hys poure he dyd defende hym self / and his people agaynst hym. Neuertheles in this matter sedicion muste be auoyded so much as may be / and these princes must not vnder the colour and cloke of Religion / seeke theyr own gayne and honor: but here only let thẽ resiste / that nothing be done contrary to Godds worde / and not for those thinges which are done to hinder theyr ambicion. Of this corrupt affection yf thei be cleare / and only for Religions sake do resiste the wicked proceadinges of theyr hygher princes and Lordes / let them not thincke that they do herin anye vnrighteousnes at all. But yf one will obiecte and saye: Thys maye not be / for all men are commaũded to obeye the hygher poures. I answer /Rom. 13.It is true indeede that the holy scriptures do commaunde / that euerye soule shulde obeye the hygher poures / but so farr as by Godds word it is lawfull to obey / and no further. For the holy scriptures do likewyse say / that the Rular is not any feare to them that doth good / but to them that do euell. Wherfor seying these princes / in this case by theyr endeuour and laboure / do promote that which is goode / they do well and not euell: and so ought they for this doinge to be without fear of the hygher poure / because that herin they do not resiste agaynst them / with that Resistaunce which is forbidden. Wilt thou (saith he) be withoutfeare of the poure? do well then / and so shalt thou be praysed of the same: If these princes and rulars do defende godlynes and religion / they do good / then by the iudgement of Goddes worde they are without feare of the poure / and do deserue prayse of theyr hygher poures and lords. But yf thou do euell (saith Paule) then feare the poure / for he beareth not the sworde for nought / but is the minister of Godd to take vengeaũce on them which do euell. Thus doth this place arme the myndes and cõsciences of these inferior princes of whom I speake / that they shulde note feare theyr hygher poures / when for the defence of Goddes religion / they do resiste and not obeye theyr wicked commaundementes. Yf any will now thus saye agaynst me. He that hath the kinglye and supreame auctoritie / vnto whom by othe I do owe obedience / commaundeth these thinges / and therfore I must obey. I answer that thou arte not boũd herin to keape any such othe or promis. For when he commaundeth those thinges whiche are agaynste God / he dothe not the office of Goddes minister / to him thẽ therin thou dost owe neyther faith nor obedience. Agayne yf thou wilt aske / By what righte may these vnder rulars and inferiour magistrates / thus sett them selues agaynst the hygher princes / which haue the verye supreame right and poure to defende pure and godlye Religion / and the true faithe. I aunswere. That the electours of the Empire / and the Princes of Germanie / and the fre cityes / do it by the Imperiall poure and righte / whicheis committed vnto them: And that the Magistrates and Rulars whiche are in kingdoms / they do and darre do it / by the Kinglye poure and right lykewyse committed vnto them. For Emperours and Kinges / and such hygher poures / haue therfor chosen and taked these vnder Rulars and officers / as it were into a parte of theyr Rule / to be theyr helpers / in administringe and ordering theyr businesses and charge / to the ende that Iustice might florishe so muche the more. And euen so from the begynninge poure and Rule was gyuen vnto these / that they shulde rule the common wealthe / for that part therof / whiche was committed vnto them / iustlye / vprightlye / and godlye. Wherof the Emprour in the Code doth saye / that yf he shulde commaunde anye thinge agaynste righte / he wolde not that any suche decree of his shulde auayle in iudgementes. The very same thinge is to be sayde / where a kinge or suche which do retayne the supreame auctoritie / do commaunde or determyne anye thynge againste right. Not vnworthy is Traianus the Emperour therfore commended / who when he delyuered the sworde to a Rular in his Empire / sayde: If I do cõmaunde Iuste thinges / vse this for me / but yf I do require vniust things / vse it against me. But on the contrary part / Gregorie the great / Byshopp of Rome / can not in this behalfe be praysed / but dispraysed / and accused: Who seinge that the lawe whiche Mauritius the Emperour had made was vniuste / which was / That no man entangled with the mattersof the common wealth / or which was appointed to the warrs / might be made a priest or a mõck / he wrote to the Emperour / That after that he hadd seene hys lawe / he was wonderfullye afrayed and astonied / And therfor he desireth hym to diminshe somwhat of the rigour of the lawe or els to chaũge it altogether: But yet he added / That as touchinge hymself / after that he hath now done his office in admonishing hym / now for the obedience which he doth owe vnto him / he wolde publishe his lawe / as he hadd commaunded. Thys acte surely can not / but be reproued in this Busshopp. Agayn here thou wilt happily saye. What yf the hygher Prince wil not allowe me to do myne office / or doth reuoke this parte of myne office? Truly no man cã take that frõ thyne office / which God hath cõmaunded the to do in it. No mã can discharge the of that dutye / wherewith God chargeth the in thyne office / do thou the dutye that longeth to it. Many there are which do thincke / that when this dealinge and doinge of the inferior magistrate agaynste the hygher Rulars is thus straitly required / That Godds Religiõ is not to be promoted after this manier by thẽ / but rather / that they do sufficientlye the thinge which belõgeth vnto them / yf they do forsake theyr office / and gyue ouer their Rule and auctoritie. So do not I thincke / Thy dignitie and office is not so lightly to be gyuen ouer. Thou dost gyue ouer thyne office / because thou wilt not strayne thy self therin to promote theglorie of Godd: And this is to depart and fall from thy vocacion: which thou oughtest not to do / especially whẽ thou dost playnly see / that thy roume and place / shalbe bestowed vpon those / which ar wicked and both do / ãd will oppresse the kingdom of God. These men must abyde therfor in theyr offices / so lõg as they be not putt out of them by the higher poures / and strõgly must they defend the glorie of God in them.
Again The supper of the Lorde was not institutedto the end that such a sacrifice for synne (as they fayne) shuld be made of it / but that in the vse of it the communicantes shuld be put in mynde / and made partakers of that only propiciatorie sacrifice which christe offered ons only for all euer vppon the crosse. And therfor ther Masse / in which they wold worcke such marueyles / and the Lordes supper ar vtterly vnlyke. But here they will reply and saye.
The fathers do speake thus of this Sacrifice / We graunte indeede / that the fathers do often tymes speake so as thoughe that the lorde wer offered in this administracion of the Sacrament / or sacrificed: But they vsed this worde / Sacrifice, improperly / for by that kinde of speaking they did onderstonde / the offringes of praise / and sacrifices of thanckes made and gyuen for christes sacrifice done vppon the crosse / This they called to sacrifice. Our sacrificing prests ar not content with this / for they will haue their own worcke to be an vnwonted worcke / belonging to them alone / which neither the scriptures / nor the fathers do teache: ffor to offer this Sacrifice of whiche the fathers do speake / partayneth not to the preist alone / but to the whole poeple that stõdith by / and doth cõmunicate / And so it is acommon oblacion and sacrifice of all / not of the preiste more then of the poeple / but this only that the preist both in wordes and action / doth go before the poeple.de Ciuitate dei. lib. 10. cap. 6.Augustine doth saye / that the churche is offered in that offeringe which it doth offer. For all which do communicate / they do offer them selues vnto godd / and do testifie that their will is / to abide in christe.The papistes do holde also that the breade is turned into the substaunce of christes bodie / and that ther remaynith nothing but the qualitie and accidẽce of breade as whitenes / &c. for the substaũce / saye they / is christes bodie. But the scripture saith that christe in his laste supper did gyue breade vnto his disciples /1. Cor. 11.and paule callith it breade also / yeat in the Masse the papistes saye that it is otherwise.The vse of the breade and wyne by christis instituciõ is only / that the congregacion shuld eate and drincke therof in the remembrance of christe / But the papistes in their Masse do most shamefully abuse them both. For wheare as the worde of godd saythe:Deutron 6math. 4.Thow shalt worshipp the Lorde thy godd and hym only shalt thow serue / They in ther masse do lyfte vpp the breade and wyne / and euen in the rowme of godd they sett them furthe to be adored and worshipped of the poeple: now how farr this differrith from the vse of christes supper eich man may se. Yea what can be more vile and filthie Idolatrie / then to adore and worshipp a peace of brede ãd cupp of wyne / as godd? Be not offended that I dovse theise bare names. I do confes / that whosoeuer acording to the Lordes Instituciõ doth cõmunicate with the cõgregaciõ and dothe eate the breade ãd drinke of the cupp of the Lorde / beholding the deathe of christe with Lyuely faithe / the same man is in sprete ãd after his manier / made partaker of the body ãd bludd of the lorde. Contrari wise if thow do not vse the breade and wyne acordinge to the ordinaunce of christe / but gase vppon them / then ar they nothinge els to the / but breade ãd wyne: But if in a popishe Masse / or in the popishe hãging / heauing / carying / or handelinge of them / thow do worshipp them / thẽ ar they vnto the a false Idoll / ãd thow indeede a filthie Idolatror. If therfor thow wilt be partaker of the body and bludd of christe in the holy supper / then eate the breade and drincke the cupp as the lorde hathe instituted. Godd wold haue the poeple in the vse of the holy Supper to ascend vppwarde into heauen in mynde and affectiõ / that they might ther cleaue fast vnto christe. And therfor the true ministers of the churche do labour to the vttermost of their poure / thus to lifte vpp the poeples mynde into heauen / that they shuld not seeke christe in the worlde / that they shuld not thinck ony fleshly or earthely thinge of hym: Theise men clean contrarie in the order of their Sacrament and Masse do miserably detayn the poeple in the earthe / bynding and holding them to the visible signes.
1. Cor. 14The apostle commaundith that thinges shuldnotbe doone in the congregacion in a straunge tongue/ except ther wer an Interpretour / that the thing being vnderstonded of all / the hearers might saye / Amen / and that the edifyinge of them shuld be sought. Now theise men in their masse do all in the Laten tongue / which is to the common poeple vnknown / and they do defend this theyr doing euen against the worde of godd. But it is most certayn that christe our sauiour in his administration / and after him all his apostles and disciples which wer hebrues / vsed theyr vulgare hebrue tongue / the Grecians also their greke tonge. And euen vnto this daye the Sclauonians in their churches vse their vulgare and commen speache.
Those wordes of our greate and singuler consolation / in wich the partakinge of Christes bodye and bloude is promised / the papistes in their Masse speake secretlie / they whisper them so that euen they which knowe the Latine tonge cã neither heare thẽ nor vnderstande them. And so do they rumble them vp to their owne selues as thoughe the people were vnworthie to heare thẽ: But christ in his super spake thẽ openlie. And so the greke churche ãd the Churche of India / do yet speake thẽ with ã audible voice And the aunciẽt manier was / as Ambrose and Augustĩe amõg other of the fathers do testifie that the people dyd answer vnto those words. Amẽ. But as I suppose the papistes do thus murmure ãd speake these words in secrete / bicause they wolde not haue their Lies knowen / for they do saye / Take ye andeate / and this so oftẽ as ye do / do yt in the remẽbraũce of me. But who taketh / or to whõ do they giue? The wordes be spokẽ to the people: And yet they thẽ selues do eate and drike vp all alone / and do distribute vnto no mã ells. Is not this to make a lie? To lie alwaies is takẽ to be an euill thĩge / but before god to lie / is a moste shamles and wiked thinge: who dothe eate (o ye lyyng papistes) or who doth drinke wyth you? If ye do distribute at any tyme to ony other ye do yt not when ye your selues receyue / but ye chose for them an other time / yea and another kinde also / for to thẽ ye do minister but the breade onlye. Thus ye se that all theise thinges which these massers do in their masse / ar contrarye to the institution of Christe. Ther masse then and Christes supper ar not lyke.
The papistes saye that by their Action (I meane ther handeling of ther breade and wyne) they do applie vnto others the profitt of Christs bloudie sacrifice and passiõ. Of a Sacramẽt they saye that they make sacrifices to profit the quicke and the Deade. and this do they ĩ ther masse. But the scripture teacheth / that there is but one only propiciatorie sacrifice / able and auaylable to take awaie synnes / whiche Christe Iesus offered in his owne fleshe vpon the Crosse. And that euerie man muste applie vnto him selfe by liuelie faythe the benefite of that same sacrifice of christe / as the scripture teacheth likewise / that eche man is iustified by his own faithe, andthat eche man in his owne righteousnes or vnrighteousnes / doth liue / or die. It teachithe also that christe did institute the sacrament only to this end that the congregacion shuld eate and drincke it in the remẽberaunce of that same his Sacrifice. And that eiche one in the drincking therof shuld apply vnto himself by faithe / the fruite of that Sacrifice. Now compare the doctrine of the scriptures and of the papistes in this pointe together / and thou shalt se that their Masse is contrarie to christes Institucion. But as they haue / so still will they saye:
That aswell the liuing as the deade be helped by this their acte applied at their pleasure. If they wolde saie that thei profyt others by praier / that were tollerable. But they go further and saie / that ther verye massinge worcke it selfe / hathe so moche vertue / power ãd strenghthe in it / that it shall profit not only all kyndes of mẽ / but all such creatures ãd beastes for whom they do say ther masse / bicause in it they do applye the benefite of christes passion: but ye must vnderstõd whẽ they be payed for ther labor. This is an horrible error in no wise to be suffered / for as I sayed / ther is but one only sacrifice propiciatorie to take awaye synne / which one sacrifice eiche one of vs must applie vnto our selues by liuelie faythe / And this applyinge faithe is the only gifte of god: But on this grounde buylde they their purgatorie and mutch other such pelf / by which they do pycke mens purses. They saye ther Masses alsoin the honor of this / or of that saincte. And of what saintes? suche verylie whose histories are not certaynlie knowen / and are of none authoritie / yea many of thẽ are no better then poetes fables / of whõ not vnworthelie we doubte whether they be sainctes or no: But be it that they were true sainctes / yet this their doinge is moste cõtrarie to christes ordinance / for Christe did institute his supper to this ende that it sholde be vsed in the remembrance of his deathe and not of other mens / weare they neuer so holye.
In their masse they haue also diuers and sundrie rytes ãd customs / clothes / signes / gestures / tornes / remouinges / ãd blissinges / of and with the breade ãd wine / but christe vsed none of all theis in his supper: And what they do meane by these thinges the poeple doth not knowe / neither can the priestes them selues for the most part tell what is ment by them: for if ye aske the meaninge of them / either cã they saye nothinge at all / or if they do saie owghte / they do not saye all one thinge / but thinges that be moste cõtrarie / wherby a mã maie iudge that there is no truithe at all in their wordes. But here they do saie. Thinkest thou that the foolishe vnlearned people in the olde Lawe dyd vnderstand all the legall ceremonies? no it was not requisite / no more is yt nowe: To this I answer / Althoughe that all the poeple dyd not knowe what was mente by them in the olde lawe / It sufficed yet that they hade the worde of god for them / Nowe do yee shewe vnto vs theworde of god for theise your signes and it shall sufficevs.Agayne the godly and lerned preistes could shew what was ment by the rites and ceremonies of the lawe / and that by the word of godd: but ye can do neyther of theis: for ye haue enuented theis toyes in your own braynes: signes ye do call them but ye do not know what thinges they do signifie. And therfor as in rites your Masse doth differ from christes supper / so whẽ ye saye your pleasure of your rites / ye ar not to be beleaued: for faith hath no place where goddes worde doth not shew it selfe. I saide that massemungers in their masse do committ Idolatrie. Their bready god hanged vp in a pix / and their Images / vnto which they turne them selues and do make their moste vncleane seruice and sacrifice do proue this true: Neither do they accompte it sufficient to behold theis their Idols when they saye their Masses / but also they so offer vnto them / they cense them / they bowe the knee vnto them: let them nowe denye whilest they will that they do not worship the breade / nor the Images / yet this worship they do them / This kinde of worship (I saye) which is giuen customabilie vnto god alone / as the lawe of god teacheth. But seing they giue this vnto these Idols / are they not Idolatrors? yes truly. And howe thẽ dare ony christian be present there / to vncouer the heade to bowe the kne to offer and do such like thinges with them?
They saye that ther Masse is christes Institution / And our men (of whom I now haue spoken) do saye that the Masse hath sum affinitie with christes institucion of the holy supper.
But I saye that the olde heathens myghte wyth more coloure of truithe / excuse and defende their sacrifices by that maner / then these men maye do their masse. ffor verylye the sacrifices of the heathen haue lesse departed from the maner which the fathers vsed in sacrificinge before the lawe giuẽ / which also the lorde approued in the lawe / thẽ these massers do frome the supper which Christe / and the Apostle paule hathe prescribed. In bothe their sacrifices was the inuocation of god / a Temple / an Aultar / slayne sacrifices / sacrificinge priestes / sleynge of beastes / sheddinge of bloude / salte / wine / oyle / mele / an holy feaste / holy garmentes / washinge / censinge / fyer / singinge / prophecies / and suche other thinges / all which to repeate it were to longe: let our Massers (if they can) shewe so many thinges which Christe did in the holye supper: Which thinge if they can not do / then let them cease to boaste that their Masse is the institution of Christ and the Apostles / from which it differethe so farre that if the Apostles and fathers of the primatyue churche were nowe here to beholde thismasse / they sholde not knowe it to be the lords supper / but wolde surlie marueyle at suche a monstruous mahometrie.I omytte also that in and with their Masse they haue many Anniuersaries yearemyndes / diriges done for the deade: But The Lord did not institute ony of them. If they saye that Cyprian and others of the fathers do speake of suche Annyuersaries: I answer that those of which the fathers do make mencyon / were nothinge els but thãckfull remẽbraũces of the Martirs departed / in which they did gyue thancks to godd for thẽ. They also in their Masses do call vppon the saintes and holy men departed / which is a thing most contrarie to true godlynes / and vtterly vnknown and vnpracticed in the administracion of the Lordes supper.And to be shorte all their thinges which they do in their Masses / they do choppe and chaũge / they bye and sell and sett them furthe to most vile and filthie gayne. Wherfor / my most Louing Brethern take ye diligent heede / les whilest ye pretend to worshipp godd in your going to Masses / and to entreate hym to be mercifull vnto yow / ye do not most mightyly kindle his wrathe against you by hearinge of theise Masses: which as ye playnly do se / ar nothing els but a shamfull deuise sett vpp to deface the deathe of christe / a pestilent practise fownde out to ouerthrowe the true vse of the Lordes supper / and an Idolatrie inuented to infect the poeple and to make them Idolatrors.whearby eich man may easilyiudge/ how great a synne it is / to be partaker of a Masse.
But notwithstondinge all this which is spoken / yeat theise men whiche thincke that they maye dissemble at the Masse / cease not to saye / That thoughe the Masse be not the Lords supper / but an Idolatrie / yet is not the presẽce at it so earnestly to be forbidden / seing that such thinges haue been graũted vnto the Infirmities of mẽ: If a man do aske them wheare:Naman.They do bringe forth the Example of Naaman the Syrian / and by it they will neades haue it made Lawfull vnto them to communicate with wicked supersticiõs.4. Reg. 5.for he prayed Heliseus / saye they / that he might be suffred to kneele in the temple of Rymmon that Idoll / whẽ the kinge did worshipp / and leane vppon his arme. whom the prophet answered / goo in peace. And that / saye they / which was permitted vnto Naaman / whi do ye forbyd vnto vs? ffurst theise men shuld weye with them selues / whether that we only haue redde this Example of Naaman / or not. So we thincke that the holy Apostles and Martirs of the olde churche which wer occupied nighte and daye in the holy scriptures / did not consider this acte and Example? Truly they wer not ignorant of the historie / yet did they neuer knowe this vnderstandinge of it: for if they did / whi then wolde they not folow this example / especially when they might therby haue saued their lyues?
But these holy and godly learned men did seethat thinge in this historie / which our men do not consider / namely this / that Naamã now newly cõuerted to the faithe was a smoking flaxe which was not to be putt out / a weake and shaken reade which was not to be brosed in peices / and that as yet he was very weake / for he was not yet prepared and readye to denye and forsake hymself and all that was his for goddes sake. He thought that it might cõme to pas that he shuld together with the knowledge of the Lyuing godd / easili holde and keape still his old place / office / and dignitie / if he coulde happen to haue that / which he desired of the prophet: And when he did well perceyue that this was his infirmitie and synne / it trobled himso that therfor he desired the prayers and helpe of Heliseus: he desired hym / that if he shuld happen to fall into this euill / yeat that he might be fauored / that he mighte finde mercie / ãd that Heliseus wold praye that the Lorde wolde forgyue hym. Who doth at ony tyme aske forgyuenes for that which he accõptithe Lawfull? forgyuenes is asked for synnes only / Naaman therfor acknowledged this his acte to be a synne: And if I so fall (quod he) then praye the Lorde to forgyue me. This place therfor doth make most against our men / and euen the same wayes which they go about to excuse their facte / by the same it is most playnly proued to be synne. Let them aknowledge therfor in their doĩge that thinge / which Naaman the Sirian did. And let them begg the mercie of godd / and the prayers of godly men / that thesame thing which they haue euell doone / and do / maye be pardoned them. Neither did Eliseus / as our men do thincke / graunte Naaman licence or libertie to do so as he hadd sayde / but only he saide vnto hym / goo in peace: which manier of speaking was a kind of takinge leaue vsed in that age. And as for any other thinge ther can none be gathered out of thos wordes / onles it be this that he promised to do that which Naaman required: goo thy wayes (saithe he) I will do as thow desirest / I shall praye for the. The prophet doth not reiect hym / if he shuld fall into this euell. As we do not vtterly reiect nor shutt theise mẽ frõ grace which thus do fall: Yeat must we sharply reproue their doinges that they may acknowledge their fault and synne / and vnfaynedly lament and repẽt the same. And we ought also hartily to praye that they may be raysed vpp agayn. They do obiect also certayn wordes out of the Epistle of Ieremie / which is ẽtitled Baruch. The wordes ar theise.Bar. 6.Now shall ye see in Babilon godds of golde / of syluer / of wodde / and of stone / borne vppõ mens shulders to caste out a fearefulnes before the heathẽ / But loke that ye do not as the other: be not afrayed let not the feare of thẽ ouercome yowe. Therfor when ye do see the multitude of poeple worshipping them behinde and before / saye yee in your hartes / O Lord / it is thow that oughtest only to be worshipped / Of theise wordes our men do gather / that it is sufficient for them when they ar present at Idolatries/Masses / and popishe supersticions / to saye in ther harte / O Lord it is thow that oughtest only to be worshipped. In answer to these men: furst I saye / that this booke entitle Baruch is none of the Canonicall scriptures: And therfor no man is bownd to the doctrine of it. But admit the booke wer of sufficient auctoritie / Then theise men must vnderstonde / that the prophet doth not gyue the Iues leaue to comme vnto the temples of Idols / that ther they might be present at vngodly Idolatrie / bowe ther knee / and so make vpp the matier / with sayinge in their hart to the true and lyuyng godd / O Lord / it is thow that oughtest only to be worshipped. But he gyuith the Iues instruction against Images which wer caried about / ãd Idolatries which wer vsed in those places wher they were exiles: ffor the Maneir of the Babilonians was / not only to haue Images in ther temples / but also to haue them sett abroode and caried openly vppon mens shulders. As it is not vnlike that the Image of Nabugodonosor, which beinge dedicated in the feilde of dura, was caried aboute the whole Regiõ with Musicall Instrumẽtes ãd sõges / at the sownde of which whersoeuer the Image was seene / commaundemẽt was gyuẽ vnto all mẽ that they shuld worshipp it: which Daniels felows wolde not do. Of theise thinges I saye / that epistle entreatithe / playnlye to warne the godly / that they shuld not adore / nor worshipp thos Idols thoughe that the heathenishe poeple did so bothe beforethem / and behind them / but when they did see this Idolatrie / detesting it / they shuld then saye / O lord / it is thou to whome worshipp doth only belõge: he saied not / bowe the knee with thẽ / and saye in your hartes / o lord / it is thou &c. but when ye do see these Idols and Idolatrye / say so. These seyngs and suddayn meetings in the cytie streetes ãd fieldes / could not be auoyded / and therfor the godly were to be enstructed and admonished / how they shuld behaue them selues in that case.
But our men / as they are veraye bolde to abuse the scripture for their purpose / go on further and aske / how it happened that Daniel was not throwen into the fierie fornace with his felowes?Daniel. 3.seing lyke punishement was appointed vnto all men which did not worshippe. They will of necessitie haue it graunted them therfor / that Daniel did dissemble / (as they now do) and that therfor nothing was done vnto hym: And that thinge which Daniel dyd / they thincke that they maye do. I aunswer our men thus / that they do not reason well to saye / He was not punished / therfor he was ther and worshipped / they do out more in the consequẽt / then is in the antecedẽt / and so to reason is to make a subtill cauillacion / taking that to be a cause which is no cause. For there might be many other causes / wherfor Daniel was not likewise punished: happilie the Image ãd he did not meete together: or yf he did meete it / men did not mark what he did: or els though men marcked that he did not worshipp / yet he was not accused:or yf he were accused / yet through the singular fauour which the King did beare vnto him he was delyuered from punishmẽt. It must not then forthewith folowe / that Daniel for feare of death did present himself before that Idoll / and did dissemble his Religion / doing there as other Idolatrors did: this we must not iudge of Daniel /Daniel. 6.seing in the lyke quarell / he was not afrayde to be thrown vnto the lyõs. Now seing there may be many other causes why he was not caste into the fire with his felowes / why do these men chose vnto them selues this one cause? and that such a one / as is sclaũderous vnto that holy man / of which in the holy scriptures / there is not so much as a suspicion contayned. Yet they do thinke that they do not vnaptly saye for themselues / and defend their cause / when they do alledge that out of the Actes of the Apostles:Actor. 21.where mencion is made howe that Paule / through the councell of the Elders of the churche of Hierusalem / did take on hym a vowe with other foure men / and did purifye hymself after the maner and custumme of the Iues. Yf (saye they) suche an Apostle dyd take thys lybertye to vse in Iurie the ceremonies which were now abrogated / euẽ we also maye vse / and comme vnto the rites / and ceremonies now vsed in our countrithe. For the better vnderstõding of this matter we must first well consider what the somme of Paules preachinge was:Rom. 3.We do suppose (saith he) that a man is iustified by faith / without the workes of the Lawe.Gal. 3.And as many as are vnder the deedes of the Laweare subiect to the curs.Abac. 2.Agayne the Iuste man shall lyue by his faithe.Rom. 1.This is the somme of Paules doctrine / wherby it doth appeare / that Paule did not vtterly condẽne the obseruing of the ceremonies of the Law / but only whẽ it was done with this minde / as thoughe that Iustification did not cõme therby. And the same his meaning he vtterith most playnly to the Galathians / where he saithe.Gal. 5.As many of ye as are circumcised / ye are fallen from the grace of Christe: for Christe shall not profite you at all: ye are gone quite frõ Christe / as many as are Iustified by the Lawe / As yf he wold saye / These thinges of theyr owne nature do not alienate and separate vs from Christe / but only when they be done with this mynde and purpose / to be Iustified by them: Take awaye this opinion / and this euell hurtefull purpose being remoued / then Paule cõmendeth these worckes / and all other ciuyle ordinaunces cõmaunded / and appoynted to that Nacion: he condẽneth them not / but so farre as they wer iustly and not supersticiously vsed / he did leaue thẽ in theyr place /Gal. 3.ãd did not hinder the obseruacion of them. As he dyd also write / that in the Lord / there was neither Iue nor gentill / neyther nonde nor fre.Gal. 6.And that in Christe Iesus / neyther circumcision auaileth any thing at all / nor vncircumcision / but the obseruing of the commaũdements of God / or a new creature.1. Cor. 7.And againe yf any be called being circũcised / let him not adde vncircũcision. If anye be called vncircũcised / let hym not be circũcised. Let euery man abyde in thesame estate / in which he is called. All these indifferẽt thinges / might somtyme be well obserued / somtyme be as well left vndone / as most serued for edifying in godd. Of which vse and obseruacion of thẽ1. Cor. 9.Paule doth speake / when of him self he saieth: I am made all vnto all mẽ / that I might wynne manye: Vnto the Iues / I am made as a Iue / to thẽ which are without the lawe / as though I were without a lawe. This sentence he hath also confirmed by examples:Actor. 16.For when he was required to circũcise Timothie / because that the custumme which was yet in force might be kept / he did it: But when they wolde enforce him to the ouerthrowĩg of the christiã libertie / that he shulde likewise circumcise Titus /Gal. 2.In no wyse wolde he gyue place vnto them / no not for the space of one houre / and because (saith he) false brethren came in / to espie out / or to betray our libertie. S. Paule did obserue these thinges then / when it might be done without an euell mynd / when no hurte shuld ensue of it: The cause ãd end why Paule did it / was to auoide the offendinge of the beleauing Iues / les yf he did it not / they shuld therby be alienated and turned awaye from Christes gospell / which they had newly receyued. But we must not compare these ceremonies of the old lawe with the Inuencions of men / they can not be iustly compared with Massing: They were plainly taught in Goddes worde / but these masses and popishe Idolatries are thrust vnto vs by the subtiltie of the deuell / and craftye deceyuing of mẽ. They werethingesindifferẽt / and as such thinges might be well vsed. But these are thinges vtterly euell and can not be well vsed. They after Christes ascenscion into heauẽ wer not forbidden / and therfor might be obserued / so long as the Temple and common welth of Israel did cõtinue and the citie was vndestroyed / and vntill the full reuelinge and preachinge of the gospell was had / vntill by it the churche of Christe / which was to be gathered of the Iues and gentils / were well / and fully vnited and knitt together.Aug. Epistol. 19. ad Hieron.Neyther wer those ceremonies / as Augustine saith / suddenly and without honor to be buried and throwen awaye. But these masses / and such popish supersticions / which are farsed full with Idolatrie / alwayes haue beene / are / and shalbe forbiddẽ. Those thinges might therfor be keapt and obserued for a tyme / so that men did not vse them with that mynde (as I sayed) to be iustified by them. Wherfor yf thow wilt consider the matier it self / that is / the nature of the acte / Paule can neither be therin reprehended / nor yet can these dissemblige Massehaunters vse his well doinge as a defence for their euell doinge: but much les can this be done / yf thou wilt searche out the mynde / councell / and entent of Paules doinge. Bothe these thinges these mayntayners of massehaunting do want. For furst they are occupied in a thing which is contrary / and repugnant to Godds worde / as it is already declared. Secondly / in thys their dissimulacion they do only seke themselues / for to thend that they maye retayne their riches / dignitie/ and estimacion by falling to poperye they offend the weake and drawe them by their example from Christe to Antichrist / wheras Paule did herin obserue thinges commaunded in Goddes worde / and thẽ to this ende only / les the beleauing Iues shuld fall backe frõ Christ / and that he might the more easily drawe others / which yet beleaued not / to the gospell of Christe. Furthermore these men do saye / that they by their dissimulacion will auoide offence. For (saye they) yf we shuld so vtterly forsake the Masse as ye wolde haue vs / we shulde be taken as wicked mẽ ãd euell doers / ãd so shall we geue great offence in out countrithes. I graũte that these men do seke to auoyd offence / but what offence? euẽ the offẽce of the world. They will not offend / but whom? Tyraũtes / ãd such as ar the very limmes of antichrist. And why? les they shuld procure against thẽselues theyr wrath / poure / and tyrãnie. But this is that offence / which Criste sayeth shuld not be auoided:Mat. 15.Let them alone (saith he of the Phariseis) They are blinde ãd the leaders of the blinde. Heere we must consider which be euell offences / and such as are to be auoyded indeed. Euẽ those I say / which are an Impediment to the setting forth of the gospell / which do offend and hinder mẽ / be they simple / or wicked / that they do not embrace pure doctryne / and turne vnto Christe. Now beholde / I pray the / by cõming to the Masse / what offence thou doest gyue? The Idolatrous ãd supersticious people / ar they not offended by this thy doing? Yeas verely. For when they do sethe haũte their masses / they say / these gospellers do cõme to our masses / which they wold not do yf our masses wer so euell as thei call thẽ: wherfor we may perseuere ãd cõtinue in our old purpose. And on the other parte / the weaker brethrẽ / which are but newly turned / ãd not farr entered into the knowledge of Christ / whẽ they do se these better lerned professors / enseyng bearers / and chief men in the scole of Christ comme to the masse / they are taught to do the lyke: and wher before they wer perswaded not to comme at masses / now they thincke that they were then deceyued / and that it is but a fonde precise scrupulositie so to abstayn from masses: and it cometh to pas / that where they shuld go forwarde in the waye of truth / now they do go backe. Thus both the wicked and the godly / are offended by thy example: It is playne therfor that vnder the cloked colour of auoyding of offence / these men do fall into the very offẽce gyuing. They say morouer: It is nedefull to cõdiscende vnto the weake: for there are many which are not persuaded that the masse is naught / and therfor are neyther ready to forsake their countrie / nor to dye in the quarell / whiche men yf they shulde perceyue that we did not come to masse / they wold not gyue then any ear or credite vnto vs in the other matiers and chief pointes of religion: wherfore we must gyue and yealde somwhat vnto their infirmitie / as Paule doth teache the Romayns. This they saye.Rom. 14.But what will Paule / I praye you / that we shuld yealde to the weake? This verily / fyrst that weshuld not please our selues: Agayne / that we shuld not so lyue after our own mynde / that we shulde cõtemne their saluacion. We do graunte therfor that som thinge is to be gyuen vnto the infirmitie of the weake brother / but euen with Paule / we will not suffer that to be done / but in thinges indifferẽt. But those thinges which of them selues ar euell and forbidden of Godd / must not be done in respect of any man.Rom. 3.For that same Rule doth stonde certayn which gyueth leaue to no mã to do euell that goode maye comme theron. To abstayn / or not to abstayn from meates / was then a thing indifferẽt. In such thinges they which be stronger must beare with the Infirmitie of the weaker: but meate eating ãd Massehauntinge are not lyke / for this is no thing indifferẽt / but manifestly euell / as it is sufficiently proued / and therfor it is not to be done in respect of bearing with any man that is weake. But are the weake alwayes to be borne with all in thinges indifferent? no truly / we must not alwayes yealde to the weake but only whylest they be taughte: And when they do vnderstonde the thing that is taught them / and yet do wauer and doubt of a wilful scrupulositie / their infirmitie is no longer to be norished nor born with all: For we must not so beare with them / that out libertie shal be in subiectiõ to their frowardnes / nor that therby we do hurte others by our example.
Agayn they obiect and saye: Yf we shuld do as ye wold haue vs to do / then must we eyther flye out of our coũtrithe / or els forthwith shall we suffer deathand so the congregatiõs shalbe left vtterly desolate / ther shall be none lefte to teache and norishe those afflicted mẽbres which shall remayne in our churche: Better it is / that by our bearing and dissemblinge / ther do remayne yet sum leight / then that by doing as ye wold haue vs all together shuld be putt out.1. Cor. 15.If sum do remayne ther / it wilbrustforthe at lẽgthe / and a litill leauẽ will soure the whole lũpe of dowe. &c. Truly for all this goodly clooke / it is easily perceyued that through this dissẽbling the edifying of the churche is hindered and not furthered. These men pretẽde with Athlas to beare vp heauẽ withe their shulders / but they do ouerthrow altogether: Godd doth se more thẽ we / in the thinges which shall happen to the churche: We must obeye hym in seruyng hym ãd his churche with the cõfessiõ of truthe. The issue / and succes / let vs cõmitt vnto hym to whom the churche doth belonge: And let vs do that wherunto we ar called. The churche shall be destroyed thẽ / thow sayest: Let God care for that / he will well prouide for that / let vs not doubt. Wel maye theise mẽ be answered / as the lorde answered Peter / whẽ he called hym / sayinge:Ioan. 21.folowe me: Peter made a staye at it and asked hym what Iohn shuld do. If I will (saith Christ) haue hym to tarye / what is that to the? do thow folowe me. So if thow aske in this case / what shall then be done with the churche? I aunswer / what is that to the? Do thow the thinge wher vnto thow art called. Besids this oftẽ tymes the doctrine of the gospell is more sett furth / andbetter receyued / when it is mayntayned by deathe / and fleinge / then when by words only it is propownded and taught: for then men are taught by deedes / as before they wer by wordes: Haste thow confessed the gospell in wordes? This then remayneth for the to do: die / or flye for the gospell so shalt thou cõfesse the same indede. And Let vs not feare the desolatiõ of the churche / for wher one of our brethern dyeth / or flyeth for the doctrine / in his rowm shall rise vp a great sorte. But if we stãd and continue in dissemblinge / thẽ is the light of the truithe put owt / nether is there any cõfession made indede.
They bringe in also the examples of Zacharie / Iohn the Baptist / the virgin Marie / and Ioseph / which in the corupted and infected tymes whẽ they lyued dyd cõme vnto the seruice of God in the Tẽple of the Iues / The same thing maye be permitted to thẽ (they thincke) and that yt is as lawfull for thẽ to partake ãd vse the ceremonies in the popish churche be they neuer so corrupt. True it is that ther were many wicked doctrines and euill opinions at that tyme emongest the scribes and pharisees. But yet the estate of thẽ was far otherwise / thẽ it is in our tyme: They hade corrupted the doctrine of the law and of iustificatiõ. They were couetous / That thing which they dyd / Was done with out fayth / and therfor abhominable before God / yet the rite and maner of sacrificing apointed by Goddes lawe was not chaũged / for the same beastes were offered which the lawe dyd cõmaũde / the same daies were obserued / and ceremonies / and therfore it was lawfull to vse thẽ inasmoche as they hade the worde of Godd forthẽ. And eiche mã that so vsed thẽ receyued accordĩg to the measure of his faithe. For the corrupte doctrines / sentẽces and manieres of the priestes / Bishoppes and scribes / dyd not hurte at all the prophettes and godlie men which wer thẽ selues cleare frõ thẽ / of a contrarie mynde to thẽ / in all thinges thinking according to Godds worde / yea dyd also reproue and sharplie rebuke those thinges: which thing Augustine dothe witnesse as he is allegded. 23. q. 4. ca. Recedite. and in many other places there. Let our sacrificinge priestes do the same vnto vs at this daie. Let thẽ celebrate the lordes supper and vse other ceremonies / so as by Godds worde they be apointed / thẽ we will not draw backe at all / but vse thẽ / thoughe they thẽ selues thincke corruptlie / and liue more wickedlie / we shall bewaile / we shall admonishe / we shall reproue / we shall accuse thẽ / and they shall beare their owne synne. Their synne shall not hurte vs / nether will we absteyne frome the sacramentes for their nowghtines / but vse thẽ. In which doĩge we shall not cõmunicate with their wickednes / for we shall vse the rite and ceremonie as thelordecõmaũded / and instituted. And this thing mẽt Christ whẽ he saide.Matth. 23.The scribes ãd pharisees do syt in Moses chaire / what they byd yow do / that do / but as they do / see that ye do not. So Christe commaunded the leper whom he hade clẽsed to go vnto the priest.Luc. 2.The blessed virgin likwise she might well after the birthe of our sauiour Christ offer the payre of Turtles or too yonge pigeons / because it was so commaunded in the lawe. By this example our men can not heare masse / because it is a thinge contraryto godds worde: But let these papistsgiuevnto vs the sacramentes / as Christe dyd institute them / and we shall vse thẽ / and yet neuerthelesse reproue their wickednes. Nowe our men beinge thus at all pointes answered / and ouercommed / do flye to this atlenghth. Thoughe saye they it be a synne to go to Masse and suche popishe pelfe yet it is but a light synne / and not se seuerely to be reproued. What (say they) we do many thinges which we shuld not fo. but God forgyuithe thẽ. &c. To the last I aunswer: The goodnes of Godd which doth forgyue synnes vnto them that be truly penitẽt / doth not diminishe at all the gretnes of the synne. Wherfor I will aunswer only / to that they saye / that it is but a light synne. Which thinge whilest they do saye / they do not thincke this with themselues / that all synnes haue their proper wieght and burthen. For doinges and the nature of thinges done ar not to be considered simplie of themselues, but they ar to be weyed by godds worde and laws / by which they ar forbiddẽ: By it / wicked actes and thedoingeof them ar to be iudged: And seing that the poure of the lawe and worde of god is all one in all cõmaundmentes / by it / the weighte / burthẽ and greatnes of synne cõmitted / is to be weyed considered and iudged.Iacob. 2.S. Iames therfor in this cause doth saye. He that hathe obserued the whole lawe / and dothe offend in one / is made giltye of all. Which sayinge truly is harde and sharpe / but most true / and teachith all men that they shuld not extenuate synne. But this placeof Iames / is not to be vnderstõded / as thoughe that all synnes wer equall and like.August. Epist. 29. ad Hiero.That doth Augustine truly and playnly denye: He saith that the Stoickes do go about to proue it / when they saye / that all vertues are cõioyned and knitt together / so that he which hathe one of them hath all / and he that wãtith one wãtith all. For wisdome (saye they) is not fearefull / nott intemperate / nut vniuste / therfor it hath ioyned with it the vertues which be contrarie vnto these vices: And likewise iustice / strẽghthe / tẽperaunce and other vertues are not vnwise / but are ioyned with wisdome / wheruppon they do conclude / that all vertues are conioyned and knitt together. Theise thinges / saith Augustine /Iaco. 3.do not agre with the holy scriptures / which do witnes.1. Ioan. 1.That in many thinges we do all offend / and If we saye that we haue no synne / we do deceyue our selues and ther is no truithe in vs. Wherfor seing that we synne in many thinges / and in synnynge we cã not haue that vertue which is cõtrarie to that synne which we do committ / and yet it may be that he which fallith in one synne / many be cõstaunt in other vertues / the opinion of theis philosophers is fals. As for example: Be it / that one be of an hastye nature / or do exceade measure in eatinge / and yet he gyuith euery man his own / and will gyue his life in Godds cause: though this man be fearce / and intemperate / yet is he called a iust mã / and a stronge man. S. Augustine doth also putt awaye the similitude of the stoicks / whiche is. That the mandoth die in the waters / if they be but half a handfull ouer, his heade / aswell as he ouer whos heade they are / ten / or twentie cubites. This is no apte similitude / saith he / therfor let vs take an other more fitte for our purpose / of light namely and darcknes. Certaynly when one is in darcknes / the more he dothe departe and go out of it and drawith nighe vnto light / he begynnith the better to see sumwhat / and so though that yet he be compassed with darcknes / yet is he sumwhat partaker of the lighte. But he that wull knowe more of this matier / let hym reade that Epistle of Augustyne: Wher he prouith playnly / that all synnes ar not like / as the Stoicks did thincke: Now to return to our place / which we did rehearce. He that offendith in one / is giltie of all. Ther is no obseruacion of Godds Lawe to be receued with an exception / as thoughe we might chose one parte of it to obserue / and separate or sett asyde the other parte at our will and pleasure to neglecte it. The commaundemẽtes of the lawe ar conioyned of the lorde and knitt together / and so gyuen vnto vs: We must not now disseuer / and separate thẽ as we lust / but without exception we must obserue the whole lawe. We must consider and loke vppon the Auctoritie of the lawe gyuer / which is Godd / It is of force aswel in one cõmaundement / as in the rest. This doth Iames seame to meane / when he saith:Iacob. 2.He that hath sayde / Thow shalt not committ adulterie / the same hath sayde / Thow shalt not kill. As if he shuld saye / he is no les contraried in any oneof theise commaundemẽtes / then in an other. And therfor (to adde this by the waye) let them wel consider what they do which do profes to receyue the gospell / and yet they do refuse ecclesiasticall disciplyne: Wheras the lorde / which hath reuealede and opened the gospell vnto vs by Christe / doth appoint discipline to be a parte therof. Theise men do synne against the whole lawe. The papistes do also synne herin / which do preache their parted righteousnes / as meritorius of congruitie. But to returne / this is also manifest / that he that synnith in one / is therfore giltie in all / for that as now by lust and tentacion / he is caried into sum one transgression / and so dothe synne / euen in like manier shuld he offend in an other euill / if he wer assaulted in the same sorte / and whith that same violence of tentacion. And Augustine in the place before alledged. doth saye. That therfore he is made giltie of all / bicause he synneth against charitie / vppon which the obseruacion of the whole lawe is grownded. To be short therfor / when we do thus fall into synne / we must not lightly tryfle it of and excuse it / sayinge that it is but light / and small: for synne is not to be considered of the matier / and manier of the action only / but of the force poure / and dignitie of Godds worde which doth forbidd it. And yet les I shuld seeme to be to rigorus and strayte in this matier of massehauntinge / let ther be hadd a consideracion / or difference of the matier / and doinge.And truly I can not see / how this kinde of synne and doinge cã be iudged to be light / or small / seing that it is a transgressiõ committed against the furst table of the lawe / in which the worship due vntto Godd is cõmaũded which worshipp being sownde and safe in a mã other vices and synnes ar the more easily corrected: And agayn this being corrupted / all other actes are most vnacceptable vnto Godd. Whordõ by Godds lawe is to be punyshed by deathe / yet is it a synne but against the .ii. table. And what shal we thincke then of spirituall whordome? how seuerely doth Godd iudge it? how sharply ought it to be punished? If therfor thow dost consider the commandement which thou breakest / it is of God: If the matier / it isaganistthe furst table and therfore thys synne is the more heynus and weightie. Besids this / our men do counte this Masse hauntinge a fault to be either contemned / or not so depely to be considered in theim bicause they do not synne with mynde will and affection / but as it wer compelled and of necessite. But I aske them / what manier a violence and compulsion this is throughe which that necessite commithe of which they make their excuse? Truly they can not saye that it is ony other / then bicause they wolde not ronne into the daunger of the losse of their Goodes / their estimacion and lyfe.Aristote. Ethi. lib. 3.This is then no absolute necessite but such a one as risith of ther own corrupt affection and will, wich prouith that their action is volũtarie. As Aristotle in his Ethicks doth saye of thelosse which shippmen do suffer in a tempest / which do cast out of their ship al their Goodes whẽ they be in daunger of shipp wracke: They seame truly to be compelled to do it / and yet willingly they do it / and therfor they are sayed .To do. bicause that withe deliberacion and aduise / they do determin / both with iudgemẽt and will / rather to abide the losse of their goddes / thẽ of their lyfe. Which thinge as the mariners do wisely determyne / so our men do folishly / which for the loue that they beare to their lyfe / bodie ãd goodes do not chose to abide the losse of thẽ all / in refusing to come to these detestable masses / to gayn therby lyfe / and saluacion euer lastinge. And so do they cõmitt doble synne. Furst they synne willingly. Thẽ they do prefer earthly thinges before heauẽly / outward thinges before inward / the bodie before the soule / their Goodes before God: Which is not done but of such / as ar the very childrẽ of the world. Of affectiõ verily / though they do saye nay / they do that which they do / but of that inordinate affection which they do beare to their riches. Wherfor this is no iust excuse which they make. For as well might the Corinthians / euen by the very same reason / haue sayde to Paule. If we do comme vnto these feastes wher the meates offered vnto Idols are eaten / we do it not with that mynde as thoughe we allowed such sacrifices / but we ar compelled therunto / for if we shuld auoide theise solemne feastes / we shuld be taken as sedicius men / euell citizens / vncourteous / we shuld loose our frends / ãd most profitable healpand defence / Yea and paraduẽture our goodes and countrith, Paule hearith noone of all these thinges / but doth sharply reproue thẽ / as in the furst epistle which he wrote vnto thẽ it doth appeare.Exod. 32.Aarõ also by the same reason might haue excused the making of the goldẽ calf / and sayed / I did it not with my mynde / I was cõpelled / and if I hadd not folowed the mynde of the poeple / they wold haue stoned me. &c. But Moses / who did well perceyue that this was not of an absolute necessite / but did rise of such a corrupt grownd and matier as neither righteousnes doth suffer to be receyued / neither Godd doth admitt / he cõdemnith the act / ãd doth sharply reproue Aaron for it. Thise men ought also to thincke this: That the masse is as it wer the signe ãd sure marke / the pleadg / ãd seale / by which the papists do knowe who be theirs / frõ others. For whether a mã gyuith almos / whether he prayeth / whether he lyueth a chaste lyfe / and so forth / they passe not at all: This only they do regarde / whether he hearith Masses: which thĩg if they perceyue that he doth / for thewhichthey thĩke that mã to be ther own / ãd on the other parte / to abhorr the Masse and not to heare it / is euen the begynninge of fallinge from ther kyngdõ / and from Antichriste. Wherfor we may call Massehearinge / The publique profession of poperie / the badge of the most vile and filthie Idolatrie which is vsed in our age. In this therfor / ĩ which papistes put so mutch confidence / that they make therof the very marcke wherby the godly are known from their men / noChristian must dissemble. For if he do / then doth he publiquely professe hymself to be a papist / which is euen to denie Christes gospell: And this to do / is so greate a synne / as no mã cã extenuate by ony blind cloke or reason. But thow wilt saye: Ther be greate daungers / of which I am in present ieoperdie / and I shall also sett mi self forthe to other most heauy daũgiers / except I be partaker and do cõmunicate with papists in the Masse / and such popishe Idolatrie. I grant that ther are daungers / such is theyr Tyrannie. But remember thou / That Godd hath forseene all theise daungers before / and also hath shewed that they shuld comme / of which though he wer not ignorante / yet did not his wisdõ chaunge his lawe to haue them auoyded: He commaunded / and doth / that Idolatrie shall not be cõmitted but that mẽ shuld flye from it / which commaundement he wyll haue kept what soeuer perill dothe cõme theron. Wherfor let vs cast our care vppon hym which hath gyuen vs this commaundemẽt / for he which doth know righte well / that theise euels are ioyned with the obseruinge of his commaundementes / he will care for them which for rightuisnes shalbe persequuted. Truly the violence / and nature of persequution and daungiers is not such / that it can chaunge Godds lawe: neither that he will haue his lawes chaunged for them. Let persequutions be howsoeuer they be / yet Godds lawe remaynith vnmoueable. Let vs not seeke then to deuide and part ourselues / and our seruice / betwenGodd ãd the deuell / as thoughe we wold gyue our mynde ãd affectiõ vnto Godd: ãd in poperie and supersticious Idolatries to gyue our bodyes doĩges / and outward actiõs vnto the deuell.1. Cor. 6.Our mynde is Godds seate / our bodie is his Tẽple.Mat. 22.Gyue therfore to Godd / that which belongith vnto hym. Thincke what thow lust of doing and dissemblinge for thy commoditie: Yeat this Rule / and certayn Canon of the holy ghost must now either rule the /Roma. 3.or herafter in Godds iudgement cõfownde the. Euell thinges are not to be done that Goode shuld come theron.
Now seing that we haue sufficiẽtly spoken of priuate men and subiectes / in and through all the partes and membres of our distictions and diuisiõs / it remaynithe that we shuld entreate of Princes: for so at the begynning we ordered our diuision.
Of Rulers and Princes.Of Rulers and princes / I make this diuisiõ / Some there are which be chiefe princes / suche as do not depẽd and hange on other / of whõ the Ciuilians do saie / that they haue a mere Rule. Other are vnder Rulars and such as be of lesse authoritie then they / which do depende and hãge on the higher princes / either by the right (as they saie) of fee / or ells because they are their officers / and mynisters / that is to saye (as they be commonlye termed) their deputies / lieutenaũtes and executours of their office. I will firste speake of the higher / absolute / and mere Rulers: And of themA questionI will both aske and answere this questiõ: Whether it be lawfull for thẽ to suffer and permite in their dominiõs the free and familiar conuersatiõand dwellinge togither of the vnfaithfull with the faith full:The answerI thinke that it is lawfull / but yet so that they muste take hede of certeyn thinges / and obserue ans kepe certeyn Rules and conditions.
The firste is / that they do not enforce nor compell their faithfull subiectes to ioyne with the vnbeleauers in their assẽbles / nor in such vnholy kyndes of worshipp of Godd as are cõtrary to Godds worde: for then shold they not be Godds ministers / as they are taughte to be in the epistle to the Romains /Rom. 13.but rather the ministers of the deuill / of Antichriste / and of their furie. Then sholde they be a feare vnto them that do well / and not to them that do euill / neither sholde they promote the worke of God / but the tyranye of Antichriste.
The secõde is / they muste not graunte nor suffer / the vnfaithfull to vse their supersticions and wicked Idolatries which are cõtrarie vnto Godds worde. For it is not sufficient / that they do not compell the godly to wicked supersticiõ and Idolatrie / but also they muste forbidde the same to the wicked Idolatrours: For not doinge of this Salomõ is greatlie accused:3. Reg. 11.Indeed he did not compelle the Iues to worshipp Idolles / but yet did he permit and suffer his wyues and concubines, wich were straungiers, to haue their Chapells amonge the Iues / in which they worshipped Astaroth / Chamos ãd such idolls / For which cause the lorde was so angrie wyth him / that as he suffered his true worshippe to be parted ãd diuided / as he suffered seruice to be done partlieto God and partlie to Idolles. Euẽ so was his kingdõ diuided / parte of it came vnto his sõne / ãd parte to Ieroboã the sõne of Nabat. And agayn for doing of this / Achaz / ãd other wicked kĩges wer reproued of the prophetes. Magistrates are apoĩted to be the defẽders / ãd executours of the first table of the lawe as well as of the secõde: with what obseruatiõ thẽ of iustice cã a magistrate graũte or suffer Idolatrie to be vsed? It is writõ that he hathe the sworde to punishe euill thĩges and vices. If it be his part to punishe theues / ãd not to permitt them / the same must he do to Idolatrours. Or ells we must saie that Idolatrie is no such synne ãd vice as theft is / or that with other vices it is not to be punished. And that theis prĩces maye do this the better / they muste thẽ selues take hede that they be cleare frõ these Idolatries ãd supersticiõs. Augustine writĩg againste the donatistes dothe ĩ manye places notablie intreate ãd hãdle this sentẽce of the psalme.Psal. 2.And nowe ye kĩges be wise be warned ye that iudge the earthe. Serue the lorde wyth feare. &c. It is reasõ ãd semyng faithe he that kinges sholde serue the lorde / neither is it spokẽ of kinges in respecte that they are mẽ / for so are they boũde to obserue cõmen lawes euẽ as other mẽ are / but as kĩges they be admonished to vse their power giuẽ thẽ of God / ãd their sword to defẽde the catholike truithe / and to represse the wicked which do oppugne the church ãd truithe of Christ: wherfore it is not lawfull for prĩces to graũt vnto the wicked and vnbeleuers their euill and vngodlie Godds seruice and Idolatries / but they muste maynteyn to their power / those holy rites ãd ordinaũces of godds seruicewhich do agree with the worde of God / ãd forbid those which are cõtrarie to yt. I do not saie that they must be to curius in ceremonies / as many are / which wolde that ĩ any wise all rites ãd ceremonies sholde be throughli ãd in all places of oone sorte / ãd manier: But this theis princes shold prouide / that the ceremonies vsed in ther churches sholde not be contrarie to godds worde / yea and that they sholde most neerely agre therwith / ãd shuld make for godly edyfyinge and decẽt and comelye ordre in the churche: But of their liknes / ãd that ĩ all places the rites / ãd ceremonies shold be of one forme / I do not thinke it a thing worthie the labor. For what matter maketh it if some men do receyue the sacramẽt stõding / other sittinge / other kneling. And if in some places whilest the bretherẽ do cõmunicat / a place of the scripture be redd / or some psalmes be sõg of the people / or other songes of thankes geuing. Nether is it any great matter / when a corps is caried to the buriall / whether that mẽ do followe the hearce holdĩg their peace / or singing of psalmes / or suche other thinges as maye edifie them that do stãde by. These thinges are to be lefte so free that in the churches suche maie be vsed / as shall seme most meete for the edyfyinge of the people. Yea I suppose that this varietye and chaunge in rytes / and ceremonies / dothe not a lytell profyte ãd helpe to bring in a true opiniõ of ceremonies / and to haue it kepte also: that is / that mẽ shuld beleue that all those ceremonies which the holie scripure doth not apoint / are not necessarie vnto saluaciõ / but maye be chaũged accordinge to the estate of tyme / ãd as shall serue for edifyĩg / as they shall thĩkGodd which haue in their hand the orderinge the churche. That moste worthie commen wealthe of the venetians / which haue vnder their dominions / many Cities and places in Grece / they do in eche of them permit and suffer the rytes / and ceremonies / bothe of the Greke churche / and of the Latin churche / for those wise men do thincke / that the dyuersytie in outward ceremonies which are not taught in Godds worde is not hurtefull. I do not alledg this to allowe all such ceremonies as they do permitt in thos places / but only to shew that they thincke it not a matter of necessite to haue all one forme of ceremonies: The verie same thinge before thẽ did Augustine iudge as in his epistles to Ianuarius / and Cassulanus it dothe apeare.
The thirde thinge is / that the princes and rulers which do suffer these vnfaithfull mẽ to dwell ĩ their dominions sholde prouide that they mighte be taughte the truithe: and in this behalfe they muste not neglect them: for as the princes do declare their gẽtilnes in suffering thẽ to dwell in their dominions so this their pacience muste be directed to the glorie of God: And howe can that be soughte in theis vnbeleauers / if they be suffered to abyde in their noughtie opinion without teachinge: Surely by thys meanes in processe of tyme they be made no whit the better / but a greate deale worse then they were before.
The fourth is / that these princes take Godd hede / that by this dwellinge and cõuersation which theydo graunte vnto the vnfaithfull / they do not infecte the poeple cõmitted to their cure and chardge with their scabbe of vnbelefe ãd errour. Charytie is to be shewed vnto straungiers indede / but yet not so that they muste hurte the poeple amõg whom they lyue. And this shal the princes remedie very wel / if that they do not always beare with the corrupt blindnes of thevnbeleauers/ but after sufficient teachinge do compell them to embrace true religion. I say that when they haue prouided that these vnfaithfull haue bene taught a good whyle and truly instructed / they must then enforce and compell them vnto those holye and pure rytes and worshippinges of Godd which are commaunded in the scriptures: for princes and rulers must not alwayes / nor yet to longe suffer theyr cytyzens and subiectes / to lyue without exercise of godlynes and vertue. The ende of policall gouernemente is / that the subiecte both sholde lyue in felycytie / ãd also in the practyse of godlynes / because that godlines and the true worshipp of God is the chefest of all vertues.
But some man will obiecte against me / and say / yf so be that the vnfaithfull be not yet persuaded / they shall then embrace truthe against theyr conscience / which thinge yf the prince compell them to do / then he compelleth them to synne. Here must we make a difference betwene the thinge that of it selfe is synne / and that which is so by chaunce / by some fortune / or some other thinge that happeneth / per accidens, as the Logicians do saye: for whẽ theMagistrate / in the matter which now we haue in hãd / dothe propounde vnto these his subiectes / the thing that is right / goode / iuste / and cõmaunded of God / prouidinge to haue them taughte therin / and they will not be taughte / yf then he enforceth them owtwardlye to vse none other order in religion then is commaunded of Godd / and to forsake all other / he doth that which is iuste and appertayninge to his office. But that synne is entermingled in this matter / truly it is not throughe the faulte of the prince / but it is of the vnbeleif of these men / of whiche the prince can not be iustly accused / when he hath diligẽtly done his part / that they shold be well instructed. Morouer them which do obiecte this consider / that by the same reason that they accuse these princes we may accuse God: for he doth propounde his lawe / which is moste perfyte to be obserued of all men. Shuld men saye? we are weake / our nature is corrupte and infected / neither can we do these thinges as thou dost commaunde them / And why dost thou then enforce this lawe vpon vs? If we do cõtrarie to that which thou doest commaunde / verely we synne / and yf we go not about to do it we synne / we shall synne also yf we go aboute to do that which thou commaundest / for we want of perfection / neyther do we obey as we sholde do: wherfore do what we will / we shall not auoyde synne: vnto this the Lorde wolde aunswer. The thinges that I do propounde to be obserued of you are iuste and perfect / no man can accuse them of wickednes / But in thatye are weake and do fall / and faile in fulfilling of my lawe / the faulte muste not be layed vnto me / for it is of your own malice and corruptiõ / and not through my faulte / for the which I maye not withdrawe my holy commaũdements / Yet thus I haue prouided helpe for you / Beleue in my only dearly beloued sonne / and loke what so euer ye wante / wherin soeuer ye do fayle / and not fulfyll my commaundementes / it shall not be imputed / nor laid to your chardge vnto euerlasyinge deathe: yea your endeuoyrs and your doinges / although they be not fully perfect ãd absolute / yet will I accepte thẽ well / they shall please me / and I will allowe thẽ. Euen so shall the good prince and Magistrate saye: The thinges which are conteyned in Goddes worde / suche thinges as are comlye and do edifie / do I require of you / yf your mynde and conscience do go agaynst them / ye can not impute it vnto me / I haue laboured and done my parte that ye sholde not be ignoraunt / and miserablie perish in ignoraũce. I haue caused you to be sufficiently instructed / and nowe will I procede exhorting / admonishinge / and demaundinge of you obedience in these thinges: do you reade the holye scriptures / heare the teachers and pastours / ãd pray the Lorde to open the eyes of your harte and mynde. Thus in aunswering to this obiectiõ I shew what a goode prince in this case may and must do. That thinge also is not to be passed ouer of which Augustyne maketh mencion / that he hymselfe was somtyme of this opinion / that nothing sholde be violẽtlyedone agaynst heretiques / but that they shold only be taughte / But his mynde altered after that he was admonished by some wyse Bishoppes / howe certeyn cities / which somtyme were altogether corrupted with the errour of the Donatistes / were cõpelled by the violence of the lawes of good Emperours to receyue the catholike faith / ãd these at lẽgth were so syncerelie tourned vnto the truthe / that they dyd gyue to God moste hartye thãckes for that violent enforcement / sayinge that nowe thoughe they might safelye / yet by no meanes wolde they retorne any more to suche pernicious and hurtfull opiniõs. The prince therfore / after that he hath gyuen them sufficient instruction / yf he shall enforce these men vnto the embracing of such rites and ceremonies as are good and godlye indede / he shall do no hurte at all but muche good. I do meane that this sholde be practysed only vpon suche as be cityzens / and naturall borne subiectes / or suche as beinge straungers borne / do as denizens dwell in theyr domininiõs / ãd so by priuiledge haue the benefite of theyr coũtrithe: Otherwyse yf they be but straũgiers which do passe through their countrithe / or such as do come either to bye or to sell marchaundize / there is no suche violẽce to be shewed towardes thẽ. And yet this thing they must take heade of euen in thẽ / that they do not seduce their people ãd subiectes which are of a good iudgement / that they do not infect them with vice and errour. The Israelites / as I thincke / ar in this pointe to be folowed. They did admitt no straungerto be as a Iue / or proselyte / neyther did they gyue vnto any the libertie of their countrith / except he did fyrst circũcise himself / admitt Moses lawe / did cõmunicate / and became partaker with them in theyr Sacrifices / submitting himself to their discipline: Which thinge / seing it was well and diligently obserued of them / why shuld not our princes do euen the same? That they shuld suffer no Citezen / nor subiect / eyther naturall / or straũger born / but that they shuld compell and enforce hym / to receyue such religion / and obserue such rites and ceremonies / agreing with Godds worde / as they by common autoritie haue establyshed. Now will I speake of those princes and Rulers / which ar vnder these chief Rulers. Whome I do deuide into two sortes. Eyther they are such as haue Iurisdiction / poure / and auctoritie / which commeth to them by discent frõ theyr Auncetours / or els committed vnto them of Emperours / Kinges / and common welthes: Eyther els they haue no Iurisdiction nor Rule ouer others / neyther by discent from theyr auncetours / nor by commission from other higher princes / but only are taken and estemed as men of worshipp / for the auncientnes of their house and blud / or for their riches. This last sorte do not differ at all in a maner from priuate men / of whom I haue spoken before / for these are mere subiectes as they are. Therfor (I do suppose) that the former Rules / appointed vnto priuate men and subiectes are to be committed vnto thẽ / to be obserued of thẽ / in such maner as I hauebefore declared. But of this other sorte of Princes and Rulers / of which some by right of inheritaũce / some by vertue of office committed vnto them / are Rulars and gouernours of countrithes / cities and places. Of these I do saye and pronoũce this / That in matters which do belong to Godd and true Religion / they ought to do no other things / but those / which I haue already shewed that the muste do / which are meere / absolute / and the hygher princes and Rulars. For it is not lawfull for them / no not at the commaundement of theyr hygher Princes and Lordes / to compell those subiectes ouer whom they haue rule / to recyue wicked Religion and supersticion / neyther to permitt the vnfaithfull in the places where they do beare Rule / to haue theyr vngodly Idolatries and supersticions. This must thei not do / no thoughe they were (I saye) therunto cõmaunded by theyr hygher princes and Lordes / of whom / and vnder whome / they haue theyr auctoritie. But yf thou wilt saye / that they must obey theyr hygher poures / I will graunt that / but (as the sayinge is)vsquead Aras, that is vntill they do come to matters of Religion / and vntill they do commaunde in Religion thinges contrarie to Goddes worde and truthe. For when they shall commaunde that which is against Godd / and is hurtefull to the conscience of mã / these magistrates must not obey thẽ. For these vnder Rulars are called into a parte of the cure and charge of the goode gouernemente of the countrie / by the force of theyr dignitie and office:They must not therfor putt those thinges in execution / whiche are agaynst Godd / and are hurtefull to theur countrye: Yea they ought both to persuade by reason / and to defende by poure the contrary.The Lacedemonians / when they whiche hadd ouercomme them / did demaunde of them such thinges as were against the ciuile lawes and libertie of their citie / They answered / If ye do commaunde vs to do thinges which ar more weightie and greuous then death / we wyll rather dye then do them: Thus ought these vnder Rulars answer theyr higher Lordes / when they do commaunde them to do thinges which are to the defacing of Godds glorie ãd truth / and to the wounding and vnquieting of the consciences of the subiectes / whiche thinges are more weyghtie and greuous then death indeede. In Cyuile thinges they may gyue place to the vniust commaundementes and decrees of theyr hygher Lordes / but that ought they not to do in the cause of Godd / and pure Religion. The Machabees at such tyme as the Iues were vnder the rule of the Macedonians (Antiochus / Demetrius / and Alexander / I meane) which princes did leade the people awaye from the true worship of God / and from the seruice taught in hys worde / wolde not obeye them. But that house and tribe of the prestes calledAsmonei, whiche in dignitie were nexte vnto the house and stocke of the Kinges / and bare the chief Rule nexte vnto it / les that the true worshippe of Godd commaunded and taught in the lawe / and which hadd bene retayned and vsed in theyr countrye / shuldebe thus leafte and forsaken / they did Rebell against thos kinges as the hostorie doth witnes. But if this historie for the insufficiencie of the auctoritie of the bocke (which yet is a true historie / as Iosephus also doth witnes) will not suffice to proue this matier: Then let vs consider what Ioiada the bishopp did in the dayes of Athalia:4. Reg. 11.She hadd by violence obtayned the kingdomme / ãd so was she the supreame ordinarie poure: But yet he sturred vpp a commotion agaynst her / And he brought the Sonne of Asa / Kinge Ioas / I meane (who was saued by hym frõ her bluddy sworde) into the kingdome: For he knew that by Goddes worde the kingdome was gyuen to the house of Iuda / He perceyued also that she went about to haue all good Religiõ / and true godlynes / vtterly ouerthrowen. Therfor as she had vniustly shedd innocẽt bludd / euen so he most iustlye commaunded that she shuld be slayne.4. Reg. 18.Kinge Ezechias also / was in subiection to the King of the Assyriãs / for Achaz his father hadd submitted hym selfe vnto hym / and did not only paye hym tribute / but also for hispleasuredid chaunge Godds Religion: for whẽ he wente to Damasco to meete this Kinge / he commaunded that an altar shuld be made at Hierusalẽ / after the patrone and fashion of that which he hadd seene at Damasco. This Kinge Achaz his sonne / godly Ezechias / perceyuinge that these thinges whiche his father hadd done / were repugnant and contrarye vnto Godds worde / hurtefull also to the consciences of his subiects / he (I say) did fall awayfrõ the Kinge of the Assyrians / which yet was now his superior and hygher poure. Indeede he soughte fyrst to pacifie hym with gyftes / which thing when he coulde not do / then to the vttermost of hys poure he dyd defende hym self / and his people agaynst hym. Neuertheles in this matter sedicion muste be auoyded so much as may be / and these princes must not vnder the colour and cloke of Religion / seeke theyr own gayne and honor: but here only let thẽ resiste / that nothing be done contrary to Godds worde / and not for those thinges which are done to hinder theyr ambicion. Of this corrupt affection yf thei be cleare / and only for Religions sake do resiste the wicked proceadinges of theyr hygher princes and Lordes / let them not thincke that they do herin anye vnrighteousnes at all. But yf one will obiecte and saye: Thys maye not be / for all men are commaũded to obeye the hygher poures. I answer /Rom. 13.It is true indeede that the holy scriptures do commaunde / that euerye soule shulde obeye the hygher poures / but so farr as by Godds word it is lawfull to obey / and no further. For the holy scriptures do likewyse say / that the Rular is not any feare to them that doth good / but to them that do euell. Wherfor seying these princes / in this case by theyr endeuour and laboure / do promote that which is goode / they do well and not euell: and so ought they for this doinge to be without fear of the hygher poure / because that herin they do not resiste agaynst them / with that Resistaunce which is forbidden. Wilt thou (saith he) be withoutfeare of the poure? do well then / and so shalt thou be praysed of the same: If these princes and rulars do defende godlynes and religion / they do good / then by the iudgement of Goddes worde they are without feare of the poure / and do deserue prayse of theyr hygher poures and lords. But yf thou do euell (saith Paule) then feare the poure / for he beareth not the sworde for nought / but is the minister of Godd to take vengeaũce on them which do euell. Thus doth this place arme the myndes and cõsciences of these inferior princes of whom I speake / that they shulde note feare theyr hygher poures / when for the defence of Goddes religion / they do resiste and not obeye theyr wicked commaundementes. Yf any will now thus saye agaynst me. He that hath the kinglye and supreame auctoritie / vnto whom by othe I do owe obedience / commaundeth these thinges / and therfore I must obey. I answer that thou arte not boũd herin to keape any such othe or promis. For when he commaundeth those thinges whiche are agaynste God / he dothe not the office of Goddes minister / to him thẽ therin thou dost owe neyther faith nor obedience. Agayne yf thou wilt aske / By what righte may these vnder rulars and inferiour magistrates / thus sett them selues agaynst the hygher princes / which haue the verye supreame right and poure to defende pure and godlye Religion / and the true faithe. I aunswere. That the electours of the Empire / and the Princes of Germanie / and the fre cityes / do it by the Imperiall poure and righte / whicheis committed vnto them: And that the Magistrates and Rulars whiche are in kingdoms / they do and darre do it / by the Kinglye poure and right lykewyse committed vnto them. For Emperours and Kinges / and such hygher poures / haue therfor chosen and taked these vnder Rulars and officers / as it were into a parte of theyr Rule / to be theyr helpers / in administringe and ordering theyr businesses and charge / to the ende that Iustice might florishe so muche the more. And euen so from the begynninge poure and Rule was gyuen vnto these / that they shulde rule the common wealthe / for that part therof / whiche was committed vnto them / iustlye / vprightlye / and godlye. Wherof the Emprour in the Code doth saye / that yf he shulde commaunde anye thinge agaynste righte / he wolde not that any suche decree of his shulde auayle in iudgementes. The very same thinge is to be sayde / where a kinge or suche which do retayne the supreame auctoritie / do commaunde or determyne anye thynge againste right. Not vnworthy is Traianus the Emperour therfore commended / who when he delyuered the sworde to a Rular in his Empire / sayde: If I do cõmaunde Iuste thinges / vse this for me / but yf I do require vniust things / vse it against me. But on the contrary part / Gregorie the great / Byshopp of Rome / can not in this behalfe be praysed / but dispraysed / and accused: Who seinge that the lawe whiche Mauritius the Emperour had made was vniuste / which was / That no man entangled with the mattersof the common wealth / or which was appointed to the warrs / might be made a priest or a mõck / he wrote to the Emperour / That after that he hadd seene hys lawe / he was wonderfullye afrayed and astonied / And therfor he desireth hym to diminshe somwhat of the rigour of the lawe or els to chaũge it altogether: But yet he added / That as touchinge hymself / after that he hath now done his office in admonishing hym / now for the obedience which he doth owe vnto him / he wolde publishe his lawe / as he hadd commaunded. Thys acte surely can not / but be reproued in this Busshopp. Agayn here thou wilt happily saye. What yf the hygher Prince wil not allowe me to do myne office / or doth reuoke this parte of myne office? Truly no man cã take that frõ thyne office / which God hath cõmaunded the to do in it. No mã can discharge the of that dutye / wherewith God chargeth the in thyne office / do thou the dutye that longeth to it. Many there are which do thincke / that when this dealinge and doinge of the inferior magistrate agaynste the hygher Rulars is thus straitly required / That Godds Religiõ is not to be promoted after this manier by thẽ / but rather / that they do sufficientlye the thinge which belõgeth vnto them / yf they do forsake theyr office / and gyue ouer their Rule and auctoritie. So do not I thincke / Thy dignitie and office is not so lightly to be gyuen ouer. Thou dost gyue ouer thyne office / because thou wilt not strayne thy self therin to promote theglorie of Godd: And this is to depart and fall from thy vocacion: which thou oughtest not to do / especially whẽ thou dost playnly see / that thy roume and place / shalbe bestowed vpon those / which ar wicked and both do / ãd will oppresse the kingdom of God. These men must abyde therfor in theyr offices / so lõg as they be not putt out of them by the higher poures / and strõgly must they defend the glorie of God in them.