Chapter 4

Now when I on this maner do entreate of these thinges / I do not make or shewe an easye waye to sturre vp sedicions. But this onlye I do seke / and care for /Matt. 22.That those thinges which do belonge vnto Godd / shuld be gyuen vnto Godd: and those thinges which are belonging vnto Cesar / shulde be gyuen vnto Cesar. If the worldly substaũce and ritches of men were required and asked by the hygher poures / I wold councell to gyue thẽ. But in those thinges which do belonge vnto the worshipp of Godd / I say / that thei must not yealde to the wicked requestes of theyr hygher Rulars and lordes: here is no place to be gyuen to thẽ / but in our owne ciuile matters we must yealde / yf to yealde in them be not agaynst Goddes lawe.3. Reg 21.In which case Naboth is to be excused / which wolde not graunte hys vyneyard to the Kinge: He dyd it not of couetousnes / or of to great a desyre which he dyd beare to the thinges of the world / but because he dyd knowe that in gyuing awaye of his vineyarde so / Goddes lawe shulde be broken / by which he hadd appointed / that the feeldesand possessions amonge the people of Israell /Num. 33.shuld remayn in theyr tribes and kindreds / as they were iustly distributed at the beginning. This lawe of God wolde Kinge Achab haue broken / and therto required he the cõsent of Naboth / which he with a good and a safe conscience could not do / and therfor wold not. But halas / sorow it is to behold / how that there are many Dukes / Earles / and such princes / from whome yf an Emperour or a Kinge wold take their dominions / landes / lordshipps and inheritaunce / they wold leaue nothing vndone / yea they wold do all that they could do / to defend their own / and do resiste their vnrighteous doinge: But when the kingdom of God is assaulted by tyrauntes, and the gospell and bequest of the bludd of Christe taken violently and wretchedly away from them / and frõ the children of Godd which are committed to theyr tuition and defence / they will do nothing at all. Yea when they are required of theyr hygher poures / as ministers of theyr furie / to destroye and ouerthrow the gospell / then they neyther sturre nor speake anye thing at all / but do as they are biddẽ. In theyr own cause they can fight / and rebell / but in Goddes cause / they are as it were no princes nor Rulers. Wherby we can not thincke any other thing of them / then this / That they do not at the hart esteme the gospell of Christe.A confutation of the places alledged.Nowe this is remayning / that I sholde answer vnto those reasons which were put forthe at the begynning to proue that the dwelling together of thefaithfull with the vnfaithfull is lawfull / and confute them. Firste / the example of Christ is set against vs / which dyd eate and drinke familiarlye with scribes / pharisees / publicanes / and synners. We muste remembre that Christe was not only stronge / but the chiefe heade of all them shich be stronge. He coulde so profyte them which were euell / that theyr euill shuld not hurte him / and therfore might vse familiaritie with the wicked. Euen so there is no cause to the contrarie / but that they whiche be learned and constante in the truthe / suche as can profit the vnfaithfull by their cõuersation and familiar being with them / and not be hurt by it them selues (as we haue admonished before) may be conuersaunt with the vnbeleauers and wicked.The seconde place is /1. Cor. 7.Paule wolde not that the faithfull maried vnto an vnbeleuer sholde departe / yf the vnbeleuer will dwell together with the other. This I do also acknowledge / as befor I haue said: for vnto thẽ / al necessary businesses / especially those which are ordeyned of God / are to be done. And yet in that place which is here alledged / Paule is not so to be vnderstanded without exception / as these mẽ do iudge: for yf the vnbeleuĩg maried parson / shold cõtinually moue the faithfull to Idolatrie / or sholde not cease to blaspheme Christ / and prouoke the other to cõmit like blasphemie / so lõg as thei did liue together / this ioynt life in mariadge were not to be cõtinued: for this were not to dwell together / but to conspire together against Christ: Paule therfor speakethof suche cohabitacion as is laufull without suche soliciting or mouinge to euell and blasphemye.An other sentence of Paule is broughte which he writeth to the Corinthians /1. Cor. 5.where he teacheth that all couetous parsons / euill speakers / dronckardes / whoremũgars / and such lyke are not to be auoided / for then sholde they haue gone out of the worlde.But he wold / that we sholde kepe our selues frõ thẽ / which being called brethren / are infected with these vices. As concerninge this place / we must consider the mynde and purpose of Paule. Firste he dyd perceyue that for the necessitie of lyfe it coulde not be that the faithfull shulde auoyde the companie of all which at that tyme were vnbeleuers / for the greater part of men at that ceason was without Christ / and they beinge auoided of our men / coulde not therby haue bene made the better / But into thẽ which before were bretheren / bothe sorowe and shame was dryuen / when they dyd see that they wer now shonned of the godlye / to whome as they were before righte deare / so with them they were familiar. And by this meanes the church was not euill reported / neither for clokinge of euill among themselues / nor for to seuere separatinge themselues from them which were not yet conuerted: seing that they lyued with the vnbeleuers / partly for the necessitie of lyfe / partlye to turne them to the gospell of Christ: wherfore this sentence doth make nothing at all agaynst those thinges which we haue alreadye spoken.Moche lesse maketh that for them which they dobringe in /Gene. 12.that Abraham did becomme a straungier amõg the heathẽ and Idolatours: first that which Abraham dyd / euen by the callinge and commaundmente of God he dyd it. Againe he was of suche knowledge and constãcie in the truithe that he coulde be conuersaũte whith the vnbeleauers with out hurtinge of him selfe / and wyth moche profyting of thẽ. For he caryed aboute with him the name of god ãd his holy ãd true worship / whither so euer he wẽt. And the very same thing / maie we answer of Lot.5Gene. 13.For if Lot went to Sodome / with a Good mynde to teache thẽ true faithe and godlie life / he owght not to be accused therfore / for it was well done / yea it was the prouidence of God towards the Sodomyts / that they mighte be better taughte / and ernestly caled vnto repẽtance. So dothe God admonishe before he destroieth. So Abraham was sent amonge the Cananites. On this sorte to go amõge the wicked / and vnbeleuers is lawfull and laudable. But if Lot went to Sodõ only because the pleasaunte commodytie of the place pleased him / he dyd not wel. Neither indede dyd his going thither happen luckelie / for he was led awaye captiue / so that he was in nede to be rescued again by Abraham.Gene. 14.And likewise when God burned the Cytie / he was compelled euen against his will to forsake it.Of Naaman I shall not nede to speake nowe /6for of him I haue spokẽ inough before.7I suppose lykewise that the cause is opẽ and plaine inoughe / wherfore manye of them which were healed of Christewere sent frõ him to their own coũtrie / and kindred / to publishe and declare and amõge thẽ / what hade happened vnto thẽ. This nowe remayneth / that I sholde peculiarlie speake of the Iues / and heretikes. For these too kindes of mẽ do in all places this daye liue amonge / and do dwell togither wyth the Christians.Of the IuesAs concerninge the Iues / there be certayn reasons why they are to be borne withall and suffered. Of which Augustine / amonge others / doth make mencion in many places. Furste / they aboue all other sortes and nations of men hadde the promise made vnto them. Neither are they all yet vtterly to be despayred of / for the roote remaynethe into the which they maye be ingrafted agayne / and nowe and thẽ some of them / thoughe not many in Nombre / do come vnto Christe. Paule saithe to the Romains /Rom. 11.that partly blindnes is happened is Israel / as if he wolde saie / not vpon all / not for euer. And afterwarde he saieth / when the fulnes of the gentyles ys comme / thẽ all Israell shalbe saued: vnto that ende therfore the lorde saueth / and preseruith them vnto this daye. And that thou sholdest not thincke that this place is to be vnderstanded allegorically of the spirituall Israel / Paule teacheth it as a mysterie / ãd dothe recite the prophecie of Esaie /Esa. 59.in which it is sayd: That then all the iniquite of Iacob shal be taken awaie. Besids this they are called ennemies / but yet beloued for the fathers.Quest. Euãg. lib. 2. quest. 33.And Augustine expoundinge the historie of the prodigall sonne / saieth / that he dothe represent the gentiles /Luc 15.for as he wentinto a farre countrie / so the gentyles dyd departe so farre frome God / that they worshipped Idolls as by a publike order and custome cõmenlye receyued: But the elder sonne / by whõ the people of the Iues is signified / went not farre awaie / but was in the felde / not in his fathers house verylie / which is the church / but in the fielde / for the Iues are occupied / and cõuersaunte aboute the letter of the scriptures / they vnderstãde them whith an earthly and fleshy mynde: And therfore it is sayde / that he was in the felde: At the begynning he wẽte not into the house / but at the last he shall entre / and be called also:Lib. de fide rerũ inuisib. cap. 6.And alwaies Augustine bringith this sentence to persuade men to suffer the Iues / which is writẽ in the 58. psal.Psal.59as he nõbred the Psalmes. Sley them not / lest my poeple do forget / but scater thẽ abroade. &c. The sonne of God praieth the father / that the Iues mighte not be vtterlie slayne and destroyed but scatered abroad throughe the worlde. Other countries and nacyõs / being subdued of the Romaynes receyued their lawes and rytes / and so became Romains / but the Iues although that they also were ouercomme of the Romaines / yet were they neuer made Romaĩs / neither ĩ ordinaũces / lawes / nor religiõ. They do kepe their own lawe (so farre as they cã) euẽ vnto this daye: They wander aboute dispersed and scattered abrode / neither do they forget the lawe of Godd / the haue it / not to obserue it indeede / but only they do reade yt / ãd they do also reteyne certeyn signes / as Circũcisiõ and other ordinaũces /by which they are knowẽ from others. But they offer no sacrifices / for to sacrifice was lawfull only at Hierusalẽ. And thus it semeth that the lorde hathe sett vppon them a signe / as he dyd vppon Cain / which slewe his brother Abell.Neither is this their dispersion amonge all the nacions of the worlde vnprofitable for vs. They are braunches brokẽ of / and we are grafted in their place / which thinge whilest we do beholde / we must acknowledg the iustice of God towards them / and his grace towards vs: And we muste take hede / that we be not lykwise cutt of through vnbelefe / for the which they were broken awaie. Ther is another cõmoditie besydes this that commith of this their dispersiõ which is / that they do kepe our bokes / the holy byble I do meane. These they do carye aboute with them / they reade them / and thoughe they beleue not / because they are blinded / yet do they cõfesse that these wrytinges are true. And so though they be our enemies in their mynde / yet the bokes which they haue and do reuerẽce / are our witnesses. wherfore I cã not maruayle ynoughe at those mẽ which do persequute and hate the tonge of the Hebrewes / and the Hebrewe bibels / and do burne them / whẽ as Augustine in his boke /De doctrina Christiana, dothe bidde /Lib. 2. ca. 11.that we sholde go to the truithe of the Hebrue tonge / if we do doubte in any place of our translations. The selfe same thinge dothe Hierome teache in manye places. But they saie that these bokes are corrupted of the Iues. Heare I thinke goodto answer with Hierome. Either saithe he they dyd this before the comminge of Christe / and the preachinge of the Apostles / or after: if before / it is maruell that when Christ / the Apostles / and Paule / dyd reproue moste shãfull faultes in the Iues / that they wolde haue kepte in silence so greate and haynous a sacriledge as this: surelie if it hade bene so / they wolde haue reproued yt. But if it was done after Christes ascẽsiõ / they wolde thẽ chieflie haue corrupted those places which do make mẽciõ of Christ / and those which Christe / and his Apostiles did alledge. But those remayne safe and vncorrupte / the same sense and meaninge of thẽ is in their bible in which they were recyted of Christe / and his Apostles (for aboute the wordes they were not so curious) wherfore it is not lyke / that they haue corrupted any other places at all in the holy bokes of the scripture. Yea if a mã dothe iustly beholde thẽ / he shall see that they haue many moo testimonies and sentences for vs / more plaine / I saye / then our cõmen translatiõ hathe / as in the .2. Psal. kisse the sonne / where ours hathe / laie holde of knowledg. In like maner the whole .53. of Esaie / which dothe moste plainlie prophecie of Christ / remaynith vncorrupt. The bokes therfore are not corrupted. Yea they coulde not haue corrupted those bokes thoughe they wolde / but it shuld be easyly espied: for ther be of them many moste awncient in wryten hande / which haue bene kepte moste diligentlie of Christians. But let vs retourne to the profyt that Augustine speaketh of. Manymightethinke / that those thinges which are spokẽ of the olde people were vayne and fayned / and likwise those thinges which we do tell owte of the prophettes / excepte they dyd see the Iues thẽselues yet liuinge / and remayninge / with their bokes / which do beare witnesse to the thinges that we do speake: wherfore though the Iues be blinded in mynde / and in harte are our enemyes / yet euen them and their bokes we haue moste plaine witnesses of out faithe. Aske thẽ of the prophettes whom Christ dothe alledge / they graunte them to be true. Aske them of the vnderstandinge of thẽ / in yt they are ignoraunte / because they are blinded. And amonge all other witnessinges / that witnesse which is gyuen of a mãs enemie is of greatest weight / and makith most for him: Of suche witnesses truly the lorde hathe prouided good stoore for his churche. For we haue not only the bokes of the Hebrues to make for vs / but also the verses or rydles of the Sibylles / which were of an heathẽ poeple. It is not to be thought / that our elders fayned thos verses: for Sibylles bokes were euen commune / in all mens hands / in the tyme of Eusebius the bishoppe of Cesarea / of Lactantius / and of Augustine. All which do vse / and alledg them. But if they hade alledged false and counterfett verses / the heathen mẽ which then excelled in knowledge / and were very many also in numbre / they wolde haue reproued theym as vayn men and lyars. If then men wyll gyue this vnto the verses of the Sibylles that they be vncorrupte / moche more is it to be giuento the bokes of the Hebrues. Thus hath it pleased the lorde to defende and arme his churche / yea euẽ with the testimonies of his aduersaires. Wherfor let the Iues be suffred amonge the Christians / both for the promis which they haue of the saluaciõ to comme to their stocke / and also for the commodities which they do carie with them / such as I haue rehearsed. And for this cause / they be not only by lawes suffered / but also they haue their Synagoges graunted vnto them: As in the Nouellis Constitutionibus of Iustinian / and in the Decrees / it doth appere: But this is permitted vnder such condicion that they shuld not haue moo Synagoges then they hadd before / nor greater: Yet maye they repaire them that fall into decaye: This was graũted to them / bicause that in their cõgregacions / ther is no impiete / nor wickednes committed: They do but reade only the bookes of the holy scripture / and do publiquely praye. In which thinge yet the Magistrates and Bushopps / do euell / which do not diligẽtly serche / take heede / and prouide / that they do nothinge els in their congregations indeede / then that I haue spoken of: for they shuld by al meanes take heede / that in their publique and cõmon prayers / exhortations and readinges they do not speake euell of Christe our lorde and Godd. Which thynge seing they do not / both the Magistrates and the Bushopps are in greate fault. Vnto Turcks this ought not to be graunted / that they shuld gather them selues together in congregations to do theirGodd seruice / bicause that in the same they reade neither the old Testament / nor the newe / but only their own blasphemus and filthie Alcorane. Morouer the Iues shuld be forbidden the practise of their exchaũges / and their vsuries. For not without mutch dishonesti and shame / do they afflicte many poore Christians therwith. But Christian Princes and Rulars do take tributes / and gret taxes for these gaynes of vsurie and shamefull couetusnes of the Iues / so farr ar they from forbidding them these wicked practises. Agayne Christian princes do not prouide to haue the Iues which do dwell vnder their dominions taught in Goddes truithe: which indeede is an euill negligẽce in them: for truly they ought to compell the Iues to comme vnto the godly sermons of the Christians / and that often tymes. Els if they be left in this point neglected / they do waxe dayly wors and wors / and lytill yea no hope at all is ther to be hadd of their conuercion. Theise princes are likewise bownd to take heade that the Iues do not corrupt the Christiãs / which ar vnder their Rule / that they do not seduce them and bringe them into Iuishnes. Neither shuld the weaker sort of Christians haue ony familiaritie with them / but only such Christians as be learned / and constant in the truithe. And that for such causes / as I haue alledged before. Last of all it is meete and conueniẽt / that they shuld be known from the Christians by their araye / or som suche outwarde signe / les ony man at vnwares shuld be conuersaunt with them /as though they wer Christians. And thus mutch of the Iues shall suffice. Now will I entreate of Heretikes.This worde Hæresis, is deriued of the Greke worde /αιρεῖν, which signifieth to chose / to pick / or to cull out. For heretikes do chose out / vnto thẽselues sum doctrine which is contrarye to the holy scriptures / and do obstinatly defend the same. Vnto this euell they are brought / either bicause they do not know the holy scripture / either bicause that though they do knowe them yet they do contemne and despise them either els bicause they do applye thẽselues to get sum honor or riches by this meane. Wherfor Augustine saith.Lib. de vtilit. credẽ.He is an heretike which either enuentith / or folowith fals and new opinions for ony worldly commoditie / and cheifly to gett himself glorie ãd autorite. But of Heresie I will make this definicion.Vvhat heresie is.Heresie / is a choise and obstinate defence / of certeyn doctrynes which are contrary vntto Godds worde / springinge / either of the ignoraunce / or of the contempt of the holy scriptures / to gett therby aduaũtag / or honors. There are foure kyndes of causes in this definicion. The formall cause is / chosinge and defending of picked doctrynes. The materiall parte or cause is picked doctryns contrary to Godds worde. For he that beleauith no doctryne at all / is godles / and not an Heretike. The cause efficient by which they are moued to Heresie is / ignoraunce and contempt of the holy scripture / and lust or couetus desire. The end whi men fall to Heresieis / to obtayne honors / ãd riches: For they do abhorre the Crosse which folowith the preachinge of the gospell / ãd as Paule saith /Phil. 3.Theyr belly / is their god. Augustine hath also this diuisiõ.Quest. in Matth. quest. 11.Euell catholiques are they / which do lyue otherwise thẽ they saie that they do beleaue. Schismatiques are they / which for diuersitie in opiniõ do diuide and separat the church / forσχιζειν, is to deuide. Heretikes are they / which perseuere / and cõtinue in that schisme.Lib. 2. contra Cresco. cap. 7.But in an other place he saith. That Heresie / doth differ frõ schisme. For a Schisme / is a stryfe which risith vppon diuersitie of sentẽces. Neither can a dyuiding or a schisme be / onles they which do make it do thinke and holde cõtrarie thinges. But Heresie is / an inueterat schisme.1. Cor. 11.Saint Paule obseruith no such diuersitie / for he vsith theise too wordes for one thinge. Nowe that ye se what Heresie is / consider well wether that the papistes be heretikes / or no? They themselues do stoutly saye that they be none. Yea ãd sum other ther are / which dare affirme / that the papistes do differ from vs only in certayn abuses of ceremonies / and not in the doctrine of faith. But how farr theise mẽ do err from the truithe / it shall forthwithe appeare. For I will playnly proue / that the papists are Heretikes / and do mayntayne Heresie againste certayn principall doctrines of our faithe.1The Papistes are heretiques.Furst in the Article of Iustification / the papistes do picke out vnto themselues this doctrine: That a man is not iustified by faithe only / but by goodeworcks also. which doctrine is contrary to the holy scriptures. Paule teachith thus.Rom. 3.We holde that a mã is Iustified by faithe / without the deedes of the Lawe. Agayn he saith.Gal. 2.We do knowe that a man is not Iustified by the deedes of the lawe / but by the faithe of Iesu Christe. And Peter / whom Paule did thẽ withstõd / did not speake agaynst this doctrine. Of the Iues / also he writith thus.Rom. 10.For being ignorant of Gods righteousnes / and goinge about to establishe their own righteousnes / they were not obediẽt to the righteousnes of God. In which place he settith theise two righteousnesses / the one / against the other / the righteousnes of faith / against the righteousnes of worckes / so that the one excludith the other. The same thinge he doth where speaking of Iustificatiõ he saith.Rom. 11.If it be of grace / thẽ is it not of worcks / if it be of worcks / thẽ is it no more grace. To the Philippians he playnly saith /Phil. 3.that the worcks which are wrought before Regeneracion / can not iustifie / for he doth counte them to be but losse and dunge / which truly he wold not haue done / if they hadd such poure and vertue / that they could iustifie. This is most playne / that men before regeneraciõ are euell / and then must this sentẽce of Christes stõde true.Mat. 7.An euell tree cã not bringe forth goode fruite. For how can it be / that they wich are deade as cõcerning righteousne / can of thẽ selues go ony thinge forward vnto their new birhte:Ephes. 2.And we all wer such / euẽ deade throughe synne / and thechildren of wrathe. The Epistle writon to the Hebrues doth witnes /Hebre. 11.That without faith it is impossible to please God: And to the Romayns Paule saith.Rom. 14.That what soeuer is not of faith is Synne. This is the doctrine of the scripture cõcerning this matier. The papistes (as I sayde) so teache cleane contrarie doctrine /anddo obstinatly defẽd it / notwithstõding that they be admonished of their error by the holy scriptures / by the aunciente fathers / as Hierom / Augustin / and others / by the godly Coũcels / as Africanum / Mileuitanum / Arausicanum / And now also being admonished therof by vs / yet will they not leaue their errour: Wherfor by the former definitiõ of Heresie / they are proued heretikes.An other doctryne also they do hold which is this. That the worcks which men do after regeneracion / are meritorius of their own worthines vnto euerlasting lyfe / And that they do fulfill the lawe of God. Yea they be not content to saye this only / but they adde. That men can do more goode worcks thẽ the lawe of Godd requirirth. For (saye they) to lyue a syngle lyfe / to preache the gospell frely / mẽ are not commaunded by ony expres cõmaundement of Godd. This they do teache / and obstinatly defend. But we do lern out of the holy scriptures / thatRom. 8.The afflictiõs of this lyfe / are not worthie of the glorie / which shalbe shewed vppon vs. He speakith heare of the best kind of worcks / euen of sufferinge martyrdom. Besides this eiche man dothe fele him selfe bounde betwene / and giltie of the breaking of theis two comaundementes.Deut. 5.Thou shalt loue the lorde thy God whith all thy harte / with all thy soule / and with all they mighte: lykewise of the same other commaundemente.Exod. 20.Thou shalte not luste / Ther is none amõg mortall mẽ / that dyd euer fulfill those commaundementes. For the prophet saythe:Esa. 64.that our rightuousnesses / are as the clothe stayned withe the floures of a woman. And Christe wolde haue vs all / yea euen the blessed virgin / and the Apostles themselues to praye /Mat. 6.forgyue vs our trespasses.Iacob. 3.Iames addeth / in many thinges we all do synne.Ioan. 1.Iohn saythe. And if we saie we haue no synne / we do deceyue our selues.2This do we learne in the holie scripture / of our continuall synnynge: they teache not then that we can do any thing more then we sholde. But here the papistes do seke startinge hooles / and saie that they which liue a sole life / they which do preach the gospell frelie / do more thẽ the law cõmaundeth / as I sayde: But this is not true / for they which haue the powre to liue a sole and chaste lyfe / ãd do know that in this kinde of lyfe they shall more paynfully and profitably labor in the preachinge of the gospell of Christe thẽ otherwise. They are bownde to take it on thẽ ãd to lyue in it. For if they do yt not / it is certeyne that they loue not God with all their harte / bycause they sholde then leaue vndone somewhat that they mighte do /tothe glorie of his name / and wolde not. Like is to be saide of thẽ / which mighte preache the gospell frelye / and do se that it shalbe for the increase of the kingdõ of Godd / and do it not. Wherforeseinge the papistes do bothe thincke and teache otherwise in this matier then the holie scripture dothe teache / and do defend their errour with an obstinate mynde they are heretikes.3They do chose vnto them selues also an other doctrine / which is / that they which be regenerat / muste alwaies doubte of their saluatiõ. But Christ / the Apostles / and the whole scripture / do teache cleane contrarie /Ioan. 6.he that beleuithe in me (saith Christe) hathe euerlasting life. If he hath it / howe cã he doubte of yt then?Act. 10.And it is writen in the Actes. To him giue all the Prophetes witnesse / that all they which beleue throughe his name / shall receyue remissiõ of synnes.Rom. 8.And to the Romains / whõ he hath called / them also be iustified / whom he iustified / thẽ he also glorified: But here the papistes haue this shifte / A mã muste not doubte of Gods promises (they saye) but he muste doubte of the infirmitie of his fleshe / that he can not do those thinges which are to be done / to obtayne the promises of Godd.Rom. 4.Butt we be admonished by Abrahãs example / that we sholde not in beholding of our imbecyllitie / fainte in faith / nor fall from beleauinge certainly the truithe of the promises: he considered not the barren wombe of Sara / nor his own old and effoebled bodie / he stackered not at the promise of God through vnbelefe / but became strõge in faithe / and dyd giue glory vnto God / knowinge that he was sufficientlie able to performe those thĩges which he promised. &c.Rom. 4.Therfor by faithe is the enheritaunce gyuẽ that it mightcome of grace / that the promise mighte be certaine and sure: for if the certayntie of saluaciõ did hãge on our merytes ãd worthines of our worckes / it should alwaies stumble / and be in daũgier of ouerthrowe. Thus the papistes do spoile men of healthfull hope / ãd make mẽ doubt / if not despaire / which is not to be done: for that nature of hope maie not be inuerted which Paule teachethRom. 5.to be suche / that it dothe not make a man ashamed: if then we do certaynlye hope and loke for life euerlastinge / we shall not be deceyued: and seing it is the holye ghoste that bearithe witnes vnto our spret /Rom. 8.that we are the children of Godd / surly his witnes we may not reiect / without cõmitting gret offence.Exod. 20.I am sayth Godd / The lorde thy Godd / this will he haue them that be his to beleaue:Roma. 5.And whosoeuer beleauith this / hath the quiet peace of a iustified consciẽce / and knowith hymself to be in safetie / for Godd is his iustifier / and who shall condẽne hym / whom Godd doth iustifie.Roma. 8.Against al theise manifest testimonies of the holy scriptures / theise men do teache their contrary doctrine / and do obstinatly defend it / wherfor they are heretiques.Moreouer they do teache that euery mã must satisfice for hys synnes in this lyfe / which if he do not / then must he go to purgatorie: And that by the poure of the Keyes committed vnto them / they can turn the euerlastinge punishment in to a temporall.Psal. 32.If therfor satisfaction be not made whilest a man is in this lyfe / he shall do it / when he is goone outthis lyfe. But against this / the holy scriptures do teach.Rom. 4.Blessed are they whose vnrighteousnesses are forgyen / and whos synnes are couered. What blessednes / I praye you shuld this be / if they which be reconciled vnto Godd / shuld be bownde to sustayne such paynes and punishmentes. When a Synner doth repent (saith Godd by the prophet)Ezech. 18.The synnes that he hath done / shall not be thought vppon. But Godd will thincke vppon them / if it be true that either a man must satisfice / or go to pugatorie / if Godd wil so sharply punishe them by such paynes as they saye are in purgatorie. It is writon in the reuelacion.Apoc. 14.Blessed are the deade which do dye in the lorde / euẽ so saieth the spret / that they rest from their labours. They which do dye in the lorde / that is the beleauers / how do they rest frõ their labours / if it be so that they must yeat be vexed in purgatorie? Christe our Sauiour when he did forgyue synnes sayed.Luc. 7.Thy faithe hath made the safe: go thy wayes / synne no more.Ioan. 5.Luc.23.To the theif he saied. This daye thow shalt be with me in paradise.Phil. 1.Paule desired to be loosed / and to be with Christ. How chauncith it that there is no mencion made of purgatorie? In the old lawe / ther wer sacrifices ordeigned / for princes / prests / for the Nazarites / for the lepars / for gelousie / for the synne of ignoraũce / and many such lyke. How happened it that ther was no sacrifice appoĩted for the dead? The church truly (as we also do graunte) hath keyes cõmitted vnto it. And theise are / the preachinge of the gospell /Mar. 16.that is the forgyuenesof synnes to thẽ which do beleaue in Christe / and the threateninge of condemnaciõ / through which heauen is shutt againste the vnbeleauers. One key is the promis / an other key is faith / by theise two keys heauẽ is opened to the penitẽt. Theise keyes Christ did delyure whẽ he sayed: goo in to the whol world / ãd preach the gospell to euery creature / he that beleaueth ãd is baptised / shalbe saued. Those ministers do occupie these keyes which do preach the gospell. But here is no menciõ made of altering of Goddes iudgements / nor of turninge of punishmentes. Christe our sauiour / by that one sacrifice of his bodye / ones offered for all euer / did worcke perfect saluaciõ / and made a perfect and consummate ende of sacrificing for synne: where then is their enuented satisfactiõ for synne? Yea who doth not see / that this theyr doctryne doth withdrawe frõ Christ / the fulness of that his satisfactiõ with which he satisficed for vs? when they do saye that it is not sufficient / except we do adde ours also. And this theyr wicked errour they go about to colour / because the olde fathers vsed oftẽ times this worde / satisfaction. But they will not see / that the fathers mẽt therby / to satisfice the churche / when they were receyued publiquely to repentaunce / and not to satisfice to Godd. Except thow wilt saye that to satisfice is nothing els / but when one doth make himself approued vnto an other man. For euen so are we saide to satisfice to Godd / when as after our cõuercion and turning to his grace / we do lyue godly for his pleasure/ to aproue our selues vnto hym / as his childrẽ. Thus satisfactions / are signes of the forgyuenes of synnes and of true repẽtaũce. But (as I sayde) theise mẽ do both thincke / and teache otherwyse / and do defẽde obstinatly theyr error / they will not be satisficed by the word of God / wherfor they are heretikes.They do teache furthermore / that it is lawfull in the congregacion to do the holy seruice / in a tongue that is not vnderstõded. And this they do indeede / and defende theyr misdoinge / neither being admonished will they amende it.1. Cor. 14Paule doth forbidde the christians the vse of those tongues in the congregacions / which euen by miracle were bestowed vpon them / except they did interpretate and expoũde that which they shuld speake in them. And all Paules reasons are grounded vpon the edifying of the cõgregacion / whiche aboue all thinges we ought to seeke in the holy meetinges and cõgregacions. But there shalbe no edificacion at all / when that thing which is spoken / is not vnderstonded of the people. Paule saith. My brethren yf I do come vnto you speaking with tongues / what shall I profite you / excepte I speake to you / eyther by reuelaciõ / or by knowledge / or by prophecying / or by doctryne. But these sacrificers / lyke men that can do mutch more then Paule / they do come with a straunge tong / which the congregacion vnderstondeth not / and yet neuertheles they bragge that they do muche profite the congregaciõ. Paule will rather speake fyue wordes / to the enformacion of others / then ten thousand wordeswith tongues: Our sacrificers cleane contrary / will rather speake a thousand / yea an infinite number of wordes in a straũge tongue / then a very feawe / the meaning of which maye be vnderstonded. Paule proueth his sentence and minde / euen by thinges that haue no lyfe / as by a trompe / and harp / and les we shulde be one to an other as barbarus / and aliauntes / but this is of no force / nor auctoritie with the papistes. For our purpose we haue the example of Godd himself / which dyd speake vnto the Iuishe people in their naturall tongue. The greke churche did receyue the doctryne of the gospel of the Apostles (whiche were Hebrues) in their naturall greke tongue. And as from the beginninge the Hebrues in theyr congregacions haue vsed their naturall Hebrue tongue / so haue the Grecians their greke tongue / and so at the begynning the latin churche vsed their naturall latine tongue also: Only these heretiques (the papistes I meane) are delighted with a straũge tongue.In nouel. Constitu]Iustiniane the Emprour determineth / that all thinges shulde be spoken openlye and plainlye in the Temples / that they mighte bothe be hearde and vnderstonded / But this the papistes regarde not. Wherfor seing they cã not / nor will not / be moued from this their opinion / which is so absurde and repugnant to the holye scriptures / to the order of the catholique churche / to the lawes of the Emproure / without all doubt they are heretiques.They do teache that the sacrament of the Lordes body and bludd / shuld be ministred in one kinde only/ when it is gyuen to the people. It is most manifest and playne / that Christe our Sauiour did otherwyse institute it / euen to be mynistred in bothe kindes to all communicauntes. These sacrificers therfore in taking awaye of the cupp frõ the people they do committ most shamefull sacriledge. We bring in agaynst them the Institucion of Christe: But that can they not abyde to heare of. Yeat les they shulde seame to saye nothing / They saye / That the Lord did delyuer it in bothe kindes vnto prestes onlye / that is to his Apostles. And yet when they themselues do mynister it vnto prestes whiche do not saye Masse / they do gyue but the one kinde only. But they haue nothinge to aunswer vnto Paule1. Cor. 11.(who writinge to the hole churche of the Corinthians / which were not prestes only (as the papistes call them) but a cõgregacion bothe of men and women) dothe delyuer the holy supper vnto them in bothe kindes / as he receyued it of the Lorde / heere haue they nothing to saye. And vnto this madnes some of these masters do come at lenghth / That they saye that the holy communion is not to be called the Lordes supper / for wher is it (saye they) called the supper of the Lorde?DotorVVeston.Forsothe Paule / the scoler of the holy ghost / calleth it so. 1. Cor. 11. Yea they aske farther / where the scripture teacheth / that this holy sacrament shulde be gyuen vnto women /LyberalltoWomenas thoughe they wolde be counted of fauour and of their liberalitie / to gyue a communiõ vnto women /1. Cor. 11.and not because Godd in his worde hath appointed the sacramẽt of hys bodye and bludto be delyuered vnto women as well as to men. In the holy scripture it is writen / Let a man proue hym selfe. In this worde man is man and woman comprehended. No saith a Doctor the greke worde is /ἀνηρwhich signifieth the mankinde only:Maister Latymers answer therfor is true.Thys Doctor lyeth lowdly / for the greke worde / in that place isἄνθρωπος/ which signifieth bothe man and woman. The scriptures also do teache /1 Cor. 10.that the holy communion doth partayne vnto all them / which ar one breade / and one cupp: wherfor except they wyll exclude women out of the bodye of Christ / and shew that they be not of the churche of Christe / how shall / or can this papist / depryue them of the holy communion? Especially seinge it is playnly taught / that in Christe there is neyther man / nor woman / neyther bonde / nor fre / but all are one in Christe.Gal. 3.But to returne to their sacriledge / in which thei do take away one parte of the sacrament. Of this thefte the institution of the Lorde / the Epistle of Paule / the custome ãd manier of the primatiue churche / which was to mynister this holy supper in both kindes / dothe accuse them / which dyd continue euen vntill the tyme of Thomas Aquinas / and vnto this daye it continueth in all the Easte church / wherfore seing tht in this thinge also they are so obstinate / they can be none otherwyse estemed but as heretykes.They haue also another most pernicious and hurtefull doctryne / of the calling vpon the dead sainctes / and worshippe / and adoration / to be gyuen to theyr Images.Deut. 6.The holy scripture sayth / Thou shaltworshipp the Lorde thy God / and hym onlye shalte thou serue. But they denye that they do worshippe the Images: They maye denye it in wordes / but in theyr dedes they do testifie cleane contrarye. They fall downe before them / they praye to them / thei crie and call on them / they cense them / they light vp cãdels before them / what do they more to God hym selfe? They leaue no peculiar thinge vnto Christe / to aske of him / which they do not aske of some saincte / They do gyue titles / and names vnto the sainctes / especiallie to the blessed virgin Marie / which do belonge vnto Christe alone. Thou quene (saye they) of mercie / our aduocate / our lyfe / our sweetnes / ãd our hope. Certaynlie these thinges do belonge to Christe onlye / vnto him therfore alone shoulde thei leaue these thinges vntouched / and withowt diminutiõ. I speake not this / as though I dyd not thinke / that the moste holie virgin were worthy of singular praises / But euen she her selfe will not be made equall with Christe. They do furthermore crie owt of all corners at all their altars vnto their sainctes / as thoughe they were present euerie where. But this presence belongithe to god onlie / neither is it communicated to any creature.Acto. 4.Again it is writẽ in the holye scripture: That ther is none other name vnder heauen / but the name of Christe onlye / wherin we muste be saued.1. Ioan. 2.And Iohn doth saie: If we synne / we haue an aduocate wyth the father / Iesus Christe the rightuous / and he is the propiciation for our synnes. But theis heretikes make many aduocates.Esaie confessith and saieth.Esa. 63.Abraham hathe not knowen vs / And Israel hathe forgotten vs. And therfore (saith he) these are not to be called vpon / we must not truste in them / but in God onlye / and that vnto him wee muste flye. We are commaũded also in moste plain wordes / that what so euer we aske / we sholde aske it in the name of Iesus Christe /Ioan. 16.and not in the name of other sainctes / as theise men do. But contrary to this true doctryne they do stifflie maynteyne their wicked error / therfor are they verylye heretikes. Here I do let passe their masse / in which they make their mishapen Godd of breade / throughe their art of transubstantiation. They sett vpp their sacrifice for the quicke and deade / the verie abhomination and God Maozim: which thinges they do defẽde wyth moste peruerse obstinacie. But howe contrarie they are to the worde of Godd is not nowe again to be repeted / seinge that a lytell before / in this matter I haue sayde sufficiẽtlie. But if I wolde spẽde more tyme here / I mighte reherce many other doctrines of the papistes in which they do shãfully swarue frõ the truithe of Godds worde. And of their errours they will not chaũg any thing at all which prouith them to be obstinate heretikes. But this that I haue writõ is inough / and inough againe to proue that thei are heritikes. Now let thẽ saie that we dissent but in ceremonies. But I saie that we dissẽt in doctrines. Let the papistes saie that we shold not haue departed frõ thẽ / but I saie / they shoulde not then haue departed frõ the truithe. Augustinewolde not graũte vnto Cresconius /Aduersus Crescon. lib. 21.that the controuersie betwene the Catholikes and the donatistes / was a lighte and small contention / and schisme: But he saieth that they defended an heresie / and that moste horrible / euen this that they did rebaptize. And yet baptisme reiterated dothe nomore differ from the worde of God / then these errours of the papistes / which I haue repeted.Wherfore Christian princes / whilest they do suffer them in their dominions / they owghte no otherwise to suffer them / then vpon suche condicyons as are aboue rehersed. That is / that they do compell no man to partake their wicked Idolatries. That they do not permitt them to haue their rites and supersticious ceremonies. That they take hede / that they do not corrupte others which do beleaue truly / and be of good iudgemẽte. And last of al / after that they haue bene cõpetentlie taughte / to enforce them outwardly to embrace sownde / and holye rites / and ceremonies agreinge with Godds worde. Thou wilte saie happelie / if it shoulde be so / their condition sholde be more miserable then the condicion of the Iewes / and Turckes / whom we do not compell to receyue our Religiõ. I graunte / but yet this sholde be iustlie done. And that for theis causes. Firste bycause the Iewes are not Citizens in our common welthes / but receyued vnder this condicion / that it is lawfull for them to vse their owne lawes / so lõge as they will: wherfore if they do not behaue thẽselues well / or they do not please vs / they be turnedawaie and caste owte / as oftẽ tymes they haue beene handeled. And not without iuste cause / when their conuersation hathe beene hurtfull. But these papistes are our citizẽs / therfore they must be otherwise handeled / and seinge they do confesse Christe / they are to be enforced to his pure and true religiõ. Again the Iues can not do so moche hurte as these Iebuzites maie / for all men / for the moste parte / do shonne and deteste the Iue / But these are subtile sorcerers / which vnder the cloke of the name of Christ / and ciuile familiaritie / maye deceyue many: furthermore there is a promise of the saluatiõ of the Iues / to be shewed ĩ the latter age / The lyke peculiar promise of papistes ther is not. And yet I do not speake this / as though I dyd condemne the counsell of many good prĩces / which haue cast the Iues owt of their countrye / for good iuste and laufull causes. Their acte I do allowe. But to returne vnto theise heretiques the papistes / we are bounde to praie for them / and seinge they do dwell amonge vs / we muste obserue the aforenamed rules / In vsinge or not vsinge familiaritie / and being conuersaunte with thẽ / which I dyd giue / of being conuersaunt with the vnfaithfull and wicked / in which sorte I do place them. And if any of them do returne to the truith / and will embrace the true Religion of Christ / they are not to be rebaptized. For though a Christian ought not to demaunde baptisme in the popishe churche / yet the baptisme which they haue hetherto vsed we acknowledge it to be such that it is not to be reiteratedof them whõ they do baptise. Augustine writinge of baptisme /Cõtra donat. lib. 5. cap. 23.againste the donatistes / sayeth that when they retorne / the hãdes only are to be layde on them: and that les is sholde apeare / that they were before without fault. Also that the holye ghost maye by praier be begged to cõme vpõ them / whose singular gifte the vnitie of the true churche is. This ceremonie trulye is laudable / but yet seinge it is not appointed to this purpose in the holye scripture / it maie be omitted: because we do se that the cheifest vse of it (as the apostles vsed it) was in the institution of the ministers of the churche. Suche of them as haue bene byshopps / and elders / maie be receyued into their degrees / and offices / if they do returne vnto the truithe: but this must be done / so as shall seme moste profitable to the flocke / and churche of the lorde. If they haue suche giftes as maie serue for the edyfying of the churche / And if by their ministerie / the truithe of the gospell and the saluation of the people which was committed vnto them maye be propmoted more then by the ministerie of other / and aptelie / and as profitable. They maie be restored to their place / ãd degree. The order of which matter is lefte vnto the iudgement of the churche of God. But if they remayne obstinate in their euill / and do continue peruerters of the godlye doinges of the magistrates / and pestilent corruptors of the people: Then the magistrates maie / and owghte to vse the sworde againste thẽ: for he bearith the sworde to take vengeaunce on them that do euill / and therto is he minister of God.

Now when I on this maner do entreate of these thinges / I do not make or shewe an easye waye to sturre vp sedicions. But this onlye I do seke / and care for /Matt. 22.That those thinges which do belonge vnto Godd / shuld be gyuen vnto Godd: and those thinges which are belonging vnto Cesar / shulde be gyuen vnto Cesar. If the worldly substaũce and ritches of men were required and asked by the hygher poures / I wold councell to gyue thẽ. But in those thinges which do belonge vnto the worshipp of Godd / I say / that thei must not yealde to the wicked requestes of theyr hygher Rulars and lordes: here is no place to be gyuen to thẽ / but in our owne ciuile matters we must yealde / yf to yealde in them be not agaynst Goddes lawe.3. Reg 21.In which case Naboth is to be excused / which wolde not graunte hys vyneyard to the Kinge: He dyd it not of couetousnes / or of to great a desyre which he dyd beare to the thinges of the world / but because he dyd knowe that in gyuing awaye of his vineyarde so / Goddes lawe shulde be broken / by which he hadd appointed / that the feeldesand possessions amonge the people of Israell /Num. 33.shuld remayn in theyr tribes and kindreds / as they were iustly distributed at the beginning. This lawe of God wolde Kinge Achab haue broken / and therto required he the cõsent of Naboth / which he with a good and a safe conscience could not do / and therfor wold not. But halas / sorow it is to behold / how that there are many Dukes / Earles / and such princes / from whome yf an Emperour or a Kinge wold take their dominions / landes / lordshipps and inheritaunce / they wold leaue nothing vndone / yea they wold do all that they could do / to defend their own / and do resiste their vnrighteous doinge: But when the kingdom of God is assaulted by tyrauntes, and the gospell and bequest of the bludd of Christe taken violently and wretchedly away from them / and frõ the children of Godd which are committed to theyr tuition and defence / they will do nothing at all. Yea when they are required of theyr hygher poures / as ministers of theyr furie / to destroye and ouerthrow the gospell / then they neyther sturre nor speake anye thing at all / but do as they are biddẽ. In theyr own cause they can fight / and rebell / but in Goddes cause / they are as it were no princes nor Rulers. Wherby we can not thincke any other thing of them / then this / That they do not at the hart esteme the gospell of Christe.

A confutation of the places alledged.Nowe this is remayning / that I sholde answer vnto those reasons which were put forthe at the begynning to proue that the dwelling together of thefaithfull with the vnfaithfull is lawfull / and confute them. Firste / the example of Christ is set against vs / which dyd eate and drinke familiarlye with scribes / pharisees / publicanes / and synners. We muste remembre that Christe was not only stronge / but the chiefe heade of all them shich be stronge. He coulde so profyte them which were euell / that theyr euill shuld not hurte him / and therfore might vse familiaritie with the wicked. Euen so there is no cause to the contrarie / but that they whiche be learned and constante in the truthe / suche as can profit the vnfaithfull by their cõuersation and familiar being with them / and not be hurt by it them selues (as we haue admonished before) may be conuersaunt with the vnbeleauers and wicked.

The seconde place is /1. Cor. 7.Paule wolde not that the faithfull maried vnto an vnbeleuer sholde departe / yf the vnbeleuer will dwell together with the other. This I do also acknowledge / as befor I haue said: for vnto thẽ / al necessary businesses / especially those which are ordeyned of God / are to be done. And yet in that place which is here alledged / Paule is not so to be vnderstanded without exception / as these mẽ do iudge: for yf the vnbeleuĩg maried parson / shold cõtinually moue the faithfull to Idolatrie / or sholde not cease to blaspheme Christ / and prouoke the other to cõmit like blasphemie / so lõg as thei did liue together / this ioynt life in mariadge were not to be cõtinued: for this were not to dwell together / but to conspire together against Christ: Paule therfor speakethof suche cohabitacion as is laufull without suche soliciting or mouinge to euell and blasphemye.

An other sentence of Paule is broughte which he writeth to the Corinthians /1. Cor. 5.where he teacheth that all couetous parsons / euill speakers / dronckardes / whoremũgars / and such lyke are not to be auoided / for then sholde they haue gone out of the worlde.But he wold / that we sholde kepe our selues frõ thẽ / which being called brethren / are infected with these vices. As concerninge this place / we must consider the mynde and purpose of Paule. Firste he dyd perceyue that for the necessitie of lyfe it coulde not be that the faithfull shulde auoyde the companie of all which at that tyme were vnbeleuers / for the greater part of men at that ceason was without Christ / and they beinge auoided of our men / coulde not therby haue bene made the better / But into thẽ which before were bretheren / bothe sorowe and shame was dryuen / when they dyd see that they wer now shonned of the godlye / to whome as they were before righte deare / so with them they were familiar. And by this meanes the church was not euill reported / neither for clokinge of euill among themselues / nor for to seuere separatinge themselues from them which were not yet conuerted: seing that they lyued with the vnbeleuers / partly for the necessitie of lyfe / partlye to turne them to the gospell of Christ: wherfore this sentence doth make nothing at all agaynst those thinges which we haue alreadye spoken.

Moche lesse maketh that for them which they dobringe in /Gene. 12.that Abraham did becomme a straungier amõg the heathẽ and Idolatours: first that which Abraham dyd / euen by the callinge and commaundmente of God he dyd it. Againe he was of suche knowledge and constãcie in the truithe that he coulde be conuersaũte whith the vnbeleauers with out hurtinge of him selfe / and wyth moche profyting of thẽ. For he caryed aboute with him the name of god ãd his holy ãd true worship / whither so euer he wẽt. And the very same thing / maie we answer of Lot.

5Gene. 13.For if Lot went to Sodome / with a Good mynde to teache thẽ true faithe and godlie life / he owght not to be accused therfore / for it was well done / yea it was the prouidence of God towards the Sodomyts / that they mighte be better taughte / and ernestly caled vnto repẽtance. So dothe God admonishe before he destroieth. So Abraham was sent amonge the Cananites. On this sorte to go amõge the wicked / and vnbeleuers is lawfull and laudable. But if Lot went to Sodõ only because the pleasaunte commodytie of the place pleased him / he dyd not wel. Neither indede dyd his going thither happen luckelie / for he was led awaye captiue / so that he was in nede to be rescued again by Abraham.Gene. 14.And likewise when God burned the Cytie / he was compelled euen against his will to forsake it.

Of Naaman I shall not nede to speake nowe /6for of him I haue spokẽ inough before.7I suppose lykewise that the cause is opẽ and plaine inoughe / wherfore manye of them which were healed of Christewere sent frõ him to their own coũtrie / and kindred / to publishe and declare and amõge thẽ / what hade happened vnto thẽ. This nowe remayneth / that I sholde peculiarlie speake of the Iues / and heretikes. For these too kindes of mẽ do in all places this daye liue amonge / and do dwell togither wyth the Christians.

Of the IuesAs concerninge the Iues / there be certayn reasons why they are to be borne withall and suffered. Of which Augustine / amonge others / doth make mencion in many places. Furste / they aboue all other sortes and nations of men hadde the promise made vnto them. Neither are they all yet vtterly to be despayred of / for the roote remaynethe into the which they maye be ingrafted agayne / and nowe and thẽ some of them / thoughe not many in Nombre / do come vnto Christe. Paule saithe to the Romains /Rom. 11.that partly blindnes is happened is Israel / as if he wolde saie / not vpon all / not for euer. And afterwarde he saieth / when the fulnes of the gentyles ys comme / thẽ all Israell shalbe saued: vnto that ende therfore the lorde saueth / and preseruith them vnto this daye. And that thou sholdest not thincke that this place is to be vnderstanded allegorically of the spirituall Israel / Paule teacheth it as a mysterie / ãd dothe recite the prophecie of Esaie /Esa. 59.in which it is sayd: That then all the iniquite of Iacob shal be taken awaie. Besids this they are called ennemies / but yet beloued for the fathers.Quest. Euãg. lib. 2. quest. 33.And Augustine expoundinge the historie of the prodigall sonne / saieth / that he dothe represent the gentiles /Luc 15.for as he wentinto a farre countrie / so the gentyles dyd departe so farre frome God / that they worshipped Idolls as by a publike order and custome cõmenlye receyued: But the elder sonne / by whõ the people of the Iues is signified / went not farre awaie / but was in the felde / not in his fathers house verylie / which is the church / but in the fielde / for the Iues are occupied / and cõuersaunte aboute the letter of the scriptures / they vnderstãde them whith an earthly and fleshy mynde: And therfore it is sayde / that he was in the felde: At the begynning he wẽte not into the house / but at the last he shall entre / and be called also:Lib. de fide rerũ inuisib. cap. 6.And alwaies Augustine bringith this sentence to persuade men to suffer the Iues / which is writẽ in the 58. psal.Psal.59as he nõbred the Psalmes. Sley them not / lest my poeple do forget / but scater thẽ abroade. &c. The sonne of God praieth the father / that the Iues mighte not be vtterlie slayne and destroyed but scatered abroad throughe the worlde. Other countries and nacyõs / being subdued of the Romaynes receyued their lawes and rytes / and so became Romains / but the Iues although that they also were ouercomme of the Romaines / yet were they neuer made Romaĩs / neither ĩ ordinaũces / lawes / nor religiõ. They do kepe their own lawe (so farre as they cã) euẽ vnto this daye: They wander aboute dispersed and scattered abrode / neither do they forget the lawe of Godd / the haue it / not to obserue it indeede / but only they do reade yt / ãd they do also reteyne certeyn signes / as Circũcisiõ and other ordinaũces /by which they are knowẽ from others. But they offer no sacrifices / for to sacrifice was lawfull only at Hierusalẽ. And thus it semeth that the lorde hathe sett vppon them a signe / as he dyd vppon Cain / which slewe his brother Abell.

Neither is this their dispersion amonge all the nacions of the worlde vnprofitable for vs. They are braunches brokẽ of / and we are grafted in their place / which thinge whilest we do beholde / we must acknowledg the iustice of God towards them / and his grace towards vs: And we muste take hede / that we be not lykwise cutt of through vnbelefe / for the which they were broken awaie. Ther is another cõmoditie besydes this that commith of this their dispersiõ which is / that they do kepe our bokes / the holy byble I do meane. These they do carye aboute with them / they reade them / and thoughe they beleue not / because they are blinded / yet do they cõfesse that these wrytinges are true. And so though they be our enemies in their mynde / yet the bokes which they haue and do reuerẽce / are our witnesses. wherfore I cã not maruayle ynoughe at those mẽ which do persequute and hate the tonge of the Hebrewes / and the Hebrewe bibels / and do burne them / whẽ as Augustine in his boke /De doctrina Christiana, dothe bidde /Lib. 2. ca. 11.that we sholde go to the truithe of the Hebrue tonge / if we do doubte in any place of our translations. The selfe same thinge dothe Hierome teache in manye places. But they saie that these bokes are corrupted of the Iues. Heare I thinke goodto answer with Hierome. Either saithe he they dyd this before the comminge of Christe / and the preachinge of the Apostles / or after: if before / it is maruell that when Christ / the Apostles / and Paule / dyd reproue moste shãfull faultes in the Iues / that they wolde haue kepte in silence so greate and haynous a sacriledge as this: surelie if it hade bene so / they wolde haue reproued yt. But if it was done after Christes ascẽsiõ / they wolde thẽ chieflie haue corrupted those places which do make mẽciõ of Christ / and those which Christe / and his Apostiles did alledge. But those remayne safe and vncorrupte / the same sense and meaninge of thẽ is in their bible in which they were recyted of Christe / and his Apostles (for aboute the wordes they were not so curious) wherfore it is not lyke / that they haue corrupted any other places at all in the holy bokes of the scripture. Yea if a mã dothe iustly beholde thẽ / he shall see that they haue many moo testimonies and sentences for vs / more plaine / I saye / then our cõmen translatiõ hathe / as in the .2. Psal. kisse the sonne / where ours hathe / laie holde of knowledg. In like maner the whole .53. of Esaie / which dothe moste plainlie prophecie of Christ / remaynith vncorrupt. The bokes therfore are not corrupted. Yea they coulde not haue corrupted those bokes thoughe they wolde / but it shuld be easyly espied: for ther be of them many moste awncient in wryten hande / which haue bene kepte moste diligentlie of Christians. But let vs retourne to the profyt that Augustine speaketh of. Manymightethinke / that those thinges which are spokẽ of the olde people were vayne and fayned / and likwise those thinges which we do tell owte of the prophettes / excepte they dyd see the Iues thẽselues yet liuinge / and remayninge / with their bokes / which do beare witnesse to the thinges that we do speake: wherfore though the Iues be blinded in mynde / and in harte are our enemyes / yet euen them and their bokes we haue moste plaine witnesses of out faithe. Aske thẽ of the prophettes whom Christ dothe alledge / they graunte them to be true. Aske them of the vnderstandinge of thẽ / in yt they are ignoraunte / because they are blinded. And amonge all other witnessinges / that witnesse which is gyuen of a mãs enemie is of greatest weight / and makith most for him: Of suche witnesses truly the lorde hathe prouided good stoore for his churche. For we haue not only the bokes of the Hebrues to make for vs / but also the verses or rydles of the Sibylles / which were of an heathẽ poeple. It is not to be thought / that our elders fayned thos verses: for Sibylles bokes were euen commune / in all mens hands / in the tyme of Eusebius the bishoppe of Cesarea / of Lactantius / and of Augustine. All which do vse / and alledg them. But if they hade alledged false and counterfett verses / the heathen mẽ which then excelled in knowledge / and were very many also in numbre / they wolde haue reproued theym as vayn men and lyars. If then men wyll gyue this vnto the verses of the Sibylles that they be vncorrupte / moche more is it to be giuento the bokes of the Hebrues. Thus hath it pleased the lorde to defende and arme his churche / yea euẽ with the testimonies of his aduersaires. Wherfor let the Iues be suffred amonge the Christians / both for the promis which they haue of the saluaciõ to comme to their stocke / and also for the commodities which they do carie with them / such as I haue rehearsed. And for this cause / they be not only by lawes suffered / but also they haue their Synagoges graunted vnto them: As in the Nouellis Constitutionibus of Iustinian / and in the Decrees / it doth appere: But this is permitted vnder such condicion that they shuld not haue moo Synagoges then they hadd before / nor greater: Yet maye they repaire them that fall into decaye: This was graũted to them / bicause that in their cõgregacions / ther is no impiete / nor wickednes committed: They do but reade only the bookes of the holy scripture / and do publiquely praye. In which thinge yet the Magistrates and Bushopps / do euell / which do not diligẽtly serche / take heede / and prouide / that they do nothinge els in their congregations indeede / then that I haue spoken of: for they shuld by al meanes take heede / that in their publique and cõmon prayers / exhortations and readinges they do not speake euell of Christe our lorde and Godd. Which thynge seing they do not / both the Magistrates and the Bushopps are in greate fault. Vnto Turcks this ought not to be graunted / that they shuld gather them selues together in congregations to do theirGodd seruice / bicause that in the same they reade neither the old Testament / nor the newe / but only their own blasphemus and filthie Alcorane. Morouer the Iues shuld be forbidden the practise of their exchaũges / and their vsuries. For not without mutch dishonesti and shame / do they afflicte many poore Christians therwith. But Christian Princes and Rulars do take tributes / and gret taxes for these gaynes of vsurie and shamefull couetusnes of the Iues / so farr ar they from forbidding them these wicked practises. Agayne Christian princes do not prouide to haue the Iues which do dwell vnder their dominions taught in Goddes truithe: which indeede is an euill negligẽce in them: for truly they ought to compell the Iues to comme vnto the godly sermons of the Christians / and that often tymes. Els if they be left in this point neglected / they do waxe dayly wors and wors / and lytill yea no hope at all is ther to be hadd of their conuercion. Theise princes are likewise bownd to take heade that the Iues do not corrupt the Christiãs / which ar vnder their Rule / that they do not seduce them and bringe them into Iuishnes. Neither shuld the weaker sort of Christians haue ony familiaritie with them / but only such Christians as be learned / and constant in the truithe. And that for such causes / as I haue alledged before. Last of all it is meete and conueniẽt / that they shuld be known from the Christians by their araye / or som suche outwarde signe / les ony man at vnwares shuld be conuersaunt with them /as though they wer Christians. And thus mutch of the Iues shall suffice. Now will I entreate of Heretikes.

This worde Hæresis, is deriued of the Greke worde /αιρεῖν, which signifieth to chose / to pick / or to cull out. For heretikes do chose out / vnto thẽselues sum doctrine which is contrarye to the holy scriptures / and do obstinatly defend the same. Vnto this euell they are brought / either bicause they do not know the holy scripture / either bicause that though they do knowe them yet they do contemne and despise them either els bicause they do applye thẽselues to get sum honor or riches by this meane. Wherfor Augustine saith.Lib. de vtilit. credẽ.He is an heretike which either enuentith / or folowith fals and new opinions for ony worldly commoditie / and cheifly to gett himself glorie ãd autorite. But of Heresie I will make this definicion.Vvhat heresie is.Heresie / is a choise and obstinate defence / of certeyn doctrynes which are contrary vntto Godds worde / springinge / either of the ignoraunce / or of the contempt of the holy scriptures / to gett therby aduaũtag / or honors. There are foure kyndes of causes in this definicion. The formall cause is / chosinge and defending of picked doctrynes. The materiall parte or cause is picked doctryns contrary to Godds worde. For he that beleauith no doctryne at all / is godles / and not an Heretike. The cause efficient by which they are moued to Heresie is / ignoraunce and contempt of the holy scripture / and lust or couetus desire. The end whi men fall to Heresieis / to obtayne honors / ãd riches: For they do abhorre the Crosse which folowith the preachinge of the gospell / ãd as Paule saith /Phil. 3.Theyr belly / is their god. Augustine hath also this diuisiõ.Quest. in Matth. quest. 11.Euell catholiques are they / which do lyue otherwise thẽ they saie that they do beleaue. Schismatiques are they / which for diuersitie in opiniõ do diuide and separat the church / forσχιζειν, is to deuide. Heretikes are they / which perseuere / and cõtinue in that schisme.Lib. 2. contra Cresco. cap. 7.But in an other place he saith. That Heresie / doth differ frõ schisme. For a Schisme / is a stryfe which risith vppon diuersitie of sentẽces. Neither can a dyuiding or a schisme be / onles they which do make it do thinke and holde cõtrarie thinges. But Heresie is / an inueterat schisme.1. Cor. 11.Saint Paule obseruith no such diuersitie / for he vsith theise too wordes for one thinge. Nowe that ye se what Heresie is / consider well wether that the papistes be heretikes / or no? They themselues do stoutly saye that they be none. Yea ãd sum other ther are / which dare affirme / that the papistes do differ from vs only in certayn abuses of ceremonies / and not in the doctrine of faith. But how farr theise mẽ do err from the truithe / it shall forthwithe appeare. For I will playnly proue / that the papists are Heretikes / and do mayntayne Heresie againste certayn principall doctrines of our faithe.

1The Papistes are heretiques.Furst in the Article of Iustification / the papistes do picke out vnto themselues this doctrine: That a man is not iustified by faithe only / but by goodeworcks also. which doctrine is contrary to the holy scriptures. Paule teachith thus.Rom. 3.We holde that a mã is Iustified by faithe / without the deedes of the Lawe. Agayn he saith.Gal. 2.We do knowe that a man is not Iustified by the deedes of the lawe / but by the faithe of Iesu Christe. And Peter / whom Paule did thẽ withstõd / did not speake agaynst this doctrine. Of the Iues / also he writith thus.Rom. 10.For being ignorant of Gods righteousnes / and goinge about to establishe their own righteousnes / they were not obediẽt to the righteousnes of God. In which place he settith theise two righteousnesses / the one / against the other / the righteousnes of faith / against the righteousnes of worckes / so that the one excludith the other. The same thinge he doth where speaking of Iustificatiõ he saith.Rom. 11.If it be of grace / thẽ is it not of worcks / if it be of worcks / thẽ is it no more grace. To the Philippians he playnly saith /Phil. 3.that the worcks which are wrought before Regeneracion / can not iustifie / for he doth counte them to be but losse and dunge / which truly he wold not haue done / if they hadd such poure and vertue / that they could iustifie. This is most playne / that men before regeneraciõ are euell / and then must this sentẽce of Christes stõde true.Mat. 7.An euell tree cã not bringe forth goode fruite. For how can it be / that they wich are deade as cõcerning righteousne / can of thẽ selues go ony thinge forward vnto their new birhte:Ephes. 2.And we all wer such / euẽ deade throughe synne / and thechildren of wrathe. The Epistle writon to the Hebrues doth witnes /Hebre. 11.That without faith it is impossible to please God: And to the Romayns Paule saith.Rom. 14.That what soeuer is not of faith is Synne. This is the doctrine of the scripture cõcerning this matier. The papistes (as I sayde) so teache cleane contrarie doctrine /anddo obstinatly defẽd it / notwithstõding that they be admonished of their error by the holy scriptures / by the aunciente fathers / as Hierom / Augustin / and others / by the godly Coũcels / as Africanum / Mileuitanum / Arausicanum / And now also being admonished therof by vs / yet will they not leaue their errour: Wherfor by the former definitiõ of Heresie / they are proued heretikes.

An other doctryne also they do hold which is this. That the worcks which men do after regeneracion / are meritorius of their own worthines vnto euerlasting lyfe / And that they do fulfill the lawe of God. Yea they be not content to saye this only / but they adde. That men can do more goode worcks thẽ the lawe of Godd requirirth. For (saye they) to lyue a syngle lyfe / to preache the gospell frely / mẽ are not commaunded by ony expres cõmaundement of Godd. This they do teache / and obstinatly defend. But we do lern out of the holy scriptures / thatRom. 8.The afflictiõs of this lyfe / are not worthie of the glorie / which shalbe shewed vppon vs. He speakith heare of the best kind of worcks / euen of sufferinge martyrdom. Besides this eiche man dothe fele him selfe bounde betwene / and giltie of the breaking of theis two comaundementes.Deut. 5.Thou shalt loue the lorde thy God whith all thy harte / with all thy soule / and with all they mighte: lykewise of the same other commaundemente.Exod. 20.Thou shalte not luste / Ther is none amõg mortall mẽ / that dyd euer fulfill those commaundementes. For the prophet saythe:Esa. 64.that our rightuousnesses / are as the clothe stayned withe the floures of a woman. And Christe wolde haue vs all / yea euen the blessed virgin / and the Apostles themselues to praye /Mat. 6.forgyue vs our trespasses.Iacob. 3.Iames addeth / in many thinges we all do synne.Ioan. 1.Iohn saythe. And if we saie we haue no synne / we do deceyue our selues.2This do we learne in the holie scripture / of our continuall synnynge: they teache not then that we can do any thing more then we sholde. But here the papistes do seke startinge hooles / and saie that they which liue a sole life / they which do preach the gospell frelie / do more thẽ the law cõmaundeth / as I sayde: But this is not true / for they which haue the powre to liue a sole and chaste lyfe / ãd do know that in this kinde of lyfe they shall more paynfully and profitably labor in the preachinge of the gospell of Christe thẽ otherwise. They are bownde to take it on thẽ ãd to lyue in it. For if they do yt not / it is certeyne that they loue not God with all their harte / bycause they sholde then leaue vndone somewhat that they mighte do /tothe glorie of his name / and wolde not. Like is to be saide of thẽ / which mighte preache the gospell frelye / and do se that it shalbe for the increase of the kingdõ of Godd / and do it not. Wherforeseinge the papistes do bothe thincke and teache otherwise in this matier then the holie scripture dothe teache / and do defend their errour with an obstinate mynde they are heretikes.

3They do chose vnto them selues also an other doctrine / which is / that they which be regenerat / muste alwaies doubte of their saluatiõ. But Christ / the Apostles / and the whole scripture / do teache cleane contrarie /Ioan. 6.he that beleuithe in me (saith Christe) hathe euerlasting life. If he hath it / howe cã he doubte of yt then?Act. 10.And it is writen in the Actes. To him giue all the Prophetes witnesse / that all they which beleue throughe his name / shall receyue remissiõ of synnes.Rom. 8.And to the Romains / whõ he hath called / them also be iustified / whom he iustified / thẽ he also glorified: But here the papistes haue this shifte / A mã muste not doubte of Gods promises (they saye) but he muste doubte of the infirmitie of his fleshe / that he can not do those thinges which are to be done / to obtayne the promises of Godd.Rom. 4.Butt we be admonished by Abrahãs example / that we sholde not in beholding of our imbecyllitie / fainte in faith / nor fall from beleauinge certainly the truithe of the promises: he considered not the barren wombe of Sara / nor his own old and effoebled bodie / he stackered not at the promise of God through vnbelefe / but became strõge in faithe / and dyd giue glory vnto God / knowinge that he was sufficientlie able to performe those thĩges which he promised. &c.Rom. 4.Therfor by faithe is the enheritaunce gyuẽ that it mightcome of grace / that the promise mighte be certaine and sure: for if the certayntie of saluaciõ did hãge on our merytes ãd worthines of our worckes / it should alwaies stumble / and be in daũgier of ouerthrowe. Thus the papistes do spoile men of healthfull hope / ãd make mẽ doubt / if not despaire / which is not to be done: for that nature of hope maie not be inuerted which Paule teachethRom. 5.to be suche / that it dothe not make a man ashamed: if then we do certaynlye hope and loke for life euerlastinge / we shall not be deceyued: and seing it is the holye ghoste that bearithe witnes vnto our spret /Rom. 8.that we are the children of Godd / surly his witnes we may not reiect / without cõmitting gret offence.Exod. 20.I am sayth Godd / The lorde thy Godd / this will he haue them that be his to beleaue:Roma. 5.And whosoeuer beleauith this / hath the quiet peace of a iustified consciẽce / and knowith hymself to be in safetie / for Godd is his iustifier / and who shall condẽne hym / whom Godd doth iustifie.Roma. 8.Against al theise manifest testimonies of the holy scriptures / theise men do teache their contrary doctrine / and do obstinatly defend it / wherfor they are heretiques.

Moreouer they do teache that euery mã must satisfice for hys synnes in this lyfe / which if he do not / then must he go to purgatorie: And that by the poure of the Keyes committed vnto them / they can turn the euerlastinge punishment in to a temporall.Psal. 32.If therfor satisfaction be not made whilest a man is in this lyfe / he shall do it / when he is goone outthis lyfe. But against this / the holy scriptures do teach.Rom. 4.Blessed are they whose vnrighteousnesses are forgyen / and whos synnes are couered. What blessednes / I praye you shuld this be / if they which be reconciled vnto Godd / shuld be bownde to sustayne such paynes and punishmentes. When a Synner doth repent (saith Godd by the prophet)Ezech. 18.The synnes that he hath done / shall not be thought vppon. But Godd will thincke vppon them / if it be true that either a man must satisfice / or go to pugatorie / if Godd wil so sharply punishe them by such paynes as they saye are in purgatorie. It is writon in the reuelacion.Apoc. 14.Blessed are the deade which do dye in the lorde / euẽ so saieth the spret / that they rest from their labours. They which do dye in the lorde / that is the beleauers / how do they rest frõ their labours / if it be so that they must yeat be vexed in purgatorie? Christe our Sauiour when he did forgyue synnes sayed.Luc. 7.Thy faithe hath made the safe: go thy wayes / synne no more.Ioan. 5.Luc.23.To the theif he saied. This daye thow shalt be with me in paradise.Phil. 1.Paule desired to be loosed / and to be with Christ. How chauncith it that there is no mencion made of purgatorie? In the old lawe / ther wer sacrifices ordeigned / for princes / prests / for the Nazarites / for the lepars / for gelousie / for the synne of ignoraũce / and many such lyke. How happened it that ther was no sacrifice appoĩted for the dead? The church truly (as we also do graunte) hath keyes cõmitted vnto it. And theise are / the preachinge of the gospell /Mar. 16.that is the forgyuenesof synnes to thẽ which do beleaue in Christe / and the threateninge of condemnaciõ / through which heauen is shutt againste the vnbeleauers. One key is the promis / an other key is faith / by theise two keys heauẽ is opened to the penitẽt. Theise keyes Christ did delyure whẽ he sayed: goo in to the whol world / ãd preach the gospell to euery creature / he that beleaueth ãd is baptised / shalbe saued. Those ministers do occupie these keyes which do preach the gospell. But here is no menciõ made of altering of Goddes iudgements / nor of turninge of punishmentes. Christe our sauiour / by that one sacrifice of his bodye / ones offered for all euer / did worcke perfect saluaciõ / and made a perfect and consummate ende of sacrificing for synne: where then is their enuented satisfactiõ for synne? Yea who doth not see / that this theyr doctryne doth withdrawe frõ Christ / the fulness of that his satisfactiõ with which he satisficed for vs? when they do saye that it is not sufficient / except we do adde ours also. And this theyr wicked errour they go about to colour / because the olde fathers vsed oftẽ times this worde / satisfaction. But they will not see / that the fathers mẽt therby / to satisfice the churche / when they were receyued publiquely to repentaunce / and not to satisfice to Godd. Except thow wilt saye that to satisfice is nothing els / but when one doth make himself approued vnto an other man. For euen so are we saide to satisfice to Godd / when as after our cõuercion and turning to his grace / we do lyue godly for his pleasure/ to aproue our selues vnto hym / as his childrẽ. Thus satisfactions / are signes of the forgyuenes of synnes and of true repẽtaũce. But (as I sayde) theise mẽ do both thincke / and teache otherwyse / and do defẽde obstinatly theyr error / they will not be satisficed by the word of God / wherfor they are heretikes.

They do teache furthermore / that it is lawfull in the congregacion to do the holy seruice / in a tongue that is not vnderstõded. And this they do indeede / and defende theyr misdoinge / neither being admonished will they amende it.1. Cor. 14Paule doth forbidde the christians the vse of those tongues in the congregacions / which euen by miracle were bestowed vpon them / except they did interpretate and expoũde that which they shuld speake in them. And all Paules reasons are grounded vpon the edifying of the cõgregacion / whiche aboue all thinges we ought to seeke in the holy meetinges and cõgregacions. But there shalbe no edificacion at all / when that thing which is spoken / is not vnderstonded of the people. Paule saith. My brethren yf I do come vnto you speaking with tongues / what shall I profite you / excepte I speake to you / eyther by reuelaciõ / or by knowledge / or by prophecying / or by doctryne. But these sacrificers / lyke men that can do mutch more then Paule / they do come with a straunge tong / which the congregacion vnderstondeth not / and yet neuertheles they bragge that they do muche profite the congregaciõ. Paule will rather speake fyue wordes / to the enformacion of others / then ten thousand wordeswith tongues: Our sacrificers cleane contrary / will rather speake a thousand / yea an infinite number of wordes in a straũge tongue / then a very feawe / the meaning of which maye be vnderstonded. Paule proueth his sentence and minde / euen by thinges that haue no lyfe / as by a trompe / and harp / and les we shulde be one to an other as barbarus / and aliauntes / but this is of no force / nor auctoritie with the papistes. For our purpose we haue the example of Godd himself / which dyd speake vnto the Iuishe people in their naturall tongue. The greke churche did receyue the doctryne of the gospel of the Apostles (whiche were Hebrues) in their naturall greke tongue. And as from the beginninge the Hebrues in theyr congregacions haue vsed their naturall Hebrue tongue / so haue the Grecians their greke tongue / and so at the begynning the latin churche vsed their naturall latine tongue also: Only these heretiques (the papistes I meane) are delighted with a straũge tongue.In nouel. Constitu]Iustiniane the Emprour determineth / that all thinges shulde be spoken openlye and plainlye in the Temples / that they mighte bothe be hearde and vnderstonded / But this the papistes regarde not. Wherfor seing they cã not / nor will not / be moued from this their opinion / which is so absurde and repugnant to the holye scriptures / to the order of the catholique churche / to the lawes of the Emproure / without all doubt they are heretiques.

They do teache that the sacrament of the Lordes body and bludd / shuld be ministred in one kinde only/ when it is gyuen to the people. It is most manifest and playne / that Christe our Sauiour did otherwyse institute it / euen to be mynistred in bothe kindes to all communicauntes. These sacrificers therfore in taking awaye of the cupp frõ the people they do committ most shamefull sacriledge. We bring in agaynst them the Institucion of Christe: But that can they not abyde to heare of. Yeat les they shulde seame to saye nothing / They saye / That the Lord did delyuer it in bothe kindes vnto prestes onlye / that is to his Apostles. And yet when they themselues do mynister it vnto prestes whiche do not saye Masse / they do gyue but the one kinde only. But they haue nothinge to aunswer vnto Paule1. Cor. 11.(who writinge to the hole churche of the Corinthians / which were not prestes only (as the papistes call them) but a cõgregacion bothe of men and women) dothe delyuer the holy supper vnto them in bothe kindes / as he receyued it of the Lorde / heere haue they nothing to saye. And vnto this madnes some of these masters do come at lenghth / That they saye that the holy communion is not to be called the Lordes supper / for wher is it (saye they) called the supper of the Lorde?DotorVVeston.Forsothe Paule / the scoler of the holy ghost / calleth it so. 1. Cor. 11. Yea they aske farther / where the scripture teacheth / that this holy sacrament shulde be gyuen vnto women /LyberalltoWomenas thoughe they wolde be counted of fauour and of their liberalitie / to gyue a communiõ vnto women /1. Cor. 11.and not because Godd in his worde hath appointed the sacramẽt of hys bodye and bludto be delyuered vnto women as well as to men. In the holy scripture it is writen / Let a man proue hym selfe. In this worde man is man and woman comprehended. No saith a Doctor the greke worde is /ἀνηρwhich signifieth the mankinde only:Maister Latymers answer therfor is true.Thys Doctor lyeth lowdly / for the greke worde / in that place isἄνθρωπος/ which signifieth bothe man and woman. The scriptures also do teache /1 Cor. 10.that the holy communion doth partayne vnto all them / which ar one breade / and one cupp: wherfor except they wyll exclude women out of the bodye of Christ / and shew that they be not of the churche of Christe / how shall / or can this papist / depryue them of the holy communion? Especially seinge it is playnly taught / that in Christe there is neyther man / nor woman / neyther bonde / nor fre / but all are one in Christe.Gal. 3.But to returne to their sacriledge / in which thei do take away one parte of the sacrament. Of this thefte the institution of the Lorde / the Epistle of Paule / the custome ãd manier of the primatiue churche / which was to mynister this holy supper in both kindes / dothe accuse them / which dyd continue euen vntill the tyme of Thomas Aquinas / and vnto this daye it continueth in all the Easte church / wherfore seing tht in this thinge also they are so obstinate / they can be none otherwyse estemed but as heretykes.

They haue also another most pernicious and hurtefull doctryne / of the calling vpon the dead sainctes / and worshippe / and adoration / to be gyuen to theyr Images.Deut. 6.The holy scripture sayth / Thou shaltworshipp the Lorde thy God / and hym onlye shalte thou serue. But they denye that they do worshippe the Images: They maye denye it in wordes / but in theyr dedes they do testifie cleane contrarye. They fall downe before them / they praye to them / thei crie and call on them / they cense them / they light vp cãdels before them / what do they more to God hym selfe? They leaue no peculiar thinge vnto Christe / to aske of him / which they do not aske of some saincte / They do gyue titles / and names vnto the sainctes / especiallie to the blessed virgin Marie / which do belonge vnto Christe alone. Thou quene (saye they) of mercie / our aduocate / our lyfe / our sweetnes / ãd our hope. Certaynlie these thinges do belonge to Christe onlye / vnto him therfore alone shoulde thei leaue these thinges vntouched / and withowt diminutiõ. I speake not this / as though I dyd not thinke / that the moste holie virgin were worthy of singular praises / But euen she her selfe will not be made equall with Christe. They do furthermore crie owt of all corners at all their altars vnto their sainctes / as thoughe they were present euerie where. But this presence belongithe to god onlie / neither is it communicated to any creature.Acto. 4.Again it is writẽ in the holye scripture: That ther is none other name vnder heauen / but the name of Christe onlye / wherin we muste be saued.1. Ioan. 2.And Iohn doth saie: If we synne / we haue an aduocate wyth the father / Iesus Christe the rightuous / and he is the propiciation for our synnes. But theis heretikes make many aduocates.Esaie confessith and saieth.Esa. 63.Abraham hathe not knowen vs / And Israel hathe forgotten vs. And therfore (saith he) these are not to be called vpon / we must not truste in them / but in God onlye / and that vnto him wee muste flye. We are commaũded also in moste plain wordes / that what so euer we aske / we sholde aske it in the name of Iesus Christe /Ioan. 16.and not in the name of other sainctes / as theise men do. But contrary to this true doctryne they do stifflie maynteyne their wicked error / therfor are they verylye heretikes. Here I do let passe their masse / in which they make their mishapen Godd of breade / throughe their art of transubstantiation. They sett vpp their sacrifice for the quicke and deade / the verie abhomination and God Maozim: which thinges they do defẽde wyth moste peruerse obstinacie. But howe contrarie they are to the worde of Godd is not nowe again to be repeted / seinge that a lytell before / in this matter I haue sayde sufficiẽtlie. But if I wolde spẽde more tyme here / I mighte reherce many other doctrines of the papistes in which they do shãfully swarue frõ the truithe of Godds worde. And of their errours they will not chaũg any thing at all which prouith them to be obstinate heretikes. But this that I haue writõ is inough / and inough againe to proue that thei are heritikes. Now let thẽ saie that we dissent but in ceremonies. But I saie that we dissẽt in doctrines. Let the papistes saie that we shold not haue departed frõ thẽ / but I saie / they shoulde not then haue departed frõ the truithe. Augustinewolde not graũte vnto Cresconius /Aduersus Crescon. lib. 21.that the controuersie betwene the Catholikes and the donatistes / was a lighte and small contention / and schisme: But he saieth that they defended an heresie / and that moste horrible / euen this that they did rebaptize. And yet baptisme reiterated dothe nomore differ from the worde of God / then these errours of the papistes / which I haue repeted.

Wherfore Christian princes / whilest they do suffer them in their dominions / they owghte no otherwise to suffer them / then vpon suche condicyons as are aboue rehersed. That is / that they do compell no man to partake their wicked Idolatries. That they do not permitt them to haue their rites and supersticious ceremonies. That they take hede / that they do not corrupte others which do beleaue truly / and be of good iudgemẽte. And last of al / after that they haue bene cõpetentlie taughte / to enforce them outwardly to embrace sownde / and holye rites / and ceremonies agreinge with Godds worde. Thou wilte saie happelie / if it shoulde be so / their condition sholde be more miserable then the condicion of the Iewes / and Turckes / whom we do not compell to receyue our Religiõ. I graunte / but yet this sholde be iustlie done. And that for theis causes. Firste bycause the Iewes are not Citizens in our common welthes / but receyued vnder this condicion / that it is lawfull for them to vse their owne lawes / so lõge as they will: wherfore if they do not behaue thẽselues well / or they do not please vs / they be turnedawaie and caste owte / as oftẽ tymes they haue beene handeled. And not without iuste cause / when their conuersation hathe beene hurtfull. But these papistes are our citizẽs / therfore they must be otherwise handeled / and seinge they do confesse Christe / they are to be enforced to his pure and true religiõ. Again the Iues can not do so moche hurte as these Iebuzites maie / for all men / for the moste parte / do shonne and deteste the Iue / But these are subtile sorcerers / which vnder the cloke of the name of Christ / and ciuile familiaritie / maye deceyue many: furthermore there is a promise of the saluatiõ of the Iues / to be shewed ĩ the latter age / The lyke peculiar promise of papistes ther is not. And yet I do not speake this / as though I dyd condemne the counsell of many good prĩces / which haue cast the Iues owt of their countrye / for good iuste and laufull causes. Their acte I do allowe. But to returne vnto theise heretiques the papistes / we are bounde to praie for them / and seinge they do dwell amonge vs / we muste obserue the aforenamed rules / In vsinge or not vsinge familiaritie / and being conuersaunte with thẽ / which I dyd giue / of being conuersaunt with the vnfaithfull and wicked / in which sorte I do place them. And if any of them do returne to the truith / and will embrace the true Religion of Christ / they are not to be rebaptized. For though a Christian ought not to demaunde baptisme in the popishe churche / yet the baptisme which they haue hetherto vsed we acknowledge it to be such that it is not to be reiteratedof them whõ they do baptise. Augustine writinge of baptisme /Cõtra donat. lib. 5. cap. 23.againste the donatistes / sayeth that when they retorne / the hãdes only are to be layde on them: and that les is sholde apeare / that they were before without fault. Also that the holye ghost maye by praier be begged to cõme vpõ them / whose singular gifte the vnitie of the true churche is. This ceremonie trulye is laudable / but yet seinge it is not appointed to this purpose in the holye scripture / it maie be omitted: because we do se that the cheifest vse of it (as the apostles vsed it) was in the institution of the ministers of the churche. Suche of them as haue bene byshopps / and elders / maie be receyued into their degrees / and offices / if they do returne vnto the truithe: but this must be done / so as shall seme moste profitable to the flocke / and churche of the lorde. If they haue suche giftes as maie serue for the edyfying of the churche / And if by their ministerie / the truithe of the gospell and the saluation of the people which was committed vnto them maye be propmoted more then by the ministerie of other / and aptelie / and as profitable. They maie be restored to their place / ãd degree. The order of which matter is lefte vnto the iudgement of the churche of God. But if they remayne obstinate in their euill / and do continue peruerters of the godlye doinges of the magistrates / and pestilent corruptors of the people: Then the magistrates maie / and owghte to vse the sworde againste thẽ: for he bearith the sworde to take vengeaunce on them that do euill / and therto is he minister of God.


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