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Title: A Treatise of the Cohabitation Of the Faithful with the Unfaithful
       A Treatise of the Cohabitation Of the Faithful with the
       Unfaithful by Peter Martyr; Wherunto is Added A Sermon
       made of the Confessing of Christ and His Gospel and of the
       Denying of the same, by Henry Bullinger

Author: Peter Martyr
        Henry Bullinger

Release Date: July 26, 2007 [EBook #22151]

Language: English

Character set encoding: UTF-8

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  A Treatise of the
  Cohabitacyon of the
  faithfull with the
  vnfaithfull.

  Wherunto is added.

  A Sermon made of the confessing of
  Christe and his gospell / and of the
  denyinge of the same.

  Anno M.D.LV.



  Apocal. 18.

  Come awaye from her my poeple / that ye be
    not partakers of her synnes / that ye
      receyue not of her plagues.


  In this furst treatise theys
  thinges ar contayned.

1. The question of Cohabitacion.

2. Christiãs maye not be present at popishe masses and
supersticions.

3. The masse is a prophanaciõ of the lordes supper.

4. The dutie of princes is to mayntain pure Religion amonge ther
subiectes / and what inferior Rulars must do when they be
commaunded contrarie by their superiors.

5. A confutacion of the reasons which ar made to proue the
Cohabitacion lawfull.

6. How the Iues ar to be handeled of christians.

7. The papistes ar heretikes.


  Whether the dwellinge together
  and familiar conuersacion of the
  godly withe the godles / the faithfull withe the
  faythles / the professor of Christes
  gospell withe the papiste be
  lawfull or no.

  [[Reasons prouing that it is lawfull.]]

The reasons bi whiche many do persuade them selues / and others
also / that yt ys lawfull / for the faythfull to haue famylier
conuersation / and to dwell together withe the vnfaythfull, are
theise.


  [[1]]

Christe Iesus dyd go vnto the feastes and dyners of publicans
and synners / and was there accompanyed and famyliarlie
conuersaunte with them. In lyke maner beinge bydden of the
phariseis to dyners / he went.


  [[2]]
  [[1. Cor. 7.]]

Also S. Paule dothe byd / that the faythful whiche is ioyned in
mariage withe the vnbeleuer sholde not be separated / yf the
vnbeleuer will dwell withe the faythfull.


  [[3]]
  [[1. Cor. 10.]]

Againe he teacheth / if any of them whiche beleue not byd you to
a feaste / and if ye will go / what soeuer ys sett before you /
that eate / &c. In an other place he likwise sayethe:

  [[1. Cor. 5.]]

I wrote vnto you in an epistle / that ye sholde not cõpanie
withe fornicatours. And I meant not at all of the fornicatours
of this worlde / or of the couetous / or of extorsioners / or of
the Idolatrors / for then muste ye neades haue gone owt of the
worlde. But nowe I haue written unto you / that ye companye not
together. If any that is called a brother / be a fornicatour /
or couetous / or a worshipper of Images / or a rayler / or a
drunkard / or an extorsioner / with him that ys suche / see that
ye eate not.


  [[4]]
  [[Genes. 12.]]

Abraham beinge called to go owt of Chaldee / ys commaunded to
trauayle in those countries / in whiche the people were
altogither vngodlye and wicked Idolatrours / that ys / in the
lande of Canaan / and in Egypte.


  [[5]]
  [[Genes. 13.]]

Lot refused to continewe in the housholde / and familiar
companie of Abraham / and did chose to dwell amonge the
Sodomytes.


  [[6]]
  [[4. Reg. 5.]]

Naaman the Sirian / after that he was healed of his leprosie /
dyd returne to his Idolatrous nation.


  [[7]]
  [[Marc. 5.]]

Christ our Sauior dyd not reteyne with him all those whom he dyd
heale / but commaunded some of thẽ to returne vnto their own
famyliars / countrymẽ / and kinsfolkes (which yet were wicked /
and infidels) among whom they sholde publishe and declare / what
the lorde hade done for them.


  [[8]]

The Iues both by the ciuile ãd canon lawes ar not only permitted
to lyue among the christians / but also to haue their synagoges:
and tribute is taken of them.


  [[9]]

Some heretiques haue libertie giuen them by ciuile lawes / to
dwell amonge the faithfull: for the lawes do not apoynte them
all to be punished by deathe. We reade that the Nouations hade
their Churches and congregations / permitted in Constãtinople /
in the tyme of Constantine the greate / ãd Theodosius / whiche
were moste godlie Emperours.


These are the reasons by whiche many do persuade them selues and
others / that yt ys lawfull for the godlie and faythful / to
dwell together and to haue familiar conuersation withe the
wicked and vnfaythfull /

  [[The disposition of the Tretise.]]

To proue that their persuasions are false and vntrulie gathered
of thes places / I muste propounde certayn diuisions: whiche
beinge done / I shall put forthe certayne propositions or
sentences In the prouinge of which to be true / ye shall
playnlye perceyue howe these places alledged / are abused of
them to maynteyne their false opinion.


  [[The furst Diuision]]

Firste / I muste deuide betwene the estates and sortes of men:
Some sortes of men / are Magistrates and rulers: some other be
subiectes and of the comen sorte of people.


  [[The secõd Diuision]]

The second diuision shalbe of cohabitation or dwelling
together / of which one kinde ye free / that ys / where men be
not compelled to cõmunicate withe wicked superstitions / vngodly
rites and Idolatries.


An other kinde of cohabitation / or dwellinge together there is
which ys not free / and that ys where men are compelled to
communicate withe wicked supersticions / to be presente at
Idolatries / and so to defyle them selues.


  [[The thred diuision.]]

The thirde diuisiõ shalbe of the godlie and faithfull men them
selues / whiche are thus familiarlie conuersaunte withe the
vnbeleuers. Either they are learned stronge and able to confesse
the doctrine of truithe in religion / and to reproue and cõuince
the false: orels they ar vnlearned / weake / and vnable to
stande in the confession of the truithe / and reprouinge of
vntruthe.


These three diuisions shall suffice. Nowe will I put forthe
certeyne sentencis and propositions.

The firste sentence and proposition / shalbe of those which in
estate and condicyon are priuate mẽ and subiectes: Of that
cohabitatiõ and dwellinge whiche ys free. And of those men which
are learned ãd stronge: of all wich I make this proposition.


  [[The furst proposition.]]

Priuate men and subiectes / which ar learned and stronge /
dwellinge in that place where they be free and not compelled to
communicate withe wicked supersticions / they maye be
famyliarlie conuersaunte / dwell ãd liue together with the
vnbeleuers This maye they do / but yet vnder certeyn cõditiõs /
and obseruinge certeyn rules.


  [[1]]
  [[Rules to bekept.]]

Of which the firste ys this / that they do teache thos
vnbeleuers with whom they do liue and are familiarlie
conuersaunte / and do instructe them in the truithe / trulye
teachinge them and earnestlie callinge them / vnto the knowledge
of the truithe / and faythe in Christe. And this they muste not
leaue of to do so longe as they be dwellinge and familiar with
them. To the end also that they maye do this the better / yt ys
not vnlawfull / but moste conuenient for them to shewe them
selues frendlie / gẽtill / and louinge unto the vnbeleauers
withe whõ they are familiarlie conuersaunte / and dwellinge / So
that theise maye perceyue that the faythfull do loue thẽ: els ys
yt to be feared that they shall do no good withe them. for that
doctrine ys moste redylie receyued of the hearer / which cõmeth
from him / of whom the hearer ys persuaded / that he ys hys
frende / and that he louithe hym indeede.


  [[2]]

The second thinge that the faythfull must take heede of / ãd
Rule which they must obserue ys this: That they do lyue an holy
lyfe / and that amonge the vnbeleauers their conuersacion be so
godly / graue / comely / and agreing with their profession /
that in no wise they do gyue any offence through the wickednes
of their lyfe: for yf by their lyfe the vnfaythfull shuld be
offendid / then shuld their mynistery be vnprofitable to the
vnbeleuers / for that by their euell doings they shuld
ouerthrowe what soeuer they labored to builde vpp in wordes.


  [[3]]

The thred thinge that theise men must take heede of / and Rule
which they must obserue is. That they do not communicate / with
the vnfaythfull in their supersticiõs and idolatries / nor iet
do so mutch as outwardly to seame to allowe them. Thys ys not to
be doone in ony wise / no not in hope therby to wynne the
vnbeleauer from hys supersticion / and Idolatrie:

  [[Ro. 3]]

For this Rule of the holy ghoste doth euer remain certain /
Euell things ar not to be doone / that goode maye comme therof.
This vnchaungeable rule must not be broken.


  [[4]]

The fourth and last thing that theise men must take heede of /
and Rule which they must obserue is this. That they haue not
ther familiar conuersaciõ with the vnbeleuers for their own
cause / as for their pleasure and recreacion / or for their gayn
and profite / but only in respect of wynnynge them to the
gospell of christe. Neither ys this conuersacion and companie /
contynually to be hadd and kept with the vngodly and
vnbeleuers / but so long as ther is goode hoope of wynninge /
and conuerting thẽ to the gospell of christe. For yf the
vnbeleauers shall shew themselues so obstinate in their euell /
that they giue iuste cause to despaire of ther amendement / then
ar they vtterly to be forsaken / and no conuersacion or cõpanie
is to be hadd with them / farther thẽ the necessitie of lyfe
enforcith either partie. As yff the vnbeleauers shuld be in such
extreme necessitie / that they could not be releaued but at the
hand of the faythfull: or yf theise shuld be in that
necessitie / that they could not otherwise obtain thinges
necessarie but of the vnfaithfull. Also in byinge and selling
thinges necessarie for the lyfe / as garmentes / victuals / and
such like: Agayn in such thinges as cyuile estates / and
condicions do require / as of princes and Rulars to demaunde
lawfull defence / and to obey them in thinges lawfvll: to
fathers / maried folke / masters / ãd such lyke / to do thos
duties which ar appointed in godds worde. In theise thinges to
vse the vnbeleauers / or to minister vnto them / ys not
vnlawfull.


Thus and in thys manier / yt ys lawfull for a priuate mã / which
is lerned / ãd constãt in godds truithe / being in that place
wher no man ys compelled to be partaker of wicked
supersticions / to dwell together / and vse familiar
conuersacion with the vnbeleuers and vnfaythfull / as theise
named Rules and condicions / do appoint and suffer. And so haue
ye this proposiciõ declared and opened / The same ys cõfirmed /
by the example of Christ our Sauiour. He dyd resorte to the
dyners / and feastes / where scribes and pharisees / publicanes
and synners were / to thys ende onlie / euen to teache them and
to winne them vnto the Gospell. So saieth hierom.

  [[Hiero in Matt. cap. 9.]]

The lorde dyd go vnto the feastes of synners / that he mighte
haue occasion to teache them and that he mighte gyue spirituall
meates to them which dyd bydde hym: and after speaking how
christe went ofte to feastes / Theare ys (saithe he) no other
thinge reported / but what he dyd / and what he taughte there.
That bothe the humblenes of the lorde in goinge to synners / and
the power of hys doctrine in conuertinge the penitents / mighte
be declared.


After the same maner / the prophetes in the olde tyme were
conuersaunte with the Idolatrous people. So were the Apostles
famyliarlie conuersaunte with the vnbeleuinge Iues / and went
also emõgest other vnbeleuing nations and men.

  [[Act. 17.]]

S. Paule when he came to Athens / dyd not thinke skorne so
famyliarlie to behaue him selfe that he went in to the temples
of their Idolls / and verye curiouslie searched the corners of
the same / he dyd viewe their altars / the titles and
inscriptions of ther altars / so that he founde owte that
title / _Ignoto Deo_ which was an altar dedicated vnto the
vnknowen God / wherof he dyd take occacion to make that same hys
sermon in which he preached Christe vnto them euen as yt were
owt of their own bokes.


And thus / I thinke / that this our proposition / (which of yt
owne selfe ys plaine and euident ynoughe) ys sufficientlie
proued. Namelie thys / that a priuate man / learned / and
constaunte in the truithe / beinge in that place where no man ys
compelled to communicate with wicked supersticions / maye be
familiarlie conuersante with the vnbeleuers / so longe as in hys
conuersation he doth obserue and kepe / the conditions before
mencioned.

  [[Cõuersation vuith men excõmunicate.]]

Here I thinke good to adde / as yt were by the waye of
admonicion / that kepinge these rules and conditions / yt ys
lawfull for the godlie to be conuersaunte with them which be
excommunicate / euen to call them in to the waye of godlynes /
and not to communicate with them in any euill or synne.

  [[The secũd proposition.]]

Nowe will I put forthe an other proposition or sentence / whiche
shalbe of those persons whych be of a priuate estate and are
subiectes / of that cohabitacion which ys fre wher no man is
compelled to communicate with wicked supersticions / ãd of suche
men as be vnlearned in the knowledge of gods truithe / weake in
faythe / and therfor vnable to make a christian confession of
truithe. Thys collection agreeth with that which I gathered
before / of which I made my former proposition / sauinge that
wheras there / with the priuate estate and free dwellinge

  [[Ignoraũnce in men is intollerable.]]

/ I coupled men that were learned and stronge to confesse the
truithe / heare I do adde in the place of them / men vnlearned /
vnable / and to weake to confesse the truithe. But herin thincke
not that I do alowe suche ignoraunce and vnablenes in men. Suche
ignoraunce in men is sharply to be reproued / for ther is none
so veri an idiote / so simple and vnlearned amonge Christianes /
but he ys bounde in conscience to be able to rendre an accompte
of hys faythe / ãd also to be somwhat able to teache and
instructe others / yea and to saye somwhat for the truthe / in
all the principall poyntes of the christian faythe / which he
may do yf he be but meanlie instructed in the Catechisme. But
bicause / partlie throughe the peruersnes of the ministers which
do not their office to instructe men / partlie throughe the
negligence of men which do not their dutie in seekinge to be
instructed / suche ignoraunce there is / I admytt therfore into
this my collection those ignoraunte / vnable / and weake men.
And so I make this proposition. Those men which are of a priuate
estate and condition / dwellinge or beinge in a place where they
be not compelled to communicate with wicked supersticions. And
are them selues vnlearned and vnable to confesse and defende the
truithe / maye not vse famyliar conuersation with the
vnbeleuers.


These men ar not in that condition that the learned be / of whom
I dyd speake before / for they cannot teache the vnbeleuers /
yea they be not able to defende the gospell of christe from the
blasphemie of the vnbeleuers / neither can they deliuer them
selues frõ suche false snares as the vnbeleauers shall laye for
thẽ: Wherfor they must not haue familiar conuersaciõ with them /
through which they shall thus throwe themselues into perill /
and ieoperdie: Except that they can assure themselues of such
strẽghth / that they shall not yealde vnto the wickednes of the
vnbeleuers. Otherwise / if they shall happen to dwell togither
in one place with the vnfaithfull: Lett thẽ take goode heede
that they do lyue an holy lyfe amonge them: And for the rest /
let them so far as the necessitie of lyfe / and ciuile
businesses and affaires shall suffer them / vtterly abstayn from
the companie of the vnbeleauers.


  [[A question.]]

But heere risith a question: Whether that such a weake and
vnlearned man / maye learn ony of the liberall artes / or
philosophie / of such a master as is an vnbeleauer.


Vnto which I answer: that forbicause to lern such artes of an
vnfaithfull master is not of such necessitie as can not be
auoided / therfor the man that ys weake in faithe must not lern
them of hym. Yt is a very daungerus thinge / to vse them which
ar vnbeleauers as Masters and teachers: for often tymes in the
myndes of the hearers ther arisith a gret admiracion and
estimaciõ of the teacher / and it maye easilye com to pas at the
lẽghthe / that they shall thincke and Iudge that theise teachers
ar not deceyued in Religion / bicause they be of an exacte and
perfect knowledge in these liberall sciences / ãd philosophie.
This (I saye) may happẽ of it that men ar wont to attribute
mutch vnto their teachers. Yea that it may be so / I will proue
by the cõtrarie. Origen by teaching the Mathematicalls / and
such sciences / did bring many mẽ to the knowledge of christe.
For furst he dyd begyn to reade among them such sciences with
which they wer delighted / In which he being expert / dyd shew
vnto his hearers suche connynge / that he dyd forthewith gett
amonge them great estimacion / and so the more easili drawe them
vnto the doctrine of christe. Augustine likewise cam to
Millaine / to heere Ambrose / bicause he was counted an
excellent Rhetorician. And so whilst he desirusly herd hym / at
the lenghth by hearinge he was tourned form the sect of the
Manichees / vnto the true catholiques. As therfor by lerning of
these sciences of godly teachers / the vnbeleauers haue beene
conuerted vnto the faithe of christe / euen so / yea mutch more
easilie it maye comme to pas / that they which ar weake and
vnlearned / may vnder vnbeleauinge masters / be drawn from
christe to vngodlynes.

Wherefor seing that this can not be doone without great perill
and daunger / that such a weakling shuld vse an vnfaithfull
Master / I thincke that he shuld abstayn alltogether from suche.


Sum do heere obiect and saye / that S. Paul to the Corinthians
doth appoint no such Rule condicion not exception / as I haue
spoken of / vnto the weake and vnlearned: but he playnly saith.

  [[1 Cor. 10.]]

If ony of them which beleaue not / do bidd you to a feaste / and
yf ye will go / whatsoeuer ys sett before you that eate / &c. In
which wordes he teachith / that it is lefte vnto our own will as
a fre thinge to go / or not to go. I answer / that ye must
marcke well thos wordes of Paule / (and yf ye will go.)

  [[Hovv theise vvordes, and if ye vvill go, ar to be
  vnderstonded.]]

He doth not grant vnto euery mans will thys libertie / and
fredom / but vnto a goode and a right will he gyuith libertie to
go. For yf a man wold go thether to drincke droncken /
glotonusly to fill the belly / or to gyue the tongue to filthie
and vncomly talke / without doubt that man shuld syn / euen for
the wickednes of hys will / and for hys corrupt entent and
purpose. Euen so / yf a man dowbted hys own strenghth /
and dyd certaynly perceyue that he could not profite them that
shuld be there / and yet wold go thether / vndowbtedly with a
safe cõscience and with a goode will he could not take that
thing in hãde / for he can not direct hys doing to the glorie of
godd / as he ys cõmaunded to do. Wherefor though Paul expressely
doth not adde that rule / yt folowith not therfor / that yt is
not to be added: yea that yt ys to be added I will proue by
other places of the Scripture. And to thend that we do not herin
depart from Paul / the same thing / and doctrine of will /

  [[1. Cor. 7.]]

he teachith in the .7. chapter of the same epistle: wher he
entreating of gyuyng or not gyuinge a virgine to mariage
saithe / That he doth well which keapith his virgin / ãd that
purposith it surely in his harte / (addinge this condiciõ)
hauing no neade / but that he poure ouer his own will: for if he
shuld do otherwise then his daughter either wolde / or then her
necessitie required / then shuld he neither will / nor do well.
Thus to do a goode worcke / or to make an acte prefect / yt
sufficithe not to take heede that it be not euell of nature / or
repugnant vnto gods worde / but vnto this ys also required /
that we do go about the same with an vpright and perfect mynde
and will. S. Paul / therfor / doth not simply permitt this
going / but with certayn circumstances. Which ar / to go with a
goode will to enstruct the vnfaythfull: Agayn to go with an
assured purpose / not to be, ãd taste of such strẽghthe / that
he shall not be ouerthrown. And thus this proposicion remaynith
true / that the man whiche ys weak and vnlearned / must separate
himself frõ the company and famyliar conuersacion of the
vnbeleauers / so mutch as cyuile and naturall businesses and
affaires will suffer / and as the necessitie of lyfe shall
require (as I saide before). Lykewise all houshold duties and
offices appointed in gods worde must be obserued / els shall he
offend / for as Paule saithe:

  [[1. Timo. 5.]]

He that prouidith not for hys / and especially for them of hys
own howshold / the same hath denied the faithe / and ys wors
then an Infidell. And to proue farther / that this vnlearned and
weake man must abstayn from the familiar companie of the
vnbeleauers / yea thoughe they be most deere vnto hym / that
Rule doth serue / which Christe our Sauiour gyuithe sayinge.

  [[Matt. 5. 18.]]

If thy hande or fote offend the / and hinder the / cut yt of /
and cast it from the / &c. If thyn eye offend the / plucke yt
out / and caste yt from the. We ar not commaunded in this
place / to cut of the outward membres of our bodie / as Origen
(yf it be true that sum do report of hyme) dyd vntruly thincke /
but as the sownd interpretours do write / thos frends and
thinges / which ar most nighe and deere vnto vs / Theise ar they
which must be cut of plucked out / and cast awaye from our
familiaritie and companie / when they do plucke / ãd separate
vs / from the true waye of saluacion / or be such a hinderaunce
vnto vs as puttinge impedimentes and lettes in our waye / do
hynder vs from walking in gods lawe. Chrisostom entreating this
matier / writithe.

  [[In Ioan. hom. 15.]]

If the membre which ys misioined vnto the bodie must be cut of /
ar not then euell frends mutch nore to be cut of? And agayn / he
saith / If we do cut of that membre which ys rotten / and
incurable from the bodie / for feare les yt shuld corrupt the
other partes therof / (which we do not bicause we do neglect
it / for who yet did euer hate his own fleshe, but to saue the
rest) how mutch more is this to be done to them which ar euell
ioyned vnto us? Which yet we must not do as thoughe we did
despise thẽ / but to prouide that our helthe and saluaciõ be not
brought in daũger by thẽ, after that we do see that we can not
profite them at all. To this also belõgith the lawe which
christe did giue:

  [[Matth. 18.]]

That he which will not heere the brethern admonishing him / And
doth contemne the voice of the churche when it reprouith / and
correctith hym: he is then to be estemed and taken as an
ethnicke / and a publicane.

  [[1. Cor. 5.]]

Which thing Paule puttith in practise when he biddith / that the
Corinthians shuld excommunicat the fornicator / les that a
litill leauẽ shuld soure the whole lumpe of dowe. To the same
pupose he usith the vearse of the poete Menander.

  [[1. Cor. 15.]]

Euell wordes do corrupt goode maniers. Ther Paul teachith that
the true doctrine of the Resurrection was greatly hindered
amonge the Corinthians / which wer but newly turned vnto
christe / bicause they dyd to lightly gyue eare to the vngodly
argumentes and reasons of philosophers / or rather of
heretiques / which did contend and stryue agaynst that doctrine.
No man can sufficiently consider / how the bewitching of wicked
tales / and talkes / do shake and hurt the tender conscience ãd
weake faithe / of the foeble ãd weake brother. Wherfor it is
most necessari and profitable to admonishe them which ar weake /
that they do abstayn / and withdrawe them selues / from the
felowshipp and familiar companye / of the vnbeleauers. The
phisicions / do cowncell when a contagius disease hath enfected
any nigh place / that thei which as yet ar sownd and not
enfected / shuld not cõme vnto them that be enfected alreadye
and sicke / bicause that in the bodies of men / and the
temperatures / and disposicions of the same / ther is such a
commõ passion and suffering / that the infection doth easily go
from them that be infected / vnto the other. And though they
which do not take heede and keape thẽ selues from that
infection / do not presently feale the poyson and force therof /
yeat inasmutch as by lytill and litill the infection / and
poyson receyued doth growe / not long after they ar sure to
feale the force and strenghthe of it. Seing this is so / and
eich man maye worthily and godly take heede to auoide the
diseases of the bodie / mutch more diligẽt heede is to be taken
of all men / that they do not frõ ony man or place gett vnto
themselues infecting vices of the minde. Our Nature / and
disposiciõ through our naturall and birthe syn is now so
corrupt / (as both the holy scripture doth warn vs / ãd infinite
examples of dayly experiẽce do teache vs) that we neade not to
dowt at all / but that we shall easily receyue the poison / and
infectiõ of other mẽs synnes / if we do not fle farr from them:
And as with no great labour they will cleaue vnto vs / so after
they be ons crept and roted vnto vs / thẽ hardly and not without
great payn and labor / will they be thrust out agayn.

  [[In Ioẽm. hom. 56.]]

Wherefor Chrisostom in the afore named place semith to say well.
If (saithe he speaking of the vnbeleauers and wicked) we coulde
make them better / and not hurt our selues / all thinges wer to
be doone: but whẽ we can not profite them / bicause they be
incurable / and such as will not be amended / and yet we hurt
our selues / they ar vtterly to be cutt of. And to the end that
he might the more strongly confirme his saying / he alledgith
that sayinge of Paul:

  [[1. Cor. 5.]]

Put awaye the euell from among yowe. Which wordes of Paule ar
not to be vnderstonded of the synne / for the greke word is in
the masculyne gendre / τὸν πονηρον / and therfor he meanith by
it / the wicked man. The same wordes I will now sumwhat bend /
vse / and turn / vnto the profite of you that be weake / and
thus saye vnto yowe. Put awaye your own selues from the euell men
that ar emongst you: for seing ye ar but priuate men / and
vnlearned / and therfor can not put away the euell from among
you / yet your selues ye may ridd / and conuey awaye from being
emongst the wicked / and the euell men.


Morouer it happeneth that whilest the weake and vnlearned do
thus familiarly accompanie the vnbealeuers / They cã not chose
but they must heare many subtill reasons and see many other
thinges which do mutch make against the true religiõ that they
do profes: Which thinges when they se and be not able to
disproue and confute / They do it not: And so they rõne into two
mischeifs. The furst is / That they ar as it wer witnesses of
the blasphemie / and of the reproche that the vnbeleauers do to
the truthe: the seconde / that they maie happ to haue summe
stinge left sticking in their concience / with which they shalbe
longer / more greuusly and daungerusly tormented / thẽ either
they thincke of or do feare. Let vs heere therfor the wise mã
which doth saye.

  [[Eccles. 13.]]

Who so touchithe pitche shalbe fyled ther with all / and he that
is familiar with the proude / shall become lyke vnto hym: Take
not a burthẽ vppon the / aboue thy poure / neither ioyne thow
thi self to hym that is more honorable / and ritche then
thiself. These words of the wiseman / do for two causes belong
to our purpos. Furst / bicause that they do teache / that other
mens synnes ar lyke vnto pitche / which doth stycke vnto the
fingars and garments of them that do touche it. Agayn / that
eich man shuld well trie and consider his own poure and
strenghth. Vppõ which cowncell / I do gather two thinges.
Furst / that the infirme and weake must not ioyn themselues in
familiaritie with the wicked / for wickednes will then cleaue
vnto them: Secondly that eich man must so well consider / and
iustly trie his own poure and strenghth / that he doth not
ouermatch himself.


The churche of godd in all ages hath felt by experience that
mutch euell hathe happened through this familiar companie / and
felowshipp keapt betwene the weake in faithe and knowledge / and
the vnbeleauers. In the Primitiue churche forthwith after
christes ascension / because the Iues which wer conuerted vnto
christe did lyue a great while with thos gentils which hadd
receyued the gospel / ther begon a very Iuishnes. For the Iues
did enforce the ceremonies of Moses lawe / myngling thẽ with
the doctryne of the gospell / through which they did infect
many congregacions of the christiãs so sore / that scarsely and
hardely at lẽghth could that euell be roted out: Yea that euell
hath so preuailed / that euen vntill our tymes / in Spayn
namely / and in sum other places also / ther be many which do
not only holde still the ceremonies of Moses lawe with the
professiõ of christe / but they do thincke them to be necessarie
vnto Saluacion. They emongst the Spaniards which be of this
mynde / ar called Marrani. And vnto this daye the churche of
India is enfected with the same vice. But let the examples of
the holy scripture / I praye you / teache vs euen the same. The
Israelites which wer captyues in Babilon / by the space of 70.
yeares / when they hadd libertie gyuen them furst of Cyrus /
then of Darius / thos two most noble Kinges to return / they did
not all forthewith return / but a great nũber of thẽ / such
namely as wer weaker in the lord thẽ other / being delighted
with the commodities ãd pleasures of their houses / feildes and
traffique of merchandize / did abide still amonge the chaldees:
Which men how sharpely they wer reproued of Esdras / Nehemias /
Zacharias / and other prophetes / it dothe playnly appeare in
the scripture to them that liste to seake and knowe it. How the
Israelites wer infected throughe that conuersacion which they
hadd with the Egiptiãs / it appearith playnly by this / that
whilest they wer in the desert / when as yet the wonderfull
benefites of godd wer euen before ther eyes / they did fall frõ
the lord their dilyuerer vnto Idolatrie / and vnto that kinde of
Idolatrie / which they wer acquaynted withall in Egipte. Ther
they hadd seene howe the Egiptians worshipped an Oxe /

  [[Exod. 23.]]

they therfor violently trauailed with Aarõ when Moses was
absent / that he shuld make thẽ a calf to worshipp: which when
he hadd doone / thẽ began they ioyously to crye: Theise ar the
godds / O. Israell / which brought the out of the lande of
Egypt. Agayn / when by the desert wild and barren places /

  [[Numer. 25.]]

they wer comme to the coastes of the Moabites / and began to
waxe more familiar with them then became the poeple of godd /
through that familiaritie they wer brought to this / that not
only they did cõmitt most vile whordom with thos beastly womẽ /
but also that they sacrificed vnto their most shamefull Idoll /
Baalpeor / and suffred themselues to be coupled vnto his
sacrifices. for which they suffred many miseries and calamities.

  [[Math. 26.]]

Peter likewise / when he cãme into that wicked court of the
cheif prest and was ther conuersant emongst thos damsels and
vngodly seruantes / most miserablie did he denie ãd forsweare
his master christe our Sauiour: which his fault / after he
departed frõ thence / he did bewaile with abundaunce of teares.
By these histories ye may playnly see / what happenith vnto the
weake through that familiar conuersacion which they haue with
the vnfaithful.

  [[Esaiæ 6.]]

Esaye the prophet / when he did se the lorde sitting vppon his
seate of glorie / with his Angels about hym most purely
publishing his prayse / though he semith not to thincke hymself
greatlye gyltie of ony notable cryme or fault / yet cryeth he
out / O wo is me / &c. I dwell amonge a poeple that hath
vncleane lyppes. This man of godd truly did thincke / that he
hadd gotton no small corruption and infection / bicause he hadd
lyued long with an vncleane poeple.


The histories of the heathen do teache vs the same thinge.
Alexander that gret and mightie kinge of Macedonia / who by the
force of armes / and most notable victories / hadd subdued the
greatest parte of the whole worlde / Euen he hymself was
ouercomme with the maniers of the Persians.

And vppon whom of right / as vppon a conquered poeple / he shuld
haue laied lawes / to haue brought them to that seuere kinde of
lyfe which the Macedonians vsed / euen he as a mã cõquered ãd
ouercõme of ther maniers / suffered hymself to be so shamefully
misused / that he did take vnto hym their kinde of araye / their
lowse delicacie / their pompe and pride / and set. furthe hymself
to be worshipped of thẽ as godd. And so being corrupted he did
allow that fall from the maniers of the grecians / through which
he did sustayn great reproche amonge the wise / and mutche
hatred amonge his souldiours / ãd that not vnworthilie. Besids
this / we must knowe / that if these men do without ony Rule or
godly end keape such companye / and be familiarly conuersant
with the vnbeleauers / except that in theise the fruite of their
conuercion do quickly appeare / and of the other also it be by
all meanes ernestly sought / both in the reprouing of their
vnbeleif / ãd in alluring them to the truithe / It doth happen
that ther conuercion is hindred by such companie and
familiaritie. For whilest the vnbeleuers do se that the
faithfull do lyue so frendly / and familiarly with them / they
do iudge forthewith that their supersticion / and vnbeleif / is
not so wicked a thinge / nor yet a thinge so to be abhorred ãd
condẽned / as it is reported / yea thus maye they be brought to
imagin / that they maye be saued though they do perseuere / and
contynue in their vnbeleif. For if it wer otherwise (shall they
thincke) theise goode and godly men / wold not be thus familiar
and frendly with vs.


I do omitt to speake of this / that many other of the brethern
ther ar / which by the example of this conuersacion / do
persuade themselues that they maye do euen the self same
thinge / and so do beare with the wicked / and do wincke at
their euell / bicause that they haue seen other men do so before
them And thus it commith to pas / that by the example of sum
men / this euell spreadith it self abroade so that in the end /
our faith and Religion / is euẽ layed forth for the wicked and
vngodly / to mocke / and contempn.


Often tymes also that thing happenith / which we reade to haue
happened in Pauls tyme / amonge the Corinthians /

  [[1. Cor. 10.]]

that the brethern by this conuersaciõ / ar brought to be
partakers of the wickednesses / vile custumes / and Idolatries
of the vnfaithfull: Which familiar conuersacion / dothe not only
couple them with the vnfaithfull / but it is a meane to make
them Idolatrours: for thauoiding of which / Paule cryeth out in
the same place:

  [[1. Cor. 10.]]

fle Idolatrie. I do likewise passe ouer with silence / that wher
our weake and vnlearned brethern / do thus ioyne themselues in
familiar conuersacion with the vnfaithfull / it can not be but
betwene them and the vnfaithfull / sumtyme ther will happen
communicacion of Religion: And thẽ though it happ so that
through want of learninge / our weaklinges do not slyppe and
foile them selues / Yeat bicause they can not dissolue / and
answer vnto the arguments / and subtile reasons of the
aduersaries aptly / ther arisith then contentius stryfes betwen
them / and not only this / but euel speakings / reproches / and
hatreds / which thinges ar so farr from edifying / that they do
altogether hynder and lett it: furthermor in these conflictes it
happenith / that our weaklinges at lenghth are putt to silence /
so that they neither speake to confes the truithe / nor to
reproue that whiche is fals: Now consider heere what a libertie
these men do lose: which christian libertie is in free boldenes
in speakinge / to reproue that which is fals / as to confes
godd / and his truithe. This libertie of free speaking and
confessing / no christen man ought so to gyue ouer / but that he
in all his talke shuld and might vse it.


But in this cõpanie of vnbeleauers / these weaklinges do not /
yea darre not vse it / les they in ther sayings / shuld be
snatched vpp / ãd put to shame. Yet truly no men / nor ony
companye of men shuld cause a christian to caste awaye this
fredom and libertie.


  [[2 Cor. 6.]]

For our purpose also makith that sayinge of S. Paul. Set your
selues at large / for what felowshipp hath righteousnes with
vnrighteousnes? Or what companie hathe light with darcknes? Or
what concorde hath christe withe Beliall? Either what parte hath
he that beleauith / with an Infidell? Or how agreith the tẽple
of godd / with Images? These wordes ar so playn that they neede
not to be expownded: In which / this conuersacion of which we
now do entreate / is most simplye / and playnly forbidden. The
figures and ceremonies of Moses lawe ar taken awaye / but yet
the thinge figured / which is as I might saye / the strenghth /
the pythe / and foundacion of them / doth remayn.

  [[Numer. 15.]]

Which thinge being true / I maye thẽ aske this question. The
lorde commaunded that the Iues shuld make gardes in the
quartiers of their garmẽts / ãd to put vppon the garde /
a ribande of yelow silcke / &c. My question now is. Whi the
lorde did commaunde / that the Iues shuld differ from the
gentils / not in circũcision only / but euen in their garments
also? Euen for this cause verily / that they shuld be taught
euen by their gardes also / that they wer gods peculiar people /
and that they shulde separate themselues from the gentils / that
they shuld not be conuersaunt with them / neither shuld they
ioyne themselues in familiaritie withe them / farther then the
necessitie of either of the lyues did require. The Iuishe gardes
we do reiect / but this which is ment by the gardes we both do
and must retayne. In many places the lorde commaunded the Iues
also that they shuld not return into Egypte / and that they
shuld not aske healpe of the Egiptians / nor of the Assirians:
Which he did partly to this end / that through such familiaritie
as then must haue beene betwene them and their healpers / the
Israelites shuld not be infected withe their vices. The booke of
the Iudges / doth playnly inough teache vs this will and
pleasure of godd.

  [[Iudic. 2.]]

For the Israelites did synne greuusly in this / that they did
put to tribute thos Idolatrus nacions / ouer whom the lorde hadd
gyuen them uictorie / and did couenant with thẽ / that they
shuld dwell amonge them in peace / which thinge godd hadd diuers
tymes expressly forbidden them to do / commaunding that they
shuld vtterly destroye the inhabitãtes of that lande: This he
did partli bicause / that through this they shuld not be brought
by the Cananites / into the daũger of Idolatrie. Now the cause
being such with these weake / and vnlearned men / of whom I now
do speake / they must likewise take goode heade to obserue that
rule / which the lorde appointed vnto the Israelites. It
appearith playnly / that this commãdement of god was kept longe
tyme amonge the Iues: for they did not vse ony familiaritie /
nor keape companie withe the Samaritans which did not truly
worshipe the lyuynge godd / no not in christes tyme /

  [[Ioan. 4.]]

as it appearith by the talke that he hadd with the woman at the
well. Morouer as the goode fathers in olde tyme / did esteme it
as their singular ioye / when they might be familiarly
conuersant with the godly / so how mutch they sorowed Whẽ they
could not be so conuersant with the people of godd / and in
godds house / Dauid is witnes: Who when he fledd from the face
of Saul his persequtour / did mourn / and in the psalmes with
most heauie complaintes / doth lamẽt / that he was compelled to
be conuersant amonge straungers / such as did not knowe the
lyuyng godd / and to be as it wer an exile from godd / and his
people. So shuld the companie hadd with the vnfaithfull / be
heauy and bitter to the faithfull.


  [[Daniel 1.]]


Daniell and his thre felows / might haue lyued / vppon the
Kinges table / and haue eaten most fyne and delicate meates /
but they did rather chose to lyue together with potage / and
water / and vtterly to forsake thos pleasures / and delicacies /
then they wold defile them selues with the meates of the
vnbeleauers. Moses also / as it is writon in the epistle to the
hebrues /

  [[Hebr. 11.]]

might if he wold haue beene taken for the Sonne of Pharaos
daughter / and so to haue beene in greate hoope of obtaynynge
the kingdome of Egipte: but all this sett a parte / he did chose
rather / forsaking all theise thinges / to go vnto his
brethern / which wer in miserable bondage / seruinge and
laboring in claye / and bricke: Which thing to do / as it was a
greate triall of his faithe / so the doinge of it doth commend /
and sett furth his faithe / and shew what loue he hadd to be
conuersant with the people of godd. They which do not folowe
these examples / do shew how litell they do regarde the glorie
of godd / and the communiõ and felowship of sayntes / which they
will not gayne nor redeame with losse / no thoughe it be of
neuer so litill: And in this preferring of their own gayne
welthe and commoditie / aboue the glorie of godd / and the
felowlie communion of the godlye / they do most wickedly.

  [[1. Cor. 10.]]

Do we (saithe Paule to the corinthians) prouoke the lorde? Ar we
strõger then he? Theise weake brethern / which do not trie their
own strenghth to fele their weaknes so / that they might seeke
the encreace of strenghth in them selues / but being weake
indeede / both dare and do thus desperatlie committ themselues
vnto this familiar conuersacion with the vnfaithfull / they do
tempt godd / and do after a sort prouoke hym / as thoughe they
wolde becõme stronger than he.


Many more reasons might I bringe to proue this proposicion true.
That a priuate man / being in a place wher he is not compelled
to communicate with the supersticiõs of the vnfaithfull / and is
vnlearned vnable / and to weake to confesse the truithe / must
not ioyne in familiaritie / nor be familiarly dwelling and
conuersant together with the vnfaithfull. But bicause I do
suppose that it is sufficiently proued by the reasons which I
haue alledged / I will now prepare myself to an other
proposicion.


The thred proposicion shalbe / of Priuate men and subiectes /
which ar lerned and stronge / and of them also which ar weake
and vnlearned / of that dwelling which is not fre / wher as men
ar compelled by lawes / and Tyrannye to communicate and to be
partakers with the wicked in their supersticions and Idolatries:
And of theise I make this proposicion / and sentence.

  [[The thred proposicion.]]

Priuate men and subiectes be they learned or vnlearned / stronge
or weake / which ar dwelling and abyding in that place wher men
ar compelled to communicate / and be partakers withe
Idolatrors / and to be present at vnlawfull supersticions and
Idolatries / defiling thẽselues with vncleane Religiõ / maye not
dwell together nor be familiarly conuersaunt / they may not
ioyne in societie with suche Idolatrors: I saye / that this
cohabitacion / and familiar dwelling together is vnlawfull /
vngodlye / and not to be kept in ony wise: But in this case a
faithfull man must either flye / or dye for the truithe / that
he be not compelled to defile himself with Idolatrie. Ther is
truly but one truithe / and that same must be holden with a pure
cõscience / neither must it be forsakẽ for the pleasure of ony
man.

  [[1. Cor. 10.]]

S. Paul saith to the Corinthians: flye ye Idolatrie. Then do men
flye Idolatrie / when either they do depart frõ the place wher
Idolatrie is cõmitted / or when abiding still in the same
place / they do gyue their lyues and suffer deathe bicause they
will not cõmitt Idolatrie nor allowe it with ther presence. Paul
therfor teachith by this sayinge / that in no wise the faithfull
shuld come at the Idolatries of the vnfaithfull / but flye frõ
them: which sentence is so playn to the vnderstondinge of the
most symple / that it neadith no exposicion at all. The lawe and
the prophetes / the olde Testament and the newe / ar full of
such sentences / ãd cõmaundementes / which do forbidd straũge
worshippinge of godd and Idolatrie.

  [[2. Mach. 7.]]

Call to your mynde the historie of the Machabees / which I do
not recite as thoughe I wold gyue to that booke ony lyke
autoritie with the Canonicall scriptures, but bicause the
historie is rehersed not only ther / but also in Iosephus / and
the examples of them ar profitable for vs / therfor I do alledge
them. That godly Mother hadd rather haue the whole fruite of her
bodie to be miserablie destroyed / thẽ ons to taste of swynes
fleshe.


  [[Gen. 2.]]

Swynes fleshe / and Adams apple / of their very nature ar not so
to be abhorred / for eiche of them is a goode creature of godd.
But forsomutche as vnto them godd hathe ioyned his worde to
forbid the tasting of them / therfor euen as Adam could not eate
the forbidden apple / so could not they eate swynes fleashe
without committing of greate synne: which rather then they wolde
do / the poore babes offer themselues to the deathe / and the
godly mother doth most stronglye therto encorage thẽ and most
constauntly abide the same herself.


In the church of christe ther haue beene innumerable martirs /
as Eusebius / and others do write / which haue most constantly
abidden deathe / bicause they wold not depart from the Religion
of christe / nor file thẽselues with Idolatrie: They wold not
put one grayne of franckinsence vppon the altars of the Idols /
nor throwe one floure / nor ons bowe the knee before them / but
suffered rather deathe.

  [[Matth. 10.]]
  [[Luc. 12.]]

They hadd this alwais before ther eyes: Feare not hym that
killethe the bodie / &c. And that he speakith of killing the
bodie / is likewise to be vnderstonded of taking awaye of goodes
ãd ritches: But he is to be feared / which after that he hath
taken awaye bothe lyfe and goodes / can throwe the soule into
euerlastinge fire / feare hym.


S. Paule to persuade the Corinthians that they shuld abstayn
from meates offered vnto Idols / vsith theise reasons:

  [[1. Cor. 3.]]

Bicause they wer the Temple of godd. They wer the membres of
christe / and therfor they might not become the mẽbres of an
Idoll. Bicause they wer partakers of the lords table of which
they could not be partakers and of the table of Deuels also. And
the same thing that Paule said vnto the Corinthians / do I also
saye vnto these our brethern of whom I do entreate.


  [[Daniel. 3.]]

Daniel his thre felows did gyue themselues / to be thrown in to
the burnynge fornace / rather then they wold worshipp the kinges
golden Image. But theise thinges must now be applied vnto theise
most vnhappie Daies / in whiche / wher poperie rulith / the
godly which do dwel togither with the vngodlie / the professours
of christes gospell / I meane / With the papistes / ar compelled
to be at ther Masses / and most vile and filthie Idolatries and
supersticions: vnto them doth this proposicion reatche / and of
them therfor I do playnly affirme / and saye this /

  [[It is not lawfull to be present at the popyshe Masse and
  supersticions]]

That it is not lawfull for thẽ to be present at the popishe
Masses / at popishe superstitions and jdolatries. It is to well
knowne / that many fondlye do flatter / and indeede deceyue them
selues / imagining that it is lawfull for them to be present at
this popish pelf. Againste whom with all ther clokes I vse this
sayinge of Paule / flye ye Idolatrie. But here they resiste and
saye / that this sayinge and suche other as before I haue
alledged / are to be vnderstanded of the sacryfices done vnto
Idoles / and false goddes / and not of such supersticions as are
nowe growen and vsed in papistrie / As of masses / and such
like / for in the sacrifices of the gentils what so euer is
done / yt is done vnto Idolles / But here in the masse that
whiche ys done is done as a worshippe vnto god / for the name of
godd is caled on: It hathe the begynynge of Christes ordinaunce
and institution, although that some nowghtie men abuse it:
wherfore / seinge theis do thus differ from the other / theis
can not by these sentences / and like reason be forbiddẽ to
them / as Idolatrie was to the Corinthiãs: This they saye. But
theis mẽ shuld considre and wel vnderstande / that theris no
owtwarde worcke wiche is to be estemed as a worshippe and
seruice of godd / but only that which is apoynted and ordeyned
by godds worde so to be / which ordinaunce in the worde if it
wante / it is vtterlie nothinge ells but mans inuention what so
euer it be: for worshippings of god and goddes seruice are they
not / but only when they haue godds worde to beare and warraunte
them. God can not be truly worshipped with out faithe, for if
faithe be not in the worshippe that is done vnto god / that
worshippe the lorde dothe abhorre / as the Prophet Esaie dothe
witnes. Incẽse is an abhominable thinge vnto me / I maye not
awaie with your newe moones. &c. I hate your holie dayes / &c.
Thus dothe god reiect the seruice apointed in his worde /
because it was done without faithe. If the seruice and worshippe
of God taughte in his worde maie be done with out faithe / and
therfore displease god / mutch moore these worshippinges which
haue not their ordinaunce in godds worde ar done withe out
faithe / therfor do displease godd: for faithe hathe no place at
all where goddes worde is not: now these inuentions of men be
they neuer so glorious to the eye / they be not ordeyned in
godds worde / they can not therfor be doone in faythe / they can
not please god /

  [[uuhat so euer is not of faith is synne. Ro. 14.]]

yea god dothe abhorre them / and accompte them as an
abhomination / because they be not so done / in faithe I meane
In faithe they be not done / because they are not taughte in
godds worde / for where ther is no worde of god there is no
faithe / and where no faithe is / there is no worshippe of
godd / but a filthie hypocrisie / and stinking abhomination.
Nowe let the papistes shewe that ther masse is a worshippe of
god / taughte in his worde / whiche we saie plainlie that they
can not do / let them do it therfore if they can / and when they
haue do yt / then will we saye with thẽ: But vntill they haue
done it / their masse shall remaine a filthie and stinkinge
abhomination before the lorde / and suche a thinge as the lorde
dothe deteste and abhorre. If so be that we will do honour and
worshippe vnto men / we are accustomed principallie to obserue
with what thing they are moste delighted / which thinge after
that we haue perceiued / we do it / and then do we thinke to
haue bestowed our labour wel when we haue done it: God is
delighted onlie with that seruice which he hathe set forthe in
his worde / wherfore he that will do godd acceptable seruice /
muste do that which his worde teachethe / and in suche wise as
it techethe / els as the lorde by the Prophet Esaie sayeth / he
dothe detest and abhorre their sacrifices.

  [[Isay. 1.]]

And to proue that the masse with all such popishe baggadge is
verye Idolatrie / I neade not to bring mani reasons / for this
one thing dothe easelie teache it. There is no true god that
wilbe worshipped with this popishe seruice: for the true liuinge
god hathe in his worde plainlie apointed the maner howe he wilbe
worshipped / in wich word this masse / and their popishe pelf is
not taughte / but they ar cleane contrarie and repugnaunte vnto
it: wherfore whẽ the wicked papistes do their popish seruice
vnto a god (they saye) it is plaine that they do not worshippe
that true lyuinge godd / whõ the holy scripture teachith vs to
knowe and worship / but sum such other godd as they haue fayned
in their fantesie to be their god / such a one as is delighted
with these their seruices: But seinge that in verye dede there
is no suche true god at all / as they do Imagine / the god then
whom they serue is but a newe god / fantasied and inuented in
their owne myndes: wherfore by righte their god maye and must be
called / an horribe Idoll / their masse likewise with all
popishe seruice done vnto him / abhominable Idolatrie / And they
which do such popishe seruice vile Idolatrors. But wher as they
saye that those thinges wich be done and spoken in the masse
hadde their begynnynge of the ordinaunce of Christe, and that by
the wikednes of men they are corrupted: This sainge helpethe not
at all / for in these thinges / it is not the begyñynge that is
to be consydered only / or that can make them good onlie /
seinge they are swarued from the truithe / but nowe their
nature / and vse vs to be tried / whether they do agree with the
verie worde of god or no.

  [[numer. 21.]]

what thinge hade a more pure begynynge euen by goddes
commaundement then the brasen serpent? It was erected god both
willinge and commãdinge it. It was sett forthe with miracles /
for whosoeuer dyd beholde it he was deliuered from the bytinge
of deathlie serpentes /

  [[4 Reg. 18.]]

But this not withstondinge when mẽ dyd worshippe the same
serpent and offered incẽse vnto it / the godlie dyd so abhorre
it / that Ezechias that most holy kynge not regardinge at all
the begynnynge of yt / dyd breake it in peces / and vtterlie
destroyed the worshippinge of yt / Therfore it is not sufficiẽt
to cõsider the begynnynge of a thinge / but howe the ordre and
vse of yt dothe agree wyth the firste institution and
ordinaunce. This acte of Ezechias is praised in the scripture.
And wolde to god that we hade now an Ezechias wich wold so
handle the masse. ffurthermoore our men wolde haue this thinge
to be consydered in them / that thoughe they go to the masse /
yet they haue no mynde to decline ãd departe frome god / but
that they worshipp hym ther: vnto this I answer / that the
Israelites when they dyd compell Aaron to make them a calfe to
worshippe / they hade not indede that mynde that they wolde fall
frõ the true lyuynge god / so that they wolde no more confesse
that he deliuered them out of Egypte / but this only was their
mynde they wolde not reteyne that worship of the inuisible god
which was deliuered them in worde / but they wolde worshippe the
true God vnder some signe / and visible form and shape / whiche
sholde represent vnto them the liuinge God their deliuerer: And
that shape or forme they moste desyred to haue / wich they hade
seene the Egyptians vse to represente vnto them their god: They
vsed the form or shape of an oxe / the very same forme wolde the
Israelytes nowe haue: And as the very heathen men mighte haue
sayde that they worshipped the one only true liuinge god the
Author and maker of all thinges / whose maiestie was shewed /
figured / and set forthe vnto them by those diuers signes / and
formes / which they dyd worshippe: As that the signe of Minerua
dyd set forthe his wisdom: the signe of Mars his mighte and
power: the signe of Iupiter his Iustice and goodnes: So wolde
the Israelites haue their god and deliuerer set forthe vnto them
in the shape of a Calfe / not that they mynded to turne awaye
from him / or to denye him (as they thoughte) but because they
wolde worshippe him as it pleased their fantesie. But we muste
not apoynte the manier and ordre of godds seruice after our
mynde and iudgment / or as they cõmonlye saye / after the goode
intent of men: for this doinge in the Israelites god did not
like / but for yt he punyshed them grevouslye: Nether dyd Moses
alowe it / for he knewe that god wolde not so be worshipped.
This cloke therfore must haue no place in this matier. but we
muste see whether god will haue suche worshippe and seruice /
whether goddes worde teachethe yt / whether it be clothed with
the worde of truithe / which if it haue not / then dost thou not
worship the true god with that worshippe which pleaseth him.
Ieroboã thought mutch after this sorte /

  [[3. Reg. 12.]]

for his mynde was not to drawe the people awaye from the
worshippe of the god Iehouah / but he feared les if they sholde
customablie go to the temple at Hierusalem / the people wolde
fall from his kingdom and ioyne themseues agayne to the house ãd
stocke of Dauid: wherfore he sekinge his owne profite / sayde /
that it was not nedefull that they sholde go vp vnto the
temple / and to the Arke of the couenaunte when they wolde
worship the true god: for the same god which was represented
vnto thẽ by the Arke of wodde ãd the tẽple / mighte euen aswell
be represented vnto them by these newe signes and golden calues:
There is no chaunge but euẽ of the forme and owtwarde shape: for
as at Hierusalem by the Arke / so here by the calues the liuinge
god sholde be represented: And what makethe yt matter what the
signe be / so the worshippe be all oone: Therfore the same
worshipp that ells they sholde do at Hierusalem / they mighte
more commodiusli do yt in bethel / and dan. So that he dothe
nothynge ells / but establishe this owtwarde worke / in wich he
wolde haue thẽ worship the true god: but he hade no warraunte in
godds worde for it / and that beinge absent / ther is nothinge
in his acte remayninge but mans worcke / supersticion / and
Idolatrie: so is it iudged. And therfor none of his subiectes
shuld haue herckned to hym. So now / when Tiraunts / Kinges /
Queenes / Bisshopps / and such other as ar the soudiours of
Antichriste / the Pope I meane / do compel and constrayn men
vnto such vile and vngodly supersticions as the popishe brood
haue and do sett upp, althoughe they do pretend a goode well
willing mynde vnto their poeple and countrith (as thei saye) and
that all shalbe for their wealthe: And thoughe they do also
saye / that theise thinges ar of an auncient begyñynge and
cõtynuance: Yet indeed they ar but popishe Idolatrours / and to
Idolatrie do they trayn men. Therfor their subiectes must not
herken vnto them neither obey them herin / But do rather as
S. Paule teachith.

  [[Ephes. 5.]]

Haue no felowshipp with their vnfruitfull works / but rather
reproue them. He callith theim their worckes, for gods worckes
they cã not be called / bicause they do differ / ãd swarue frõ
his worde: with thẽ (saithe he) haue no felowshipp What then is
to be doon in that case? We must (Paule saith) reproue theim.
And that so oft as neede shall require / to reproue theim with
greate libertie and boldenes: So farr must we be from
dissemblinge with them / that we must (he saithe) reproue them.
If thou be a preacher / preache against them: If thow be noone /
yet speake against them / reproue them / and condemn them. But
our men do saye / That it wer very perillus to do thus: for then
(saye they) shall we be burned / or hanged / we shall loose our
goodes / londes / and promocions / I heare you well. And do yowe
on the other part consider this as well / that ther is not one
of vs all which hath receiued christendome vnder such a
couuenaunt and condicion / that with it he shuld haue and holde
in safetie his lyfe / his ritches / and dignities without
perseqution: it is saide vnto vs / and in this case as a lawe
layed vppon vs all /

  [[Math. 16.]]

that Except we do renownce and vtterly forsake all our thinges
and take vpp our crosses and folow christe / we can not be his
disciples / and except we do lose our lyues we shall not saue
them.

This verily / this must we determyn with our selues / this must
we appoint our selues vnto / to do and abide this must we caste
our acompt / To this euery christian must be so readie and
bent / that he shuld not doubt / no not deliberate or take
aduise of this matier.

  [[Ciprian.]]

That example of Cyprian is to be sett before our eyes: When he
was brought vnto the place wher he shuld suffer deathe / The
magistrate being very desirus indede to deliuer hym from
deathe / sayde vnto hym. Now I do gyue the space to deliberate
and aduise thi self well / whether thow wilt thus Wrechedly
dye / or obey / and be let go free. To whõ this godly mã
answered. In so holy a thinge / ther is no deliberacion or
aduise to be taken. This readines must euery christian haue in
this case to beare the crosse ãd to followe Christe as Christes
disciple. Trulye they whiche be not this wise mynded / but to
saue their lyues and goodes do defile them selues with masses /
and wicked supersticions / art greuouslye punished for it euen
presentlie:

  [[a greuus punishement.]]

firste their owne conscience dothe miserably torment thẽ.
Secondlie the light of goddes truithe which was opened vnto
their mynde is by lytell and lytell put owt. Then the loue of
the truithe and the hate of falshode waxeth colde in them.
fourthly their mynde becommith nomore displeased or vnquieted
for the euill that they do / but they begynne to please them
selues in this their euill and dissemblinge / yea ãd do go
aboute to persuade others ũto the same. Laste of all they begyn
to hate thẽ which do not harcken to their aduise and counsell /
which is to do as they do / yea and they stirre vp againste thẽ
sharpe persequtiõ / for so moche as in thẽ lyethe. This hathe
bene the moste vnhappie ende of many. But this is not the end of
all their miserie / as ye may well perceyue / if ye do consider
what is appointed to be their perpetuall porcion / which shalbe
payed them full truly in the laste daye. Let them therfore
beware of this bottomles pytt which feare to breake their
neckes. But some there are which in this their dissemblinge are
wonte to defende thẽ selues after this sorte: we do not theis
thinges (saye they) with our hartes / we do only thus behaue our
selues in bodie / and in outward behauiour. To whom I do answer:
god he is the lorde of harte and bodie / as he requireth the
worshippe of the harte / euen as iustlie and seuerlie dothe he
commaunde the owtwarde worshippe of the bodye: for these
owtwarde doinges are a kinde of confession / and therfore as men
owght to be sounde and vprighte in the beleif of harte / so
owght they to be in owtwarde cõfessinge and expressinge of their
godlynes and religiõ. The doinges of men be as it were a tongue:
The tongue dothe confes the thinge that lyeth in the harte by
wordes: so doinges do giue a confession therof in dede: As he
therfore which denyethe with tongue is a denyer of Christe / so
he that in owtwarde worckes and doinges denyeth Christ / is
iustlie called a deniar. Of whom Christe doth saye.

  [[mat. 10.]]

he that denyeth me before men / him will I denye before my
father which is in heauẽ: wherfore as the tõgue owghte not in
the confession of godlines and religion to differ from the
mynde / so muste not the owtwarde doinges of the body disagree
from the same. And vnto these men this also I saye / with
paule /

  [[Rom. 10.]]

that the belefe of the harte doth iustifie / but the mouthe and
owtwarde doinges do make the confession vnto saluation / And
therfore Christe dothe saie /

  [[mar. 8.]]

he that is ashamed of me before men / of him will I also be
ashamed before my father which is in heauen. Morouer I wold it
wer well knowen vnto these men / that it is no true faythe which
doth not breake forthe in workinge that worke which dothe agree
with faithe. As is writen of Christe / who verylie soughte the
glorye of his father / The zeale of thy house hathe eatẽ me /
This zeale dyd not lye in Christes brest only / but it brake
forthe into wordes / as it apeareth by his sermons / and into
deedes also / as yt apeareth ther / wher he withe a whippe dyd
dryue the byars and sellers owt of the temple:

This is a zeale / which only deseruyth the name of a christian
zeale. And euen the same I saye of faythe. What zeale thẽ / what
faithe / what studie or care for faithe is it / that these men
do bragge of / that they haue shutt vp so close in their brestes
that it breaketh not forthe into wordes and dedes? As This true
christian zeale / and their dissemblinge can not be together in
oone man / euen so true and lyuely faith can not lurcke in such
a dissemblinge breste. ffurthermore / there are two kindes of
worshippe due vnto god / an inwarde / and an outwarde
worshippe / The inwarde worshippe is of the mynde / that is when
we beleue goddes truithe / and do thinke of god true and worthye
thinges / The owtwarde worshippe is of the bodye / which is
declared by those owtwarde signes that do belonge to the true
worshippe of god / In lyke maner there are two kindes of
Idolatries / one is inwarde / which is the Idolatrie of the
mynde / that is when a man dothe not thinke well / nor beleue
trulye on the true lyuing godd / but dothe fayne vnto him selfe
throughe false doctrine / either a straũge god in his owne
mynde / or straũge worshippinge of god: An other is outwarde
wich is Idolatrie of the bodie / and that is whẽ we do bestowe
the worshippe wich is only due vnto god vppon creatures / And
whẽ we do owtwardlye worshippe god other wise then he wilbe
worshipped.

Truly Theise dissemblers do not giue to god this worshipp of
mynde and bodie which is due vnto him / but the Idolatrie of
mynd and bodie they do commytt / bothe because they owtwardlie
do ioyne with papistes in their Idolatrie / and because in their
mynde they do persuade them selues that it is lawfull for them
so to do. We thinke / (saye they) as you thinke / and in our
hartes we do reteyne the truithe / and so our mynde is pure. But
your bodyes ye do giue ouer to the deuill and to Idolls.

  [[1. Cor. 6.]]

Thy bodye / sayeth Paule / is a membre of Christe / why doest
thow make yt the membre of an harlot? here they will saye
againste me / that Paule spake this of whordome / I graunte
that: But the prophettes do teache vs that the moste vile and
horrible whordome is Idolatrie. Hieremie / Ezechiel / ãd the
other prophettes do speake so against the Iues and their
Churche / that they name it to be euen like an harlot which
hathe opened her legges vnd[er] euerye tree that hade any
bowghes to Idolls and vngodlye Idolatries. Wherfore if thow maye
not make thy bodye the membre of an harlot, thow muste not make
yt the membre of an Idoll. This collation betuene whordome and
Idolatrie is playne and true / taughte by the prophettes and
Paule. Morouer howe vayne this ther excuse is / that sayinge
dothe sufficyentlie declare / in which the lorde pronounceth.

  [[3. Reg. 19.]]

I haue lefte me seuen thowsand in Israell / of which neuer man
bowed his knees vnto baal / nor kissed hym with his mouthe. He
sayeth not / which thinke well in their mynde / which do beleue
well / but he sheweth the signe of owtwarde worshippinge / that
is to bowe the knee / and kisse. which doth teache that ther is
required vnto the true worshipp of godd / not a pure mynde
only / but the owtwarde sygne / token / and doinge of
worshippe / and seruice. The lorde our god is not content with
halfes / he will not part stakes with the dyuel.

  [[Esay. 45.]]

All knees (saith the lorde) shall bowe vnto me. God will not
parte so / that he shall haue the mynde / and the dyuell the
bodye. All is myne / saythe the lorde / and I will haue all or
none / I will haue bothe the obedience of the harte and the
bowinge of the knee: Which worship by these thy dissemblinges
thou takest from god / and so thou dost robbe him of his honor /
and bestowe it vpon Idolles / euen popishe masses. But thou
saiste / I despise the Masse / and all Idolatrous poperie in my
harte: why then doest thou prostitute thy body vnto yt? My mynde
ys pure thou saiest: yee / but god will haue mynde and bodye
pure. If this thy reason and excuse were of any force / then
mighte the Corinthians haue sayde to Paule / why doest thou so
reproue vs? we also by the grace of god do knowe that there is
no Idoll. A true opinion we kepe in our mynde of godd his
truithe / let god be cõtent with that / and in the meane tyme
our bodies shall serue for our cõmodyties.

  [[1. Cor. 10.]]

But paule telleth them plainlye that they do communicate with
deuills. The meates offered to Idolls of their owne nature were
pure / yet when the corinthians do eate them with the Idolatrors
in ther Idolatrie / then they become (saith paule) partakers of
the table of deuilles: when ye then be present at a Masse /
which is an Impure thinge / and do ther as the papistes do /
mutch more iustly is it sayed of you / that then ye ar partakers
of thos deulishe dragges which ar in the Masse. Again our men do
obiecte and saye: It is not we that haue corrupted theis
thinges / we wolde be gladde to haue them pure and incorrupte:
ther impuritie must not be adscribed vnto vs. I answer: An other
mans synne shall not indeede be imputed vnto the / for eche man
shall beare his owne synne: but yet this thinge I do reproue in
the / that thou dost communicate with wickednes: This is thy
synne / here thou art defyled. and for this shalt thou be
iudged. Paule sayde vnto the corinthians:

  [[1. Cor. 10.]]

Ar not they which do eate of the sacrifice / partakers of the
temple? what saye I then? that the Image is any thinge? or that
it which is offered Images is any thinge? Naie. but this I
saie / that the thinges which the gentills do offer / they offer
to deuels and not to god. I wolde not that ye sholde haue
fellowshippe with the deuills: ye can not drincke of the cuppe
of the lorde / and of the cuppe of Deuels / ye can not be
partakers of the table of the lorde and of the table of deuels.
Thoughe corrupcion of meates offred vnto Idols is not to be
imputed to all them that be partakres of them / (which wer not
indeede corrupt of thẽ selues (as I saide), but when they wer
offred vnto Idols that made them corrupte) yeat the veraye
communicating and eating of them with Idolatrors is a fault
iustly layed to their charge / from which they shuld haue keapte
themselues aswell for the honor that they do owe vnto godd / as
for the conscience which they ought to haue to edyfie other men.
If it wer not so / whi did paule thus rebuke the Corinthians?
Yea whi wolde not our holy martirs of the primitiue churche
communicat and be partakers in the Sacrifices of the heathẽ? The
martirs might haue saide / we knowe that an Idoll is nothing /
and to offer vp sence to them is but an owtward thing / we do it
but in bodie / our spret and harte is pure / and that we do /
against our will we do it &c. They veryly did know no suche
excuse / but they cõsidered that godd required this / that they
shuld outwardly confes hym / and reproue / and fle from
Idolatrie: And therfor aswell for their duties sake towarde
godd / as bicause they wold not offend the brethern by their
example / they did gyue their lyfe in the quarell without making
ony such blinde excuses.

These men do saye further that the Masse is not to be lickened
iustly vnto the Idolatrie of the heathen / for that was directly
forbidden of godd / so is not the Masse / saye they: for thoughe
it hathe sumwhat swarued aside / yeat is it the Instituciõ of
christe. But to the contrarie I do saye / that the Masse is so
farr swarued from the ordinaunce of christe / that it hathe
nothing agreing with christis Institucion / yea and that it is
most directly repugnãt ũto it / A very Idoll / wherin
massemũgers do committe very vile Idolatrie. And this will I
proue by diuers reasons. ffurst of all. The Supper of the
Lorde / as it was delyuered of christe shold be a publique and a
common worcke and action: for Christe our Sauiour made it with
his Apostles. But nowe in the Masse / ther commithe forthe one
sacrificing preste / disguised with straunge araye / and he doth
all thinges alone / the rest stonde still loking / heeringe /
and holding their peace. If paule did worthely and Iustly saye /
when the Corinthians did not tarie and loke one for an other /
that they did not then eate the Lordes supper / then ther is not
the Lordes supper eaten / wher one tarieth not for an other so
that they maye eate all together: And how shall we then saye /
that the Masse is the Lordes supper / wher one only sacryficing
prest doth eate and drincke vpp all alone? surly it can not be
so called: for to be, and not to be the Lords supper / ar
contrarie / Paule saith / it is not the Lords supper / wherfor
call your Masse by what name ye will / the Lords supper it is
not / for paule is to be beleaued before all massinge
marchauntes.

They saye morouer that in their Masse / they do offer vpp the
sonne of godd vnto the eternall father for the synnes of the
quicke and the deade: And this they do call the principall point
of their masse. But in the Laste Supper of the Lorde that
Scacrifice and oblaciõ was not made / but vppõ the crosse / as
the scripture witnessith. And as for this their offerẽge /
ffurst / paul doth denie it in most playn words in the epistle
to the hebrues /

  [[Heb. 9. 10.]]

wher he sayeth that all oblacions for synne wer consummate and
finished / and all thinges made perfect by that one only
oblacion / which christe Iesus our Sauiour in his own parson
made of hymself vppon the crosse. The worde of godd teachithe /
that christe was but ons only to be sacrificed and offered /
And that Sacrifice no more to be made: for if it wer often to
be made / then the furst was not perfect / But the furst was
perfect / Therfor ther must be no repeating of it. The papistes
do saye / that they dayly offer christe for to take awaye
synne / and that this Sacrifice must be dayly repeted of them /
The scripture denieth this playnly: And thus ye do se that heere
is a playne contradiction.


Again The supper of the Lorde was not instituted to the end that
such a sacrifice for synne (as they fayne) shuld be made of it /
but that in the vse of it the communicantes shuld be put in
mynde / and made partakers of that only propiciatorie sacrifice
which christe offered ons only for all euer vppon the crosse.
And therfor ther Masse / in which they wold worcke such
marueyles / and the Lordes supper ar vtterly vnlyke. But here
they will reply and saye.


The fathers do speake thus of this Sacrifice / We graunte
indeede / that the fathers do often tymes speake so as thoughe
that the lorde wer offered in this administracion of the
Sacrament / or sacrificed: But they vsed this worde / Sacrifice,
improperly / for by that kinde of speaking they did
onderstonde / the offringes of praise / and sacrifices of
thanckes made and gyuen for christes sacrifice done vppon the
crosse / This they called to sacrifice. Our sacrificing prests
ar not content with this / for they will haue their own worcke
to be an vnwonted worcke / belonging to them alone / which
neither the scriptures / nor the fathers do teache: ffor to
offer this Sacrifice of whiche the fathers do speake /
partayneth not to the preist alone / but to the whole poeple
that stõdith by / and doth cõmunicate / And so it is a common
oblacion and sacrifice of all / not of the preiste more then of
the poeple / but this only that the preist both in wordes and
action / doth go before the poeple.

  [[de Ciuitate dei. lib. 10. cap. 6.]]

Augustine doth saye / that the churche is offered in that
offeringe which it doth offer. For all which do communicate /
they do offer them selues vnto godd / and do testifie that their
will is / to abide in christe.

The papistes do holde also that the breade is turned into the
substaunce of christes bodie / and that ther remaynith nothing
but the qualitie and accidẽce of breade as whitenes / &c. for
the substaũce / saye they / is christes bodie. But the scripture
saith that christe in his laste supper did gyue breade vnto his
disciples /

  [[1. Cor. 11.]]

and paule callith it breade also / yeat in the Masse the
papistes saye that it is otherwise.

The vse of the breade and wyne by christis instituciõ is only /
that the congregacion shuld eate and drincke therof in the
remembrance of christe / But the papistes in their Masse do most
shamefully abuse them both. For wheare as the worde of godd
saythe:

  [[Deutron 6]]
  [[math. 4.]]

Thow shalt worshipp the Lorde thy godd and hym only shalt thow
serue / They in ther masse do lyfte vpp the breade and wyne /
and euen in the rowme of godd they sett them furthe to be adored
and worshipped of the poeple: now how farr this differrith from
the vse of christes supper eich man may se. Yea what can be more
vile and filthie Idolatrie / then to adore and worshipp a peace
of brede ãd cupp of wyne / as godd? Be not offended that I do
vse theise bare names. I do confes / that whosoeuer acording to
the Lordes Instituciõ doth cõmunicate with the cõgregaciõ and
dothe eate the breade ãd drinke of the cupp of the Lorde /
beholding the deathe of christe with Lyuely faithe / the same
man is in sprete ãd after his manier / made partaker of the body
ãd bludd of the lorde. Contrari wise if thow do not vse the
breade and wyne acordinge to the ordinaunce of christe / but
gase vppon them / then ar they nothinge els to the / but breade
ãd wyne: But if in a popishe Masse / or in the popishe hãging /
heauing / carying / or handelinge of them / thow do worshipp
them / thẽ ar they vnto the a false Idoll / ãd thow indeede a
filthie Idolatror. If therfor thow wilt be partaker of the body
and bludd of christe in the holy supper / then eate the breade
and drincke the cupp as the lorde hathe instituted. Godd wold
haue the poeple in the vse of the holy Supper to ascend vppwarde
into heauen in mynde and affectiõ / that they might ther cleaue
fast vnto christe. And therfor the true ministers of the churche
do labour to the vttermost of their poure / thus to lifte vpp
the poeples mynde into heauen / that they shuld not seeke
christe in the worlde / that they shuld not thinck ony fleshly
or earthely thinge of hym: Theise men clean contrarie in the
order of their Sacrament and Masse do miserably detayn the
poeple in the earthe / bynding and holding them to the visible
signes.


  [[1. Cor. 14]]

The apostle commaundith that thinges shuld not be doone in the
congregacion in a straunge tongue / except ther wer an
Interpretour / that the thing being vnderstonded of all / the
hearers might saye / Amen / and that the edifyinge of them shuld
be sought. Now theise men in their masse do all in the Laten
tongue / which is to the common poeple vnknown / and they do
defend this theyr doing euen against the worde of godd. But it
is most certayn that christe our sauiour in his administration /
and after him all his apostles and disciples which wer hebrues /
vsed theyr vulgare hebrue tongue / the Grecians also their greke
tonge. And euen vnto this daye the Sclauonians in their churches
vse their vulgare and commen speache.


Those wordes of our greate and singuler consolation / in wich
the partakinge of Christes bodye and bloude is promised / the
papistes in their Masse speake secretlie / they whisper them so
that euen they which knowe the Latine tonge cã neither heare thẽ
nor vnderstande them. And so do they rumble them vp to their
owne selues as thoughe the people were vnworthie to heare thẽ:
But christ in his super spake thẽ openlie. And so the greke
churche ãd the Churche of India / do yet speake thẽ with ã
audible voice And the aunciẽt manier was / as Ambrose and
Augustĩe amõg other of the fathers do testifie that the people
dyd answer vnto those words. Amẽ. But as I suppose the papistes
do thus murmure ãd speake these words in secrete / bicause they
wolde not haue their Lies knowen / for they do saye / Take ye
and eate / and this so oftẽ as ye do / do yt in the remẽbraũce
of me. But who taketh / or to whõ do they giue? The wordes be
spokẽ to the people: And yet they thẽ selues do eate and drike
vp all alone / and do distribute vnto no mã ells. Is not this to
make a lie? To lie alwaies is takẽ to be an euill thĩge / but
before god to lie / is a moste shamles and wiked thinge: who
dothe eate (o ye lyyng papistes) or who doth drinke wyth you? If
ye do distribute at any tyme to ony other ye do yt not when ye
your selues receyue / but ye chose for them an other time / yea
and another kinde also / for to thẽ ye do minister but the
breade onlye. Thus ye se that all theise thinges which these
massers do in their masse / ar contrarye to the institution of
Christe. Ther masse then and Christes supper ar not lyke.


The papistes saye that by their Action (I meane ther handeling
of ther breade and wyne) they do applie vnto others the profitt
of Christs bloudie sacrifice and passiõ. Of a Sacramẽt they saye
that they make sacrifices to profit the quicke and the Deade.
and this do they ĩ ther masse. But the scripture teacheth / that
there is but one only propiciatorie sacrifice / able and
auaylable to take awaie synnes / whiche Christe Iesus offered in
his owne fleshe vpon the Crosse. And that euerie man muste
applie vnto him selfe by liuelie faythe the benefite of that
same sacrifice of christe / as the scripture teacheth likewise /
that eche man is iustified by his own faithe, and that eche man
in his owne righteousnes or vnrighteousnes / doth liue / or die.
It teachithe also that christe did institute the sacrament only
to this end that the congregacion shuld eate and drincke it in
the remẽberaunce of that same his Sacrifice. And that eiche one
in the drincking therof shuld apply vnto himself by faithe / the
fruite of that Sacrifice. Now compare the doctrine of the
scriptures and of the papistes in this pointe together / and
thou shalt se that their Masse is contrarie to christes
Institucion. But as they haue / so still will they saye:


That aswell the liuing as the deade be helped by this their acte
applied at their pleasure. If they wolde saie that thei profyt
others by praier / that were tollerable. But they go further and
saie / that ther verye massinge worcke it selfe / hathe so moche
vertue / power ãd strenghthe in it / that it shall profit not
only all kyndes of mẽ / but all such creatures ãd beastes for
whom they do say ther masse / bicause in it they do applye the
benefite of christes passion: but ye must vnderstõd whẽ they be
payed for ther labor. This is an horrible error in no wise to be
suffered / for as I sayed / ther is but one only sacrifice
propiciatorie to take awaye synne / which one sacrifice eiche
one of vs must applie vnto our selues by liuelie faythe / And
this applyinge faithe is the only gifte of god: But on this
grounde buylde they their purgatorie and mutch other such pelf /
by which they do pycke mens purses. They saye ther Masses also
in the honor of this / or of that saincte. And of what saintes?
suche verylie whose histories are not certaynlie knowen / and
are of none authoritie / yea many of thẽ are no better then
poetes fables / of whõ not vnworthelie we doubte whether they be
sainctes or no: But be it that they were true sainctes / yet
this their doinge is moste cõtrarie to christes ordinance / for
Christe did institute his supper to this ende that it sholde be
vsed in the remembrance of his deathe and not of other mens /
weare they neuer so holye.


In their masse they haue also diuers and sundrie rytes ãd
customs / clothes / signes / gestures / tornes / remouinges / ãd
blissinges / of and with the breade ãd wine / but christe vsed
none of all theis in his supper: And what they do meane by these
thinges the poeple doth not knowe / neither can the priestes
them selues for the most part tell what is ment by them: for if
ye aske the meaninge of them / either cã they saye nothinge at
all / or if they do saie owghte / they do not saye all one
thinge / but thinges that be moste cõtrarie / wherby a mã maie
iudge that there is no truithe at all in their wordes. But here
they do saie. Thinkest thou that the foolishe vnlearned people
in the olde Lawe dyd vnderstand all the legall ceremonies? no it
was not requisite / no more is yt nowe: To this I answer /
Althoughe that all the poeple dyd not knowe what was mente by
them in the olde lawe / It sufficed yet that they hade the worde
of god for them / Nowe do yee shewe vnto vs the worde of god for
theise your signes and it shall suffice vs.

Agayne the godly and lerned preistes could shew what was ment by
the rites and ceremonies of the lawe / and that by the word of
godd: but ye can do neyther of theis: for ye haue enuented theis
toyes in your own braynes: signes ye do call them but ye do not
know what thinges they do signifie. And therfor as in rites your
Masse doth differ from christes supper / so whẽ ye saye your
pleasure of your rites / ye ar not to be beleaued: for faith
hath no place where goddes worde doth not shew it selfe. I saide
that massemungers in their masse do committ Idolatrie. Their
bready god hanged vp in a pix / and their Images / vnto which
they turne them selues and do make their moste vncleane seruice
and sacrifice do proue this true: Neither do they accompte it
sufficient to behold theis their Idols when they saye their
Masses / but also they so offer vnto them / they cense them /
they bowe the knee vnto them: let them nowe denye whilest they
will that they do not worship the breade / nor the Images / yet
this worship they do them / This kinde of worship (I saye) which
is giuen customabilie vnto god alone / as the lawe of god
teacheth. But seing they giue this vnto these Idols / are they
not Idolatrors? yes truly. And howe thẽ dare ony christian be
present there / to vncouer the heade to bowe the kne to offer
and do such like thinges with them?


They saye that ther Masse is christes Institution / And our men
(of whom I now haue spoken) do saye that the Masse hath sum
affinitie with christes institucion of the holy supper.


But I saye that the olde heathens myghte wyth more coloure of
truithe / excuse and defende their sacrifices by that maner /
then these men maye do their masse. ffor verylye the sacrifices
of the heathen haue lesse departed from the maner which the
fathers vsed in sacrificinge before the lawe giuẽ / which also
the lorde approued in the lawe / thẽ these massers do frome the
supper which Christe / and the Apostle paule hathe prescribed.
In bothe their sacrifices was the inuocation of god / a Temple /
an Aultar / slayne sacrifices / sacrificinge priestes / sleynge
of beastes / sheddinge of bloude / salte / wine / oyle / mele /
an holy feaste / holy garmentes / washinge / censinge / fyer /
singinge / prophecies / and suche other thinges / all which to
repeate it were to longe: let our Massers (if they can) shewe so
many thinges which Christe did in the holye supper: Which thinge
if they can not do / then let them cease to boaste that their
Masse is the institution of Christ and the Apostles / from which
it differethe so farre that if the Apostles and fathers of the
primatyue churche were nowe here to beholde this masse / they
sholde not knowe it to be the lords supper / but wolde surlie
marueyle at suche a monstruous mahometrie.

I omytte also that in and with their Masse they haue many
Anniuersaries yearemyndes / diriges done for the deade: But The
Lord did not institute ony of them. If they saye that Cyprian
and others of the fathers do speake of suche Annyuersaries:
I answer that those of which the fathers do make mencyon / were
nothinge els but thãckfull remẽbraũces of the Martirs departed /
in which they did gyue thancks to godd for thẽ. They also in
their Masses do call vppon the saintes and holy men departed /
which is a thing most contrarie to true godlynes / and vtterly
vnknown and vnpracticed in the administracion of the Lordes
supper.

And to be shorte all their thinges which they do in their
Masses / they do choppe and chaũge / they bye and sell and sett
them furthe to most vile and filthie gayne. Wherfor / my most
Louing Brethern take ye diligent heede / les whilest ye pretend
to worshipp godd in your going to Masses / and to entreate hym
to be mercifull vnto yow / ye do not most mightyly kindle his
wrathe against you by hearinge of theise Masses: which as ye
playnly do se / ar nothing els but a shamfull deuise sett vpp to
deface the deathe of christe / a pestilent practise fownde out
to ouerthrowe the true vse of the Lordes supper / and an
Idolatrie inuented to infect the poeple and to make them
Idolatrors. whearby eich man may easily iudge / how great a
synne it is / to be partaker of a Masse.


But notwithstondinge all this which is spoken / yeat theise men
whiche thincke that they maye dissemble at the Masse / cease not
to saye / That thoughe the Masse be not the Lords supper / but
an Idolatrie / yet is not the presẽce at it so earnestly to be
forbidden / seing that such thinges haue been graũted vnto the
Infirmities of mẽ: If a man do aske them wheare:

  [[Naman.]]

They do bringe forth the Example of Naaman the Syrian / and by
it they will neades haue it made Lawfull vnto them to
communicate with wicked supersticiõs.

  [[4. Reg. 5.]]

for he prayed Heliseus / saye they / that he might be suffred to
kneele in the temple of Rymmon that Idoll / whẽ the kinge did
worshipp / and leane vppon his arme. whom the prophet answered /
goo in peace. And that / saye they / which was permitted vnto
Naaman / whi do ye forbyd vnto vs? ffurst theise men shuld weye
with them selues / whether that we only haue redde this Example
of Naaman / or not. So we thincke that the holy Apostles and
Martirs of the olde churche which wer occupied nighte and daye
in the holy scriptures / did not consider this acte and Example?
Truly they wer not ignorant of the historie / yet did they neuer
knowe this vnderstandinge of it: for if they did / whi then
wolde they not folow this example / especially when they might
therby haue saued their lyues?


But these holy and godly learned men did see that thinge in this
historie / which our men do not consider / namely this / that
Naamã now newly cõuerted to the faithe was a smoking flaxe which
was not to be putt out / a weake and shaken reade which was not
to be brosed in peices / and that as yet he was very weake / for
he was not yet prepared and readye to denye and forsake hymself
and all that was his for goddes sake. He thought that it might
cõme to pas that he shuld together with the knowledge of the
Lyuing godd / easili holde and keape still his old place /
office / and dignitie / if he coulde happen to haue that / which
he desired of the prophet: And when he did well perceyue that
this was his infirmitie and synne / it trobled himso that
therfor he desired the prayers and helpe of Heliseus: he desired
hym / that if he shuld happen to fall into this euill / yeat
that he might be fauored / that he mighte finde mercie / ãd that
Heliseus wold praye that the Lorde wolde forgyue hym. Who doth
at ony tyme aske forgyuenes for that which he accõptithe
Lawfull? forgyuenes is asked for synnes only / Naaman therfor
acknowledged this his acte to be a synne: And if I so fall (quod
he) then praye the Lorde to forgyue me. This place therfor doth
make most against our men / and euen the same wayes which they
go about to excuse their facte / by the same it is most playnly
proued to be synne. Let them aknowledge therfor in their doĩge
that thinge / which Naaman the Sirian did. And let them begg the
mercie of godd / and the prayers of godly men / that the same
thing which they haue euell doone / and do / maye be pardoned
them. Neither did Eliseus / as our men do thincke / graunte
Naaman licence or libertie to do so as he hadd sayde / but only
he saide vnto hym / goo in peace: which manier of speaking was a
kind of takinge leaue vsed in that age. And as for any other
thinge ther can none be gathered out of thos wordes / onles it
be this that he promised to do that which Naaman required: goo
thy wayes (saithe he) I will do as thow desirest / I shall praye
for the. The prophet doth not reiect hym / if he shuld fall into
this euell. As we do not vtterly reiect nor shutt theise mẽ frõ
grace which thus do fall: Yeat must we sharply reproue their
doinges that they may acknowledge their fault and synne / and
vnfaynedly lament and repẽt the same. And we ought also hartily
to praye that they may be raysed vpp agayn. They do obiect also
certayn wordes out of the Epistle of Ieremie / which is ẽtitled
Baruch. The wordes ar theise.

  [[Bar. 6.]]

Now shall ye see in Babilon godds of golde / of syluer / of
wodde / and of stone / borne vppõ mens shulders to caste out a
fearefulnes before the heathẽ / But loke that ye do not as the
other: be not afrayed let not the feare of thẽ ouercome yowe.
Therfor when ye do see the multitude of poeple worshipping them
behinde and before / saye yee in your hartes / O Lord / it is
thow that oughtest only to be worshipped / Of theise wordes our
men do gather / that it is sufficient for them when they ar
present at Idolatries / Masses / and popishe supersticions / to
saye in ther harte / O Lord it is thow that oughtest only to be
worshipped. In answer to these men: furst I saye / that this
booke entitle Baruch is none of the Canonicall scriptures: And
therfor no man is bownd to the doctrine of it. But admit the
booke wer of sufficient auctoritie / Then theise men must
vnderstonde / that the prophet doth not gyue the Iues leaue to
comme vnto the temples of Idols / that ther they might be
present at vngodly Idolatrie / bowe ther knee / and so make vpp
the matier / with sayinge in their hart to the true and lyuyng
godd / O Lord / it is thow that oughtest only to be worshipped.
But he gyuith the Iues instruction against Images which wer
caried about / ãd Idolatries which wer vsed in those places wher
they were exiles: ffor the Maneir of the Babilonians was / not
only to haue Images in ther temples / but also to haue them sett
abroode and caried openly vppon mens shulders. As it is not
vnlike that the Image of Nabugodonosor, which beinge dedicated
in the feilde of dura, was caried aboute the whole Regiõ with
Musicall Instrumẽtes ãd sõges / at the sownde of which
whersoeuer the Image was seene / commaundemẽt was gyuẽ vnto all
mẽ that they shuld worshipp it: which Daniels felows wolde not
do. Of theise thinges I saye / that epistle entreatithe /
playnlye to warne the godly / that they shuld not adore / nor
worshipp thos Idols thoughe that the heathenishe poeple did so
bothe before them / and behind them / but when they did see this
Idolatrie / detesting it / they shuld then saye / O lord / it is
thou to whome worshipp doth only belõge: he saied not / bowe the
knee with thẽ / and saye in your hartes / o lord / it is thou
&c. but when ye do see these Idols and Idolatrye / say so. These
seyngs and suddayn meetings in the cytie streetes ãd fieldes /
could not be auoyded / and therfor the godly were to be
enstructed and admonished / how they shuld behaue them selues in
that case.


But our men / as they are veraye bolde to abuse the scripture
for their purpose / go on further and aske / how it happened
that Daniel was not throwen into the fierie fornace with his
felowes?

  [[Daniel. 3.]]

seing lyke punishement was appointed vnto all men which did not
worshippe. They will of necessitie haue it graunted them
therfor / that Daniel did dissemble / (as they now do) and that
therfor nothing was done vnto hym: And that thinge which Daniel
dyd / they thincke that they maye do. I aunswer our men thus /
that they do not reason well to saye / He was not punished /
therfor he was ther and worshipped / they do out more in the
consequẽt / then is in the antecedẽt / and so to reason is to
make a subtill cauillacion / taking that to be a cause which is
no cause. For there might be many other causes / wherfor Daniel
was not likewise punished: happilie the Image ãd he did not
meete together: or yf he did meete it / men did not mark what he
did: or els though men marcked that he did not worshipp / yet he
was not accused: or yf he were accused / yet through the
singular fauour which the King did beare vnto him he was
delyuered from punishmẽt. It must not then forthewith folowe /
that Daniel for feare of death did present himself before that
Idoll / and did dissemble his Religion / doing there as other
Idolatrors did: this we must not iudge of Daniel /

  [[Daniel. 6.]]

seing in the lyke quarell / he was not afrayde to be thrown vnto
the lyõs. Now seing there may be many other causes why he was
not caste into the fire with his felowes / why do these men
chose vnto them selues this one cause? and that such a one / as
is sclaũderous vnto that holy man / of which in the holy
scriptures / there is not so much as a suspicion contayned. Yet
they do thinke that they do not vnaptly saye for themselues /
and defend their cause / when they do alledge that out of the
Actes of the Apostles:

  [[Actor. 21.]]

where mencion is made howe that Paule / through the councell of
the Elders of the churche of Hierusalem / did take on hym a vowe
with other foure men / and did purifye hymself after the maner
and custumme of the Iues. Yf (saye they) suche an Apostle dyd
take thys lybertye to vse in Iurie the ceremonies which were now
abrogated / euẽ we also maye vse / and comme vnto the rites /
and ceremonies now vsed in our countrithe. For the better
vnderstõding of this matter we must first well consider what the
somme of Paules preachinge was:

  [[Rom. 3.]]

We do suppose (saith he) that a man is iustified by faith /
without the workes of the Lawe.

  [[Gal. 3.]]

And as many as are vnder the deedes of the Lawe are subiect to
the curs.

  [[Abac. 2.]]

Agayne the Iuste man shall lyue by his faithe.

  [[Rom. 1.]]

This is the somme of Paules doctrine / wherby it doth appeare /
that Paule did not vtterly condẽne the obseruing of the
ceremonies of the Law / but only whẽ it was done with this
minde / as thoughe that Iustification did not cõme therby. And
the same his meaning he vtterith most playnly to the
Galathians / where he saithe.

  [[Gal. 5.]]

As many of ye as are circumcised / ye are fallen from the grace
of Christe: for Christe shall not profite you at all: ye are
gone quite frõ Christe / as many as are Iustified by the Lawe /
As yf he wold saye / These thinges of theyr owne nature do not
alienate and separate vs from Christe / but only when they be
done with this mynde and purpose / to be Iustified by them: Take
awaye this opinion / and this euell hurtefull purpose being
remoued / then Paule cõmendeth these worckes / and all other
ciuyle ordinaunces cõmaunded / and appoynted to that Nacion: he
condẽneth them not / but so farre as they wer iustly and not
supersticiously vsed / he did leaue thẽ in theyr place /

  [[Gal. 3.]]

ãd did not hinder the obseruacion of them. As he dyd also
write / that in the Lord / there was neither Iue nor gentill /
neyther bonde nor fre.

  [[Gal. 6.]]

And that in Christe Iesus / neyther circumcision auaileth any
thing at all / nor vncircumcision / but the obseruing of the
commaũdements of God / or a new creature.

  [[1. Cor. 7.]]

And againe yf any be called being circũcised / let him not adde
vncircũcision. If anye be called vncircũcised / let hym not be
circũcised. Let euery man abyde in the same estate / in which he
is called. All these indifferẽt thinges / might somtyme be well
obserued / somtyme be as well left vndone / as most serued for
edifying in godd. Of which vse and obseruacion of thẽ

  [[1. Cor. 9.]]

Paule doth speake / when of him self he saieth: I am made all
vnto all mẽ / that I might wynne manye: Vnto the Iues / I am
made as a Iue / to thẽ which are without the lawe / as though I
were without a lawe. This sentence he hath also confirmed by
examples:

  [[Actor. 16.]]

For when he was required to circũcise Timothie / because that
the custumme which was yet in force might be kept / he did it:
But when they wolde enforce him to the ouerthrowĩg of the
christiã libertie / that he shulde likewise circumcise Titus /

  [[Gal. 2.]]

In no wyse wolde he gyue place vnto them / no not for the space
of one houre / and because (saith he) false brethren came in /
to espie out / or to betray our libertie. S. Paule did obserue
these thinges then / when it might be done without an euell
mynd / when no hurte shuld ensue of it: The cause ãd end why
Paule did it / was to auoide the offendinge of the beleauing
Iues / les yf he did it not / they shuld therby be alienated and
turned awaye from Christes gospell / which they had newly
receyued. But we must not compare these ceremonies of the old
lawe with the Inuencions of men / they can not be iustly
compared with Massing: They were plainly taught in Goddes
worde / but these masses and popishe Idolatries are thrust vnto
vs by the subtiltie of the deuell / and craftye deceyuing of mẽ.
They were thinges indifferẽt / and as such thinges might be well
vsed. But these are thinges vtterly euell and can not be well
vsed. They after Christes ascenscion into heauẽ wer not
forbidden / and therfor might be obserued / so long as the
Temple and common welth of Israel did cõtinue and the citie was
vndestroyed / and vntill the full reuelinge and preachinge of
the gospell was had / vntill by it the churche of Christe /
which was to be gathered of the Iues and gentils / were well /
and fully vnited and knitt together.

  [[Aug. Epistol. 19. ad Hieron.]]

Neyther wer those ceremonies / as Augustine saith / suddenly and
without honor to be buried and throwen awaye. But these masses /
and such popish supersticions / which are farsed full with
Idolatrie / alwayes haue beene / are / and shalbe forbiddẽ.
Those thinges might therfor be keapt and obserued for a tyme /
so that men did not vse them with that mynde (as I sayed) to be
iustified by them. Wherfor yf thow wilt consider the matier it
self / that is / the nature of the acte / Paule can neither be
therin reprehended / nor yet can these dissemblige Massehaunters
vse his well doinge as a defence for their euell doinge: but
much les can this be done / yf thou wilt searche out the mynde /
councell / and entent of Paules doinge. Bothe these thinges
these mayntayners of massehaunting do want. For furst they are
occupied in a thing which is contrary / and repugnant to Godds
worde / as it is already declared. Secondly / in thys their
dissimulacion they do only seke themselues / for to thend that
they maye retayne their riches / dignitie / and estimacion by
falling to poperye they offend the weake and drawe them by their
example from Christe to Antichrist / wheras Paule did herin
obserue thinges commaunded in Goddes worde / and thẽ to this
ende only / les the beleauing Iues shuld fall backe frõ Christ /
and that he might the more easily drawe others / which yet
beleaued not / to the gospell of Christe. Furthermore these men
do saye / that they by their dissimulacion will auoide offence.
For (saye they) yf we shuld so vtterly forsake the Masse as ye
wolde haue vs / we shulde be taken as wicked mẽ ãd euell doers /
ãd so shall we geue great offence in out countrithes. I graũte
that these men do seke to auoyd offence / but what offence? euẽ
the offẽce of the world. They will not offend / but whom?
Tyraũtes / ãd such as ar the very limmes of antichrist. And why?
les they shuld procure against thẽselues theyr wrath / poure /
and tyrãnie. But this is that offence / which Criste sayeth
shuld not be auoided:

  [[Mat. 15.]]

Let them alone (saith he of the Phariseis) They are blinde ãd
the leaders of the blinde. Heere we must consider which be euell
offences / and such as are to be auoyded indeed. Euẽ those I
say / which are an Impediment to the setting forth of the
gospell / which do offend and hinder mẽ / be they simple / or
wicked / that they do not embrace pure doctryne / and turne vnto
Christe. Now beholde / I pray the / by cõming to the Masse /
what offence thou doest gyue? The Idolatrous ãd supersticious
people / ar they not offended by this thy doing? Yeas verely.
For when they do se the haũte their masses / they say / these
gospellers do cõme to our masses / which they wold not do yf our
masses wer so euell as thei call thẽ: wherfor we may perseuere
ãd cõtinue in our old purpose. And on the other parte / the
weaker brethrẽ / which are but newly turned / ãd not farr
entered into the knowledge of Christ / whẽ they do se these
better lerned professors / enseyng bearers / and chief men in
the scole of Christ comme to the masse / they are taught to do
the lyke: and wher before they wer perswaded not to comme at
masses / now they thincke that they were then deceyued / and
that it is but a fonde precise scrupulositie so to abstayn from
masses: and it cometh to pas / that where they shuld go forwarde
in the waye of truth / now they do go backe. Thus both the
wicked and the godly / are offended by thy example: It is playne
therfor that vnder the cloked colour of auoyding of offence /
these men do fall into the very offẽce gyuing. They say morouer:
It is nedefull to cõdiscende vnto the weake: for there are many
which are not persuaded that the masse is naught / and therfor
are neyther ready to forsake their countrie / nor to dye in the
quarell / whiche men yf they shulde perceyue that we did not
come to masse / they wold not gyue then any ear or credite vnto
vs in the other matiers and chief pointes of religion: wherfore
we must gyue and yealde somwhat vnto their infirmitie / as Paule
doth teache the Romayns. This they saye.

  [[Rom. 14.]]

But what will Paule / I praye you / that we shuld yealde to the
weake? This verily / fyrst that we shuld not please our selues:
Agayne / that we shuld not so lyue after our own mynde / that we
shulde cõtemne their saluacion. We do graunte therfor that som
thinge is to be gyuen vnto the infirmitie of the weake brother /
but euen with Paule / we will not suffer that to be done / but
in thinges indifferẽt. But those thinges which of them selues ar
euell and forbidden of Godd / must not be done in respect of any
man.

  [[Rom. 3.]]

For that same Rule doth stonde certayn which gyueth leaue to no
mã to do euell that goode maye comme theron. To abstayn / or not
to abstayn from meates / was then a thing indifferẽt. In such
thinges they which be stronger must beare with the Infirmitie of
the weaker: but meate eating ãd Massehauntinge are not lyke /
for this is no thing indifferẽt / but manifestly euell / as it
is sufficiently proued / and therfor it is not to be done in
respect of bearing with any man that is weake. But are the weake
alwayes to be borne with all in thinges indifferent? no truly /
we must not alwayes yealde to the weake but only whylest they be
taughte: And when they do vnderstonde the thing that is taught
them / and yet do wauer and doubt of a wilful scrupulositie /
their infirmitie is no longer to be norished nor born with all:
For we must not so beare with them / that out libertie shal be
in subiectiõ to their frowardnes / nor that therby we do hurte
others by our example.


Agayn they obiect and saye: Yf we shuld do as ye wold haue vs to
do / then must we eyther flye out of our coũtrithe / or els
forthwith shall we suffer death and so the congregatiõs shalbe
left vtterly desolate / ther shall be none lefte to teache and
norishe those afflicted mẽbres which shall remayne in our
churche: Better it is / that by our bearing and dissemblinge /
ther do remayne yet sum leight / then that by doing as ye wold
haue vs all together shuld be putt out.

  [[1. Cor. 15.]]

If sum do remayne ther / it wil brust forthe at lẽgthe / and a
litill leauẽ will soure the whole lũpe of dowe. &c. Truly for
all this goodly clooke / it is easily perceyued that through
this dissẽbling the edifying of the churche is hindered and not
furthered. These men pretẽde with Athlas to beare vp heauẽ withe
their shulders / but they do ouerthrow altogether: Godd doth se
more thẽ we / in the thinges which shall happen to the churche:
We must obeye hym in seruyng hym ãd his churche with the
cõfessiõ of truthe. The issue / and succes / let vs cõmitt vnto
hym to whom the churche doth belonge: And let vs do that
wherunto we ar called. The churche shall be destroyed thẽ / thow
sayest: Let God care for that / he will well prouide for that /
let vs not doubt. Wel maye theise mẽ be answered / as the lorde
answered Peter / whẽ he called hym / sayinge:

  [[Ioan. 21.]]

folowe me: Peter made a staye at it and asked hym what Iohn
shuld do. If I will (saith Christ) haue hym to tarye / what is
that to the? do thow folowe me. So if thow aske in this case /
what shall then be done with the churche? I aunswer / what is
that to the? Do thow the thinge wher vnto thow art called.
Besids this oftẽ tymes the doctrine of the gospell is more sett
furth / and better receyued / when it is mayntayned by deathe /
and fleinge / then when by words only it is propownded and
taught: for then men are taught by deedes / as before they wer
by wordes: Haste thow confessed the gospell in wordes? This then
remayneth for the to do: die / or flye for the gospell so shalt
thou cõfesse the same indede. And Let vs not feare the desolatiõ
of the churche / for wher one of our brethern dyeth / or flyeth
for the doctrine / in his rowm shall rise vp a great sorte. But
if we stãd and continue in dissemblinge / thẽ is the light of
the truithe put owt / nether is there any cõfession made indede.


They bringe in also the examples of Zacharie / Iohn the
Baptist / the virgin Marie / and Ioseph / which in the corupted
and infected tymes whẽ they lyued dyd cõme vnto the seruice of
God in the Tẽple of the Iues / The same thing maye be permitted
to thẽ (they thincke) and that yt is as lawfull for thẽ to
partake ãd vse the ceremonies in the popish churche be they
neuer so corrupt. True it is that ther were many wicked
doctrines and euill opinions at that tyme emongest the scribes
and pharisees. But yet the estate of thẽ was far otherwise / thẽ
it is in our tyme: They hade corrupted the doctrine of the law
and of iustificatiõ. They were couetous / That thing which they
dyd / Was done with out fayth / and therfor abhominable before
God / yet the rite and maner of sacrificing apointed by Goddes
lawe was not chaũged / for the same beastes were offered which
the lawe dyd cõmaũde / the same daies were obserued / and
ceremonies / and therfore it was lawfull to vse thẽ inasmoche as
they hade the worde of Godd for thẽ. And eiche mã that so vsed
thẽ receyued accordĩg to the measure of his faithe. For the
corrupte doctrines / sentẽces and manieres of the priestes /
Bishoppes and scribes / dyd not hurte at all the prophettes and
godlie men which wer thẽ selues cleare frõ thẽ / of a contrarie
mynde to thẽ / in all thinges thinking according to Godds
worde / yea dyd also reproue and sharplie rebuke those thinges:
which thing Augustine dothe witnesse as he is allegded. 23. q.
4. ca. Recedite. and in many other places there. Let our
sacrificinge priestes do the same vnto vs at this daie. Let thẽ
celebrate the lordes supper and vse other ceremonies / so as by
Godds worde they be apointed / thẽ we will not draw backe at
all / but vse thẽ / thoughe they thẽ selues thincke corruptlie /
and liue more wickedlie / we shall bewaile / we shall
admonishe / we shall reproue / we shall accuse thẽ / and they
shall beare their owne synne. Their synne shall not hurte vs /
nether will we absteyne frome the sacramentes for their
nowghtines / but vse thẽ. In which doĩge we shall not cõmunicate
with their wickednes / for we shall vse the rite and ceremonie
as the lorde cõmaũded / and instituted. And this thing mẽt
Christ whẽ he saide.

  [[Matth. 23.]]

The scribes ãd pharisees do syt in Moses chaire / what they byd
yow do / that do / but as they do / see that ye do not. So
Christe commaunded the leper whom he hade clẽsed to go vnto the
priest.

  [[Luc. 2.]]

The blessed virgin likwise she might well after the birthe of
our sauiour Christ offer the payre of Turtles or too yonge
pigeons / because it was so commaunded in the lawe. By this
example our men can not heare masse / because it is a thinge
contrary to godds worde: But let these papists giue vnto vs the
sacramentes / as Christe dyd institute them / and we shall vse
thẽ / and yet neuerthelesse reproue their wickednes. Nowe our
men beinge thus at all pointes answered / and ouercommed / do
flye to this atlenghth. Thoughe saye they it be a synne to go to
Masse and suche popishe pelfe yet it is but a light synne / and
not se seuerely to be reproued. What (say they) we do many
thinges which we shuld not fo. but God forgyuithe thẽ. &c. To
the last I aunswer: The goodnes of Godd which doth forgyue
synnes vnto them that be truly penitẽt / doth not diminishe at
all the gretnes of the synne. Wherfor I will aunswer only / to
that they saye / that it is but a light synne. Which thinge
whilest they do saye / they do not thincke this with
themselues / that all synnes haue their proper wieght and
burthen. For doinges and the nature of thinges done ar not to be
considered simplie of themselues, but they ar to be weyed by
godds worde and laws / by which they ar forbiddẽ: By it / wicked
actes and the doinge of them ar to be iudged: And seing that the
poure of the lawe and worde of god is all one in all
cõmaundmentes / by it / the weighte / burthẽ and greatnes of
synne cõmitted / is to be weyed considered and iudged.

  [[Iacob. 2.]]

S. Iames therfor in this cause doth saye. He that hathe obserued
the whole lawe / and dothe offend in one / is made giltye of
all. Which sayinge truly is harde and sharpe / but most true /
and teachith all men that they shuld not extenuate synne. But
this place of Iames / is not to be vnderstõded / as thoughe that
all synnes wer equall and like.

  [[August. Epist. 29. ad Hiero.]]

That doth Augustine truly and playnly denye: He saith that the
Stoickes do go about to proue it / when they saye / that all
vertues are cõioyned and knitt together / so that he which hathe
one of them hath all / and he that wãtith one wãtith all. For
wisdome (saye they) is not fearefull / nott intemperate / nut
vniuste / therfor it hath ioyned with it the vertues which be
contrarie vnto these vices: And likewise iustice / strẽghthe /
tẽperaunce and other vertues are not vnwise / but are ioyned
with wisdome / wheruppon they do conclude / that all vertues are
conioyned and knitt together. Theise thinges / saith Augustine /

  [[Iaco. 3.]]

do not agre with the holy scriptures / which do witnes.

  [[1. Ioan. 1.]]

That in many thinges we do all offend / and If we saye that we
haue no synne / we do deceyue our selues and ther is no truithe
in vs. Wherfor seing that we synne in many thinges / and in
synnynge we cã not haue that vertue which is cõtrarie to that
synne which we do committ / and yet it may be that he which
fallith in one synne / many be cõstaunt in other vertues / the
opinion of theis philosophers is fals. As for example: Be it /
that one be of an hastye nature / or do exceade measure in
eatinge / and yet he gyuith euery man his own / and will gyue
his life in Godds cause: though this man be fearce / and
intemperate / yet is he called a iust mã / and a stronge man.
S. Augustine doth also putt awaye the similitude of the
stoicks / whiche is. That the man doth die in the waters / if
they be but half a handfull ouer, his heade / aswell as he ouer
whos heade they are / ten / or twentie cubites. This is no apte
similitude / saith he / therfor let vs take an other more fitte
for our purpose / of light namely and darcknes. Certaynly when
one is in darcknes / the more he dothe departe and go out of it
and drawith nighe vnto light / he begynnith the better to see
sumwhat / and so though that yet he be compassed with darcknes /
yet is he sumwhat partaker of the lighte. But he that wull knowe
more of this matier / let hym reade that Epistle of Augustyne:
Wher he prouith playnly / that all synnes ar not like / as the
Stoicks did thincke: Now to return to our place / which we did
rehearce. He that offendith in one / is giltie of all. Ther is
no obseruacion of Godds Lawe to be receued with an exception /
as thoughe we might chose one parte of it to obserue / and
separate or sett asyde the other parte at our will and pleasure
to neglecte it. The commaundemẽtes of the lawe ar conioyned of
the lorde and knitt together / and so gyuen vnto vs: We must not
now disseuer / and separate thẽ as we lust / but without
exception we must obserue the whole lawe. We must consider and
loke vppon the Auctoritie of the lawe gyuer / which is Godd / It
is of force aswel in one cõmaundement / as in the rest. This
doth Iames seame to meane / when he saith:

  [[Iacob. 2.]]

He that hath sayde / Thow shalt not committ adulterie / the same
hath sayde / Thow shalt not kill. As if he shuld saye / he is no
les contraried in any one of theise commaundemẽtes / then in an
other. And therfor (to adde this by the waye) let them wel
consider what they do which do profes to receyue the gospell /
and yet they do refuse ecclesiasticall disciplyne: Wheras the
lorde / which hath reuealede and opened the gospell vnto vs by
Christe / doth appoint discipline to be a parte therof. Theise
men do synne against the whole lawe. The papistes do also synne
herin / which do preache their parted righteousnes / as
meritorius of congruitie. But to returne / this is also
manifest / that he that synnith in one / is therfore giltie in
all / for that as now by lust and tentacion / he is caried into
sum one transgression / and so dothe synne / euen in like manier
shuld he offend in an other euill / if he wer assaulted in the
same sorte / and whith that same violence of tentacion. And
Augustine in the place before alledged. doth saye. That therfore
he is made giltie of all / bicause he synneth against charitie /
vppon which the obseruacion of the whole lawe is grownded. To be
short therfor / when we do thus fall into synne / we must not
lightly tryfle it of and excuse it / sayinge that it is but
light / and small: for synne is not to be considered of the
matier / and manier of the action only / but of the force
poure / and dignitie of Godds worde which doth forbidd it. And
yet les I shuld seeme to be to rigorus and strayte in this
matier of massehauntinge / let ther be hadd a consideracion / or
difference of the matier / and doinge.

And truly I can not see / how this kinde of synne and doinge cã
be iudged to be light / or small / seing that it is a
transgressiõ committed against the furst table of the lawe / in
which the worship due vntto Godd is cõmaũded which worshipp
being sownde and safe in a mã other vices and synnes ar the more
easily corrected: And agayn this being corrupted / all other
actes are most vnacceptable vnto Godd. Whordõ by Godds lawe is
to be punyshed by deathe / yet is it a synne but against the
.ii. table. And what shal we thincke then of spirituall
whordome? how seuerely doth Godd iudge it? how sharply ought it
to be punished? If therfor thow dost consider the commandement
which thou breakest / it is of God: If the matier / it is
aganist the furst table and therfore thys synne is the more
heynus and weightie. Besids this / our men do counte this Masse
hauntinge a fault to be either contemned / or not so depely to
be considered in theim bicause they do not synne with mynde will
and affection / but as it wer compelled and of necessite. But I
aske them / what manier a violence and compulsion this is
throughe which that necessite commithe of which they make their
excuse? Truly they can not saye that it is ony other / then
bicause they wolde not ronne into the daunger of the losse of
their Goodes / their estimacion and lyfe.

  [[Aristote. Ethi. lib. 3.]]

This is then no absolute necessite but such a one as risith of
ther own corrupt affection and will, wich prouith that their
action is volũtarie. As Aristotle in his Ethicks doth saye of
the losse which shippmen do suffer in a tempest / which do cast
out of their ship al their Goodes whẽ they be in daunger of
shipp wracke: They seame truly to be compelled to do it / and
yet willingly they do it / and therfor they are sayed .To do.
bicause that withe deliberacion and aduise / they do determin /
both with iudgemẽt and will / rather to abide the losse of their
goddes / thẽ of their lyfe. Which thinge as the mariners do
wisely determyne / so our men do folishly / which for the loue
that they beare to their lyfe / bodie ãd goodes do not chose to
abide the losse of thẽ all / in refusing to come to these
detestable masses / to gayn therby lyfe / and saluacion euer
lastinge. And so do they cõmitt doble synne. Furst they synne
willingly. Thẽ they do prefer earthly thinges before heauẽly /
outward thinges before inward / the bodie before the soule /
their Goodes before God: Which is not done but of such / as ar
the very childrẽ of the world. Of affectiõ verily / though they
do saye nay / they do that which they do / but of that
inordinate affection which they do beare to their riches.
Wherfor this is no iust excuse which they make. For as well
might the Corinthians / euen by the very same reason / haue
sayde to Paule. If we do comme vnto these feastes wher the
meates offered vnto Idols are eaten / we do it not with that
mynde as thoughe we allowed such sacrifices / but we ar
compelled therunto / for if we shuld auoide theise solemne
feastes / we shuld be taken as sedicius men / euell citizens /
vncourteous / we shuld loose our frends / ãd most profitable
healp and defence / Yea and paraduẽture our goodes and
countrith, Paule hearith noone of all these thinges / but doth
sharply reproue thẽ / as in the furst epistle which he wrote
vnto thẽ it doth appeare.

  [[Exod. 32.]]

Aarõ also by the same reason might haue excused the making of
the goldẽ calf / and sayed / I did it not with my mynde / I was
cõpelled / and if I hadd not folowed the mynde of the poeple /
they wold haue stoned me. &c. But Moses / who did well perceyue
that this was not of an absolute necessite / but did rise of
such a corrupt grownd and matier as neither righteousnes doth
suffer to be receyued / neither Godd doth admitt / he cõdemnith
the act / ãd doth sharply reproue Aaron for it. Thise men ought
also to thincke this: That the masse is as it wer the signe ãd
sure marke / the pleadg / ãd seale / by which the papists do
knowe who be theirs / frõ others. For whether a mã gyuith
almos / whether he prayeth / whether he lyueth a chaste lyfe /
and so forth / they passe not at all: This only they do
regarde / whether he hearith Masses: which thĩg if they perceyue
that he doth / for the which they thĩke that mã to be ther own /
ãd on the other parte / to abhorr the Masse and not to heare
it / is euen the begynninge of fallinge from ther kyngdõ / and
from Antichriste. Wherfor we may call Massehearinge / The
publique profession of poperie / the badge of the most vile and
filthie Idolatrie which is vsed in our age. In this therfor / ĩ
which papistes put so mutch confidence / that they make therof
the very marcke wherby the godly are known from their men / no
Christian must dissemble. For if he do / then doth he publiquely
professe hymself to be a papist / which is euen to denie
Christes gospell: And this to do / is so greate a synne / as no
mã cã extenuate by ony blind cloke or reason. But thow wilt
saye: Ther be greate daungers / of which I am in present
ieoperdie / and I shall also sett mi self forthe to other most
heauy daũgiers / except I be partaker and do cõmunicate with
papists in the Masse / and such popishe Idolatrie. I grant that
ther are daungers / such is theyr Tyrannie. But remember thou /
That Godd hath forseene all theise daungers before / and also
hath shewed that they shuld comme / of which though he wer not
ignorante / yet did not his wisdõ chaunge his lawe to haue them
auoyded: He commaunded / and doth / that Idolatrie shall not be
cõmitted but that mẽ shuld flye from it / which commaundement he
wyll haue kept what soeuer perill dothe cõme theron. Wherfor let
vs cast our care vppon hym which hath gyuen vs this
commaundemẽt / for he which doth know righte well / that theise
euels are ioyned with the obseruinge of his commaundementes / he
will care for them which for rightuisnes shalbe persequuted.
Truly the violence / and nature of persequution and daungiers is
not such / that it can chaunge Godds lawe: neither that he will
haue his lawes chaunged for them. Let persequutions be howsoeuer
they be / yet Godds lawe remaynith vnmoueable. Let vs not seeke
then to deuide and part ourselues / and our seruice / betwen
Godd ãd the deuell / as thoughe we wold gyue our mynde ãd
affectiõ vnto Godd: ãd in poperie and supersticious Idolatries
to gyue our bodyes doĩges / and outward actiõs vnto the deuell.

  [[1. Cor. 6.]]

Our mynde is Godds seate / our bodie is his Tẽple.

  [[Mat. 22.]]

Gyue therfore to Godd / that which belongith vnto hym. Thincke
what thow lust of doing and dissemblinge for thy commoditie:
Yeat this Rule / and certayn Canon of the holy ghost must now
either rule the /

  [[Roma. 3.]]

or herafter in Godds iudgement cõfownde the. Euell thinges are
not to be done that Goode shuld come theron.


Now seing that we haue sufficiẽtly spoken of priuate men and
subiectes / in and through all the partes and membres of our
distictions and diuisiõs / it remaynithe that we shuld entreate
of Princes: for so at the begynning we ordered our diuision.


  [[Of Rulers and Princes.]]

Of Rulers and princes / I make this diuisiõ / Some there are
which be chiefe princes / suche as do not depẽd and hange on
other / of whõ the Ciuilians do saie / that they haue a mere
Rule. Other are vnder Rulars and such as b