Chapter 6

And truly I can not see / how this kinde of synne and doinge can be iudged to be light / or small / seing that it is a transgression committed against the furst table of the lawe / in which the worship due vntto Godd is commaunded which worshipp being sownde and safe in a man other vices and synnes ar the more easily corrected: And agayn this being corrupted / all other actes are most vnacceptable vnto Godd. Whordom 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 voluntarie. 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 when 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 iudgement and will / rather to abide the losse of their goddes / then 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 and goodes do not chose to abide the losse of them all / in refusing to come to these detestable masses / to gayn therby lyfe / and saluacion euer lastinge. And so do they committ doble synne. Furst they synne willingly. Then they do prefer earthly thinges before heauenly / outward thinges before inward / the bodie before the soule / their Goodes before God: Which is not done but of such / as ar the very children of the world. Of affection 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 / and most profitable healp and defence / Yea and paraduenture our goodes and countrith, Paule hearith noone of all these thinges / but doth sharply reproue them / as in the furst epistle which he wrote vnto them it doth appeare.

[[Exod. 32.]]

Aaron also by the same reason might haue excused the making of the golden calf / and sayed / I did it not with my mynde / I was compelled / 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 condemnith the act / and doth sharply reproue Aaron for it. Thise men ought also to thincke this: That the masse is as it wer the signe and sure marke / the pleadg / and seale / by which the papists do knowe who be theirs / from others. For whether a man 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 thing if they perceyue that he doth / for the which they thinke that man to be ther own / and on the other parte / to abhorr the Masse and not to heare it / is euen the begynninge of fallinge from ther kyngdom / 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 / in 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 man can 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 daungiers / except I be partaker and do communicate 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 wisdom chaunge his lawe to haue them auoyded: He commaunded / and doth / that Idolatrie shall not be committed but that men shuld flye from it / which commaundement he wyll haue kept what soeuer perill dothe comme theron. Wherfor let vs cast our care vppon hym which hath gyuen vs this commaundement / 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 and the deuell / as thoughe we wold gyue our mynde and affection vnto Godd: and in poperie and supersticious Idolatries to gyue our bodyes doinges / and outward actions vnto the deuell.

[[1. Cor. 6.]]

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

[[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 confownde the. Euell thinges are not to be done that Goode shuld come theron.

Now seing that we haue sufficiently spoken of priuate men and subiectes / in and through all the partes and membres of our distictions and diuisions / 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 diuision / Some there are which be chiefe princes / suche as do not depend and hange on other / of whom the Ciuilians do saie / that they haue a mere Rule. Other are vnder Rulars and such as be of lesse authoritie then they / which do depende and hange on the higher princes / either by the right (as they saie) of fee / or ells because they are their officers / and mynisters / that is to saye (as they be commonlye termed) their deputies / lieutenauntes and executours of their office. I will firste speake of the higher / absolute / and mere Rulers: And of them

[[A question]]

I will both aske and answere this question: Whether it be lawfull for them to suffer and permite in their dominions the free and familiar conuersation and dwellinge togither of the vnfaithfull with the faith full:

[[The answer]]

I thinke that it is lawfull / but yet so that they muste take hede of certeyn thinges / and obserue ans kepe certeyn Rules and conditions.

The firste is / that they do not enforce nor compell their faithfull subiectes to ioyne with the vnbeleauers in their assembles / nor in such vnholy kyndes of worshipp of Godd as are contrary to Godds worde: for then shold they not be Godds ministers / as they are taughte to be in the epistle to the Romains /

[[Rom. 13.]]

but rather the ministers of the deuill / of Antichriste / and of their furie. Then sholde they be a feare vnto them that do well / and not to them that do euill / neither sholde they promote the worke of God / but the tyranye of Antichriste.

The seconde is / they muste not graunte nor suffer / the vnfaithfull to vse their supersticions and wicked Idolatries which are contrarie vnto Godds worde. For it is not sufficient / that they do not compell the godly to wicked supersticion and Idolatrie / but also they muste forbidde the same to the wicked Idolatrours: For not doinge of this Salomon is greatlie accused:

[[3. Reg. 11.]]

Indeed he did not compelle the Iues to worshipp Idolles / but yet did he permit and suffer his wyues and concubines, wich were straungiers, to haue their Chapells amonge the Iues / in which they worshipped Astaroth / Chamos and such idolls / For which cause the lorde was so angrie wyth him / that as he suffered his true worshippe to be parted and diuided / as he suffered seruice to be done partlie to God and partlie to Idolles. Euen so was his kingdom diuided / parte of it came vnto his sonne / and parte to Ieroboam the sonne of Nabat. And agayn for doing of this / Achaz / and other wicked kinges wer reproued of the prophetes. Magistrates are apointed to be the defenders / and executours of the first table of the lawe as well as of the seconde: with what obseruation then of iustice can a magistrate graunte or suffer Idolatrie to be vsed? It is writon that he hathe the sworde to punishe euill thinges and vices. If it be his part to punishe theues / and not to permitt them / the same must he do to Idolatrours. Or ells we must saie that Idolatrie is no such synne and vice as theft is / or that with other vices it is not to be punished. And that theis princes maye do this the better / they muste them selues take hede that they be cleare from these Idolatries and supersticions. Augustine writing againste the donatistes dothe in manye places notablie intreate and handle this sentence of the psalme.

[[Psal. 2.]]

And nowe ye kinges be wise be warned ye that iudge the earthe. Serue the lorde wyth feare. &c. It is reason and semyng faithe he that kinges sholde serue the lorde / neither is it spoken of kinges in respecte that they are men / for so are they bounde to obserue commen lawes euen as other men are / but as kinges they be admonished to vse their power giuen them of God / and their sword to defende the catholike truithe / and to represse the wicked which do oppugne the church and truithe of Christ: wherfore it is not lawfull for princes to graunt vnto the wicked and vnbeleuers their euill and vngodlie Godds seruice and Idolatries / but they muste maynteyn to their power / those holy rites and ordinaunces of godds seruice which do agree with the worde of God / and forbid those which are contrarie to yt. I do not saie that they must be to curius in ceremonies / as many are / which wolde that in any wise all rites and ceremonies sholde be throughli and in all places of oone sorte / and manier: But this theis princes shold prouide / that the ceremonies vsed in ther churches sholde not be contrarie to godds worde / yea and that they sholde most neerely agre therwith / and shuld make for godly edyfyinge and decent and comelye ordre in the churche: But of their liknes / and that in all places the rites / and ceremonies shold be of one forme / I do not thinke it a thing worthie the labor. For what matter maketh it if some men do receyue the sacrament stonding / other sittinge / other kneling. And if in some places whilest the bretheren do communicat / a place of the scripture be redd / or some psalmes be song of the people / or other songes of thankes geuing. Nether is it any great matter / when a corps is caried to the buriall / whether that men do followe the hearce holding their peace / or singing of psalmes / or suche other thinges as maye edifie them that do stande by. These thinges are to be lefte so free that in the churches suche maie be vsed / as shall seme most meete for the edyfyinge of the people. Yea I suppose that this varietye and chaunge in rytes / and ceremonies / dothe not a lytell profyte and helpe to bring in a true opinion of ceremonies / and to haue it kepte also: that is / that men shuld beleue that all those ceremonies which the holie scripure doth not apoint / are not necessarie vnto saluacion / but maye be chaunged accordinge to the estate of tyme / and as shall serue for edifying / as they shall think Godd which haue in their hand the orderinge the churche. That moste worthie commen wealthe of the venetians / which haue vnder their dominions / many Cities and places in Grece / they do in eche of them permit and suffer the rytes / and ceremonies / bothe of the Greke churche / and of the Latin churche / for those wise men do thincke / that the dyuersytie in outward ceremonies which are not taught in Godds worde is not hurtefull. I do not alledg this to allowe all such ceremonies as they do permitt in thos places / but only to shew that they thincke it not a matter of necessite to haue all one forme of ceremonies: The verie same thinge before them did Augustine iudge as in his epistles to Ianuarius / and Cassulanus it dothe apeare.

The thirde thinge is / that the princes and rulers which do suffer these vnfaithfull men to dwell in their dominions sholde prouide that they mighte be taughte the truithe: and in this behalfe they muste not neglect them: for as the princes do declare their gentilnes in suffering them to dwell in their dominions so this their pacience muste be directed to the glorie of God: And howe can that be soughte in theis vnbeleauers / if they be suffered to abyde in their noughtie opinion without teachinge: Surely by thys meanes in processe of tyme they be made no whit the better / but a greate deale worse then they were before.

The fourth is / that these princes take Godd hede / that by this dwellinge and conuersation which they do graunte vnto the vnfaithfull / they do not infecte the poeple committed to their cure and chardge with their scabbe of vnbelefe and errour. Charytie is to be shewed vnto straungiers indede / but yet not so that they muste hurte the poeple among whom they lyue. And this shal the princes remedie very wel / if that they do not always beare with the corrupt blindnes of the vnbeleauers / but after sufficient teachinge do compell them to embrace true religion. I say that when they haue prouided that these vnfaithfull haue bene taught a good whyle and truly instructed / they must then enforce and compell them vnto those holye and pure rytes and worshippinges of Godd which are commaunded in the scriptures: for princes and rulers must not alwayes / nor yet to longe suffer theyr cytyzens and subiectes / to lyue without exercise of godlynes and vertue. The ende of policall gouernemente is / that the subiecte both sholde lyue in felycytie / and also in the practyse of godlynes / because that godlines and the true worshipp of God is the chefest of all vertues.

But some man will obiecte against me / and say / yf so be that the vnfaithfull be not yet persuaded / they shall then embrace truthe against theyr conscience / which thinge yf the prince compell them to do / then he compelleth them to synne. Here must we make a difference betwene the thinge that of it selfe is synne / and that which is so by chaunce / by some fortune / or some other thinge that happeneth / per accidens, as the Logicians do saye: for when the Magistrate / in the matter which now we haue in hand / dothe propounde vnto these his subiectes / the thing that is right / goode / iuste / and commaunded of God / prouidinge to haue them taughte therin / and they will not be taughte / yf then he enforceth them owtwardlye to vse none other order in religion then is commaunded of Godd / and to forsake all other / he doth that which is iuste and appertayninge to his office. But that synne is entermingled in this matter / truly it is not throughe the faulte of the prince / but it is of the vnbeleif of these men / of whiche the prince can not be iustly accused / when he hath diligently done his part / that they shold be well instructed. Morouer them which do obiecte this consider / that by the same reason that they accuse these princes we may accuse God: for he doth propounde his lawe / which is moste perfyte to be obserued of all men. Shuld men saye? we are weake / our nature is corrupte and infected / neither can we do these thinges as thou dost commaunde them / And why dost thou then enforce this lawe vpon vs? If we do contrarie to that which thou doest commaunde / verely we synne / and yf we go not about to do it we synne / we shall synne also yf we go aboute to do that which thou commaundest / for we want of perfection / neyther do we obey as we sholde do: wherfore do what we will / we shall not auoyde synne: vnto this the Lorde wolde aunswer. The thinges that I do propounde to be obserued of you are iuste and perfect / no man can accuse them of wickednes / But in that ye are weake and do fall / and faile in fulfilling of my lawe / the faulte muste not be layed vnto me / for it is of your own malice and corruption / and not through my faulte / for the which I maye not withdrawe my holy commaundements / Yet thus I haue prouided helpe for you / Beleue in my only dearly beloued sonne / and loke what so euer ye wante / wherin soeuer ye do fayle / and not fulfyll my commaundementes / it shall not be imputed / nor laid to your chardge vnto euerlasyinge deathe: yea your endeuoyrs and your doinges / although they be not fully perfect and absolute / yet will I accepte them well / they shall please me / and I will allowe them. Euen so shall the good prince and Magistrate saye: The thinges which are conteyned in Goddes worde / suche thinges as are comlye and do edifie / do I require of you / yf your mynde and conscience do go agaynst them / ye can not impute it vnto me / I haue laboured and done my parte that ye sholde not be ignoraunt / and miserablie perish in ignoraunce. I haue caused you to be sufficiently instructed / and nowe will I procede exhorting / admonishinge / and demaundinge of you obedience in these thinges: do you reade the holye scriptures / heare the teachers and pastours / and pray the Lorde to open the eyes of your harte and mynde. Thus in aunswering to this obiection I shew what a goode prince in this case may and must do. That thinge also is not to be passed ouer of which Augustyne maketh mencion / that he hymselfe was somtyme of this opinion / that nothing sholde be violentlye done agaynst heretiques / but that they shold only be taughte / But his mynde altered after that he was admonished by some wyse Bishoppes / howe certeyn cities / which somtyme were altogether corrupted with the errour of the Donatistes / were compelled by the violence of the lawes of good Emperours to receyue the catholike faith / and these at length were so syncerelie tourned vnto the truthe / that they dyd gyue to God moste hartye thanckes for that violent enforcement / sayinge that nowe thoughe they might safelye / yet by no meanes wolde they retorne any more to suche pernicious and hurtfull opinions. The prince therfore / after that he hath gyuen them sufficient instruction / yf he shall enforce these men vnto the embracing of such rites and ceremonies as are good and godlye indede / he shall do no hurte at all but muche good. I do meane that this sholde be practysed only vpon suche as be cityzens / and naturall borne subiectes / or suche as beinge straungers borne / do as denizens dwell in theyr domininions / and so by priuiledge haue the benefite of theyr countrithe: Otherwyse yf they be but straungiers which do passe through their countrithe / or such as do come either to bye or to sell marchaundize / there is no suche violence to be shewed towardes them. And yet this thing they must take heade of euen in them / that they do not seduce their people and subiectes which are of a good iudgement / that they do not infect them with vice and errour. The Israelites / as I thincke / ar in this pointe to be folowed. They did admitt no straunger to be as a Iue / or proselyte / neyther did they gyue vnto any the libertie of their countrith / except he did fyrst circumcise himself / admitt Moses lawe / did communicate / and became partaker with them in theyr Sacrifices / submitting himself to their discipline: Which thinge / seing it was well and diligently obserued of them / why shuld not our princes do euen the same? That they shuld suffer no Citezen / nor subiect / eyther naturall / or straunger born / but that they shuld compell and enforce hym / to receyue such religion / and obserue such rites and ceremonies / agreing with Godds worde / as they by common autoritie haue establyshed. Now will I speake of those princes and Rulers / which ar vnder these chief Rulers. Whome I do deuide into two sortes. Eyther they are such as haue Iurisdiction / poure / and auctoritie / which commeth to them by discent from theyr Auncetours / or els committed vnto them of Emperours / Kinges / and common welthes: Eyther els they haue no Iurisdiction nor Rule ouer others / neyther by discent from theyr auncetours / nor by commission from other higher princes / but only are taken and estemed as men of worshipp / for the auncientnes of their house and blud / or for their riches. This last sorte do not differ at all in a maner from priuate men / of whom I haue spoken before / for these are mere subiectes as they are. Therfor (I do suppose) that the former Rules / appointed vnto priuate men and subiectes are to be committed vnto them / to be obserued of them / in such maner as I haue before declared. But of this other sorte of Princes and Rulers / of which some by right of inheritaunce / some by vertue of office committed vnto them / are Rulars and gouernours of countrithes / cities and places. Of these I do saye and pronounce this / That in matters which do belong to Godd and true Religion / they ought to do no other things / but those / which I haue already shewed that the muste do / which are meere / absolute / and the hygher princes and Rulars. For it is not lawfull for them / no not at the commaundement of theyr hygher Princes and Lordes / to compell those subiectes ouer whom they haue rule / to recyue wicked Religion and supersticion / neyther to permitt the vnfaithfull in the places where they do beare Rule / to haue theyr vngodly Idolatries and supersticions. This must thei not do / no thoughe they were (I saye) therunto commaunded by theyr hygher princes and Lordes / of whom / and vnder whome / they haue theyr auctoritie. But yf thou wilt saye / that they must obey theyr hygher poures / I will graunt that / but (as the sayinge is) _vs[que] ad Aras_, that is vntill they do come to matters of Religion / and vntill they do commaunde in Religion thinges contrarie to Goddes worde and truthe. For when they shall commaunde that which is against Godd / and is hurtefull to the conscience of man / these magistrates must not obey them. For these vnder Rulars are called into a parte of the cure and charge of the goode gouernemente of the countrie / by the force of theyr dignitie and office:

They must not therfor putt those thinges in execution / whiche are agaynst Godd / and are hurtefull to theur countrye: Yea they ought both to persuade by reason / and to defende by poure the contrary.