Part 5

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 consequent / then is in the antecedent / 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 and 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 punishment. 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 lyons. 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 sclaunderous 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 / euen we also maye vse / and comme vnto the rites / and ceremonies now vsed in our countrithe. For the better vnderstonding 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 condenne the obseruing of the ceremonies of the Law / but only when it was done with this minde / as thoughe that Iustification did not comme 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 from 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 commendeth these worckes / and all other ciuyle ordinaunces commaunded / and appoynted to that Nacion: he condenneth them not / but so farre as they wer iustly and not supersticiously vsed / he did leaue them in theyr place /

[[Gal. 3.]]

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

[[Gal. 6.]]

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

[[1. Cor. 7.]]

And againe yf any be called being circumcised / let him not adde vncircumcision. If anye be called vncircumcised / let hym not be circumcised. Let euery man abyde in the same estate / in which he is called. All these indifferent 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 them

[[1. Cor. 9.]]

Paule doth speake / when of him self he saieth: I am made all vnto all men / that I might wynne manye: Vnto the Iues / I am made as a Iue / to them 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 circumcise Timothie / because that the custumme which was yet in force might be kept / he did it: But when they wolde enforce him to the ouerthrowing of the christian 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 and 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 men. They were thinges indifferent / 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 heauen wer not forbidden / and therfor might be obserued / so long as the Temple and common welth of Israel did continue 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 forbidden. 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 then to this ende only / les the beleauing Iues shuld fall backe from 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 men and euell doers / and so shall we geue great offence in out countrithes. I graunte that these men do seke to auoyd offence / but what offence? euen the offence of the world. They will not offend / but whom? Tyrauntes / and such as ar the very limmes of antichrist. And why? les they shuld procure against themselues theyr wrath / poure / and tyrannie. 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 and the leaders of the blinde. Heere we must consider which be euell offences / and such as are to be auoyded indeed. Euen those I say / which are an Impediment to the setting forth of the gospell / which do offend and hinder men / be they simple / or wicked / that they do not embrace pure doctryne / and turne vnto Christe. Now beholde / I pray the / by comming to the Masse / what offence thou doest gyue? The Idolatrous and supersticious people / ar they not offended by this thy doing? Yeas verely. For when they do se the haunte their masses / they say / these gospellers do comme to our masses / which they wold not do yf our masses wer so euell as thei call them: wherfor we may perseuere and continue in our old purpose. And on the other parte / the weaker brethren / which are but newly turned / and not farr entered into the knowledge of Christ / when 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 offence gyuing. They say morouer: It is nedefull to condiscende 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 contemne 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 indifferent. 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 man to do euell that goode maye comme theron. To abstayn / or not to abstayn from meates / was then a thing indifferent. In such thinges they which be stronger must beare with the Infirmitie of the weaker: but meate eating and Massehauntinge are not lyke / for this is no thing indifferent / 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 subiection 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 countrithe / or els forthwith shall we suffer death and so the congregations shalbe left vtterly desolate / ther shall be none lefte to teache and norishe those afflicted membres 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 lengthe / and a litill leauen will soure the whole lumpe of dowe. &c. Truly for all this goodly clooke / it is easily perceyued that through this dissembling the edifying of the churche is hindered and not furthered. These men pretende with Athlas to beare vp heauen withe their shulders / but they do ouerthrow altogether: Godd doth se more then we / in the thinges which shall happen to the churche: We must obeye hym in seruyng hym and his churche with the confession of truthe. The issue / and succes / let vs committ vnto hym to whom the churche doth belonge: And let vs do that wherunto we ar called. The churche shall be destroyed then / thow sayest: Let God care for that / he will well prouide for that / let vs not doubt. Wel maye theise men be answered / as the lorde answered Peter / when 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 often 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 confesse the same indede. And Let vs not feare the desolation 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 stand and continue in dissemblinge / then is the light of the truithe put owt / nether is there any confession 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 when they lyued dyd comme vnto the seruice of God in the Temple of the Iues / The same thing maye be permitted to them (they thincke) and that yt is as lawfull for them to partake and 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 them was far otherwise / then it is in our tyme: They hade corrupted the doctrine of the law and of iustification. 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 chaunged / for the same beastes were offered which the lawe dyd commaunde / the same daies were obserued / and ceremonies / and therfore it was lawfull to vse them inasmoche as they hade the worde of Godd for them. And eiche man that so vsed them receyued according to the measure of his faithe. For the corrupte doctrines / sentences and manieres of the priestes / Bishoppes and scribes / dyd not hurte at all the prophettes and godlie men which wer them selues cleare from them / of a contrarie mynde to them / 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 them celebrate the lordes supper and vse other ceremonies / so as by Godds worde they be apointed / then we will not draw backe at all / but vse them / thoughe they them selues thincke corruptlie / and liue more wickedlie / we shall bewaile / we shall admonishe / we shall reproue / we shall accuse them / 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 them. In which doinge we shall not communicate with their wickednes / for we shall vse the rite and ceremonie as the lorde commaunded / and instituted. And this thing ment Christ when he saide.

[[Matth. 23.]]

The scribes and 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 clensed 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 them / 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 them. &c. To the last I aunswer: The goodnes of Godd which doth forgyue synnes vnto them that be truly penitent / 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 forbidden: 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 commaundmentes / by it / the weighte / burthen and greatnes of synne committed / 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 vnderstonded / 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 conioyned and knitt together / so that he which hathe one of them hath all / and he that wantith one wantith 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 / strenghthe / temperaunce 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 can not haue that vertue which is contrarie to that synne which we do committ / and yet it may be that he which fallith in one synne / many be constaunt 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 man / 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 commaundementes of the lawe ar conioyned of the lorde and knitt together / and so gyuen vnto vs: We must not now disseuer / and separate them 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 commaundement / 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 commaundementes / 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.