Part 8

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

This worde Haeresis, is deriued of the Greke worde / +hairein+, which signifieth to chose / to pick / or to cull out. For heretikes do chose out / vnto themselues sum doctrine which is contrarye to the holy scriptures / and do obstinatly defend the same. Vnto this euell they are brought / either bicause they do not know the holy scripture / either bicause that though they do knowe them yet they do contemne and despise them either els bicause they do applye themselues to get sum honor or riches by this meane. Wherfor Augustine saith.

[[Lib. de vtilit. creden.]]

He is an heretike which either enuentith / or folowith fals and new opinions for ony worldly commoditie / and cheifly to gett himself glorie and autorite. But of Heresie I will make this definicion.

[[Vvhat heresie is.]]

Heresie / is a choise and obstinate defence / of certeyn doctrynes which are contrary vntto Godds worde / springinge / either of the ignoraunce / or of the contempt of the holy scriptures / to gett therby aduauntag / or honors. There are foure kyndes of causes in this definicion. The formall cause is / chosinge and defending of picked doctrynes. The materiall parte or cause is picked doctryns contrary to Godds worde. For he that beleauith no doctryne at all / is godles / and not an Heretike. The cause efficient by which they are moued to Heresie is / ignoraunce and contempt of the holy scripture / and lust or couetus desire. The end whi men fall to Heresie is / to obtayne honors / and riches: For they do abhorre the Crosse which folowith the preachinge of the gospell / and as Paule saith /

[[Phil. 3.]]

Theyr belly / is their god. Augustine hath also this diuision.

[[Quest. in Matth. quest. 11.]]

Euell catholiques are they / which do lyue otherwise then they saie that they do beleaue. Schismatiques are they / which for diuersitie in opinion do diuide and separat the church / for +schizein+, is to deuide. Heretikes are they / which perseuere / and continue in that schisme.

[[Lib. 2. contra Cresco. cap. 7.]]

But in an other place he saith. That Heresie / doth differ from schisme. For a Schisme / is a stryfe which risith vppon diuersitie of sentences. Neither can a dyuiding or a schisme be / onles they which do make it do thinke and holde contrarie thinges. But Heresie is / an inueterat schisme.

[[1. Cor. 11.]]

Saint Paule obseruith no such diuersitie / for he vsith theise too wordes for one thinge. Nowe that ye se what Heresie is / consider well wether that the papistes be heretikes / or no? They themselues do stoutly saye that they be none. Yea and sum other ther are / which dare affirme / that the papistes do differ from vs only in certayn abuses of ceremonies / and not in the doctrine of faith. But how farr theise men do err from the truithe / it shall forthwithe appeare. For I will playnly proue / that the papists are Heretikes / and do mayntayne Heresie againste certayn principall doctrines of our faithe.

[[1]] [[The Papistes are heretiques.]]

Furst in the Article of Iustification / the papistes do picke out vnto themselues this doctrine: That a man is not iustified by faithe only / but by goode worcks also. which doctrine is contrary to the holy scriptures. Paule teachith thus.

[[Rom. 3.]]

We holde that a man is Iustified by faithe / without the deedes of the Lawe. Agayn he saith.

[[Gal. 2.]]

We do knowe that a man is not Iustified by the deedes of the lawe / but by the faithe of Iesu Christe. And Peter / whom Paule did then withstond / did not speake agaynst this doctrine. Of the Iues / also he writith thus.

[[Rom. 10.]]

For being ignorant of Gods righteousnes / and goinge about to establishe their own righteousnes / they were not obedient to the righteousnes of God. In which place he settith theise two righteousnesses / the one / against the other / the righteousnes of faith / against the righteousnes of worckes / so that the one excludith the other. The same thinge he doth where speaking of Iustification he saith.

[[Rom. 11.]]

If it be of grace / then is it not of worcks / if it be of worcks / then is it no more grace. To the Philippians he playnly saith /

[[Phil. 3.]]

that the worcks which are wrought before Regeneracion / can not iustifie / for he doth counte them to be but losse and dunge / which truly he wold not haue done / if they hadd such poure and vertue / that they could iustifie. This is most playne / that men before regeneracion are euell / and then must this sentence of Christes stonde true.

[[Mat. 7.]]

An euell tree can not bringe forth goode fruite. For how can it be / that they wich are deade as concerning righteousne / can of them selues go ony thinge forward vnto their new birhte:

[[Ephes. 2.]]

And we all wer such / euen deade throughe synne / and the children of wrathe. The Epistle writon to the Hebrues doth witnes /

[[Hebre. 11.]]

That without faith it is impossible to please God: And to the Romayns Paule saith.

[[Rom. 14.]]

That what soeuer is not of faith is Synne. This is the doctrine of the scripture concerning this matier. The papistes (as I sayde) so teache cleane contrarie doctrine / and do obstinatly defend it / notwithstonding that they be admonished of their error by the holy scriptures / by the aunciente fathers / as Hierom / Augustin / and others / by the godly Councels / as Africanum / Mileuitanum / Arausicanum / And now also being admonished therof by vs / yet will they not leaue their errour: Wherfor by the former definition of Heresie / they are proued heretikes.

An other doctryne also they do hold which is this. That the worcks which men do after regeneracion / are meritorius of their own worthines vnto euerlasting lyfe / And that they do fulfill the lawe of God. Yea they be not content to saye this only / but they adde. That men can do more goode worcks then the lawe of Godd requirirth. For (saye they) to lyue a syngle lyfe / to preache the gospell frely / men are not commaunded by ony expres commaundement of Godd. This they do teache / and obstinatly defend. But we do lern out of the holy scriptures / that

[[Rom. 8.]]

The afflictions of this lyfe / are not worthie of the glorie / which shalbe shewed vppon vs. He speakith heare of the best kind of worcks / euen of sufferinge martyrdom. Besides this eiche man dothe fele him selfe bounde betwene / and giltie of the breaking of theis two comaundementes.

[[Deut. 5.]]

Thou shalt loue the lorde thy God whith all thy harte / with all thy soule / and with all they mighte: lykewise of the same other commaundemente.

[[Exod. 20.]]

Thou shalte not luste / Ther is none among mortall men / that dyd euer fulfill those commaundementes. For the prophet saythe:

[[Esa. 64.]]

that our rightuousnesses / are as the clothe stayned withe the floures of a woman. And Christe wolde haue vs all / yea euen the blessed virgin / and the Apostles themselues to praye /

[[Mat. 6.]]

forgyue vs our trespasses.

[[Iacob. 3.]]

Iames addeth / in many thinges we all do synne.

[[Ioan. 1.]]

Iohn saythe. And if we saie we haue no synne / we do deceyue our selues.

[[2]]

This do we learne in the holie scripture / of our continuall synnynge: they teache not then that we can do any thing more then we sholde. But here the papistes do seke startinge hooles / and saie that they which liue a sole life / they which do preach the gospell frelie / do more then the law commaundeth / as I sayde: But this is not true / for they which haue the powre to liue a sole and chaste lyfe / and do know that in this kinde of lyfe they shall more paynfully and profitably labor in the preachinge of the gospell of Christe then otherwise. They are bownde to take it on them and to lyue in it. For if they do yt not / it is certeyne that they loue not God with all their harte / bycause they sholde then leaue vndone somewhat that they mighte do / to the glorie of his name / and wolde not. Like is to be saide of them / which mighte preache the gospell frelye / and do se that it shalbe for the increase of the kingdom of Godd / and do it not. Wherfore seinge the papistes do bothe thincke and teache otherwise in this matier then the holie scripture dothe teache / and do defend their errour with an obstinate mynde they are heretikes.

[[3]]

They do chose vnto them selues also an other doctrine / which is / that they which be regenerat / muste alwaies doubte of their saluation. But Christ / the Apostles / and the whole scripture / do teache cleane contrarie /

[[Ioan. 6.]]

he that beleuithe in me (saith Christe) hathe euerlasting life. If he hath it / howe can he doubte of yt then?

[[Act. 10.]]

And it is writen in the Actes. To him giue all the Prophetes witnesse / that all they which beleue throughe his name / shall receyue remission of synnes.

[[Rom. 8.]]

And to the Romains / whom he hath called / them also be iustified / whom he iustified / them he also glorified: But here the papistes haue this shifte / A man muste not doubte of Gods promises (they saye) but he muste doubte of the infirmitie of his fleshe / that he can not do those thinges which are to be done / to obtayne the promises of Godd.

[[Rom. 4.]]

Butt we be admonished by Abrahams example / that we sholde not in beholding of our imbecyllitie / fainte in faith / nor fall from beleauinge certainly the truithe of the promises: he considered not the barren wombe of Sara / nor his own old and effoebled bodie / he stackered not at the promise of God through vnbelefe / but became stronge in faithe / and dyd giue glory vnto God / knowinge that he was sufficientlie able to performe those thinges which he promised. &c.

[[Rom. 4.]]

Therfor by faithe is the enheritaunce gyuen that it might come of grace / that the promise mighte be certaine and sure: for if the certayntie of saluacion did hange on our merytes and worthines of our worckes / it should alwaies stumble / and be in daungier of ouerthrowe. Thus the papistes do spoile men of healthfull hope / and make men doubt / if not despaire / which is not to be done: for that nature of hope maie not be inuerted which Paule teacheth

[[Rom. 5.]]

to be suche / that it dothe not make a man ashamed: if then we do certaynlye hope and loke for life euerlastinge / we shall not be deceyued: and seing it is the holye ghoste that bearithe witnes vnto our spret /

[[Rom. 8.]]

that we are the children of Godd / surly his witnes we may not reiect / without committing gret offence.

[[Exod. 20.]]

I am sayth Godd / The lorde thy Godd / this will he haue them that be his to beleaue:

[[Roma. 5.]]

And whosoeuer beleauith this / hath the quiet peace of a iustified conscience / and knowith hymself to be in safetie / for Godd is his iustifier / and who shall condenne hym / whom Godd doth iustifie.

[[Roma. 8.]]

Against al theise manifest testimonies of the holy scriptures / theise men do teache their contrary doctrine / and do obstinatly defend it / wherfor they are heretiques.

Moreouer they do teache that euery man must satisfice for hys synnes in this lyfe / which if he do not / then must he go to purgatorie: And that by the poure of the Keyes committed vnto them / they can turn the euerlastinge punishment in to a temporall.

[[Psal. 32.]]

If therfor satisfaction be not made whilest a man is in this lyfe / he shall do it / when he is goone out this lyfe. But against this / the holy scriptures do teach.

[[Rom. 4.]]

Blessed are they whose vnrighteousnesses are forgyen / and whos synnes are couered. What blessednes / I praye you shuld this be / if they which be reconciled vnto Godd / shuld be bownde to sustayne such paynes and punishmentes. When a Synner doth repent (saith Godd by the prophet)

[[Ezech. 18.]]

The synnes that he hath done / shall not be thought vppon. But Godd will thincke vppon them / if it be true that either a man must satisfice / or go to pugatorie / if Godd wil so sharply punishe them by such paynes as they saye are in purgatorie. It is writon in the reuelacion.

[[Apoc. 14.]]

Blessed are the deade which do dye in the lorde / euen so saieth the spret / that they rest from their labours. They which do dye in the lorde / that is the beleauers / how do they rest from their labours / if it be so that they must yeat be vexed in purgatorie? Christe our Sauiour when he did forgyue synnes sayed.

[[Luc. 7.]]

Thy faithe hath made the safe: go thy wayes / synne no more.

[[Ioan. 5.]] [[Luc. 23.]]

To the theif he saied. This daye thow shalt be with me in paradise.

[[Phil. 1.]]

Paule desired to be loosed / and to be with Christ. How chauncith it that there is no mencion made of purgatorie? In the old lawe / ther wer sacrifices ordeigned / for princes / prests / for the Nazarites / for the lepars / for gelousie / for the synne of ignoraunce / and many such lyke. How happened it that ther was no sacrifice appointed for the dead? The church truly (as we also do graunte) hath keyes committed vnto it. And theise are / the preachinge of the gospell /

[[Mar. 16.]]

that is the forgyuenes of synnes to them which do beleaue in Christe / and the threateninge of condemnacion / through which heauen is shutt againste the vnbeleauers. One key is the promis / an other key is faith / by theise two keys heauen is opened to the penitent. Theise keyes Christ did delyure when he sayed: goo in to the whol world / and preach the gospell to euery creature / he that beleaueth and is baptised / shalbe saued. Those ministers do occupie these keyes which do preach the gospell. But here is no mencion made of altering of Goddes iudgements / nor of turninge of punishmentes. Christe our sauiour / by that one sacrifice of his bodye / ones offered for all euer / did worcke perfect saluacion / and made a perfect and consummate ende of sacrificing for synne: where then is their enuented satisfaction for synne? Yea who doth not see / that this theyr doctryne doth withdrawe from Christ / the fulness of that his satisfaction with which he satisficed for vs? when they do saye that it is not sufficient / except we do adde ours also. And this theyr wicked errour they go about to colour / because the olde fathers vsed often times this worde / satisfaction. But they will not see / that the fathers ment therby / to satisfice the churche / when they were receyued publiquely to repentaunce / and not to satisfice to Godd. Except thow wilt saye that to satisfice is nothing els / but when one doth make himself approued vnto an other man. For euen so are we saide to satisfice to Godd / when as after our conuercion and turning to his grace / we do lyue godly for his pleasure / to aproue our selues vnto hym / as his children. Thus satisfactions / are signes of the forgyuenes of synnes and of true repentaunce. But (as I sayde) theise men do both thincke / and teache otherwyse / and do defende obstinatly theyr error / they will not be satisficed by the word of God / wherfor they are heretikes.

They do teache furthermore / that it is lawfull in the congregacion to do the holy seruice / in a tongue that is not vnderstonded. And this they do indeede / and defende theyr misdoinge / neither being admonished will they amende it.

[[1. Cor. 14]]

Paule doth forbidde the christians the vse of those tongues in the congregacions / which euen by miracle were bestowed vpon them / except they did interpretate and expounde that which they shuld speake in them. And all Paules reasons are grounded vpon the edifying of the congregacion / whiche aboue all thinges we ought to seeke in the holy meetinges and congregacions. But there shalbe no edificacion at all / when that thing which is spoken / is not vnderstonded of the people. Paule saith. My brethren yf I do come vnto you speaking with tongues / what shall I profite you / excepte I speake to you / eyther by reuelacion / or by knowledge / or by prophecying / or by doctryne. But these sacrificers / lyke men that can do mutch more then Paule / they do come with a straunge tong / which the congregacion vnderstondeth not / and yet neuertheles they bragge that they do muche profite the congregacion. Paule will rather speake fyue wordes / to the enformacion of others / then ten thousand wordes with tongues: Our sacrificers cleane contrary / will rather speake a thousand / yea an infinite number of wordes in a straunge tongue / then a very feawe / the meaning of which maye be vnderstonded. Paule proueth his sentence and minde / euen by thinges that haue no lyfe / as by a trompe / and harp / and les we shulde be one to an other as barbarus / and aliauntes / but this is of no force / nor auctoritie with the papistes. For our purpose we haue the example of Godd himself / which dyd speake vnto the Iuishe people in their naturall tongue. The greke churche did receyue the doctryne of the gospel of the Apostles (whiche were Hebrues) in their naturall greke tongue. And as from the beginninge the Hebrues in theyr congregacions haue vsed their naturall Hebrue tongue / so haue the Grecians their greke tongue / and so at the begynning the latin churche vsed their naturall latine tongue also: Only these heretiques (the papistes I meane) are delighted with a straunge tongue.

[[In nouel. Constitu]]