The Governance of Virtue, Part 2 · Section 4
Against the heresie of them vvhichwhich hold that Iesus Christ the sonne of God toke no fleshe of Mary hys mother.
☞ I feyther Sathan wyth hys subtle suggesti ons, or anye of hys decetifull worke men wyth theyr crafty reasons and falsifiyng the holy scrip tures, goe about to perswade thee that Iesus Christ the sonne of God, tooke no fleshe of that blessed virgine Mary hys mother, but brought hys body wyth hym from heauen, enarme thy sel…e wyth these authorities of gods worde against theyr pestilent and damnable dartes.
Sentences out of the olde Testament.
I will set enmitie betwene thee andGene 3. the woman, betwene thy seede and her seede. The verye selfe same seede shall treade downe thy head, and thou shalte tread vponupon his hele.
In thee all kynreds of the earth shal be blessed.
In thy seede shall all the nations ofGene. 22. the earth be blessed.
The scepter shall not departe fromGene. 49. Iuda, and a lawe geuer from betwene his fete, vntil S…lo come, and vntounto him shall the gathering of the people be. He shall bynde his fole vntounto the vine, & hys Asses colte vntounto the braunche. He washed his garment in wyne, and his man till in the bloud of grapes. His eyes are redder then wine, and his teethe whiter then mylke.
There shall come a star of Iacob andNum. 24 raise a Scepter of Israel. Out of Iacob shall he come that shall hauehave dominion.
I will raise them vp a Prophet fromDeut. … among their brethreb lyke vn to thee, & wil put my wordes in hys mouth, & he shal speake vntounto them all that I shal cō maūd him, and whosoeuer wil not har ken vntounto the wordes whiche hee shall speake in my name, I wyll require it of hym.
I wil set vp thy sede after thee, which1. Par. 1… shall be of thy sonnes, and will stablish his kingdō. He shall build me an house and I will stablish his seate for euer. I will bee his father, and he shall bee my sonne, and I wil not put away my mercy from him, as I did from him y• was before thee, but I will set him in my house, and in my kingdome for euer, & his seate shall be sure for euer.
I hauehave sworne once by my holines, y• Psal. 89I will not fayle Dauid. Hys seede shall endure for euer, and his seate also like as the sunne before me. He shall stande for euer more as the moone, and as the faithfull witnes in heauen.
The Lord hath made a faithful othePsalm. 132 vntounto Dauid, and he shall not shrink frō it, out of the fruite of thy body shal I set vponupon thy seat.
Behold a Uirgine shall conceaue & Esay. 7.beare a sonne, and shall call hys name Emanuell.
Unto vsus a child shal be borne, & vntountoEsay. 9. vsus a child shal be geuen, vpō his shoulder shall the kingdome lye, & he shall be called with his owne name, the wonde rous geuer of councell, the mighty god the euerlasting father, ye prince of peacer he shall make no ende to encrease the kingdome and peace, and shall sit vponupon the seate of Dauid, and in his kingdom to set vp the same, to establish it with equitie and rightousnes from henceforth for euer more. This shall the gelousy of the Lord of hostes bring to passe.
There shal come a rod forth of the kinEsay. 11. dred of Iesse, & a blossō out of his roote. The spirit of the Lord shall light vppon it, the spirite of wisedome and vnderstanding, the spirite of councel & strēgth the spirit of knowledge and of the feare of god, &c.
Behold the tyme commeth sayth theIere. 23. Lord, that I will raise vp the righteous braunche of Dauid, which shall beare rule, and discusse matters with wisdō, and set vp equitie and righteousnesse agayne in earth. In his tyme shall Iuda be saued, and Israell shal dwel without feare. And this is the name yt they shall cal him, euē ye lord our rightous maker.Iohn. 29.
Behold the time commeth sayth the lord, that I wil performe the good thing which I hauehave promised vntounto the house of Israell, and to the house of Iuda. In those dayes and at the same time. I wil bryng forth vntounto Dauid the braunch of righteousnesse, and he shall doe equitye and righteousnes in the lande. In those dayes shal Iuda be helped, and Ierusalem shal dwel safe, and he that shal call her, is euen god our righteous maker. For thus the Lord god promiseth: Dauid shal neuer want one to sit vponupon the stole of the house of Israel.
I will rayse vp vntounto them one onelyonlyEze. 34, 37 shepeheard euen my seruant Dauid, he shall feede them and he shall be theyr shepeheard, I the Lorde will bee theyr god, and my seruaunte Dauid shall be their prince. Euen I the Lorde hathe spoken it.
Understand this and marke it well,Dan. 9. that from the tyme it shall be concluded to go and to repayre Ierusalem againe, vntounto Christ, there shal be seuen wekes. Then shal the stretes & walles be builded againe, 62. wekes, but wt heard trou blous time. After these 62. wekes shall Christ be slaine, and they shall hauehave no pleasure in hym.
Thou Bethelem Ephrata art litleMich. 5. among the thousandes of Iuda, out of thee shal come vntounto me, which shall bee the gouernour in Israell, whose out go ing hath bene from the beginnyng and from euerlastyng.Zach. ….
Be glad and reioyce O doughter of Sion: for lo, I come to dwell in y• midst of thee, saith the Lord. At the same time there shal many heathen cleane to the Lord, and shal be my people.
Behold I wil sende my messengerMal. 3 which shall prepare the waye before me and y• Lord whom ye would hauehave, shall soone come to hys temple, ye euen the Messenger of the couenaunt whome ye looke for.
This is our god, and there shal noneBarue. …. other be compared to hym. It is he that hath found out all wisedome, and hathe geuen her vntounto Iacob his seruaunt, and to Israel hys beloued. Afterward did he shew himself vponupon earth, and dwelte among men.
Examples out of the olde Testament.
AFter that Adam and his wyfe thorow the crafty perswasions of Satan had transgressed gods commaundement, god in the presence of them both, euen for their comfort and for the quietnes of their conscience, sayd vntounto the ser pent. I will set enmitie betwene thee & a woman, betwene thy seede & her sede. The selfe same seede shall tread downe thy head, and thou shalt treade vppon hys heele.
These wordes of God the father spokē vntounto the serpent, shewe euidently and manifestlye proue, that Iesu Christ our Lorde is the true and natural sonne of Mary, and vnfainedlye tooke his flesh and humanity of her. For this word seede, in thys place signifieth the whole substaunce of Christes manhode, and proueth euidently, that whatsoeuer Christ was being man, he truly and naturally receiued it of the corporall substaunce of Mary his mother the virgine. Cursed therefore is the heretike Appelles, which thought that Christ had receyued his body of the elementes in the ayre, and passed through the virgine, as the water passed through a pipe. Cursed are these heretikes Cerdo, Marcian and Manes, whiche holde that Christ had a fantastical body, appearing to be man, & pet hauing no parte of manhode in hym. Cursed is that heretike Ualentinus with his Apes the Anabaptistes, which hold that Christ tooke no fleshe of Marye his mother the virgine, but brought hys bodye with him frō heauen. God the father calleth Christ the seede of the womā. He therfore is the naturall sonne of Mary his mother, and receyued hys whole bodely substaunce of the most pure virgine or els should God greatlye hauehave erred, which called hym the seede of a womā, but let God be true and all heretikes lyers.
TO Abraham god the father sayd: inGene. 22. thy sede all nations of the earth shal be blessed.
This sede is Christ, as S. Paul declaGala. 3. reth to the Galathians, whiche borne of the virgine Mary, came of the sede of Abraham.
☞ Now if Christ had taken no flesh of Mary, how could he hauehave come of the sede of Abrahā? But that we should be without all doubt cōcernyng Christes humanitie, and be certaine that he was the true and naturall sonne of Mary, re ceiuyng his manhoode neither of the elementes of the ayre, nor yet bringinning it with him frō heauen, but takyng it of the true and naturall substaunce of Mary his mother. God sayth expresly: In thy seede. Let vsus note well this pronown. Thy. In thy sede sayth he, and not in the sede that Christ shall bryng from heauen, or out of the ayre. Howe could Christ iustly haubene called Abrahams sede, if he had neuer taken any part of Abrahams substance? But the Apostle sayth: Christ toke the sede of Abraham, and not of the aungels, so that he must be lyke to his brothers in all thinges. Let God therfore be true, and all heretikes lyers.
In like maner the Lord swore a truthPsal. 1… ▪ vntounto Dauid, and wyll not go from it. I wil saith he, set vponupon thy seat one of the fruite of the wombe. Here Christ, which before was called the sede of a woman, & the sede of Abrahā, is called the fruite of Dauids wōbe.
☞ What cā be spoken more playnly, to declare and proue, that Christ came of the sede of Dauid as concernyng his fleshe? If Christe be the fruite of Dauids belly, I meane concernyng his posteritie (for Mary the mother of Christe, came of the stock and kindred of Dauid) so doth it euidently followe that Christ passed not thorow the wōbe of his mother without any part… king of y• natural substāce of his mother as y• wa ter passeth and runneth thorowe the pype, and yet receyueth no part of the pypes substaunce, but rather that he tooke a perfect body of substaunce of his mother, and so became true and perfect man. Otherwise should not he hauehave ben the fruite of Dauids belly, neither should God hauehave kepte hys othe and promise made vntounto Dauid. But let God be true and all heretikes lyers.
THe Prophet Esay doth lyuely describe,Esay. 7. painte & set forth both the mother of Christ, and Christ him selfe in these wordes: The Lord, sayth he, shall geue you a token. Beholde a virgine shall conceyue and beare a sonne, and thou shalt cal his name Emanuel, But ter & hony shall he eate, y• he may know to refuse the euill and chose the good.
☞ First as concernyng Christes mother, we learne here that she was a pure and vnde…yled mayde, and that she, and not the heauen nor the ayre conceyued and brought foorth Christe her sonne. In that she conceyued and brought forth Christe, it is euident that she was vnfaynedly Christes naturall mother, ministres part of her …bstaunce to the perfourmyng and makyng a… her sonne thorow Gods operacion, and dyd the duty and office of a true mother in all poyntes. And where as the Prophete calleth Christ her …onne he declareth manifestly. that Christ tooke his flesh of the substaunce of his mother Mary the virgine, and is her true and naturall sonne, or els to what ende shoulde he bee called hee sonne? And that we should be as assuredly perswaded of hys humanitie of Mary hys mother, as of his deitie of God his father. The Prophet calleth hym Emanuell, that is to say, God and man, true God of God his father, an… true man of Mary hys mother. And because there should want nothyng vntounto the true perfite and full dis cription of Christes humanitie, but that Christ shoulde be declared to bee a true and a naturall childe, and not fantasticall nor celestiall the Pro phet as it were with certain notes and markes both lyuely set forth, and sheweth that he after that maner of other children shall eate butter & Hony, that is to say, refuse buter and vnsauery meat…s, and chose those that are sweete and plea saunt in taste. This were vaynly put in of the Prophete, if Christe had no bene a naturall child, takyng his flesh or the substance of Mary his mother, and not bryngyng hys body with hym from heauē, or I know not from whence, as the vngodly Anabaptistes in these our dayes do most fastly dreame. But let God be true, and all heretikes lyers.
IN another place the Prophete sayth,Esay. 11. there shall come a rodde foorth of the kyndred of Iesse, and a floure shall florishe out of hys roote.
☞ In thys place the Prophete doth so openlye declare Christe to be true man and the naturall sonne of Mary the virgin, that it is won der that any Hereticke can hauehave so w…oryshe a forehead once to denye i…. Thys rodde and …loure, which spryngeth out of rodde and kint… … Iesse, is Christ the Lord▪ The roote out of the whiche floure vndefiled virgine Marye. Christes mother, whiche came of the kynred of Iesse, kyng Dauids father. Can any man deny, but that the floure is of the same nature and substaunce that the tree is of, whiche beareth the floure? If we graūt the floure to be of the na ture and substāce of the stocke that beareth the floure, why are the Anabaptistes more wicked and cruell agaynst Christ the floure and fruite (by Gods ordinaunce) of the holy virgine, then vntounto the stocke and roote of eueryevery floure of the fielde? Can the floure of an Orāge spryng out o… an Oke? No more can the humanitie of Christ which is the blossome and floure of Mary, take his originall of the ayre, of heauen, or of such other matter they know not what. But as the floure of the Orāge springeth out of the Orāge tree, and is of the very same nature and substāce that the Orāge tree is, so likewise Christ being the floure of the most blessed Uirgine tooke his begynnyng of her, and is of the very same substaunce and nature that she is. Let God therefore be true, and all heretikes lyers.
AFter the. 62. weekes, sayth the Prophet Daniell, shall Christ be slaine,Dan. 9. and they shal hauehave no pleasure in him.
☞ The sleyng of Christ euidently proueth that Christ was v…y man, yea and a ma… mortall and subiect vntounto death, so well as we. If he had brought his body with him from heauen▪ so had bene a celestiall body▪ an impassible and immortal body. But for asmuch as Christ feared death▪ …uffed the paines of death, yea and dyed in ded…, accordyng to the Scriptures, it followeth that Christ was true and vnfayned man, takyng his humanitie of that holy virgine Mary his mother, and lyued in all pointes lyke man, sinne alone extep…e, and at the last dyed for our synnes▪ as the Apostle sayth. Let God therfore be true, and all heretikes lyers.
☞ Sentences out of the new Testament.
THe booke of the kyndred of IesusMal. 1 Christ the sonne of Dauid the sonne of Abraham.
Iacob begat Ioseph, the husbande of Mary, of whome was borne that Iesus whiche is called Christ.
The byrthe of Iesus Christe was on this wise. Whē hys mother Mary was maried to Ioseph, before they came together, she was found with child by the holy ghost. Then Ioseph her husbande being a perfect man and loth to defame her, was mynded to put her away secret ly. While he thus thought, beholde the aungell of the Lord appeared vntounto him in a dreame saying: Ioseph the sonne of Dauid, feare not to take vntounto thee Mary thy wife. For that whiche is conceyued in her, is of the holy ghost. She shal bryng forth a sonne, and thou shalt call his name Iesus. For he shall saue hys people from their sinnes. All thys was done to fulfil y• whiche was spokē of the Lord by the Prophet Esay, saying: beholdeEsay. 7. a mayd shall be with child, & shall bryng foorth a sonne, and they shall call hys name Emanuell, whiche is by interpretacion GOD with vsus, or God and man.
The aungell gabriell was sent from god vntounto a citie of galile named Nazareth, to a virgin spoused to a mā whose name was Ioseph, of the house of Dauid, and the virgins name was Mary. And the aūgel went in vntounto her, & said: Hayle ful of grace, y• Lord is with thee? Blessed art thou among women.
When she sawe hym, she was abashed at hys saying, and caste in her mynde, what maner of salutation that should be. And the aungell sayd vntounto her: feare not Mary, for thou hast foūd grace with god, thou shalt conceiue in thy wombe, and beare a sonne, and shalte call hys name Iesus. He shall be greate, & shall be called the sonne of the hyest. And the Lord god shall g…ue vntounto hym the sea … of his father Dauid, and he shall reygne ouer the house of Iacob for euer, and of hys kyngdome shalbe none ende. Then …ayd Mary vntounto the aungell: howe shal this bee, seyng I knowe not a mane And the aungell aunswered and sayde vntounto her: the holy ghost shall come vppon thee, and the power of the hyest shall ouershadowe thee. Therfore also that holy thyng which shall be borne of thee, shall be called the sonne of god.
Elizabeth was filled with the holye ghost, and cried with a loude voyce and sayd: Blessed art thou among women, … blessed is y• fruite of thy wombe. And whence hapneth this to me, that the mo ther of my Lord should come to me. &c.
It fortuned while they wer there, herLuke. … time was come y• she shuld be deliuered. And she brought forth her first begottē son, & wraped him in swadling clothes, & layd him in a maunger, because there was no roume for thē within y• Inne.
Behold I bring you tidings of great …oy, y• shal come to all y• people. For vntounto you is borne this day y• city of Dauid … sauiour, whiche is Christ the Lord.
The child grew, and waxed strong in spirite, and was filled with wisedome & the grace of god was with him.
Iesus encreased in wisdome and age and in fauour with god and man.
Blessed is the wombe that bare thee,Luke. 11 and the papes whiche gaue thee sucke.
The worde was made fleshe & dweltIohn. 1 among vsus.
Dauid was a Prophet & knewe thatActes. 2. god had sworne with an othe to hym, y• the fruite of his loynes, that is to say Christ, should sit on his seate.
God dyd sette vp Dauid to be theyrActes. 13 kyng, of whom he reported, saying, I hauehave founde Dauid the sonne of Iesse, a man after my owne heart, he shall fulfill all my will. Of this mans sede hath god accordyng to hys promise, brought forth to the people of Israell a sauiour, euen Iesus.
Iesus Christ the sonne of god was beRom. 1. gotten of the seede of Dauid as pertaynyng to the flesh.
Christ as concernyng the flesh cameRom. 9 of the Israelites.
To Abraham and hys seede were theGal. 13 promyses made. He sayth not in the sedes as many, but in thy seede, as in one, whiche is Christ.
When the tyme was full come, GodGala. …. sent hys Sonne borne of a woman, and made bounde vntounto the lawe, to redeme them, which were vnderunder the law, that we thorow election myght receiue the inheritaunce that belōgeth vntounto the naturall sonne.
Christ beyng in the shape of GODPhil. … and thynkyng it no robbery to equall with God, neuerthelesse made him selfe of no reputa…ion, & toke on hym y• shape of a seruaunt, & became like vntounto men & was found in his apparell as a man.
Without doubt great is thys mystery1. Timo. 3 of godlynesse, God was shewed in the fleshe, was iustified in the spirite, was sene of aungels, was preached vntounto the gentils, was beleued on in earth and receyued vp in glory.
Remember that Iesus Christ beyng2. Tim. … of the seede of Dauid, rose agayne from death accordyng to my gospell.
He that sanctifieth, and they whicheHebr. … are sanctified are all of one. For whiche causes sake he is not ashamed to cal thē brethrē, saying. I wil declare thy name to my brethrē, and in the myddes of the congregation wil I prayse thee. And againe, I will put my trust in hym. And againe, behold here am I, & the children which god hath geuē me. For as much then as the children were partakers of flesh & bloud, he also hym selfe likewise tooke part with them for to put downe thorowe death hym that had Lorshyp ouer death, that is to say, the deuill, and that he myght deliuer them, which thorowe feare of death were all their lyfe time in daūger of bōdage. For he in no condicion taketh on him the aūgels, but the sede of Abraham taketh he on hym. Wherfore in all thinges it became him to be made like vntounto his brethrē, that he myght be mercifull and a faithfull hys priest in thinges concerning god for to purge y• peoples sinnes. For that it fortuned him selfe to be tēpted, he is hable to succour them also that are tempted.
Dearely beloued, beleue not eueryevery spi… Iohn. 4. rit, but proue the spirites whether they are of God, or not. For many false Pro phetes are gone out into the worlde. Hereby shall ye know the spirit of god. EueryEvery spirit that confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in y• flesh, is of god. And eueryevery spirit, which cōfesseth not y• Iesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of god. And this is the spirite of Antichrist, of whō ye hauehave hard, how y• …e shuld come, & euen now already is he in the world.
Many deceyuers are entred into theIohn. …. world, whiche confesse not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiuer and an Antichrist.
☞ Examples out of the new Testament.
WHen the tyme was come y• the blessedLuke. … promised sede should be borne. God sent his messenger Gabriell vnt… that holy Uirgine Marye, whiche was of the house of Dauid which among ma ny other thinges sayd vntounto her: feare not mary. For thou hast founde grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceyue in thy wombe, and beare a Sonne. &c.
☞ Note that the aungell sayth, thou shalt conceyue. He sayth not, heauen shall conceyue. And the aungell like as the Prophet vsed this word conceiue, to declare that the flesh whiche Christ had, was truly and naturally taken of the substaunce of his mother Mary the virgine. For to conceiue, is none other thyng, than a woman to be a very true & naturall mother by ministryng parte of her corporall substaunce to her childe, wherof also the child is formed and made. Now on this maner by the workyng of the holy ghost without the sede of man did this blessed virgine conceyue Christ, it therfore truly foloweth, that Christe brought not hys body with hym from heauen but receyued it of the naturall substaunce of his mother Mary. And because we should not doubt of this thyng, the aungell calleth Iesus Maries sonne. If Christ had not ta ken his humanitie of the blessed Uirgine, of her nature and substaunce, and so be made very true and perfect man, the aungell had not sayd truth, when he called Christ her sonne. For neyther should Mary hauehave bene Christes mother, nor Christ Maries sonne. And so should the aungell hauehave brought a false and a lying message from God, whiche is the selfe truth. But let God be true, and all heretikes lyers.
☞ The godly and vertuous womā Elizabeth, wife to …acharie the priest, said to Mary her Co sen, beyng newly conceiued with childe, thorow the operacion of the holy ghost: blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruite of thy wombe. And whence happeneth thys vntounto me, y• the mother of my lord shoulde come vntounto me? what soeuer thys holy woman sayth here, it muste nedes bee beleued as an infallible truth. For she speaketh not of her owne head, but as she was filled wt the holy ghost. In this her salutacion: she calleth Christe the fruite of Maries wombe. If Christe bee the fruite of Maryes wombe as vndobutedlye hee is, then is Christ made of the substaunce of Mary, and is her true and naturall sonne, or els were it a manifest lye to call Christ the fruite of her wombe. Who is so madde, to call a thyng the fruite of a tree, that neuer had the nature of a tree? Were it not double madnes to call a peare the fruite of a chery tree? so greate a fondnes and a greater lye had it bene to call Christ the fruite of Maries wombe, if he had brought his body with hym from heauen or from any other place. But as it is truly sayd thys peare is the fruite of a peare tree, because it had hys beyng and naturall substaunce of the nature and substaunce of a peare tree, so likewise is it truly said Christ is the fruite of Maries wombe, because he had hys beyng and naturall substaunce as concernyng hys humanitie of the nature and substāce of Mary. Let God therefore be true, and all heretikes lyers.
IEsus sayth Luke, grew in wisedomeLuke. 12 and age, thys also declareth Christ to to be true man, seyng he grew in age and strength of bodye yea and also in wisedome after the maner of other children, all though in the gyftes of the mynde he farre excelled all other men, as the Scriptures testifie. God sayth Dauid, euen thy God hath annoynted thee with the oyle of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes. S. Ihon Baptist also spea keth of Christ on this manner. God geueth not the spirit by me sure vntounto him.
☞ If Christ had brought hys body with hym …ō heauen so could not Christes body hauehave ben a naturall body, nor hauehave growen after the man ner of other chyldren but should hauehave bene as bygge when it came from heauen into the Uirgines wombe, as it was on the same day that it was put to death. But the holy Scriptures teache vsus, that Christ is the fruite of Maryes wombe, that he is her sonne, that he was borne a litle childe, and grewe in age after the manner of other children vntill he became a perfect man. It therefore truly followeth, that he brought not his body with him from heauen, or I know not from whence▪ as the wicked Anabaptistes teache at this present, but that he vnfaynedly, tooke it of Mary hys mother▪ and is her true and naturall sonne formed & made of the nature and substaunce of her body. Let God therfore be true, and all Heretikes lyers.
☞ Christe calleth hym selfe many tymes in the gospell the sonne of man to declare that as concernyng the fleshe, he is the sonne of Abraham▪ & of Dauid, forasmuch as he tooke his māhode of Mary, whiche was of the stocke & kynred of Abrahā & Dauid▪ to whō God promised, that of their sede & of the fruite of their wōbe one shuld be borne in whom all nacions of the earth shall be blessed. So is it euident, that Christ is the naturall sonne of Marye the virgine. Let God therfore be true, and all heretikes lyers.
☞ Christ in many places of the holy scripture is called the sonne of Dauid▪ not onelyonly because hee was promysed vntounto Dauid, but bycause he came of his kynred, and tooke flesh any bloud of his stocke and family euen of the most vndefi…ed virgine Mary hys mother Christ therfore is true and perfect man of the blessed virgine▪ & had no fantasticall nor heauenly body. Let God therfore be true, and all heretikes lyers.
☞ Christ was borne, wrapped in cloutes, layd in a maunger, sede, circumcised, embrased in armes, grewe, was made stronge in spirite, profited in wisedome and age, hungred, thyrsted, eate, dranke, wept, was wery, slept, reioyced, was moued with wrath and indignation, sorowed, was heauy, sad, was in such an agony, that his sweat was lyke drops of bloud trickelyng downe to the grounde, feared death, and at the last suffered the most spytefull death of the crosse, and was buryed. All these are manifest tokens and euident signes of Christes true man hoode. Neyther could he hauehave done or suffered these thynges▪ if he had a fantasticall body or a body brought from heauen. Let God therfore be true, and all heretikes lyers.
CHrist after his resurrectiō appearedLuke. 24. vntounto his disciples & sayd vntounto them peace be vntounto you. The disciples beyng abashed & afraide, & supposing that they had sene a spirite, he sayd vntounto them, why are ye troubled, and why doo thoughtes arise in your hartes? Behold my handes and my fete, that it is euē I my self hādle me & see. For a spirit hath not flesh & bones, as ye see me hauehave.
☞ Here Christ after hys resurrection proueth and shewed hym selfe not to bee a fantasticall but a very man, not to hauehave an heauenly body, but a body of fleshe and bones. And to declare him selfe true and perfect mā, he dyd eate before them … peece of a broyled fishe and of an honye tombe. Let God therfore be true and all heretikes lyers.
PEter in a certayne sermon declaredActes▪ 2▪ vntounto the Iewes, that Christ as concernyng the fleshe came of the fruite of Dauids loynes.
☞ In the whiche wordes he manifestly declareth his fayth concernyng Christes humanitie, which is, that Christ is very …an commyng of the sede of Dauid, & takyng his manhode of the blessed virgine, which came of the stocke of Da uid. Hereof may we also learne, that the true and Christen faith is to beleue, that Iesu Christ tooke his flesh of Mary his mother, & brought not his body with him from heauen, as the wicked Anabaptistes hold.
PAul in his Epistle to the RomainesRom. 9 playnly teacheth that Christ as concernyng the flesh came of the fathers of the old Testament, that is to say, Abraham, Isaac, Iacob, Dauid. &c.
In this Epistle to the Galathians heGal. 4 sayth, that whē the time was full come. God sent his sonne, made of a woman.
☞ He sayth not, that he was made afore of the elementes in the ayre or that he brought hys b… …y with hym from heauen, but that he was made of a woman, that is to say, tooke hys begynnyng and naturall substaunce of Mary hys mother, concernyng hys humanitie.
AGaine in his first epistle vntounto Timothe,1. Tim … he nameth the man Iesus Christ a mediator betwene god & man.
☞ This name Mediatour, proueth Christ both God and man. For he that should be a mediator betwene God and man, set them at one y• were at debate, make peace among them that before dyd disagree, and conioyne them to perpetual amitie, which before were ennemies one to another, yea and by hys owne dignitie, worthinesse and iustice, make a louelove day for euer and euer, betwene God and man, must hauehave in hym both the nature of God and the nature of man. Christ is that one and alone mediatour, which hath by his death ad passion set God and man together in an euerlasting peace and quietnes, which before thorowe sinne we are at strife and debate. As Christ therfore is true God, so is he true man, God I say, of God the father, and man of vsus, of our flesh and of our bloud, or els should blessed Paule erre, which calleth hym a mediatour▪ But let God be true, & all heretikes liers.
☞ Finally, in his epistle vntounto the Hebrewes, after that he had spoken much of the deuine nature of Christ, prouing Christ to be very god, he also setteth forth Christes humanity, and pro ueth hym to be true and naturall man, made of our flesh and of our bloud, this alone excepted, y• we receyued our nature with sinne, and in sinne and by natural coniunction, Christ receiued his humanity of hys mother without sinne, wythout the company of any man by the operation of the holy ghost. But let vsus heare the wordes of the Apostle.
For as muche as the children wereHeb. 2. pertakers of flesh and bloud, he also him selfe likewise toke part with them.
☞ Here as S. Paule declareth euidently, that as the children, that is to say, men be pertakers of flesh and bloud, so lykewise Christ (because he might destroy him that had lordship ouer death: that is to say, the deuill by the death in his owne body) was made pertaker of the same, that is, of flesh & bloud. No man doubteth that our flesh is of the nature and substance of a womā, no more is it to be doubted that Christ toke his fleshe of the nature and substance of Mary his mother, seyng the epistle saith that Christ was made per taker of flesh and bloud wyth vsus. This coulde he not hauehave ben if he had brought his body with hym from heauen, or had taken it of anye other then of a naturall woman, although a pure and vndefiled Uirgine.
Therfore lyke as a man taketh hys nature of his parentes, so lykewise toke Christ by humain nature of the blessed Uirgine his mother. He sai eth moreouer (He) meanyng Christ, in no place taketh on him the aungels, but the sede of Abraham taketh he on hym.
Here the Apostle manifestlye confuteth the wicked opiniō of them which teach that Christ had a celestiall body or a body made of the ayre, and plainly affirmeth that he toke the sede of Abraham, that is to say: was made and became ve ry true and naturall man of the kinrede of Abra hā accordyng to Gods promise. So that all that euer he had, concerning his humanitie, he had it of the blessed Uirgine, which came of y• stocke of Abraham.
☞ Agayne he saith in all things it became hym to be made lyke vntounto hys bretherne. Here saint Paule confesseth that Christ was made like vn to vsus in all thynges, which thyng by no meanes could be true, yf he had not taken vponupon him our nature and substaunce. If he belyke vntounto vsus in all thynges (sinne alone excepte) so followeth it that he is of the same nature, & of the same fleshe and bloud that we are, or els could not he be like vntounto vsus in all thynges. And so should thys holy apostle and al other godly writers and teachers hauehave brought vsus in errour. But let god be true and all heretikes lyers.
☞ Now hauehave we learned both truly and fullye of the holy scriptures, which are infallible verities, that Christ was cōceiued by the holy ghost and borne of the Uirgine Mary. By the which worde (of) we beleue that he toke his humanity of her substaunce, and had none other begynnyng as touching his humanity than in her and of her, by the operation of the holy ghost: so that we may truely conclude, that as Christ is very God of God the father wythout a mother, so is he very man of Mary his mother wythout any Father. Therfore may hys God head be as iustly denied, as hys manhode and flesh takyng of the blessed virgine Mary. But Christ abydeth very god and very man whatsoeuer the wicked hiretikes hable. Cursed therefore bee Cerdo, Marcian and Manes, which taught that christ appeared as man, and yet had no parte of true manhoode in hym, but onelye had a fantasticall bodye.
☞ Cursed be Cerinthus, which taught that Iesus was begotten of Ioseph and Mary, after y• maner of other men, and that Christ came down from aboue vntounto Iesus▪ Cursed bee the Ebionites, the Theodosians, the Antimonians and the Photinians, which affirmed that Christe was borne of the virgine onelyonly man & not God. Cursed be Appelles which taught that Christ had his body of the elements in the ayre. Cursed be Ualentinus which sayd that Christ brought his body wyth him from heauen, and tooke no fleshe of the Uirgine Mary: but passed through her as water through the pype. Cursed be hys Apes the Anabaptistes▪ which in these our dais hauehave raysed vp that most detestable and horryble heresie. Cursed and confounded be all they which wyth theyr hartes do not beleue, & wyth their mouthes vnfainedly confesse, that Iesus Christ is both God and man, to whom be glory for euer.
Amen.