Answer to John De Albines, Answer to discourse · Chapter 30
The XXX. Chapter.
OVr Sauiour Chriſt did approue his vocation after another ſort, then you doe yours.aBut in another place you know he ſaieth, that the word that he had ſpok…n, ſhould iudge them at the laſt day. Iohn 12. Search (ſaieth*Ioh. 5. he) the ſcriptures, for they heare witnes of me: he doeth not ſay, that they are Iudges, as you ſay, for you wil hauehave none other arbitrator but the word of God. You know, that they are two different thinges, to beare witnes, and to be a Iudge, and yet the ſcriptures of the old Teſtament doe cōtaine, not only the verity of the doctrine of our Sauiour Chriſt, but therewithal the very ſufficient probation of his perſon, to teach vsus the true word of God, & to ouerthrowe & deſtroy the whole kingdome of Sathan, as it is plainely ſeene by thoſe that liſt to looke vponupon the oracles of the olde patriarches & Prophets. It is writē in the third of Gen. that God ſaied vntounto the womā, that her ſeede ſhould breake downe the ſerpēts head. And likewiſe in the ſaied*Gen. cap. 12.15.19.22. & 24. booke there is mentiō made of this diuine ſeede of Abraham: & in the 15. & 53. Chapters of Eſay, & in the 2. Pſalme, Dauid doeth talke of it. And in like maner Daniel, Moſes & Aarō, withal the reſt of the prophets in their ſacrifices hauehave very perfectly painted the cōming & paſſiō of our Sauiour. Moſes left writē in the prophecy of Iacob, that the Meſſias ſhould come, when the roial ſcepter and the adminiſtration of it ſhould be taken from the line of Iuda. Daniel was not content to ſay as the reſt, that he ſhould come,bThere is no reaſon in the world, why you ſhould count from that yeare, for neither Daniels words will beare it, neither yet the true account of the time from thence to Chriſts death: for that was about the yeare of the world 3354, and he ſuff…ed Anno. 3996. as Functius calculateth. Neither is there any mention in Dan: of 72. weekes, but of 70, & of numbers whereinto he deuideth that. Beſide it ſeemeth that your Arithmetique or wits, were very ſlēder to reckon 72. weeke…, that is ſo ma…y times 7. years, to be iuſt fiue hundred, when as if you account againe, you ſhall finde, that your number is not ſo iuſt by 4. as you would ſeene, for 72. times 7. makes 504. A ſha…efull learned man ſure you hauehave ſhewed your ſelfe here. but he did aſſigne the very time, that is to ſay, by the ſeuenty two weekes, counting from the fourth yeare of the raigne of Zedechias, vntil the time that our Sauiour was na…ed vponupon the Croſſe, the which time was iuſt 5. hūdred years. Thē, ſeeing that Chriſt came at the verie preſcribed time, he might well hauehave ſaied vntounto the Iewes, that the Scriptures did beare witnes of him. But yet to ſay the trueth, if he had done no other but this, he had not fully approued his vocation, to condemne their incredulity. For they might hauehave ſaied vntounto him: we know wel, that by the ſaying of the olde prophetes the Meſſias ſhould come of the line of Iacob, about this time, foraſmuch as the ſcepter of this kingdome is taken frō the line of Iuda, to be deliuered vntounto Herod: But what though, is this a good conſequence:aBut now that t…is point is ſufficiently confirmed already, & ſo alſo al the doctrine of the goſpel by him and his Apoſtles, therefore now to refuſe to beleeue the ordinarie miniſters of the Church, vnles they proue the ſame againe by miracles, which is your dea…ing with vsus, is an euident ſigne of vnbeliefe. the Meſſia… ought to cōe about this time, therefore it is I? No, no, ſhew vsus your cōmiſſion, let vsus ſee ſome ſignes, how we ſhal know it: for if we ſhould receiue you as our king, it may be, that ſome other would come and craue the like, ſaying, that we were abuſed Our Sauiour Chriſt ſore fearing this obiection, to…ke another witnes with him beſides the ſcripture, I meane his miracles. The workes that I doe (ſaieth*John. 5. Chriſt) in the name of my father, beare witneſſe of me. The like proofe is made, whē S. Ioh. *Mat. 11.Baptiſt ſent his diſciples to our Sauiour, to hauehave him teach the true beliefe, that they ſhould hauehave in him: this queſtion was put to him, art thou he that ſhould come, or ought we to attend for ſome other? Go your waies (ſaied Chriſt) and tel Iohn what yee hauehave heard and ſeene, The blinde receiue their ſight, the lame doe walke vpright, the dumbe ſpeake, the deafe heare, the lepers are cured, the dead are raiſed againe, and the poore are preached vntounto: the which is as much to ſay, as, tel Iohn, that I am the true Meſſias, & that he ought to attend … other. I doe verifie my doctrine both by the Scripture and by Miracles. For firſt Eſay doeth write, that when the Meſſias ſhould come, he ſhould doe the Miracles aboue mentioned. Then, ſeeing that I hauehave done thē in your preſence, it foloweth, that I am he that ſhould come. Thus you ſee Sirs, that both thebAnd by the ſame ſcriptures, and by the ſame Miracles, we iuſtifie our vocatiō and religion: what wil you hauehave more? Scripture and Miracles were neceſſarie for the confirmation of the comming of Chriſt among the Iewes, who were neuer harder of beleife then we are, according to your opinion: and therefore blame vsus not, if we ſende you packing like Coggers of the Scriptures,cBut they doe. 2. Theſſ. 2. & Apoc. 14. verſ. 8.6. and 7. the which doe neither beare witnes of your comming, nor yet doe any miracles, the which two thinges and more, are neceſſary to make vsus beleeue your reformed Gospell.
The XXX. Chapter.
THe drift of this Chapter is to proue, that Chriſt did not onelyonly warrāt his vocatiō & doctrine by the teſtimonies of the Scriptures, but alſo by miracles: which I grant you proue ſufficiently. Wherupon you would cōclude, that we accoūting you as hard of beleife, as euer were the Iewes, therefore we ſhould proue our calling and religion vntounto you by both: whereas (if it be true, that you ſay) we can doe neither, and ſo are to bee ſent packing like coggers onelyonly of the Scriptures. Whither the Scriptures giuegive teſtimony vntounto our religion or no. I referre to the reader to iudge by that which I hauehave writen already, & by that we hauehave writen from time to time in our bookes made in the defence of our religion. And concerning our vocation and calling, I truſt, I hauehave ſufficiently confirmed that, by thē alſo, in that I hauehave ſhewed our calling to be conformable to the calling of true Paſtors in the Apoſtles time. But if further you require a more ſpeciall teſtimony from thence of our comming by our calling, I ſende you now to 2. Theſſ. 2.8. and Reuel. 14.6. &c. where it is prophecied, that God would towards the later end ſend his meſſē gers againe to conſume Antichriſt, and by preaching the euerlaſting Goſpel, to ouerthrow Babylon. And as touching miracles, you hauehave bene anſwered ſufficiently already: but that you complaine not, that we refuſe to anſwere you, as long as you can obiect any thing: to this now alleadged I ſay, that you muſt vnderſtand, that it was neceſſary for Chriſt, to confirme his calling by miracles, becauſe it is true (as you alleage out of Eſay) yt it was prophecied, that the Meſſias ſhould worke miracles, when he came: & ſo alſo it was neceſſary once to eſtabliſh and confirme the particular doctrine of his perſon, the ceaſing of the ceremonies of Moſes law, and other ſuch new & ſtrange things, as the comming of the Meſſias brought with it, both to Iew and Gentile: which reaſons you cannot ſhew, why we ſhould work miracles now, to confirme our vocation or religion by to you. For neither was it prophecied, that the miniſters of Chriſt ſhould bring Antichriſt to conſumption, or the whore of Babylon to her fall, by working of miracles, but (as you hauehave heard) by the ſpirit of Gods mouth, breathing in his euerlaſting goſpell: the force whereof, in our miniſtry, you perceiue daily to be ſuch, that it is euē a miracle and wonder vntounto you, to ſee in how ſhort time it hath preuailed, and preuaileth ſtill againſt your kingdome, doe you what you can to let it: neither neede thoſe things ſo notably once confirmed by Chriſt and his Apoſtles (which are the onelyonly things that wee teach) to be for your ſakes confirmed againe, though you be neuer ſo harde hearted. The word writē, and the miracles therin recorded already, muſt ſerue the turne, to conuert you to our religion therein taught, and thereby ſufficiently ratified, or elſe (gibe at it howſoeuer here) you ſhall one day, to your ſmart (I feare) find your ſelues to be without all excuſe.
One tricke of your learning yet I maie not forget, which you hauehave in the beginning of this Chapter; which is this, that alleadging this ſaying of Chriſt, Search the Scriptures, for they are they that teſtifie of mee, you note, that he ſaied not, they are iudges, but they bearewitnes of me, which you tell vsus, are two different things. This was by the way to giuegive vsus a blow, that would hauehave no other Iudge, but the word of God. And to what end, would you hauehave the Scriptures, but to ſtād at the barre, as witneſſes? Truely yt your Pope, and your Church might ſit on the bench, as iudges, to giuegive ſē tence, as it pleaſed them, whatſoeuer the witneſſes depoſe. But what little reaſon there is therein, nay, what blaſphemy that ſauoureth of, you & eueryevery mā may learne by the certaine & infallible trueth alwaies witneſſed vntounto vsus by the one, & of the manifold errors, iudged and practiſed by the other. It is worthy the marking, to ſee how ſtill it grieueth you, that the Scriptures, or certaine word of God ſhould ſit aboue your Popes & you, to check & controle your doings: and how faine you would bring them vnderunder, to bee iudged & ouerruled by you. But to anſwere this your obiectiō, you muſt be put in remembrance, that there is not ſuch a difference betwixt a iudge, and a witnes, but one & ſelfeſame man may be both a witnes & a iudge: & yt if there be ſuch a force in this word witnes, here to driue the Scriptures to the barre to ſtand but amongſt witneſſes, there is as great, force in the word Iudge, in another place to bring them to the bēch againe, to ſit as iudge. Remember your ſelfe therfore, that the ſame Chriſt, that ſaied here, that the Scripture beare witnes of him, ſayed (Ioh. 12.48.) to ſuch as you are, He that refuſeth me & receiueth not my words, hath one that iudgeth him, the word that I hauehave ſpoken ſhal iudge him at the laſt day. And neuer diſdaine you, that the ſcriptures, that bare witnes to Chriſt, ſit as iudges ouer you and your doings: if you doe, ye wil not ſerue your turne. For Chriſt hath tolde you, what you ſhal truſt to, if you wil not ſtand to their iudgement here, you ſhall one day (wil you, nil you) be iudged by them to your ſmart elſewhere. Wherefore howſoeuer in the end of your former Chap. you coūt him a foole & to be reiected, that counſelleth you to leaue that which you take to be the catholicke faith, confirmed by the ancient Doctors, & general councels: if he bring ſcripture indeed on his ſide, you wil proue moſt foole, if you beleeue him not. This your Gerſon ſaw, & therfore he hath writen, that there is more credit to be giuen to one man learned in the Scriptures, and hauing thēof his ſide, then either to the Popes ſentēce, or to the decrees of a general councel. And your Abbot Panormitā ad Canonē, Titulo, de Electionibus hath the like ſaying. But indeed whiles we labour to draw you from your errors, to ioine with vsus in our religion, we doe not perſwade you from that, but to that indeed, which our anceſtors, whom we may ſafely follow, the Patriarches, Prophets, Chriſt, & his Apoſtles hath taught vsus: and which the true Church of Chriſt hath by her ſound and faithful paſtors, & lawful Synods, and councels euer ſince vntounto this day taught vsus. This wee are ſure is true. For we finde our ſelues able by the Scriptures, the ſound monuments of antiquity, & the Cronicles of al times, & ages to proue, and iuſtifie it to be ſo, againſt al gaine-ſayers. And therfore I would wiſh you, for fear of the ſentēce of this Iudge, the ſcriptures (though you labour neuer ſo much to bereaue thē of that office of a Iudge amongſt you) that neither lacke of miracles working by vsus, nor the glorious dombe ſhewes of catholique faith, Catholique Church, ancient fathers, and councels &c. hold you any longer frō ioining hands with vsus. For to pretend all theſe neuer ſo much, wil no more excuſe you from falling vnderunder the ſentence of this Iudge, then the like did your predeceſſors, the hie prieſts, Scribes and Phariſees in Chriſts time: who by reaſon of ſuch falſely pretended arguments, kept thē ſelues backe from yeelding vntounto the ſame religion then preached by Chriſt and his Apoſtles, to their vtter deſtruction. The Lord of his infinite mercies, open your eies in time, and giuegive you once grace in ſimplicity of heart, to ſearch for the trueth of religion in his writen word, and to leaue deceiuing of your ſelues & others, with theſe ſounding and ſwelling words of vanitie Amen. Your childiſh and groſſe ouerſight & ignorance by the way ſhewed about Daniels 70. weekes in this Chapter is moſt pitifull. For whereas he ſpeakes but of 70, you ſay he did ſpeake of 72, & thoſe you count to containe leſſe yeares by 4. then they doe, and contrary to al trueth of ſtory, & the expreſſe wordes of the Angel, Chapter 9. ſet downe by the Prophet, you appoint them their beginning before the Captiuity, wheras they muſt of neceſſitie beginne after.