History of the First Ten Persecutions, History 2 · Chapter 3

History of the First Ten Persecutions · History 2 · Chapter 3

Chap. 3.

IN this second Centurie Satan inuying the propagation of the Gospel, sent foorth a pernicious swarme of Hetiques, Of Heretiques.such as SATVRNINVS of Antiochia, and BASILIDES of Alexandria, the one of them through Syria, and the other through Egypt dispersed the venome of their hereticall doctrine. To whome EVS…BIVS addeth CARPOCRATES most properly counted the father of the Heretiques, call…d Gnostici, Euseb. lib. 4. cap. 7. They receiued this name, Gnostici.because they profesled a knowledge of darke & hid mysteries. The golden age of the Apostles and Euangelists was now spent, and false teachers tooke the greater incouragement to teach a doctrine of deuils, disallowing mariage, & commanding fornication, and practizing abominable and filthie things, which mine heart abhorreth to thinke vponupon. What necessitie drone EP…PHANIVS in particular to manifest to the worlde the detestable and execrable mysteries of those Heretiques I cannot tel. One thing I know, that it shuld not be comely in my person to offend the chaste eares of Christians by renuing the memorial of that beastly vncleannes wherof EPIPHANIVS expresly writeth. Epiph contra haer…s. They were justly called Borboritae or Caenosi, because they were filthily polluted in the mire of vncleannesse, August. index hares. Ad Quodvultdeum The followers of CARPOCRATES had in secrete places images of golde and siluer, which they called the images of Iesus, and therewithal the images of PITHAGORAS, PLATO, and ARISTOTLE, and they worshipped them all, Epiph. contrahaeres. So that the worshipping of images and the adoration of the image of Iesus himselfe is not a custome borrowed from the ancient fathers of the first three hundreth yeeres, but rather a custome borrowed from olde Heretiques, such as CARPOCRATES and his follower MARCELLINA. By their vnhonest and filthie conuersation it came to passe, that the true professours of the Gospell were vilely slandered by persecuting Pagans objecting to Christians the bankets of THYESTES, & the chamberiug of OEDIPVS, Euseb. lib. 4. cap. 7. This superlatiue degree of excessiue vncleannesse could not endure long, because eueryevery one of these Heretiques. SATVRNINVS, BASILIDES and CARPOCRATES. with augmentations of new inuented absurdities, changed the fashion and countenance of their error, and so in ende it euanished. But the beautie of the true Church of Christ, euer like vntounto it selfe in gravitie. sinceritie, libertie temperancie and holinesse of vnreprouable conuersation brightly shined among the G…ecians and Barbarians, Euseb. lib. 4. cap. 7.

The countrie of VALENTINVS was vnknown to EPIPHANIVS. Hee was brought vp in learning in the schooles of Valentinu…Alexandria. In his foolish opinions of the pluralitie of gods as well masculine as feminine, the multitude of heauens, & ages or eternities, which he calleth foreign thirtie in number deepenesse and silence beeing the beginning of all the rest, August index haeres. In this his opinion (I say) EPIPHANIVS conjectureth that he hath followed HESIODVS in his Theogonia, yet the man beeing ambitious, by permutation of names, hee would seeme to hauehave beene the author and finder out of these mysteries. Against whom IRENEVS hath written fiue bookes wherein. hee both discouereth and also refuteth the vanitie of his errour. MARCVS one of his disciples a notable sorcerer inuented a new forme of Baptisme, Marcus.to baptize in the name of the vnknowne father of al things, and in the name of the veritie the mother of all things and in the name of him who descended vponupon Iesus, Euseb. eccl. hist. lib. 4. cap. 11. All the disciples of the schoole of VALENTINVS are called Gnostics with the forenamed Heretiques, SATVRNINVS, BASILIDES and CARPOCRATES, they all denied the resurrection of the body, and supponed that saluation did belong onelyonly to the soule of man. VALENTINVS and his disciple MARCVS with COLORBASVS and HERACLEON, all their opinions were so intricate and obscure, that men of meane vnderstanding could not conceiue them, and men of deepe judgement would not conceiue them, because they had not spitted out their braines (as EPIPHANIVS speaketh) that is, their head was not so voide of wisdome as to hearken to the new inuented to yes of brainsicke men.

CERDON and MARCION were authours of the opinion Cerdon. Marcion.of two gods, or two beginnings, the one they called the authour of all good things, the other the author of all euil things. They denied the veritie of Christs humane nature and the veritie of his suffering, whereupon of necessitie followeth this conclusion, that we are not saued indeede, but onelyonly (to vse MARCIONS own words) putative, that is in fantasie or supposition. The death of Christ is the true ground of our saluation, if he only seemed to die, & died not indeed then we seeme to be saued but are not saued indeede. They denyed also the resurrection of the body, August. index haeres. MARCION was justly called by POLYCARPVS Primogtnit…s d…aboli, that is, The first borne of the deuill, Euseb. lib. 4. cap. 14. This heresie by the worke of that olde serpent was dispersed in Italie, Egypt, Palestina, Arabia, Syrta, Cyprus, Thebaida, Persia, and in many other places. This is the cause wherefore TERTVLLIAN, & after him, EPIPHANIVS inveighes so sharply against this pestilent Heretique MARCION. Hee was the inuenter of a strange & new custome in Baptisme, that after a man hath bene once baptized, he may be baptized againe the second time, and the third time also. This hee did to wash away and put in obliuion the foule fault of whoredom committed by him His father was a preacher of Gods word in Pontus, & he himselfe had vowed chastitie, & afterward polluted himselfe with whoredome, & was cast out of the Church by his owne father, & when he came to Rome at the time when HYGINVS (the ninth Bishop after the martyrdome of the two great Apostles) was lately departed this life, he was not admitted to the fellowship of the Church of Rome: therefor he joyned himselfe to the fellowship of CERDON, and augmented his errour. To the two beginnings of CERDON he added the third in this maner. First he saide there was one supreme and vniuersall God, and him hee called the good God, who created nothing that is in this world. Secondly there was a visible God who was Creator and maker of all things, and thirdly there was the deuill as a midthing betweene the visible and inuisible God, Epiph contra haeres. No heresie sprang vp in this Centurie that was so vniuersally ouerspred in many nations & countries, as the heresie of MARCION was. So bent is the corrupt nature of man to followe a doctrine of lies, when it is coloured with a shewe and pretence of reuerence towarde God. For they feared to attribute the making of any thing that is euill to God, who is infinite in goodnesse. But this was a needlesse feare, because creatures which nowe are …uill, they hauehave not this wicked disposition by the creation of God, but by their owne voluntarie defection from the firste estate whereinto God created them. LVCIANVS and APE…PS were the disciples of MARCION whome many did followe, in so much that Marcionists were called Lucianistae and Apeiletani. Neuerthelesse APELLES could not agree with his master MARCION in all things: for hee graunted that Iesus Christ the sonne of the good God had a true body, yet not made of the substance of the Virgin MARIE, but of the foure elements, and that he died and rose againe, not putative as MARCION said, but truely & in very deede, yet he thought that this true body of Christ like as it was composed of the foure elements, so likewise after his resurrection he dissolued it into the foure elements, and afterwarde returned to heauen from whence he came. This errour EPIPHANIVS abhorreth for many great absurdities. First (saith he) did Christ build vp againe that Tabernacle which men destroyed to the end that he himselfe in continent after the building of it should destroy it againe by a dissolution of it into the elements? Secondly if Christ dissolued his owne body, why would he not let his disciples see at least the reliques of his body resolued into elements, to the ende they might hauehave honoured the reliques of his dissolued body, as the women came to the sepulchre with precious oyntments to hauehave honoured his dead body. Thirdly (saith he) APELLES speaketh of Christes body after his resurrection that which neither Christ, nor his Apostles euer spake of that blessed body. This is the right way to vndoe heresies, to bring them to the right balance of the mouth of Christ, and writings of his holy Apostles, and then heresies cannot consist and stand.

In the dayes of ANTONINVS and L. VERVS the authors of the 4. persecution. TATIANVS a Syrian came to Rome and was conuerted to the true faith by IVSTINVS MARTYR, during Tatianus.whose lifetime hee maintained no errour openly: but after the death of IVSTINVS hee became the authour of the sect Encratitae, who were so called, because they abstained from wine and eating of flesh and creatures quickened Encratitaewith a sensitiue life. They damned mariage and blasphemed the Epistles of PAVL, Euseb. lib. 4. cap. 28. This they did no doubt, because PAVL in his Epistles calleth the prohibition of mariage, and the prohibition of meates appointed by God for the vse of men with thankesgiuing to be a doctrine of deuils, 1. Tim 4.

MONTANVS a man of Phrygia seduced two women, PRISCILLA and MAXIMILLA to leaue the companie of their Montanus Cataphryges.husbands, and to be his prophetesses. He called himselfe the holy Spirit whom Christ sent to instruct his disciples in al trueth, Ioh. 14. He instituted lawes concerning fasting, and damned the second mariage, and affirmed that PAVI. gaue libertie to widowes to marie, because hee knewe the will of God, but onelyonly in a part, August. Index h…eres. Euseb. lib. 5. cap. 14 & 16.

I purposely passe ouer that rable of obscure Heretiques, whome I compared in the treatise of heresies to abortiue births, such as Opbitae, Caiani, Sethiani and such like: of whom notwithstanding EPIPHANIVS vouchsafeth to writ at lēgth, no doubt to manifest! the corruption of mans nature, stouping sometimes so basely, that not onelyonly they hearken to the counsel of the old serpent the deuil, but also they wor ship the very instrument of the Deuil, viz. the serpent, as these Ophitae did. Againe, some Heretiques magnified CAIN and called him their father. And others gaue to SETH the honour due to Christ. So it commeth to passe, that men destitute of the grace of God, that commeth from aboue, are like vntounto drunkards staggering on the right hande, and on the left hande, and falling on their faces, and beating out their owne braines. Sometimes they extoll wicked men like vntounto CAIN, and fall at the left hande: at other times they praise good men like vntounto SETH with excessiue prayses, & with derogation of the glory of Christ, and fall at the right hand And at sometimes are so benummed, that they spare not to set the very deuill and his instruments in the chaire of God, and fall like drunken fooles on their faces, and knocke out their owne braines.

Let no man maruell wherefore the names of AQVILA a Aquila and Theodosion rath…r Apostatstben Heretiques.man of Pontus and THEODOSION of Ephesus are not reckened in the rolle of Heretiques in this age. True it is that they once professed the faith of Christ, & made defection againe but this defection made not a diuision into the Church which is the body of Christe, because they joyned themselues to the vnbeleeuing Iewes who vtterly denied the diuinitie of Christ, and therefore of Christians became infidels rather then Heretiques. Like as no man calleth the Emperour IVLIAN an Heretique, but an apostate: so AQVILA and THEODOSION were notable apostats from the faith of Christ. Howe they laboured to peruert by sinistrous translations of places of Scripture giuing cleare testimonie to Christ who was borne of a virgin, EVSEBIVS declareth lib. 5. cap. 8. The translation of the Septuagints foreign, that is, Behold a virgin shall conceiue, Isa. 7. was translated by them, foreign, behold a young woman shall conceiue But this bad translation of Apostat christians and Proselites of the Iewes so well liked of the Iewish nation could neuer take place in the Church of Christ: because the Prophet ISAIAH in that chapter is speaking of a miraculous signe which God will giuegive vntounto his people to confirme their faith, such as is the birth of a maide, which indeede is a mitaculous worke, but the birth of a young woman clad with an husband is no miracle.

Of Scripture and Tradition.

IN the first Centurie PAPIAS deceiued by tradition sell into the errour of the Chiliasts: In the second Centurie CLEMENS ALEXANDRINVS stumbling at the same stone fell into diuerse errours, as hath bene alreadie spoken. This presenteth vntounto vsus manifest occasion to speake of the certaintie of Scripture, and the vncertaintie of tradition. Scripture dited by diuine inspiration (as the Apostle speaketh of it, 2. Tim 3.) is such a sacred and holy thing, that to doubt of the perfection, puritie, vtilitie and operatiue vertue of it is notable blasphemie, and a manifest contradiction to the spirit of God speaking by his seruant DAVID, Ps. 19. from the 7. verse to the 11. verse. So that these barking dogges, who speake vnreuerently of the Scripture, are more worthy of a whip wherewith dogs are driuen out of Churches then of an answere. This is the incorruptible seede wherby we are begotten to be Gods children, 1, Pet. 1. & the sincere milke whereby we are nourished in Gods house, 1 Sacred scripture cannot be sufficiently commended.Pet. 2. this is the wine and milke that God hath giuen vsus without money, Isa. 55. ver 1 wine fine and purified, Isa. 25. ver. 6. This is a mirrour wherein we see the glorious image of Christ, into the which we should be transformed, 2, Cor. 3. ver. 18. This is a lanterne to our feet, a light to our pathes. Psal. 119. ver. 105. and a very diademe to the heade of the woman that trauaileth in birth to bring forth children to God, Apoc. 12. The holy Scriptures are like vntounto the authour of holy Scriptures, of whome MOSES saith, that God is fearefull in praises, Exod 15. ver 11 When wee prayse a mortall man, it is to be feared lest wee giuegive too much honour vntounto him: but when wee praise the immortall God it is to bee feared lest wee holde backe a part of his due honour. And truely the worde of God in this point is like vntounto God himselfe. When a man entreth into a commendation of the Scriptures of God, he hath nothing to feare but this one thing, that he speake not so reuerently of it as becommeth him to doe. It is the witnesse Similitude.of Christ, Iohn 5. It is the candle of God shining in a darke place, 2. Pet, 1. It is the sword that the spirit furnisheth vsus to fight against spiritual wickednesse, Ephes. 6. ver. 17. In a word let vsus be wise like men who finde precious stones, they goe to the Lapidars to trie the value & vertue of the stones that are found, for eueryevery man hath not skill to judge of such precious things: so let vsus consider diligently what the Prophets and Apostles, the very pen-men of the holy Ghoste hauehave spoken anent the written Worde of God and wee shall finde it a pearle of infinite value, Matt. It is perillous to separat the booke of the worde from the booke of the workes.13.

This volume of the booke of the Worde is one of the two principall bookes wherein wee learne to knowe God, as the Prophet declareth, Psal. 19. In the booke of the workes we know the power & diuinitie of God, Rom. 1. but in the booke of the written worde of God we know the will of God and his fauour toward vsus in Christ lesus: and therfore the Prophet saith, that the statutes of the Lord rejoyce the heart, Psal. 19 ver: 8. Satan knowing what profitc commeth to men by joyning these two volumes together, hath laboured to separat them, to the ende, that men seeing the beautie of the creature, should worship it in stead of the Creator. And like as a ship that is spoiled of a prudent Pilot or Similitude.shipmaster, it is drowned in the sea: euen so the worde of God, when it directeth not the knowledge that men hauehave by the looking vponupon the creature, then men mal e shipwracke of their saluation, and worshippe the creature in place of God the Creator of all things.

Another artifice of Satan is to separat the word and the Spirit which God hath joyned together as two vnseparable meanes to set vp the Kingdome of God in our hearts, as the The spirit & the word are not to be separated.Prophet ISAIAS saith. And I will make this my couenant With you saith the Lord, my Spirit which is vponupon thee, and my wordes which I hauehave put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seede, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for euer, Isa. 59. ver. 21, But the Anabaptists in our dayes brag of the reuelations of the spirit, which reuelations notwithstanding agree not with the written word of God and therfore it is certaine that their reuelations are but fantasies and toyes of brain-sicke men.

This written word of God is to be read in the bookes of MOSES and the Prophets, of whome Christ said, Search the The Word of God is to bee found in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles.Scriptures, for they beare testimonie of me, Ioh. 5. And in the bookes written by the Apostles and Euangelists, whome Christ commanded to tarie at Jerusalem vntill they were endued with power from aboue, Actes 1. ver. 8. This power wherewith they were endued from aboue was double: First a power to knowe the sense and meaning of the Scriptures of God. Secondly power to vtter boldly and couragiously in all languages and to all nations the trueth which they knewe. This foreign distinguisheth the writings of the Prophets and Apostles from all other writings, as THEODORETVS prudently hath noted de principio. Serm. 2. The will of God saith hee, is not to be sought in the bookes of PLATO, who like as he knewe litle in matters concerning God, so likewise hee was timorous, and durst not vtter vntounto the worlde boldly that litle sponke of knowledge which he had. Hee knew there was onelyonly one God, but in his letters written to DIONYSIVS if they were serious, foreign was the beginning of the letter, th…t is, o…e God: but if the letter was not serious, nor dited frō the …ound of his heart, then the beginning of the letter was foreign, that is pluralitie of gods. Who can giuegive vndoubted credite, in maters pertaining to God, to such men as know but a litle, and the litle thing that they know, they dare not presume to tell it to others? But the Apostles were indued with strength from aboue, they were taught by the Spirit of Christ in al trueth, Iohn 16. & they were not dashed with feare of the countenances of men, Acts 4. but couragiously preached the truth of God to the great admiration of their hatefull aduersaries.

The word of God written by MOSES was so perfitly written, The Prophets and Apostl…s added nothing to Moses.that it was not lawfull to adde any thing vntounto it, nor to paire any thing from it, Deut. 4. 12. Neither did the Prophets or Apostles adde any thing vntounto the writings of MOSES, but they were faithfull interpreters of MOSES bookes, and vttered that same thing more clearely, which was somewhat darkly shadowed into the ceremonies of the Law. For like Similitude.as a marchant man who hath fine cloth rolled vp in his shop if he shall lay it out in breadth and length vponupon a table, it remaineth the selfe same cloth it was before, but it is better seene and knowne then it was before: euen so the Apostles hauehave vttered the mysteries of the Kingdome of God more clearely then MOSES did, but they hauehave said no more anent the saluation of man then MOSES saide before them.

This pure and perfite word of God should not be mixed Three inturies done to the Written Word by reueiencing of traditions.with humane traditions, for by this mixture three injuries are done to the written worde of God. First by this meane the reuerence due vntounto the written worde of God is impared and diminished. Secondly, traditions by time are equalled vntounto the written worde of God, and thirdly, traditions are preferred vntounto the written word of God. And this beeing the last period whereunto the reuerence of humaine traditions tendeth to make the writ…n commandementes of God of none effect by their traditions, as Christ clearely testifieth, Mat. 15 ver. 6. humane traditions are the lesse to bee regarded of all true hearted Christians, to the end the written word of God may hauehave the owne due honour and reuerence.

Many false imputations against sacred Scriptures are forged False accusations of holy Scripture.by Papistes to transport the hearts of people from the perfite reuerence of scripture, calling it imperfite & vnsufficient, and that it is obscure, and that it is perillous to Laicke people to reade it, lest they fall into errour. The first accusation of Scripture is the vnsufficiencie of it. The Bishop of Enereux that blasphemous man was bold to write Vnsufficiencie.a booke of the vnsufficiencie of Scripture, and the greatest argument hee vseth if it were granted, yet prooueth it not his purpose: for he thinketh that wee hauehave not sufficiently by Scripture conuicted the Anabaptists, who deny that children should be baptized till they be of perfite yeeres to giuegive a confession of their owne faith. Wee suppone that all this were true yet it prooueth not vnsufficiencie in scripture, but rather insufficiencie in vsus to whome the mysteries of the booke of God are not sufficiently knowne. There is a place of Scripture, Exod 3. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In this place (I say) is an argument secretly latent and prooning the resurrection, as Christ clearely declareth, disputing against the Sadduces, Mat. 22, ver. 31. 32. yet no man before the manifestation of Christ himselfe euer perceiued that this argument was lurking in these words: shall it be saide, this argument was not in scripture, because it was not perceiued by weake men to bee in scripture? Truely it were good for this Bishop to follow the example of the Iudges that are in this Isle of Britaine, when an act of Parliament is made and ratified, the Iudges of our countrie decerne all causes according to the Acts, but giuegive not out rash sentence against the Actes: but when the Couenant of God is made and ratified by the bloode of Christe, it were better to judge according to it, then to giuegive out rash sentence against it.

Let vsus consider what is written of the three bookes that shall be opened at the day of Iudgement, and whereby the worlde shall be judged. One of the three bookes is expresly nominat, to wit, the booke of life, Apocal chap. 20. ver. 10 the other two no man can denie to bee the Booke of the Lawe, and the booke of the conscience, because the Booke of the Lawe declareth all that wee should hauehave done, and the booke of the conscience beeing opened, manifesteth all that wee hauehave done: whereupon the righteous Iudge of the worlde groundeth a just sentence of condemnation against vngodly men in this maner. The booke of the Lawe manifesteth what yee should hauehave done, the booke of your owne conscience manifesteth that yee hauehave done the contrarie, and moreouer also your names are not found written in the Booke of life. Therefore departe from mee into the fire prepared for the Deuill and his angels. Nowe I demaund of Papistes concerning these three bookes that shall bee opened, is any of them imperfite? Is there any elect person whose name is not written in the booke of life? Is there any euill that wee hauehave done that is not written with a penne of Yron, and with the point of a Diamond in the booke of the conscience, Ierem. 17. ver. I? These two bookes are perfite. Ho, but the thirde booke of the Lawe and written Worde of God is not perfite. In the day of the Lordes blessed appearance wee shall finde it perfite, containing all that wee should hauehave either done or beleeued.

Secondly, they say that the Scriptures are difficill to be vnderstand, and therefore should not bee reade by common people. And indeede the Apostle PETER granteth that some places of the Epistles of PAVL Difficultie.are hard to bee vnderstood, 2. Pet. 3. but hee biddeth no man for this abstaine from the reading of PAVLS Epistles. To ouercome difficulties there are better remedies. The blessed virgine the mother of our Lord, when she vnderstood not Christes wordes, she kept and pondered them in her heart, Luc. 2. IVSTINVS MARTYR was admonished by an ancient and reuerent Christian to joyne prayer with reading, that God would please to open the ports of light and vnderstanding, that he might conceiue the true sense & meaning of that he read. Iustin, dialog Tryphen, CHRYSOSTOM in his preface vponupon the Epist. to the Romanes declareth, that if a man would acquaint himself familiarly with the scriptur by continuall exercise of reading, he should the more easily vnderstand Scripture as he who is familiarly acquainted with his friend, wil know by his nod or becken what is his meaning. AVGVSTINE likewise saith, that as there is difficill places in Scripture, to exercise the vnderstanding of the strong: so likewise there is plaine and easie passages of Scripture, as pleasant medowes whereinto babes may securely walke. August. Aboue all the rest our master Christ Iesus hath taught vsus by his owne example to confer Scripture with Scripture, Math. 4. to the end we be not deceiued by Satans false glosses and commentaries vponupon Scripture. This is better then vponupon occasion of difficultie to reject and cast away from vsus a thing so necessarie.

Thirdly they say that the reading of Scriptures is dangerous to simple people, because they may easily fall into Perill.an errour for fault of vnderstanding the right meaning of that which is reade. I might answere compendiously, that by this argument no man should reade sacred scripture, neither learned nor vnlearned men. For many learned men by reading Scripture, and not vnderstanding it aright hauehave beene patrons of heresie, such as ARRIVS, MACEDONIVS, NESTORIVS, EVTHICHES and diuers others. Also the very Monkes, whose solitarie life and continuall exercise in reading and praying might seeme to exeeme them more then others from errour and heresie, yet by mistaking the places of Scripture that spake of the eyes, the nostrels, the face of God, the breath of God, the arme of God, they supponed God to bee fashioned according to the likenesse of a man. And so both learned and vnlearned, Priestes and people, men liuing in townes, and lurking in cottages of the wildernes hauehave erred through misvnderstanding of Scriptures, Yet Scriptures must be reade by all true Christians, and our meditation night and day must be vponupon the Lawe of God. Psal. 1. ver. 2.

Let vsus here consider that some things are not necessarie vntounto eternall life, and when they are abused, it is not amisse Things necessarte are to be kept al-beit they be abused.that they bee remooued, and put out of the way: such as the brasen serpent which HEZEKIAS brake in pieces, and called it Nebustan, 2 Reg. cap. 18. ver. 4. But other things are so necessarie vntounto eternall life, that albeit they were a thousand times abused, yet they cannot be forsaken, such as is that foode that feedeth our soules vntounto eternall life, Ioh: 6. for the which we are commanded continually to labour. And like as when many thousands are poysoned in Similitude,meate or drinke, as it fell out in the armie of CONRADVS 3. yet necessitie compelleth men to cate and drinke: cuen so we must reade and meditate vponupon the written worde, albeit infinit numbers of people hauehave beene miscatied by not taking vp the right sense and meaning of Scripture.

Now the cause wherefore so many accusations are forged Why Heretiques doe hate the Scripture. Similitude,against Scripture is this, because it is the powerfull instrument of God, whereby teachers of lying doctrine are conuicted and confounded. Places of holy Scripture are like vntounto the smooth stones that DAVID tooke out of the brooke, and fastened one of them into the head of GOLIAH, 1 Sam. 17. ver. 49. Euen so Heretiques are so confounded by the testimonies of Scripture, that aboue all things they hate Scripture. This IRENEVS toucheth shortly spealing of Heretiques in these words: Cùm ex Scripturis arguuntur, in accusationem convertuntur ipsarum Scripturarum, lib. 3. cap. 2. that is, When they (to wit. Heretiques) are argued by Scriptures they turne themselues to the accusation of Scrip tures. Thieues do hate the light, and traitours the face of a ludge and Heretiques hate Scripture, the very axe that is laid to the root of their tree, that it may be hewed down, cast into the fire, and vtterly abolished.

Notwithstanding of all these false accusations, let vsus fast adhere to the written Word. The fathers that liued in the The care of Christians of olde to keepe the scripture from burning.time of these ten persecutions counted the volume of holy Scripture so precious a treasure, that they could willingly offer their bodies to bee burned with fire for the faith of Christ, but they would not giuegive one page of the holy Scripture to be burned: and if any man did it, he was called proditor, that is, a betrayer, and was counted a companion to the traitour IVDAS who betrayed his master, which custome was the ground of that great and long-lasting controuersie betwene CECILIANVS B. of Carthage, & the Donatists. For the Donatists alledged that he had admitted to an ecclesiasti cke office a man, who in time of persecution had bene proditor, & had deliuered a volume of holy Scripture to be burned.

If we will not followe the zeale of ancient Christians, I will set downe a more familiar example of an ancient and A remarkable speech of an old honorable Lady.honourable Lady of blessed memorie. My eares heard her call the Scripture the charter of our heauenly inheritance, because we hauehave no right to heauen but only by the promises contained in the Scriptures of God. No man wil be content to hauehave their charter rest out of their hande. If any difficil question arise by reading of it, they will send for a wise Lawier, and seeke resolution at him, but they will assuredly keepe and reade their owne charter. Euen so (saith the foresaid nobleLady) Gods people should not hauehave bene debarred from reading the holy Scriptures of God, the very true charter of their heauenly inheritance.

This written word is the shepherds staffe of Christ, wherby we are comforted in our life & vpholden euen when wee Scriptures belong to the sheepe of Christ as their proper treasure.walke through the shadowe of death, Psal. 23. ver. 4. Which staffe Christe holdeth in his hande, not for his owne sake as other shepherdes doe, to rest vponupon it, and to relieue their owne infirmitie, but onelyonly for our sake who are sheepe of the sheepfold of Christe to guide vsus by it, to correct our wandering wayes, and to holde vsus in decent order. Therefore of all things in the worlde, let vsus count Scripture a thing most pertinent to vsus, according to the saying of MOSES, the secret thinges belong vntounto the Lorde our God, but the things reueiled belong to vsus and our children for euer, that wee may doe all the wordes of this Lawe, Deut. 29. ver. 29. to wit, the Lawe written, as is clearely declared, Deut. 27. ver, 2: and 3. When thou shalt passe ouer Iorden into the lande which the Lord thy God giueth thee, thou shtli set up great stones and plaster them with plaster, and Shelt witte upon them all the wordes of this Lawe. &c. Now if the writtē word be that very portion that belonged properly to our fathers, to vsus, & to our children, we should sticke as fast to it as euer NABOTH did to his vineyarde, remēbring euer these words of MOSES. Things that are reuei led (to wit in writ) pertaine to vsus, & to our children for euer.

According to the patterne of this written word were al reformations Reformation of religion made according to the Written wordof religion made, & not according to the vncertaine report of traditions. IOSIAS made reformation according to the booke of the couenant that was founde in the house of the Lord, 2. Reg. cap. 23. ver. 2. And therefore this worde of God ought diligently to be kept as the very patterne of all true reformation in religion, if any abuse fall out at any time. In our natiue countrie men are not so careful by diligent custodie to keep other measures as the measure whereby all other measures in the lande are measured, one towne hath the weightes, another hath the jug, the third hath the furlot, another hath the el-wand: these are diligently kept, because that bythem all faulty measures are corrected and reformed: so aboue all things in this worlde, the holy Scriptures should be most diligently kept.

Now before I speake of humane traditions the very end wherefore the Apostles committed to write the summe of The cause wherfore the Apostles put in write the summe of their doctrin.their wholesome doctrine is a sore prejudice to tradition. For some persons who hearde the Apostles preach went from Ierusalem to Antiochia, and troubled the hearts of the Gentiles, saying, that they behooued to be circumcised, and keepe the Law of MOSES, to whome the Apostles gaue no such commandement, Actes 15. Therefore the Apostles tooke occasion to put in write the summe of their doctrine Nowe if tradition was not a faithfull keeper of the Apostolicke doctrine in the very dayes of the Apostles and in the Be not deceiued with the generalitie of the word tradition.mouthes of them who heard the Apostles preach with their owne eares, howe shall wee leane vntounto the vncertaintie of traditions after the issue of sixteene hundreth yeeres.

The generalitie of the worde tradition is an occasion of errour to many: for so soone as this word soundeth in their eares, incontinent they thinke that all things necessarie vntounto eternall life is not contained in Scripture, but the want of Scripture must be supplied by traditions, yet the Apostle calleth the very articles of our faith traditions, namely that Christ died for our sinnes, that he was buried and that he rose the third day againe, 1. Cor. 15 ver. 3. The Papistes take good heede to the word foreign, and say, here mention is made of tradition, but they obserue not so diligently the subsequent wordes (albeit they be twise repeated by the Apostle) foreign, that is, according to Scriptures. If they will needs obtrude vntounto vsus traditions, at the least let them be agreable vntounto Scriptures, and then the controuersie will cease. For I may boldly speake of Popish traditions Similitude.that which CLEMENS speaketh of the Philosophie of the Grecians, comparing it vntounto a nut, foreign, that is, all the nut is not meet to be caten, the kirnell is for eating, but the hard shels whereinto the kirnell is enclosed, are not nourishing food, euen so saith CLEMENS not all the Grecian Philosophie is to bee embraced and credited. The like I say of Romaine traditions, that we must not glut ouer their traditions shels and kirnell altogether, but those that are agreable to Scriptures we receiue, but traditions repugnant to Scripture, such as worshipping of images (which DAMASCENE granteth to be an vnwritten tradition) we vtterly detest and abhorre.

The place of PAVLS Epistles that seemeth to fauour vnwritten tradition, is this, Therefore brethren, stand sast, & keep The true meaning of the words of Paul, 2. Thess. 2. 15.2 Thess 2:15the instruction, which yee hauehave beene taught either by worde, or by our epistle, 2. Thess 2, ver. 15. Heere I affirme that like as they who rehearsed Christs wordes, and wrested the true sense and meaning of them, they are called false witnesses against Christ, Math. 26. ver. 61. Christ spake these words indeede, Destroy this Temple, and within three dayes I w…ll build it vp againe, but not in that sense that the false witnesses reported. Euen so they who cite a testimonie out of the Epistles of PAVL in another sense then PAVL writeth it, they are false witnesses against PAVL: for PAVLS tongue in preaching was guided by the holy Ghost, and PAVLS hand and pen in writting was guided by the holyGhost & that same selfe trueth he preached, that same selfe trueth he committed to write, to the ende that the faith of the Thessalonians might be the better confirmed and strengthened. If they will obstinatly contend that the particle foreign is disjunctiue, I will constantly affirme with the most learned ANTONIVS SADEEL that in this place it is copulatiue in this sense Keepe that instruction which yee hauehave receiued both by word and epistle, And in the same sense foreign is taken, 1. Cor. 13. ver. 8. Whether prophecying shall be abolished, or tongues shall cease, that is, both prophecying shall be abolished, and tongues shall cease, Stand fast and keepe the instruction, 2. Thess. 2. ver. 15 It is not the purpose of the Apostle in these wordes to exhort Constancie differeth frō wilfulnesse.any man to wilfulnes and obstinacie, but vntounto constant adherence vntounto the veritie of God. For the Apostle PETER describing the qualities of false teachers calleth them foreign, that, is, men presumptuous & standingon their own conceits, 2. Pet. 2. ver. 10. Wherfore a difference is to be noted betwene obstinat men & constāt men. It is obstinacie when a man walketh in his own wayes & will not be corrected by the wisdome of God: but it is constancie when a man walketh in the wayes of God, and will not depart out of them for the fauour or feare of men. CAIN was obstinat, Gen 4. PETER and IOHN were constant. Also to keepe fast the doctrine whereby they were taught both by word and Epistle, is not onelyonly to keepe it in memorie, and to keepe the volume wherein scriptures are written, but to keepe it indeede by the obedience of faith. For men are thrise miserable to keepe in their bosomes the testimonies of their owne condemnation as the Jewes did, who kept the bookes of MOSES and of the Prophets which beare testimonie of Christ, Ioh. 5. yet they beleeued not in Christ, & they kept them indeede to our great profite, but to their own just condemnation: because they neither beleeued the promises of the worde, neither were terrified with the threatnings of that same booke, which they kept. I pray God we may be better keepers of holy writings then the reprobate Jewes were.

In this controuersie to defend vnwritten traditions, the bookes of ancient fathers are sifted and raked, and infinite paines are taken to holde vp this maine, and yet dayly decaying The testimome of Ireneus abused.pillar of their kingdome. It is not my purpose neither to defend nor to excuse eueryevery thing that fathers hauehave written. OnelyOnly I say in good conscience that great injurie is done to some of them by the Papistes, namely to the most ancient father IRENEVS B. of Lions. Hee striueth against VALENTINVS an Heretique, and conuicteth him by tradition of the Churches which were thought in his time to be Apostolicke: but the heades that he proueth by tradition are the principall articles of our faith. That there is one God maker of heauen and earth, and that Christ was borne of a virgin, and suffered under Pontius Pslate, and rose againe, and was receiued into the brightnesse of glory, and that hee shall come againe to saue such as are to be saued, and to judge such as are to be judged, &c, And such sort of traditions as are altogether, agreable to holy Scriptures, we contrauert not vponupon Secondly IRENEVS had a conflict with Heretiques who regarded not scripture, but saide they were ambiguous and doubtsome, & had no authority, & that tradition was more ancient then scripture, and therefore necessitie compelled IRENEVS to fight against him with his owne weapons, as PAVL did against the Athenians with testimonies of Poets, Acts 17. Iren. lib. 3. cap. 2. & cap. 3. Yet was it not IRENEVS purpose to prooue any thing repugnant to scripture.

The traditions which they reade of in other fathers, if any be bound to keepe them, it is they themselues who Papists will not binde themselues in all points to old traditions.leane vntounto them as a necessarie supplement of the want that is in scripture, but they themselues will not be bound to the obseruation of them all, but hauehave let many of them goe out of vse, such as praying betweene Easter and Whitsonday not vponupon their knees, but standing on their feete to put them in remembrance of Christes resurrection: such like, three dippings in water, whereof wee spake in the heade of antiquitie. And after Baptisme the taste of a temper of milke and honie, to signifie their spirituall infancie, and many other traditions they hauehave suffcred to euanish and go out of vse, so that we are the lesse bound to them.

To drawe vntounto an ende of this treatise. It may be demanded, Was not tradition at some time in honourable regard in the house of God and how it commeth to passe, that now in the last age of the world we wil bring al traditions vntounto the balance of the written word counting light all these traditions that are not agreable to the Scriptures? For answere vntounto this question, we shall distinguish the worlde into three ages, and speake of the force of tradition in eueryevery age Godwilling. In the first age of the world from ADAM to the flood of NOE tradition had the greater place, because the Worde' of God was not as yet written, but God spake by Oracles to ADAM, and that which the Lorde spake to him hee deliuered it by faithfull tradition to his postēritie. Nowe in this first age, it cannot be denied but tradition had great place, and to the ende the faith of the The value of tradition in the f… age.posteritie should not leane vponupon the naked report of their fathers, as vponupon an vncertaine ground it pleasedGod to bestow vpō these fathers of the first age two great priuiledges. First they were indued with the spirite of prophecie, for ADAM prophecied of secret things that were done when hee was sleeping, Gen. 2 ver. 23 And HENOCH the seuinth from ADAM prophecied in the first age of the world of things that are to be done in the last age of the world, Epist. Iud ver. 14. 15. And LAMECH prophecied of his sonne NOAH, Gen. 5. Beside this, God bestowed vponupon these fathers long life, so that ADAM liued vntill he deliuered the Oracle of God spoken vntounto him to HENOCH, and HENOCH liued till he deliuered the same to LAMECH, and LAMECH to NOE, so that NOE needed not to bee in doubte whether the reporte of his fathers concerning the Oracle spoken to ADAM was true or not, because it was conueied to him by the handes of faithfull witnesses of vnsuspect credite, yea, holie Prophets deliuered the holie Oracle of GOD to NOE and holie Prophct of GOD also as they were.In the Second age,

In the second age of the world, it pleased God to register his blessed will in write in the dayes of MOSES, and then tradition was nothing else but a page and handmaide to the written worde of God. For true it is that God commanded fathers to tell their posteritie the wonderful works of God in slaying the first borne of Egypt and sparing the first borne of the I ewes, Exod. 13. ver. 8. yet this tradition of fathers to their children was agreable to the word of God written by MOSES, in so far that the posteritie beleeued not the writings of MOSES, because they were agreable to the report of their fathers, but rather the reporte of their fathers, because it was agreable to the worde of God written by MOSES: and so tradition in this age was a page and handmaide to the written worde of God, neither doe wee reade after the worde was written that God commanded fathers to tell anything to their children that was not expresly contained in the written word of God.

In the last age of the world we should be more attentiuely In the last age.addicted to the written worde, and lesse to tradition, in regard the Apostles were moued to put the summe of their most wholesome doctrine in write, because their doctrine was not rightly reported, euen by those who heard the Apostles teach as said is. And if the writing of the summe of their wholesome doctrine was a remedie deuised by the Apostles themselues against false traditions & wrong reports of Apostolicke doctrine, what injurie doe we to the Romaine Church when we examine al their traditions by the rule of the writtē word, & that which is not agreable to the written word, wee reject it, as a doctrine neither catholicke nor Apostolicke, because that it is found light when it is weighed in the just balance of the written word of God. Now consider howe damnable an inclination is in this our corrupt nature. When God reueiled his blessed will by tradition men were not attentiue to it, but preferred their lust vntounto the will of God reueiled by tradition: for the sonnes of God saw the daughters of men that they were faire, and tooke wiues vntounto themselues whome they liked, Gen 6. ver 2. And on the other parte when God will needes reueile his blessed will by the written word, then will wee flie to vn writtē traditions, euen to such as be repugnāt to the writtē word. And so men become like to a shadow: whē the sun shineth in the East, the shadow goeth toward the West, & when the sunne goeth down in the West, the shadow inclineth to the East, so do men obstinatly repine against the wil ofGod. Beside this, wee are to consider what great detriment hath ensued vponupon those who leauing the certaintie of the written worde, leaned vponupon the vncertaintie of Apostolicke traditions. Beside PAPIAS B. of Hicrapolis who fell into the errour of the Chiliasts, CLEMENS ALEXANDRINVS trauailed through many nations, but tooke better heed to tradition then to the written word of God, whereby it came to passe, that he filled his bookes called foreign with most vngodly and foolish opinions, as hath bene declared in the historie of his life.

When we hauehave said all that we can say, that place of the second epistle to the The ssalonians, cap. 2. ver. 15. ringeth so lowd in their eares, that they can heare nothing that soundeth The word therefore to be considered 2. Thess. 2. ver. 15.2 Thess 2:15to the contraric: wherefore we are to consider the illatiue words foreign, that is, therefore, which coupleth this verse with the preceeding text, wherinto the Apostle admonished the Thessalonians of the comming of the Antichrist, whose comming is after the working of Satan in all power, and signes and lying wonders, ver. 9. And his comming shall be so strengthened by the hand of the deuil, that he cannot be borne downe but by the breath of the mouth of God, and brightnesse of his comming. Now to the ende that the poore handful of the sheepe of Christ may be saued from the deceite of the Antichrist, hee exhorteth them to adhere fast vntounto the Apostolicke doctrine which they had receiued both by word and write. Scripture is abused when it is wrested to another sense different frō the meaning of the writer: but it is more abused when it is drawen to the cleane contrarie sense. This place is set downe to teach vsus to beware of the deceit of the Antichrist by fast adhering to the Apostolick doctrine, but the Papists abuse it to make vsus beleeue that their traditions repugnant to the word of God should hauehave alike authoritie with the writren word of God, which is the ready way to fall into the snare of the Antichrist, and not to be fred from his deceits.Christ doth great honour to the Scriptures.

To conclude, like as DAVID did great honour to ABISHAI when as in great matters of weight & importance hee tooke him to be his follower to viewe the host of SAVL, 1. Sam. 26. ver. 7. euen so God doth great honour to his holy scriptures, when he vseth them as an instrument to doe his great works by them, Christ reigneth as a King, and he hath made his word to be the scepter of his kingdome, Psal. 110. Christ is the shepheard of our soules, & the word is his shepheards staffe, Ps. 23. Christ is the builder of his fathers house, & the word is the measuring line of the building: Christ is our Sauiour, and the word of God is the power of God to saluation toeuery one that beleeueth, Rom. 1. ver. 16. Seeing Christ hath done so great honour to the scriptures, what are we that we should regard any thing spoken in the contrary? God graunt wee may conforme our selues to the will of Christ,

Amen

Of the doctrine of Deuils,

THe Heretiques called Gnostici disallowed mariage, & allowed fornication, and the Heretiques called Encratite damned the eating of flesh and drinking of wine as a sinne, and abhorred the Epistles of PAVL, (as hath beene declared in the historie) and the Romanists themselues acknowledge that Gnostici and Encratitae were Heretiques, and taught a doctrine of deuils, as likewise the Manicheis (of whome we shall speake in the next Centurie Godwilling,) but the doctrine of the Romaine church concerning prohibition of mariage and meates is different from the doctrine of Gnostici, Encratitae and Manichaei. True it is, there is some difference concerning persons, times, & some other circumstances. For the Heretiques called Gnostici damned mariage in all persons: the Romaine church damneth it only in the person of Priests, & men hauing church orders. Likewise Eucratitae damned at all times the eating of flesh & drinking of wine: but the church of Rime only prohibits the eating of flesh at certaine seasons, and vponupon certaine dayes, such as in Lent, and vponupon Fryday &c, and that without prohition of drinking of wine moderatly. Thirdly the Manicheis counted the good creatures of God fl…sh and wine to be in themselues polluted and vncleane, but the Romaine church thinketh not so, but for memorie of the Lordes suffering, for mortification of the flesh, for preparation to receiue the sacraments, and for testimonie of obedience to the vicar of Christ, & successor of PETER. it is necessary to abstaine in maner abouewritten. This difference is cast in to exeeme the Romaine church from the imputation of the doctrine of deuils, yet is not the difference very great for the Romaine church forbiddeth mariage, & meats to some men at all times, and to all men at sometimes: but consider againe, that differences of magis and minus, that is, of more and lesse, doe declare a communion rather then a contrarietie, as IRENEVS speaketh, Plu. & minus non de his dicitur, quae inverse communionem non habent, & sunt contrariae naturae, & pugnant aduersus se: sed de his quae sunt ejusdem substantiae, & communicant secum, solum autem altitudine & magnitudine differunt, lib. 4. cap. 22. As a litle water, and a litle fire differeth from a great water and a great fire, not in substance but in quantitie: euen so the Papistes differ from the Manicheis, not in substance, but in the discrepance of Plus and Minus,

The wordes of the Apostle are the ground whereupon all this treatise is founded. Nowe the Spirite speaketh euid…ntly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giuing beede vntounto spirits of errour, and doctrines of deuils, speaking lies in hypocrisie, hauing their conscience seared with an hote yrone, forbidding to marrie, and commanding to abstaine from meates which God hath created to be receiu…d with Defection in the visible Chu…ch no new thing.thankesgiuing of them which beleeue and k…ow the trueth: for eueryevery creature of God is good, and nothing to bee refus…d, if it be receiued with thank…sgiuing, 1. Tim. 1. 2. 3 4. In these words the Popish church will grant that the Mam. hets and other forenamed Heretiques are damned, but they denie that these predictions of the holy. Apostle doe damne the doctrine of the Romaine church anent forbidding of mariage to some persons, and meates at some times as a doctrine of deuils: crying out that it is not to be credited that God hath suffered the world to goe astray in such wayes so long time, and so many yeeres. What is this, but as a wette sacke wherewith a naked man is couered? (as a learned Pastor said) it is so farre from arming him against the cold, that it encreaseth his shuddering and grwing, euen so this excuse vtterly vndoeth their cause: they say God would not hauehave suffered his visible Church to hauehave erred so many yeeres, but the Apostle PAVL saith otherwise, that the Spirit speak th euidently that in the latter times some shal depart frō the faith: so that it is not a wonderfull thing to see apostasie fall out in the bowels of the visible Church, and the golden calfe to be worshipped by carnal israclites, Exod. 32. But it is a wonderful thing indeede to see sinceritie of doctrine and puritie of maners to continue long among the very watchmen of the Church: so prone and bent is the world to defection, that sometime the ordinarie watchmen cannot declare where Christ is, whom the soule of the Church loueth, Cant. 3. ver. 3.

Secondly consider that the doctrine of prohibition of meates and mariage is called a defection from the faith & a doctrine of deuils. When these odious stiles are applied to Gnostici, T atiani, Or Encratitae, Montanistae and Manichai and others: all this is heard patiently without sturre and excesse of choler: and why? because the ancient fathers examining all these opinions according to the rule of the word of God, hauehave found thē heretical opinions But whē we come neerer to say, that the prohibition of mariage in some persons, and the prohibition of meates at some times, is also a doctrine of deuils, and a defection from the faith, O then it is cast in as a wal of brasse, that the anciēt fathers who damned all the forenamed heresies, yet liked very well of supplications & prayers to be made to God eueryevery Fryday, and consequently of abstinencie from delicat meats for the furtherance of prayers in remembrance of the Lords suffering, Sozomen lib. 1. cap. 8. And like wise that Priests should bee chaste and continent, Socrat. lib. 1. cap. 9. And to damne these opinions also, is all on… as if we should damne all antiquitie and imagine that the trueth was euer buried Differences betweene the ancient fathers and Papists of our time con cerningmeats and mariage. The Council of Ancyra.since the Apostles dayes vntill our time. To this I answere that the fathers are not to be balanced with the Papistes of our dayes in the opinion of meates and mariage: for many causes: first, because the fathers of the first 300. yeeres made no lawes and constitutions to astrict the consciences of men in matters of meate and mariage as the Papists of late dayes hauehave done. The Councill of Ancyra (which is a towne in Galatia) clearely manifesteth vntounto vsus what was the custom of the ancient Church, in admitting men to ecclesiasticke offices, namely this. If a man in time of his ordination did protest that he had not the gift of continencie, but that hee was purposed to marrie, and after his ordination, hee maried a wife, hee remained still in his ministetie. But so many as in time of imposition of handes did professe continencie & abstinence from mariage, if afterward they maried they were debarred from their ministrie, Tom. 1. Concil. Here euidently appeareth, that in the primitiue Church there was no lawe made anent prohibition of mariage to men in spirituall offices. In like maner we reade vnderunder DECIVS the seuinth persecuting tyrant (of whome mention will be made in the third Centurie) that DIONYSIVS B. of Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria a maried man.Alexandria was a maried man, and had children, and that by the great prouidence of God both hee and his children escaped the hands of the cruell enemie who was laid in wait for him to take him. Yea and after the Nicene Councill, the assembly gathered at Gangra a towne in Paphlagonia detested the opinion of EVSTATIVS who admiring the monasticke life, as a conuersation angelicall began to damne mariage, The Council of Gangra.and to perswade maried women to separate from the companie of their husbands, and to perswade the people not to receiue the holy sacraments from the handes of maried preachers. But when the fathers conueened in the Councill of Gangra pondered the opinion of EVSTATIVS in a just balance, they found it to be cursed and execrable, not only in the question of mariage, but also anent his doctrine in prohibition of meates: for he thought that a religious man who eated flesh, by so doing was cut off from the hope of better pleasures which God hath laid vp for saintes in heaucn But let vsus heare a fewe of the Canons of the Councill of Gangra, Tom. 1. Concil.

CANON 1.

If any person vituperat mariage, and will detest a faithfull woman, because the sleepeth with her husband, and counteth her to be culpable, and that shee cannot enter into the kingdome of heauen, Let him be accursed.

CANON 2.

If any man condemne him who in faith, and religion eateth flesh (that is neither mixed with blood nor sacrificed to idoles) as if by such participation of slesh, hee wanted hope, Let him be accursed.

CANON 4.

If any man make difference, and will not receiue the oblation from a preachers hand when he ministreth it, because he hath a wife, Let him be accursed.

CANON 10.

If any person keeping virginitie for the Lords sake, extoll himselfe aboue those that are maried. Let him be accursed. In all these constitutions of the councill of Gangr…, there is no vsurpation of authoritie ouer the conscience in matters of mariage and meates. Secondly, because euen at that time, when custome without a ratified lawe had brought in an vse in the Church of God, that vnmaried men should be admitted vntounto Bishoprickes and spirituall offices rather then others. Yet when such continent men could not be had, GRATIANVS himselfe witnesseth that a maried man was admitted by PELAGIVS I. Ann. 556. to be Bishop of Syracuse, Distinct. 28. Thirdly the fathers of ancient time spake reuerently of mariage: but the Papistes of late dayes hauehave called it a worke of the flesh, and the errour of the Nicolaitanes.The probibition of meats and mariage is an apostasie from the faub.

These two doctrines of the prohibition of meates and mariage are called an apostasie from the faith, and endited by the spirit of errour. Here it may be objected that the Apostle PAVL himselfe who writeth this, in another place saith, that the Kingdome of God is neither meate nor drinke, but righteousnesse, peace and joy in the holy Spirit, Rom. 14. ver. 17. How then is that thing to be counted an apostasie from the faith wherein no matter is touched that pertaineth to the Kingdome of God? To this I answere, that there is a great difference betweene abstinence from meates, and prohibition of meates: for these whose conscience is weake will abstaine from many meates, and content themselues with hearbes, Rom. 14 ver. 2. as it were contenting themselues with the foode of the beastes rather then that their mouth should eat that thing that should perturbe their conscience: but such men as take vponupon them authoritie to forbid to eate meates that are created by God to the vse of men, they vsurpe authoritie ouer the conscience of men, binding where God hath loosed, & loosing where God hath bound, and mixing heauen and earth through other, as if men on earth should hauehave such absolute soueraignitie ouer the conscience, euen as the God ofheauen hath. This is called an apostasie from the faith, not because all defection is finished in this, but because all defection is grounded in this one point, to set a mortal man in the chaire of God, & to attribut vntounto him such absolut souerainitie ouer ourcōscience as God had ouer the conscience of ADAM, Gen. 3. as miserable experience hath clearely manifested in the Popedom. Doth not the Apostle PAVL craue that the seruice that we offer to God should be foreign, that is, a reasonable seruice, Rom. 12. ver. 1, But when we are led away either with the conceits of our owne hearts, or yet when we cast off the Our seruice to God should be a reasonable seruice.yocke of God, and stoupe downe the necke of our conscience vnderunder the lawes of mortall men in (matters of religion what equitie of reason is kept in such doing to match and equall our selues or others to God.

Moreouer the A post. PAVL foretelleth that these backsliders The Popish church speak lies in hypocrisie rather then old Heretiques.frō the faith should speake lies in hypocrisie, hauing their conscience seared with an hot yron, 1. Tim. 4 ver. 2. These words cannot be properly applyed to the old Heretiques of whō we hauehave spoken, who ascribed the institution of matrimonie to Satan, & the creatiō & procreatiō of mankindvnto the deuil, because they spak not falshood in hypocrisy but in opē blasphemy: & therfore they might hauehave bene easily discerned & auoided yea, in other heades of their doctrine concerning the natiuitie and death of Christ, they were so blasphemous that in the worde putativé natus, mamfestatus, mortuus, they were the very aduocats of the deuill, lren. lib 3. advérsus Valent. cap. 20. & 39. But in the Popish church the lawes forbidding mariage to some men, and meates at sometimes are so coloured with appearance of holynes, that the forgers of such lawes in hypocrisie had neede to be pointed out by the finger of God in his worde, to the ende that no maske nor visard put vponupon vngodlinesse should peruert the vnderstanding of men. But the more subtle hypocrisie that should be vsed, the more vigilant and wakrife should the Lordes forewarned people be, that they were not deceiued by lies spoken in hypocrisie.

Likewise the Apostle foretelleth that these deceiuers should hauehave their 'consuence seared or cut off with an hote yron. In What is meant by a cons…ence seared with an hote yron.which wordes the Apostle alludeth to members of a body, first feastered, next senslesse, and thirdly cut off with an hot yrone. So are the conscience of those deceiuers, f…st cankered with errour, next past feeling, (albeit wholesome admonitions be vsed for reclaiming them from errour) & last of all, their conscience is a rotten thing, and vtterly cut off. Wherein it is to be marked that feeling of all senses is most necessarie, & a most vnseparable companion of the life, begunne when the sensitiue life beginneth, and ending when it endeth: so that to be past feeling is all one as to be vtterly dead in body or conscience. But let vsus see to whom this can be justly applyed. If we call to mind the obstinacie of the old Heretiques, true it is that they were sens…sse men, of whom IRENEVS justly said that they counted themselues not ouercome by the power of the trueth so long as they adhered fast vntounto their errour. As if an impudent fellow who wrestleth and is ouerthrowne, and is lying on his backe on the ground, yet hee would denie that he is ouerthrowne, because hee sticketh fast by the grip of his aduersaries garments, Iren. lib. 5. adversus Valent. But apply this to the Papists of our dayes, and we shall finde them tenfold more senslesse & obstinat then the old Heretiques were: for they hauehave found out meanes to harden their harts in error, that when they are a thousand times conuicted by the clear shining light of the Gospell, then the authoritie of their Church, and opinion that it cannot erre, doth locke them vp so fast in the bands of the deuill, that all the trauell taken vponupon them is spent in vaine, they remaine senslesse, hauing their conscience seared with the hote yron of Satan, as the Apostle speaketh.

In particular the Apostle pointeth out two heades of doctrine, Forbidding and bidd…ng wordes of authoritie.that deceiuing teachers should maintaine, to wit, they should forbid mariage, and they should command to abstaine from meates. Marke these two words foreign, that is, forbidding and commanding. The word commanding is not in the Greeke text: but EPIPHANIVS thinketh this ellipsis must be supplyed by the worde foreign, that is, commanding to abstaine from meates: both these wordes are imperious, and pointing out men in authoritie, and practising their soueraignitie in all things, wherinto the eminent power of a Soueraigne is manifested, hee biddeth, forbiddeth, hee maketh lawes and constitutions, the disobedience whereof bringeth the contraueeners vnderunder feare of great punishment: euen so the deceiuers of whom the Apostle speaketh in matters of mariage & meats should not be content to tell their opinion, & to allure by persuasiue reasons others to embrace their opinion but being mounted vp in high authoritie, they should command to abstaine from meates and they should enterdite mariage to some persons with authoritie, adding paines to the commandement, that the contraueeners should be deposed from their office, they should be counted Heretiques, they should be condemned to hell: beside all other ciuill punishments which magistrates addicted to their authoritie could inflict. These wordes foreign, that is, forbidding and bidding cannot be applyed to Gnostici, Encratitae, nor yet to the Manicheans of the next Centurie, because they had no soueraignitie nor power to command. Yea MANES himselfe was excoriat and put to death by the king of Persia, as SOCRATES writeth lib. 1. cap. 22. and that for a light cause, by reason hee could not cure his diseased sonne. But the words of the Apostle clearely declareth that hee speaketh of men furnished with authoritie to bid abstaine from meates, and to forbid mariage, and this agreeth well with the Romaine Antichrist and his vsurped authoritie.

Notwithstanding of all these lawes made in the Romaine church and straite prohibition of mariage to the clergie, we ought to follow the example of Christs disciples, who after that they knew that celestiall voice that sounded from heauen in time of Christs Baptisme, This is my welbeloued Sonne in whw̄ I am wel pleased, heare him, Mat. 3. They closed their eares, and locked vp their hearts from hearkning to any voyce in the earth that spake the contrarie, some said that he was ELI AS, other said that hee was IEREMIAS or some of the olde Prophets, but the disciples hearkning to the voyce that came downe from heauen, said that he was the Sonne of the liuing God, Mat. 16. Euen so, whatsoeuer the men in this world speake of mariage, the trumpet of God sounding in We ought to hearken vntounto the voyce that commeth downe from heauen.his word alloweth mariage and pronounceth a blessing vntounto it, Psal, 128. And the Apostle saith, Mariage is honourable in all persons, Heb. 13. ver. 4. but the honour that the Romaine church giueth to mariage calling it an holy sacrament is like vntounto the purple garment wherewith the souldiers clad Christ, and yet they spared not to buffet his blessed face: euen so the church of Rome in one worde will call mariage an holy sacrament, in another they will call it a worke of the flesh, and a state vncompetent to dispensators of heauenly Similitude.mysteries. But let them barke against mariage as the dogs barke against the moone vntill they be wearie of barking, this, word standeth fast, Blessed are they that feare God and walke in his wayes, Psal. 128. And this is spoken of persons maried, yet from my hart I like the words of CHRYSOSTOM who inculcats in our eares the word of fearing God, & declareth, that albe it all that came to the altar without a lawfull calling, had an euill successe, as CORAH & his retinue, yet not all that came to the altar with a lawful calling had a good successe: euen so eueryevery one that goeth in vntounto an harlot, is accursed of God, but eueryevery one that goeth in vntounto his owne wife is not blessed of God, but onelyonly he who feareth God, Chrysost in epist Heb. cap. 11. homil. 33.

Followeth nowe in the wordes of the Apostle that men should be bold to forbid meats which God hath created to Great arrogancie in prohibition of meates.be receiued with thankesgiuing. No doubt but the Apostle here setteth downe as two opposit things God & man, God creating, blessing & permitting the vse of created & blessed creatures to man with thanksgiuing. And on the other part arrogant fellowes starting vp & correcting the wisdome of God, & saying, albeit God hath giuen liberty to eate of such & such meates with thanksgiuing, yet for many causes such libertie must be restrained, & eating of flesh on Fryday must be as great a sin as the eating of the forbidden tree. What it this but a plaine spitting in the face of God? As if he who hath taught vsus the way to eternall life, could not also in his blessed word reach vsus how to eat & drinke. Truely the whip is meet for the back of the foole, & he who will needs be wiser then God in any thing, if it were but in the precepts of eating & drinking he is more worthy to be scourged out of the Temple of God then the buyers, sellers & money changers, Ioh. 2. For the buyers & sellers albeit they made marchandise into a place appointed for another vse: yet no vnclean beast nor fowle was brought in into the temple to be bought or sold: but these miserable wretches wil make the very cleane creatures of God vncleane at their pleasure, which is no lesse fault, then to fetch in an vncleane beast into the Temple of God.

Next it is to be marked in the wordes of the Apostle to Arrogancie mixed with foolishnesse.whom belongeth the vse of the creatures of God namely to the belceuers only. Here the Apostle declareth that there is foolishnes as well as arrogancie in the questiō of meats. It is arrogancy (as we hauehave already spoken) to be wiser thē Gods word in this mater of meates, & it is as great foolishnes to feare that wee shall be polluted with moderate eating of the creatures of God. It is not eating of flesh that will defile vsus, but rather fleshly affections of an heart that is not renued by faith, that defileth a man, as our master Christ speaketh. That thing that entreth into the mouth defileth not the man, but that which commeth out of the heart. Marke 7. ver. 18. As if a corpulent foole sweating and blowing into an hote sommer day should take vp his staffe, and beate his owne Similitude.shadow, yet is not his shadow the cause of his grieuance, but the fatnesse of his owne belly: euen so foolish men are afraid to be polluted with meates, but indeede it is the foolishnes of an vnbeleeuing heart that polluteth a man. It is a custome Similitude.among men, when they would handle a fine & white linnen cloth, they looke to their hands, lest their foule and filthie fingers defile the cleannesse of the cloth: euen so when wee meddle with the creatures of God, take heede to our conscience, lest it beeing polluted with infidelitie it make Gods creatures vncleane vntounto vsus, as the Apostle speaketh, VntoUnto the pure all things be pure, but vntounto them that are defiled and vnbeleeuing is nothing pure, but euen the minde and conscience of them is defiled, Tit. 1. ver. 15.

Now consider whether or not the spirit hath spoken euidently and giuen a cleare warning to the last age to beware The last age of the worlde more senslesse then the first.of false teachers: yet is the last age more senslesse then the first age of the world that was drowned with a flood of waters. God spake not in secret but openly to NOE the righteous preacher, Gen. 6. and God spake not onelyonly by word, but also in deede by the building of the Arke, Heb. 11. ver. 7. yet would not the first age take warning, but liued in deepe securitie, and was drowned with waters. But the last age of the world is more benummed then the first age was. In the last age the spirit speaketh euidently, but men will not heare: the spirit ordaineth this prediction to be written, but men will not reade nor ponder, nor vnderstand the forewarning of the spirit: the spirit pointeth out by the finger of his word who are the deceiuers of whome we should beware, to wit, men who teach a doctrine of deuils, forbidding mariage and meates which God hath created for the vse of man with thanksgiuing. For all this threefold warning, in worde, in write, and in particular demonstration, yet the last age cannot hearken to the warnings of God, because God hath determined to destroy the most part of them, as he did the vncorrigible sonnes of ELI, who would not hearken to the counsell of their father, 1. Sam. 2. ver. 25. The men of this age are like vntounto a deafe, ignorant and foolish Similitude,fellow: one commeth to him and cryeth loude, but hee heareth nothing at all, then he beginneth to set his minde in write, but that also profiteth nothing, because he cannot reade: In end he beginneth to signe with his finger, but he taketh no notice that way, because hee is a foole, and the last age of the world in not receiuing so euident & so cleare a warning hath kythed deafnesse, dulnesse, ignorance and foolishnesse.

It may nowe bee objected, hath the Apostle PAVL soretolde onelyonly the hypocrisie of the Romaine Antichrist in the Both blasphemie and hypocrisie in the matter of mariage and meats is condemned by the Apostle.matter of mariage and meates? and is there nothing foretold anent these ancient Heretiques, specially Encratitae & Manichaei, who vttered and dispersed in the world a doctrine of deuils, that it was a sinne to eate flesh, that wine was the gall of the Prince of darkenesse, that mariage was an euill thing, and a meane to bring in captiuitie a parte of the substance of the good God, namely the soule, within the bands of the substance of the prince of darkenesse, that is, within the body, hath the Spirit of God (I say) foretolde nothing of these vile heresies in this prediction? I answere, That the Spirit hath both foretolde the hypocrisie of some, and the open blasphemie of others. And this is insinuated in these wordes: For eue…y creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be receiued with tha…kesgiuing. Truely in these words the Apostle would turne our harts both from blaspheming Manicheis, and from hypocrite Papists. The Manicheis say, that it is neuer lawfull to eate flesh, and that the doing of it aduanceth the kingdome of the prince of darknesse. The Papists againe say, that the eating of flesh on Eryday is a grieuous sinne: but what saith the Apostle guided by the Spirit? EueryEvery creature is good, and nothing to be refused, so that both the Manicheis speake blasphemously, and the Papistes hypocritically: both willing to abridge Christian libertie, the Manicheis by their opinion, the Papistes both by their opinion and authoritie. The Manicheis will needes hauehave some creatures of God vncleane at all times, the Papists wil needes hauehave men polluted by eating of flesh at sometimes, both these opinions are cut off in this word, EueryEvery creature of God is good. Marke that in this diuersitie of opinions of Manicheis and Papists, both of them shoot at one marke, to wit that Christ Iesus shall not be the onelyonly Lawgiuer in his Church, but something shall be abridged of that libertie that Christ hath giuen to his Church. Now the aiming and shooting at one marke is more forcible to proue the vnitie of Manicheis and Papistes, then the diuersitie of opinions whereby either of them laboureth to attaine to their intended purpose can proue their diuersitie, and therefore let the reader the lesse offend with this fellowship of Manicheis and Papists.

These two diuerse opinions shooting at one marke (as said The Papistes more subtle …en the Manicheis were.is) are both to bee damned, but chiefly that opinion that with greatest subtiltie and craft would thrust God out of his chaire, and spoile him of his glory, not to bee counted the only Lawgiuer in his Church. And I do confidently compare Manicheis and Papistes as AVGVSTINE compare…h APOLLO and HECATE lib. 19. de civit. Det, cap. 23. disapproouing both of them, because both shot at one marke, to hinder people from Christianitie, but HECATE more then APOLLO, because in praising of Christ as a just man, whom APOLLO dispraised as an vnrighteous man, & justly cōdemned to death by the Iewes, yet she called him onelyonly a man, & not God, hindering people after a more subtle maner from adhering to Christianitie then APOLLO did. And truly the Manich is by damning flesh at all times, as a creature in it selfe vncleane. did not so great hurt to the Kingdome of God as the Papists, who grant that both flesh and wine are the good creatures of God, and yet they dare be bold to set out lawes commanding men vnderunder the paine of cursing and condemnation, that they taste not flesh at some times. If these times were times of a publicke calamitie, whereinto God by a secret voyce latent in the trouble did cali vsus to fasting & mourning, & abstinence frō fish flesh & wine, Isa. 22. ver. 13. then no new or vncouth yocke should be presented 10 mens consciences, but Christs owne yocke which we are commanded to beare, Mat. 11-but to appoint certaine daies of fasting and abstinence from this meate, and not from anothe… meace is a noueltie vnderunder the Gospell, and not the yocke of Christ, but of the Antichrist.

Whereas mention is made of thankesgiuing, the Apostle will not hauehave vsus to set our hearts vponupon the creature & vponupon The grace of thanksgiuing witnesseth that we enjoy both the gift and the giuer.the gift, but vponupon the Creator & the giuer. Whatsoeuer delite we hauehave in the creature, there is infinitly greater delite in the face of the reconciled Creator: and therefore lift vp our harts, & let our tongues be loosed to praise his blessed name from whose hands we hauehave receiued the vse of his creatures. This if wee doe, we hauehave both the gift & the giuer, and the presence of the giuer shall not onelyonly sanctifie the gift to our vse, but also shall turne our water into wine, Iohn 2. when as by the contrarie, if wee deuoure and glut vp the benefites of God without thanksgiuing, we hauehave the gift without the fauour of the giuer, eating of Gods creatures as the carnall I…wes eated Quailes in the wildernesse, Numb. 11. ver. 33. and the wrath of God was kindled against them: and assuredly those who hauehave the gift without the giuer, some day their wine shall be turned into water. But there is not great controuersie in this point, and therefore I passe it ouer in fewer words.

In end the Apostle leadeth vsus vntounto a sure ground that may quiet our consciences, so that we shall not be troubled with We oug…t … be ruled by Gods word i… all things both corporat & spirisuali,.the commandements of men, for bidding vsus to eat of meats which God hath created for our vse, namely this, thatGod hath sanctified his creatures to vsus by his word, Gen. 9. ver. 3. And incase we joyne with this sanctification of them, prayers proceeding from faith, that we also may be sanctified, & receiueGods creatures with a good conscience, there is not great peril whether we eat this or that meat moderatly. Here marke that the Apost. in the very matter of meat & drinke & corruptible food will hauehave vsus to depend vponGods word, & to think that we hauehave not liberty to put one morsel of meat in our mouthes, but so farre as God giueth vsus allowance in his word, how much more in matters pertaining vntounto eternall life, we are to depend absolutely vponupon the vndoubted assurance of Gods written worde.

In all this discourse it may seeme that we loose the raines to licentious liuing, to eating & drinking. & marying, and The conscience is subject to the yocke of God.liuing wantonly as the original worlde did, when they were drouned with waters, but it is not so indeed. Only in maters of religion we would hauehave the yocke of the cōmandements of men taken off mens cōsciences, to the end that the yock of Gods commandements only may ly vponupon the conscience according as Christ speaketh, Take vp my yock vponupon you, Mat. 11. ver. 29. Yea in the very mater of meats & mariage, there is a time wherinto God calleth vsus to mourning, lamentation, baldnesse and sackcloth, Isa. 22. ver. 12. and to abstinence from eating of flesh and drinking of wine. Yea the very bridegrome must come out of his chalmer, & fast, and lay aside his costly apparell, to the end hee may mourne with the humbled societie of Gods people, loel 2. ver. 16. And this commeth to passe whensoeuer the heauie hande of God is laide vponupon a familie, vponupon a towne, or vponupon a countrie, in the very calamitie hinging ouer their heades, there is a secret voyce of God calling them to humiliation and repentance with fasting and abstinence from all lawfull pleasures: & when the Priest bloweth the trumpet in Sion, and sanctifieth a fast vntounto the Lord, he layeth not the yocke of mens commandements vponupon the consciences of men, but the yocke of God's commandements. For the Prophet bringeth in the Lord saying, that he calleth them to mourning, lamentation and to abstinence. The Lord is our Soueraigne, commander and Lawgiuer, hauing power to bid & to forbid at his blessed pleasure. VnderUnder this yocke will we gladly stoupe: but the yocke of bondage that men would lay vponupon our consciences the Apostle PAVL expresly forbiddeth vsus to admit, but to stand to our libertie, Galat. 5. ver. 1. And so I conclude this treatise misliking & disaprouing the loose raines of fleshly wantonnesse, but wishing from my heart that the bit of the Lord may bee cast in our jawes, to turne vsus from the delite of earthly pleasures to the delite of that celestiall citie that hath a foundation, and whose builder is God.

Amen.

Of Succession.

IT hath bene the custome of godly men in all ages, who were descended from the loynes of godly fathers, not to brag of their parentage, but to be so much the more ashamed of sinne, that the vnreproouable liues of their predecessors were a great testimony cóuicting them of some piece of defection. Therefore the Prophet ISAIAH bringeth in the Lordes penitent people, in humble maner acknowledging, that they were not worthy that ABRAHAM and ISRAEL should once knowe them to be their posteritie: but they entreat the Lord by a free forgiuenesse of sinnes to become their father, Isa. 63.. 16. But on the other part a wicked generation descended from godly parents could boast of their parentage,' and say to Christ himselfe, ABRAHAM is our father, Iohn 8. ver. 39. and againe. We are not borne of fornication, wee hauehave one father, which is God, ibid. ver. 41. Notwithstanding of all this confident bragging of their parents, the Lorde Iesus who judgeth righteously, saith to carnall Iewes. Yee are of your father the deuill, and the lusts of your father ye will doe. He hath bene a murtherer from the beginning & abode not in the trueth, because there is no trueth in him When he speaketh a lie, then speaketh hee of his owne: for hee is a lyar, and the father thereof, Iohn 8. ver. 44. This place of scripture will clearely prooue that God will nothing regard the vaine ostentation and vaunting speeches of men who brag of their descent from godly parents, and their succession to godly preachers: yet the dissimilitude of their faith and maners from the faith and maners of their predecessours declareth that they are the very children of the deuill.

In this age I find succession whereof the Romanes bragge so much to be in some reuerent regard. For IRENEVS Bishop of Lions in France reasoning against VALENTINVS & MARCION, whose errours hauehave beene before declared, to confute these Heretiques, hee bringeth in the succession of the Romaine Bishops. After PETER (saith he) were LINVS and ANACLETVS, and CLEMENS, and EVARISTVS, and ALEXANDER, and SIXTVS, and TELESPHORVS, and HYGINVS, & PIVS, and ANICETVS, and ELEVTHERIVS the twelfth from the Apostles. Now, saith IRENEVS, these receiued the wholesome doctrine from the Apostles, and deliuered it faithfully to others, yea & some of them also sealed it vp withtheir blood. Yet none of them spake such things concerning God the father & his sonne Christ Iesus, as VALENTINVS, MARCION and BASILIDES hauehave spoken. Therefore he condemneth their doctrine to be false and hereticall, Iren lib. 3. cap. 3. contra Valent.

Now the followers of the Romaine church demand why we do not as reuerently esteeme of the succession of Romane Bishops now, as IRENEVS did of old, & why do we not count them to be Heretiques who bring in a new doctrine not agreeing with the doctrine of the B. of Rome as IRENEVS counted VALENTINVS, MARCION, and BASILIDES Heretiques, because they vttered a strange doctrine which the B. of Rome had not receiued from the handes of the Apostles? To this I answere, that we count reuerently of al the Bishops of Rome who kept faithfully that forme of wholesome doctrine which they receiued from the Apostles. Yea and we count them Heretiques also who departe from that veritie which LINVS, ANACLETVS, CLEMENS, and the rest receiued from the Apostles. But the question standeth in this, whether these holy fathers, of whom JRENEVS maketh such reuerent record, receiued from the mouthes of the Apostles, & preached to the world such heades of doctrine, as are now sounded in the Romaine church, that is, inuocation of Saints, worshipping of images, pluralitie of mediators, of intercession, purgatorie and infinite other things. As concerning the Apostles, the summe of their doctrine is contained in their writings, & they taught not LINVS, ANACLETVS, CLEMENS, otherwise then they taught the rest of the Romaines, the Corinthtans, Galatians, Ephesians, the inhabitants of Pontus, Cappadocia. Asia, Bithynia, 1, Pet. 1. And in all their writings The cause wherefore the succession of Romam Bishops was magnified of old.there is no mention of inuocation of Saintes, worshipping of images, &c.

The cause wherefore godly fathers rejoyced in the succession of the Bishops of Rome was this, because they were nearest to the danger of persecuting tyrants, and kept the faith of Christ most inviolablie. Many of them were martyres: such as ALEXANDER, SIXTVS, TELESPHORVS, and ANICETVS. Others were Confessours, who suffered prisonment, pouertie, and diuerse other rebukes, albeit they were not put to death for the Name of Christ. And what marucll was it, that these who loued Christe had their hearts inflamed with a louelove of this holy succession, whose commendation was puritie of wholesome doctrine receiued from the Apostles, whose glory was sufferings, and whose preeminence was examples of constant continuance in the true faith. And like as the dayes of MOSES and IOSVA were happie dayes: they had among them the Tabernacle of God, and therewith also the Arke and propitiatorie, which was the glorious ornament of the Tabernacle: so were the dayes of these holy fathers happie dayes, hauing personall succession from the Apostles, and therewith succession of true doctrine, the glorious ornament of personall succession. As concerning the decretall Epistles falsly ascribed to them, wee shall speake hereafter in the heade of supremacie Godwilling. But when all these things are inlacking for which the succession of the Romaine Bishoppes was regarded in this Centurie, and men erring in the true faith of a long time possessed the chaire of Rome, what auaileth it to glorie of that olde commended succession, when the glory of true doctrine, patient suffering, constant perseuerance in the Apostolicke doctrine is vtterly lost among them? so that the succession whereof the Romaine Church now glorieth, is not vnlike their transubstantiation, wherein are accidents without a subject: & in their succession are persons of men succeeding one to another without puritie of doctrine.

In Scripture we finde succession to be counted of according to the greatnes of the promises annexed to the succession, The succession of Dauid.as namely the succession of DAVID, of whom God said His seede also will I make to endure for euer, & his throne as the dayes of heauen, Psal. 89.. 29 & againe ver. 35. 36. I hauehave sworne once by my holynesse that I will not faile Dauid, saying, his seede shal endure for euer, and his throne shall be as the Sunne before me. Here are ample promises to DAVID & his succession confirmed by the Lordes oath, & by the Sun & Moone as faithfull witnesses in heauen. And that which was more then all the rest, this succession of DAVID was a line leading to the great King Christ Iesus, who should sit in the throne of his father DAVID, & of his kingdome there should be none end, Luc. 1. for all these causes the succession of DAVID was greatly regarded. Yet it is to be marked that all the promises, othes, testimonies, & honors did not carie with them a necessity, that eueryevery successour of DAVID should be in faith and religion like vntounto DAVID, but rather God foreseeing the contrarie, faith, If his ch…ldren forsake my Law, and walke not in my Judgements: if they breake my statutes and keepe not my ordinances, then w…ll I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquitte with strokes, ibid ver. 30. 31. 32. I suppone that no succession euer had more glorious and ample promises then the succession of DAVID, yet these promises inferred no necessitie that eueryevery king sitting on the throne of DAVID should bee heire also of the religion and faith of DAVID as well as of his kingdome. And therfore to inferre vponupon this ground, that ample promises are made to the Apostles & their successours, that eueryevery one who succeedeth to the Apostolick chaire, shall keepe the true faith of the Apostles, it is but a foolish and impertinent conclusion. If any man shall replie that this was a succession of ciuill gouernours, but the question now contrauerted is anent succession of Bishops and men in a spirituall calling. True it is that DAVIDS successors succeeded to a ciuill gouernment, yet seeing this succession was ratified by the oath of God, and led also to Christ who is soueraine Lorde both of soule and body, whatsoeuer priuiledge of standing in a good estate can be alledged in any succession, the patterne of it is to be found in the succession of DAVID. But this priuiledge that the successors of DAVID cannot erre in the true faith is not found no not in the great succession of DAVID.

Now to come to ecclesiasticall succession. The priesthood of AARON was institute by God, Numb. 17. ver. 5. It was confirmed The succession of Aaronby the miracle of the budding rodde, ibid. ver, 23. The vsarpers of AARONS office without a calling were also miraculously destroyed by fire that came downe from heauen, Numb. 16. Others were debarred from it euen in the dayes of NEHEMIAH, Nehem. 7. ver. 64. This succession of AARON was personall, the son succeeding to the father in the Priesthood, except some mutilation of a member or impotencie did hinder, or any such like cause. After AARON ELEAZAR and his son PHINEAS & ABISHVA PHINEAS son, and BVKKI, & HVZZI, ZERACHIA, MERAIOTH, AMARIA, ACHITVB, ZADOK, AHIMAAZ, 1. Chron. 6. ver. 50. 51. 52. 53. Many others after them were Priests of the stock of AARON, yet did not all keepe fast the faith and religion of AARON: yea, some Priestes of AARONS stocke were notable Idolaters & men-pleasers, such as VRIAH in the dayes of AHAZ king of Juda, who set vp an altar at the kings commandement, according to the similitude of the altar of Damascus, and offered sacrifices thereon, 2. Reg. 16.

Anent the succession of the Prophets, euen when one good man succeeded to another good man, the historie of The succession of the Prophets.scripture clearely declareth, that men pointed out by God himselfe successours to an office, yet by this are they not made succ…ssours to their giftes: for ELIZEVS was pointed out by God as successor to ELIAS in his prophetical office, 1. Reg. 19. ver. 16. yet by this was he not successor to his gifts as ELIZEVS petition of a double measure of the spirit of ELIAS clearely declareth 2. Reg. 2 ver 9, If the gift did necessarly accompany the succession, what needed ELIZEVS to be carefull of the gift, seeing he was sure of the succession? The holy Apostles of Christ hauehave had a successiō, & shal hauehave vntounto the end of the world, to whō belōgeth the promise of Christ, Behold I am with you vntounto the end of the world Mat. 28. 20 But who are to be called true successors of the Apostles, we The succession of the Apostles.hauehave declared already in the 1. Centurie, taking our groūd out of scripture, Act. 20, 29. And out of Nazian. in laudem Athanasii, that darknes succeeding to light is not counted the true successor of lignt for the dissimilitude that is betweene darknes & light. But heere the question ariseth, whether or not al Churches keeping the holy Apostolicke doctrine are bound to shew in write their succession from the Apostles… as the Priestes of the stocke of AARON after the captiuitie produced in write their lineal descent from AARON, Nehem. 7. To this Tertul answereth, lib. de pres…ript. adversus baret. that Churches truely keeping the Apostolicke doctrine, albeit they could not shew in write their succession from the Apostles, yet are they to be counted Apostolicke Churches propter consang uinitatem doctrinae, that is for their consanguinitie of doctrine.

But to come neerer, and to examine whether the Romaine church hath kept Apostolicke doctrine in their succession, The alledged succession of the Romaine Church spotted with heresie, schisme and idolatry.without all spot of heresie (as they affirme) or not. And first the chaire of Rome was not free of the heresie of EVTYCHES, as clearly appeareth by the sixt generall Councill which was the third of those Councils which were gathered at Constantinople in the 12. yeere of the empire of CONSTANTINVS, POGONATVS. Ann. 681. Buco…. In this Councill MACARIVS Patriarch of Antiochia, and STEPHANVS his disciple stood vp & pertinaciously defended the error of EVTYCHES, & were excommunicate by the Councill: yet they had defended their opinion by the Synodicke letter of HONORIVS sometime B. of Rome written to SERGIVS B. of Constantinople. Wherein it was clearely knowne that HONORIVS was infected with the errour of EVTYCHES: for the which cause HONORIVS B. of Rome after his death in the sixt generall Councill was also excommunicat as an Heretique, Tom Concil hist. Magdeb. This is not vnknown to some writers, who notwithstanding defend this opinion that the Bishop of Rome cannot erre in maters of …aith. ONVPHRIVS saith that the Acts of the sixt generall Councill containing a condemnatory sentence against HONORIVS Bishop of Rome were corrupted by the Grecians, and that the Canons of this Councill as they are set foorth are supposititious and false. Forsooth ONVPHRIVS is a worthy aduocate to pleade such a bad and reprobat cause. The faith of the Romanists leaning vponupon two maine and principall grounds, vponupon the authoritie of the Bishop of Rome, and vponupon the authoritie of generall Councils, ONVPHRIVS to vphold the one, vndoeth the other, and to cleare HONORIVS of all suspition of heresie, he bringeth the generall Councill vnderunder a suspition of falsification. Then let ONVPHRIVS either produce the true and vncorrupt acts of the sixt generall Councill, which he will neuer be able to doe, or else for all his fectlesse apologie HONORIVS name is spotted with the blame of heresie. And of late dayes the Romaine chaire hath not onelyonly renued, but also doubled the heresie of the Collyridians damned in the dayes of EPIPHANIVS. For the Collyridians gaue onelyonly some piece of diuine The heresie of the Collyridians renued & increased by the chaire of Rome.honour to the blessed virgin the mother of our Lorde: but the Romaine Bishops in suffering by their toleration, conniuence or rather allowance, the Psalter of our Lady (as they call it) to be printed, diuulgat and vsed by Christian people, wherein all the honour due to Christ, not excepting the sitting at the right hand of the Father, Psal. 110. is all attributed vntounto the virgine MARIE. In so doing, I say, they hauehave not onelyonly renued, but also doubled the heresie of the Collyridians.

In the Councill of Basil gathered Ann. 1431. EVGENIVS 4 Eugenius 4. B. of Rome a notable schismatick.then B. of Rome was deposed by the general Councill of Basil as a notable schismaticke and perturber of the peace of Christes Church. Yet his name is in the roll of the succession of Romaine Bishops, and all these who hauehave sitten in the chaire of Rome since the dayes of EVGENIVS 4. are successors to a perjured schismaticke justly deposed by the generall Councill of Basil with consent of the Emperour SIGISMVND. Now let Romanists advise whether they will blame the generall Councill or the Bishop of Rome EVGENIVS 4. If they blame the general Councill, then the generall Councill may erre, euen in great & fundamentall points of their owne faith, for it leaneth vponupon the authoritie of the B. of Rome & Councils. And if they wil blame EVGENIVS 4. as a schismaticke & worthy of deposition, then is their succession whereof they glorie so much, vtterly cut off since the dayes of EVGENIVS the fourth.

As touching idolatrie, I dare boldly set the Romaine chaire in higher degree then the idolarrous Jewes of old, of whom The chaire of Rome defiled with idolatrie.IEREMIE speaketh, that according to the number of their cities was the number of their gods, Ier. 2. ver. 28, Nowe there are not so many cities in Juda, as there are Angels, Apostles, martyres and Saints in heauen, to whom the Romaine chaire giueth the glory of Christ, & maketh them mediators of intercestion. Therefore it is an impudent presumption to brag of Apostolicke succession, when as by heresie, schisme and idolatrie they hauehave so oft fallen, and yet continue in falling away from the footsteps of the Apostles.

Now because commonly like errours hauehave like grounds, let vsus consider what was the ground of the error of the succession Lkeerrours hauehave like grounds.of AARON, and thereby may easily be discerned the ground of the error of the alledged Apostolicke succession. The posteritie of AARON beeing reprooued by IEREMIE the Prophet, tooke the reproofe in a very euill part, supponing that they were exeemed from errour in maters of religion, because of the promises of God made to the tribe of LEVI: & therfore they say, Come and let vsus imagine some deuise against Jeremiah: for the L…w sh…ll not perish from the Priest, nor counsell from the wise, nor the word from the Prophet. Cone and let v… smite him for his tongue, and let vsus not tak… heede to his words, Ier. 18. ver 18. The promises made to the tribe of LEVI are contained Deut. 33 ver. 8. 9 10. 11. And after the captiuitie of Babylon, MALACHI making an ample declaration of the promises made to LEVI saith, My couenant was with him of life & peace: & Igaue him feare, & he feared me, & was afraid before my name. The Lawe of trueth wa… in his mouth, and there was none iniquitie found in his l ps: he walked with me in peace and equitie. & did turne many away from iniquitie. For the Priests lips should preserue knowledge, and they should secke the Law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. Mal. 2. ver. 5. 6. 7. Of this promise of God spoken by MOSES, and long after amplified by the Prophet MALACHI, many did collect that the successors of AARON & LEVI could not erre in religion: but how erroneous & false this conclusion was, the wordes of the Prophet MALACHI immediatly after following do declare. But ye are gone out of the way, ye hauehave caused many to fall by the Lawe, ye hauehave broken the couenant of Leui, saith the Lord of Hostes, Mal. 2. ver 8. If we had no further to alledge but these two testimonies, that IEREMIE & MALACHI did reprooue the successors of LEVI & AARON of great errours & defection, notwithstanding of the promises made to them & their posteritie, yet these two witnesses being Prophets of God doe aboundantly prooue, that promises made to LEVI and AARON do not exeeme their succession from error in religion.

But marke another circumstance in the ground of this errour of AARONS succession, which was this. God made a promise conditionall, which they supposing to be absolute, tooke libertie to doe what they lifted. The conditions are The Romain church like to the successours of Aaron,clearely set downe by the Prophet MALACHI, cap. 2. If they feared God & conuerted others from their wicked waies, & kept the key of knowledge, then they should be counted the Ambassadours of the Lord of hostes, but these conditions being broken, & they hauing gone out of the way, & hauing caused many to fall by the law, & hauing broken the couenant of LEVI, they were so far from being counted the Ambassadours of God, that God made them vile before al the people, ver. 9 Yea & the Lord cursed them, & cast doung vponupon their faces, euen the doung of their solemne feastes, & made them like vntounto it, ibid. ver. 3. This was the tragicall euent of AARONS successours, who opened one of their eares to heare the promise of God, but closed the other eare from hearing and marking the conditions that were required of them to whom the promise was made.

The Romaine Church not vnlike to the successors of AARON, hauehave their eare opened to heare the promise of God made to the Apostles & their successors in these words, Behold I am with you vntounto the end of the world. Mat, 28, ver. 20. but they close their eares from hearing the condition required of the Apostles & their successours contained in the same verse in these words, teaching them to obserue all things whatsoeuer I command you. Although they teach a doctrine repugnant to Christs commandement, yea and a doctrine of deuils as PAVL speaketh, 1. Tim. 4. yet must they be counted the Apostles successors, and that Christ is with them, & that What inconuenients follow if the promise made to the Apos…les successors be absolute.they do not erre. But God wil cast their doung in their faces and make them like to it, that is, vile and filthie, as hee did vntounto the Priests of the succession of AARON.

If any man wil obstinatly contend that the promise made to the Apostles and their successours was absolute and not conditionall, consider the inconuenients that will follow. Seeing this promise was not made to PETER onelyonly, but also to all the rest of the Apostles and their successours, then as none of the Romaine Bishops can erre in religion, because they are the successours of PETER as they alledge: so in like maner the Bishops of Ierusalem, Alexandria, Antiochia, Ephesus, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, & diuerse other places are all exeemed from errour, because the Apostles and Euangelists preached and constitute Churches in all-these places, & they are successours to the Apostles in that same sense that the Bishops of Rome are successours to PETER. And if none of all these can erre, what priuiledge hath the church of Rome aboue all other Churches? Or how can that be performed which was foretolde by the Apostle concerning apostasie that should fall out, & the reuelation of the man of sinne. & childe of perdition, 2. Thess. 2? For all the successours of the Apostles beeing exeemed from error, what place could be giuen to the Antichrist, or what doore could hauehave bene opened to MAHOMET, by whose delusions the Orientall Church hath bene so miserably abused?

But seeing the Apostles had some extraordinarie things, The Apostles had calling, g…es & prerogatiues extraordinarie.such as calling, gifts and prerogatiues: They were called immediatly by Christ, and were taught immediatly by his Spirit and mouth, Gal. 1. They receiued from heauen the gift of tongues and languages to vtter this celestiall knowledge to all tongues & nations, Act. 2. They had power by imposition of hands to conferre to others the gift of the holy Spirit, Act, 8 With these extraordinarie giftes they had also extraordinarie prerogatiues, that in teaching the doctrine receiued from Christ, they should not erre. Now these who cal themselues successors to the Apostles, they dare not clame to the Apostles immediat calling, nor yet to their extraordinarie gifts, but that which of all the rest was most extraordinarie to the Apostles, viz. to be exeemed from errour in teaching and writing, that is so fast adhered vntounto, that it is one of the principal grounds of the Romaine faith in our dayes, that the Bishop of Rome cannot erre in faith and religion. Yea so infortunate are the Bishoppes of Rome of late dayes, that they would climme vp to the highest top and preeminence of Apostolicke dignitie to be exeemed from errour, when as in things of lesse importance they cannot attaine (as we speak) to the Apostles garters.

This proud conceit of Apostolick succession with power of binding and loosing, & exemption from errour, made some of the Bishops of Rome so high minded, so vaine and ridiculous, that learned fathers conueened together in Councils, thought their pride more worthie to be receiued with scoffing wordes, then with prolixe refutations. Example whereof wee hauehave in a Councill gathered at Rome in the time of the Emperour OTTO the first, about the yeere of our Lord 956. In which Councill IOHN 13. Others write Pope IOHN the 12. hee fled for feare of the Emperour OTTO. Many grieuous accusations were giuen in against him, such as incest, murther, saeriledge, playing at dice, and drinking to the deuill, admitting of boyes to be Bishops for money, with many other villanous things, ou…r and beside his perfidie in assisting BERENGARIVS and his sonne ALBERTVS against the Emperour OTTO, contrarie to his promise, and oath made before to the Emperour. Libertie being granted to Pope IOHN to compeare without feare, & to answere to the accusations objected against him, he beeing conuict in conscience would not compeare, but he sent a short letter to the Council, bearing that he was PETERS successor, and had power of binding & loosing, & by vertue of this power hee band them vnderunder paine of cursing that they should not proceede to his deposition. To this proud letter the Councill gathered at Rome returned this answere, that Christ gaue power of binding & loosing to all his disciples as well as to PETER: but one of them, to wit, IVDAS, by abusing his power, lost his power: only he retained some power of binding, to wit, he had libertie to binde his owne necke to the gallous. In which wordes they call him IVDAS, and biddes this vile beast goe and hang himselfe if he lift, Hist. Magdeb urg Cent. 10. cap. 9. PLATINA call…th IOHN 13. homo sceleratissinus, a most wicked man. ONVPHRIVS the aduocate of all wicked causes blusheth, and dare not stand at the barre to pleade the cause of IOHN 12. the predecessour of LEO the eight, for both are one man, he whom PLATINA calleth 13. and he whome ONVPHRIVS counteth - 12. The Bishops of Rome might hauehave bene admonished by this one example (if there were no mo) not to be high minded, & not to cum to the supreame top of Apostolicke preeminence. In a worde the Bishops of Rome of late yeeres are mo…e like to the successours of CAIAPHAS (who would needes hauehave Christe to stand before his judgement seat, & judge of Christ, his doctrine & disciples, Ioh. 18 ver. 19.) then they are like to the successours of PETER: for I can see no inexcusable boldnes in CAIAPHAS damning Christs doctrine, but I grope the like in the Romaine church, that vsurpeth authoritie ouer the written word, ouer Councils, and consequently ouer Christ himselfe.

To conclude this treatise, I will compare succession, wherof the Romaine church braggeth so much, to the way that lay betweene Samaria and Jerusalem: this way led the people of Ephraim, Manasse, Jssachar, Zabulon, Nephthali and Aser to Jerusalem, when they set their face Southward, & when they went vpward, but the same way againe led them from Jerusalem when they turned their faces Northward, & when they went downward. Euen so if a man set his face toward heauenly Ierusalem, he shal finde a number of holy successors of the Apostles in puritie of doctrine, honestie of conuersation, & patience in suffering that shall leade him to Christ, & to heauenly Ierusalem: but againe, it is as certaine if a man will set his face Northward to defection, to backsliding and to preferre the traditions of men to the ordinances of God, there shall not inlacke a number of guiders in the roll of personall successours (as they call it) to the Apostles, who shall lead him from Jerusalem to Samaria, & from the mountaine of God to the valley of Benhinnon. Therefore while we are in the way take heed what way our faces are set, whether to Ierusalem or to Samaria, and if they be set to Ierusalem, let vsus followe these sure guides who were true successours to the Apostles, and they shall indeede leade vsus to Christ, to heauenly Ierusalem, and to the glory which in heart and minde we waite for, whereunto God lead vsus for his Christs sake,

Amen.

CENTVRIE III.