Touchstone to Determine the True Catholic Faith, Part 20
Of the authoritie of the Church.
THis was the first faith, this was the first religion and seruice of God: Neither hath anie Prince, Pope, Potentate, Apostle or Church, power to alter this faith, this religion,Gal. 1.8. this seruice. For so the Apostle teacheth: If an angell from heauen, or we our selues, preach any other gospell, teach another way of saluation, bring in another religion: let him be accursed. The church is not aboue (as they would hauehave it) but vnderunder ye scriptures.Psal. 138.2. 1. Pet. 1.14. And therefore Dauid saith, Thou hast magnified thy name, and thy word aboue all thinges. And therefore S. Peter saith: All flesh is grasse (euen the whole church) but the word of God endureth for euer. Mat. 5 18.And our sauiour, that heauen and earth shall perish: but not one tittle or iot of his word, shall perish. And God by his Prophet Esay: Esay 42.21.22.That God would exalt his lawe, but the peoples sins hindered it. And yet for all this, shall we beléeue that the church hath power to controule the word, to alter anie thing therein contained?1. Pet. 1.24.25. This is not the catholique faith. The Church, nay heauen it selfe, shall waxe olde, as doth a garment, and perish; but not one io… or tittle of Gods worde shall perish: and shall wee beléeue that the church maie change anie thing in it? Hence the church is compared to a spouse, to a body, to a sheepe, to a ship: Ephes. 5.25. Io 10.2. Heb. 6.29.and shall the wife rule the husbande? and the bodie the head? the sheepe the sheepeheard? the shippe the shippe-master? or be aboue them, or disobey their voices? no more is the church aboue the scriptures, or maie alter anie thing in them. Neither doth that place of the gospell: The holy ghost, yt is the spirit of truth, when he shall come, Io. 16.13.shall lead you into all truth: make any thing for ye authoritie of the church: as though it being lead by the spirit, might make newe points of doctrine, which were not contained in the scriptures. For first that place must needes be restrained. For the holie ghost, by their owne confessions, shall not leade them into all truth. There is some truth, that the holy ghost shall not teach: as the certaine day of iudgment, and such like. But the scriptures are called truth:Psal. 119. 2. Thes. 2.10. Io. 14. v. 6. Thy lawe is truth: and because they hauehave not loued the truth; therefore God gaue them ouer into errors. And our sauiour saith: I am the way, the truth, and the life. The way to heauen, by my death; the truth, by my worde; and the life, by my grace. Into all trueth the holie ghost shall leade vsus, into all truth contained in the scriptures, not into all truth simplie. And to this exposition, agreeth that our sauiour there addeth, He shall not speake of himselfe. And againe, he shall glorifie me, he shall take off mine, and he shal shew vntounto you. So that this is a chiefe part of the glorie of Iesus, that the holie ghost shall reueile the secrets of his gospell, shall teache him, and not anie newe way of saluation.
Ignatius speaking of the holie ghost,Epist. 11. ad Ephes. and of the doctrine he shall teach the church, writeth thus: The holy ghost speaketh not those thinges which are his owne: but those thinges that are Christs. Neyther doth Christ shew his owne: the word (saieth he) which you hauehave heard, is not mine; but his that sent me. He saith of the holy ghost: hee shall not speake of himselfe, but whatsoeuer, hee shall heare of mee. And of himselfe, hee saith to the father: I hauehave glorified thee vponupon earth: I hauehave fulfilled the worke, which thou gauest me to do; I hauehave made thy name knowne vntounto men. Of the holie ghost, hee saieth, He shall glorifie me vponupon earth, for he shall receiue of mee, and shal shew to you. Therefore both of them glorifie him, of whome they both do receiue that they doe, and preach him, and also declare his wordes. But the spirit of error preacheth himselfe, in his owne prophesie speaking: for it pleaseth himselfe, and glorifieth himselfe. For he is bitter, a seducer, full of deceite, inconstant, proud, arrogant, full of wordes, out of tune, vnmeasurable, aNigriformis.ilfauored, hauty, from whose works Iesus Christ hath deliuered vsus, founding vsus vponupon a rock as chosen stones, (yt are fit for the building of God the father) lifted vp on high of Christ, who was crucified for vsus, being made strong by the holie ghost, and brought in through faith; lifted vp in hope and louelove, from earth to heauen; walking without spot. For blessed (saith he) are they yt are vndefiled in the way, and walke in the law of the Lord. For the way without error, is Iesus Christ, as he himselfe saith: I am the way, the truth, and the lyfe: and this way leadeth vntounto the father. For no man (saith he) shall come to the father, Deiferi Christiferi. Spiritiferi. Templiferi.but by me. Therefore blessed are ye bearers-of-God, bearers-of-Christ, bearers-of the-holy-ghost, bearers-of-the-temple, adorned in all thinges with the commandements of Iesus Christ. A roiall priest-hoode, a holy nation, a chosen people. By this place appeares, that the spirit of God shal teach no newe doctrine, but that which is agréeing to the doctrine of Christ. The spirit of error is proud, hautie, blacke, obscure, and ougly: and shall teach it selfe. And do not all these markes agrée with the spirit of the Romish church? Is not their spirit bitter? troubling the consciences of men for trifles: teaching many false pointes of doctrine, against the truth of the scriptures. Is it not slipperie and inconstant? as their schoole-mens opinions irreconciliable plainelie proue. Is it not proud and arrogant? who brotherlie exhortes not, like the apostolique spirit: but commandes and threatens, like Antichrist. Is it not full of wordes? as their Friers sermons, and schoole-mens oppositions, and vaine legends and fables do testifie. Is it not out of tune? differing from the sweete harmonie of the gospell. Is it not blacke and ouglie? which cannot abide the true light of the scriptures. It is very strange that the knowledge of the scriptures, and the Popes religion, cannot stande together.Ioh. 12. v. 49. Eph. 6.13. That when as Christ to called a prince of light, and sathan the prince of darknesse, the Pope will hauehave all in his kingdome, to liue in darknesse, to hauehave ignorance the mother of their deuotion, and yet to be the subiects of Christ.
Text. vers. 4.For certaine are craftily crept in, which in times past euen long before, hauehave beene appointed to this condemnation: vngodly, turning the grace of our God into wantonnesse, and denying the onelyonly master of his house, God and our Lord Iesus Christ.] Here the Apostle Iude describeth another marke or token, of these false christians: they shall slylie and craftilie come into the church. They shal not at first shewe, what they are. They shall not come in, and stablish their false doctrines, by force of armes, or all at once, but by degrées, by little and little, vnderunder a shewe of holines, and deuotion. For thus much the words foreign & foreign (which the Apostle Iude in this place, & the Apostle Peter, 2. Pet. 2.1.who speaketh of the same heretiques vseth) doe import, and signifie. And here a doubt maie arise:2. Pet. 2.22. because S. Peter (who most euidently speaketh of the same heretiques with S. Iude) saith, that such shall come: and Saint Iude, that such are come alreadie. Surely they maie be easily reconciled, as also S. Paul and S. Iohn: whereof the one saieth, A departing from the faith, by Antichrist must first be; 2. Thes. 2.3. 1. Ep. 4 3.and then the day of the Lord shall come. The other, That Antichrist was come already. S. Paul speaketh of the head; S. Iohn of the members: S. Paul speaketh of the reueiled antichrist; S. Iohn of the hid: Euen so S. Iude here speaketh of the roote of these, which euen then sathan had planted; S. Peter of the blossomes.
Antichrist and his members euen then, did beginne to set foote in the church of God, but they did not shewe their faces, till afterward. Some of them were euen then come, as S. Iude and S. Iohn testifie, who liued as it should séeme, after the other Apostles: But the whole route, the great force and shewe of these heretiques (as Peter and Paul write) shall come after.Ep. 3.9. There was in Saint Iohns daies Diotrephes, which cared not for the Apostles, which desired to hauehave the preheminence or chiefe place aboue others, which tooke vponupon him to excommunicate all men: And was not he a plaine limme and member of Antichrist?Act. 15.5. There were some which vrged circumcission and obseruing of the lawe, to the grace of Iesus Christ sauing vsus: and were they not members of antichrist? There were some which saide, Let vsus eate and drinke, to morrowe we shall die: 1. Cor. 15.22.And were they not members of antichrist? So that then these heretiques, these subtill tares of sathan were in the church, the séedes of them were sowen, they had taken roote, as S. Iude writeth: but yet they were to spread, they were to flourish after, as Saint Peter witnesseth. Or else the saying of S. Iude maie be taken after the manner of the Prophets: who some times speake of a thing to c…me, in the preter perfectense, to declare the certaintie of it; that it is euen as sure, as if it were comen alreadie: as in this Epistle Enoch prophesieth, the Lord doth come with thousandes of saintes, that is, most assuredly the Lorde will come.
Popery crept into the church by degrees.Some also doe demand to knowe the yeare, and daie and sette time, that poperie came first into the church: as though it came in all at once, or by open force, in subuerting, and violating and ouerthrowing christian religion. But they are greatly deceiued, that thinke so. The Apostle S. Iude here teacheth vsus, that it did not so come in. But the authors thereof came in craftelie, with stealing steppes, vnderunder a shewe of holines, as though they would preach the faith of Christ: and so easilie, and generallie deceiued the true christians, who were as simple as doues. As also the ordinarie Glosse expoundes this place. Of these false Christians Christ himselfe prophesieth:Mat. 24. v. 5. Take heede (saith he) no man deceiue you; for many shall come in my name, saying: I am Christ, and shal deceiue many. This is the first lesson he giueth, against the end of the world: Sathan shall first beginne, by false Christes, to beguile christians; and after by open warres, to trouble them. As there it followeth. And the same caue at he giueth to all his, in his sermon which hee made vponupon the mount:Mat. 7.15. Beware of false Prophets, which come to you in sheepes cloathing: but inwardly are rauening wolues. The false Prophets, we are to take heede of, shall come in shéepes cloathing, that is, with all outward shewes of religion and deuotion: but in their hearts, where true religion should bee, there is darkenesse, there is crueltie, there is couetousnesse: they are wolues. And S. Paul most plainly, of the captaine and generall of all these,2. Thes. 2.3. Antichrist himselfe, thus teacheth vsus; that he shall not onelyonly come into the church: but he shall sit in it, in quiet possession: And that he shall get this interest, by fraude and guile, he shal come like a masker, vnderunder a veile; and at last, he shall be reuealed, and his visard shall be pulled from his face, and he shall be consumed with the spirit of the Lordes mouth.
Act. 20.29.Of his members also, S. Paul foretelleth the church of Ephesus: I know that after my departure shal grieuous wolues enter in among you, not sparing the flocke. Euen after his departure, and that not long after, they shall enter in: they shall be wolues in heart and dealing; and yet put on the habite of sheepheardes; they shall verie hardlie be discerned, without great héede taking, and therefore hee biddeth them before, take heede to themselues, least they be deceiued by these wolues, and to their flockes, least they deuour them. And he commits them to God, and to the word of his grace; which is able to build them further, and to giuegive them inheritance, with all them that are sanctified. I would to God, that all true catholiques would beléeue that such wolues should come into ye church, after S. Paules departure; and would not thinke, that all, that hath béene taught, euen this thousand yeares, is therefore good, and catholique doctrine. It is not the time, that maketh it good: But that they would hauehave an eie, to this touchstone of truth, which the Apostle here giueth them: I meane to the worde of God. If the worde of God had not beene a sufficient thing, to trie all heresies …y, the Apostle had not done faithfully to his flocke: He had giuen them a broken staffe, to leane to: hee had giuen them a false ballance, to weie truth in; a false light to discerne falsehood, & darkenesse by. And in his Epistle to the Corinthes, He feareth, 2. Cor. 11.3.least as sathan by his subtilty, by his fine and sugred speeches, by his serpents faire shape, and braue shewe, deceiued Eue: so they should be deceiued, and drawen from the simplicity of the gospell. The gospell is a plaine, easie and familiar thing, by beleeuing which, wee are saued: But sathan shall go about to make it obscure, harde, and intricate, with his quirkes, quiddities, deuises, and distinctions; as also all men, which hauehave eies to see, and will behold things with indifferencie, maie see, hee hath done. The gospell of Iesus Christ, is now made among them as obscure and intricate, as Aristotles Phisickes, or Organum. Such a misse hath sathan caste, with his schoole mens distinctions, to the truth. And so hath he peruerted it, from the simplicitie or straightnesse thereof, and made it like himselfe; crooked, full of turnes, and sleightes. The Apostle also telleth vsus,Verse 14. that sathan shall transforme himselfe into an angell of light: and therefore they are verie simple, that will beléeue visions or reuelations, or ground their faith vponupon them, where they teach doctrines against the worde of God. And therfore Esay saith, Should not a people aske counsell of their God, for the liuing? Esay 8.19.shal they aske counsell of the dead? To the lawe and testimony get you, sticke to them. If they shall not answere according to that worde: to such there is no morning, no light. They are deuils, they are of the prince of darkenesse. And to this S Paul agrees,Gal. 1.8. If an angell from heauen, preach another gospell, in bringing vsus anie other newes, or anie gladde tydinges of our saluation, then that yee hauehave already receiued, let him bee accursed: yea or wee our selues, which are the Apostles of Christ, yea or the church. The gospel is to be beléeued, before angels, before all the Apostles; and therefore before the church. Let vsus beware therefore, least the appearance of angels, the name of the church, beguile vsus. For vnderunder such craftie meanes, and bare names, and outward shewes, shall these false teachers créepe in. And therefore the Apostles hauehave told vsus, of their craftie créeping in: and also of their meanes which they should vse; that we being thus warned, might not bee beguiled. And of these their craftie meanes, S. Paul in another place forewarneth all christians:1. Ti. 4.1. Now (saith he) the spirit speaketh euidently, that in the latter times, some shal reuolt frō the true faith, that which they hauehave receiued, (for so the Gréeke word signifieth) and shal giuegive heede to spirites of error, and to the doctrines of diuels. Here is a plaine prophesie of the spirit of God, that some shall reuolte from the faith: and how shall they be seduced? they shall not giuegive héede to the worde of God: but to spirits, and reuelations: which shall teach them errors no doubt, vnderunder the shape of angels: they shall teach them the doctrines of diuels, as the Apostle teacheth vsus here, Forbidding to marry, and to abstaine from meats: not condemning marriage, but forbidding it to some; as also some kinde of meats. Beware therefore of reuelations of spirites or angels; least you learne the doctrines of deuils. The Apostle teacheth vsus here, that by such meanes manie shall bee deceiued. Their prohibition of marriage to their priestes, and of meats, at certaine times to all men, for religion, and holinesse and deuotion, who knoweth not? And these two pointes declare, that they are they, whom the Apostle speakes of. And the Apostle putteth downe these two as principall or chiefe pointes; whereby they shall winne credit with the worlde: as they hauehave done, by their Carthusians or charter house Monkes, who neuer did eate flesh; and by their other Monkes and Friers, who neuer married: Not denying, but that they shall teach other doctrines also. For their doctrine of purgatory, and of praying for the dead, and of Masses, and of dirges, and of inuocations of saintes; by these visions & apparitions, no doubt of diuels, vnderunder the shape of saintes and men departed, hauehave bene confirmed. For in their legendes they hauehave a vision, to prooue euerie one of these. Sathan dare not come in his owne likenesse: for then all men would flie from him. Hee dare not come when men are awake, for then they would some of them bewraie him; he dare not sow Henbaine or poison, for then no man would reape it▪ but he commeth like an angel, he comes when men are a sléepe, and doe giuegive small héede to him, when they are otherwise occupied, either in wars or in other earnest affaires, and soweth tares: and thus he craftelie creepeth into the house of God, into the harts of Gods people. But Gods worde, is the onelie light to discerne him by.
Howe Angels appeare, Ench. ca. 60. Quid enim opti… est haec at{que} hu… iusmodi affirmētur vel negentur vel definiantur cum crimine: quando sine crimine nesciuntur…and with what bodies (saieth Augustine) these and such like curiosities are determined with perill: seeing there is no fault in not knowing them. But wee hauehave more neede to discerne and iudge, when Sathan transformes himselfe into an angell of light, least by beguiling vsus, he seduce vsus into some hurtfull things. For when he beguiles the sense of the bodie, but moues not the minde, from the true and right assurance, by which eueryevery man leades a faithfull life, there is no danger in religion: or when he faining himselfe to be good, doth or speakes those thinges, which belonges to good Angels, though he bee accounted good, it is no error hurtfull or dangerous to christian religion. But when as, by these properties of good angels, he beginnes to drawe vsus to his owne things, then to discerne him and not to follow him, there is neede of great watchfulnesse. But howe is it possible that any man should escape his deadly deceits, vnlesse God guide him, and defend him? And this difficulty is profitable for vsus to this ende; least any man should be a hope to himselfe, or any man to another; but God to all his. For that this thing is most profitable for vsus, no godly man doubts. Augustine here confesseth, that sathan maie take vponupon him all the partes of good angels, and maie by them drawe vsus, to his doctrine. And that all the fathers or men in the world, are not able to discerne these his deceiptes, but God alone: he is so cunning and so subtill. It is to be feared for lacke of the light of Gods worde, which was extinguished and put as it were vnderunder a bushell in the time of our forefathers, that he beguiled manie.
Of this crafty créeping in of Antichrist,Io. 8.45. 2. Thes. 2.9. our sauiour also did giuegive warning to all christians. He is (saieth our sauiour) the father of lyes: and shall vse all manner of lyes and forgeries, to mainetaine his kingdome. Lying apparitions, lying intrusions of books vnderunder the name of saintes, corruptions of writers and fathers: And therefore S. Paul himselfe signed eueryevery of his Epistles, with his owne hand, least this forger should craftelie bring into the church any Epistles vnderunder his name, after his death, which were not his; as he did of the other Apostles.2. Thes. 3.17. What had needed this signing of the Apostle, if he had not feared some forgerie following, as it fell out indeede. For thus I read in Cyrill, I finde in a certaine booke (saieth he) sayd of the Apostles, Lib. 10. in. Leu.blessed is he that fasteth to this end, that he may feede the poore. This booke which Cyril here makes mention of, is not canonicall, and therefore craftily thrust into the church, of sathan: As also was Peters gospell, whereof Eusebius makes mention. That booke (saieth he) which is called the Acts of Peter, Eccl. hist. lib. 3. cap. 3.and that is called the gospell after his name, yea and that is called his preaching, or a reuelation: is not at all accompted among the canonicall Scriptures. Here wee may sée sathans craft, how he turnes himselfe into Angelles of light, what goodlie titles he giueth here to Peters gospell, A reuelation from heauen, his Actes, that which hee preached: and yet all this was but counterfeit, it was but sathans copper, it was none of the gold of Iesus Christ. This one thing were enough to make all men take heede of sathan, how they beléeue eueryevery thing that they shall reade in the fathers, in euerie booke that goeth vnderunder their names. If he were so bolde, as to counterfeit the Apostles wrytings: do we thinke, that he will not be more bold, to forge and corrupt the writinges of the fathers and men? And this also is to too manifest. Augustine writes that some thought euen in his daies, vnderunder Cyprians name, bookes were counterfeited: Some thinke (saieth Augustine) that Cyprian neuer held this opinion of rebaptization, Epist. 48.but it was counterfeited of bold and lying persons, vnderunder his name. For (saieth he) the sinceritie and integrity of the writings of any, although he were neuer so sound a Bishop, could be so kept, as the holie canonicall Scriptures are kept, in so many languages, in such an order and succession of the ecclesiastical celebrations. Against which notwithstanding, there hauehave not wanted some, who hauehave forged manie thinges, vnderunder the names of the Apostles. Wee maie note here, howe Augustine in his time confessed, that Cyprians workes might be forged; as the scriptures had manie bookes thrust into the church, vnderunder the name of scriptures, which were not the scriptures: And do we thinke that sathan hath béene asléepe since this time? no doubt he hath forged Augustines workes, and all the fathers in some part, to maintaine his kingdome. And he that would forge whole bookes to confirme his opinion withall; no doubt would not sticke to thrust in sentences: As euen in that 40. Meditation of Augustine, that same imperfect sentence may séeme to argue a corruption. I desire of thee, ô Lord, (saieth hee) pardon of all my sinnes, from whome and by whome: Let mee hauehave mercy in the day of necessitie and extremitie. Here no doubt Christ is left out, from whom and by whom Augustine hoped for propitiation in ye day of his extremity. And there followes, ô holy & blessed virgine, be my intercessor, whose temple yt was worthy to be, &c. So likewise in Eusebius there may séeme to be some of this forgerie. In his oration in the praise of Constantine, he saieth, That in all places through the worlde churches were erected to the onelie God; Agréeing with Augustine, who long after his daies, wrote that euen then they builded no churches to martyrs. And yet for all this, Lib. 4. de vita Constantini, he makes mention of the dedication of the temple of martyrs. His words are these; These things were done in the 30. yeare about the monument of our saluation, and the house of peace. In the dedication of the temple of martyrs, the Emperour holding a post, and said thus, &c. This séemes strange, that churches should be dedicated to God alone; and yet he should here mention a house of peace, & the temple of the martyrs. This house no doubt, and this temple, and this post,Nicen. conc. Can. 6. were intruded craftilie by sathan. So in the councell of Nice (as shall hereafter more at large be shewed) where it is said, Let the olde custome continue in Egypt, Libia, and Pentapolis, *Quoniā episcopo Romano parilis mos est: The Cardinall in an old copie findes thus: Quoniā Metropolitano episcopo, parilis mos est. Coranza in Annotat. epit. Concil.because the Bishop of Rome hath the like custome: A Cardinall of the holie Crosse, findes in an auncient copie, because the Metropolitane hath the like custome. Surely here was sathans subtiltie: For Romane, to thrust in Metropolitane. What shall I rehearse more particulars? Erasmus, a great searcher and reader of the fathers, acknowledgeth this corruption and forgerie manifestlie.
And behold here another subtiltie of sathan, if this his former practise will not take place, he will endeuour to take the worde of God quite from the faithfull, and to cast mists and darkenesse before their eyes. A hauke being hooded, maie be carried whither one will: euen so sathan studies to take awaie the eyes of Gods people, that he may leade them into the pit of destruction.Iudges. 16. v. 25. The Philistines after they had put out Sampsons eyes, make of him a laughing stock; euen so the deuill in the Popes kingdome, hauing thus put out the spirituall eyes of the faithfull, that they could not looke on the word of God, made of them laughing stockes. And thereof no doubt were so manie apparitions & gobblines (as they called them) and terrors by night, in those darke daies. This is that Nahash ye Ammonite, 1▪ Sam. 11.1.who by interpretation is a popular or worldlie serpent; that is in trueth the deuill, who would make a league with Iabes Gilead (which maie represent the Church of Christ, for her drought, and heape of her testimonie:) so that, hee might put out all their right eies, and so hee would be friends with them. This serpent cannot abide the right eie of Gods people, that is, that they should knowe the right seruice of God, according to his worde. And such a like league hath the Pope made with ye church of God in our daies. It was lawfull for them to doe what they would, so they knew not the scriptures. This is that, which Nabuchadnezar king of Babylon,2. King. 25.7. did to Zedechia king of Iudah, He killed his sonnes before him, hee put out his eies, he bound him with chaines and brought him to Babylon. Surely in this respect, maie Rome truely be called Babylon: who hath killed the sons of christian kinges before them, taking from their subiectes the worde of life, and put out their eies, that they might not knowe Gods lawe, nor whose ministers they were; & bound them with chaines, making them their slaues, to doe their pleasures.
The Prophet Zacharie agréeing with the gospell, thus paints out these false christians: Thus faith the Lord (saieth he) feede the sheepe of slaughter: Zach. 11.4.5.for they which possesse them, slaye them, and thinke they sin not, and they that sell them, say, blessed be the Lord, for I am rich: and their owne sheepheardes spare them not. And therefore saith the Lord, I will no more spare the inhabitantes of the land: and I fed the sheepe of slaughter; euen the poore of the earth. And I tooke to me two staues, the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bondes: and I fedde the sheepe. Here the Prophet plainly paintes out the couetous, carelesse, and cruell scribes and pharises: and the louing, painfull, & amiable sheepheard Iesus Christ. And I cut off three sheepheardes in one monethmonth, that is, in a shorte time, that is those wicked pastors, Scribes, Pharises, and Lawyers. And my soule was humbled among them. They gréeued Iesus Christ at the verie heart: for all this his louelove, he was humbled thorowe their sinnes and wickednesse. And their soule abhorred me. And I saide I will feede you no more. And that that dieth; let it die. And that that perisheth, let it perish; and let the remnant eate, euerie one the flesh of his neighbour. And I tooke my staffe beauty, and brake it: that I might make voide my couenant, which I established with all this people. Here is plainelie the reiection of the Iewes, for their incredulitie: Here is the death of Christ, by the breaking of this staffe, called beawtie: and the disanulling of the former testament, made with all mankinde, the fulfilling of the lawe. And it was disanulled euen that day. And they knewe surely, those poore sheepe that wayted on me, that it was the worde of the Lord. And I saide to them, if it seeme good in your eies, giuegive mee my wages; and if no, leaue of. And they waied for my wages, thirty peeces of siluer. And the Lord saide to me, cast it vntounto the potter. A goodly price, that I was valewed at of them. And I tooke the thirty peeces of siluer, and cast them into the house of the Lord, to be bestowed on the potter. Then I brake my other staffe, euen bandes: that I might dissolue the bandes between Iudah and Israell, that they might nowe no more be accompted brethren: But that by the calling of the Gentiles, a new brotherhood might be begun, through the whole worlde. And to declare, that they should be no more accompted as brethren: but be dispersed, as they are now, from the endes of the world.
Here is Iesus Christes preaching, death, betraying, merites, passion, and kingdome, thorow the whole world, most plainlie described. Nowe followeth Sathans kingdome, nowe followeth his Church, nowe succéedes his idle, and idoll sheepheardes. For he is Gods enemie. Where God giueth the lawe, he maketh a calfe: where God planteth religion, hee by and by grafteth his superstition: Hee sléepes not: he omitteth no opportunitie. And therefore immediatlie it followeth in the Prophet,Verse. 15. And the Lorde saide to mee, yet againe, Take to thee the instrumentes of a foolish sheepheard. For lo, I will raise vp a sheepheard in the lande, which shall not visit or hauehave regard to the thing that is lost nor seeke the tender lambes: nor shall not cure that which is broken, and that which standeth, he shall not perfect or beare; he shall eate the flesh of the fatte, and shall teare their clawes in pieces. Here is Antichrist, here is sathans sheepheard, here is Christes enemie: yet his vicar, his successor: not a wolfe or wild boare; but a sheepheard (as he was;) but a foolish or ignorant sheepheard; a sheepheard that woulde not feede the flocke, that would not heale the wounded, that would not seeke the tender lambes, that would not perfect the strong; by preaching and teaching. For the word of God is bread to the strong, Mat. 4. v. 4. Rom. 15.4.it is comfort to the afflicted, it is the tender lambes guide, it is the phisicke of the soule, Psal. 119.2. 1. Tim. 6.5.and therefore it is called the doctrine of health. And it should séeme, our sauiour alluded to this prophesie, when he bad Peter so earnestly feede his flocke: not to giuegive him a supremacie ouer his flocke, but to giuegive him a watchword and a warning, that his successor should bee this foolish, this carelesse, and this idle sheepheard, of whome Zacharie prophesieth. As though he should saie vntounto him: There shall bee a shéepheard, a great sheepheard, that thall not féede the shéepe, that shall not looke after the young lambes, that shall not comfort and heale the wounded (of whome Zacharie and the Prophets hauehave foretolde) see thou, not thy successors be not he.
For it followeth, woe to thee, thou Idoll sheepeheard, which forsakest thy sheepe; for the sword shall be vponupon his arme, and vponupon his right eie: his arme in drying shall be dried vp, and his right eie shall be vtterly darkened. So were the popish priestes reuerenced in times past.A iust plague of this carelesse pastor, who is like to an image of stone, which standes in a place vnmoueable, and is reuerenced of all men: but doeth nothing. Such Idolles, are the Pope and his Cleargie. The sword shall be vponupon his right arme, which we maie euidentlie sée fulfilled in the Turke, who hath spoiled the right arme of the Popes dominion, which hee woulde challenge as his flocke. And his right eie is quite darkened: that is, as one noteth, he shall doe nothing rightlie; but all with the left hand, crookedly and frowardlie. His sentences shall be cr… ked, his expositions of the scriptures shall be crooked, his workes shall be crooked, and whatsoeuer he goeth about, shall be peruerse, crooked & left handed His knowledge of the true worship or seruice of God, is quite extinguished. He hath some light of ye second takle of Gods law, he teacheth and knoweth how we ought to behaue our selues to our neighbours: But his right eie, the knowledge of the first table of the lawe, or of the seruice of God, according to his word, the true knowledge of our saluation, is quite extinguished in his Church. This his succession almost immediatlie after Christ, this his fulfilling of this Prophesie of Zacharie, by himselfe neuer preaching nor by his dumb cleargy; these plagues which we maie here see verified most plainlie, for these his sinnes, (for the Popedome and Turkes kingdome beganne almost both in one yeare, and when Bonifacius had obtained of Phocas to bee primate, Mahomet not long after became a Prophet) and our sauiours Item or caueat to Peter: all these I saie, maie most plainlie prooue, that the Pope is that Idoll shéepeheard. And also, the instruments of a foolish shéepeheard maie declare, the craftie comming in and creeping of him into Gods Church, which S. Iude here prophesieth of.
And here first, whereas there are but two thinges to be considered in anie great personage, his authoritie and iurisdiction; and his landes and possessions: it maie seeme, hee came craftelie by both these. For first as touching his iurisdiction, the sixt Canon of the Councell of Nice maketh him equall with ye other Patriarks, which is this in all the vsuall printed copies. The old custome continues in Egypt, or Libia, or Pentapolis, that the Bishoppe of Alexandria should hauehave authoritie ouer all these, because the Bishoppe of Rome hath the like custome. Likewise also at Antioche, and the other prouinces: let eueryevery Church hauehave her owne honour. This Canon makes the Bishoppe of Rome equall to the other Patriarks. But to delude this, the Cardinall of the holie Crosse shewed Coranza, the gatherer of the Epitome of the Councels,Epit. Con. a most ancient Latine edition (as he saith) wherein it is written; Quia metropolitano parilis mos est: that is, because the Metropolitane hath the like custome. And so for Romanus, they hauehave put in Metropolitanus. But here is a plaine rehearsall, of the thrée Patriarkes of Alexandria, Rome, and Antioche. Therefore as Alexandria is in … first place, and Antioche in the last: so in plaine dealing, Rome should be in the middle. And to make this matter more plaine, and to take awaie all doubt; Eusebius cites this Canon thus,Lib. 10. Eccles. histor. ca. 6. That as at Alexandria: so in Rome also, the olde custome should be kept, that either he of Egypt, or this, Suburbicarum ecclesiarum: of the citties of his suburbes.should hauehave care of the churches of the citties adioyning. Here is Rome plainly named. So that then, in the former place, Romanus, and not Metropolitanus, must be read: and therfore that most olde Latine edition, which the Cardinall shewed, maie seeme to be forged.
Secondly concerning the bishop of Romes possessions, it should séeme the Donation of Constantine, wherby he claymeth Rome and Italie, is forged: as appeareth by Nicephorus. Niceph. li. 7. c. 46Constantine (saith he) in all prouinces, gaue some part of his reuenewes to the churches, and he established that gift to be good for euer. But hee maketh no mention of this great gifte of Rome and Italie to the Pope. He that put downe this small gift, and other things of lesse account there, as the making of a church of wood, to carry about with him to Constantines commendation: would not hauehave omitted this his great donation and liberalitie, to the Bishoppe of Rome,Anton. part. 1. hist. Tit. 8. ca. 2. Dist. 96. Constantinus. if there had béene anie such. Antoninus also, a diligent searcher of antiquities, of this donation writeth thus: Of Constantines donation, is mention made in the decretals: but (saieth he) that chapter is not found in the olde decretals. What therfore, and how much he gaue it is not certaine. If this Chapter, bee not in the olde decretals, it maie séeme it crept in after. If a meane man should enioie anie landes, without plaine and certaine euidence: what a horrible sinne were it? And is this no sinne in the Pope? who should giuegive light to others.
All their errors also by little and little crept in, as we maie perceiue by the writings of the fathers, and by their owne councels. First it was decreed that the Bishoppe of the first sea, Conc. Carth. 3. ca. 26.should not bee called the prince of priestes, or the highest priest, or any such like name: but onelyonly the Bishoppe of the first sea. The first supremacie was in order, not in honour; no not of the Bishop of Rome. And therefore Cyprian calleth him Collega or fellowe Bishop. Lib. 1. Epist. 4.But afterward these names of highest priest, and prince of priestes, and greater then these, were giuen to the Pope: as nowe we maie see in his stile. In the beginning, they brought in their images, vnderunder a pretence of putting vsus in remembrance, without anie worshippe to be done to them:Lib. 9. Epist. 9. as appeareth by Gregories Epistle to Serenus. In that thou hast forbidden them to be worshipped, wee commend thee (saith he:) but in that thou hast broken them, we find fault with thee. But nowe, capping, and knéeling, and offering to them, are allowed; and nothing can be done too much to them. Eusebius also speaking of the first original of Images,Lib. 7. ca. 14. euen of our sauiour, and of Peter, and Paul writeth thus: But we hauehave seene very ancient images of them, kept of diuers: which seemeth to me to bee done, as a thing indifferent; and of the custome of the Gentiles, because they were wont to honour them thus, whom they accounted worthy of honour. For that the ensignes of auncient men should be kept to the memory of their posterity, as a signe of their honour, and of the louelove of these. So that then, these images crept into the church from Paganisme, and not from anie Apostolique tradition, by Eusebius iudgment, and they were kept of them as memories; not worshipped as Idolles, as now is vsed.
How superstition began to grow in the church, that prohibition also whereof Augustine maketh mention, plainlie proueth.Confess. lib. 6. cap 2. His mother Monica would hauehave brought into the church bread & wine and such like, to hauehave distributed at the memories of the martyrs: but S. Ambrose had forbidden, that any such should be brought into the church. And he addeth the reason: Because these things done to their parents, were like ye superstition of ye gentiles. In the beginning, those same louelove feasts (which S. Paul and Iustine martyr, and Tertullian, and all the olde fathers make mention of) were taken awaie,Concil. An…. ca. 9. because it was not lawfull to make feasts in the church; or Maidens to sing songs, as appeareth by the 9. Canon of the councell of Antisidiorensis, no doubt that their masse and sole communion, after might take place. In the same councell it was decréed, that it was not lawful for a woman to take ye Eucharist with her bare hand. Ca. 36.Here beginneth a counterfeit honour of the Eucharist, more no doubt, then before was vsed. Sixtus Primus ordained,Summa. Conc. that prophane hands especially of women, might not touch the holy vessels. The Apostles ministred the communion,Pol de. inuent. Lib. 6. cap. 12. in a cup of wood Zepherinus after ordained a cup of glasse: after came in siluer and golden chalices: No doubt the plainer the matter was;Pol. Virg. lib. 6 cap. 12. the purer was the mysterie. Stephanus primus ordained their Altar clothes, and priestlie ornaments like Aaron. Some priestes after they hauehave said the Lords praier do communicate, Concil. Toletan. 4. ca. 17.which hereafter we forbidde (saith the councell) but a blessing being giuen to ye people, then let the sacrament of the body and bloud of the Lord be taken, in that order, that the Leuites and priests shall communicate before the Altar; the cleargie in the quier, and the people without the quier. Here beginneth the difference of the receiuing the communion; but all receiued alike before: But nowe the people is shutte out of the quier, and after from the cup also. But here yet is not the Canon of their masse: but the Lordes praier and a blessing to the people, and the receiuing of the sacraments. At this time began the honor of the saints to increase:Summa. Conc, Bonifacius hauing obtained of Phocas the supremacie, the first thing he did, he conuerted Pantheon, the temple of all the Romane Idoll Gods, to the church of our Lady and all saints. Honorius Bishop of Rome, he repaired the churches, and by the leaue of Heraclius the Emperour, Summa Concil. Anno. Domini. 606. Conc. Antis. Ca… 34.35.he tooke the tiles of brasse from the house of Romulus, and couered S. Peters church with them. And in the councell afore said, it was decreed that no iudge shoulde do any iniury to any cleargy man without asking the aduise of the Bishop: And that it was not lawfull for a priest to sit in iudgement where as a man is condemned to death. Cap. 34.And againe, it is not lawfull for a priest or Deacon, or for any of the cleargie for any cause to draw his fellow clerke before any secular iudge. And so by little & little they exempted their cleargie, from the soueraignty & gouerment of the ciuill magistrate.