Touchstone to Determine the True Catholic Faith, Part 31 – Part 32
Woe be vntounto them, for they hauehave followed the way of Cain, and are cast awaie by the deceipte of Balaams wages: Text verse. 11and perish in the gaine saying of Core.] The Apostle Saint Iude, still goeth about to paint out these heretickes, (they shall be subtill, and hurtfull,) that being set out in their colors they may be the easilier bewraied and auoided. And because there is no plainer waie of teaching, then by examples: Therefore hee goeth about by examples, to laie them open to the eies of all men. And here these heretickes shall as it were in one battell-araie, followe all the chiefe heretickes, that were from the beginning of the worlde? Sathan shall nowe gather al his armie together against Gods church: This man of …ne Antichrist, shall nowe muster all his giants, shall hauehave his members florish and well liking, with all manner of sinne. And the Apostle putteth down here thrée principall captaines of them: Cain, Corah, and Balaam: and thrée sinnes, as mothers of the rest (for it were a worlde to reckon vp all:) that is, persecution, couetousnesse, treason or rebellion. These heretickes hauehave followed the way of Cain, in persecuting their brethren; and in the error or deceiuing of rewardes, wherewith Balaam was deceiued, they hauehave ouerflowed; & they hauehave perished in the gain saying of Corah. And are not these sinnes manifest in the popish Church? The Turke vseth not such crueltie in persecuting christians, as they doe to those, that speake against their religion. Fire and fagot was seldome heard of among the Barbarians and heathen, for anie trespasse; which nowe is their common punishment: So that they surpasse the Barbarians in their heathenish crueltie. And this persecution is like Cains: for he persecuted his brother,Gen. 4.8 because his sacrifice was better accepted of God then his, because hee was more iust and more godlie then hee: so because wee saie their masse is naught, their praiers are naught, they persecute vsus. Cain should hauehave mended his waies, and not hauehave killed his brother: so shoulde these reforme their abuses, take awaie their superstition and idolatrie, and not hate vsus. But like Cain they think s…orne to learne, they will maintaine their olde wickednesse still. Secondlie, they followe Balaam, Num. 22.23they are all giuen to couetousnesse. Hee for rewarde gaue craftie counsell against Israell, and caused them to commit fornication with the Moabites: yet outwardlie hee shewed them a faire face: So doe they against the true Israelites. They hauehave a shew of christianitie, teaching them the right waie of saluation: but they make them commit spirituall fornication; they teach them to offer their sacrifices to others, to put their trust in others, then in God alone. Such couert, subtill, and craftie enemies they are: and all for couetousnesse, all for rewarde. For this, as the terte heere saieth, they goe not or ride of an Asse as Balaam did: But they are euen as water poured out. foreign.Pierce Plowman in his daies could note, how they coulde flie and …locke to a buriall where anie thing was to bee gotten: but they seldome came to a christening, where nothing was to bee hadde. That common prouerbe was made of their couetousnesse: no …nie, no pater noster: Nothing amongst them without money. And hauehave not these followed the way of Balaam? Their Friers preaching,Salust. their Monkes praying, their Priestes massing, their pardons selling, and all for money. So that Iugurthes saying of old Rome was neuer truer then nowe:aOmnia venalia Roma. All things for mony are on sale, and now are to be sold at Rome.
Num. 16And they hauehave perished in the contradiction of Corah.] Their last sinne shall bee rebellion and treason: which shall bring some of them to their endes. They shall be like Corah; he rebelled against Moses and Aaron: and so doe these, in rebelling against Iesus Christ, in putting their pope in his place; in taking to them his office, his priesthood: and against the ciuill magistrate, conspiring against their persons, stirring vp their subiectes to rebellion from their allegiance, plainelie denying their authoritie: As Doctour Story of late did amongst vsus, denying hee was the Queenes Subiect:Psal. 115.16. and because God had giuen the earth to the children of men; therefore hee saide, that anie man might chuse to bee subiect, to what Prince soeuer hee woulde. But God hath made diuisions of kingdomes, and Countries, and hath placed ouer them diuers Kinges and Gouernours,Dan. 2.21 Pro. 8.15 Nehem. 9.22 Psal. 47.3 Rom. 13.1 Exod. 20.21. whome hee commaundeth in his lawe to bee honoured as Fathers: Honour thy Father and thy Mother (saieth the Lorde,) thy Prince and Countrie are contained vnderunder this commaundement. This honor & obedience, thou canst not shake off. So that, as the child cannot at anie time bee set frée, from the dutie of obedience hee oweth to his Parentes: no more canne anie Subiect from his Prince. The Turks in their wicked religion hauehave this: that if a child rebell against his father, that sinne can neuer bee doone awaie, All the water in the Sea (saie they, who attribute much in their religion to outward washings, as the Iewes did) cannot wash it awaie. Such a haynous faulte they accounte disobedience and rebellion to their Parentes. But amongst vsus, manie of late hauehave rebelled against their Soueraigne, hauehave imagined euill to their Mother, and Countrie, which when they were at home, neuer did them anie harme. Surelie such disloiall Children and Subiectes, the wicked and impious Turke shall condemne at the daie of iudgement. The Romaines and the Grecians; although beeing hardelie dealte withall at home: yet coulde neuer bee brought to conspire against their Countries. That speech of Phocion to the Athenians is worthie of me… rie, foreign. That is, I had rather my selfe suffer any euill at your hands, then attempt any euill against you. Their friendes complaine of the deathes of those, which are executed amongst vsus: but let them marke and consider their treasons, conspiracies, rebellions, poysonings, which are the cause thereof.Num. 16.3 12. Corahs contradiction, or gainsaying, against Moses and Aaron, condemned him to a most fearfull, terrible and strange death: The earth swallowed him vp quicke. And no doubt, this strange punishment, was to declare the haynousnesse of this sinne, and to deterre all men from it: So Absalon was hanged by the haire of the head.2. Sam. 18.9. And shall the contradictions and wicked dealings by al secret meanes, against their prince and countrie, of a great many in our daies, escape vnpunished? Let Corah his sinne like to theirs, terrifie them, and his fearefull punishment make them affraid. So that then the Deuill nowe, as into a huge monster, hath heaped all these sinnes in one; murther, couetousnes, and treason: and that in the papists, who seeth not?
These are spottes in your feastes of charity, Text. Verse 12.when they feast with you, without all feare feeding themselues: cloudes they are without water, caried about of windes, corrupt trees and without fruit, twise dead and plucked vp by the rootes.]
This place also prooueth, that these heretikes shall bee in the church, that they shall be no open enemies: they shal be partakers of our louelove feastes, which the fathers called foreign, or foreign, that is a generall assembly or charity it selfe, not masse: because al then assembled themselues together, none absented themselues, as we doe now adaies. All which were partakers of the Lordes death, by receiuing these holie mysteries, set foorth both by heart and tongue the same. This they accounted their homage, which they did owe to that great king Iesus,1. Cor. 11.26▪ Luke 22.19. who hath tolde them by his Apostle, that as often as they should doe this, they should set foorth his death till he came. That this they should doe in remembrance of him. The doing of this, should be a most certaine signe of their remembrance. If this be true, as it is most true, how little then doe many at this daie, effectuallie remember him? which care not how seldome they communicate, scarcely once by the yeare. It will make him likewise, not remember them.Ps. 111.4. Let them take héede, The Lord hath so done his gratious workes, that they ought to be had in remembrance, or as it is in the Hebrewe: The gratious and mercifull Lorde hath made a memorie of his wondrous workes. And this memorie which hee hath made, which hee hath ordained, dare wee despise? Secondly, it is called foreign, charitie, as in this place of S. Iude: because then indéede, charitie as it were appeared, The charity or louelove of God towardes vsus, in giuing his sonne, to be a sacrifice for our sinnes. The roote or seede of charitie is sent downe from aboue,1. Io. 4.7. For charity is of God (saith S. Iohn) it commeth from aboue. 1. Cor. 10.16.And S. Paul saith, we are all one body, one bread: because wee receiue of one bread. The receiuing the Lordes bread, soweth this vnitie, this séede of christian charitie in our heartes: For lacke of this often receiuing; for lacke that this séede of charitie is so seldome receiued from aboue, by these holy mysteries: it is to bee thought, that in manie great men this charitie is so rare, as it is. For of all other, men of authoritie and gentlemen, they receiue the seldomest; they thinke they néed not receiue. And the pastor and church wardens, dare not compell them, or almost complaine of them. And surely charitie or louelove amongst these, is now adaies waxen most colde. The louelove or charitie one of vsus towardes another, in eating and drinking all together, should appeare, the rich with the poore, the lyon with the lambe. For at that time, euerie man brought according to his abilitie, something into the church, with which, after they had receiued the communion, they feasted all together, as appeareth by S. Paul.