Touchstone to Determine the True Catholic Faith, Part 37
Text.Cloudes they are without water, carried about of windes, corrupt trees, and without fruite, twise dead and plucked vp by the rootes.] Hitherto the Apostle hath shewed vsus these deceiuers by manie and most liuely examples: now least wee should bee deceiued by them, and that we should discerne them in déede; he pointes them out by similitudes in their colours, as we saie. And he puts down heere two similitudes of them, to teach vsus their vaine bragging and oftentation. They shall make great shewes, they shall promise much: but performe nothing. They shall be like good shéepeheardes in shewe: but in truth nothing neare them. Ministers are compared by S. Paul to the Hebrewes,Heb. 6.7. to cloudes which raine vponupon the earth: after whose heauenly showers, if the ground and hearts of their hearers, bring forth no fruit, they are as barren ground, accursed, Eccles. 11.3.and adiudged worthy the fire. And the preacher saieth, if the cloudes be full, they will power out water: So Gods ministers will plenteously declare his will to his people.Am. 7.16. And Amasiah cōmanded Amos, prophesie not against Israell, neither drop any more against the house of Isaak: So that all Gods pastors are cloudes, which raine, which droppe like dewe, which poure out aboundantlie, as occasion requireth, the heauenly raine, vponupon the ground of Gods church. But these are cloudes: but voide of water, carried about with windes. They hauehave the habit of pastors, the authority: they are placed aloft, they are called Prelates, they make great shewes, euen as thicke cloudes doe sometime of raine, but not a droppe followes. The soules of their people, euen as it were drie ground, thinke for lacke of heauenlie moysture. And were not the Popish cleargie like these cloudes? with all their ornaments and robes and gownes and habites like pastors: but no raine fel. They were caried about with winde,Ephes. 4.11. for lack of the firmament of Gods word. God hath giuen Apostles, and Euangelists, and pastors, and teachers in his church: least we should be caried about with euerie blast of vaine doctrine. These clouds, lacking the soundnesse of the Apostles doctrine and euangelistes, like emptie vessels, were tossed vp and downe. They beléeued euerie thing. They were not built vponupon the rocke, that is, vponupon Iesus Christ, and his word.Psal. 1.3. They are also trees in Autumn withering] The Godly are called trees growing by the waters side, that bringe foorth their fruit in due season, whose leaues do not wither. And our sauiour saith, eueryevery good tree bringes foorth good fruit. But these are like trees blasted, for so the greeke name importeth, foreign, which bringeth foorth nothing but corrupt and withered fruit. Such workes were most of theirs, not workes commanded of God in his worde: but of their owne deuises. Not workes that tooke sappe by faith, but which tooke sappe of mans fancie; as oblations, pilgrimages, buying of ornamentes to the church making great windowes, guilding images: all these lack the sappe of Gods word, these were like blasted fruit. And such for the most part, were the workes of these pastors, the fruit these gaue to their hearers. [Twise dead] not onelie by nature borne the children of wrath, and in life liuing like the sonnes of Beliall: but by their doctrine, falling awaie from the life of grace.1. Ti 5.6. A widowe wallowing in pleasure, though liuing bodily, yet the Apostle countes dead to God: much more these couetous, riotous, fruitelesse, and barren pastors. [Twise dead] dead men by their sinnes, and dead pastors by their doctrine. For no doubt, although they, which in that time of ignorance died,2. Chro. 15.3.4. and called for merciemercy obtained it; as wee reade of the like time of ignorance among the Iewes, and so we doe not damne all our fathers that died then: yet no doubt, there remaineth an eternall woe, as vponupon the Pharises, so also vponupon those blind guides, which by their holie deceits, beguiled Gods people. Or twise dead:] neither teaching by tongue nor by example of life. Plucked vp by the rootes.] That is they are like trees plucked vp by the rootes, which are past all hope of recouerie: euen so these will hardlie be brought to the light of the gospell, they will hardly be brought from their olde kinde of liuing. They can sing masse well: but they are vnfit to open their mouths to speake to the glorie of God, to preach his word, to edifie his congregation. That they cannot awaie withall.