Touchstone to Determine the True Catholic Faith, Part 38 – Part 39
Text. Verse. 13.They are raging waues of the sea, foming out their owne shame: they are wandring starres: to whome is reserued the blackenesse of darkenesse for euer.] Before, the Apostle seemeth to describe the persons of these heretikes; they are cloudes without raine, they are emptie vessels, they are blasted trees: Now he describes their workes, their dealings. Christes church is compared to a shippe Heb. 6. Heb. 6.20.and the shippe wherein hee was, may resemble very fitly his church: which was almost ouerwhelmed with waues: In so much that the Apostles cried out:Mat. 8.25. saue vsus Lord, wee perish. And in the Reuelation we reade,Apoc. 12.16. that the serpent out of his mouth, threw after the woman, that is the church, water like a floud; in so much that she was caried away with the floud: and if the earth had not helped her, she had vtterly perished.
Surely this sea is the world: and these waues are heretikes, and false catholiques, that trouble and vexe the church of God. No shippe in the maine sea was euer so tossed, as the shippe of Iesus Christ is tossed in this world, by sathan himselfe driuing her (if it were possible) to the rocke of despaire; and therefore it hath néede of hope, as it were a most sure anchor, fastened with the oath and promise of God, as it were with two most strong cables: by his ministers,Heb. 6.18. assaulting and persecuting it; and therfore it hath néed of Iesus Christes power and presence, with it, euen to the end of the world. If he should not put to his helping hande, it could not hauehave chosen, but this shippe had beene sunken, long since. Hee helpeth with his mightie hand this poore ship, he maketh the earth, that is death, deuoure her raging waues, her persecuting enemies. Herod a… length died, persecuting Christ: so shall all Herods, persecuting his christians. And surely these waues may resemble the Cardinalles, Bishoppes and Prelates of the church of Rome, who in all kingdomes, since Popedome beganne, hauehave beene readie to persecute the church, and to assault this shippe. No man durst once speake against the Pope, or his doings; but hee was catched by and by: So that these men maie bee fitly compared to waues for their doinges, waues for their worldlinesse and couetousnesse, waues for their pride and ambition.In Apologia ad Guilielmum Abba. em. Bernard speaking of the state and pride of the Abbots of his daies, writes thus: I lie (saith he) if I sawe not an Abbot hauehave in his traine, threescore horse and aboue: you would say, if you saw them ride by, they were not fathers of Monasteries, but Lordes of some Mannors: not rulers of soules, but gouernours of prouinces. Then they must hauehave caried with them, their table clothes, their goblets, their basons, their candlestickes, their trunkes stuffed, not with litter for their horses: but with ornaments for their beddes. They scant trauell seauen furlongs from home, but with all their stuffe and furniture; as though they should go to some armie, or into some wildernesse, where no prouision were to be had. The Bishop of Elie here in England, Stow in his Chro.in king Richard ye first his daies, being in his absence gouernour of the Realme, ridde with fiue hundreth horses. Pius the second came into Perusia, Campan. in eius vita.riding on a white Palfrey, twelue others of the same colour, going before emptie, couered with purple, being led with golden bridles. The magistrates of the citie carrying a cloth of state of purple, wrought with golde: vnderunder which was the pope carried in fine white linnen, with a stole of golde put about him, and a scarlet hatte. What pompe was this? What greater pride could be imagined? And what is more vaine, and more like the vaine and mightie waues of the sea?
They are wandring starres, Text.for whom is reserued the blackenesse of darkenesse for euer.] The pastors of Christes church are called starres by Daniell, because they giuegive light to others,Dan. 12.3. in the darke night of this world: because they take their light of the sunne, because they séeme little, though in deede greater then the earth; because they are fixed in the firmament, they kéepe their place. But these would séeme to be starres: but they are wandering or erring starres. The sunne is called Sol, because it onelie shineth (as one noteth) and giueth light to all thinges. And therefore the wicked complaine of the lacke of this light:Wisdom. 5.6. Therefore hauehave we erred from the way of truth, and the light of righteousnesse hath not shined vntounto vsus; and the sonne of vnderstanding rose not vponupon vsus. These borrow not their light of the sunne:Leu 10.1. They bring into the Church strange fire with Nahab and Abihu: they seeme profound doctors: but their doctrines are not constant, are not sure: are not grounded on the word of God. They ground, they build vponupon the sand; that is vponupon nature, vponupon worldly thinges. So the papistes make heauen like a kings court, and Peter the porter; and saintes mediators to God. They drawe frée will from Aristotle. Their schoolemen, were almost as manie in opinions, as in number. The sande is infinite; and so are the deuises of mans reason. It is impossible, that euer they should come to an ende, that followe it, and are ruled by it.
To whome is reserued the blacknesse of darkenesse for euer.] Because they like owles, loued darkenes more then light, because they hauehave delighted more in the darkenesse of mans braine, then in the light of Gods word: therefore shall they dwell in darkenesse for euer. For God in the same measure againe, repaies the wicked; and heapes their owne euill waies vponupon their owne heades. They which loued darkenesse, shall bee tormented in darkenesse: they which like wilde beastes, deuoured and destroied all thinges (for Bestiae taketh his name à vastando of wasting as some thinke) shall bee destroied themselues of deuilles: they which hauehave loued the pleasant fire of sinne, shall suffer the sharpe fire of hell.