Touchstone to Determine the True Catholic Faith, Part 42 – Part 45
Text. Verse 16.These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts. Whose mouthes speake prowde thinges, hauing mens persons in admiration because of aduantage.] Now he describeth these false Catholiques, by their delightes and desires: because they measure and account felicitie or happines, to consist in thinges of this life: Therefore i… anie affliction or misfortune chance, they murmure, they are impatient. And it cannot chuse, but such were our former Friers and Monkes. For they were couetous and gréedie of these worldlie riches (as I hauehave prooued before:) they were euer begging and neuer satisfied.Psal. 23.4. They lacked Dauids staffe of Gods worde to comfort them:Rom. 15.4. when God said his rodde vponupon them they lacked the knowledge of the scriptures, which were written for our learning, that wee thorowe patience, and comfort of the scriptures, might hauehave hope: and therefore it could not chuse, but they should mourne and repine, at the manifolde crosses, which at that time fell vponupon them. Kinges hauehave often pinched them, fire hath consumed their houses, and manie other chances hauehave beflane them; as wee maie reade in the Chronicles, which to sustaine with patience, they no doubt needed the castle and bulwarke of the scriptures.
Text. Ps. 70.4.145.11. Ps. 33.1.134.21.Complainers, finders of faults] Dauid giueth this note of the faithfull, that ye praises of God are euer in their mouthes: and of himselfe, my mouth shall euer speake the praise of the Lord: And the Apostle commandeth all christians that in all thinges they should giuegive God thankes. So that then,1. Thes. 5.17. good christians must not finde fault with Gods workes: whatsoeuer he sendeth, they must be content with all, they must thanke him for it. They must in all chances, with Iob saie, The Lord be blessed. What artificer among vsus,Iob. 1.22. will patientlie abide his worke to be found fault withall? Much lesse our most mightie God. And therefore Ecclesiasticus teacheth vsus this lesson, Blesse the Lord in all his works, giuegive honor vntounto his name, Eccl. 39.14.and shew forth his praise with the songes of your lips, & with harpes, and ye shal say after this manner. Al the works of the Lord are exceeding good, and all his commandementes are done in due season. And none may say: wherefore is this? what is that? For at a time conuenient, they shall be sought out. But at this daie, it is a common fault am…ngst many olde men, to finde fault with Gods workes: manie times, with the weather, with the increase of the earth. And therfore it should seeme, in the former times, they were not taught this good lesson: it maie séeme, their teachers knewe it not themselues. And therefore this marke hits iustly vponupon them.
Their mouth speaketh proud thinges.] They are Thrasoes,Text. they brag of themselues. So hauehave they seduced the people, by bragging of their masses, their reliques, by making thē come a pilgrimage farre and nigh to them. They hauehave bragged of their Popes authoritie: that no man maie saie to him, why doest thou so? that hee is a God vponupon earth.
Hauing mens persons in admiration because of aduantage. Text.] They are worldly minded, and this is the second marke of Antichrist. First, he shall denie, that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh: Hee shall denie that he is that onelyonly king, priest, and prophet;1. Io. 4.3. which all the scriptures prophesie of. Whose shadowes and types, were all the kinges, priestes, and prophets that euer were: Melchisedecke, Aaron, Samuell, Dauid, Salomon, Esay, Ieremy and the rest: Iesus Christ alone, is more then all these. And yet euerie of these in their times had God, sufficiently furnished, to bee able to doe their offices. And yet Antichrist shall substitute other to Iesus Christ, as not sufficient or willing to doe his office: whome the scripture adorneth with this kinde of willingnesse,Heb. 7.25. Verse 5. that he euer liueth, to make intercession for vsus. Secondly, they shall bee of the world, and therefore shall speake of the world, and the world shall heare them. And were not the Abbots, Monkes and Popes kingdome, of the world? Their statelie buildings, their pleasant seats, their insatiable mindes; declare what they were. Those that enriched them, them they reuerenced, them they praied for. Was not this to hauehave men in reuerence because of aduantage? Such were the priestes among the Iewes.Hos. 4.11. They did eate the sinnes of Gods people; whoredome and wine, and newe wine, take awaie their heartes, they were as a snare on Mispah, and as a nette spread on Tabor (as saieth the Prophet:) All was fish that came to their nettes.
Mat. 23.14.So did the Pharises vnderunder pretence of long praiers deuoure widowes houses: So did they in S. Pauls time that counted gaine religion.1. Tim. 6.6. But Saint Paul teacheth Timothie, and in him all Gods ministers, to forsake and separat themselues from such couetous teachers: and that godlinesse is great gaine, with contentment; and to be content with meate drinke and cloathing; not with monkish and popish state, and superfluitie: And to followe righteousnesse, godlinesse, faith, louelove, patience, and meekenesse. Of which riches Gregorie also speaketh, If you will be (saieth he) truely rich in deede, louelove the true riches, that is vertues. And of charitie Saint Augustine saith, that by charity a poore man is rich. Charitie alone is like a pretious iewell, the valew whereof is so incomparable, that it enricheth the soule of him, whosoeuer hath it. These celestiall and spirituall riches Christes ministers shoulde pursue after, with might and maine (as they saie.) Those other transitorie and earthlie riches, are baites fit for Antichristes hirelinges: who for them hauehave men in great admiration,Gal. 1.10. whome if hee should studie to please (S. Paul saith) that he were none of Gods seruant.
Text. Verse. 17.18.But you beloued, remember the words which were spoken before of the Apostles of our Lord Iesus Christ. Howe that they tolde you, that there should be mockers in the last time, which should walke after their vngodly lustes.] Here first we may learne that S. Iude being himselfe an Apostle, was not ashamed to alledge the testimonies of the Apostles; condemning the arrogancie of those, that despise the authoritie of their equalles: nay of those, that hauehave bin their fathers in Christ. Secondly, that he liued after the other Apostles. Thirdly, that he referreth this Epistle, to the predictions, and prophesies of the other Apostles: That those whome hee heere speaketh of, they also prophesied, that such should come: So that then his Epistle must be a prophesie, a prediction to the church, as well as others. Although perchance in some part, that wicked seed began in his daies, more to shewe it selfe, then in the daies of the Apostles, (as I hauehave noted before.) And as he cites ye prophesies of the Apostles: so especially of Peter, whose very words he alleageth.2. Pet. 3.3. That there shall bee mockers.] So that his Epistle of all the rest most agreeth with this Epistle: So that as it should séeme, they had euen ioyned handes, to the discouering of the same heretikes. He calleth them mockers, which being drowned in worldlie pleasures, and being set in the chaire of pestilence, doe make a sporte of sinne: Who dare saie, in the manifolde threatnings, and knockings at the dore of their heartes, by Gods spirit:Ier. 5.12. Let the worde of the Lorde come. Tush it maketh no matter, these are but wordes, no euill shall happen vntounto vsus, we hauehave béene tolde this long ago; but we throue neuer the worse since. Such Atheistes, and sonnes of Beliall, all ages hauehave had: and our age hath too manie of them, which fulfill the prophesie of Iude, to their owne destruction.
Walking after their vngodly lustes.] This barren branch,Text. springeth of the former wicked roote. For those that make a mocke of the worde of God: to such pleasure is life, and their own wicked lustes and desires, are reason. The worde of God is the onelie hatchet, to prune the vines of Iesus Christ,Io. 15.2. Ios. 5.2. that they maie bring foorth more fruit. It is the onelie sharpe knife, that Iosuah made, to cutte awaie the foreskinne of all carnall pleasures, from the true Israelites: that they maie serue the Lord with all their hart.Psal. 31.89. It is the onelie bridle, that keepeth both young and olde, from stumbling like horse and mule, which hauehave no vnderstanding: and therefore where this lacketh, there all sinne flourisheth, all pleasures abounde, and men fall downe headlong into the pitte of destruction. And therefore Dauid praieth,Psal. 119.133.17.5. Order my steppes in thy word, and so shall no wickednesse hauehave dominion ouer me. And stay my steppes in thy pathes, that my feete do not slide.