Touchstone to Determine the True Catholic Faith, Part 46 – Part 47
These are makers of sectes, hauing no spirit.] Text. Verse 19.Heere wee may marke how in the verse going before he saith, that such shall bee: and here he speaketh after the maner of the Prophets, in the present tence: these are makers of sectes: as though they were come alreadie: which may seeme to expounde his like phrase of spéech, verse 4 These are makers of sectes:] there is no one vertue that the Apostles vrge more in all their Epistles, then peace, peace in doctrine, peace in life and conuersation. And therefore the Apostle Saint Paul writing to the Romaines, doth beseech them earnestlie as a last farewell that shoulde sticke déepelie in their heartes,Rom. 16.17 to marke those which make diuisions or offences, besides that doctrine which they had learned. Hee doth not saie, which is against the doctrine which you hauehave learned, but besides it: As adding anie thing, as it should seeme, of their own braine vntounto it. For (saith he) such serue not the Lord Iesus, but their own bellie. I would to God the church of Rome had remembred this farewell of the Apostle: Then no doubt, she would not hauehave brought in so manie orders of her Friers and Monkes; which should after a newe manner, besides the word of God, not by preaching the gospell; but by singing Masse, saue soules. They serue not Iesus Christ, (though they rise neuer so earlie,) that obey not his word. S. Paul willeth Timothie to take heede to himselfe and to his doctrine: 1. Tim 4 16To continue in them, that is,Verse 13. those thinges hee had commended to him before; which are reading, exhortation, and doctrine. For if thou shalt doe so, thou shalt saue thy selfe and them that beare thee. Rom. 1.16And to the Romaines hee saieth, The gospell is the power of God to saluation, to all that shall beleeue it. So that then, not to sing masse: but to preach the gospell, is the ordinarie waie of saluation, prescribed by God in his word. These sectaries S. Paul speaketh of, with flatterie and faire spéeches seruing their bellies, not Iesus Christ: hauehave deuised a new waie of saluation, which the scriptures teach not, nor our sauiour commandes: Go preach the gospell (saith he) to al nations, he that beleeueth and is baptised, shall bee saued. This worke all his seruants, all his ministers must doe earnestlie and earelie in the morning.
Psal. 87. Her foundations are vponupon the holy hils. Ephes 2.10.The prophet Dauid describes the church of Christ, and he giueth it eight priuileges. First, that it is not founded vponupon earthlie hils, as was Ierusalem: but vppon holie hils, euen vppon the hils of the scriptures, vponupon the Apostles and Prophets, as S. Paul saith. Secondlie, that the Lorde loueth the verie gates, the meanest congregation of Christs church, more then al the dwellings of Iacob, euen aboue Salomons temple. Thirdlie, that all the Prophets and Patriarkes hauehave spoken very excellent things of this citie: As Esay, In that day this song shall bee sung in the Lande of Iudah. Esa. 26.1Wee hauehave a strong citie; he hath put saluation her walles and her bulwarke. As walles doe kéepe and defende, all euils and enemies from a citie: euen so the certaintie of saluation, as a wall kéepes all euils and enemies from the church of God. They know they shall be saued; and therefore they feare not, what colde stormes of afflictions, what wilde Boare of the forrest, what sicknesse or sorrowe, nay what death doth assault them. This wall and bulwarke of saluation repels all euill from the church. Fourthlie, this city receiue…h in it all the nations of the world. Christ as soone as he was borne wente into Aegypt: and by a starre, hee drewe out of the East the wise men: to declare that superstitious Babylon, and sinnefull Aegypt should nowe embrace Iesus Christ. Fiftlie, that the founder of this citie, is the eternall God, who was borne in her. Sixtlie, that the gospell is preached (as it were) by Trumpetters in this citie. Seauenthlie, that all that dwell in this citie, are merrie and ioyfull. Shorim cechollim.Or rather (as it is in the Hebrew) the Lord will number in writing vp the people, that this man was borne in her, and the singers as the Trumpeters. Here are two sortes of people, which God wil write vp, and enroll in his heauenlie citie, when hee surueyeth his city, The singers as well as the trumpetters. All Gods people must either bee praisers of God, or preachers of him. And therefore generally of praising God in his church,Esa. 26, 1. (saieth Dauid) In that day this song shall be sung: As though all men should sing that song, and should praise the Lord. The people should sing and praise God, the ministers should bee trumpetters and preachers of the glad tidinges of the gospell. And therefore of the ministers, is that saying verified, Extol thy voice like a trumpet. And lastlie,Isa. 28.1 that al Gods fresh springs should be in his church. Knowledge should abound in it euen as a streame. And hereof no doubt commeth the number of so manie famous men, and excellent preachers, as wee hauehave at this daie. The chiefe office of the minister, is to be a trumpetter, not to be a singer of masse, as it was in poperie. And this diuision also of the church of God, we reade in an other psalme. They sawe how thou my Lorde and king goest in the sanctuarie: that is, they would see,Psal. 68.24. might see, the going and pompe of the people, giuing thee thanks in the temple for the victorie ouer their enemies. The singers went before, that is, all the people lauding and praising God: The musitions followed after, that is, the priests and ministers. In the middest of them were the damsels playing on tymbrels. That may bee expounded of the virgines, who had made their bodies like timbrels dried and withered, as S. Paul said of his bodie:I tame my flesh, 1. Cor. 9.27.and make it wanne or drie, least when I hauehave preached to others, I my selfe should be a castaway. These singers, and these musitions, and these plaiers of timbrels, in the shadow of the lawe, resemble no doubt the truth of the gospell. All our people must be singers and praisers of God; all our pastors must bee musitions, must be trumpetters; our virgines must plaie on tymbrels. And of these musitions Christ meanes when he saieth, Wee hauehave piped to you, Mat. 11.27.and you hauehave not danced: meaning his own preaching and his Apostles. And of these singers Dauid here saith, that the Lord shall write them vp, and enfranchise them in his heauenly kingdome: As well the singers as the trumpeters. These trumpeters the prophet Esay meaneth when he saith, Cry as lowde as thou canst, lift vp thy voice like a trūpet. These trumpeters the Angels in the reuelation blowing with trumpets resemble. Reu. 8.6.They which do not this worke in the church of God, whatsoeuer they doe besides, are sectaries. And of these sectaries and heretickes S. Paul speaketh: If any man shall teach any other doctrine, 1. Tim. 6.3and shall not giuegive heede to the healthfull doctrine of our Lord Iesus Christ, and to that doctrine which agrees with religion, he is puft vp and knoweth nothing. Here is the badge of Heretiques, not to preach the doctrine of Christ, not to giuegive héede to the worde of God, to teach doctrines besides it, to be puft vp with pride, to knowe in truth nothing. Such ignorant, proud, and erroneous teachers were the Monkes and Friers, and therefore no doubt these makers of sectes, which S. Iude here speaketh of.
Text. Rom. 8.9.14.15Fleshly hauing no spirit.] All Gods children hauehave Gods spirit, and are led by Gods spirit, and the spirit maketh them come to God with great boldnesse, 1. Cor. 2.15by this spirit they discerne all thinges: and hauehave a right iudgment in all thinges.
1. Pet 4.10.Of this spirit and of the manifold giftes thereof, Peter speaketh, EueryEvery one, as he hath receiued the gift: let him minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anie man speake, let him speake; as the wordes that God putteth in his mouth. If any man minister, or doe any good worke; let him doe it, as of the strength that God ministreth vntounto him: that God in al things may be glorified by our Lorde Iesus Christ. All Gods children then, must be partakers of this spirit, and must acknowledge what good things soeuer they doe proceed from the power and might of Gods spirit, yea euen the wordes of their mouthes. This spirit especiallie, all Gods ministers hauehave; as S. Paul witnesseth: God hath not giuen vsus the spirit of feare: but of power, of louelove and of sobrietie: 2. Tim. 1.8.and of these two, he willeth Timothie not to bee ashamed: to testifie the Lord Iesus: and not to be ashamed of him his prisoner.
The prophet Micah had this spirit.Micah. 3 8 And I trulie (saith he) am filled with the power of the spirit of the Lord, and with iudgement, and with strength and courage, to shew Iacob his transgression, and Israell his sinne. Heare this I beseech you, Verse 9.ô ye heads of the house of Iacob, and leaders of the house of Israell, which commit abhominable thinges, and writhe and peruert al iudgement and equitie. Here is the strength the courage of the Prophet of God, euen Gods spirit. Here is his office, to tell Iudah their transgressions, verse 10. Acts. 7.15and Israell their sinnes. Stephen was ful of this spirit, when he rebuked the obstinate and stifnecked Iewes. These sectaries, these pseudocatholikes shal lacke this spirit, they shall not be able to vnderstand the scriptures: they shall lacke iudgement; the scriptures shall bee vnsauorie vntounto them.