Christian Instruction and Sum of Doctrine Part 1, Dialogue 1 · Dialogue · Part 40 – Part 42
¶ Of thoſe men that make greater accoumpt of their purſes, then of their conſciences, and of the daūger into the which they caſt thēſelues, that cōmit ſuch charge to falſe teachers, and they them ſelues to hauehave no great regard to the ſame.
D. I Would gladly vnderſtād of thoſe mē, if they would in the like ſorte truſt thē with their purſes, & neuer aſke thē any accōpt, nor neuer hauehave regard, to their gouernmēt. T. I do not beleue it. For there is no prince nor other, yt committeth ye charge of his affaires to others, but yt ſomtime he will know, in what ſort they are paſſed & done. D. Thē their purſe is dearer vntounto thē, thē is their cōſciēce or their ſoule, or els yt inheritaūce of ye kingdom of heauē: for they put their truſt in ſuch, & cōmit the whole charge of their cōſciences, & ſoules to thoſe, that they would hardly truſt for a couple of crownes: they eſteme very ſlēderly, yt price which our Lord Ieſus Chriſt hath payed for thē, whiche is much more precious i. Pet. …thē all the gold & all ye ſiluer, yt euer was in ye world. T. They do truſt, as I hauehave already ſaid, yt theſe men ſhal aunwere for thē. D. It is very true yt they ſhal aūſwere, but ſo much ye worſe for thoſe for whō they ſhall aunſwere: for ſo much as they ſhall not by meanes therof, be acquited of the det: for if it muſt needes be ſhall, that they aunſwere, for default of that debt whiche they owe to our greate Lorde, whiche ſhall not be payd vntounto him, according as their office doth require, it ſhalbe thē for that the ſame is loſt. The Lord ſpeaking of this matter, ſaith by his Prophet Ezechiel, yt he Ezech. 3. 33wil require at yt hāds of the ſhepherd, the bloud of the ſhepe which ſhal periſh through his default, it foloweth thē, yt the ſhepe ſhalbe loſt, whoſe blud ye lord wil require. Whē a murderer hath ſlayne a man, & is taken vponupon the ſame, he muſt Exampl…ſatiſfie the iuſtice with hys own lyfe: yet notwithſtandyng the payne, whiche he ſhall endure ſhalbe ſmall recompenſe, to hym that is ſlayne. Wherfore I do not thinke, that thoſe men whiche make ſo ſmall accoumpte of the lyfe of theyr ſoules, woulde loſe their bodely lyfe, for ſuch a price. T. I am of your oppinion. D. If a man do vsus wrong, either in ſpoylynge vsus of our worldlye goods, or els in vſinge any violence agaynſte our perſonnes, and we endure the ſame patiently for the honoure of God: this ſame ſhalbe no loſſe vntounto vsus before God, but a great profite, for God hath promiſed, great rewarde to thoſe that ſhall ſuffer wrongfully. In this behalfe none ſhal ſuſtayn the loſſe, but he onelyonly that Mar. vhathe done the wronge: for he hathe hurte hys ſoule and there is no hurte that can ſo hurte a man, as can that hurte. But in thys matter whereof we doo nowe ſpeake, the ſoule is not onelyonly hurte, but ſlayne: wherefore the loſſe can neuer be recouered. And therefore I would wiſhe that ſuch as are of that opinion, ſhould well conſider that whiche Ieſus Chriſt ſayd, let them alone, for they are blynd, and leaders of the blinde: If the blynde leade the blynde, both ſhall fall into the dyke. He doth not ſaye that the blynde guyde Mathe. 15.ſhall alone fall into the dyke, but he alſo that ſhalbe led by hym: wherefore that councell is beſt to be folowed whiche Ieſus Chriſte hym ſelfe doth gyue in that behalfe, in the ſame paſſage or texte, he doth not ſay: Folow ſuch leaders, and if they lead you wronge, they ſhall endure the puniſhement for you, …nd you ſhall go free: but he gyueth expreſſed commaundement to flee from them, declaryng playnely in what perill they put them ſelues, that folow ſuch guides.
¶ Of the care that euerye man ought to hauehave, to knovve the vvay of ſaluation, and hovv they ought to bevvare of falſe Prophetes and ſeductors of the people.
T. THen we ought not to be ſo careleſſe, but that we muſt enquire of that ſame waye by the whiche we ſhoulde paſſe, to the ende that we mighte eaſely knowe, if that in ſtede of leadyng vsus in the ryght waye, they ſhould leade vsus wronge. D. It is very true: and alſo we ought not to be ſo raſhe and fooliſh, that we ſhould ſodenly take guydes and conductors, without hauyng any knowlege or teſtimony of them. For if we ſhould but paſſe thorow a wood, or ſome other paſſage whiche were hard and difficill, we woulde not take a man at aduenture to be our guide, of whō we could not aſſure vsus, leaſt that in ſtede of guidyng vsus the right waye, he ſhould bryng vsus into the lappes of theeues to cut our throates, as it happeneth oftentimes to many. T. Yet not withſtandynge, thys way, which we muſt paſſe, is the moſte daungerous of al: for there nedeth no greate ſtraying, to looſe vsus all. D. Therfore it is more nedefull to take good hede in this matter, then in any matter els. And for this cauſe are we ſo often warned in the holy Scriptures, not onelyonly by the Prophets and Apoſtles, but alſo by Ieſus Chriſt our Lorde, to take heede of falſe Prophets, which Math. v… Actes. x Roma. xvi. Phill. 3come to vsus in ſheepes clothing, and within are rauening Wolues. This admonition is not geuen vntounto vsus without cauſe. T. That is doubtleſſe.
¶ Hovv that the admonitions vvhichwhich are vvritten in the holy Scriptures, agaynſt the falſe Prophets, do make them to be vvithout excuſe, that ſuffer them ſelues to be ſeduced by them.
D. FOr ſo much then that we are all aduertiſed, and that the ſpirit of God hath geuen vsus ſo many markes and ſignes, wherby to knowe theſe falſe Prophets, we may no more pretende ignoraunce in thys poynte for our defence, then in the other matters wherof we hauehave already ſpoken. For the caſe is not lyke with a Chriſtian, in matters of Chriſtian religion, as it is in other artes and ſciences, for that it ſufficeth any man, becauſe he cā not learne all artes and ſciences, to learne one or two, and to be excellent in ſome one ſcience. But the ſubſtance of religiō is of an other nature, it is an arte, it is a ſcience and occupation, which al men ought to vnderſtand, although all men may not be of like excellencie in ye knowledge of the ſame, nor yet be ſufficient to execute the office of a Prophet, or of an Apoſtle, or of a paſtour and Doctor in the church, yet at the leaſt eueryevery mā is bound to knowe ſo much, as he may vnderſtand how to frame and gouerne himſelf according to the wil of God, to know how to embrace that which is good, and to refuſe that which is euill, and to knowe how to kepe himſelf from falſe Prophets and ſeducers: for he that cā not do this, ſhall paye for his ignoraunce, as it hath bene ſufficiently proued by the reaſons before alledged. Wherefore eueryevery man hath great occaſion before al other things, diligently to cōmend himſelf to God in theſe affayres, with certaine affiaunce to be heard, for he ſpeaketh not this in vayne: ſeeke & you ſhall find, aſke, and it ſhall be geuē vntounto you, knocke at the doore, and it ſhall be opened vntounto you, for he that ſeeketh, findeth, Mat. 7.and he that aſketh, receaueth, and he that knocketh at the doore, entreth. For the Lord is nere vntounto thoſe that call vponupon him in veritye. Beſide this it is earneſtlye requyred of eueryevery Pſal. 144man to ſeeke out diligentlye thoſe that are good teathers, leaſt that in ſteed of the ſhepeheard, we followe the Wolfe, trymmed lyke a ſhepeheard, which wil deuoure vsus: for we may not through our negligence attempt God. And if we do this, hauing a ſincere and true care for the glorye of God, and for our own ſaluation, God will not leaue vsus without the conducte of his holy ſpirite, and without prouiſion of his goodnes, according as it ſhall be nedefull for the ſaluation of eueryevery man, for that which Ieſus Chriſt hath ſpoken, ſhall remayne alwayes true: to wit, that he that wil Iohn. viido the will of God, ſhal vnderſtand of his doctrine, whether it be of God or no.