An Exhortation to the Carrying of Christs Cross, Chapter 13 – Chapter 14
The. 13. Chapter.
The refutacion of the hereſye of prayinge to ſainctes, departed out of this world.
NOw to the laſte of prayinge to ſaynctes. Fyrſte where they ſay, there be moo mediators of interceſſion then Chryſt, makynge a diſtinction, not learned out of gods boke in ſuche ſenſe, and for ſuche purpoſe as they alledge: I wyſhe they woulde loke on the. 8. to the Romaynes, and 1. Iohn. 2. & there ſhal they lerne, to take better hede.
The one ſayeth: Chryſte ſitteth on the ryght hand of hys father, and prayeth for vsus.
The other ſayth: he is our aduocate, that is, a ſpokeſman, cō forter, interceſſor, and mediator. Now would I aſke them, ſeyng that Chryſt is a mediator of interceſſyon, as I am ſure thei wil graunt: whether he be ſufficient or no.
If they ſay no, then all mē wil know they lye. But if they ſaye yea, then maye I aſke, whie they are not content wyth ſufficient. What fault fynde ye wyth him? Is there any more mercyful, thē he: Any, more deſyrous to do vsus good, thē he? Any, that knoweth our grefe and nede, ſo muche as he?
Any, that knoweth the way to helpe vsus, ſo wel as he? No, none ſo well. He cryeth: Aſke, and ye ſhal háue: come to me, and I wil Math. 7. Math. 11. Iohn. 16.helpe you: aſke, that youre ioye may be ful.
Hetherto ye hauehave not aſked any thyng in my name. Therefore my good brethren and ſiſters: let vsus thanke god for thys mediator. And as he is one alone mediatour for redempcion, lette vsus take hym euen ſo for interceſſiō. For, if by hys worke of redempcyon, of enemyes we are made frendes: ſurely we, beyng frēdes and hauyng hym aboue on the Roma. 5. Heb. 1.ryghte hande of hys father, ſhal by hym obteyne althynges.
Where they call it a poynte of a lowly and an humble ſpirite, to goe to ſaynctes, that they maye pray for them: you may caſeliſe, it is a poynt of an arrogaūt here and a falſe vntrue ſprete. For in aſmuch as god playnly byddeth the, that thou put naught to his Deu. 12. Apo. 22. Pſal. 50.worde, nor rate aught there frō, in that hys worde is, thou ſhalte call vponupon him in thy nede: why art thou ſo arrogaūt and proud, that y• wilt goe to Peter or Paul, to praye for thee? Where haſte thou gods worde? Doſt y• think, god is true of hys promes? Whithen doſt thou not go vntounto him? Doſte y• thynke, that god at any tyme receaueth thee for thy worthynes? On whom be hys eyes, but vponupon hym, that trembleth at Eſa. 65.hys wordes?
Bleſſed are they, that be pore Math. 5.in ſprite, and thynke themſelues vnworthy of gods helpe. Wherfore hath god ſworne, that he wil not the death of a ſyuner, but y• ſynners myght be moſte certayn …e. 33.of his louelove & mercy, to be muche greater, then they be able to conceiue? His mercyes are aboue al his workes.Pſal. 145.
But thou, that rūneſt to ſaincts, thynkeſt that it is not ſo, for els wouldeſte thou goe to hym thy ſelfe: that thou, ſeing his ſo much goodneſſe, mighteſte the more louelove him, which thou canſt not, if thou vſe other meanes, then by Chryſt only.
Where they bryng in the enſaumple of ſaynctes praying for the people, and obteynyng benefytes for them, whyleſt they wer lyuyng here on earth: And ſo gather, that muche more they wyll and can doe it nowe for vsus, in that they be wyth GOD, if we wyll pray vntounto them: very eaſeli maye we put thys awaye by many reaſons.
Firſte, that the caſes be not like. For, whan they were alyue, they myght know the nede of the people.
But nowe, who can tel, whether they knowe any thyng of our calamities and nede? Eſaye ſaith: Abraham dyd not knowe them, Pſal. 63.that were in hys age. Agayne, if the people had come to them, to hauehave deſired theyr prayers, as they would hauehave taken thys for an admoniſhment of their dutye to the people: So woulde they agayne hauehave warned the people of their dewtye, that wyth them they alſo would pray vntounto God them ſelfes. Wheras there be no ſuch reciprocal and mutuall offices betwene the dead and the lyuyng: nowe can not we admoniſhe them and tell them of oure nedes.
Or if we ſhoulde goe aboute it, ſurely we ſhould ſtyl ſtande in a doubt, whether they did perceue vsus or no.
For if they dyd perceaue the miſeries of their brethren, ſurely theyr reſte would not bee wythout greate grefe: and of thys we are ſure, that they can tel vsus nothyng alſo.
Beſides this, thys their reaſoning ſmelleth, as it that wente before, of mans reaſon, which is 1. Cor. 1.a foole in gods ſeruice, and of a good intent, whych is not accordyng Roma. 10.to knoweledge. We maye not do after that, which is good Deut. 12.in our own eyes, but accordynge to that, whych God biddeth vsus doe.
In our eyes it ſemeth good, that as to kynges and great men we vſe meanes by men, whyche are of their priuy chamber or ner about thē, either co come to their ſpech, or to atteyne our ſutes: ſo we ſhoulde doe to Gode by his ſaynctes.
But to dreame on thys ſorte, wyth god to vſe ſainctes ſo, wer and is vntounto fayth very foolyſhe. For god vſeth no ſuch priuie chā bers, to hide himſelfe in. He is at hand (ſaith Dauid) to al that call Pſal. 145.vponupon hym.
And Moſes ſaid before him: god is nere the in all thy praiers. Deut. 4.No nacion hath their goddes ſo nye vntounto them, as our god is to vsus in all our prayers. He nedeth none to put him in remēberaūce Hebr. 4. Pſa. 33. 95.of vsus, for he hath al thynges opē to his eyes: the heigth of ye hilles and the botomes of the depthes are in hys ſyght. Nothynge can hyde it ſelfe from his knowledg. He hath ordayned Chriſt Ieſus alonely, to be the meane, by whō we ſhal ſpede and receaue our requeſtes, 1. Timo. 2.which be accordynge to hys will: if we open oure purſe mouth, that he may poure into y• ſame, I meane fayth.
For as a thynge poured vponupon a veſſel or other thyng, ye mouth being cloſed, is ſpilt & loſt: ſo if we aſke any thing according to gods wil by Chriſt, ye ſame doth vsus no good, except the purſe mouth of our harte be opened, by fayth to receaue it.
But to make an end, S. Paul telleth Roma. 10.playnly, that wythout fayth prayer is not made. Now in that fayth is due onelye to God (for Hiere. 17.curſed is he, that hath hys fayth in man, ſaynt or aungel) to God onelyonly let vsus make oure prayers, but by Ieſus Chryſt, and in his name onelyonly. For onelye in hym is the father Math. 3. 17wel pleaſed.
This if we do, and that often, as Chryſt wylleth (oportet ſemper orare, we muſt praie alway) Luke. 18.then ſhal we vndoubtedly in all thynges be directed by goddes holy ſprite, whom Chryſte hath promyſed to be oure doctor, teacher Iohn. 14. 15. 16. Pſal. 27.and cōforter. And therefore nede we not to feare, what man or deuill can doe vntounto vsus, eyther by falſe teachynge or cruell perſecucion. For oure paſtor is ſuch one, y• none Iohn. 10.can take his ſhepe out of his handes. To hym be praiſe for euer.
Amē.
The. 14. Chapter
¶ The knittynge vp of the mater and concluſyon or peroracion, wyth the autors deſier and prayer, for the perſecuted brethren.
ANd thus much, my good brethren and ſiſters in oure deare Lorde and ſauyoure Ieſus Chryſte, I thoughte good to wryte vntounto you for your cōfort in theſe trouble ſome daies, and for the cō firmacion of the trueth, that ye hauehave already receaued. From the whyche if you for feare of man, loſſe of goods, frends or lyfe, do ſwarue or departe: you departe and ſwarue from Chryſt, and ſo ſnarre your ſelfe in Satans ſophiſtry, to your vtter ſubuerſiō. Therfore, as Peter ſayth, watche 1. Pet. 5.and be ſober: for as a roaring liō, he ſeketh to deuoure you. But be ye ſtrōg in faith: that is, ſtagger Actes. 2. Deu. 20.not, wauer not in gods promiſes and be aſſured that thei perteine vntounto you, that god is your God, that he is wyth you in trouble, & wyll delyuer you and gloryfye Pſal. 91.you.
But yet ſee, that ye call vponupon hym, ſpecially that you enter not into temptacion, as he taughte Math. 26.his diſciples to pray euen at ſuch tyme, as he ſaw Satan deſier to Luke. 22ſift them, as now he hath deſired to ſift vsus. O moſt deare ſauyor, preuent hym now, as thou didſt then with thi praier, we beſech thee: and graunte, that our fayth faynte not, but ſtrengthen vsus to confirme the weake: that they deny not thee and thy goſpell, that they returne not to their vomite and puddle of myer in poperie & 2. Peter. 2.ſuperſticion: As maſſyng, praying to ſayntes, prayinge for the dead, or worſhippyng the worke of mens hande, in ſteade of thee their ſauiour. Oh lette vsus not ſo runne down headlong into perdicion, Heb. 6. 10. Math. 10. Mark. 8. Luke. 11. Gene. 19. Math. 27.ſtombling on thoſe ſines, from the whiche there is no recouery, but a cauſynge of thee to deny vsus before thy father, makig our later ende worſe, then the begynnyng: as chaunced to Loths wife, Iudas Iſcarioth, Frāciſc. Spira in theſe our dayes, and to many other.
But rather ſtrengthen vsus all in thi grace, and in thoſe things, whych thy worde teacheth: that we may here haſarde our life for thy ſake.
And ſo ſhall we bee ſure to Math. 16.ſaue it: as if we ſeke to ſaue it we can not but loſe it. And it beyng loſt, what profyt can we hauehave, if we wanne the whole world? Oh ſet thou alwaies before our eies not (as reaſon doth) thys lyfe, or the pleaſures of the ſame, death of the body and pryſonment &c. But euerlaſtyng lyfe, and thoſe vnſpeakable ioyes, whyche vndoubtedlye they ſhall hauehave, that take vp their croſſe, and folowe the.
Set euer before vsus alſo the eternall fyer, and perpetuall deſtruccion of ſoule and body, that they muſt nedes at length leape into, whyche are afrayed of the hore froſte of aduerſitie, that man or the deuyll ſtereth vp, to ſtoppe and hynder vsus frō going forwarde in oure iourney to heauens blyſſe: to the whyche, O Lorde, doe thou brynge vsus for thy name ſake. Amen.
Pray for al your brethrē, which be in priſon and exile, and ſo abſent from you in bodye, but yet preſente with you in ſpirite, and hartely praye god, once to proue vsus and truſt vsus agayne with his holy worde and goſpell: that we may be ſuffred to ſpeke, and you to heare his voyce, as heretofore we and you hauehave done, but vnthankfully & negligentli (I may ſay) yea very vnworthely & carnally. And therfore is his moſte iuſt anger fallen nowe vponupon vsus.
He remember hys merciemercy towardes vsus, in his time, we beſeche hym.
Amen.
¶ The Contentes of this boke, as they folowe in euerye Chapter.
☞ The Preface to the Chriſtian reader. folio. 3
☞ The. 1. Chapter. ☞ What we bee and where we be. folio. 5
☞ The. 2, Chapter. ☞ Perſecucion muſte not bee ſtraunge vntounto vsus. fo. 11
☞ The. 3. Chapter. ☞ Trouble can not hurt Gods children. folio. 19
☞ The. 4. Chapter. ☞ The croſſe is commodious and profitable. folio. 33
☞ The. 5. Chapter. ☞ How the papiſts holde their. 4. ſpeciall articles, whyche they ſo greuouſly perſecute for. 60
☞ The. 6. Chapter. ☞ Howe Goddes worde teacheth of the ſupper, wyth confutacion of tranſubſtanciacyon. folio. 69
☞ The. 7. Chapter. ☞ How Gods worde teacheth of Chriſts ſacrifice, with the Romyſh blaſphemye therin reproued. folio. 85
☞ The. 8. Chapter. ☞ Of prayinge for the dead, the true doctrine. folio. 90
☞ The. 9. Chapter. ☞ Of prayinge to ſayntes. 97
☞ The. 10. Chapter. ☞ The Romyſhe doctryne of the ſacramente confuted more largely. folio. 102
☞ The. 11. Chapter. ☞ The popyſhe doctryne of the ſacryfyce in m…ſſynge confuted. folio. 111.
☞ The. 12. Chapter. ☞ The confutacion of the papyſtes ſacrificing, and prayinge for the dead. folio. 127
☞ The. 13. Chapter. ☞ The refutacion of the hereſy of praying to ſaynctes, departed out of thys world. fo. 139
☞ The. 14. Chapter. ☞ The knettynge vp of the… ter and concluſion or peroraciō wyth prayer for the helpe of god in thys tyme of daungers and diuers tēptacions. folio. 149
FINIS.
End of the text · John Bradford, An Exhortation to the Carrying of Christs Cross (1555)