Confutation of the Popes Bull, Part 3
Here are expounded these wordes of our Sauiour, Thou art Peter, and vponupon this rocke, &c. and it is shewed that in thē there is nothyng spoken of the Popes fulnesse of power: & that the church of Christ is not builded vponupon Peter or the Pope.
THat sword of theirs wherof they made their vaunte being striken out of their hand, by and by they make hast to the rocke wherupon the Church is founded, and consequently vntounto Peter and his keyes. For in these and by him, they auouch themselues to hauehave receiued power and most full soueraigntie, both of heauen & earth. And there they blaze out wonders of the building of the Church vponupon Peter, and of the keyes and wonderfull working power of them, alledging for themselues the wordes of our sauiour which are written in the xvi. chap. of the gospell of S. Mathew. But these men with their sacriledge, they are neuer able to cleare themselues, or make amends therfore do corrupt this most holy place replenished with healthfull doctrine and consolation. Which thing by gods helpe I wil euidently shew to the godly readers by ye things that ensew. The Lord in that place demaundeth of his disciples, whom men take him to bée. His disciples aunswer, how there be diuers iudgementes and opinions of hym among the people: some saying him to be Helias, some Ieremy, &c. And by that question it was the Lordes wil to do them to wit, how there hauehave alway bene, & alwayes shalbe diuersitie of opinions in the world concerning religiō: how be it, that no man ought to be offended at that diuersitie: for we read also the Lordes Apostle hath sayd there must néedes be heresies,1. Cor. 11. to the ende, that such as be tryed among you, may be made manifest. And vntounto the former questiō, the Lord addeth forthwith an other, namely, what the disciples who had heard Christ now a long while, and therefore doutlesse were better séene in matters of Religion thē the common sort were, I say what opiniō they themselues had of Christ. And by this other question of his he shewed, that the sure and true confession in matters of Religion is to be asked at the hand of the children of God: for they must not wauer as the children of this world do, and be sure of nothing, nor apply themselues to eueryevery kinde of opinion after the liking and course of this world. Truly in many other places of the scripture also, is required a singular and true confession of fayth, at the handes of eueryevery one of gods children. To this question Saint Peter, not so much in his owne name, as in the name of all the other disciples, vttereth a singular confession, saying: Thou art Christ ye sonne of the liuing God, very God (I say) and very mā, euen that same anoynted, namely, the Messias or Christ that was to come into the world. The king I say, and priest, the mediator, pacifier, redéemer, and saluation of the whole worlde. And that this confession is the true and sincere confession, Paule also the apostle of Christ, sheweth in the third, fourth and tenth chapters to the Romaines, and in many other places.
The Lord liking well of this confession, sayth vntounto Peter, Blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Ionas: geuing to vnderstand in these short wordes, what and how great the force of true fayth in Christ is: namely, euen to iustify and make blessed, that is to say, to make pertakers of eternall life, which thing the apostle sheweth in large wordes in his Epistles to the Romaines, Galathians, Ephesians, & in other places. Furthermore the Lord immediatly addeth frō whence commeth that same so excellent fayth, saying: flesh & bloud hath not opened it vntounto thée, but my father which is in heauen. Fayth then hath not his originall in vsus or of vsus, but is geuen vsus from heauen by the father of lyght, according as the Apostle witnesseth in many places, and the Lord himselfe saith in Iohn:Iohn. 6. No man commeth vntounto me, except my father draw him.
Moreouer this fayth grafteth vsus in Christ, and maketh vsus Christians, for there followeth in the Lordes wordes, And thou art Peter, namely, for confessing of the rocke. Petra, now what a rocke is, there is no man but he knoweth. And in the scriptures it is eueryevery where Metaphorically applyed vntounto God, because he is the strength, the stedinesse, the refuge, and the foundation of the faythfull, wheruppon they rest, and in whom only they be preserued. Of this (Petra) rocke, was Simon the sonne of Ionas called Peter, which name implyeth as much as if a man shoulde say, grounded vponupon the rocke God, and grafted into Christ the sonne of God: stedfast, and so consequently a Christian, for the doctors & interpreters of holy scripture do terme Christians, Peters also, because that beyng setled by fayth vponupon the rocke Christ, they draw stedinesse, strength, and lyfe out of him, so as through the operacion of Christ, they be all their lyfe lōg stedfast in fayth, & honor Christ with all kind of vertues. And Peter himselfe also expounding this mysterie vntounto vsus,1. Pet. 2. sayeth: Christ (the rocke) is the lyuing stone, forsaken in deede of men, but chosen and precious vntounto God, vponupon whom we also as liuely stones are builded, that we may be a spirituall house, offeryng spirituall sacrifices, acceptable to God through Iesus Christ. Whosoeuer are not such Peters or stones, there is no cause that they should glory at all of the name of Peter or Christians: for they continue that which they bée, euen the children of this world.
There followeth yet further in ye Lordes wordes, And vponupon this Rocke will I build my Church. By which woordes Christ ascending from the particular to the generall, and deliuering an vniuersall lesson to his Church, declareth most manifestly, that these thinges belong not to Peter alone, or to his disciples onelyonly: but to the Catholike, that is, to the vniuersal church, wherof the foundacion, Rocke, and head, is Christ, vponupon whom being builded by faith, she shal obtayne saluation. As if the Lord had sayd, not onelyonly Peter is so called, of me the Rocke, but also as many as shal hereafter by Peters example, confesse me to be Christ the sonne of the liuing God, and by this true fayth settle themselues vponupon me the onelyonly foundation: all them will I take and acknowledge for my household, that is to say for my church And this (that is to say) Christ the Rocke shall be the only foundation of Gods church in earth: and all they shall be members and citizens of this holy church, euen as many as beleue as Peter did, and settle themselues vponupon this foundation of soule health by the same fayth. And this is it, that the Lord ment by saying: And vponupon this Rocke will I builde my Church.
And least any man may doubt of this simple and true exposition of the Lordes wordes, considering how diuers wrest them, and draw them some one way and some another: Behold, I will by other places of scripture also, confirme and enlighten this exposition aboue recited. Surely, the scripture doth eueryevery where agréeably witnesse, that by fayth onelyonly in Christ, we be iustified & grafted into Christ, and made members of Christ and his church, which is the communion of all saintes, that is to say of the faythfull, resting vponupon Christ: and that no creature (no not euē Peter himselfe, & much lesse the bishop of Rome) cā be the Rocke, the head, & the foundatiō of the Catholike church. And least any mā may thinke this thyng hard and varying from the truth: forasmuch as it is directly against the decrées of the Romish church: Loe, I in this case bring in the cleare and vndoubted recordes of the holy Ghost himselfe speaking by the prophetes and Apostles. Dauid in the 18. psalme cryeth out,Esay. 28. saying: Who is God besides the Lord, and who is the Rocke besides our God? And God himselfe in Esay sayth: Behold, I lay a corner stone in Sion, a chosen one, a precious one: he that beleueth in him and resteth vppon him, shall not be ashamed. Moreouer also the Apostle Paule sayeth:1. Cor. 10. The Rocke was Christ. 1. Cor. 3.And agayne, Other foundation can none be layde then is layd already, which is Iesus Christ. Which thing he expoū deth yet more fully in his Epistle to the Ephesians.Ephes. 2. Whervnto in all pointes agréeth the witnesse of S. Peter,1. Petr. 2. who sheweth out of Dauid, that Iesus is that stone or Rocke, wherupon it behoueth them to be builded by fayth, which will become the house of God, or be made pertakers of the churche of Christ. Which thinges being vndoubtedly so: These wordes of the Lord, VponUpon this Rocke will I build my Church, must of necessitie be vnderstoode of Christ alone, as who reigneth from heauen in his saintes, as the head doth in the members, and from whom as the liuely head, they be watered with the spirite, and sucke lyfe out of hym, and through him do liue a lyfe beséeming hym. And to be a head (as it is most manifestly gathered by the doctrine of the Apostles) is to be a Lord and Sauiour, and to inspire life into the members that be subiect to the head. Neither may the head at any time be from the body without the destruction of the body. Seing then that Christ is the onelyonly head of the Church, it behoueth him to be alwayes with his Church. By reason wherof she hath no néed of any deputie or vicegerent vponupon earth. For a deputie or vicegerent is the deputie or vicegerent of him that is absent. But Christ is euermore present with his Church: For he sayth in the Gospell: I will be with you euen to the vttermost end of the world, & will neuer leaue you comfortlesse. Our religion therfore willeth vsus, and the vniforme doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles willeth vsus to expound these thinges, not of Peter or of the Bishop of Rome, but of Christ only. Therfore if ye méete with any interpreters, be they olde or new, that interprete the foresayd wordes of our Lord to be ment of Peter and the Pope: the authoritie of the Prophets and Apostles, yea and of this selfsame Peter too, ought to beare more sway with you, than the authoritie of any men els, whatsoeuer they be in the world. For Christ abideth euerlastingly the foundation of his Church: and as for Peter, and the rest of the Apostles, and the ministers that hauehave come in their roomes, they remaine as workmaisters of this building, which build, not vponupon them selues being mē, but vponupon this onelyonly and euerlasting foundation, according as the Apostle teacheth plainly in the third chapt. of the first Epistle to the Corinth. And let this be our brazen wall.
Neither fighteth it against this, that in the Apocalips the Citie of God is sayd to hauehave twelue foundations, and the names of the twelue Apostles written in them. For (sayth Paule) there can none other foundation be layd then is layd already: notwithstanding, forasmuch as in the laying of this foundation, that is to say, in ye preaching of Christ, the Apostles were Gods workfellowes & bestowed their trauell faythfully theraboutes: therfore that Citie is sayd to hauehave twelue foundations. For otherwise, the Apostle in his 2. chapt. to the Ephesians sayth: You are fellow citizens wyth the sainctes, and Gods houshold meyny, builded vponupon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, whereof the corner stone is Christ Iesus him selfe, in whom the whole buildyng beyng semented together, groweth to a temple in the Lorde, vponupon whō you also are builded, to be a dwellyng place for God through hys spirite. And what man that hath his right wits, will, after these thinges, séeke for manifester? Wherfore let all of vsus beware of that rotten and tottering foūdation which the Court of Rome striueth to set vnderunder vsus.
We will yet héerunto adde the wordes of our Lorde that follow after, least any thing of this place may remain vndiscussed. And the gates of hell (sayth Christ) shall not preuayle agaynst it. By which wordes is declared the power and victoriousnesse of Christ, and of his Church, & of fayth. The gates of hell are all kinde of powers that are against it, yea euen the power of Sathan, which of all other is the strongest and noysomnest to the faythfull. And therfore it is sayd, that no force be it neuer so mighty, whether it be of Sathan him selfe, or of the world, or of any other aduersary power vnderunder heauen or in hell, shall preuaile against Christ the Rocke, and the Church that is builded vponupon the rocke, which howsoeuer it be tempted and persecuted, must notwithstanding at length ouercome in Christ, through fayth.Iohn. 12. For the Lord him selfe hath sayd: The prince of this world is already condemned and cast out. Iohn. 16.And againe, Be of good cheere, I hauehave ouercome the world. And Iohn the Apostle:1. Iohn. 5. All that is borue of God (sayth he) ouercommeth the world: and the victory that ouercommeth the world is this, euen your fayth. Also, who is he that ouercommeth the world, but he whych beleueth that Iesus is the sonne of God? So I say, this place is opened plainly inough by laying together of the Scriptures. Now if I listed to play the Rhetoricien héere, I could with many wordes declare, that hell gates do not onelyonly preuaile against the Romishe Bishops and their Court, the filthiest that euer was: but also that the very prince of féendes him selfe obteineth full and onelyonly souereintie in them. Which thing I could without trouble shew and proue both by the witnesse and by the complaints of the Bishops them selues. But let vsus ouerpasse that abhominable filthinesse, and make hast to the opening of the residue of this place. For there is no man so blockishe, that hath not now of late euen felt with his handes, that in these wordes of the Lord there is nothing spoken of the vnmeasurable power of the Pope, but that there be set out vntounto vsus farre more heauenly and healthfuller thinges. Prayse and thankes be geuen vntounto God.