Two Epistles, Title page – Prologue
Two Epyſtles One of Henry Bullynger, wyth the conſent of all the lernyd men of the Church of Tigury: another of Ihon Caluyn, cheffe Preacher of the Church of Geneue: whether it be lawfull for a Chryſten man to communycate or be pertaker of the Maſſe of the Papyſtes, wythout offendyng God and hys neyghboure, or not.
i. Corint. x.
They that eate of the ſacryfyce, are partakers of the altare. Vvherfore dearely beloued, fle from the worſhyppyng of ydolls.
¶The Prologe vntounto the Chriſten Reader.
HEre haſt thou Chriſten Reader the ſentences and iudgementes of the excellent and godlye lernyd men / Henry Bullynger / wyth all the lerned men of the church of Tygury / and alſo the ſentence and iudgement of Ihon Caluyne of Geneua / Whether a Chriſten man may lawfully cōmunycate or be pertaker with the Maſſe and ceremonyes of the Papyſtes / without offendyng God and hys neyghboure or not. Therfore hauehave I ſet forth this epiſtle of thoſe godly and lernyd men / to the intent that thou mayeſt the better knowe what ydolatrye is / and wherin it conſiſteth / wherby alſo thou mayſt the better lerne and knowe how to auoyde it: Conſyderinge that it is the greateſt offence that may be commytted a gaynſt God. For it is forbydden in the fyrſt commaundemēt / ſayenge: Thou ſhalt hauehave no nother goddes but me. Alſo all the holy Prophetes of God euer cryed out thervpon. And agayne it is manyfeſt thorow the hole Byble how greuouſe a ſynne it is / by the greuouſnes of the plages with the which God euer plagyd the children of Iſrael therfore. But here ſome wyll anſwere and ſaye: We know that ydolatrye is a greuouſe ſynne / and ſore dyſpleaſeth God: But wyll yow ſaye that the holy Maſſe and Ceremonyes that hauehave bene vſed in the church thys many hundryd yeares / and alſo ſet vp by holy counſayles be wycked / and that men commytte ydolatrye by vſyng of them?Deut. xij. Deut. iiij Deut. v To that I anſwere that what ſo euer lawe or Ceremonye / the church hath made or ſet vp / & the ſame not expreſſed in the worde of God / it owght not to be alowed / folowed / nor kept: For God commaunded the chyldren of Iſrael / Deuter. xij. that they ſhoulde not do eueryevery man what thynketh hym good in his own eyes? And agayne Deuter .iiij. Ye ſhall put no thinge to the worde of God / nor take no thinge therfrom. And agayne in the .v. chap. of the ſame boke. Take hede therfore that yow do as the Lorde your God hath commaundyd you: and tourne not aſyde / nether to the ryght hande nor to the lyfte: but walke in all the wayes which the Lorde thy God commaundyd the. &c. Now wher can it be founde in any worde of God / the inuencyon of the Papiſtes Maſſes / or that ymages ought to be in churches / or ſoch lyke. Parauēture thou wilt anſwere me that they were ordeyned and ſet vp for a good intēt and purpoſe.Leui. x Therto I anſwere / that Nadab & Abihu the ſonnes of Aaron were conſumeth wyth the fyre / as appeteth Leui. … for offring ſtraūge fyre before the Lorde / that the Lorde cōmaunded thē not. Therfore whatſoeuer is inuentyd by the fantaſye of mans ymaginaciō without the worde of God / we ought not to conſent to do it:Galat. i. For ſ. Paul ſayeth to the Galathiās. Yf we oure ſelues or an angell of heauē come / & preache an other goſpell vntounto you / then that we hauehave preached / holde him acurſyd. And although the maſſe a ceremonyes hauehave a gloryous ſhyne of holynes / yet owght we not therfore, the leſſe abhorre it / ſeing Chriſt ſayeth Mat. xv.Matt. xv. They worſhyp me in vayne / teaching doctrynes & tradycyōs of men. Alſo Chriſt ſayeth Luk. xvi.Luke. xvi That whych is in high eſtimacyō before men / is abhomynable before God: Signyfyeng therby vntounto vsus that the moſt gloryous workes & ceremonyes / that be had in moſt hygh eſtimacyō before the worlde / yf the ſame be not agreinge to the moſt holy worde of God / they be abhomynable & very folyſhnes before God. &c.i. Cori. ii… And wher as oure mercy full ſaueyoure Chriſt ordeyned his holy Sacrament of his body & bloude: not to be worſhypped / but to the intēt that all that are ſtōge in the cōſciēce with ſynne / ſhuld come & ſeke helpe only in hym / the whych is the onelyonly helper of all that call vponupon him / as ſ. Peter ſayeth: ther is no helth in any other / nether is ther any other name geuen vntounto men wherby they ſhalbe ſauyd.Act. iiij. Antichriſt with his diſciples hauehave peruertyd it / cleane from the vſe that owre Sauyoure dyd inſtytute it / lyke as the chyldrē of Iſrael alſo dyd peruert the vſe of the braſen ſerpent / that God commandyd Moſes to make and to hange vp in the wyldernes / to the intēt only / that they that were ſtōge with the fyrye ſerpētes myght be healyd only by beholdynge the ſerpent of braſſe that Moſes had hangyd vp:Numr xx… The which braſen ſerpent dyſcrybyd lyuely the hangyng vp of Chriſt vpō the croſſe / as apperyth Iohn .iij. to the intēt that none that beleue in hym ſhould peryſhe / but hauehave lyffe euerlaſtyng. Wherfore lyke as the good kynge Ezechias brake down the ſerpent of braſſe / becauſe the chyldren of Iſrael dyd cō myt ydolatrye / & worſhypped it / contrarye to the vſe that it was ſet vp for.Iohn. iij. Euen ſo thankes & prayſe be vntounto God hath other Kynges and Princes in this dayes in other cōtres / cauſyd the Maſſe of the papyſtes to be abolyſſhed & to be no more vſyd nor ſayd / becauſe that therin the people cōmytted ydolatrye by worſhyhping the bread / lyke as the chyldren of Iſrael cōmytted ydolatrye with worſhipping the braſen ſerpēt. Nether is it any other thinge then ydolatrye to beleue that a vyſyble ceremonye of it ſelffe is a ſeruyce to the inuyſyble God / whoſe ſeruyce is ſpirituall as he is a ſpryte / and therfore wylbe worſhypped in ſpryte and treuth. Iohn. iiij.Iohn. iiij. Roma. viTherfore do I exhorte the Chryſten Reader / whatſoeuer thou be that ſhall reade this epiſtles of thes godlye lernyd men / that thou wilt folowe ſ. Paules cōſayle / wher he ſayeth: As ye hauehave geuē your mē bers ſeruauntes to vncleanes & wyckednes / runnyng out of one wickednes into another:i. Corin. x ij. Cor. vi Euen ſo now geue your members to ſerue ryghtuouſnes. And remēber al ſo that they that eate of the ſacryfyce are pertakers of the altare. And conſyder what a godlye leſſon ſ. Paul geueth his Corinthiās in the ſecond epiſtle the .vi. cha. ſayeng: Beare not the yocke with the vnbeleuers: for what felowſhyp hath righteouſnes with vnrighteouſnes / what cōpany hath lyght with darknes / what cō corde hath Chriſt wyth Belyall / ether what part hath he that beleueth with an infydell / how agreith the tē ple of God with the ymages: For ye are the temple of that lyuyng God / as ſayd God: I wyll dwell amonge them / & walke amonge thē / & wilbe their God / & they ſhalbe my people: wherfore come out of the middes of them (ſayeth the Lorde) & touch none vncleane thinge: ſo wyll I receyue you / & wilbe a father vntounto you / & ye ſhalbe my ſonnes and doughters ſayeth the Lorde almighty.ij. Cor. vij i. Corin. xFor as much as we hauehave ſuch promyſes derely beloued / let vsus clenſe oure ſelues from all filthynes of the fleſhe and ſpyryte / & grow vp to full holynes in the feare of God. Wherfore derely beloued / fle from the worſhippinge of ydoles / leaſt by thyne euell example thou confirme the weake brother in his erroure / & ſo thy weake brother peryſhe for whom Chriſt dyed / and ſo will God requier his bloude of thy hande:i. Cor. viij wherfore I hartely requyre the Chriſten reader / that thou wilt diligently reade the .iij. chap. of Daniel / & marke how Sydrack / Myſach & Abdenago / the whych were great rulers / dyd rather choſe to be caſt in the kote brēning ouen / then they wolde outwardly bowe them ſelues to the ymage that the Kyng hath ſet vp.Dani. iij. Matth. v.Therfore Chriſtē Reader do I the exhorte yet once agayne / that thou wilt put thy thruſt onelyonly in the lyuynge God / & beleue ſtedfaſtly in thyne hart / that he is able & will fulfyll all his good promyſes / that he hath promyſed / & that heauen and earth ſhal paſſe / but one tote or tytle of the lawe ſhall not paſſe / tyll all be fulfylled.i. Corin. x And he hath promyſed / that he will not ſuffer his to be tēpted aboue their ſtrength: but will in the middes of the temptacyon make a waye to eſcape out. That is / yf thou put thy hole truſt onelyonly in hym / ſeking onelyonly his glorye & prayſe in all that thou goeſt about / he wyll (I ſaye) accordyng to his acuſtomable mercyes delyuer the: ether by blyndynge the eyes of thyne aduerſaryes / that they ſhall take no hede of the:Dani. i. or els geue the fauour in the ſyght of them as he gaue Danyel with the .iij. yonge men fauour in the ſight of the keper / whē they were in captyuyte / becauſe they had determyned with thē ſelfes to kepe thē vndefiled.Tobi. i And alſo gaue Tobias fauour in the ſight of the Kyng Salmanaſer / with many other / as Ioſeph / Ieremy. & c: Or elles yf they eſpye the / he ſhall geue the ſtrength to glorifye his name by ſuffryng for his truth / as he hath done many holy Prophetes / Apoſtles & martyrs / whoſe hope and truſt was onelyonly in the reſurreccyō. And for that cauſe the mother with her .vij. ſonnes dyd choſe to ſuffer cruell tormentes & martyrdome / rather then they wold eate ſwynes fleſh that was forbydden in the lawe / not fearyng the tyrauntes that coulde do no more but kyll the bodye / beleuynge and ſayenge that God wold rayſe them vp agayne / which dye for his lawes in the reſurreccyō of euerlaſtynge lyfe.ij. Mach. vij. And alſo note the conſtancye of olde Elcazare / the which rather then he wold but make a countynaūce as though he wolde hauehave eaten of ſuch meates as were forbiddē in the lawe / dyd rather choſe to ſuffer the moſt cruell death / as appereth in the ſecōd boke of Machabees in the .vj. Chapter / the which yf thou do marke with a ſyngle eye / I put no dowbt but thou ſhalt eaſely perceyue how greatlye all maner outwarde ſymulacyon of wyckednes doth diſpleaſe God / and therfore alſo how greately eueryevery Chriſten man ought to abhorre it.ij. Mach. vij.
Thus I commyt the Chriſten reader to the defence & kepyng of the moſt hygh God / whych dwellyth not in temples made wyth hādes / nether is woſhypped with mens inuencyons / but whoſe ſeate is the heauens / and the earth his fote ſtole / as ſayth the prophet / that with the breth of his mouth ſhall dyſtroye all antychryſtes with all ther venemus lawes that hath coriupt & poyſonyd the precyos ſoule of man.Act. vij. Eſai. lxviij Teſ. ij.i. Tim. vi.For whome our mercyfull ſaueyour Chriſt ſhedd his moſt precyus blude / The which onelye hath immortalyte / and dwellyth in the lyght that no mā can attayne / whō neuer mā ſawe nor can ſee / to him onlye be al honoure glorye & prayſe for euer and euer world with out ende. Amen.