Examination of those Plausible Appearances in the Romish Church, Chapter 24
CHAP. XXIIII. That the Church of God was before the last Reformation, where shee was, and who were her Pastors.
BVt if they will needs presse vsus further yet, & demād where our Church was extāt immediately before our separatiō, we tell thē that shee was in Babylō, in captivity vnderunder the kingdome of Antichrist. a Come out of Babylō my people, it is written in the Revelation: the people of God were then in Babylon, albeit they served not the Gods of Babylon; and which is more, their Teachers were the Teachers of Babylon. If this seeme strange to any mā, let him call to minde the estate of the Iewish church before our Saviour had begunne his preaching. Might it not at that time hauehave beene demanded, where the Church of God had beene before, and who were her Pastours? What could one answere to this query? Might it hauehave beene said, that the Scribes and Pharises, and their adherents, the greater part of the people were the Church? alas they were nothing lesse: they were enemies of Christ and …his Church the true answer then had beene to say, that the Church was a small number of righteous persons, which groaned vnderunder the burden of that spirituall tyranny, which lamented the desolation come vponupon them by the corruption of the ancient doctrine and discipline. That the Doctors of …he Church were the Pharises, of whom the Lord testified, that they sate in Moses chaire. Now we say the very same thing. That God before the reformation begun in the daies of our fore-fathers had a Church in the midst of Babylon, in the midst of the Popish and Antichristian church: but that this church howsoeuer, was not the multitude of those who had received the bApoc. 14 9.marke of the Beast, and worshipped it, but the small cApoc. 20.4.company of those which misliked the Roman tyrannie and corruption, of whom, some from time to time being detected, hauehave beene banished, others cruelly put to death, and slandered to hauehave beene guilty of horrible and hainous crimes, to make their persons odious to the people, & their memories execrable to posterity: had not God by his providence, maugre the subtiltie and furie of calumnie, preserved the monuments of their faith and pietie even vntounto this day. Such were the poore Waldenses constrained to wander to & fro, such also were the exiled Albigenses.
Concerning that which is further demanded of vsus, who were the Teachers of the Church during that time so full of confusion then when Babel raigned: We answer that questionlesse the holy Ghost alwaies instructed his Church dIoh. 16.13.inwardly, and that outwardly they were the very same which taught publikely, namely the Doctours of the Romish Church. But some man may here say, that by consequent they were true Teachers: to which we answer, that in some sort they were true: as the Scribes and Pharises were both true Teachers and seducers: true when they sitting in Moses chaire, teaching his doctrine, the people receiued wholsome instruction by their Ministery: Seducers when they sitting in their owne chaire, teaching their owne traditions, their owne inventions, they e1. Cor. 1.18. 2. Cor. 2.15.who p…rished, the people whom fRom. 11.17.God had not chosen sucked in the poison which they tempered. Thus it was in the Iewish c…urch before the Lord had begunne to manifest himselfe to the world, otherwise God had not had a Ch…rch. This being true and evident, it should not be necessary sollicitously to insist vponupon a farther answer to the demand, How this could bee? When there is an agreement about the thing, it is curiosity to inquire after the manner of it.
Yet that we may leaue no scruple behinde, we will tell them after what manner God vseth false Teachers to instruct his people. The Scribes and Pharises propounded the word of God, and read it amongst the Iewes before the comming of our Saviour, so much as was necessary to salvation: but they mingled their leaven with it, they thrust in their expositions, glosses, and traditions; the true Church sustained her selfe with the word, and reiected the leauen, the false glutted her selfe with the leauen, and let passe the word. What strange matter is there in all this? The sheepe in their pasturage where there are some venomous hea…bes, and others convenient for this nature, knowe well how to choose that which is proper for them, & …o let alone that which is hurtfull: and shall the sheepe of Christ be vnfurnished of this discretion? They of whom it is said,gIoh. 10.4.5· that they heare his voice, knowe it, follow it, and fly from the hand of a stranger.
Who then will wonder any longer, that before the great Reformation which the Lord hath begunne in these latter daies, as it were in the decrepite age of the world, the Church hauing truth propounded vntounto her mixed with lyes, hath embraced the truth and reiected the lyes. Surely this truth hath sounded alwaies in the Church, it hath beene in the mouthes of the Romish Doctours, as the benediction was in the mouth of Balaam. This truth, that there is one God, Creatour, and preserver of all things, that the Father, Sonne, and Spirit, distinguished, but not divided, are this God: that the vniverse being created for man, and man after the image of God, he by his sinne hath drawne vponupon himselfe anger and malediction. That the s…nne of God hath taken our nature vponupon him, and in it hath expiated our offences, that all th…se which beleeue in him, which repent in syncerity obtaine mercy. That therefore we ought to louelove so mercifull a God, to call vponupon him, to giuegive him thankes. Thus farre the Scribes and Pharises were in Moses chaire, in the chaire of the Prophets, of Christ and his Apostles: thus farre they were to be harkned to. Thus farre the Church did heare them: But whilst they added to this truth their lyes, to this spirituall bread their leauen: then they sate in their owne chaire, they were to be heard no farther; then the true church stopt her eares against them, the false she listned to them.
Thus we answer to this importunate questixon, How may this be?
By the same reason also, we are not perplexed for an answer, when they aske vsus, what is become of our forefathers? This interrogatory proposed by the Pagans to the first Christians, extorted from them an answer odious in the mouthes of children speaking of their parents, that God was marvellous in his waies, but in all likelihood they were damned. Thankes be to God, we are not driuen to such straites. In Paganisme there was nothing which might saue, no word of grace and mercy: in the doctrine published in the church of Rome, there was something to be… chosen, and they who picked it out carefully, and applyed it to their vse were saued. Why should wee doubt but that many thousands of our fathers did it? God hath knowne how to preserue a church to himselfe in the midst of the most horrible Apostacies, confusions, and desolations, happening vnderunder the old Testament since Malachie. Should his arme be shortned vnderunder the new? No, but hMal. 3.6.Eternall as he is, he is alwaies like himselfe.
Now then let the importunate curiosity surcease those questions, framed only to distract the simple: Where was your Church? Where were your Pastours? Our church was in Babylon, and her Teachers for want of better, were the Teachers of Babylon. Concerning that which they trouble vsus farther with; why therefore we hauehave not imitated our forefathers example, why we are come out of Babylon if they were saved in it? We will giuegive reasons for it hereafteriIn cap. 37.in their proper place.