Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 3 · Part 13
The thirteenth Chapter, proueth the same by scriptures & Doctors.Hesk.
In the beginning of this Chapter,Fulk. he rayleth against Luther, Oecolampadius, Caluin, &c. but without proofe of any thing, and therefore I count it not worthie of aunswere. Secondly, he will proue, that the sacraments of the olde lawe, are weake and beggerly elements, not onelyonly nowe when they be abrogated, but also when they were in their greatest strength, and therefore in no respect equall with ours. For proofe hereof, hee alledgeth the Apostle to the Hebrues, 7. that the lawe brought nothing to perfection, & Chap. 10. The law hauing the shadowe of good things to come, and not the verie facion of the things them selues, can neuer with sacrifices which they offer, make the commers thereunto perfect. But hee is verie ignorant, if he knowe not, as he pretendeth, or else verie obstinate, if he will not acknowledge, that the Apostle, as he writeth to the Hebrues, so he speaketh of the lawe, as the vnbeleeuers esteemed it, that is altogether seperated from Christ, & so of the ceremonies therof: and not as the lawe and the ceremonies thereof, were considered of the faithfull, with Christ the ende and accomplishment of it and them. For otherwise Christ him selfe is called a minister of circumcision, for the trueth of God, to establish the promises of the fathers, Rom. 15. ver. 8 After this he gapeth and cryeth out vppon Oecolampadius, for saying, that our bread is no better then ye Lamb of the spirituall fathers. Whereas, if hee speake of the elements in both, there is no question, if of the heauenly parte, that he sayth is true, neuerthelesse, there is a dignitie, & an excellencie of our sacrament about these, and that is in clearnes of vnderstanding the mysterie therof, as I hauehave often shewed. And all the textes and authorities that Maister Heskins citeth, proue nothing else. As first, Iohn Baptist was greater then all the Prophets, because he spake more clearly of Christ being present, whō they described to come, when he sayed: beholde the Lambe of God, that taketh away the sinne of the worlde: that confirmeth Chrysostome, in Math. Hom. 38. comparing Iohn to that noble man that commeth next to the King. And Oecumenius preferreth Iohn, because he prophesied of him, whome he sawe and baptized. Wherupon Maister Heskins gathereth, that if Iohn were the more excellent Prophet, because he sawe Christ present, of whome he prophesied, then the sacrament must bee more excellent, because he was present whome it figured. By like reason, he may gather, that they yt were baptized in Christs presēce were better baptized then we are now. But the reason holdeth (as I sayd before) not of the bodily presence, but of the clearer doctrine, that was by meanes of his presence. So Abraham desired to see the day of Christ, and sawe it, Ioan. 8. yet blessed are your eyes (sayeth he) which see that you see, for many Prophets & righteouse men, desired to see, & hauehave not seene the things that you see, that is, although they hauehave seene them by faith, yet not so clearely as you hauehave seen them, and so be the verie wordes of Chrysostome, which M. Hesk. citeth in 13. Math. Hom. 46. vponupon that place: Manye Prophets and righteous men, hauehave desired, &c. that is saith Christ, My comming, presence, myracles, voice. For here he doth not onelyonly preferre them before those lost and damned men, but also he affirmeth them to be more excellent and happie, then the Prophets & righteous men. Why so? Because they do not only see these things which they hauehave not seene, but also those things which they desired to see, these men sawe with their eyes. For they also by faith, did beholde these things, but these much more clearly did see all things. You see therefore, howe vainly he cauelleth against Oecolampadius and the trueth, when the texts and authorities he citeth, be al cleane contrarie vntounto him selfe.