Whole Works, Tracts 1 · Tract 4 · Part 1 · Section 2 – Section 4
¶ Why he vſeth this woorde Elder and not Prieſt.
AN other thyng which he rebuketh, is, that I interprete this Greeke worde Presbiteros by this worde Senior. M. More … captious.Of a truth Senior is no very good Engliſhe, though Senior and Iuniot be vſed in the vniuerſities: but there came no better in my mynde at that tyme. Howbeit I ſpied my fault ſince, long yer M. More tolde it me, and hauehave … ded it in all the woorkes which I ſens made, and call it an Elder. And in that he maketh here…ie of it, to call M. More …Preſbiteros an Elder, he condemneth their owne old Latin text of hereſie alſo, which they vſe yet dayly my• …ch and hauehave vſed, I ſuppoſe, this, I ſuppoſe, this run hū dred yeares. For that text doth…an elder likewiſe. In the. 1. Pet. 5. …s 1. Pet. 5.ſtandeth it in ye Latin text. Se…ores qui in vobis ſunt, obſecro ego con… paſcite qui in vobis eſt gregem Chri… …elders that are among you I…which am an elder alſo, that ye ſed… flocke of Chriſt, which is among…There is Presbyteros calle… …And in yt he ſayth fede Chriſ… he meaneth euen the Miniſte… choſen to teach the people & to…them in Gods word & no …ay…And in the 2. Ep…ſt…e of Ioh… … …text, Senior electae Dominae & … The elder vntounto the ele…t Lady…her children. And in the…Iohn. Senior Ga…o dilecto. … …vntounto the beloued Gai…s. In theſe…piſtles Presbyteros is calle… an…And in the xx. of the Actes, y• text ſ… …Paule ſent for maiores natu Eccle… …elders in byrth of the congregation or Church, and ſayd vntounto them, take…vntounto your ſelues & vntounto y• who…e …, ouer which the holy ghoſ… hath… …you Epiſcopos ad regendum Eccle… Dei, Byſhops ouer…ca…s to…the Church of God. There is … teros called an Elder in byrth…ſame immediately called a…ouerſear, to declare what p… ment. Hereof ye ſee that I hauehave…more erred then their owne text…they hauehave vſed ſence the ſcripture wa… firſt in the Latin …oung, and that their owne text vnderſtandeth by Presby…eros …nothyng ſaue an Elder. And they were called Elders, becauſe of their age, grauitie & ſadneſſe, as thou may…t ſee by the text: and Byſhops or ouerſears by the reaſō of their offices. And all that were called Elders (or Prieſts if they ſo wil) were called Biſhops alſo, though they hauehave diuided yt names now, which thing thou mayſt euidently ſee by the firſt Chapter of Titus. And Actes xx. and other places mo.
And when he layth T…mothe vntounto my charge, how he was young, thē he we…eth that he hath wo…e his g…lden ſpu…s: But I would pray hym to ſhew me where he readeth that Paule calleth hym Presbyteros, Prieſt or Elder. I … not then cal him Epiſcopus properiy. For thoſe ouer…ears which Byſhops ought to be byd…rs in one place.we now call Byſhops after the Greke word, we… alway bidyng in one place to…the congregation there. N…w was T…the an Apoſtle. And Paule alſo writeth that he came ſhortly agayn. well, will he ſay, it commeth yet all to one. For if it be commeth the lower Miniſter to be of a ſad and diſ… much more it becommeth the hygher. It is …h. But ij. thyngs are without law, God and neceſſitie. If Note.God to ſhew his power ſhall ſhed out his grace more vponupon youth then vponupon age at a …, who ſhall let him? we…ē be no … v… to rule or to preach Women.(for both are forbidden them) yet hath God en…owed them with his ſpirite at ſondry tymes and ſhewed his power and goodneſſe vpō them and wrought wonderfull thynges by them, becauſe God poureth hys holy ſpirite … wiſdome &…aſwell we… mē.he would not hauehave them …d. We …ad that women hauehave iudged all Iſra…ll and hauehave bene great propheti…ies and hauehave done mighty dedes. Yea and if ſtones be true, women hauehave preached ſence the openyng of yt new Teſtamēt.
Do not our w…men now Chriſten and miniſter the Sacrament of Baptiſme in tyme of nede? Might they not by as good reaſon preach alſo, if neceſſitie required? … a woman were driuē into ſome Iland, where Chriſt was neuer preached, might ſhe there not preach him, it ſhe had the g…t thereto? Might ſhe not alſo Baptiſe? And why might ſhe not, by the ſame reaſon miniſter the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Chriſt, and teach them how to choſe …rs & miniſters? O poore wemen, how deſpite ye them? The vi… the better welcome vntounto you. An whore had ye leuer thē an honeſt wife. If onelyonly ſhauen and annoynted may do theſe thinges, then Chriſt dyd them not nor any of his Apoſtles, nor any man in long tyme after. For they vſed no ſuch ceremonies.
Notwithſtanding, though God be vnderunder no lawe, and neceſſitie lawleſſe: God is vnderunder no…neceſſitie lawleſſe.yet be we vnderunder a lawe, and ought to preferre the men before the women, & age before youth, as …he as we cā. For it is agaynſt the lawe of nature that young men ſhould rule the elder, and as vncomely as that women ſhoul…e rule the men, but when neede requireth. And therfore if Paule had had other ſhift, and a man of age as mete for The cauſe why young … was preferred by … to be a Byſhop.the roome, he would not hauehave put Timothy in the office, he ſhould no doubt hauehave bene kept backe vntil a fulier age, and hauehave learned in the meane time in ſilence. And whatſoeuer thou be that reade…t this, I exhort thee in our lord, that thou read both yt epiſ…s of Paule to Timothy, that thou mayſt ſee how diligently (as a mother careth for her childe if it be in perill) Paule writeth vntounto Timothy to inſtruct him, to teach hym, to exhort, to corage hym, to ſh…e him vp, to be wiſe, ſober, diligent, circumſpect, ſad, humble and me…ke, ſaying▪ theſe I write that thou mayeſt Paul was a fa…herly inſtructer to … … thy.know how to behaue thy ſelfe in the houſe of God, which is the church or congregation. A…oy… …uſtes of yo…h, beware of vngodly fables & old wiues tales, & auoyde the company of men of corrupt myndes, which waſt theyr braynes about wrangling queſtions. Let no man diſpiſe thy…e youth. As who ſhoulde ſay, youth is a diſpiſed thyng of it ſelfe, whereunto men geue none obedience or reuerence naturally. See therefore that thy ve…ue exceede, S. Paule was a worthy & mo…t … ther & inſtructour.to recompence thy lacke of age, and that thou ſo behaue thy ſelf that no fault be founde with thee. And againe, rebuke not an Elder ſharpely, but exhort him as thy father, and yongmen as thy brethren, and the elder women as thy mothers, and yt yoūg womē as thy ſiſters, and ſuch like in eueryevery chapter. Adm… none accuſation agaynſt an Elder vnderunder leſſe then two witneſſes. And Paule chargeth hym in the ſight of God, and of the Lord Ieſus Chriſt, and of his elect Angels, to do nothing raſhely or of affection. And ſhortely whereunto youth is moſt proue and ready to fall, therof warneth he hym with all diligence, euen almoſt or altogether halfe a …oſen times of ſome one thyng. And finally as a man woulde A great difference betwene teaching of the people, and teaching of a preacher.teach a childe that had …euer be…ore gone to ſchole, ſo tēderly & ſo carefully doth Paul teach him. It is an other thyng to teach the people, and to teach the preacher. Here Paule teacheth the preacher, young Timothy.
And when he affirmeth that I ſay, how that the oyling and ſhauing is no …lyng, … ſha…ing …ny thing or any part of prieſt….part of the Prieſthode. That improne…h he not, nor can do. And therfore I ſay i… yet. And when he hath inſearched the …moſt that he cā, this is all that he can ſay agaynſt me, that of an hundred there be not x. that hauehave the properties which Paule requireth to be in them. Wherfore if oyling and ſhauyng be no part of their Prieſthode, then euermore of a thouſand ix. hundred at the leſt ſhould be no Prieſts at all. And quoth your frend would confirme it with an oth and ſweare depely, that it would folow and yt it muſt nedes ſo be. Which argument yet, if there were no other ſhift I would ſolue after an Oxford faſhion, with concedo conſequentiam & conſequens. And I ſay moreouer that their annoynting is but a ceremonie borowed of ye Iewes, though they hauehave ſomewhat altered the maner, and their ſhauing borowed of the heathen Prieſtes, and that they be no O… …alt & … are …more of their prieſthood, then the oyle, ſalte, ſpittell, …aper and chriſome cloth of the ſubſtaunce of baptime. Which thinges no doubt, becauſe they be of their con…uring, they would hauehave preached of neceſſitie vntounto the ſaluation of the childe, except neceſſitie had driuen them vntounto the contrary.
And ſeing that the oyle is not of neceſſitie, let M. More tell me what more vertue is in the oyle of confirmatiō, in as much as the biſhop ſacreth the one as well as the other: yea and let hym tell the reaſon why there ſhoulde be …yle hath …o … at all,…the ….more …ertue in the oyle wherewith yt Byſhop annointeth his Prieſtes. Let him tell you from whence the oyle cō meth, how it is made, and why he ſelleth it to the curates wherewyth they annointe the ſicke, or whether this be of leſſe vertue then the other.
And finally, why vſed not the Apoſtles ☞this greke worde foreign, or the interpreter this Latin woorde Sacerdos, but alway this worde Presbyteros and Senior, by which was at that time nothing ſignified but an Elder? And it The miniſter amōg the…were na… … age.was no doubt taken of the cuſtome of the Hebrues, where the officers were euer elderly men as nature requireth. As it appeareth in the olde teſtament and alſo in the new. The Scribes, Phariſes, and the elders of the people ſayth the text, which were the officers and rulers, ſo called by the reaſon of their age.
¶ Why he vſeth louelove rather then charitie.
HE rebuketh me alſo that I trāſlate Why …yn…this worde…rather …thys greke worde foreign into louelove, and not rather into charitie, ſo holy & ſo knowen a terme. Ʋerely charitie is no knowen Engliſhe, in that ſence which agape requireth. For when we ſay, geue your almes in the worſhip of God and ſweete ſaint charitie, and when the father teacheth his ſonne to ſay bleſſing father for ſaint charitie, what meane they? In good fayth they wot not. Moreouer whē we ſay, God helpe you, I hauehave done my charitie for this day, do we not take it for a…s? And the man is euer childing and out Charitie hath … ſignifications.of charitie, and I beſhrew him ſauing my charitie, there we take it for patience. And when I ſay a charitable mā, it is taken for mercifull. And though mercifulnes be a good louelove, or rather ſpring of a good louelove, yet is not eueryevery good louelove mercifulnes. As when a woman loueth her huſband godly, or a man his wife or his frende that is in none aduerſitie, it is not alway mercifulneſſe. Alſo we ſay not thys man LoueLove … is…vnderſtād.hath a great charitie to god, but a great louelove. Wherfore I muſt hauehave vſed this generall terme louelove, in ſpite of myne hart oftentimes. And agape & charitas were wordes vſed among the Hethe… yer Chrſt came, and ſignified therefore more then a godly louelove. And we may ſay well inough and hauehave heard it ſpoken that the Turkes be charitable one to an other among themſelues, & ſome of them vntounto the chriſten to. Beſides all this agape is cōmon vntounto all loues.
And when M. More ſaith eueryevery louelove EueryEvery louelove is not charitie nor eueryevery charitie is not louelove.is not charitie, no more is eueryevery Apoſtle Chriſtes Apoſtle, nor eueryevery Angell Gods Angell, nor eueryevery hope chriſten hope, nor eueryevery ſayth or beliefe Chriſtes beleife, and ſo by an hūdred thouſand wordes. So that if I ſhould alway vſe but a worde yt were no more generall then the worde I enterprete, I ſhould enterprete nothing at all. But the matter it ſelfe and the circumſtaunces do declare what louelove, what hope, and what fayth is ſpokē of. And finally I ſay not charitie God, or charitie your neighbour, but ioue God and louelove your neighbour, ye & though we ſay a man ought to louelove his neighbours wife & his daughter, a Chriſten man doth vnderſtand that he is commaūded to defile his neighbours wife or his daughter.
¶ Why fauour and not grace.
ANd with lyke reaſons rageth he Why Tyndall ſayth fauour and …ot grace.becauſe I turne foreign into fauour and not into grace, ſaying that eueryevery fauour is not grace, and that in ſome fauour there is but little grace. I can ſay alſo in ſome grace there is little goodneſſe. And when we ſay, he ſtandeth well in my Ladyes grace, we vnderſtand no great godly ſauour. And in Ʋniuerſities many vngracious graces are gotten.