Whole Works, Tracts 1 · Tract 4 · Part 1 · Section 20 – Section 21
¶ Pilgrimages.
TO ſpeake of pilgrimages, I ſay, that a Chriſtian man, ſo that hee True Pilgrimage is to walke from place to place the better to ſerue God & to helpe my neighbour.leaue nothyng vndone at home that he is bounde to do, is free to go whether hee will, onelyonly after the doctrine of the Lord, whoſe ſeruaunt he is and not his owne. If he go and viſite the poore, the ſicke and the priſoner, it is wel done and a worke that God commaundeth. If hee goe to this or that place, to heare a Sermon or becauſe hys mynde is not quyet at home or if becauſe hys harte is to muche occupied on his worldly buſineſſes by the reaſons of occaſions at home, he get him into a more quiet and ſtill place, where hys minde is more abſtract and pulled from worldly thoughtes, it is well done. And in all theſe places, if whatſoeuer it be, whether liuely preaching, ceremony, relique, or Image, ſtirre vp his hart to God and preach the worde of God and the enſample of our Sauiour Ieſus more in one place then in an other, that he thether go, I am content. And yet he bideth a Lord, and the thinges ſerue hym and he not them. Now whether his entēt be ſo or no, his deedes will teſtifie, as his vertuous gouerning of his houſe, and louing demeanour towarde his neighbours: yea and Gods worde wil be alway in his hart, and in hys mouth, & he eueryevery day perfecter thē other.
For there can nothing edifie mans ſoule ſaue that which preacheth hym Gods worde. OnelyOnly the worde of god worketh the health of the ſoule. And whatſomeuer preacheth hym that, can not but make him perfecter.
But to beleue that God wyll be ſought more in one place then in an other, or that God will heare thee more ☜in one place then in an other, or more where the Image is, then where it is not, is a falſe faith, and Idolatrie, or Image ſeruice. For firſt God dwelleth God dwelleth not in Temples made with mennes handes.not in temples made with hands. Act. xvij. Item Steuen dyed for the contrary, and proued it by the prophetes. Act. vij. And Salomon in the viij. of the third of the kynges, when he had built his temple teſtified the ſame, and that he had not built it for god to dwel in, yea and that God dwelleth not in the earth, but that he ſhould out of heauen heare the prayers of thē that prayed there. And the Prophetes dyd often teſtifie vntounto the people that had ſuch a falſe fayth that God dwelt in the temple, that he dwelt not there. Moreouer God in his Teſtament byndeth hym ſelfe vntounto no place nor yet the: But ſpeaketh generally (concernyng where and when) ſaying Pſalme. xlix. in the Pſal. 49.day of the tribulation thou ſhalt call on me and I will deliuer thee, & thou ſhalt glorifie me. He ſetteth neither place nor tyme. But whereſoeuer and when ſoeuer: ſo that the prayer of Iob vppon the donghill was as good as Paules in the temple. And when our Sauiour ſayth Iohn. xvj. What ſoeuer Iohn. 16.ye aſke my father in my name, I will geue it you, he ſayth not in this or that place, or this or that day: but whereſoeuer and when ſoeuer, as well in the fieldes as in the towne and on the Mō day as on the Sonday. God is a ſpirit and wilbe worſhypped in the ſpirite. Iohn. iiij. That is, though he be preſēt eueryevery where, yet he dwelleth liuely & Iohn. 4.gloriouſly in ye myndes of aūgels onelyonly & hartes of men that louelove his lawes and truſt in his promiſes. And whereſoeuer God findeth ſuch an hart, there he heareth the prayer in all places and tymes indifferently. So that the outward place neither helpeth or hindreth except (as I ſayd) that a mans mynde be more quiet and ſtill from the rage of wordly buſineſſes, or that ſome thyng ſtyre vp the word of God and example of our Sauiour more in one place then in an other.
¶ Whence Idolatrie or image ſeruice ſpryngeth.
NOw that thou mayſt ſee whence all this Idolatrie or image ſeruice is ſprong, marke a litle, and then I will aunſwere vntounto the Arguments whiche theſe Image ſeruers make agaynſt the open truth. All the ceremonies ornamentes and ſacrifices of the old Teſtament were Sacramentes. Sacramentes.That is to wete, ſignes preaching vntounto the people one thing or an other. As Circumciſion.circumciſion preached vntounto them, that God had choſē them to be his people, and that he would be their God & defend them and encreaſe and multiplie them and keepe them in that land and All the ceremonies of the olde lawe were preachers to the people.bleſſe the fruites of the earth & all their poſſeſſiōs. And on the other ſide it preached, how that they had promiſed God agayne to kepe his commaundemēts, ceremonies and ordinaunces. Now whē they ſaw their young children circumciſed, if they cōſented vntounto the appointement made betwene God and them, moued by the preachyng of that ſame, then were they iuſtified therby. Howbeit the dede in it ſelfe, the cuttyng of of yt foreſkyn of the manchilds The …t…es by ſayth were iuſtified, & not by the deedes of the lawe.priuey member iuſtified them not, nor was a ſatiſfactiō for the childes ſinnes, but the preachyng onelyonly did iuſtifie thē that receaued the fayth therof. For it was a badge geuē indifferently aſwell vntounto them that neuer cōſented in theyr hartes vntounto Gods law, as vntounto the elect in whoſe hartes the law was written. And that this was the meanyng of Circumciſion may be proued many wayes: But namely by Paul Rom. 2. where he ſayth, circumciſion is much worth, if thou keepe the lawe (whoſe ſigne it was) and els not. And Rom. iij. where he ſayth that God did iuſtifie the circumciſed of faith (whoſe ſigne it was on the other ſide) and els not.
And the Paſchall lambe was a memoriall Paſchall lambe.of their deliueraunce out of Egipt onelyonly, and no ſatiſfaction or offering for ſinne.
And the offering of their firſt fruits preached how they had receaued all Firſt frutes.ſuch fruites of the hand of God, and that it was God that gaue them that land, and that kept them in it, and that did bleſſe & make their fruites grow. In token wherof as vntounto a Lord roiall they brought him the firſt ripe frutes of their harueſt. Which remēbrance as long as it abode in their harces, it moued thē to louelove God againe & their neighbour for hys ſake, as he ſo oft deſired them. And out of this ceremony was fette the bleſſing of our new ripe fruits for like purpoſe, though we hauehave loſt the ſignification.
And their other offerings, as yt ſacrices Sacrificesof Dones, Turtles, Lambes, kiddes, ſheepe, Calues, Goates and Oxen were no ſatiſfactions for ſinne, but onelyonly a ſigne and token, that at yt repē taunce of the hart, thorow an offering to come, and for that ſeedes ſake that was promiſed Abraham, theyr ſinnes were forgeuen them.
And in like maner the ornamentes Ornamentes.and all other ceremonies were eyther an open preaching or ſecret propheſies and not ſatiſfactions or iuſtifyinges. And thus the workes did ſerue them, Worked muſt ſerue vsus, and not we the workes.and preache vntounto them, and they not the workes, nor put any confidence therein.