Institutes of the Christian Religion Abridged by Edmond Bunnie, Book · Book 4 · Chapter 10
Cap. 10. Of the power of making lawes, wherin the Pope and his hauehave vſed a moſt cruell tyrannie and butchery vppon ſoules.
FIrſt he treateth, as it were generally, of humane reſtitutions, from the firſt to the eight: ſecondly of Papiſticall ceremonies, from the nineth to the ſix & twentie: thirdly, of good, and lawful, from the ſeuen & twentie to the two and thirtie.
1 Nowe in that hée entereth this diſputation whether it is lawfull for the church to binde conſciences by their lawes,Mat. 23.6. this is the ſtate of the queſtion, to contende againſt Eccleſiaſticall traditions, lately brought in, not the politike lawes.
2 Which although they fayne them to be lawes of libertie, a ſwéet yoke, & a light burden, yet indéed they are not only harde, but alſo impoſſible to be kept. Paule durſt not laye any ſnare vppon men at all,1. Cor. 7.25. for he ſawe what a wound of conſciences woulde thereby procéede.
3 But the better to expounde this queſtion, firſt hée ſheweth what a conſcience is,Rom. 13.1. which is alſo bounde with politike lawes: the definition may be gathered of the proper deriuation of the worde, as when the mynde doeth conceaue the knowledge of thinges, it is ſayde to knowe: ſo when we hauehave a féeling of Gods iudgement, as a witneſſe ioyned with them, which doeth not ſuffer them to hide their ſinnes, but they brought accuſed before the Iudgement ſeate of God, that feeling is called conſcience, for it is a certayne meane betwéene God and man.Rom. 2.15.
4 And as workes hauehave reſpecte vntounto men, ſo the cōſcience is referred to God: this he excellently painteth out by two examples,2. Tim. 1.5. ſo that conſcience is nothing els but the inwarde pureneſſe of the heart.
5 But ſéeyng hée will not hauehave conſciences tyed with ſuch humane lawes, hée ſheweth in what ſenſe Paule teacheth, that wée muſte obeye Magiſtrates for conſcience ſake, diſtinguiſhing betwéene the generall and the ſpeciall.
6 But comming to the queſtiō, where agayne hée ſheweth more plaine, what the ſtate of the queſtion is, he denieth that the Biſhoppes are appoynted law makers ouer the faythfull, that may of them ſelues preſcribe a rule to lyue by; or compell to their ordinances the people committed to them.
7 Séeyng the Lorde hath containedIam. 4.12. Eſai. 35.22. in his lawe the perfecte rule of well liuing, and for two cauſes doeth kéepe it to him ſelfe only to be our lawe maker, and therefore hée is the King of ſoules to whom belongeth the power to ſaue, and deſtroy.
Iam 4.12. Eſai. 33.22.8 Which ſeuerally hée expoundeth more at large, that by conſideration of both, he may teach that ſuche conſtitutions of men are contrary to the worde of God. The firſt of them is, that his will may be a perfect rule of all righteouſnes and holines, this Paul vſeth: in contending againſt falſe Apoſtles. The other that he may only hauehave authoritie ouer our ſoules whō we ought to obey. As touching the Popes conſtitutions, there are two ſortes of them, for ſome belong to ceremonies and rites, and ſome to diſcipline: and firſt he proueth that both abounde with many vices, from the nineth to the ſixtéenth. Moreouer hée anſweareth their arguments, wherewith the authors are wont to defende them ſelues, from the 17. to the 26.
9 As cōcerning the former, firſt this vice is founde in them, that they would be counted for the true worſhip of God: but Paule taught that it was intollerable that the lawfull order of worſhipping God,Col. 2.20. Gal. 5.1. ſhoulde be reduced to the wil of men.
10 Moreouer,Gal. 4.…. that the commaundement of God is wont to be void, for the traditions of men.
11. 12 Thirdly, that they are vnprofitable and fooliſhe, but the fleſhe lyketh them that it thinketh the Churche is vtterly deformed, whē they be taken away, which Paule writeth, hath a reſemblaunce of wiſedome, but that deceiueth.
13 Fourthly,Col. 2.23. that they hauehave growne into ſuch a number that they are more vntollerable then a multitude.
14 Neither can this multitude be excuſed, becauſe they ſay that they were inſtituted for ye inſtruction of rude men, ſeing alſo they reduce vsus to Iudaiſme, & declare not Chriſt, (which ought to be the ende of ceremonies) but hyde him. a childe is ruled of his Schoolemaſter, and kept vnderunder cuſtodie, according to the capacitie of his age, ſo the Iewes are kept vnderunder the lawe, but wée are men growne,Gal. 4.1. ſet at libertie from tutorſhip and gouernment, & néede no childiſh introductions.
Ier. 7.22. Eſai. 55.2.15 Fiftly, becauſe they force the ſimple into errour, that they may thinke them expiatorie or Purgatorie, & meritorious Sacrifices: ſixtly, becauſe being ſeparated from doctrine, they reſemble nothyng elſe then a Maſkyng Oſtentation. Laſte of all, becauſe they all are abandoned to filthie gaine.
16 Neyther doe thoſe Papiſtical traditions burſt foorth only with ſuche vices, but alſo all other of what age ſo euer are guiltie of ſuche vices, becauſe the Lorde alwayes is wonte to ſtryke them with blindneſſe and amazedneſſe which worſhip him with ſuche obſeruations,Eſai. 29.13. & they are ſuch obſeruations as ought to bée thruſt out of the Church.
17 Comming to their arguments, he calleth to minde fiue, whereby they defend themſelues forgers of theſe traditions: the firſt is that they crie out, that theſe traditions are not of them ſelues, but of God, becauſe they woulde hauehave them inuented of the Churche which can not erre, and is gouerned of the holy Ghoſt, but by this meanes they impoſed to the Church of God, a notabler reproche, and were too bolde, to adde ſo muche to the worde of God contrary to Gods worde.
18 It is an impudency not to bee born, continually to crye out of ye power of the Church: but in the meane time, to diſſemble both what is commanded her by the Lord, and what obedience ſhe oweth to the commandement of the Lorde. The ſeconde is, when they ſay that theſe trifles came from the Lorde. This alſo is méere deceite, and not only the hiſtories, but alſo reaſon it ſelfe doth ſhewe, that they crept in by little and little.
19 This he ſheweth in the Supper of the Lorde, and he openeth the place of Auguſtine which they thinke doeth make for them.
20 But whē they crie out that there is no Ceremonie among them which came not from the Apoſtles, he ſheweth howe falſe it is by an example of holy water. Moreouer, he laboureth, that if any were founde out of them, or of the Fathers, yet there is great difference betwéene them, and ours.
21. 22 The third is, that to excuſe their tyranny, they pretend the decrée of the Apoſtles of thinges offered to Idols, and ſtrangled, and from blood: but he plainely ſheweth howe the ſame maketh for them:Acts. 15.29 Firſt by interpreting the place: moreouer by their owne confeſſion.
The meaning of the Apoſtle was nothing elſe, but in taking away the matter of offence, to call vp the law of God:…. …or. 8.7 cōcerning the auoiding of offence it was not to make a newe decree of their owne authoritie, for Peter pronounceth that the Lorde is tempted, if a yoke be laide vponupon the neckes of the Diſciples,Acts. 15.27 which himſelfe ſhoulde hauehave ouerthrowne, if hee had conſented to hauehave any yoke laide vponupon them.
23 This tyrannie which they hauehave taken to them ſelues by this example of the Apoſtles, is for two cauſes to be improoued: firſt becauſe they miſerably crucifie not onelyonly the bodies, but alſo the conſciences. Moreouer becauſe it taketh from the Lorde his Dominion, which afterwarde hée ſheweth at large howe worthie great reprēheſion it is,Eſay. 29.1… Matth. 15.… and that in thoſe in whom no manifeſt impietie appeared.
24 No maruel becauſe mans inuentions did alwayes ſo diſpleaſe the lord,Col. 2.4 that firſt they were eſtéemed for his worſhip.
25 The 4. is frō the exāples of Samuel & Menoha, 1. Sam. 7.17but they make nothing for them. For although Samuels ſacrifice were againſt the lawe, and yet it pleaſed God, yet was it not a ſecond altar to ſet againſt the onelyonly aultar, but bicauſe the place was not appointed for the Arke of couenant, hée appointed & ordeined the Towne where hee dwelled, for Sacrifice, but his minde was not to make inuocation in holy things where as GOD hath forbidden any thing to be added or diminiſhed. As for Manoha it was an extraordinary and ſingular caſe: hée being a priuate man offered Sacrifice to God, and not without Gods allowance,Iud. 8.27 becauſe he interpriſed not of a raſh motion of his owne minde,Matth. 23.3 but by a heauenly inſtinction, but God abhorreth thoſe thinges that men deuiſe.
26 Laſt of all, becauſe Chriſt would hauehave theſe intollerable burdens to bée borne: that alſo doth help them nothing.
1. Cor. 14.4027 Comming to the third part of the Chapter, that hee may ſpeake of thoſe conſtitutiōs which ought to be counted holy: firſt by a general rule of Paul, hée prooueth that all the matter muſt bée brought back. Moreouer by yt he ſetteth two things before vsus to be taken héede of, leaſt either they ſhoulde think them neceſſary to ſaluation, or beſtow them to the honour of God.
28 Then alſo he denieth that theſe ſtand with the comelineſſe, and order of Paul: and he ſheweth of what ſorte they are, which in theſe wordes he requireth.
29 Proſecuting at large all thoſe ſeuerally with exāples adioyned,1. Cor. 11.22 he concludeth that all Eccleſiaſticall orders which wee receiue for holy and holeſome doe reſpect either rites & ceremonies, or diſcipline and peace.
30 No foundations are ſuch,1. Cor. 14.40 but they which are founded by Gods authoritie, and are taken out of the Scripture, and they ought to bee diuine according to the generalitie, although as touching the ſpecialtie they are appointed by man: but charitie is the beſt ruler therof.
31 Therefore it is the office of Chriſtian people,1. Cor. 11.16 neither to deſpiſe nor neglect ſuch conſtitutions, but faithfully to kéepe them, and that may be doone with a frée conſcience.
32 Of ye otherſide we muſt beware leaſt any errour, or any ſuperſtition or any neceſſitie, do at any time créepe in, alwayes to kéepe the ſame.