The Tragedies of Tyrants Exercised Upon the Church of God, Chapter 3
Of the thirde Tragical Acte or perſecutiō, wherin the Apoſtles were taken and ſcurged Steeuen was ſtoned, the Church and congregation of Ieruſalem baniſhed, & diſperſed. Chapter. iii.
THe third perſecution of ye church, began alitle after ye Aſcencion of chriſt into heauen which is ye feaſt of Pentecoſt or Witſontyde, when the Apoſtles earneſtly preached the Goſpel, and had gathered together great and worthye Congregations vntounto Chriſte.
The ſame is verye dillygentlye and copiouſly deſcribed in the Actes ofApoſtles Sermons. the Apoſtles. The Apoſtles preached then openlye the Goſpell of Chriſte in Ieruſalem, only in the name of our Lorde Ieſus Chriſt, which was crucified and raiſed from the dead, in whom if they béeléeued, was remiſſion of ſinnes, & life euerlaſting, that al men therfore ought to béeléeue in him, bée baptized and ioyne in fellowſhip of ye church repent and liue a godly lyfe, & looke for ſaluation in none other thinge, for that there is none other name vnderunder heuen giuen to men wherein they may be ſaued: but the name of Ieſus Chriſte. Theſe Sermons, the Scribes and Seniours at Ieruſalem coulde not abyde, wherfore thei laide hand vponupon the Apoſtles, and ſhut them vp in Priſon, and brought them before the counſel, where quarreyling and chidinge with them: they forbid them to preach this Goſpell of Ieſus chriſt. But the Apoſtles frankly profeſſing that in this behalfe by no meanes they might obey them, but that God muſt rather be obeyed then men: were neuertheles much, and gréeuouſly thretned by the Magiſtrats & elders.
VponUpon occaſion hereof, the Church beingSorrowe, and praiers of ye church. ſtrock with great heauines: prayed hartely vntounto God for cōtinuance in the Goſpell. And when as the Apoſtles went forward conſtantly in teachyng, and Chriſte effectually woorkinge in them confirmed the trueth of their doctrine with great miracles, that a great numbre of men followed them, ſo yt the Churche was daily increaſed by thouſandes: then the magiſtrates & officers ſetting vppon them a freſhe, caſt the Apoſtles againe into priſon, intending to put them to death. But by the interceſſion and meanes of Gamaliel the lawyer that was Pauls maſter: they were delyuered, but notwithſtanding whipped, and ſharply forbidden, that they ſhould not preach the Goſpel of Ieſus Chriſt. Who departing out of the counſell and Court: prayſed God that they were founde worthy to ſuffer reproch for his name.
Shortly after, bleſſed Steeuen burningSteuen ſtoned. in the ſpirite of Chriſte, and with great zeale diſputing in the ſynagogs againſt the ſkilfull in the lawe, and ſtoutly defendyng the doctrine of Chriſte: was caſt into priſon and brought to arainement, and falſly accuſed. Who although he clered hymſelfe with ſufficient, wiſe, and graue reply: yet it nothyng avayled him, for hee was condemned to die, and ſtoned to death.
There followed not long after a veryActes. 8. vehement and ſharp perſecution of the chriſtian Church, deſcribed by Luke in the Acts of y• Apoſtles, by theſe words: There …roſe about that time, a greate perſecution againſt the Church which was at Ieruſalem, and they were al diſpearſed through the Regions of Iudeae and Samaria, ſauinge the Apoſtles. For Saul waſted the Churche, entring into eueryevery mans houſe, & haling forth Men and women, deliuered them to priſon. Yea, Paul himſelfe concerning this his perſecution againſt the church, ſpake thus in preſence of King Agrippa: Actes. 76.truli I was determined with my ſelf to do many things againſt the name of Ieſus of Nazareth.
VVherof partly I dyd ſomwhat at Ieruſalem, and many of the Saints I committed too Priſon, hauing receaued auctoritie of the cheef priſts, on whom alſo I gaue iudgment when they were executed. I punished thē alſo in the Sinagogs, compelling them to blaſphem (that is to denye the Chriſtian faith, whiche is a great blaſphemie) and raging againſt them aboue al meaſure, I perſecuted them vntounto ſtrange Cities.
Now, as touching the cauſe that mooued Paule, the Preiſtes, and people of the Iewes to perſecute the Church: was almoſt none other, but a ſiniſter & vnſeaſonable zeale & affection which they bare for the lawe of Moyſes, and ye ceremonies, which being lead wt errour: they ment to retaine and preſerue, and could not therfore beléeue in chriſt, nor his Goſpel. For thei ſuppoſed that thei ſhould be iuſtified & ſaued by righteouſnes of ye law. Contrariwiſe, the goſpel teacheth vsus y• wee ſhal not be ſaued by works of y• law, but by faith in Chriſt. At this ſtone y• Iewes hauehave ſtumbled, & fallen, & periſhed, as S. Paul witneſſeth in theſe words: I proteſt for them that Rom. 10.they hauehave the zeale of god, but not according to knowledge. For, beyng ignorant of the righteouſnes before god and ſtudeinge to eſtabliſh their owne righteouſnes: they were not ſubiect vntounto the righteouſnes which is allowed of god. For Chriſte is th' end of the law vntounto the iuſtification of al that beleue. Likewiſe in another place: Iſraell whiche Rom. 9.enſued the Lawe of righteouſneſſe attayned not to the lawe of righteouſnes, (that is to ſay was not iuſtified) becauſe they ſought it no… by faith, but by workes of the lawe. For they hauehave ſtumbled at the ſtumbling ſtone, as it is written: Beholde: I lay a ſtumblyngſtone, and a rock to hurt and make men fall and who ſo beleueth in him ſhal not be ashamed.
In this our age likewiſe, and for theCauſe of perſecutyon at this time ſame very cauſe, they aboue all other, hauehave moſt vehemētly, and ſharply perſecuted the chriſtian church, y• hauehave bin better men then the reſidew, and leſſe giuen to carnal affection. Thei hate the Goſpell, and perſecute the profeſſours therof, bicauſe they confeſſe & erneſtly defende, that wée be iuſtified, and ſaued by faith only in Chriſt, and not by any woorkes. Suppoſing y• by this doctrine good woorkes are taken away, and nothing regarded, y• men are made careleſſe, and ſtirred vp vntounto wickedneſſe, which is not to bée ſuffred in y• churche. But there is a far other vnderſtanding in y• queſtion of good woorkes, then thei either thinke or vtter, nether are they cōtemned, and naught ſet by, although ye glory of Iuſtification which apperteyneth vntounto Chriſte only, bée not aſcribed vntounto thē. For vntounto faith is iuſtification aſcribed, bicauſe the ſame dependeth on Chriſt only, y• Chriſte only may hauehave al y• glory, & he alonly be our ſaluation and righteouſnes, as wée hauehave in another place declared more at large.
But beefore wee proceede anie farther: let euerie man, I béeſeche yée, weigh with himſelf, how great and gréeuous this perſecution was againſt the firſte Church of Chriſte, and how that they which were not ſlayn, notwithſtandinge receaued great ſorowe, through the death, puniſhment, and torments of their brethren, that which Luke alſo hath not paſſed ouer with ſilence, wrytinge after this maner: The holly men caried foorth Steuen, and made great ſorrowe ouer him. What, and how great ſorowe, greife,Actes. 8. and miſerie did they féele, who although they were not ſlayne: yet were they ſpoyled of all their gooddes, driuen into baniſhment, and brought to extreame pouertie and beggerie?
Heerewithall alſo, let euerie man conſider, what Church it was that ſuffred ſo gréeuous perſecution, forſooth euen the moſt holly and moſte perfecte Church of al. For of this Church Luke witneſſeth, writinge: They were all filled with the holly ghoſte. And of al Actes. 4.the multitude y• beleued ther was one hart and one ſoule, and no man called anie thinge that hee had, his owne: but all thinges were common amonge Actes. 2.them nether was there amonge them enie that lacked. Likewiſe: They continued euerie day with one accord in the temple, praiſinge God and giuinge thankes beefore all the people. In this Church, Congregation, and fellowſhip, were the Apoſtels of our Lorde, and his threſcore and ten diſciples, Ioſeph of Arimathie, Barſabas or Barnabas, Nicodemus, with other woorthie men moe, but cheifly the holy and vndefiled virgin Marie, mother of the Lorde Ieſus Chriſte, with diuerſe other vertuous and deuout wemen, whoſe vertue and renoume is diſciphered in the Euangelicall hiſtory. In this Church there were no diuiſions, no ſchiſmes, and the numbre of them that béeléeued was aboue fiue thouſande. To conclude, there was no Church in the Earth more excellent, holy, perfect, or more acceptable to God.
Howbeit, god which ſuffred his owneWee muſte not aſk why God ſuffereth his churche to bee perſecuted. ſun to bée crucified, ſuffred alſo this holy Church to fall into ſutch afflictions, and ſo general a perſecution, as we hauehave declared béefore. And who is now ſo wicked and curious, ye in reſpect of this perſecution, dare ſtep foorth and diſpute againſt God, and queſtion wt him: wherfore he ſuffred his dearly beloued frends to bée ſo gréeuouſly afflicted whiche had deſerued much better, and ſo many good & godly perſons amonge whom chriſtes mother was one, whoſe moſt pure hart the ſharp ſword of ſorow and heauines had perced through? why likewiſe god gaue vntounto ye faithleſſe Iewes & hipocrites, ſo great power ouer godly, and iuſt men? why raught he not his helpynge hand to his Church, to help it, cauſing ye neither Steeuen ſhould bée ſtoned, neither the Church beinge ſpoyled of their goods be made poore, or baniſhed, nether they which liued in ſutch concorde togither, with great ſorow, ſo miſerably bée plucked a ſundre, and ſcatred abroad? It pleaſed God it ſhould be ſo, who is ye eternal wiſdom, & doth no vniuſt thing. And that which pleaſed God: pleaſed alſo the holly Church, which nether murmoured, neither diſputed agaynſte the lord, but receaued perſecution willingly, and by the grace of God endured it paciently, knowyng and beléeuing, that God, who was omnipotent and mercifull, would ſo moderate the perſecution that it ſhould tende to the commoditie of the Church, as it alſo came to pas. In the ſame minde it béehoueth all the faythfull to bée in all maner perſecutions, and patiently to ſubmit themſelues to the pleaſure of God.
Mutchleſſe héerby may the reaſoning of ſomme men take place, who gather out of perſecutions, that if the doctrine were true, and faith right: God would ayde them, and not deliuer thē ouer into their power, y• are altogether out of y• way concernyng doctrine and béeléefe. For in the perſecution of the primitiue church, theſe men, as apperteinyng to y• body: had the victorie, whoſe faith was falſe, and they y• were ſoundly perſuaded ſuffred perſecution, were driuen away, & ſlain, which ſlaughter & calamity notwithſtāding, dyd nothing in damage the true faith. And in our age alſo the caſe ſtandeth none otherwiſe, neyther for the perſecutions which the Churche induereth, the faith and doctryne therof is leſſe to be regarded, or worſe therfore to be iudged. The true faith and doctrine, d…pend vponupon no victory, but onelyonly vponupon God, and his worde.