A Treatise of the Cohabitation Of the Faithful with the Unfaithful Part 11

[[Maister Latymers answer therfor is true.]]

Thys Doctor lyeth lowdly / for the greke worde / in that place is ?????p?? / which signifieth bothe man and woman. The scriptures also do teache /

[[1 Cor. 10.]]

that the holy communion doth partayne vnto all them / which ar one breade / and one cupp: wherfor except they wyll exclude women out of the bodye of Christ / and shew that they be not of the churche of Christe / how shall / or can this papist / depryue them of the holy communion? Especially seinge it is playnly taught / that in Christe there is neyther man / nor woman / neyther onde / nor fre / but all are one in Christe.

[[Gal. 3.]]

But to returne to their sacriledge / in which thei do take away one parte of the sacrament. Of this thefte the inst.i.tution of the Lorde / the Epistle of Paule / the custome d manier of the primatiue churche / which was to mynister this holy supper in both kindes / dothe accuse them / which dyd continue euen vntill the tyme of Thomas Aquinas / and vnto this daye it continueth in all the Easte church / wherfore seing tht in this thinge also they are so obstinate / they can be none otherwyse estemed but as heretykes.

They haue also another most pernicious and hurtefull doctryne / of the calling vpon the dead sainctes / and worshippe / and adoration / to be gyuen to theyr Images.

[[Deut. 6.]]

The holy scripture sayth / Thou shalt worshipp the Lorde thy G.o.d / and hym onlye shalte thou serue. But they denye that they do worshippe the Images: They maye denye it in wordes / but in theyr dedes they do testifie cleane contrarye. They fall downe before them / they praye to them / thei crie and call on them / they cense them / they light vp cdels before them / what do they more to G.o.d hym selfe? They leaue no peculiar thinge vnto Christe / to aske of him / which they do not aske of some saincte / They do gyue t.i.tles / and names vnto the sainctes / especiallie to the blessed virgin Marie / which do belonge vnto Christe alone. Thou quene (saye they) of mercie / our aduocate / our lyfe / our sweetnes / d our hope. Certaynlie these thinges do belonge to Christe onlye / vnto him therfore alone shoulde thei leaue these thinges vntouched / and withowt diminuti.

I speake not this / as though I dyd not thinke / that the moste holie virgin were worthy of singular praises / But euen she her selfe will not be made equall with Christe. They do furthermore crie owt of all corners at all their altars vnto their sainctes / as thoughe they were present euerie where. But this presence belongithe to G.o.d onlie / neither is it communicated to any creature.

[[Acto. 4.]]

Again it is writ? in the holye scripture: That ther is none other name vnder heauen / but the name of Christe onlye / wherin we muste be saued.

[[1. Ioan. 2.]]

And Iohn doth saie: If we synne / we haue an aduocate wyth the father / Iesus Christe the rightuous / and he is the propiciation for our synnes. But theis heretikes make many aduocates. Esaie confessith and saieth.

[[Esa. 63.]]

Abraham hathe not knowen vs / And Israel hathe forgotten vs. And therfore (saith he) these are not to be called vpon / we must not truste in them / but in G.o.d onlye / and that vnto him wee muste flye. We are commauded also in moste plain wordes / that what so euer we aske / we sholde aske it in the name of Iesus Christe /

[[Ioan. 16.]]

and not in the name of other sainctes / as theise men do. But contrary to this true doctryne they do stifflie maynteyne their wicked error / therfor are they verylye heretikes. Here I do let pa.s.se their ma.s.se / in which they make their mishapen G.o.dd of breade / throughe their art of transubstantiation. They sett vpp their sacrifice for the quicke and deade / the verie abhomination and G.o.d Maozim: which thinges they do def?de wyth moste peruerse obstinacie. But howe contrarie they are to the worde of G.o.dd is not nowe again to be repeted / seinge that a lytell before / in this matter I haue sayde suffici?tlie. But if I wolde sp?de more tyme here / I mighte reherce many other doctrines of the papistes in which they do shfully swarue fr the truithe of G.o.dds worde. And of their errours they will not chaug any thing at all which prouith them to be obstinate heretikes. But this that I haue writ is inough / and inough againe to proue that thei are heritikes. Now let th? saie that we dissent but in ceremonies. But I saie that we diss?t in doctrines. Let the papistes saie that we shold not haue departed fr th? / but I saie / they shoulde not then haue departed fr the truithe. Augustine wolde not graute vnto Cresconius /

[[Aduersus Crescon. lib. 21.]]

that the controuersie betwene the Catholikes and the donatistes / was a lighte and small contention / and schisme: But he saieth that they defended an heresie / and that moste horrible / euen this that they did rebaptize. And yet baptisme reiterated dothe nomore differ from the worde of G.o.d / then these errours of the papistes / which I haue repeted.

Wherfore Christian princes / whilest they do suffer them in their dominions / they owghte no otherwise to suffer them / then vpon suche condicyons as are aboue rehersed. That is / that they do compell no man to partake their wicked Idolatries. That they do not permitt them to haue their rites and supersticious ceremonies. That they take hede / that they do not corrupte others which do beleaue truly / and be of good iudgem?te. And last of al / after that they haue bene cpetentlie taughte / to enforce them outwardly to embrace sownde / and holye rites / and ceremonies agreinge with G.o.dds worde. Thou wilte saie happelie / if it shoulde be so / their condition sholde be more miserable then the condicion of the Iewes / and Turckes / whom we do not compell to receyue our Religi. I graunte / but yet this sholde be iustlie done. And that for theis causes. Firste bycause the Iewes are not Citizens in our common welthes / but receyued vnder this condicion / that it is lawfull for them to vse their owne lawes / so lge as they will: wherfore if they do not behaue th?selues well / or they do not please vs / they be turned awaie and caste owte / as oft? tymes they haue beene handeled. And not without iuste cause / when their conuersation hathe beene hurtfull. But these papistes are our citiz?s / therfore they must be otherwise handeled / and seinge they do confesse Christe / they are to be enforced to his pure and true religi. Again the Iues can not do so moche hurte as these Iebuzites maie / for all men / for the moste parte / do shonne and deteste the Iue / But these are subtile sorcerers / which vnder the cloke of the name of Christ / and ciuile familiaritie / maye deceyue many: furthermore there is a promise of the saluati of the Iues / to be shewed i the latter age / The lyke peculiar promise of papistes ther is not. And yet I do not speake this / as though I dyd condemne the counsell of many good prices / which haue cast the Iues owt of their countrye / for good iuste and laufull causes. Their acte I do allowe. But to returne vnto theise heretiques the papistes / we are bounde to praie for them / and seinge they do dwell amonge vs / we muste obserue the aforenamed rules / In vsinge or not vsinge familiaritie / and being conuersaunte with th? / which I dyd giue / of being conuersaunt with the vnfaithfull and wicked / in which sorte I do place them. And if any of them do returne to the truith / and will embrace the true Religion of Christ / they are not to be rebaptized. For though a Christian ought not to demaunde baptisme in the popishe churche / yet the baptisme which they haue hetherto vsed we acknowledge it to be such that it is not to be reiterated of them wh they do baptise.

Augustine writinge of baptisme /

[[Ctra donat. lib. 5. cap. 23.]]

againste the donatistes / sayeth that when they retorne / the hdes only are to be layde on them: and that les is sholde apeare / that they were before without fault. Also that the holye ghost maye by praier be begged to cme vp them / whose singular gifte the vnitie of the true churche is. This ceremonie trulye is laudable / but yet seinge it is not appointed to this purpose in the holye scripture / it maie be omitted: because we do se that the cheifest vse of it (as the apostles vsed it) was in the inst.i.tution of the ministers of the churche. Suche of them as haue bene byshopps / and elders / maie be receyued into their degrees / and offices / if they do returne vnto the truithe: but this must be done / so as shall seme moste profitable to the flocke / and churche of the lorde. If they haue suche giftes as maie serue for the edyfying of the churche / And if by their ministerie / the truithe of the gospell and the saluation of the people which was committed vnto them maye be propmoted more then by the ministerie of other / and aptelie / and as profitable. They maie be restored to their place / d degree. The order of which matter is lefte vnto the iudgement of the churche of G.o.d. But if they remayne obstinate in their euill / and do continue peruerters of the G.o.dlye doinges of the magistrates / and pestilent corruptors of the people: Then the magistrates maie / and owghte to vse the sworde againste th?: for he bearith the sworde to take vengeaunce on them that do euill / and therto is he minister of G.o.d.

A Sermon of the true confessinge of Christe / and the truithe of the gospell: and of the foule denyinge of the same / made in the conuocacion of the clergie at Zurich the 28. daye of Ianuarie in the yeare of the lorde 1555.

By H.B.

Our lorde Iesus Christ hath forsayed that ther shuld be persequutions / and cheifly in the later tymes / through which sum shuld be despolied of their goodes / sum also thrown out of their dwellinges / and other shuld be shut vpp in pris / agayn that other shuld be fried in the fire and put to other punishmentes / and executed with infamus deathes / And that for the lord Christe himself / and for the doctrine / and confessi of the truith of the gospell. The same lord did then also forsaye / that not a few shuld fall from the truithe known. All which thinges truly we haue herd and seene fulfilled / not in this tyme only / but in tymes long pa.s.sed. For ther are sum which at this daye do openly / and that without shame / curs and bydd adew to the truith of the gospell / which with demas do embrace this present worlde. There are other / and not afew / which do themselues also denie the truith known / and yet wyll not be accompted to be forsakers of it. Thy do stayne themselues with dyuers glosses and colours that they might not be known of the G.o.dly and more simple sorte of men. One faynith that he doth not go out of Egipt and Babilon / bicause he may wynne many vnto Christe: when as in the meane tyume he doth both withdrawe himself from Christ / and doth cfirme manye that be weaker men in the filthes of babilon so that they do not at ony tyme thincke ernestly of true repentaunce. Other do fantisie that ther is no neade op?ly to cfes religion / but that the inward beleif of the hart doth suffice: And if it be of vrg?t necessite to confes ony thinge openly / yet that the confession sufficith which is made amonge the brithern which are well known and companions in Religion: Neither that the confession amonge the aduersaires is straitly required / which shall put them in dauger of lyfe. And therfore thou shalt finde sum men of exercise which c conningly dispute of papisticall ceremonies and make meruailus interpretacions of theim / laboring by all meanes to proue that the G.o.dly by the partaking of them neither are defiled / nor yet that the religi of the gospell is denied.

Thus wittye and subtill doth that trembling feare / and gret desire of this world make them. Truly when the tyme serued that they might lyue without dauger in rest and quiet at ease / they then wold neuer haue thought / no not so mutch as dreamed ony of this matier / Yea of theis thinges they wold haue b? loth but eu? to haue spok? / as thinges playne ctrary to simplicitie / and true religion. But now when the lord hath sent amonge them the fire of persequution or rather of probati / and they do se that either they must flye out of their countrie / or that they must put ther lyfe in extreme ieoperdie / and yet haue no will to leaue either ease or their riches / or to committ themselues to daugers / they turn themselues into all formes / and craftyly creping backe by clokinge and dissemblinge they do seeke wayes / by which they may slypp awaie out of the conflict. Which when it happenith as they wold haue it / th? without all doubt / ther lyues / their substaunce / and goode estimaci do vtterly perishe. For this cause I thincke that I can not entreate a more profitable mater and more meete and necessarie for this our world /

[[The argument and matter.]]

then of the true cfessing of Christe and the truithe of the gospell / and of the foule denyinge of the same. This matier truly is copius / and most ple / wherthrough I doubt nothing at all but sum of you be all redy made afraide with the largenes of it / which do consider the end of the sermon by the begynning / and of the mater it self: But I will at this present touche but certayn pointes of this matier hauing csideraci of the tyme / and especially of you / reuerend fathers and beloued Brethern in Christ. The lord gyue me grace omitting thinges not necessarie / to prosequute only all thos thinges which be necessarie. Thos shameles men / which affirme (without doubt against their own consci?ce)

[[The cloke of them that deny true religion.]]

that ther is no neade at all of the outward and daugerus confession among the aduersaries of the religion of the gospell / they do wrast the ordinaunces of G.o.dd to make a cloke for their malice. And they saye / that G.o.dd will not haue holy mariages broken / or that the honor due vnto par?ts shuld be vndoone / that G.o.dd will not haue the gouernm?t of polities or howsholds disturbed / d to be short that he will not haue a mans death and destruction. For what encrease shall happen to the glorie of G.o.d by the vnrecouerable miserie of me and my houshold? what profyt shuld come of my chaynes / or of my pouertie vnto my neighburr? And who is it that knowith not that all thinges which we do are to be referred to the glorie of G.o.dd / and to the profit of our neighburr? Yea and if I be burned / or cast into exile for the confession of the gospell / do I not take miself awaie fr myne by deathe / before my tyme?

Do I not throw all myn with me into extreme pouertie and beggerie? And th? after all by goodes be loste I am compelled to be burdenus vnto others. The towardlynes of my Sonnes shalbe brought in daunger. The chast.i.tie or my wyfe and doughters shalbe brought into hazarde. For they being pressed with most hard necessitie shall learne by euell artes to gett necessaries for their lyfe. And who will thicke that G.o.dd doth allowe theise thinges? who doth so mutche cmend the faith of mariage / the G.o.dly bringing vp of childr? / and an howshold wel ordered / that Paule his apostle fearith not to saye,

[[1. Timo. 5.]]

That if ony prouide not for his and specially for theim of his houshold / the same hathe denied the faith / d is worse than an infidell. Wherfor les I shuld be constrayned to confession / and so denie the faithe / I retayne faith in my harte / and by holding my peace I do dissemble for a tyme / I do not vtterly denye nor throw awaye all Religi. All theise thinges (I say) they do most wickedly wraste against their naturall and G.o.dlye sense / to defend their desires / and to retayne their wordly commodities.

[[Confession is necessarie]]

But against all theis we do sett the sent?ce of our lord and Sauiour Iesus Christe / which is neither darcke nor doutfull / that by it all the subtilties of theise mene maye at ones be confuted / and vanishe awaye. In the gospell of Mathewe he confirming the mynds of his disciples against the thretts and terrors of this wicked world / amg other thinges /

[[Matth. 10.]]

Are not (sayth he) two lytle sparowes solde for a farthinge. And one of them shall not lyghte on the grownd withe out your father: yea euen all the heares of your heade are nombred. feare ye not therfor: ye are if more value then many sparowes. Euery one therfor that shall knowledge me before men hym wyll I knowledge also before my father which is in heauen. But whosoeuer shall denye me before men / hym wyll I also denye before my father which is in heauen: the same lord in the gospell of Marcke /

[[Marc. 8.]]

Whosoeuer (saythe he) shall lose hys lyfe for my sake and the gospell He same shall saue it. For what shall it profyte a man / if he wynne al the worlde and lose his owne soule? or what shall a m gyue to redeme hys soule wythall agayn? Whosoeuer therfor shalbe ashamed of me d of my wordes / in this aduowtrus and synfull generation: of hym also shall the sonne of m be ashamed wh? he commith in the glorie of his father withe the holy angels. Theis wordes of the lorde are playne / d spok? without ony darcknes. The lord requirith of eiche one of vs that symple and open confessi which we make before men / and that such men as are synnars and adulterars / the emenies / I saye / of G.o.dd / and of all true religi. for such men do the prophets also call fornicatours and adulterars. He requirith / I saye / that we shuld cfes hym and his worde / That is / that we shuld simply cfes that he is Christ / and that we shuld not denye ony thing of his worde either by out wordes or deedes.

[[Examples of true confession, Mat. 16.]]

We read that Peter did confes Christ the lorde sincerely and with a true cfession when he answered vnto the lorde / which asked and sayed. But wh saye ye that I am / he answered. Thow art Christe the sonne of the lyuinge G.o.dd.

[[Ioan. 6.]]

Agayn wh? many did fall from the lorde for that sermon in which he declared in the Synagoge of the Capernaites / that he only was the foade of lyfe / and for that cause the lorde saide to his disciples: Wyll ye also go awaye? Peter answered / and cfessing the lorde with a notable cfession he said / lorde to whom shall we go? Thow hast the wordes of eternal lyfe / And we beleue and are sure / that thow art Christe the sonne of the lyuinge G.o.dd. Such like cfession absolute and true doth the blessed apostle and Euangelist Iohn comm?d vnto vs sayinge.

[[1. Ioan. 4.]]

Dearly beloued / beleue not euery sprit / but proue the sprites / whether they are of G.o.dd or not. For many false prophetes are gone out into the worlde. Hereby shall ye know the spirite of G.o.dd: Euery sprite that confessith that Iesu Christe is cme in the flesh / is of G.o.dd. And euery sprite which confessith not that Iesu Christe is come in the fleshe is not of G.o.dd. And this is that spirite of Antichriste / of whome ye haue herde / howe that he shuld comme and euen now alreadi is he in the worlde. Furthermor this true and catholike confession / doth so attribute all out whole lyfe and saluaci vnto the lorde Christe / that it doeth take the same from al other meanes and thinges with which ms doctrine hathe ony part: wherfor it is not suffici?t only to haue cfirmed the part affirmatiue (as they call it) except thow do also expres the negatiue / and dost so ascribe vnto Christe our lorde all the thinges of our lyfe and saluaci / that all men may vnderstd that thow dost clyme to him al the partes of our saluacion / and that thow dost not gyue ony part therof to ony other. For we do fynd that the lord Iesus did teache such a confession / and that his apostles made the lyke. For wh? the lorde in the gospell of Iohn speakig plainly inough hadd sayed.

[[Ioan. 10.]]