have compassion on him, and with all diligence to pray unto God for him, to give him grace to repent, and to come to the right way again; and not to use such tyranny over God and man, commanding God to curse. And if he repent, we ought with all mercy to receive him in again. This mayest thou see Matt. xviii. and 1 Cor. v. and 2 Cor. ii. CONFIRMATION. craments preach God's promises. The pope's IF confirmation have a promise, then it justifieth as far as the promise extendeth. If it have no promise, then is it not of God, as the bishops be not. The apostles and God's saministers of God preach God's word; and God's signs or sacraments signify God's word also, and put us in remembrance of the promises which God hath made unto us in Christ. Contrariwise, antichrist's bishops preach not, and their sacraments speak not, but as the disguised sacraments bishop's mum; so are their superstitious sacraments are dumb. dumb. After that the bishops had left preaching, then feigned they this dumb ceremony of confirmation, to have somewhat at the leastway, whereby they might reign over Christening their dioceses. They reserved unto themselves also the of bells. christening of bells, and conjuring or hallowing of churches and church-yards, and of altars and super-altars, and hallowing of chalices, and so forth; whatsoever is of honour or profit. Which confirmation, and the other conjurations, also, they have now committed to their suffragans; because they themselves have no leisure to minister such things, for their lusts and pleasures, and abundance of all things; and for the cumbrance that they have in the king's matters and business of the realm. One Why suffragans are ordained. divide all among them. Ceremonies bring not the Holy Ghost. The bishops keepeth the privy seal; another the great seal; the third is confessor, (that is to say, a privy traitor and a secret Judas,) he is president of the prince's council; he is an ambassador; another sort of the king's secret council. Woe is unto the realms where they are of the council. As profitable are they, verily, unto the realms with their counsel, as the wolves unto the sheep, or the foxes unto the geese. They will say that the Holy Ghost is given through such ceremonies. If God had so promised, so should it be; but Paul saith, (Gal. iii.) that the Spirit is received through preaching of the faith. And (Acts x.) while Peter preached the faith, the Holy Ghost fell on Cornelius and on his household. How shall we say then to that which they will lay against us, in the eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, where Peter and John put their hands on the Samaritans, and the Holy Ghost came? I say, that by putting, or with putting, or as they put their hands on them, the Holy Ghost came. Nevertheless, the putting on of the hands did neither help nor hinder. For the text saith, They prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. Putting on of hands. Prayer of faith doth the miracles. The putting on of hands doth neither help nor hinder. God had made the apostles a promise, that he would with such miracles confirm their preaching, and move other to the faith. (Mark, the last.) The apostles, therefore, believed and prayed God to fulfil his promise; and God, for his truth's sake, even so did. So was it the prayer of faith that brought the Holy Ghost, as thou mayest see also in the last of James. If any man be sick, saith James, call the elders of the congregation, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith shall heal the sick. Where a promise is, there is faith bold to pray, and God true to give her her petition. Putting on of the hands is an indifferent thing. For the Holy Ghost came by preaching of the faith, and miracles were done at the prayer of faith, as well without putting on of the hands as with, as thou seest in many places. Putting on of the hands was the manner of that nation, as it was to rend their clothes, and to put on sackcloth, and to sprinkle themselves with ashes and earth, when they heard of or saw any sorrowful thing, as it was Paul's manner to stretch out his hand when he preached. And as it is our manner to hold up our hands when we pray, and as some kiss their thumb nail, and put it to their eyes, and as we put our hands on children's heads when we bless them, saying, Christ bless thee, my son, and God make thee a good man: which gestures neither help nor hinder. This mayest thou well see by the xiith of the Acts, where the Holy Ghost commanded to separate Paul and Barnabas, to go and preach. Then the other fasted and prayed, and put their hands on their heads and sent them forth. They received not the Holy Ghost then by putting on of hands, but the other as they put their hands on their heads prayed for them, that God would go with them, and strength them, and couraged them also, bidding them to be strong in God, and warned them to be faithful and diligent in the work of God, and so forth. ANOILING. LAST of all cometh the anoiling, without promise, and Whatsoever is not of faith is The Latin tongue destroyeth the faith. That the work with out the pro mise saveth is improv. ed. other. Yea they make us believe that the work itself without the promise saveth us, which doctrine they learned of Aristotle. And thus are we become an hundred times worse than the wicked Jews, which believed that the very work of their sacrifice justified them. Against which Paul fighteth in every Epistle, proving that nothing helpeth save the promises which God hath sworn in Christ. Ask the people what they understand by their baptism or washing? And thou shalt see, that they believe, how that the very plunging into the water saveth them: of the promises they know not, nor what is signified thereby. Baptism is called volowing in many places of England, because Volowing. the priest saith, Volo say ye. The child was well volowed (say they) yea, and our vicar is as fair a volower as ever a priest within this twenty miles. The people believe in the work without the promise. Behold how narrowly the people look on the ceremony. If ought be left out, or if the child be not altogether dipt in the water, or if, because the child is sick, the priest dare not plunge him into the water, but pour water on his head, how tremble they! how quake they! how say ye, Sir John, say they, is this child christened enough? hath it his full christendom? They believe verily that the child is not christened; yea I have known priests, that have gone unto the orders again, supposing that they were not priests, because that the bishop left one of his ceremonies undone. That they call confirmation, the people call bishoping. They think that if the bishop butter the child in the forehead, that it is safe. They think that the work maketh safe, and likewise suppose they of anoiling. Now word; that is this false doctrine, verily. For James saith in the first chapter of his Epistle: Of his good will begat he us with the word of life; that is, with the word of promise. In which we are made God's sons, and heirs of the goodness of God, before any good works. For we cannot work God's will till we be his sons, and know his will, and have his Spirit to teach us. And St. Paul saith in the fifth chapter of his Epistle to the Ephesians: Christ The work saveth not, but the is to say, the pro mise. cleansed the congregation in the fountain of water, through the word. And Peter saith in the first of his first Epistle: Ye are born anew, not of mortal seed, but of immortal seed, by the word of God, which liveth and lasteth ever. Paul in every epistle warneth us, that we put no trust in works, and to beware of persuasions or arguments of man's wisdom, of superstitiousness, of ceremonies, of pope-holiness, and of all manner [of] disguising. And exhorteth us to cleave fast unto the naked and pure word of God. The promise of God is the anchor that saveth us in all temptations. If all the world be against us, God's word is stronger than the world. If the world kill us that shall make us alive again. If it be possible for the world to cast us into hell from thence, yet shall God's word bring us again. Hereby seest thou that it is not the work, but the promise that justifieth us through faith. Now where no promise is, there can no faith be, and therefore no justifying, though there be never so glorious works. sacrament of Christ's body after thiswise preach they. Thou must believe that it is no more bread, but the very body of Christ, flesh, blood, and bone; even as he went here on earth, save his coat. For that is here yet, I wot not in how many places. I pray thee what helpeth all this? Here is no promise. The devils know that Christ died on a Friday, and the Jews also. What are they holp thereby? We have a promise that Christ, and his body, and his blood, and all that he did, and suffered, is a sacrifice, a ransom, and a full satisfaction for our sins; that God for his sake will think no more on them, if they have power to repent and believe. The Holy workmen think that God rejoiceth in the deed self, without any farther respect. They think also that God, as a cruel tyrant, rejoiceth, and hath delectation in our pain taking without any farther respect. And therefore many of them martyr themselves without cause, after the ensample of Baal's priests which (2 Kings xviii.) cut themselves to please their god withal, and as the old hea Works, be they never so glorious, justify not. In all thing they leave out the promises. |