WHETHER THE CHURCH WERE BEFORE THE The church before the gospel, or the gospel before the church. The word which is the gospel, was before the ANOTHER doubt there is, whether the church or congregation be before the gospel or the gospel before the church. Which question is as hard to solve, as whether the father be elder than the son, or the son elder than his father. For the whole Scripture and all believing hearts testify that we are begotten through the word. Wherefore, if the word beget the congregation, and he that begetteth is before him that is begotten, then is the gospel before the church. Paul also (Rom. ix.) saith, How shall Rom. ix. they call on him whom they believe not? And how shall they believe without a preacher? That is, Christ must first be preached ere men can believe in him. And then it followeth, that the word of the preacher must be before the faith of the believer. And therefore, inasmuch as the word is before the faith, and faith maketh the congregation, therefore is the word or gospel before the congregation. And again, as the air is dark of itself, and receiveth all her light of the sun; even so, are all men's hearts of themselves dark with lies, and receive all their truth of God's word, in that they consent thereto. And, moreover, as the dark air giveth the sun no light, but contrariwise the light of the sun in respect of the air is of itself, and lighteneth the air, and purgeth it from darkness: even so, the lying heart of man can give the word of God no truth; but contrariwise, the truth of God's word is of herself, and lighteneth the hearts of the believers, and maketh them true, and cleanseth them from lies, as thou readest, John xv. Ye be clean by reason of the word. Which is to be understood, in that the word had purged their hearts from lies, from false opinions, and from thinking evil good, and therefore from consenting to church. John xv. John xvii. sin. And (John. xvii.) Sanctify them, O father, through thy truth and thy word is truth. And thus thou seest that God's truth dependeth not of man. It is not true because man so saith or admitteth it for true: but man is true, because he believeth it, testifieth and giveth witness in his heart that it is true. And Christ also saith himself, Note well (John v.) I receive no witness of man. For if the multitude of man's witness might make ought true, then were the doctrine of Mahomet truer than Christ's. this. WHETHER THE APOSTLES LEFT OUGHT UN- Whether the apostles taught any thing that they did not write. BUT did not the apostles teach ought by mouth, that they wrote not? I answer, because that many taught one thing, and every man the same in divers places, and unto divers people, and confirmed every sermon with a sundry miracle; therefore, Christ and his apostles preached an hundred thousand sermons, and did as many miracles, which had been superfluous to have been all written. But the pith and substance in general of every thing necessary unto our souls' health, both of what we ought to believe, and what we ought to do, was written; and of the miracles done to confirm it, as many as were needful. So sary for our that whatsoever we ought to believe or do, that same is written expressly, or drawn out of that which is written. So much is written as is neces salvation. ture writ For if I were bound to do or believe, under pain of the loss of my soul, any thing that were written, nor depended The Scrip- of that which is written, what holp me the Scripture that is written? And thereto, inasmuch as Christ and all his apostles warned us that false prophets should come with ten verities. false miracles, even to deceive the elect if it were possible, wherewith should the true preacher confound the false, ten, must confound the unwrit except he brought true miracles to confound the false, or else authentic Scripture of full authority already among the people? Some man would ask, How did God continue his congregation from Adam to Noah, and from Noah to Abraham, and so to Moses, without writing, but with teaching from mouth to mouth? I answer, first, that there was no Scripture all the while, they shall prove, when our lady hath a new son. God taught Adam greater things than to write. And that there was writing in the world long ere Abraham, yea, and ere Noah, do stories testify. Notwithstanding, though there had been no writing, the preachers were even prophets glorious in doing of miracles, wherewith they confirmed their preaching. And beyond that, God wrote his Testament unto them alway, both what to do, and to believe, even in the Sacraments. For the sacrifices which God gave Adam's sons, were no dumb popery or superstitious Mahometry, but signs of the Testament of God. And in them they read the word of God, as we do in books, and as we should do in our Sacraments, if the wicked pope had not taken the significations away from us, as he hath robbed us of the true sense of all the Scripture. The testament which God made with Noah, that he would no more drown the world with water, he wrote in the Sacrament of the rainbow. And the appointment made between him and Abraham, he wrote in the sacrament of circumcision. And therefore, said Stephen (Acts vii.) He gave them the testament of circumcision. Not that the outward circumcision was the whole testament, but the sacrament or sign there. For circumcision preached God's word unto them, as I have in other places declared. But in the time of Moses, when the congregation was increased, that they must have many preachers, and also rulers temporal, then all was received in Scripture, insomuch, that Christ and his apostles might not have been Writing from the beginning. hath been God from the beginning hath written his hearts of will in the his elect. The pope hath taken from us the significations of the Sacraments Acts vii. There can no more be taught us than is contained in the Scriptures. believed without Scripture for all their miracles. Wherefore, inasmuch as Christ's congregation is spread abroad into all the world much broader than Moses; and inasmuch as we have not the Old Testament only, but also the New, wherein all things are opened so richly, and all fulfilled that before was promised; and inasmuch as there is no promise behind of ought to be shewed more save the resurrection; yea, and seeing that Christ and all the apostles, with all the angels of heaven, if they were here, could preach no more than is preached of necessity unto our souls: how then should we receive a new article of the faith, without Scripture, as profitable unto my soul, when I had believed it, as smoke for sore eyes? What holp it me to believe that our lady's body is in heaven? what am Purgatory. I the better for the belief of purgatory? To fear men, thou wilt say. Christ and his apostles thought hell enough. And yet (besides that the fleshly imagination may not stand with God's word) what great fear can there be of that terrible fire which thou mayest quench almost for three half-pence? The heathen thought nothing more madder than the doc trine of the resurrection. And that the apostles should teach ought by mouth which they would not write, I pray you for what purpose? because they should not come into the hands of the heathen for mocking, saith M. More. I pray you what thing more to be mocked of the heathen could they teach, than the resurrection, and that Christ was God and man, and died between two thieves, and that for his death's sake all that repent and believe therein should have their sins forgiven them? Yea, and if the apostles understood thereby as we do, what madder thing unto heathen people could they have taught them that bread is Christ's body, and wine his blood? And yet all these things they wrote. And again, purgatory, confession in the ear, penance and satisfaction for sin to Godward, with holy deeds, and praying to saints with such like, as dumb sacraments and ceremonies, are marvellous agreeable unto the superstition of the heathen people, so that they needed not to abstain from writing of them, for fear lest the heathen should have mocked them. And tles taught nothing that they were afraid to write. Sacraments have signi Moreover, what is it that the apostles taught by mouth, The aposand durst not write? The sacraments? As for baptism and the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ they wrote, and it is expressed what is signified by them. also all the ceremonies and sacraments that were from Adam to Christ had significations; and all that are made mention of in the New Testament; wherefore, inasmuch fications. as the sacraments of the Old Testament have significations; and inasmuch as the sacraments of the New Testament (of which mention is made that they were delivered unto us by the very apostles, at Christ's commandment) have also significations; and inasmuch as the office of an apostle is to edify in Christ; and inasmuch as a dumb ceremony edifieth not, but hurteth altogether (for if it preach not unto me, then I cannot but put confidence therein, that the deed itself justifieth me, which is the denying of Christ's blood); and inasmuch as no mention is made of them, as well as of other, nor is known what is meant by them; therefore, it appeareth that the apostles taught them not, but that they be the false merchandise of wily hypocrites. And thereto, priesthood was, in the time of the apostles, an office which if they would do truly it would more profit than all the sacraments in the world. And again, God's holinesses strive not one against another, nor defile one another. Their sacraments defile one another. For wedlock defileth priesthood more than whoredom, theft, murder, or any sin against nature. They will haply demand where it is written, that women should baptize? Verily, in this commandment, Love thy neighbour as thyself, it is written, that they may and ought to minister not only baptism, but all other in time of need, if they be so necessary as they preach them. And finally, though we were sure that God himself had given us a sacrament, whatsoever it were, yet if the signification were once lost, we must of necessity, either seek All the sacraments, taught either in the Old Testament or new, have significations. The popish strive one against sacraments another. Sacraments without significations, are not to be received. |