Mal. ii.

Priests

should be

For the reckoning of months, years, days, and such other particular words, we said enough before. Now is the prophet sent to appose' the priests in the law of God, and make them give sentence against themselves. "The lips of the priest keep knowledge, and they shall ask the law of his mouth," saith Malachy: and therefore, to see what knowledge they had in the law of the Lord, and what answer they would make, he was sent to examine them; and he puts forth his question so wisely, that he makes them to condemn themselves by their own judgment. He is bidden ask them out of the law of God, and not out of the pope's law, nor yet any man's law, which often through bribes is ended as a man is friended, but out of God's book, which without partiality speaks indifferently on all parts, and neither fears the rich for his might and authority, nor hath foolish pity on the poor for his poverty, but uprightly judges right, and condemns sin, wheresoever it is found. If the priests in Moses' law had this charge given them, to be so cunning in the scriptures, that they should be able to answer all doubts, which could be asked them; how much more learned in should our priests now be able by the scripture to teach all which be ignorant, and answer all doubts that can be moved! for St Paul saith, a minister "should be able to exhort with wholesome doctrine, and confute false." But if ye want one to keep a cur rather than a cure, to be a hunter or a falconer, to be an overseer of your workmen, to be your steward, or look to your sheep and cattle, to be your gardener, keep your orchard, or write your business, who is meeter for any of these businesses than Sir John Lacklatin? What a wickedness is this, that they should take such pains to be so cunning in these things that God looks not for of them; and in those things which God hath charged them withal, they can say nothing at all! they be dumb dogs, not able to bark in rebuking sin; and blind guides, not able to rule their flock. But if the world be on their side, then can they play the wood dogs, biting and snatching at every man near them, and let no honest man dwell in rest by them; but accuse, burn, and condemn all that speak against their mis[Appose question, pose. ED.] [Wood: mad. ED.]

the scrip

ture.

Tit. i.

chiefs. If there be a trental to be said, or any money to be gotten for masses, diriges, relics, pardons, &c. then who is so ready as they? They can smell it out a great sort of miles off. But if a man want comfort in conscience, would understand his duty towards God, or God's goodness towards us; they be blind beasts, ignorant dolts, unlearned asses, and can say nothing but make holy water, and bid them say a lady's psalter.

be a good

teaching.

The questions which he putteth forth here tend to this purpose, that by one thing which is like he may prove another like. For like as hallowed flesh did not hallow these things which it touched; so did not the goodness which was in some of them make the rest holy. But like as he who is defiled in soul did defile all the works that he taketh in hand, even his prayers and sacrifices, &c. so they did also defile all which kept company with them by their evil example. This kind of teaching by parables and similitudes, Similitudes which be like in matter, consequence and truth, although kind of divers in words, is pithy to persuade, and is used sundry times in the scriptures, to bring a man to give sentence against himself. As when Nathan told David the similitude 2 Sam. xii. of the rich man that had many sheep, and the poor man that had but one; and that the rich man had taken the poor man's one sheep; David said he had deserved death, not understanding that Nathan did mean David himself to have done this thing, who gave this sentence of death against himself, because he had so many wives of his own, and yet could not be content with them, but took Urias' wife also. So when the woman of Thecua feigned herself 2 Sam. xiv. to be a poor widow, and her two sons had the one killed the other, and the officers would have put the other to death for murdering his brother; she makes supplication to the king David, desiring that her other son might not be put to death, for she had rather lose the one son which was killed, than have the other now put to death also; for then all her comfort was gone: when David had granted her request, that her son should not die for this murder, then said she, "Why should not the king bring home again his son Absalon, which killed his brother Ammon, but suffer him to die also banished?" Thus David was deceived by the woman,

[PILKINGTON.]

11

which under the names of her own sons made suit for Absalon, the king's son, by the counsel of Joab and David thought in reason he should be as ready to shew pity to his own son Absalon as to another, and gave sentence so against himself. So the priests here, granting that whatsoever touches him who is defiled in soul, that thing is also defiled too, prove and give sentence against themselves, condemning all their own deeds to be naught and defiled, because they themselves were wicked and defiled. What wickedness were in this people, Esdras tells, when he divorces such a number as had married heathen wives contrary to the law; and Nehemias, Nehem. v. when he tells how by bribery and usury they had polled their poor brethren, and gotten their goods and lands into their hands and how they had all offended God in not building this temple, this prophet teaches here plain. These with divers other gross sins had defiled this people; and there

Ezra x.

Isai. i.

Isai. lxvi.

Psal. xl.

Sin defiles fore all that they did and touched was defiled. Sin is so those things that God vile and filthy, that it defiles even those things which God himself commands. himself hath commanded. Esay saith, "Your sabbath-days and other feasts my soul abhors;" and yet God had commanded them his own mouth to observe such feasts. Esay saith also, "He that offers an ox is as if he killed a man, and he that sacrifices a sheep is as though he brained a dog" and again, "Sacrifice and offering for sin thou hast not required." But Esay addeth a reason why God should hate that which he once commanded, and saith, "Your hands are full of blood; ye do not hear the widows' and the fatherless' cause," &c. Seeing then sin hath such a strength in it, that it makes God to hate those things which he ordained himself; how much need have we to take heed what we do, lest in thus offending God we make him to forsake both us and all that we should have good of!

Holy flesh.

That is called holy flesh which was offered to the Lord, and whereof sometime the whole was burned, and sometime that part which remained was eaten of the priests and them that brought it to be sacrificed. If that flesh then, which was thus hallowed by the commandment of God, had not this strength in it, to hallow the lap of a garment wherein it was carried, and so the lap to hallow what thing soever it should touch; how can the pope's conjured water, which

no scripture

hallowing

he calls holy, make the man or house where it is sprinkled so holy, that no devils dare enter? The devil durst tempt our Saviour Christ; and yet they say he fears their conjured water, as though it were holier than Christ himself. Where hath he any promise from God of such foolishness? What can their holy ashes, holy palms, holy crosses, holy Popes have bells, holy cream, relics, moulds, chalice, corporas, fire, candles, for their beads, or that which is their most holy relic, their oil, where- of things. with they anoint their shavelings, priests, and bishops, do? They would make men believe that the oil hath such holiness in it, that whosoever wanteth it is no priest nor minister. Therefore in the late days of popery our holy bishops I called before them all such as were made ministers without such greasing, and blessed them with the pope's blessing, anointed them, and then all was perfect; they might sacrifice for quick and dead: but not marry in no case, and yet keep whores as many as they would. If any of their such greased disciples were traitor, felon, or heretic, that he had deserved death, (in token that their oil was so holy, and had entered so deep into the flesh, but bringing no holiness with it; for then their anointed should not have fallen so sore as they did, and do;) before any such offender could suffer death, he must first be deposed of all that he received from the pope of his orders and apparel, and have all that skin of his crown and fingers pared off or scraped, because they were greased with their oil.

hallowed by

tradition

another

What oil used the apostles in making ministers, or what Nothing scripture is for it? The holy flesh which was offered to God the pope's by his own commandment had not this power to hallow the can hallow things which it touched; and yet their holy water and grease thing. must have it. Is this like to be true? doth not all their false feigned holiness, which they put in things made holy by their own hallowing only, and not by God, fall by this one sentence of God's mouth? can any thing be more plainly spoken against all their juggling than this? For the same reason that is against flesh, is against all their holy toys, by what name soever they be called. If they will not believe God and his scripture, let them believe the priests, their elders and predecessors; yea, and that which they crack so much of, that is a general council, which they think can

Christ only maketh us

holy, and only hath

the fulness

of holiness.

1 Cor. xii. John iii.

1 Cor. i.

not err. The prophet here is sent to all the priests; and here is answered in all their names by general consent and counsel, that holy flesh cannot hallow that thing which it touches. If it be so in one hallowed thing, as it is in this flesh, why should it not be so in all other likewise?

There is no creature which can give that holiness to another which is in itself: this thing belongs to Christ alone; for "of his fulness all we have received," as St John saith. And where we have gifts of the Holy Spirit by measure, so much as pleases God of his goodness to give; Christ our Lord and Saviour had the fulness of the Spirit without all measure, that of his fulness we all might receive part. Christ hath the fulness of the gifts of the Spirit so much, that although he give part to us all, yet he hath nothing less himself. For as the sun gives light plentiful to the whole world, and yet keeps the self-same light within itself; so our Saviour Christ, God and man, hath the perfect fulness of all goodness in himself, and yet gives part to us as he thinks good, not losing any piece of that he hath himself, but lightening our darkness with that light which he hath within himself. St Paul saith, he "is our wisdom, righteousness, holiness, and redemption," because he gives us all these things.

As it is in flesh, so it is in all other creatures; although a probable objection to the contrary may be made out of the Matt. xxiii. scriptures themselves. Our Saviour Christ, saying, "Woe to the scribes and Pharisees," which taught that "he which swore by the temple or the altar was nothing, but if he swore by the gold of the temple, or the offering on the altar, he was in fault," seems to teach contrary; for he adds unto more, saying that the temple makes the gold holy, and the altar the offering; and that he which swears by the altar, sweareth by it and those things which be on it; and he that swears by the temple, swears by it and him which is in it; as though the temple and the altar made other things holy. St Paul, speaking of the marriage of the faithful and the unfaithful, saith that the unfaithful part is made holy by the faithful. But here you must mark, that this holiness, which St Paul speaks of, belongs nothing to the salvation or forgiveness of sin of the unholy party; but teaches that such marriage to continue is not unlawful and

1 Cor. vii.