raell, when as he gaue them that lawe which he had receiued of the Lord. How can they then excuse themselues of periury, which ordaine new lawes to liue by? MarginaliaHow farre the office of Priestes extendeth.But let vs proceede further, and see what authoritie the Priestes of Leuies stocke had to make lawes. I doe not denye but that God in xvij chapter of Deuteronomie  

, ordayned vnder a great penaltie, that the authoritie of the Priestes should not be contemned, but had in reuerence. But in the ij. of Malachie   . He also declareth vnder what condition they are to be heard, where as he sayth: he hath made a couenaunt with Leuy, that the law of truth should be in hys mouth, and by and by after he added: the lips of the Priest shall keepe and maintayne wisedome, and the law they shall require at hys mouth, which is the messenger of the Lord of hostes. Therefore it is fitte and necessary that if a Priest will be heard, that he doe shew himselfe the messenger of God, that is to say, faythfully to report and declare the commaundements which he hath receiued of the Lorde. For whereas Malachie speaketh of hearyng of them, he putteth this specially that they doe aunswere accordyng to the lawe of the Lorde. Therefore lyke as the Leuiticall Priestes did breake theyr couenaunt made with GOD, if they did teache any other lawe then that which they had receyued of hym: So likewyse these men muste eyther acknowledge themselues to be couenant breakers, or els they may not bynde the consciences of men with no new lawe.

[Back to Top]

Furthermore, what power the Prophetes had vniuersally, it is very liuely described in Ezechiel in his xxxiij. chapter  

.

MarginaliaEzechiel. cap. 55.Thou sonne of man sayth the Lord, I haue made thee a guide vnto the house of Israel, thou shalt heare the word out of myne owne mouth, and declare it vnto them from me. He then which is commaunded to heare of the mouth of the Lord, is he not forbidden to rehearse or speake any thing of hymselfe? For what other thyng is it to speake from the Lord, but so to speake, that he may boldly affirme and say, that it is not his word, but the word of the Lorde, which he spcaketh.

[Back to Top]

Further, God by his Prophet Ieremy  

calleth it chaffe, what so euer doth not proceede from hymselfe. Wherefore, none of the Prophetes haue opened theyr mouthes at any tyme to speake, but beyng premonished before by the worde of GOD. Whereupon it happeneth, that these wordes are so often pronounced by them, The worde of the Lord, The charge or burden of the Lord. The vision of the Lord, Thus sayth the Lord, The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

[Back to Top]

Now that we may also confirme that which is before spoken, by the examples of the Apostles, that they haue taught nothyng but that whiche they haue learned of the Lorde, the law which Christ prescribed vnto them, when as he endowed them with the dignitie and honour of the Apostleship, is somewhat more profoundly to be repeated. In the last chapiter of Mathew  

, he commandeth them to go foorth and teach, not such thyngs as they themselues did rashly inuent or deuise, but those things which he had commaunded them.

[Back to Top]

Furthermore, Paule in the second to the Collossians  

, denieth that he hath any dominion or rule ouer the fayth of the Corinthians, albeit he was ordayned by the Lorde to be their Apostle. If you require and desire a further reason of the moderation of Saint Paule, read the tenth chapter of his Epistle to the Romaines   , where as he teacheth, That fayth commeth by hearyng, it commeth not by the dreames of the Bishop of Rome, or by any other Bishop, but onely by the worde of God, neyther ought any man to thinke it straunge, that neyther Christ restrayned hys Apostles by the lawe, that they should not teache any thyng but that which they had learned of the mouthe of the Lord. He set the same law vppon himselfe because it should not be lawfull for any man to refuse it.

[Back to Top]

My doctrine sayth Christ  

is not myne, but hys which sent me, my fathers: he which hath bene the onely and eternall counseller of the father, which also is ordayned by the Father, the Lord and Maister ouer all, for so much yet as he doth the office and part of a Minister, he doth by hys example prescribe vnto all Ministers, what rule and order they ought to followe in teachyng, wherfore the power of the Church is not such, that it may at hys owne wyll and discretion, teach new doctrines, eyther as they terme it, frame new Articles of fayth, either establish new laws: but is subiect vnto the worde of the Lorde, and as it were included in the same. But now let vs beholde what defence they do bryng for their constitutions. The Apostles say they, and the Elders of the Primitiue Church established a decree   , besides the commandement of Christ, wherby they did commaunde all people to abstayne from allthings offered vnto Idols, suffocation, and bloud. If that were lawfull for them so to doe, why is it not lawfull for their successour, as often as necessitie shall require to imitate and follow them in doyng the lyke. MarginaliaThe Church subiect to the word of God.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaReasons wherewith they def?d their constitutions.But I deny that the Apostles in that behalfe, did make any new decree or ordinaunce, for so much as Peter in the same counsell pronouuceth  

God to be tempted, if any yoke be layd vpon the neckes of the Disciples: MarginaliaAunswere to the reasons aboue.Euen he hymselfe doth subuert and ouerthrowe hys owne sentence, if they consent to lay any yoke vppon them. But a yoke is layd vpon them if the Apostles by their owne authoritie do decree to prohibite the Gentils not to touch any thyng offered vnto Idoles or strangled, but you will say, they do write that they should abstayne from those thinges. I graunt that they do so write. But what doth S. Iames declare? That the Gentils which are conuerted vnto God are not to be troubled and vexed in such externe decrees and outward elemcntes as these be. And the Apostle sufficiently declareth that he goeth about nothyng lesse th? to restraine the libertie of the Gentiles, but onely to admonish and warne them how they should moderate and rule themselues amongest their brethren, lest they should abuse their libertie to the offence of the others.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaAn other reas?.They alledge furthermore, that which is written in the 23. of Mathew  

, the Scribes and Phariseis haue sitten in the chayre of Moyses, therefore all thyngs what so euer they commaund you to obserue and keepe, the same obserue and do, but do you not as they doe. I aunswer, the Lord in this place doth inuey agaynst the manners of the Pharisies simply instructing his hearers, which before he had taught, that albeit they could perceiue or see nothyng in their lyfe which they should follow, yet for all that they should not refuse to doe those thyngs which they dyd teach by the worde, I say by the worde, and not of theyr owne head.

[Back to Top]

Diuers and many wayes he hath sayd, holden, and also affimed, and openly taught that there is no religion to be obserued or kept, but simply to be abolished and destroyed: as it is now in England, and despising all religion, affirmyng, that it is but abusing of the people, he hath taught that their habites and vestures are deformed, and very monstrous, hauyng in them no maner of vtilitie or holynesse, inducyng and alluryng as much as in him laye, all the adherentes of hys opinion, that all religion in the kyngdome of Scotland should be subuerted and vtterly taken away, to the great offence of the Catholicke Church, and the diminishing and detrimen of the Christian Religion.

[Back to Top]

The Prophet Esay in hys fift chapter  

, cryeth out, saying. Wo be vnto you which call euill good, and good euill, darkenesse, lyght, and lyght, darkenesse, sower, sweete, and sweete sower. And followeth in the same place, in the sayd Prophetes, Wo, sayth he, to you that be wise and Sapient in your owne eyes, and prudent in your owne estimation. No man can denye but that the Cardinall of Scotland and hys adherentes to be vnder this most heauy and grieuous curse, when as they doe so generally confound the Christian religion and their wicked Monkery, that they do entitle them both by one name of holinesse, I trust I will make it appeare more manifest then the day, that they do it by a sacrilegious audacitie or boldnesse, vnto such as settyng a parte all preposterous affection, wyll embrace the truth, when as she doth manifestlye shewe her selfe.

[Back to Top]

But before I enter into the matter, I will all men to vnderstande, that I do not touche that kynd of Monkery, whiche Saint Augustine and other so often make mention of: As in which the Monkes beyng gathered together vtterly, contemnyng and despising the vanities of this world, dyd lead a most chaste and godly lyfe, liuyng in prayer, readyng, and disputations, not puffed vp wyth pryde, nor contentious with frowardnesse, neyther full of enuie, no man possessed any thing of hys owne, no man was chargeable or burdenous vnto others, they wrought with theyr handes to gette that which might sustayne the body, the spirit and mynd not let and hindered from God. Whatsoeuer did superabound more then was necessarye for their sustentation, as by the restraint of their delicious and delicate fare, much did redound of the labours of their hands, it was with such diligence distributed vnto ^e poore and nedy, as it was not with greater diligence gotten by them which did geue the same.

[Back to Top]