neither do they take other mens goodes away from them. Nay it seeketh not her owne things. For charitie seeketh not the things that be her owne. Wherfore, much lesse by a stronger reason it ought not to seke for other mens goods. And whē as the iudicials& morals were ordained: Christ did not by þe workes of the law iustifie the beleuers in him, but by grace iustified them frō their sins. And so did Christ fulfill that by grace, that the lawe could not by iustice.
[Back to Top]Paule to the Romaines declareth in a godly discourse, and to the Galath. likewise: that none shall be iustified by the workes of the lawe, but by grace,MarginaliaFree iustification, by fayth onely. Grace, that is free fauour, mercy, & goodnes of God. in the faith of Iesu Christ.
Brut's criticism of ceremonies and good works is interesting, but Foxe is stretching a point to hail it as justification by faith.
Wherfore sithens that the holy things of the law, were a shadowe of those things that were to come in the time of grace: it were meete that all those thynges should vtterly cease amongest Christians,MarginaliaAll shadowes ought to cease among Christians. which should either be against charity, or the grace of Christ. Although in the time of the lawe, they were lawfull, and not vtterly contrary to it, but were figures of perfections in Christes faith: yet it were meete that they should cease at þe comming of the perfection whych they did prefigurate: as circumcision, the eating of the paschal lambe, and other ceremonial points of the law. Wherupon also Paul to the MarginaliaHebrewes 7. Where the priesthood is remoued, there also the law is remoued.Hebrues the 7. chapter sayeththus. If therfore the making vp of þe perfection of all was by the Leuiticall priesthode (for the people receiued the law vnder hym) why was it necessary besides, that an other Priest should rise vp after the order Melchisedech, & not be called after the order of Aaron? For whē the Priesthode is remoued, it must needes be, that the lawe also be remoued. For he, in whom these things are spokē, is of an other tribe, of which, none stoode present at the aulter. Because it is manifest that our Lorde had hys offspring of Iuda: in which tribe Moises spake nothing of the Priests. And besides this, it is manifest: if according to the order of Melchisedech there do rise vp an other Priest, which was not made according to the law of the carnal commaundement, but according to the power of the life that cannot be losed.Marginalia* Bounde, as a matter of religion, or as by the necessitie of Gods law & not mans: but now tithes stand by mās law, and not by the old law. For thus he beareth witnes, that thou art a priest for euer, after the order of Melchisedech: so that, the cōmandement, that went before, is disalowed for the weakenes & vnprofitablenesse thereof.MarginaliaThe cause ceasing, the effect also ceaseth. For the lawe hath brought no body to perfection. By which things it appeareth that Christ making an end of the priesthode of Aaron, doth also make vp a full end of the law belonging to that Priesthode.
The following passages contain an attack by Brut on tithes and Foxe's attempt, in a marginal gloss, to explain that what Brut really meant was that tithes could not be defended by citing Old Testament law.
It is plaine, that the tithes were geuen to the sonnes of Leui, for their seruing in the tabernacle & in the temple of the Lord, as the first fruites were geuen to the priestes, and also part of the sacrifices, & so were the vowes for their ministery, as it appeareth in the booke of Numbers the 22. chapter. But forasmuch as the labor of those sacrifices did cease at the comming of Christ: howe should those thyngs be demaunded, which were ordained for that labour? And seeing that the first fruits were not demaunded of Christians, which first fruits were then rather and soner demanded then the tithes: why must the tithes be demanded, except it be therefore peraduenture because that the tythes be more worth in value then be the first fruites?
[Back to Top]MarginaliaIf tithes be claymed by force of the olde law, by the same law priestes are bounde to haue no temporalties.Secondly, why are the lay people boūd to the paiment of tithes, more then the Leuites and the priests were to the not hauing of possessious of realties & Lordships amongst their brethren, seeing þt the selfe same lawe in the self same place (where he sayeth that the tithes ought to be geuen to Leuites) sayth also to the Leuites, You shall be contented with the offering of the tithes, and haue none other thyng amongst your brethren. Wherefore seeing that the Priestes be bounde, to the not hauing of temporall Lordshippes: how are the lay people boūd, by that law (of God he meaneth, and not of man) to the paiment of tithes?MarginaliaHe proueth not cōtrary, but that tythes be due, by the positiue law of man: Although not by the ceremoniall law of Moses.
[Back to Top]Thirdly, as touching circumcision, which is one of the greater ceremonies of the lawe, and was geuen before the law, & was an vniuersall ceremonie, concerning the couenant betwene God & hys people, and was so much regarded in the law, that thereof it was sayde: The soule, whose flesh shall not be circumcised in the foreskin, shall pearysh from amongest his people: yet did thys ceremonie vtterly cease at the comming of Christe, although that certayne of the Iewes did say in the primatiue Church, that the Christians must needes kepe the commandement of circumcision with the faith:MarginaliaCircumcisiō ceaseth: Ergo, the ceremonies doe cease. whom Paule reprooueth wryting thus to the MarginaliaGalat. 4.Galathians the 4. chapter, where he speaketh of the children of the bondwoman & of the freewoman, which do signify the two Testaments. But we (O brethren) are the children of the promise after Isaac, but like as at that time he that was borne after the flesh, did persecute hym, which was after the spirit: euen so it is now also. But what saith the scripture? Throw out the bondwoman and her sonne. The sonne of the bondwoman, shall not be heire wyth the sonne of the freewoman. Wherefore brethrē, we are not the sonnes of the bondwoman, but of the free.MarginaliaChristiā libertie from the bondage of the lawe. Stād ye stedfast in the liberty, wherwith Christ hath deliuered you, and be not ye holden againe vnder the yoke of slauery. Behold I Paule say vnto you, if you be circumcised, Christ shall nothing profite you. For I testifie againe to euery man that circumciseth hymselfe, that hee is bounde to keepe all the whole law. Ye are vtterly voide of Christ: whosoeuer will be iustified in the law, are fallen from grace.
[Back to Top]In like maner, we may reason, if we be bounde to tything, we are debters, & bound to keepe al the whole law. For to say that men are bound to one ceremony of the law,MarginaliaBounde in one thing (hee meaneth) bound in all. & not to the others, is no reasonable saying. Either therefore we are bound to them all, or to none.MarginaliaEither boūd to all, or to none. Also, that by the same *Marginalia* Here hee expresseth his meaning plainly. olde lawe, men are not bound to pay tithes, it may be shewed by many reasons, which we nede not any more to multiply & encrease, because the things that be sayd, are sufficient. Whereupon some do say, that by the Gospell we are bound to pay tithes, because Christ saide to the Phari-
[Back to Top]