[Page]SAint Paule in the .x. to the Romaynes annexeth the faith of Christ in the hert wyth Confession of the mouth,Rom. x. so that the one (it semeth bi him) cā be no more without the other, then fire can be without heat, saing these wordes: the hearte beleueth to iustice, the confession of the mouth is to saluatiō. wherī he declareth, that euē as the cause of our acceptiō, through Christ is the confidence and faith of the heart in the promises of god: so is the confessiō outwardly of the same faith by mouth, the fruite that al christian faithful heartes bringe fourth throughe the same gifte of god, And wher as this effect of cō fession is not: there wanteth also the cause of confession, whiche is true faith. For as the tre is knowen bi hir fruites: so is faith bi hir effectes. And as the want of fruite, is a demonstration that the tree is vnprofitable: so the want of true cō fession of faith, is a token that the faith is dead, the ende of the vnprofitable tre is cutting down, and [Page] casting into the fyre. The ende of the fruitles faith is death, and casting to eternal damnation. wherfore S. Peter requiteth vs,Pe. iii to make answer to euery man, that demandeth of vs, of such hope as is in vs, with gentlenes & reuerence, which is a very testimony that we sanctify god in our hartes, as it is before in the same chap. For the greatest honour that man can geue to god: is to confesse and answer in the time of trouble, truly and faithfully to his holy word and faith. wherfore it is the dutie of euery christian, to prai & studie to haue a through knoledge of his faith in Christ and that as the glory of god shall require, and his religiō attempt: to be redy to make answer for the same. whatsoeuer the world feare, displeasure, frendshippe, or other lettes should saie to the contrary: vpon paine saith Christ, that i will denie him before mi father,Mark viii Luke. ix·xii. which is in heauen. But how hard a thing it is to confesse Christ in the daies of trouble, not onely the Scripture but also daily experience in good [Page] men & women doth declare. True confession is enuironed on euerye side with mani daungers on the right hand & on the left hand, nowe with faire meanes, then with foul thretnīgs, fearful & dāgerous as it is said by Christ, thei shal betraye you to the iudges, and of theim ye shalbe beaten & iudged to death. On thother side, shal pul vs backe the loue of wife, children, brother sister, kīred, frinds, lāds, & the loue vnto our selues, but he that is ouer come bi any of these meanes,Mat. x Luke. xiii. hath this iudgement, He is not mete for me saith Christ. These thinges are vnpossible vnto men, yet to christian men in Christ possible, & so necessary, that christianitie and true religion cannot be in him that is afraide to confesse Christe and hys gospel in the time of persecution. The wysdome of the world doth say: although i do accomplish the desire of my frindes, and to the sight of the world, am presēt at the masse, and with my body do as other men do: or as i mai do, yet my heart is clene contrary to their belefe, [Page] and I do detest such idolatry, and beleue that the thīg that i am present at, is mere idolatri and abhomination. Here be fair wordes for an euill purpose, and a pretensed excuse for a iust cōdēnaciō before god. For if it be true, ye know the thīg ye resort vnto to be y• dishonour of god: why do ye honour it with your presence? If ye know it to be euil, why refrain ye not frō it? If your conscience say it is idolatry, why serueth your bodi such thinges as your faith abhorreth? If in your heart ye knowe but one God, whi with your external presence serue ye the thynge that ye know is not god? If your faith see idolatri, whi doth your silence cō fes & profes the same? Two mē in one, god loueth not. If the inward man know the truth, whi doth the outward man confesse a falshod? If the spirit be ꝑswaded that the masse is idolatri,esay. xxix. ezechi. xxxiii. Mat. xv whi doth the corporal presēce vse it as god in doīg godly honour to it? Do ye not perceiue what is writen in Esaie and s. Mathew. This people honoure [Page] me with the mouth, but their hartes be far from me. The cause whi God was offended with this people,Math. xv. Esay. xix. Ese. xx. [...]ii. was that outwardly thei confessed him, but their heartes were farre from him inwardly. wherof ye may se what it is to beare ii. faces in one hode, outwardly to serue god, and inwardly to serue the deuil. Now marke of this place. If it bee so horrible and damnable a thinge to be false in the hert, which none knoeth but God, & is worthi also of damnatiō, what is to be iudged of the outward & manifest vse of idolatry? whiche not onely God, but also eueri good man knoeth and abhorreth. Ther is no coulered nor clooked hipocrisie that god can awaie with. If the hearte thinke not as the tonge speaketh, or elce the tonge speke otherwise then the heart thinketh, bothe be abhominable beefore god. Reade the .iii. and .vi. cha. of the first Epi of s. Paul to the Corin. wher as S. Paul saith:i. Corint. iii. & .vi. know ye not y• your bodies be ye tēples of the holy gost, if your bodies be the tēples of ye holi gost, what agrement hath it with [Page] throughe thi knoledge, shall that weake brother perishe for whom Christ died. When ye sinne so against the brethren, and wound their weake cōscience, ye sinne against Christ. This iudgement of s. Paull is more to be folowed, then al our owne fained and wrested defences that woulde seme to do wel, when we halt on both sides, which god abhorreth. Paull hath a profound and a deepe consideration of that mans fact, that hath knoledge, ād perceiueth his dissimulation to be dāgerus & perilous to all ꝑsōs that he dwelleth withal First al such as be of a right & staied iudgement, & will not prostrate their bodyes to an idol, doth he cōdemne. Secōdly, by their such dissimulatiō, the very idolaters them selues haue aconfirmatiō, and defence of their abhomination, by the ptesence of him, that the Christen congregation, knoeth to haue knolege. Thirdly, the weake sort, that wold gladly take the best waye, by a dissemblers halting and plaieng on both handes: embraceth both in bodye [Page] and in soule the euil that he abhorreth in his heart, that hath knowledge, & yet with presence honoreth it as other dooe, that haue no knoledge. If S. Paul said, that the weke brother doth perish for whō Christ died, ī him that abused knoledge in meates and drinkes, that of themselues be indifferent, how much more in the knoledge of him that vseth manifest idolatry, forbidden of god, as a thing not indifferent? Take hede therfore what s. Paul meaneth, & what he wolde proue against this manne that had knoledge, that nether the idol nor the meates dedicated to Idolles were anye thinge. Forsoth this he wold proue, that a poore mā that wanted knoledge, by the example of him that hath knoledge, dothe auēture to do euil, which he wold not do, in case he saw not those of whom he hath good opiniō go before him as author of the euil. And in dede when the ignorant people or those that be halfe perswaded in a truth, yea or else throwly perswaded, what is euil, yet whē thei [Page] haue anye notable men or wemen for an example to followe. Thei thinke in following of theim, thei be excused: yea although peraduenture thei do it against their conscience, as ye may se by the example of Peter,Gala. ii. how mani good men began to dissemble: yea, Barnabas himselfe Thapostle of the Gentiles. But howe great offence this is before God, so to make a doubtful and relucting conscience to do any thing that is not godly: let the iudgement of men passe, and measure it by gods word. Christ saith: it were better a milstone were hanged about such an offenders neck,mat. xviii and caste into the sea. And doubtles, the pain must be the greater, because we geue offence wittinglie against our owne consciences, and this before God, is a wicked knoledge, that causeth another to perish. wo be to him that is learned, to bring his brother to destructiō. Doth a christian manne know the truth to bring his brother to a lye? for those weaklinges that we make to stumble, Christ died for, as S. [Page] Paule saith: God defende that we should confirme any mans conscience in euil. Let euery man of God weie with himselfe the Doctrine of s. Paule, that commaundeth vs to flie from idolatrye. And marke what s. Paule in that place calleth idolatry. It is to bee sene plainly, that he speaketh not of such idolatri, as men that lack knoledge in their hearts what God is, & what is not god. For in the .viii. chap. before, he saithe that menne knowe that the idols wer no gods, & that althoughe by name the Gentyles had mani gods: yet thei knew ther was but one God. Therfor he meaneth nothinge by this commaundement, flie idolatry, but to auoyd such rites, ceremonies & vsages as outwardly were vsed in the honor & reuerence of the idols, that wer not god. And weiing the right vse of the Lordes Supper, and the dignitie therof, with the maner & vse of the gentiles toward their gods: would bring the church of the Corinthians to vnderstand, how that as the deuine and sacred rites, ceremonies [Page] and vse of the blessed sacrament of Christes body & bloud did sacrate, sanctify and declare him that vseth it, to be the seruāt and childe of god: so did the rites and sacramentes of the Gentiles define and declare the vses therof to be the seruauntes & children of the idolles, notwithstandinge in their hert, thei knew wel inough the idoll was nothing. God bi his sacramētes doth couple vs to him selfe. Let vs praye to him that we pollute not our selues, with any rites, ceremonies or vsages, not instituted by god. In this case a faythful man to be at the Masse, is to be considered with what mind those that there he accompanieth himself withal, commeth thither, and what the ende is of the work that the priest doth. The people come to honour the bread and wyne for god, and the prist purposeth to cō secrate both god and man, and so to offer Christ to the father for remission of sinne. Nowe doe those that adioyne thēselues vnto these people, professe and declare a sosietie [Page] and felowship of the same impietie, as s. Paul laid to the Corinthians charge. S. Paull was not offended with the Corinthians because thei lacked knoledge of the true God:ii. Cor. vi but because contrary to their knoledge, thei associated thē selues with idolatores. For this is true▪ that in all rites, sacramentes, and honoringes, whether thei be of God or of the Deuill, there is a profession of the communion: so that anye man protesteth to be of the same religion that the rest bee of that be partakers with him. I do knowe there bee manye inuasions made by men, that teach a manne with safegard of his conscience to be at Masse, but forasmuch as Master Caluin, Master Bullenger and others, haue throughly answered theim, suche as bee in doubt, may rede their bookes.
This is a true confession, and consonant to goddes holy worde.