when as he gaue them that lawe which he had recei∣ued of the Lord. How can they then excuse themselues of periury, which ordaine new lawes to liue by? 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 the 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 mes∣senger of God, that is to say, faythfully to report and de∣clare the commaundements which he hath receiued of the Lorde. For where as Malachie speaketh of hearyng of them, he putteth this specially that they doe aunswere ac∣cordyng to the lawe of the Lorde. Therefore lyke as the Leuiticall Priestes did breake theyr couenaunt made with GOD, if they do 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.
Furthermore, what power the Prophetes had vni∣uersally, it is very liuely described in Ezechiel in his xxxiij. chapter.
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 speaketh.
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 a∣ny 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.
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 repea∣ted. 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.
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 tea∣cheth, 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 a∣ny man to thinke it straunge, that neyther Christ restray∣ned 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.
My doctrine sayth Christ is not myne, but hys which sent me, my fathers: he which hath bene the onely and e∣ternall 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 or∣der they ought to followe in teachyng, wherfore the pow∣er 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 de∣fence they do bryng for their constitutions. The Apostles say they, and the Elders of the Primitiue Church establi∣shed a decree, besides the commandement of Christ, wher∣by they did commaunde all people to abstayne from all things 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 imi∣tate and follow them in doyng the lyke.
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 pronounceth God to be tempted, if any yoke be layd vpon the neckes of the Disciples: Euen he hym∣selfe 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 elementes as these be. And the Apostle suf∣ficiently declareth that he goeth about nothyng lesse thē to restraine the libertie of the Gentiles, but onely to admo∣nish 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.
They alledge furthermore, that which is written in the 23. of Mathew, the Scribes and Phariseis haue si••ten in the chayre of Moyses, therefore all thyngs what so euer they commaund you to obserue and keepe, the same ob∣serue 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.