A declararation [sic] of the twelue articles of the christen faythe with annotations of the holy scripture, where they be grounded in. And the righte foundation and principall comon places of the hole godly scripture, a goodly short declaration, to all Christians profitable and necessarye for to come to the right vnderstondynge of holy Scripture compyled for the commodite of al christen people. By D. Vrbanum Regium.

Difference of meates. [ 25]

God dyd commaunde the Iewes in the Olde Testamente to absteyne from eatyng of certayne beastes. But in the newe testamente, is no more for biddynge of meates, but onelye the abuse of them is forbidden, and not the ryghte vse of them for the necessa∣ry sustenaunce of man. Euerye daye mayest thou Christenly eate al maner of meates, for the sustentation of thy body, fysshe, egges, what soeuer it be with thankes geuynge.* 1.1 What soeuer entreth in to the mouthe defyleth not the man, but onely that which cometh owte from the herte. Thys is groun∣ded in the Euangelistes,* 1.2 and in saynt Paules Epistles: For vnto the pure (that is vnto the beleuyng) are al thin¦ges pure.

But for as moche as many are en∣tangled with mennes traditions,* 1.3 thin¦kynge,

that it is not alwayes laufull to eate flesshe. So shalt thou auoyde the offence, and for thy neyghboures sake somwhat forbeare thy Christian liberty, in that whiche is not agaynste god, and instructe & teache hym, what is commaunded of god, or lycensed. For yf thou wylt be a right Christian, then must thou haue a respecte vnto the wordes of Christe, and vse thy sel∣fe thereafter. But yf thou regard mo∣re the wordes of mē thē the wordes of god, thē arte thou no Christiā, but a pa¦pist. God hath not layed his word be∣fore the for nought. Thinkest thou, Thou Ipocryte, blynde, myserable wretche, that God was not able to shewe the ryghte waye to saluation, wilt thou with thy good thynkynge, inuente a better waye.* 1.4 Christe is the way and the lighte. He that followeth not hys doctryne, and inuenteth ano∣ther waye, the same doth erre, and fe∣leth and gropeth in the darkenes.

Then wilt thou saye, shall then the Popes lawes, and the institutions of

the Counsaylles be of no reputation. Answer. The pope and the counseyl∣les maye erre, and haue many tymes erred shamefully, but yf thou wilt not erre, then followe the scripture. It is to vs a sure marke, that the scripture of the Bybell cometh from the holye gooste, yf the institutions of the Po∣pes and counseils be conformable and agreynge with the Byble, then are they conclusyons oute of the Bible, & to be kepte. But yf they be contrary to the Bible, then is it errour. The ho¦ly goost is not wauerynge, that whi∣che he hath ones spoken through the Euangelistes for the saluation of the soule, the same is sure, and he doth not agayne saye it, or speake agaynst hym selfe. Wilt thou proue, & be sure, yf the spirite of the Pope, or of the counseils be of God, then beholde & reade theyr writtynges, cōparing thē with the Bi¦ble, yf they be agreable to the Byble, then is it the spirite of God, yf not,* 1.5 so is it the spirite of the deuyll. For the∣re oughte nothynge to be added vnto the worde of God.

* 1.6The worde of God is the sustenaū¦ce of the soule, and maketh a newe vp∣righte ioyfull conscience, and sheweth vnto mā the nexte & streyghtest waye to saluation. But the worde of men, is a poyson to the soule, and maketh a troubled,* 1.7 sorowfull, fearfull and erro¦nious conscience, whiche is marked with an hote Iron.

Notes

• * 1.1

  mat. xv. mar. vij Colo. ij.
• * 1.2

  Titus. i Ro. xiiij
• * 1.3

  i. Cor. x and viij
• * 1.4

  ioh. xiiij and viij
• * 1.5

  Pro xxx deu. viij
• * 1.6

  mat. iiij
• * 1.7

  i. tim. iiij ij. Cor. x