Jesus Christ who was preached among you by me, and Silvanus, and Timothcus, was not yea and nay.
Obs. Here observe, that the consent of preachers in the mysteries of salva- tion, is an excellent means to strengthen faith in their hearers ; not in regard of the truth itself, but in regard of men. So it plcaseth God to condescend to our weakness, in adding sacraments and oath unto his promises, thereby to shew the more stableness of his counsel towards us.
By 'yea' here is meant certain, constant, invariable. The times vary, but not the faith of the times. The same fundamental truth is in all ages. Sometimes indeed it is more explicated and unfolded ; as we have in the New Testament divers truths more clearly revealed than in the Old. There is not a new faith, but a larger explication of the old faith. Divine truth is always the same. If there hath been a church always, there hath ever been a divine truth. Now it is an article of our faith in all times to believe a ' catholic church.' Certainly then there must be a catholic truth to be the seed of this church. Therefore we should search out what was that ' yea,' that positive doctrine in those apostolical times of the church's purity, before it was corrupted.
The church was not long a virgin ; yet some there were that held the truth of Christ in all ages. Our present church holds the same positive truths with the apostles before us. Therefore we say, ' Our church was before Luther,* because our doctrine is apostolical ; as also is our church that is continued thereby, because it is built upon apostolical doctrine.' Put the case we cannot shew the men, as they ridiculously urge ; what is that to the purpose ? From an ignorance of particular men, will they conclude us to be ignorant of the church of Christ, which hath ever been ?
Hence the true church may easily be discerned. The points of religion wherein our adversaries differ from us, be but patcheriesf of their own. They were not ' yea ' in the apostles' times. Their purgatory, invocation of saints, and sacraments of divers kinds, were devised by themselves after- wards. And indeed, for a thousand years after Christ, many of the diffe- rences betwixt us and the papists were never heard of, neither were they ever established by any council till the Council of Trent.];
Our positive jwiuts are grounded upon the Holy Scriptures. We seek the ' old way' and the 'best way,' as Jeremiah adviseth us, Jer. vi. 16. There was no popish trash in Abraham's time among the blessed patriarchs, nor in Christ's time, no, nor many hundred years after. They came in by little and little, by human invention, for their own advantage ; a mere policy to get money and abuse the people. Indeed, they hold many of
* Cf. note sss, Vol. III., p. 536.— G. J Viz., 1545 to 1563.— G.
t That is, ' additions.' — G.
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our truths, but they add something of their own to them. They add necessity of tradition to the Scriptures, merits to faith ; they add saints to Christ in divine worship. They have seven sacraments to our two (a). They may safeHer therefore come to us than we to them. Wo hold all that they should hold, only their own additions we hold not ; we leave them to them- selves. So much for that.
Doct. 2. To touch only another point that borders a little upon it. Divine truth is of an inflexible nature. This crosseth another rule of theirs ; for they hold that they may give what sense of Scripture they will, and that the current of the present church must judge of all former counsels. What! doth the truth vary according to men's judgments ? Must we bring the straight rule to the crooked timber for to be measured ? Shall the judg- ment of any man be the rule of God's unerring truth ? Shall present men interpret it thus, and say it is so now ? And shall others that succeed after say, Whatever it was then, now it is thus ? and must wo believe all ? God forbid.
Doct. 3. This declareth that no man can dispense rcith God's law. This written word is alike in all. Truth is truth, and error error, whether men think it to be so or no. Reason is reason in Turks as well as amongst us. The light of nature is the light of nature in any country as well as here. Principles of nature vary not as languages do, they are inbred things. And if principles of nature be inviolable and indispensable, much more is divinity. Filth is filth, we all confess. Opinion ought not to be the rule of things, but the nature of the thing itself.
Therefore, what is against nature, none can dispense withal. God can- not deny himself. What is naught in one age is naught in another, and for ever naught.* There is no monarch in the world can dispense with the law of nature, or with the divine law of God. For the opinion of any mau in the world is not the rule which he may comfortably live by, but the undoubted light of Christ's written word.