Page:The Acts and Monuments of John Foxe Volume 3.djvu/91



and straitly enjoined them by the Lord Jesus Christ, under the cloak and colour of grace: ergo, priests, and especially curates and such as be admonished and warned by the Spirit of God, omitting the preaching of the word of God for fear of excommunication, are excommunicate. The consequence is well known. The major appeareth by the Psalm, "Cursed be they which do decline and go away from thy commandments." The minor is also evident again by the first supposition.

Item, If the apostles of Christ had left off the preaching of the word of God for fear of the excommunication of men, which the Lord did foreshow unto them in John xvi., saying, "They shall excommunicate you out of their synagogues;" they had been excommunicated of God: ergo, by like evidence, the priests and ministers of Christ, being inspired with the same spirit to preach and declare the word of God, if they leave it undone for fear of the excommunication of men, are already excommunicate. The consequence dependeth upon a similitude, and the antecedent is evident; for if the apostles had left off preaching for fear of excommunication, they had broken the commandments of God, and consequently had been accursed. Wherefore they, willing to observe and keep the commandments of God, and to put off the excommunication of men, said unto the high priests, elders, and scribes at Jerusalem, to Annas, Caiphas, John, and Alexander, and all others of the kindred of the priests who were gathered together, and commanded them that they should not preach or teach in the name of Jesus, "If it be just in the sight of God, that we should rather obey you than God, that judge you." [Acts iv.] And in the fifth of the Acts they said unto them, "We ought rather to obey God than man." By this saying of the Holy Ghost it is concluded, that the priests and ministers of Christ, inspired by the Holy Ghost to preach the word of God, ought rather to obey the Holy Ghost, than those that shall prohibit and command them to the contrary, and to suffer the excommunication of men patiently. Whereupon pope Anacletus spake very well in this, as it is written [Dist. 43,]: "We know," saith he, " that many do go about to molest and trouble the doctors and teachers to this end, that they might utterly destroy them, and fulfil their own proper lusts and desires: yet, notwithstanding, the said doctors, as much as in them lieth, ought not to depart or go back from their good doings and intent, knowing assuredly that blessed are they who suffer persecution for righteousness' sake." Thus much writeth he. And, upon these words, "Ye shall find an ass tied up, and a he-foal with her; loose her and bring her unto me: and if any man say any thing unto you, say ye that the Lord hath need of them," the reverend Bede writeth thus: "Here it is mystically commanded unto the doctors and teachers, that if any adversity do let or hinder, or any man do prohibit or stop, that sinners cannot be loosed from their bonds or snares, and be brought unto the Lord by the confession of their faith, that they, notwithstanding, should not leave off preaching, but constantly and boldly affirm and say, that the Lord hath need of such to edify and build again his church. For so did the apostles; so likewise ought all the humble and meek ministers of Christ to do." And St. Jerome, writing to Rusticus, the bishop of Narbonne, saith thus: "Let no bishop from henceforth be puffed up or inflamed with the envy of devilish temptation, if the priests now and then do exhort and teach the people, or preach openly in the churches; or, as it is said, do bless the people; for unto him who should deny unto me the doing hereof, I would say in this manner: He that wills not that priests shoidd do those things which they are commanded by God, let him say that he is greater and above Christ;" by which words St. Jerome doth openly declare, that priests are commanded to exhort and teach the people, and to preach in the churches. Secondly, That a bishop, denying or forbidding the same to be done, specially the priests or ministers being apt men thereunto, is extolled above Christ; and therefore, consequently, is not to be obeyed nor heard in his doings.

Item, Admit that the pope be a heretic, and teach doctrine perverse and contrary to the holy Scriptures, and that the bishop be a catholic man, unto whom the pope giveth in commandment that he shall suffer no man to preach contrary to his opinion, as it happened in pope Leo, and St. Hilary the bishop: adding this also, that the bishop do execute the pope's commandment, under pain of excommunication; this notwithstanding, if the catholic priests, learned in the law of God, do leave off preaching against the pope's heresies, for fear of