1 John v.

Christians are priests.

dominion) over you." And therefore when the prince of this world, yea, and the world itself, and the flesh, and sin, the wicked affection thereof, do what they can to draw us again out of freedom into bondage, we must (because we are kings) valiantly resist them, and, continuing in conflict, vanquish and overcome them by the virtue of Christ reigning in us. For St John the apostle saith: "All that is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory which hath overcome the world, even your faith." Hitherto belongeth the doctrine of freedom and bondage, whereof I entreated in the former Decade1. By all these we gather, that the principal duty of Christians is always to stand in battle array, and to keep their place, to watch and endeavour by all force and means, lest at any time being overcome of their enemy Satan they be spoiled of their royal or kingly dignity, and be haled down into the bondage of hell. Truly, if we overcome in Christ and with Christ, we shall reign together with him; that is, we shall live with him and all the saints in glory for ever and ever. And thus are we kings in Christ; thus are we Christians.

Again, because we are Christians, that is to say, anointed, surely we are priests also; and therefore, according to our priestly office, we teach, we admonish, we exhort, and comfort all our brethren, and all men that are committed to our charge. Where notwithstanding we do necessarily make a difference between the christian priesthood and the ecclesiastical ministery. All Christians truly, as well men as women, are priests, but we are not all ministers of the church: for we cannot all one with another preach publicly, administer the sacraments, and execute other duties of pastors, unless we be lawfully called and ordained thereunto. This our priesthood common to all is spiritual, and is occupied in common duties of godliness, not in public and lawful ministeries of the church. Whereupon one may and ought to instruct and admonish another privately, and while he so doth, he executeth a priestly office; as when the good-man of the house2 instructeth his children at home in godliness; when the goodwife of the house teacheth and correcteth her daughters; to be short, when every one of us exhort every neighbour of ours to the desire and study of godliness. For the apostle [1 Decade II. Serm. Ix.] [2 Vol. 1. page 258, note 2.]

Paul saith: "Exhort ye one another daily, while it is called Heb. ii. to-day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." Moreover, since we be priests, we must offer sacrifices worthy of our God. And we have sufficiently testified, that, after Christ our high and only priest or bishop in all ages and in all the whole world, none doth offer a satisfactory sacrifice to take away sin: for when he offered up himself, he offered a sacrifice but once, howbeit always effectual to cleanse the sins of all. Therefore we offer unto him thanksgiving and praise, celebrating the memory of that one only sacrifice we offer prayers: we offer ourselves, that is to say, our bodies, a lively and a reasonable sacrifice to God, together with all kind of godliness and well-doing. For Paul saith: "By Christ we offer the sacrifice of praise always unto God, Heb. xiil. that is, the fruit of lips confessing his name. To do good and to distribute forget not; for with such sacrifice God is well pleased." But touching these sacrifices I have spoken more in my former sermon3, wherein I entreated what the true service of God is. But since all sanctification is and riseth. from one high priest, Christ Jesus, we can sanctify ourselves no otherwise than with honest and pure conversation of life, which thing is required at our hands; namely, that we be holy, and that we sanctify the name of our God with an innocent life, that it be not evil spoken of through us by men, but that they may see the good works of the faithful, and glorify the Father which is in heaven. There is none but may see

that all the duties of a christian man are comprehended in these points; wherein unless we exercise ourselves earnestly, I do not see that we are worthy of so excellent a name.

a Christian,

[Acts xi. 20.]

That this most holy name was first given to the faithful The name of at Antioch in Syria, Luke is witness: which yet let no man so most ancient. understand, as if that name afore had been altogether unknown to all men. For now it is become most common; in time past it was the name only of most excellent and holy men, and of such as rather were so indeed than so accounted, though also by name they were in some manner so acknowledged. For Eusebius in his ecclesiastical history maketh mention, that the ancient fathers Adam, Seth, Noe, Abraham, and other like unto these, were all Christians; and therefore christian religion to be the very purest, perfectest, and the [3 See above, p. 224.]

ancientest. The words of Eusebius, if any require, are these: "The nation of the Hebrews is not new, but unto all men in antiquity famous, and known to all. Their books and writings do contain ancient fathers, of whom they make report before the flood, rare indeed and few in number, how beit in godliness and righteousness and in all kind of virtues most excellent; and after the flood, of other of the sons and nephews of Noe, as of Tharam and Abraham, of whom as their captain and progenitor the posterity of the Hebrews do boast. So that if any man shall say that all these from Abraham himself even to the first man, being beautified with the testimony of righteousness, through their works, though not in name, were Christians, truly he should not stray from the truth. For a Christian signifieth a man which excelleth other in knowledge and doctrine of Christ, with moderation of mind, and righteousness and continency of life, and through fortitude of virtue and confession of godliness toward the one and only God of all creatures. And this name those ancient fathers did no less esteem than we do. Neither had they care of the corporal circumcision, as we also have not; neither of keeping the Sabbath-day, as we also have not; nor of abstaining from meats, nor other differences: which things afterwards Moses first of all ordained, and figuratively delivered them to be performed as such things also even at this day pertain not to Christians. But they saw plainly the Christ or anointed of God as also it is declared already before, that he both appeared unto Abraham, and gave answer unto Isaac and Israel, and spake to Moses, and after him to the prophets. Whereby thou shalt find that these godly men also obtained the name of Christ, according to that saying spoken of them, to wit, Touch not my Christs (or mine anointed), and do my prophets no harm. Therefore it is manifest that this godly invention of those men who lived holily in the time of Abraham, which of late by the doctrine of Christ is preached to all nations, is the first, most ancient, and eldest of all." Thus much Eusebius.

:

[1 Οὐ νέον, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἀρχαιότητι τετιμημένον ἔθνος, τοῖς πᾶσι καὶ αὐτὸ γνώριμον, τὸ Ἑβραίων τυγχάνει. Λόγοι δὴ παρὰ τούτῳ καὶ γράμματα παλαίους ἄνδρας περιέχουσι, σπανίους μὲν καὶ ἀριθμῷ βραχεῖς, ἀλλ ̓ ὅμως εὐσεβεία καὶ δικαιοσύνη καὶ πάσῃ τῇ λοιπῇ διενεγκόντας ἀρετῇ· πρὸ μέν γε τοῦ κατακλυσμοῦ, διαφόρους· μετὰ δὲ καὶ τοῦτον, ἑτέρους τῶν

but few

Furthermore, if we behold ourselves in this looking-glass There are of a christian name, we shall see that very few at this day are Christians. worthy of this name. Truly all of us are commonly so called, and we will be3 named Christians; but few of us live a life worthy of our profession. We are named Christians of holy anointing. The holy anointing is the Holy Ghost himself. “ Upon whom shall my Spirit rest ?” saith the Lord ; Isai. lxvi. “ even upon him that is poor, and of a lowly troubled spirit, and standeth in awe of my words." But we set light by the word of God, we have very troublesome heads, we are corrupt with evil affections and lewd lusts, we swell with pride; and therefore we want the ointment of holy oil, or are void of the Holy Ghost1. Who therefore can say that we be Christians? We are all of us in manner ruled by wicked desires, by the flesh, the world, and the prince of this world; few of us rule the world, and the flesh, and those things which are in them. Therefore not the Spirit of God, but the spirit of the world

τε τοῦ Νώε παίδων καὶ ἀπογόνων, ἀτὰρ καὶ τὸν Θάραν, alii) τὸν ̓Αβραάμ, ὃν ἀρχηγὸν καὶ προπάτορα σφῶν αὐτῶν παῖδες Εβραίων αὐχοῦσι. Πάντας δὴ ἐκείνους δικαιοσύνῃ μεμαρτυρημένους, ἐξ αὐτοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπὶ τὸν πρῶτον ἀνιοῦσιν ἄνθρωπον, ἔργῳ Χριστιανοὺς, εἰ καὶ μὴ ὀνόματι, προσειπών τις οὐκ ἂν ἐκτὸς βάλοι τῆς ἀληθείας. Ο γάρ τοι δηλοῦν ἐθέλοι τοὔνομα, τὸν Χριστιανὸν ἄνδρα διὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ γνώσεως καὶ διδασκαλίας, σωφροσύνῃ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ καρτερίᾳ τε βίου καὶ ἀρετῆς ἀνδρίᾳ, εὐσεβείας τε ὁμολογία ἑνὸς καὶ μόνου τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων Θεοῦ διαπρέπειν, τοῦτο πᾶν ἐκείνοις οὐ χεῖρον ἡμῶν ἐσπουδάζετο. Οὔτ ̓ οὖν σώματος αὐτοῖς περιτομῆς ἔμελεν, ὅτι μὴ δὲ ἡμῖν· οὐ σαββάτων ἐπιτηρήσεως, ὅτι μὴ δὲ ἡμῖν· ἀλλ ̓ οὐδὲ τῶν τοιῶνδε τροφῶν παραφυλακῆς, οὐδὲ τῶν ἄλλων διαστολῆς, ὅσα τοῖς μετέπειτα πρῶτος ἁπάντων Μωϋσῆς ἀρξάμενος ἐν συμβόλοις τελεῖσθαι παραδέδωκεν, ὅτι μὴ δὲ νῦν Χριστιανῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα· ἀλλὰ καὶ σαφῶς αὐτὸν ᾔδεσαν τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἴγε ὠφθαι μὲν τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, χρηματίσαι δὲ τῷ Ἰσαὰκ, λελαληκέναι δὲ τῷ Ἰακώβ, (Ισραήλ, alii) Μωϋσεῖ τε καὶ τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα προφήταις ὡμιληκέναι προδέδεικται. Ενθεν αὐτοὺς δὴ τοὺς θεοφιλεῖς ἐκείνους εὕροις ἂν καὶ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ κατηξιωμένους προσωνυμίας, κατὰ τὴν φάσκουσαν περὶ αὐτῶν φωνήν· Μὴ ἅψησθε τῶν χριστῶν μου, καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις μου μὴ πονηρεύησθε. Ὥστε σαφῶς πρώτην ἡγεῖσθαι δεῖν καὶ πάντων παλαιοτάτην τε καὶ ἀρχαιοτάτην θεοσεβείας εὕρεσιν, αὐτῶν ἐκείνων δὴ τῶν ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν, τὴν ἀρτίως διὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ διδασκαλίας πᾶσιν ἔθνεσι κατηγγελμένην.—Euseb. Hist. Eccles. Lib. Ι. cap. 4. Tom. I. pp. 31, 32. ed. Burton. Oxon. 1838.]

[2 sacro nomine, Lat.]

[3 So also ed. 1584: but ed. 1577, we will be all, omnes volumus, Lat.]

[4 or-Ghost, the translator's addition.]

The devil, the world, and

and the flesh beareth rule in us. the flesh have dominion over us; for in them we live, and them we do obey: whereupon, being estranged and let loose from all righteousness and holiness, we are become slaves, serving a most vile and filthy slavery. For we, not desiring to be delivered, do neither seek a redeemer; nor, being impatient of their tyranny, rise and rebel against them: but like fainthearted cowards, we yield ourselves to be brought in subjection, and to be kept under their tyranny: nay, it repenteth and irketh us of our labours, watchings, prayers, and of all duties of godliness; and, being careless, we lie lurking as in a place of voluptuousness. But who would vouchsafe such swine the most holy name of a Christian, but he that is both exceeding foolish and wicked? No marvel then if such be thrust down into hell, there eternally to burn, and there eternally to be yoked unto him whom' they have most wickedly chosen to themselves to follow. And now what one of us is there that doth teach, admonish, and exhort those that boast and brag of this christian name? I speak nothing here concerning the doctors or teachers of the church; but my talk doth touch the office and duty of a christian man. Truly, the most part of us are slow in instructing our families and fellow-brethren: for either it grieveth us to take the pain, or else we fear danger. Therefore we turn the office of admonishing and instructing upon the public ministers of the church, as though nothing at all of this matter were required of us. For this cause speeches in a manner unseemly to be spoke are heard uttered of men: "I have not the office of a minister, I am no (pfaff) priest; why therefore should I instruct? why should I admonish?" And these care not how blasphemous and filthy things be spoken either at home or abroad; for they live to themselves, and think that the glory of God and the soul's health of their neighbour belongeth nothing unto them. what sacrifices offer we worthy of God and our name? where are prayers and thanksgivings? where is the mortification of our flesh, and the denying of this world? where is compassion, or well-doing? where is an holy and harmless life? The contrary (if need so required) I could reckon up in a long bead-row but to what end were it to make a large discourse of those things that are manifest unto all men? For who, [hic, Lat. omitted; here.]

But