they have imagined;" where we have set them forth at length.

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The pursuit of these men also Isaiah has most sharply cut at chap. xliv. in a long description, wherein he introduces the former, or maker of an idol; which passage tends much to elucidate the present verse; let him, therefore, that will, read it.

Wherefore, whether you render it ' idols' or " infirmities," you will not do wrong; provided that, you understand that it is the useless, sorrowful, and unavailable toil of those persons that is set forth, who, without faith, wish to make I know not what returns unto God by their works and doctrines; not willing to be conformed unto God, but to conform God unto themselves. For I observed above, that he who thinks otherwise of God than he ought to think, conforms God to himself, and not himself unto God. But without faith it is impossible that any one should think rightly of God. And therefore, Isaiah rightly saith in the same place, ver. 9, 10, 11, "They that make a graven image are all of them vanity. Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image, that is profitable for nothing? Behold all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen they are of men. For while they presume that they form out their own goodness by these things, they are weakened more and more, and their conscience grows daily worse and worse. And therefore their idols in which they trust are their "infirmities" and weaknesses, whereby they become less and less accustomed to trust in God; and the more their trust in him decreases the more idols they form out to themselves.

Hence the Hebrew has it, 'They shall multiply their idols,' in an active verb: whereby is set forth the perverse and unhappy pursuit and toil of those who are always learning and never able to come into the knowledge of the truth: they are ever following after the law of righteousness, and never able to attain unto righteousness : though there are an infinite number of doctrines, sects, and works of serving God invented for this purpose; as we at this day see among the Jews, but much more still among those who are called Christians. But all the while their conscience is not quiet; nor do they know any other way of peace but their own works and doctrines: for they are necessarily involved in various and infinite questions and pursuits, and are fixed in none of them, and content with none; as experience every where abundantly testifies.

Thus, at this day, our colleges and monasteries, as they are most ignorant of faith, what are they but so many most unhappy slaughter-houses of consciences? For by them, the miserable commonalty who are under their rule, are blinded by their impious opinions, and are taught works instead of faith. Thus the blind leads the blind, and both fall into the ditch.. So that it is far more eligible and safe for a man to be a herdsman, or a me chanic of any kind, and to marry a wife and live in the common way of life, than to become one of these religious ones, or one of these priests. For herdsmen and mechanics are of all men the nearest to faith, for they think highly of all others and nothing of themselves; and if faith rise up, there is no way of common life to

be despised, nor is any such way perilous...

Afterwards they hastened.

This is variously translated and expounded. Some render it 'they cried,' others 'they gave,' and Hieronymus, 'behind the back of those that followed.' I, however, follow our translator, that the sense might be, After the ungodly have toiled all that they could with their unhappy labour, yet they attained unto nothing but a greater fleeing, fear, and confusion of heart. As I have already adduced from Isaiah, "all his fellows shall be ashamed:" for it is only he who trusts in the Lord that shall not be ashamed and shall not hasten. He that thus trusteth shall be as bold as a lion, and shall fear the attack of no one; while the wicked shall fear and flee at the rustling of a leaf moved by the wind: as it is said, above, Psalm i. "But the wicked are like the chaff which the wind driveth away." As we have it also, Isaiah xxx. 15, 16, 17, "In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in

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quietness and confidence shall be your strength; and ye would not. But ye said, No: for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift: therefore shall they that pursue you be swift. One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as ensign on a hill." And this fleeing, haste, and fear, are a bad conscience itself, which is always fleeing and never able to escape; it is always fearing, and yet that which it fears is always happening; it is never at rest, because "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." And therefore David rightly saith, that for peace of conscience they " multiply idols" to themselves: and yet, after all these things, they do nothing but increase their haste, their flight, their hurry, and their fear.

I will not gather together their assemblies of blood.

Here Christ plainly puts an end to all those infinite questions concerning the church, which some call 'the virtual church,' others 'the representative church,' and others a something else. Here Christ says, that he does not gather together those who are of blood: as it is written, John i. "Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." And this same thing Paul every where handles, and especially in his epistles to the Romans and Galatians; where he expressly and nobly proves, thall all are not Israel that are so after the flesh, but, that the children of the promise, and the children of Sarah the freewoman, not of Hagar the bondwoman, are accounted for the seed of Abraham. So that the church of Christ plainly excludes all respect of persons: as the Apostle elsewhere saith, 'In Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek, bond nor free.' And so also, there is neither Roman nor German; 'but whosoever is of faith, is blessed with faithful Abraham.'

Wherefore, all the Roman piety and religion is to be abhorred, which so dreams and lies about the church. For the church is, and can be, nothing else but a congregation of spiritual men, gathered together not into any one particular place, but into the same faith, hope, and love of the Spirit. Nor are the Romanists content alone with confining the church to one place, but they will have it to be at Rome, and will not allow any one to be a Christian, unless he be a Romanist. It is thus that they, with the most impudent temerity, set up and establish their lies contrary to the article of faith; for we believe, that 'The holy Catholic church' is, 'The communion of saints.' We do not say, The communion of the Romanists, nor of the persons of any other particular places. And Christ also said, Luke xvii. 20, 21, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, Lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." And again, Matt. xxiv. 5, "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many;" and ver. 23, "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not." Whereas these impious ones dare to say, in the plainest and most audacious words, ' Behold the church is at Rome.' 'Christ is at Rome.' 'The vicegerent of Christ is at Rome.'

As, therefore, these times of which Christ spoke are now passing, and as the fury of the Roman impiety now openly resists the Gospel, and does not understand itself, and will not suffer any one else to understand, what the church is; let us arm our understandings with the Word of God, firmly believing and most surely knowing that the church of Christ is nothing more than an assembly of spiritual and believing men collected together, in what part soever of the world they may be, and whatever of flesh and blood they may be and knowing also, that of whatever person, place, time they may be, and whatsoever things they may have which flesh and blood use, these things pertain not to, and have nothing to do with, the church.

Let us, therefore, take heed with all our powers, that we howl not with wolves, or romanize with the Romanists, by condemning those as heretics who are not among the assembly of the Roman church, or rather

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the Roman senate. For Christ and his apostles Peter and Paul, saw that it would be necessary that the bodies and names of the saints must be in some place in the earth; and they knew that this necessity would be the cause of all this superstition and ungodliness, and that they would confine and fix the church to these places, and thus would draw away the term church from the truly spiritual assembly to a temporal one; and therefore, they have prepared beforehand warnings for us, and have given us an abundance of admonitions. And moreover, that they might not drag Christ himself in to support this their ungodliness, he took especial care by causing the city of Jerusalem to be destroyed, by an incomprehensible counsel, and trodden under foot by the gentiles; for if this had not been done, nobody could have prevented them from having this great pretext, for they would have built up the place of the Jews, which was endowed with such a specious appearance and great name, and would have made that the head of the church. And when this was prevented, then began this great evil at Rome under the name of St. Peter and St. Paul, in the words of Christ, 'Thou art Peter,' and 'feed my sheep,' which words they wrested with the most awful yet plausible pretext. But even here also Christ has powerfully resisted them; for he has never permitted the whole world to be subject to the Roman pontiff, which must have been the case if he had been the head by a divine right and authority, because no one can resist the Word and promise of God. And yet, after all this, we do not open our eyes nor behold the tricks and manœuvres of Satan. Hence Peter has painted out for us these figments and manœuvres most expressively. thus, 2 Epist. ii. 'There shall arise false teachers among you who shall make merchandize of you.' And what can be a greater figment and trick, than to say, that "rock" signifies the ruling power of Peter, and "feeding" the monarchy of the Pope? But to what purpose is this monarchy but to works and deeds of avarice, whereby he exercises his practices of gain upon us ?

Wherefore, to discharge and redeem my conscience,