Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)

See here, Saint Peter called the law a burden and a yoke: and therefore where the Apostles say that they will not lay upon the church any greater burden, they do thereby signify that the law is flatly abrogated. They do therefore set the church free from the burden of the law: and do acquit it from all burdens like to y• law. We now do gather by those words of the Apostles, that those ¹burdensome, and innumerable ceremonies, which the church hath received by counsels & Synods since the time of the Apostles, were unjustly & against the Apostolic spirit then laid upon the church, and at this day wickedly retained and defended in the church. For they in express words said: It seemed good to the holy Ghost and to us to burden you with no more then these things necessary. But if any man object and say that those ceremonies were for the rudeness of the people laid upon the churches necks, as a rule or instruction to guide or teach them by? Mine answer is, that that kind of instruction is clean taken away, which whosoever goeth about to reduce, he desireth nothing else but to bring in Judaism again. God knew very well what kind of church that would be, which he purposed to gather together of Jews and Gentiles, and yet he abolished those external ceremonies. Now, who doth better know than God, what is expedient, or not expedient for his church? therefore the things that he abolished, were ⟨p. 425⟩not expedient for the faithful, whereupon the Apostles did rightly & very well pronounce: It seemed good to the holy ghost and us not to lay upon you any greater burden. Let them therefore be ashamed of their doings, which lay so great a burden upon the shoulders of the church, that otherwise ought to be most free.

Sée here, Sainct Peter called the lawe a burthen and a yoke: and therfore where the Apostles saye that they will not laye vpō the church any greater burthen, they do thereby signifie that the lawe is flatly abrogated. They do therefore set the church frée from the burthen of the lawe: and do acquite it from all burthens like to y• lawe. We nowe do gather by those woordes of the Apostles, that those ¹burthensome, and innumerable ceremonies, which the church hath receiued by counsels & Synodes since the time of the Apostles, were vniustly & against the Apostolique spirite then layde vppon the churche, and at this daye wickedly reteined and defended in the churche. For they in expresse wordes saide: It seemed good to the holye Ghoste and to vs to burthen you with no more then these thinges necessarie. But if any man obiect and saye that those ceremonies were for the rudenesse of the people layde vpon the churches neckes, as a rule or instruction to guide or teache them by? Mine aunswere is, that that kinde of instruction is cleane taken awaye, which whosoeuer goeth about to reduce, hee desireth nothing else but to bring in Iudaisme againe. God knew verie well what kinde of churche that would be, which hee purposed to gather together of Iewes and Gentiles, and yet he abolished those external ceremonies. Nowe, who doth better knowe than God, what is expedient, or not expedient for his church? therefore the things that he abolished, were