do not take their vocation to seke Gods glory and honour but to liue easilie promote themselues to dignitie Libertie God destroyeth one wicked with an other Gods word is not the cause of euill Christes Disciples were long weake and worldly mynded What the Popes doctrine causeth he coÌ„maundeth murther The popes doctrine is bloudy Christes doctrine to peaceable God auengeth hys doctrine him selfe How a maÌ„ ought to behaue him selfe in readyng of doctours and also in the Scripture Our fathers and mothers are to vs in Gods stede What wee doe to our fathers mothers that we do to God The reward of obedience The reward of disobedience God auengeth disobedience hym selfe though the officer will not Mariage couetousnes maketh our spiritualitie that they cannot see that which a Turke is ashamed of Get her with child say they so shall thy cause bee best Gods commaundementes breake they throughe their owne traditions Money maketh marchaundise Iugglers Mariage altereth the degree of nature The husband is 〈◊〉 the wife in gods stede In sufferynge wronges patieÌ„tly â—e folow the steppes of Christ The master is vnto the seruanÌ„t in Gods stede Our spiritualtie retayne mens seruauntes not to honour God but their traditions and ceremonies onely Christes doctrine the Popes differre If thy master please thee not shaue thy selfe a Monke a Frier or a Priest To obey no man is a spirituall thyng Rom. 13. Kyngs are chosen to suppresse the wicked support the good An â—pte similitude Iudges are called Gods Blessyng Curse God rewardeth aâ— obedience though no maÌ„ els do God auengeth all disobedience though no maÌ„ els do VeÌ„geance is Gods Dauid God destroyeth one wicked by an other God prouideth a meanes to take the euil out of the way when they haue fulfilled their wickednes Why Dauid slewe not Saul The kyng 〈◊〉 in the roâ—â—â—e of god in this world The kyng must be reserued vnto the vengeaunce of God It iâ— not lawfull for a Christen subiect to resiste hys Prince though he be an heathen man Kynges must make accompt of their doynges onely to God The kyng hath no power but to his damnation to priuiledge the spiritualtie to sinne vnpunished A king is a great benefite though he be neuer so euill Princes are ordeined to pâ—uill doâ—rs The damnation of Princes Sanctuaries Neckeuerse Three natures What it is to looke Moyses in the face Heauen commeth by Christ A Christen man seketh no more but Gods will Lustes Freâ—ill Worldly witte The will is bond and â—ed Fredome All is sinne that springeth not of the spirite of God and all that is not done in the light of Gods worde So do our spiritualtie in all their workes True miracles are wrought to coÌ„firme the preaching and not the God head of the preacher Our hypocrites are blinde The religious looke vpon the out side onely The sprituall man The naturall man Feate is the last â—emedy Kinges defend y â— false authoritie of the pope their office punishing of sinne loyd apart Bishoppes minister the kinges dutie their owne layde apart yea they persecute their owne office Kynges do but waite on y â— Popes pleasure The iugling of the Pope Bishops of Almany Mylane Byshops of Fraunce A cappe of maintenaunce Most Christen kyng Defendre of the Popes Fayth The eldest sonne of the holy 〈◊〉 Blâ—â—â—ng of armes The English Bysshops The falsehode of the Bishops O a cruell and an abhominable example of tyranny iudge them by theyr dedes saith Christ The whore of BabyloÌ„ Confession Not Peter onely but Christ also was vnder the temporall sword The kings sinne in geuing exeÌ„ptions the Prelates in receauyng them When the spiritualitie payeth tribute Shameles iugglers They make no conscieÌ„ce at any euill doyng They care for theyr neighbours as y â— wolfe doth for the shepe The euill ensample of the spiritualtie causeth the lay to beleue that they are not bound to obey There is no ChristeÌ„ loue in theÌ„ What purpose euen to flatter the princes that they may abuse their authoritie to sleâ— who soeuer beleueth 〈◊〉 Christ and to mainteine the Pope Confessiâ— Prelates know all mens secretes 〈…〉 man theâ—… â—oue fulfilleth the law before God not the outward dede Agaynste workemen The deede fulfilleth the law before the world Faith maketh a man to loue Iustifiyng The office or dutie of the law The beleuyng of Gods promises iustifieth The spirite and the inward vertues are knowen by the outward dede Ouercome thyne enemy with well doing The law The kyng Rulers are Gods gift Why the rulers are euill Euill rulers are a signe that God is angry with vs. Why the Prelates are so wicked The cause of false miracles is that we haue no lust vnto the truth The right way to came of bondage Euill rulers ought not to be resisted God is alwayes one alwayes true alwayes mercifull and excludeth no maÌ„ from his promises A Christâ— man doth but suffer onely Euill rulers are wholesome medicines A Christen man receaueth How profitable aduersitie is The greatest sinner is righteous in Christ and the promises And the perfectest and holyest is a sinner in the lawe the fleshe Rigour in parentes towardes their chilchildren is to be eschued The right bringing vp of children The destruction marring of children The maryage of children without conâ—… of their parenâ—es is vnlawfull In Christ we are all seruaunts and he that hath knowledge is bounde MeÌ„ ought to rule their wiues by Gods worde Why the man is stronger then the woman Teach thy seruaunt to know Christ and after Christes doctrine deale with hym Do all thyng with Gods worde Landlordes should raise no rentes nor bring vp new customes God gaue â—he earth to men Landlordes should withstand the worng of the Tenauntes There is no respect of person afore God Moyses Iudges O tyranny to compell a man to accuse himselfe Our Prelates learned of Cayphas Secret sinnes pertayne vnto God to punishe and open sinnes vnto the kyng ☜ Parcialitie in Iudges is wicked Parcialitie bribe takyng is the pestilence of Iudges ☞ Women pride and coÌ„tempt of subiectes are the pestilence of Princes Vayne names The holy father lonseth peace and vmâ—â—e trace trâ—uth and aâ— honesty What the keyes arâ— why they are so called The keyes are promised The keyes are payde To bynde and loose Repentaunce and forgeuenes come by preachyng Peter practiseth his keyes The popes authoritie is to preach gods word onely Beware of the net and of the leuen and of the counterfet keyes of our holy father Not w t an hereticke sayth the Pope Vnlawfull vowes or othes men are commaunded to breake Byshops Behold the face of the Pope and of the Byshops in this glasse Peters patrimonie The popes authoritie is improued Byshops haue captiued Gods word with theyr owne decrees Rochester They walke in shadowes Aaron is euery true preacher Aaron representeth Christ Aaron addeth nothyng to Moses law The Apostles preached not Peter but Christ Paule is greater thaÌ„ hye
offering and hys going in once in the yeare into the inner temple signifie the offering wherewyth Christ offered hymselfe and Christes goyng in vnto the father to be an euerlasting mediator or intercessor for vs. Neuerthelesse Rochester proueth the contrary by a shadow by a shadow verely For in shadowes they walke with out all shame and the light will they not come at but enforce to stoppe and quench it with all craft and falshod lest their abhominable iugling shoulde be sene If any man looke in the light of y e new testament he shal clearely see that that shadow may not be so vnderstād Vnderstand therfore that one thing in the Scripture representeth diuers thynges A Serpent figureth Christ in one place and the Deuill in an other And a Lyon doth lykewise Christ by Leuen signifieth Gods worde in one place and in an other signifieth thereby the traditions of y t Phareseis which sowred altered Gods word for theyr auauntage Now Moyses verely in y ◠sayd place representeth Christ and Aaron which was not yet hye Priest represēted not Peter onely or hys successour as my Lord of Rochester woulde haue it for Peter was to litle to beare Christes message vnto all the world but signifieth euery disciple of Christ euery true preacher of Gods worde For Moyses put in Aarons mouth what he should say and Aaron was Moyses Prophet and spake not hys owne message as the Pope and Byshoppes doe but that which Moyses had receaued of God and deliuered vnto hym Exod. 4. and also 7. So ought euery preacher to preach Gods worde purely and neither to adde nor minish A true messenger must doe his message truely and say neither more nor lesse then he is commaunded Aaron when he is hye priest and offereth and purgeth the people of their worldly sinne which they had fallē in in touching vncleanly thynges and in eating meates forbidden as we sinne in handling the chalice and the Alter stone are purged wyth the Bishops blessing representeth Christ which purgeth vs from all sinne in the sight of God as the epistle vnto the Hebrues maketh mentiō When Moyses was gone vp into the mounte and Aaron left behynde and made the golden Calfe there Aaron representeth all false preachers and namely our most holy father y ◠Pope which in like maner maketh vs beleue in a Bull as y t Bishop of Rochester ful wel alleageth the place in hys sermon If the Pope be signified by Aaron and Christ by Moyses why is not the Pope as well content with Christes law and doctrine as Aaron was with Moyses What is the cause that our Bishops preach the pope and not Christ seyng the Apostles preached not Peter but Christ Paul ij Cor. iiij sayth of hym selfe and of his felowapostles we preache not our selues but Christ Iesus the Lord and preach our selues your seruauntes for Iesus sake And. i. Cor. iij. Let no mā reioyse in men For all thynges are yours whether it bee Paul or Apollo or Peter whether it be the world or life or death whether they be present thinges or thynges to come all are yours ye are Christes Christ is Gods He leueth out ye are Peters or ye are the popes And in the Chapter folowyng he sayth Let men thus wise esteme vs euē the ministers of Christ c. And. ij Cor. xj Paul was gelous ouer his Corinthians because they fell from Christ to whom he had maried thē did cleaue vnto the authoritie of men for euē then false Prophetes sought authoritie in the name of the hye Apostles I am sayth he gelouse ouer you with godly gelousie For I coupled you to one mā to make you a chast virgine to Christ but I feare lest as the Serpent deceaued ◅e through his suttiltie euen so your wittes should be corrupt from the singlenesse that is in Christ And it followeth If he that commeth to you preached an other Iesus or if ye receaue an other spirite or another Gospell then might ye well haue ben content that is ye might haue well suffered him to haue authoritie aboue me But I suppose sayth he that I was not behynd the hye Apostles meaning in preaching Iesus his Gospell and in ministring the spirite And in the said xj Chapter he proueth by y ◠doctrine of Christ that he is greater then the hye Apostles For Christ sayth to be great in the kingdome of God is to do seruice and take payne for other Vpon which rule Paul disputeth saying if they be the ministers of Christ I am more In labours more aboundaunt in stripes about measure in prison more plenteously in death oft and so forth If Paul preached Christ more then Peter and suffered more for hys congregation then is he greater then Peter by y e testimony of Christ And in the xij he sayth In nothing was I inferior vnto y ◠hye Apostles Though I be nothing yet the tokēs of an Apostle were wrought amōg you with all pacience with signes wōders mighty dedes So proued he his authority not with a bulle frō Peter sealed with cold lead either with shadowes of the old Testament falsly expounded Moreouer the Apostles were sent immediatly of Christ and of Christ receaued they their authoritie as Paul boasteth him selfe euery where Christ sayth he sent me to preach the Gospell i. Corint i. And I receaued of the Lord that which I deliuered vnto you i. Cor. xi And Gal. i. I certifie you brethrē that the Gospell which was preached of me was not after the maner of men that is to witte carnal or fleshly neither receaued I it of man neyther was it taught me but I receaued it by y t reuelation of Iesus Christ And Gal. ij He that was mighty in Peter in the Apostleship ouer the circumcision was mighty in me among the Gētiles And 1. Timoth. 1. Readest thou lykewyse And Iohn xx Christ sent them forth indifferently and gaue them lyke power As my father sent me sayth he so send I you that is to preach and to suffer as I haue done and not to conquer enemyes and kyngdomes and to subdue all temporall power vnder you wyth disguised hypocrisie He gaue thē the holy Ghost to bynde and loose indifferently as thou seest And afterward he sent forth Paule wyth like authority as thou seest in the Actes And in the last of Mathew sayth he all power is geuen me in heauē and in earth goe therfore and teach all naciōs baptising them in the name of the father of the sonne and of the holy Ghost teaching them to obserue whatsoeuer I commaunded you The authoritie that Christ gaue thē was to preach yet not what they would imagine but what he had commaunded Loe sayth he I am with you alwayes euen vnto the ende of the world He sayde not I goe my way and loe here is Peter in my stede But sent them euery man to
to mary and commauÌ„ding to absteine from meates which God hath created to be receaued wyth geuing thaÌ„kes Which two thynges who euer did saue y e Pope Rochesters God makyng sinne in the creatures which God hath created for maÌ„s vse to be receaued wyth thankes The kyngdome of heaueÌ„ is not meate and drinke sayth Paule but righteousnes peace and ioye in the holy Ghost For whosoeuer in these thynges serueth Christ pleaseth God and is alowed of men Rom. xiiij Had Rochester therfore not a coÌ„science marked wyth the hote yron of malice so that he can not consent vnto the will of God and glory of Christ he woulde not haue so alleaged the texte which is contrary to none saue themselues He alleageth an other text of Paule in the second chapter of his second epistle to the Thessalonians Erit dissessiâ— primum that is sayth Rochester before the comming of Antichrist there shall be a notable departing from the fayth And Paule sayth The Lord commeth not except there come a departing first Paules meaning is that the last day commeth not so shortly but that Antichrist shall come first and destroy the faith and sit in the temple of God and make all men worship him and beleue in hym as the Pope doth and then shal Gods worde come to light againe as it doth at thys tyme and destroy hym and vtter his iuggling and then coÌ„meth Christ vnto iudgement What say ye of this crafty coÌ„ueyar Would he spare suppose ye to alleage to wrest other doctours pestilently which feareth not for to iugle wyth y â— holy scripture of God expounding y â— vnto Antichrist which Paule speaketh of Christ No be ye sure But euen after this maner wise peruert they the whole scripture and all doctours wresting theÌ„ vnto their abhominable purpose cleane contrary to the meaning of the text to the circumstaunces that goe before and after Which deuelishe falshod lest the lay men should perceaue is the very cause why y â— they will not suffer the Scripture to be had in the Englishe tounge neither any worke to be made that should bring the people to knowledge of the truth He alleageth for the Popes authoritie Saint Ciprian Saint Augustine Ambrose Hierome and Origene of which neuer one knew of any authoritie that one Bishop should haue aboue an other And Saint Gregory alleageth he which would receaue no such authoritie aboue hys brethren when it was profered hym As the maner is to call Tully chiefe of Oratours for hys singular cloquence and Aristotle chiefe of Philosophers and Virgill chiefe of Poets for thir singular learnyng and not for any authoritie that they had ouer other so was it the maner to call Peter chiefe of the Apostles for his singular actiuitie and boldnes and not that he shoulde be Lord ouer his brethren contrary to hys owne doctrine Yet compare that chiefe Apostle vnto Paule and he is found a great way inferior This I say not that I woulde that any man shoulde make a God of Paule contrary vnto hys owne learning NotwithstaÌ„ding yet this maner of speaking is left vnto vs of our elders that when we say the Apostle sayth so we vnderstand Paule for hys excellency aboue other Apostles I would he would tel you how Hieroin Augustine Bede Origene and other doctours expound this texte vpon this rocke I wyll builde my congregation and how they enterpret the keyes also Thereto Pasce pasce pasce which Rochester leaueth without any Englishe signifieth not Polâ— shere and shaue Vpon which texte beholde the faithfull exposition of Bede Note also how craftely he would enfeoffe the Apostles of Christ with their wicked traditions and false Ceremonies which they themselues haue fayned alleaging Paule ij Thessal ij I aunswere that Paule taught by mouth such things as he wrote in his epistles And his traditions were the Gospell of Christ and honest maners liuing and such a good order as becommeth the doctrine of Christ As that a woman obey her husband haue her head couered keepe silence and goe womanly and christenly apparelled that children and seruauntes be in subiection and that the younge obey their elders that no man eate but he that laboureth and worketh and that men make an earnest thing of Gods word and of hys holy Sacramentes and to watch fast and pray and such lyke as the Scripture commaundeth Which thynges he that woulde breake were no christen man But we may well coÌ„playne and crye to God for helpe that it is not lawful for the Popes tyranny to teach y â— people what prayer is what fasting is and wherefore it serueth There were also certayne customes alway which were not commaunded in paine of hell or euerlasting daÌ„natioÌ„ as to watch all night and to kysse one an other which as soone as the people abused then they brake theÌ„ For which cause the Byshops myght breake many thynges now in lyke maner Paule also in many thynges which God had made free gaue pure and faythfull couÌ„cell without tangling of any mans coÌ„science and without all maner commaundyng vnder payne of cursing payne of excommunication payne of heresie payne of burnyng payne of deadly sinne payne of hell and payne of damnatioÌ„ As thou mayst see i. Cor. 7. Where he counceleth the vnmaried the widowes and virgines that it is good so to abyde if they haue the gift of chastitie Not to winne heaueÌ„ therby for neither Circumcision neither vncircumcision is any thyng at all but the kepyng of the commaundementes is altogether But that they might be without trouble and might also the better wayte on Gods worde and sâ—elyer serue their brethren And sayth as a faithfull seruaunt that he had none authority of the Lord to geue them any commaundement But that the Apostles gaue vs any blynd ceremonies wherof we should not know the reason that I denye and also defie as a thyng cleane contrary vnto the learnyng of Paul euery where For Paul commaundeth that no man once speake in the Church that is in the congregation but in a toung that all men vnderstand except that there be an interpreter by he coÌ„maundeth to labour for knowledge vnderstandyng and feelyng and to beware of superstition persuasions of worldly wisedome philosophy and of hypocrisie and ceremonies and of all maner disguising to walke in y â— playne and open truth Ye were once darkenes sayth he but now are ye light in the Lord walke therefore as the children of light Ephe. v. how doth Paul also wish them encrease of grace in euery Epistle How crieth he to God to augment their knowledge that they should be no more children waueryng with euery winde of doctrine but would vouchsafe to make them full men in Christ and in the vnderstandyng of the mysteries or secretes of Christ so that it should no be possible for any man to disceaue them with any entisyng reasons of worldly wisedom or to beguile them with blind
though all the world smelled it yet it brake not out openly to the eye tyll the seege of Pauia And the Cardinall lent the Emperour much mony openly and gaue the French king more secretly He played with both handes to serue their secreat that all men know not as y â— Bishop of Durham sayd But whatsoeuer the frenchmeÌ„ did they had euer the worse notwithstanding the secreat working of our holy prelates on their side Finally vnto the sege of Pauie came the French king personally with lx thousand men of warre of which xij thousand were horsemen with mony enough And the Emperours host was vnder xx thousaÌ„d of which were but iij. thousand horsmen with no mony at all For he trusted vnto the pope for ayde of men and vnto our Cardinall for mony But the pope kept back his men till the Frenchmen had geuen them a feeld and our Cardinall kept back his mony for the same purpose And thus was the sely Emperour betrayed as all his predecessoures haue bene this viij hundred yeares Howbeit there be that say that the Emperours souldiers so threatened Pace the kinges graces Embassadour that he was fayne to make cheâ—isaunce wyth marchauntes for mony in the kinges name to pay the souldiers withall Wherefore the Cardinall tooke from him all his promotions played tormentours wyth him when he came home because he presumed to do one iote more then was in his coÌ„mission But howsoeuer it was the Emperors men in tarying for helpe had spent out all their vitayles Wherupon Burbon the chiefe captaine of the Emperour sayd vnto his vnder captaines ye see helpe commeth not and y t our vitayles are spent wherfore there is no remedy but to fight though we be vnequallie matched If we winne we shall finde meat enough if we lose we shall lose no more then we must lose with hunger though we fight not And so they concluded to set vpon the Frenchmen by night The king of Fraunce and his lordes supposing that the Mone wold sooner haue fallen out of the skie then that the Emperours hoste durst haue fought with them were somwhat negligent went the same night a mumming that Burbon set vpon them The Emperours host therefore with their sodaine comming vpon them amased the frenchmen and draue them vppon heaps together one on another so that they neuer could come in aray agayne and tooke the king and diuers of hys lordes and slew many and wanne the field And there came out all the Cardinals preuy treason for in the French Kinges tent say men were letters found beside that in the french kings treasure and in all the host among the souldiers were english shippes found innumerable which had come sayling a thousand miles by land But what wonder ships be made to saile ouer y â— sea wings to flye into far countries and to mount to the top of hye hilles When the French king was taken we sang Te Deum But for all that singing we made peace with frenchmen And the Pope the Venetians FrauÌ„ce and England were knit together least the Emperours army should do any hurt in Fraunce Wherby ye may coniecture of what minde the Pope the Cardinall were toward the Emperor and with what hart our spiritualtie with their inuisible secretes sang Te Deum And from that time hetherto the Emperour our Cardinall haue bene twaine After that when the king of FrauÌ„ce was deliuered home agayne and hys sonnes lefte in pledge manye wayes were sought to bring home the sonnes also but in vayne except the Frenchking would make good that which he had promised the Emperour For the bringing home of those children no maÌ„ more busied his wits then the Cardinal He would in any wise the Emperour should haue sent them home it had bene but for our kings pleasure for y â— great kindnes that he shewed him in times past He would haue maried the kings daughter our princesse vnto the Dolphin againe or as y â— voice went among many vnto the secoÌ„d brother he shoulde haue bene Prince in England king in time to come so that he sought all wayes to pluck vs from the Emperor to ioine vs vnto Fraunce to make Fraunce strong enough to match the Emperour to keepe him downe that the Pope might raigne a god alone and do what pleaseth him without controlling of any ouersear And for the same purpose he left nothing vnprouided to bring the marte from Antwarpe to Cales But at that time the Pope taking part with the French king had warre with the Emperour and at the last the Pope was taken which when the Cardinall heard he wrote vnto the Emperour that he should make hym pope And when he had gotten an auÌ„swere that pleased him not but according vnto his deseruinges toward the Emperour then he waxed furious mad sought all meanes to displease the Emperour and imagined the diuorcement betwene the King and the Queene and wrote sharpely vnto the Emperor with manacing letters that if he woulde not make him Pope he woulde make such ruffling betweene Christen princes as was not this him dred yeare to make the Emperour repent yea though it should coste the whole realme of England The Lord Iesus be our shield what a fierce wrath of God is this vpon vs that a misshapen monster shoulde spring out of a dunghill into such an height that the dread of God and man layd a part he should be so malepart not onely to defye vtterly the maiestie of so mighty an Emperour whose authoritie both Christ and all his Apostles obeyed and taught all other to obey threatening damnation to them that would not But should also set so little by the whole realme of England which hath bestowed so great cost and shed so much bloud to exalt and maintaine such proud churlish vnthankfull hypocrites that he should not care to destroy it vtterly for the satisfying of his vilanous lustes ¶ The putting downe of Cardinall Wolsey COncerning the Cardinals putting downe I consider many thinges First that I neuer heard or read that any man being so great a traytor was so easely put to death Then the naturall disposition and inclination of the man how y t his chief study yea and all his felicitie and inward ioy hath euer bene to exercise that aungels wit of his as my lord of Lincolne was wone to praise him in driuing of such dristes to beguile all men and to binde the whole world with all Wherefore I can none otherwise indge by an C. tokens euident vnto whomsoeuer hath a natural wit but that this is also nothing saue a cast of his olde practise so that when God had wrapped him in his owne wiles that he wist not which way out for the Emperour preuailed for al the Cardinals treason and the french children might not come home and he had learned also of his necromancie
Apostles Paule is greater theÌ„ Peter Paul proued his Apostleshyp with preachyng and sufferyng The Byshops proue there Apostleshyp w t bulles shadowes The Apostles were sent of Christ w t like authoritie The authoritie that Christ gaue was to preache Christes word ☞ ☞ Why Byshops make them a god on earth AaroÌ„ made a calfe And the Pope maketh Bulles The shaueÌ„ nation hath put Christ out of hys â—owme and all kinges and the Emperour Christ is but a vaine name Proper ministers Rochester is proued both ignorant and malicious The Epistles of Paule are the Gospell What Gospell signifieth One Gospell one spirite one truth The authoritie of Paule and of hys Gospell Rochester playeth boâ— pepe Neuer maÌ„ for bad to marry saue the Pope The cause why they will not haue the scripture in Englishe Tully chiefe of Oratours Rochester alleageth Paule for his blinde ceremonies contrary to Paules doctrine It is not lawfull for vs to tell what prayer is what fasting is or wherefore it serueth Payne of cursing damnatioÌ„ and so forth If Paule had none authoritie theÌ„ had Peter none where had then the Pope this authoritie Rochester is improued Wherefore the spirituall officers are ordayned Rochester alleageth heretikes for his purpose for lacke of scripture Robynhode is of authoritie enough to proue the Pope withall Rochester is an Oratoure Rochester is cleane beside hymselfe If Rochester be such a iuggler What suppose ye of the rest let Rochester be an example therfore to iudge them all Faith is the roote and loue springeth of fayth Though Rochester haue not the spirite to iudge spirituall thinges yet ought reason to haue kept him from so shameful lying But God hath blynded him to bring their falshod to light The controuersy betwene Iames Paule Why deuils haue none of Paules fayth nor sinners that repent not A maÌ„ may beleue that Christ died and many other thynges 〈◊〉 not beleue in Christ What it is to beleue in Christ Why say men can not rule Men feare the Popes oyle more then Gods coÌ„maundement Fayth driueth y â— deuilâ— away Why doe not the Byshops make hym flee from shotyng of gunnes Ceremonies dyd not the miracle but fayth Let them tell what the ceremony meaneth The priest disguiseth hym selfe with the passion of Christ Domme ceremonies quench fayth and loue and make the infidels to mocke vs. The prophesie of Christ is fulfilled The testament of the obseruauntes False annoynted Christes prophesis â–ª be it neuer so terrible must be yet fulfilled Christ was neither shanen nor shorne nor annoynted with oyle Hee that doth ought to make satisfaction or to get heauen hath lost his parte of Christes bloud To our neighbour make we amendes The Apostles were neither shaue nor shoren nor annoynted with oyle Byshop an ouersear The true annoynting old Priest This oyle is not among our Byshops Priestes ought to to haue wiues why What the Priestes dutie is to do what to haue Men are not bound to pay the Priest in tithes by Gods law Deacon what it signifieth and what is his office No beggers How holy dayes and offerynges came vp Saintes were not yet Gods Why laÌ„des were geueÌ„ vnto the spirituall officers befor we fell from the fayth False annoynted Shauyng is borowed of the heathen and oylyng of y â— Iewes False names Lying signes No wife but â—n whore Take a dispensation Knaueate Bootes Miters Cite them Pose theÌ„ Make theÌ„ heretickes Burne theÌ„ Curse theÌ„ Feare theÌ„ All in Latine Rolle theÌ„ Syng Ryng Lulle theÌ„ Rocke theÌ„ a slepe Pray in Latin Say them a Gospell What quod my Lord of Canterbury Crosse Turmoylers The craft of the Prelates Interdict Peter 〈◊〉 neuer to schole at the arches The Pope hath one kyngdome more then God hymselfe Shering what it signifieth Tot quot Bishops that preach not Tithes Temporall landes Frechappell Testamentes Offering dayes Priuy tythes Mortuaries If he die froÌ„ home Thou must paye ere thou passe Pety pillage Confession First Masse Professinges Conturations Parson Vicare Parishe priest Fryers Spirituall lawe A proper commoditie of confession Laye your hand on the booke No man may aueÌ„ge saue the kyng â–ª and he is bound by his office Kinges are in captiuitie The dutie of kynges Vnlawfull othes ought to be broken and may without dispensation The kyng only ought to punish sinne I meane that is broken forth the hart must remaine to God The sprite perteineth vnto the shauen onely The kings law is Gods law How men ought to iudge questions of the scripture We come oft to schole But are neuer caught Kinges ought to see what they doe and not to beleue the Byshoppes namely seing their liuing is so sore suspects It perteineth vnto all men to know the scriptures ☞ Be learned ye that iudge the earth The kings are become Antichrists hangmen Be learned ye that iudge the earth Who slew the prophetes Why were the prophetes slayne What deedes of mercy teach the hipocrited Why flew they christ The keyes Christ is a traitor and a breaker of the kynges peace How the hypocrites bynde and lose ☞ Be learned ye that iudge the earth â—or rebukyng this 〈…〉 And for the same cause are we persecutes They bee 〈…〉 Purgatory that make perpetuâ—… Why it is 〈◊〉 Pur gatory Scala Câ—… The doore is stopt vys ye must clyme and scale the walles Some are prayed for and prayed to also The craft that helpeth other helpeth not his owne master Prayer was not sold in the old tyms Their prayer breaketh the great commaundement of God It is tyme that they were tyed by therfore The burdens of our spirituall lawyers Confession tormenteth the conscience robbeth the purse of money and the soule of fayth Bagges or bables to be knowen by Glorious names How are they estemed Kinges are down they can not go lower Our hypocrites lyue by theft ConscieÌ„ces that are so narrow about traditions haue wyde mouthes about gods coÌ„maundementes As the Iewes are the childreÌ„ of AbrahaÌ„ so are the Byshops the successours of the Apostles The spiritualty haue taught to feare their traditions They wynne somewhat alwayes ☜ They that seke honor haue no fayth neither can they do Gods message Be learned Gods wordought all men to know They do all secretly ☞ Gods wordought so iudge â—he right way to vnderstaÌ„d the scripture The kings haue a iudge before whom my soule for yours helpeth not Preach what thou wilt but rebuke nor hypocrisie The Prelates are clothed in red Pollaxeâ— Iudge the free by hys fruite and not by his leanes Sacramentes are signes of Gods promises The promise which the Sacrament preacheth iustifieth onely How the sacrameÌ„tes iustifie Matrimony was not ordeined to signifie any promise If wedlocke be holy why had they leuer haue whores theÌ„ wines Character Sacerdos Presbiter Priestes now ought not to be annointed with oyle The office of a Priest They will be holier but their deedes be not holy at all Compare their dedes to the doctrine end deedes of Christ
Princes and to all that are in authoritie how to rule vnto Gods pleasure vnto their owne profite For there is not a perfecter life in this world both to the honor of God and profite of his neighbour nor yet a greater crosse theÌ„ to rule christianly And of Aaron also see that thou make no figure of Christ vntill hee come vnto hys sacrifisyng but an example vnto all Preachers that they adde nothyng vnto Gods word or take ought therefro Note also how GOD sendeth his promise to the people and Moyses coÌ„firmeth it with miracles and the people beleue But when temptatioÌ„ commeth they fall into vnbelief and fewe byde standyng When thou seest that all be not Christen that will be so called and that the crosse tryeth the true from the fayned for if the crosse were not Christ should haue Disciples enough Whereof also thou seest what an excellent gift of God true fayth is and impossible to be had without the spirite of God For it is aboue all natural power that a maÌ„ in time of temtation when GOD scourgeth hym should beleue then stedfastly how that God loueth him and careth for hym and hath prepared all good thyngs for hym and that that scourgyng is an earnest that GOD hath elect and chosen hym Note how oft Moyses styred them vp to beleue and trust in God putting them in remembraunce alway in tyme of temptation of the miracles wonders that GGD hath wrought before tyme in their eye sight How diligently also forbiddeth hee all that might withdraw their hartes from God to put ought to GODS word to take ought from it coÌ„maundyng to do that onely that is ryght in the sight of the Lord that they should make no maner Image to kneele downe before it yea that they should make none aultare of hewed stone for feare of Images to fle the heathen Idolatries vtterly and to destroy their Idols and cut downe theyr groues where they worshypped and that they should not take the daughters of them vnto their sonnes nor geue their daughters to y t sonnes of them and that who soeuer moued any of them to worshyp false Gods how soeuer nighe of kynne he were they must accuse him and bryng him to death yea wheresoeuer they heard of man woman or Citie that worshypped false Gods they should slea them destroy the Citie for euer and not builde it agayne and all bycause they should worship nothing but God nor put confidence in any thing saue in his word Yea and howe warneth he to beware of witchcraft sorcerie enchauntment nicromancie and all craftes of the Deuill and of dreamers â—othsayers and of miracle doers to destroy the word and that they should suffer none such to lyue Thou wilt hapely say they tell a man the truth What then GOD will that we care not to knowe what shall come He will haue vs to care onely to kepe his commaundementes and to committe all chaunces vnto hym He hath promised to care for vs to kepe vs from all ill All thynges are in hys hand he can remedy all thynges and will for his truth sake if we pray hym In his promises onely will hee haue vs trust and there rest and to seke no farther How also doth he prouoke them to loue euer rehearsing the benefites of God done to them already the godly promises that were to come And how goodly lawes of loue geueth hee to helpe one an other and that a man should not hate his neighbour in hys hart but loue him as himself Leuit. 19 And what a charge geueth he in euery place ouer the poore and nedie ouer the strauÌ„ger frendlesse and widowes And when he desireth to shew mercy he rehearseth with all the benefites of God done to them at their neede that they might see a cause at the least waye in GOD to shew mercy of very loue vnto their neighbours at their nede Also there is no lawe so simple in apparaunce thoroughout the v. bokes of Moses but that there is a great reason of y t makyng therof if a man search diligently As that a man is forbyd to sethe a Kydde in hys mothers milke moueth vs vnto compassion and to be pitiful As doth also that a man should not offer the syre or damme the youÌ„g both in one day Leuiticus .xxij. For it might seme a cruell thyng in as much as his mothers milke is as it were his bloud wherfore god wil not haue him sodde therin but will haue a man shew curtesie vppon the very beastes As in an other place hee commaundeth that we mosell not the Oxe that treadeth out the corne whiche maner of threshyng is vsed in hoate countreys and that bycause we should much rather to be liberall and kynd vnto men that do vs seruice Or happely GOD would haue none such wanton meate vsed among his people For the Kydde of it selfe is nourishyng and the Goates milke is restauratiue and both together might be to rancke and therefore forbydden or some other lyke cause there was Of the ceremonies sacrifices and tabernacle with all hys glory and pompe vnderstand that they were not permitted onely but also commaunded of GOD to lead the people in the shadowe of Moyses and night of the olde Testament vntill the lyght of Christ and day of the new Testament were come As children are lead in the phantasies of youth vntill the discretion of mans age be come vpon them And all was done to keepe them from Idolatrie The tabernacle was ordeined to the entent they might haue a place appointed them to do their sacrifices openly in the sight of the people and namely the Priestes whiche wayted thereon that it might bee sene that they dyd all thynges accordyng to Gods worde not after the Idolatry of their owne imagination And the costlinesse of the Tabernacle and the beauty also pertayning therunto that they should see nothyng among the heathen but that they should see thinges more beautiful at home because they shoulde not bee moued to follow them And in lyke maner the diuers fashions of sacrifices and ceremonies was to occupy their minds that they shold haue no lust to follow the Heathen the multitude of them was that they should haue so much to do in keepyng them that they should haue no leysure to imagine other of their owne yea that Gods worde might be there by in all that they did that they might haue their fayth and trust in God which he cannot haue that followeth either hys own inuentions or traditions of meÌ„s makyng without Gods worde Finally God hath two testaments the olde and the new The olde testament is those teÌ„porall promises which God made the children of Israell of a good lande and that he would defend them and of wealth and prosperitie of temporall blessinges of which thou readest ouer all the law of Moses but namely Leuiticus 26. and Deut.
teacheth to deale soberly with the consciences of the weake in the fayth whiche yet vnderstand not the libertie of Christ perfectly enough and to fauour them of Christen loue and not to vse the libertie of the faith vnto hinderāce but vnto the furtheraunce and edifiyng of the weake For where such consideratiō is not there foloweth debate and despising of the Gospell It is better there to forbeare the weake a while vntill they waxe strong then that the learnyng should come altogether vnder fote And such worke is singular work of loue ye and where loue is perfecte there must nedes be such a respect vnto the weake a thing that Christ commaunded and charged to be had aboue all thinges In the 15. Chapter he setteth forthe Christ agayne to be counterfaited that we also by hys ensample should suffer other that are yet weake as them that are fraile open sinners vnlearned vnexpert and of lothesome maners and not to cast thē away forthwith but to suffer thē til they waxe better exhort them in the meane tyme. For so delte Christ in the gospel and now dealeth with vs dayly suffering our vnperfectnes weaknes conuersation maners not yet fashioned after the doctrine of the Gospell but smell of the flesh ye and sometyme breake forth into outward deedes After that to conclude withall he wisheth them encrease of fayth peace and ioye of conscience prayseth them and committeth them to God and magnifieth his office and administration in the gospell and soberly and with great discretion desireth succour and ayde of them for the poore sayntes of Ierusalem and it is all pure loue that he speketh or dealeth withall So fynde we in this Epistle plentuously vnto the vttermost whatsoeuer a christen man or woman ought to know that is to witte what the law the gospell sume grace fayth righteousnes Christ god good workes loue hope hope and the crosse are and euen wherin the pith of of all that pertayneth to the Christen fayth standeth and how a christen mā ought to behaue himselfe vnto euery man be he perfect or a sinner good or bad strong or weake frend or foe and in conclusiō how to behaue our selues both towarde God and toward oure selues also And all thynges are profoundly grounded in the Scriptures and declared with ensamples of hymselfe of the fathers and of the prohets that a man can here desire no more Wherfore it appeareth euidently that Paules mynde was to comprehende brieflye in hys Epistle all the whole learnyng of Christes gospell and to prepare an introduction vnto all the olde testament For without doubte whosoeuer hath this Epistle perfectly in hys harte the same hath the light the effect of the olde Testament wyth hym Wherfore let euery man without exception exercise himselfe therein diligently and recorde it night and day continually vntill he be full acquainted therwith The last chapter is a chapiter of recommendation wherein he yet mingleth a good monition that we should beware of the traditions and doctrine of men which beguile the simple with sophistry and learnyng that is not after the Gospell and draw them from Christ and noosell them in weake and feble and as Paul calleth them in the epistle to the Gallathians in beggerly ceremonies for the entent that they would lyue in fat pastures and be in authoritie and be taken as Christ ye and aboue Christ and sitte in the temple of God that is to witte in the consciences of men where God onely his worde his Christ ought to sit Compare therfore all maner doctrine of mē vnto y t scripture and see whether they agree or not And commit thy selfe whole and all together vnto Christe and so shal he with his holy sprite and withal his fulnes dwell in thy soule Amen The Prologue vppon the first Epistle of S. Paule to the Corinthians by William Tyndall THis Epistle declareth it selfe from chapter to chapter that it nedeth no Prologue or introduction to declare it When Paul had conuerted a great number at Corinthum as ye read Act. 18. and was departed there came immediatly false Apostels and sectmakers and drew euery mans disciples after hym so that the people were whole vnquieted deuided and at variaunce among themselues euery man for the zeale of hys doctour those newe Apostles not regardyng what diuision what vncleannesse of liuing or what false opinions were amonge the people as long as they might bee in authoritie and well at ease in theyr bellies But Paul in the first foure chapiters with great wisdom and sobernesse rebuked first the diuision the authors therof and calleth the people to Christ agayne and teacheth howe and for what the preacher is to be takē In the 5. he rebuketh the vncleanes that was amongst them In he 6. he rebuketh the debate and goyng to law together pletyng their causes before the heathen In the 7. he reformeth them concernyng chastitie and mariage In the 8. 9. 10. and 11. he teacheth y ◠strong to forbeare the weake that yet vnderstand not the libertie of the gospell and that with the ensample of him self which though he were an apostle and had authoritie yet of loue he abstayned to winner other And he feareth them with the ensamples of the olde Testament and rebuketh diuers disorders that were among them concernyng the Sacrament and the goyng barehedded of maried women In the 12. 13. and 14. he teacheth of the manifold gyftes of the spirite and proueth by a similitude of the bodye that all giftes are geuen y t eche should helpe other and through loue do seruice to other and proueth that where loue is not there is nothing that pleaseth God For that one should loue an other is all that God requireth of vs and therfore if we desire spiritual gifts he teacheth those giftes to bee desired that helpe our neighbours In the 15. he teacheth of the resurrection of the body And in the last he exhorteth to helpe the poore sayntes A Prologue vpō the second Epistle of S. Paul to the Corinthians by W. Tyndall AS in the first epistle he rebuketh the Corinthians sharpely so in this he comforteth them and prayseth them and commaūdeth him that was excommunicate to be receiued louingly into the congregation agayne And in the 1. and 2. chapiters hee sheweth his loue to them warde how that all that he spake did or suffered was for their sakes and for their saluation Then in the 3. 4. and 5. he prayseth the office of preaching the gospell aboue y t preaching of the law sheweth that the Gospel groweth through persecution throughe the crosse whiche maketh a man sure of eternall lyfe and here and there he toucheth y t false prophetes which studied to turne the faith of the people from Christe vnto the workes of the law In the 6. and 7. chapters he exhorteth thē to suffer with the gospell to lyue as it becommeth the Gospell and prayseth hym
them with euerlasting reward of their fayth and patience in sufferyng for the Gospell and with the punishment of their persecutours in euerlastyng payne In the second he sheweth that y t last day shoulde not come till there were first a departing as some men thinke froÌ„ vnder y e obedience of y t Emperour of Rome and that Antichrist shoulde set vp himselfe in y e same place as god and deceyue the vnthankefull worlde with false doctrine and with false and lying myracles wrought by the workyng of Sathan vntill Christ shoulde come and slay hym with his glorious commyng and spirituall preachyng of the worde of God In the third he geueth them exhortation and warneth them to rebuke y t idle that would not labour with their handes and auoyde their company if they would not amende A Prologue vpon the first Epistle of S. Paule to Tymothe by W. Tyndall THis epistle writeth S. Paul to be an ensample to all Bishoppes what they shoulde teache and how they should teache and how they should gouerne the congregation of Christe in all degrees that it should be no nede to gouerne christes flocke with the doctrine of their owne good meanynges In the first Chapiter he commaundeth that the bishop shall maynetayne y t right fayth and loue and resist false preachers which make the lawe and woorkes equall with Christ and hys Gospell And he maketh a shorte conclusion of all Christes learning wherto the law serueth and what the ende therof is also what the Gospell is and setteth himselfe for a comfortable ensample vnto all sinners and troubled consciences In the second he commaundeth to pray for all degrees and chargeth that women shall not preache nor weare costly apparell but to be obedient vnto the men In the thyrd he describeth what maner persons the Byshop or Priest and their wyues should be also the Deacons and their wiues and commeÌ„deth it if any man desire to be a Byshop after that maner In the fourth hee prophesieth and sheweth before of the false Byshops spirituall officers that should aryse among the Christen people and be do and preach cleane contrary to the fore described ensample and should depart from the fayth in Christ and forbyd to marye and to eate certain meates teachyng to put trust therin both of iustifiyng and forgiuenesse of sinnes also of deseruyng of eternall life In the fift he teacheth howe a Byshop should vse him self toward yong and old concernyng widowes what is to be done which should be found of the common cost and teacheth also how men should honour the vertuous Bishops and Priestes and how to rebuke the euill In the sixt he exhorteth y t Byshops to cleaue to the Gospell of Christ and true doctrine to auoyde vayne questions and superfluous disputynges which geÌ„dre strife quench the truth and by which also the false Prophetes get them authoritie and seke to satisfie their insatiable couetousnesse The Prologue vpon the second Epistle of Saint Paule vnto Timothe W. Tyndall IN this Epistle Paul exhorteth Timothe to go forward as he had begoÌ„ to preach y t Gospel with all diligence as it neede was seyng many were fallen away and many false spirites and teachers were sprong vp already Wherfore a Byshops part is euer to watche and to labour in the Gospell In the third and fourth he sheweth before and that notablie of the ieoperdous tyme toward the end of y t world in which a false spiritual liuing should disceine y e whole world with outward hypocriâ—ie and apparance of holinesse vnder which all abhominatioÌ„s should haue their free passage and course as we alas haue sene this prophesie of S. Paule fulfilled in our spiritualtie vnto the vttermost iote The Prologue vpon the Epistle of S. Paul to Titus THis is a short Epistle wherin yet is conteyned all that is needefull for a Christen to know In the first Chapter he sheweth what maner a man a Byshop or Curate ought to be that is to witte vertuous and learned to preach and defende the Gospell to confounde the doctrine of trustyng in woorkes and mens traditions whiche euer fight agaynst the faith and cary away the coÌ„science captiue from the fredome that is in Christ into the bondage of their owne imaginations and inuentions as though the thynges should make a man good in the light of God whiche are to no profite at all In the secoÌ„d he teacheth all degrees old young men womeÌ„ maisters and seruauntes how to behaue theÌ„ selues as they which Christ bought with his bloud to be his proper or peculiar people to glorifie god with good workes In the thyrd he teacheth to honour temporall rulers and to obey theÌ„ and yet bryngeth to Christ agayne and to the grace that hee hath purchased for vs that no man should thinke that the obedience of Princes lawes or any other woorke should iustifie vs before God And last of all he chargeth to auoyde the company of the stubburne and of the heretickes A Prologue vpon the Epistle of Saint Paule vnto Philemon by W. Tyndall IN this Epistle S. Paule sheweth a godly ensample of Christen loue Here in we see how Paule taketh poore Onesimos vnto him and maketh intercessioÌ„ for him vnto his master and helpeth him with all that he may and behaueth him selfe none otherwise then as though he him selfe were the sayd Onesimos whiche thyng yet he doth not with power and authoritie as hee well might haue done but putteth of all authoritie and whatsoeuer he might of right do that Philemon might do likewise toward Onesimos and with great mekenesse and wisedome teacheth Philemon to see his dutie in Christ Iesu The Prologue vpon the first Epistle of Saint Peter by William Tyndall THis Epistle dyd S. Peter write to the heathen that were conuerted and exhorteth them to staÌ„d fast in the faith to grow therein and waxe perfect through all maner of sufferyng and also good workes In the first he declareth the iustifiyng of fayth through Christes bloud and comforteth them with the hope of the lyfe to come and sheweth that we haue not deserued it but that the prophetes prophesied it shoulde be geuen vs as Christ which redemed vs out of synne and all vncleannesse is holy so he exhorteth to lead an holy conuersation because we be richly bought and made heyres of a riche inheritaÌ„ce to take hede that we lose it not agayn through our owne negligence In the 2. Chapter he sheweth that Christ is the foundation and hed corner stone wheron al are built through fayth whether it be Iew or Gentile how that in Christ they are made priestes to offer themselues to GOD as Christ dyd hymselfe and to slea the lustes of the fleshe that fyght againste the soule And first he teacheth them in generall to obey the worldly rulers than in special he teacheth y t seruantes to obey their maisters
of loue which springeth out of Christes bloud into the hartes of all them that haue their trust in him No man needeth to bidde a Christen man to pray if he see his neighbours neede if he see it not put him in remembraunce onely then he can not but do hys dutie Now as touching we desire one an other to pray for vs that do we to put our neighbour in remēbraunce of his dutie not that we trust in his holines Our trust is in God in Christ and in the truth of Gods promises we haue also a promise that when ij or iij. or moe agree together in any thing according to the will of God God heareth vs. Notwithstanding as God heareth many so heareth he fewe and so heareth he one if he pray after the will of God and desire the honour of God He that desireth mercy the same feeleth his owne misery sinne mourneth in his hart for to be deliuered that he might honour God and God for his truth must heare him which sayeth by the mouth of Christ Mat. v. Blessed are they that honger and thyrst after righteousnes for they shall be filled God for his truthes sake must put y t righteousnes of Christ in hym and washe his vnrighteousnes away in the bloud of Christ And be the sinner neuer so weake neuer so feeble and frayle sinne he neuer so oft and so greuous yet so long as thys lust desire and mourning to be deliuered remaineth in him God seeth not his sinnes reckoneth them not for his truthes sake and loue to Christ He is not a sinner in the sight of God that would be no sinner He y t would be deliuered hath his hart loose already His hart sinneth not but mourneth repenteth and consenteth vnto the law will of God and iustifieth God that is beareth record that God which made the lawe is righteous iust And such an hart trusting in Christes bloude is accepted for full righteous And his weakenes infirmitie and frailetie is pardoned and his sinnes not looked vppon vntill God put more strength in him and fulfill his lust When the weake in y t faith vnexpert in the misteries of Christ desire vs to pray for them then ought we to lead them to the truth and promises of God and teach them to put their trust in the promises of God in loue that God hath to Christ and to vs for hys sake and to strength their weake consciences shewing and prouing by the Scripture that as long as they follow the spirite and resiste sinne it is impossible they shoulde fall so deepe that God shall not pull them vp agayne if they holde fast by the anker of fayth hauing trust and confidence in Christ The loue that God hath to Christ is infinite and Christ did and suffered all thinges not for himselfe to obtaine fauour or ought els for he had euer the full fauour of God and was euer Lord ouer all thinges but to reconcile vs to God and to make vs heyres with him of his fathers kingdome And God hath promised that whosoeuer calleth on hys name shall neuer be confounded or ashamed Rom. ix If the righteous fall sayth the Scripture he shall not be broused the Lord shall put his hand vnder him Who is righteous but he that trusteth in Christes bloude be he neuer so weake Christ is our righteousnes and in him ought we to teach all men to trust and to expound vnto all men the Testament that God hath made to vs sinners in Christes bloud This ought we to do and not make a pray of them to leade them captiue to sit in their consciences and to teach them to trust in our holines good deedes and prayers to the entent that we would fede our idle and slow bellies of their great labour and sweate so to make our selues Christes and sauiours For if I take on me to saue other by my merites make I not my selfe a Christ a sauiour am in dede a false Prophet and a true Antichrist and exalt my selfe and sitte in the temple of God that is to wytt the consciences of men Among Christen mē loue maketh all thinges common euery man is others debter and euery mā is bound to minister to his neighbour and to supply his neighbours lacke of that wherewith God hath endued hym As thou seest in the world how the Lordes and officers minister peace in the common wealth punishe murtherers theeues and euill doers and to maintayne their order estate doe the commons minister to them againe rent tribute tole and custome So in the Gospell the curates which in euery parishe preach the Gospell ought of outie to receiue an honest liuing for them and their housholds euē so ought the other officers which are necessarily required in the common wealth of Christ We neede not to vse filthy lucre in the Gospell to chop chainge and to play the Tauernars altering the word of God as they do their wines to their most aduaūtage and to fashion Gods worde after euery mans mouth or to abuse the name of Christ to obtaine thereby authoritie and power to feede our slowe bellies Now seest thou what prayer is the ende thereof and wherfore it serueth If thou geue me a thousand pound to pray for thee I am no more bound then I was before Mans imagination can make the commaundement of God neither greater nor smaller neither can to the lawe of God eyther adde or minishe Gods commaundement is as great as himselfe I am bounde to loue the Turke with all my might and power yea and aboue my power euen from the ground of my hart after the ensample that Christ loued me neither to spare goods body or life to winne him to Christ And what can I doe more for thee if thou gauest me all the world Where I see neede there can I not but pray if Gods spirite be in me Almes is a greke worde and signifieth mercy One Christian is debter to an other at his neede of all that he is able to do for him vntill his neede be sufficed Euery Christian mā ought to haue Christ alwayes before his eyes as an ensample to counterfeite and follow and to do to his neighbour as Christ hath done to him as Paule teacheth in all his epistles and Peter in his first and Iohn in his first also This order vseth Paule in all his Epistles First he preacheth the law proueth that the whole nature of man is damned in that the hart lusteth cōtrary to the will of God For if we were of God no doubt we shoulde haue lust in his will Then preacheth he Christ the Gospell the promises and the mercy that God hath set forth to all men in Christes bloud Which they that beleue take it for an earnest thing turne themselues to God beginne to loue God agayne and to prepare themselues to his will by the
haue submitted thy self vnto thy father and mother agayne If thou obey though it be but carnally either for feare for vayne glorie or profite thy blessyng shal be long lyfe vpon the earth For he sayth honour thy father and mother that thou mayest liue long vpon the earth Exod. xx Contrarywise if thou disobey them thy life shal be shortned vpon the earth For it foloweth Exod. xxj He that smiteth his father or mother shal be put to death for it And he that curseth that is to say rayleth or dishonoured hys father or mother with opprobrious woordes shal be slayne for it And Deut. xx◠If any man haue a sonne stubburne and disobedient which heareth not the voyce of his father and the voyce of hys mother so that they haue taught hym nurtoure and he regardeth them not then let his father and mother take hym bryng him forth vnto the Seniours or elders of the Citie and vnto the gate of the same place And let them say vnto the Seniours of that Citie this our sonne is stubburne and disobedient He will not harken vnto our voyce he is a rioter and a dronkard Thē let the men of the Citie stone hym with stones vnto death so shall ye put awaye wickednesse from among you and all Israell shall heare and shall feare And though that the temporall officers to their owne damnation be negligent in punishing such disobedience as the spirituall officers are to teache it and winke at it or looke on it thorough the fingers yet shall they not scape vnpunished For the vengeance of God shall accōpanie them as thou mayst see Deut. xxviij With all misfortune and euill lucke shall not depart from them vntill they be murdered drownde or hanged either vntill by one mischaunce or an other they be vtterly brought to nought Yea the world often tymes hangeth many a man for that they neuer deserued but God hāgeth them because they would not obey and harkē vnto their elders as the consciences of many well finde when they come vnto the galowes There can they preach and teach other that whiche they thē selues would not learne in season The Mariage also of the children perteineth vnto their elders as thou mayst see i. Cor. vij and throughout all the Scripture by the authoritie of the sayd commaundement child obey father and mother Whiche thyng the heathen and gentiles haue euer kept and to this day keepe vnto thee great shame and rebuke of vs Christē in as much as the weddyngs of our virgins shame it is to speake it are more lyke vnto the saute of a bitche then the mariyng of a reasonable creature Se not we dayly three or foure calengyng one woman before the Commissary or Officiall of whiche not one hath the consent of her father and mother And yet hee that hath most money hath best right and shall haue her in the despite of all her frendes and in deffiaunce of Gods ordinaunces Moreouer when she is geuen by the iudge vnto y t one party also maried euen then oft tymes shall the contrary party sue before an hyer iudge or an other that succedeth the same for money deuorce her agayne So shamefully doth the couetousnes and ambition of our Prelates mocke with the lawes of God I passe ouer with silence how many yeares they will prolōg the sentence with cauillations and suttletie if they be well monyed on both parties and if a damsel promise ij how shamefull Councel they will geue the second and also how the religious of Sathan do separate vnseperable matrimonie For after thou art lawfully maryed at the commaundemēt of father and mother and with the consent of all thy frendes yet if thou wilt be disgised eke vnto one of them and sweare obediēce vnto their traditions thou mayst disobey father and mother breake the othe which thou hast sworne to God before his holy congregation and withdraw loue and charitie the hyest of Gods cōmaundements and that dutie and seruice which thou owest vnto thy wife whereof Christ can not dispence with thee For Christ is not agaynst God but with God and came not to breake Gods ordinaunces but to fulfill them That is hee came to ouercome thee w t kindnes and to make thee to do of very loue the thyng which the law cōpelleth thee to doe For loue onely and to do seruice vnto thy neighbour is the fulfillyng of the law in y t sight of God To be a Monke or a Frier thou mayst thus forsake thy wife before thou hast lyne with her but not to be a seculare priest And yet after thou art professed the Pope for money wil dispence with thee both for thy coate and all thy obedience make a seculer Priest of thee likewise as it is simonie to sell a benefice as they call it but to resigne vpon a pension and thē to redeine the same is no simony at all Oh crafty iugglers and mockers with the word of God ¶ The obedience of wiues vnto their husbandes AFter that Eue was deceaued of the Serpent God said vnto her Gene. iij. Thy lust or appetite shall perteyne vnto thy husband and he shall rule thee or raigne ouer thee God whiche created the woman knoweth what is in that weake vessell as Peter calleth her and hath therefore put her vnder the obedience of her husband to rule her lustes and wanton appetites i. Peter iij. exhorteth wiues to bee in subiection vnto their husbandes after the ensample of the holy wemen whiche in old tyme trusted in GOD and as Sara obeyed Abraham and called hym Lord. Whiche Sara before she was maried was Abrahams sister and equall with him but as soone as she was maried was in subiection and became with out comparison inferior For so is the nature of wedlocke by the ordinaunce of God It were much better that our wiues folowed the ensample of the holy wemen of old time in obeyeng their husbands then to worshyp them with a Pater noster an Aue and a Credo or to sticke vp candles before their images Paul Ephe. v. sayth wemen submitte your selues vnto your own husbādes as vnto the Lord. For the husband is the wiues head euen as Christ is the head of the congregation Therfore as the congregation is in subiection to Christ likewise let wiues be in subiectiō vnto their husbādes in all things Let the woman therfore feare her husband as Paul sayth in the sayd place For her husband is vnto her in y t stede of God that she obey him and wayte on hys commaundementes And hys commaundementes are Gods commaundements If she therfore grudge agaynst him or resiste hym she grudgeth against God and resisteth God ¶ The obedience of Seruauntes vnto their Maisters SEruauntes obey your carnall masters with feare and tremblyng in singlenesse of your hartes as vnto Christ not with seruice in the eye sight as mē pleaseres but as the
them whiche with their false doctrine and violence of sword enforce to quenche the true doctrine of Christe And as thou canst heale no disease except thou begyn at the roote euen so canst thou preach agaynst no mischief except thou begyn at the Byshops Kinges they are but shadowes vayne names and thynges idle hauyng nothing to do in the world but when our holy father nedeth their helpe The Pope contrarie vnto all conscience and agaynst all the doctrine of Christ which sayth my kyngdome is not of this world Iohn xviij hath vsurped the right of the Emperour And by policie of the Byshops of Almany and with corruptyng the Electours or chosers of the Emperor with money bryngeth to passe that such a one is euer chosen Emperour that is not able to make his partie good with the Pope To stoppe the Emperour that he come not at Rome he bringeth the French kyng vp to Milane and on the other side bryngeth he the Venetians If the Venetiās come to nye the Byshops of Fraunce must bryng in the French kyng And the Socheners are called and sent for to come and succour And for their labour he geueth to some a Rose to an other a cappe of mayntenaunce One is called most Christen king an other defender of the fayth an other the eldest sonne of the most holy seate He blaseth also the armes of other and putteth in the holy crosse the crown of thorne or the nayles and so forth If the Frēch kyng go to hye and crepe vp other to Bononie or Naples then must our English Byshops bryng in our kyng The craft of the Byshops is to entitle one kyng with an others Realme He is called kyng of Dennemarke and of England he kyng of England and of Fraunce Then to blinde the Lordes and the commons the kyng must chalenge his right Then must the lande be taxed and euery man paye and the treasure borne out of the Realme and the land beggerde How many a thousand mens liues hath it cost And how many an hundred thousand poundes hath it caried out of the Realme in our remembraunce Besides how abhominable an example of gatheryng was there such verely as neuer tyraunt sence the world began did yea such as was neuer before heard or thought on neither among Iewes Saresens Turkes or Heathen sence God created the Sunne to shyne that a beast should breake vp into the Temple of God that is to say into the hart and consciences of men and compell them to sweare euery man what hee was worthe to lende that should neuer be payd agayne How many thousandes forsware thē selues How many thousandes set them selues aboue their habilitie partly for feare lest they should be forsworne and partly to saue their credence When the pope hath his purpose then is peace made no man woteth how and our most enemy is our most frend Now because the Emperour is able to obteine his right French English Venetians and all must vpō him O great whore of Babylon how abuseth she the Princes of the world how dronke hath she made them with her wyne How shamefull licences doth she geue them to vse Nichromancy to hold whores to diuorse them selues to breake the fayth and promises that one maketh with an other that the confessours shall deliuer vnto the kyng the confession of whom he will and dispēceth with them euen of the very lawe of God whiche Christ him selfe can not do ¶ Agaynst the Popes false power MAthew xxvj Christ sayth vnto Peter put vp thy sword into his sheth For all that lay hand vpon the sword shal perish with the sword that is who soeuer without the cōmaundement of the temporall officer to whom God hath geuē the sword layeth hand on the sword to take vengeaunce the same deserueth death in the deede doyng God did not put Peter onely vnder the tēporall sword but also Christ him selfe As it appeareth in the fourth Chapter to the Galathiās And Christ sayth Math. iij. Thus becommeth it vs to fulfill all righteousnes that is to say all ordinaunces of God If the head be then vnder the tēporall sword how can the members be excepted If Peter sinned in defendyng Christ against the temporall sword whose authoritie and Ministers the Byshops then abused agaynst Christ as ours do now who can excuse our Prelates of sinne which will obey no man neither Kyng nor Emperour Yea who can excuse from sinne either the Kynges that geue either the Byshops that receaue such exemptions contrarie to Gods ordinaunces and Christes doctrine And Math. xvij both Christ and also Peter pay tribute where the meanyng of Christes question vnto Peter is if Princes take tribute of straungers onely and not of their children then verily ought I to be free whiche am the sonne of God whose seruaūtes and Ministers they are and of whom they haue their authoritie Yet because they neither knew that neither Christ came to vse that authoritie but to bee our seruaunt and to beare our burthen and to obey all ordinaunces both in right and wrong for our sakes and to teach vs therfore sayd he to S. Peter Pay for thee and melest we offend thē Moreouer though that Christ Peter because they were poore might haue escaped yet would he not for feare of offendyng other and hurtyng their consciences For he might well haue geuen occasion vnto the tribute gatherers to haue iudged amisse both of him and his doctrine yea and the Iewes might happely haue bene offended thereby and haue thought that it had not ben lawful for them to haue payd tribute vnto Heathen Princes and Idolaters seyng that he so great a Prophet payd not Yea and what other thyng causeth the lay so litle to regarde their Princes as that they see them both despised disobeyed of the spiritualtie But our Prelates whiche care for none offendyng of consciences and lesse for Gods ordinaunces will pay nought but when Princes must fight in our most holy fathers quarell and agaynst Christ Then are they the first There also is none so poore that then hath not somewhat to geue Marke here how past all shame our schole Doctours are as Rochester is in his Sermon agaynst Martin Luther which of this text of Mathew dispute that Peter because he payd tribute is greater then the other Apostles and hath more authority and power then they and was head vnto thē all cōtrary vnto so many cleare textes where Christ rebuketh them saying that is an Heathenish thyng that one should clyme aboue an other or desire to be greater To be great in the kingdome of heauē is to be a seruaunt and he that most humbleth hym selfe and becommeth a seruaunt vnto other after the ensample of Christ I meane his Apostles and not of the Pope and his Apostles our Cardinals and Byshops y e same is greatest in that kingdome If Peter in paying tribute became greatest how
The dutie of Kynges and of the Iudges and Officers LEt Kynges if they had leuer be Christen in deede then so to be called geue themselues all together to the wealth of their Realmes after the ensample of Christ remembryng that the people are Gods not theirs ye are Christes inheritaunce and possession bought with his bloud The most despised person in his Realme is the kynges brother and felowmember with hym and equall with him in the kyngdome of God and of Christ Let him therfore not thinke him selfe to good to do thē seruice neither seke any other thing in them then a father seketh in his children yea then Christ sought in vs. Though that the kyng in the temporal regiment be in the rowme of God and representeth God him self and is with out all comparison better thē his subiectes yet let him put of that and become a brother doing and leauing vndone all thinges in respect of the common wealth that all men may see that he seketh nothing but the profet of his subiectes When a cause that requireth execution is brought before him then onely let him take y e person of God on him Then let him know no creature but heare all indifferently whether it be a straunger or one of his owne Realme the small as well as the great and iudge righteously for the iudgemēt is the Lordes Deut. i. In tyme of iudgement he is no minister in the kyngdome of Christ he preacheth no Gospell but the sharpe law of vengeance Let him take the holy iudges of the olde Testament for an example and namely Moses which in executing the law was mercylesse otherwise more then a mother vnto them neuer auengyng his owne wronges but suffering all thing bearing euery mans weakenes teaching warning exhorting and euer caryng for them and so tenderly loued them that he desired God either to forgeue them or to damne hym with them Let the iudges also priuatly when they haue put of the person of a iudge exhort with good counsell and warne the people helpe that they come not at Gods iudgemēt but the causes that are brought vnto them when they sit in Gods stede let them iudge and cōdemne y e trespasser vnder lawfull witnesses and not breake vp into the consciences of men after the example of Antichristes disciples and compell thē either to forsweare them selues by the almightie God and by the holy Gospell of his mercyfull promises or to testifie against them selues Which abhominatiō our Prelates learned of Cayphas Math. xxvj saying to Christ I adiure or charge thee in the name of the liuing God that thou tell vs whether thou be Christ the sonne of God Let that which is secret to God onely where of no profe cā be made nor lawfull witnesse brought abyde vnto the commyng of the Lord which shall opē all secretes If any malice breake forth that let them iudge onely For further authoritie hath God not geuen them Moyses Deut. xvij warneth iudges to kepe them vpright and to looke on no mans person that is that they preferre not the hye before the low the great before the small the rich before poore his acquaintaunce frende kinsman countrey man or one of his own nation before a straūger a frend or an aliant ye or one of their own faith before an infidell but that they looke on the cause onely to iudge indifferently For the rowme that they are in and the law that they execute are Gods which as he hath made all and is God of all and all are his sonnes euen so is he iudge ouer all and wil haue al iudged by his law indifferently and to haue the right of his law and will auenge the wrong done vnto the Turke or Sareson For though they be not vnder the euerlastyng Testament of God in Christ as few of vs which are called Christen be and euen no mo thē to whom God hath sent his promises and poured his spirite into their harts to beleue them and through fayth grauen lust in their hartes to fulfill the law of loue yet are they vnder the Testament of y e law naturall which is the lawes of euery land made for the common wealth there and for peace and vnite that one may lyue by an other In whiche lawes the infidels if they kepe them haue promises of worldly things Who soeuer therfore hyndreth a very infidell from the right of that law sinneth agaynst God and of him will God be auēged Moreouer Moyses warneth them that they receaue no giftes rewardes or bribes For those two pointes fauoryng of one person more then an other and receauyng rewardes peruerte all right and equitie and is y e onely pestilence of all iudges And the kynges warneth he that they haue not to many wiues lest their hartes turne away and that they read alway in the law of God to learne to feare him lest their hartes be lift vp aboue their brethren Which ij pointes wemen and pride the despising of their subiectes which are in very deed their owne brethren are the common pestilence of all Princes Read the stories and see The Shyriffes Bayly arauntes Constables and such like officers may let no man that hurteth his neighbour scape but that they bryng them before the iudges except they in the meane time agree with their neighbours and make them amendes Let Kinges defende their subiectes from the wronges of other natiōs but picke no quarels for euery trifle no let not our most holy father make them no more so dronkē with vayne names with cappes of maintenaunce and like bables as it were popetry for childrē to begger their Realmes and to murther their people for defendyng of our holy fathers tyrāny If a lawfull peace that standeth with Gods woorde be made betwene Prince and Prince and the name of God taken to recorde and the body of our Sauiour broken betwene them vppon the bonde whiche they haue made that peace or bonde can our holy father not dispence with neither lowse it with all the keyes he hath no veryly Christ can not breake it For he came not to breake the law but to fulfill it Math. v. If any man haue broken the law or a good ordinaunce and repent come to the rightway agayne then hath Christ power to forgeue hym but licence to breake the law cā he not geue much more his disciples and vicares as they call them selues can not do it The keyes wherof they so greatly bost them selues are no carnall things but spirituall and nothing els saue knowledge of the law and of the promises or Gospell if any man for lacke of spirituall feelyng desire authoritie of men let him read the old Doctours If any man desire authoritie of Scripture Christ sayth Luke xj woe be to you lawyers for ye haue takē away the key of knowledge ye enter not in your selues and them that come in ye forbyd that is
they had blynded y ◠Scripture whose knowledge as it were a keye letteth into God with gloses and traditions Likewise findest thou Math. xxiij As Peter aunswered in the name of al so Christ promised him the keyes in the person of all Math. xvj And in the. xx of Iohn he payed them saying receaue the holy Ghost who soeuers sinnes ye remitte they are remitted or forgeuen who soeuers sinnes ye retaine they are retained or holden With preachyng the promises loose they as many as repent and beleue And for that Iohn sayth receaue y t holy ghost Luke in his last Chapter sayth then opened he their wittes that they might vnderstand the Scriptures and sayd vnto them thus it is written And thus it behoued Christ to suffre and to rise agayne the thyrd day And that repentaunce remission of sinnes should be preached in his name amōg all nations At preachyng of the law repent men and at the preachyng of the promises do they beleue are saued Peter in the second of the Actes practised his keyes and by preachyng the law brought the people into y t knowledge of them selues and bound their consciences so that they were pricked in their hartes and sayd vnto Peter and to the other Apostles what shall we doe Then brought they foorth the keye of the swete promises saying repent and be Baptised euery one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes and ye shall receaue the gift of the holy ghost For the promise was made vnto you and vnto your children and to all that are a farre euen as many as the Lord shal call Of like examples is the Actes full and Peters Epistles and Paules Epistles and all the Scripture neither hath our holy father any other authoritie of Christ or by the reason of his predecessor Peter then to preach Gods word As Christ cōpareth the vnderstandyng of Scripture vnto a keye so compareth he it to a net and vnto leuen and vnto many other thinges for certeine properties I maruell therfore that they boast not them selues of their nette and leuen as well as of their keyes for they are all one thyng But as Christ biddeth vs beware of y ◠leuē of the Phariseis so beware of their counterfeted keyes and of their false nette which are their traditiōs and ceremonies their hipocrisie false doctrine wherewith they katch not soules vnto Christ but authoritie and riches vnto them selues Let christen kynges therefore keepe their fayth and truth and all lawfull promises and bondes not one wyth an other onely but euen wyth the Turke or whatsoeuer infidell it be For so it is right before God as the scriptures and exāples of the Bible testifie Whosoeuer voweth an vnlawful vow promiseth an vnlawfull promise sweareth an vnlawful oth sinneth against God and ought therfore to breake it He nedeth not to sue to Rome for a licence For he hath Gods word not a licēce onely but also a commaundement to breake it They therefore y ◠are sworne to be true vnto Cardinals Byshops that is to say false vnto God the king and the realme may breake their othes lawfully without grudge of conscience by the aucthoritie of Gods worde In makyng them they sinned but in repētyng and breakyng them they please God hyghly and receaue forgeuenes in Christ Let kynges take their dutie of their subiectes and that is necessary vnto y t defence of the realme Let them rule their Realmes them selues wyth the helpe of laye men that are sage wyse learned and expert Is it not a shame aboue all shames a monstrous thing that no man should be founde able to gouerne a worldly kyngdome saue byshops and prelates that haue forsakē the worlde and are taken out of the worlde and appoynted to preach the kyngdome of God Christ sayth y t hys kingdome is not of this world Iohn 18. And Luk. 12. vnto y ◠young mā that desired hym to bid his brother to geue hym part of the inheritaunce he aunswered who made me a iudge or a deuider among you No man that layeth his hand to the Plowe and looketh backe is apt for the kingdome of heauen Luke ix No man can serue two maisters but he must despise the one Math. vj. To preach Gods worde is to much for halfe a man And to minister a temporall kingdome is to much for halfe a man also Either other requireth an whole man One therfore can not well do both He that auengeth himselfe on euery trifle is not mete to preach y t pacience of Christ how that a man ought to forgeue and to suffer all thynges He that is ouerwhelmed with all maner riches and doth but seeke more dayly is not meete to preach pouertie He that will obey no man is not mete to preach how we ought to obey all men Peter saith Act. vj. It is not meete that we should leaue the word of God and serue at the tables Paule sayth in the ix chapter of the first Corinthe Wo is me if I preach not a terible saying verely for Popes Cardinals and Byshoppes If he had sayd wo be vnto me if I fight not moue Princes vnto warre or if I encrease not S. Peters patrimonie as they call it it had bene a more easy saying for them Christ forbiddeth hys disciples and that oft as thou mayst see Math. xviij And also xx Mark ix and also x. Luk. ix and also xxij Euen at his last supper not onely to clime aboue Lordes kynges and Emperours in worldly rule but also to exalt themselues one aboue an other in y e kingdome of God But in vayne for the Pope would not heare it though he had commaunded it tenne thousand tymes Gods worde should rule onely and not Byshoppes decrees or the Popes pleasure That ought they to preach purely and spiritually and to fashion their liues after wyth all ensample of godly liuyng long suffering to draw all to Christ and not to expounde the Scriptures carnally and worldly saying God spake thys to Peter and I am his successour therefore thys aucthoritie is myne onely and then bring in the tyranny of their fleshly wisdome in praesentia maioris cessat potestas minoris that is in the presence of the greater y ◠lesse hath no power There is no brotherhod where such philosophy is taught SVch philosophy and so to abuse the scriptures and to mocke with Gods word is after the maner of the Byshop of Rochesters diuinitie For he in hys Sermō of the condemnation of Martin Luther proueth by a shadow of the olde testament that is by Moyses and Aaron that Sathan and Antichrist our most holy father the Pope is Christes vicare head of Christes cōgregation Moyses sayth he signifieth Christ and Aaron the Pope And yet the epistle vnto the Hebrues proueth that the hye Priest of the olde lawe signifieth Christ and his
though they were annointed by Gods commaundement and appoynted to serue God in his temple and exempte from all offices ministering of wordly matters were yet neuerthelesse vnder the temporall sword if they brake y e lawes Christ sayth to Peter all that take y e sword shal perish by the sword Here is none exception Paul saith all soules must obey Here is none exception Paule hym selfe is here not exempt God sayth Gene. ix Who soeuer sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed agayn Here is none exception Moreouer Christ became poore to make other men riche and bound to make other free He left also with his Disciples the law of loue Now loue seketh not her owne profite but her neighbours loue sceketh not her own fredome but becommeth suretie and bonde to make her neighbour fre Dāned therfore are the spiritualtie by all the lawes of God which through falshead disguised hipocrisie haue sought so great profit so great riches so great authoritie and so great liberties and haue so bedgerd the lay so brought them in subiectiō and bondage and so despised thē that they haue set vp frāchises in all townes and villages for who soeuer robbeth murthereth or slayeth them and euen for traytours vnto the kynges person also I proued also that no kyng hath power to graūt them such libertie but are as well damned for their geuyng as they for their false purchasing For as God geueth the father power ouer his children euen so geueth he hym a commaundement to execute it and not to suffer them to do wickedly vnpunished but vnto his damnation as thou mayst see by Hely the hygh Priest c. And as the master hath authoritie ouer his seruauntes euen so hath he a commaundement to gouerne them And as the husband is head ouer hys wife euen so hath he commaundemēt to rule her appetites and is damned if he suffer her to be an whore a misse liuer or submit him self to her make her his head And euen in lyke maner as God maketh the kyng head ouer his Realme euen so geueth he him cōmaundement to execute the lawes vppon all men indifferently For the law is Gods and not the kyngs The king is but a seruaunt to execute the law of God and not to rule after his owne imagination I shewed also that the law and the kyng are to be feared as thinges that were geuēin fire and in thunder and lightning terrible signes I shewed the cause why rulers are euill and by what meanes we might obtaine better I shewed also how wholesome those bitter medicines euill Princes are to right Christen men I declared how they whiche God hath made gouerners in the worlde ought to rule if they be Christē They ought to remēber that they are heades and armes to defend the body to minister peace health wealth and euē to saue the body and that they haue receaued their offices of God to minister to do seruice vnto their brethrē Kyng subiect Master seruaunt are names in the world but not in Christ In Christ we are all one and euen brethren No man is his own but we are all Christes seruauntes bought with Christes bloud Therfore ought no mā to seke him selfe or his owne profite but Christ and his will In Christ no man ruleth as a kyng his subiectes or a master his seruaunts but serueth as one hand doth to an other and as the handes do vnto the feete and the feete to the handes as thou seest 1. Cor. xij We also serue not as seruauntes vnto masters but as they which are bought with Christes bloud serue Christ hym selfe We be here all seruauntes vnto Christ For what soeuer we do one to an other in Christes name that do we vnto Christ the reward of that shall we receaue of Christ The kyng counteth his cōmōs Christ himselfe therfore doth thē seruice willingly seeking no more of thē thē is sufficiēt to mainteine peace vnitie to defēde the realme And they obey agayne willingly and louingly as vnto Christ And of Christ euery man seketh his reward I warned the iudges that they take not an ensample how to minister their offices of our spiritualtie whiche are bought and solo to do the will of Sathā but of the Scripture whence they haue their authoritie Let that which is secret abyde secret till God open it which is the iudge of secretes For it is more then a cruell thyng to breake vp into a mans hart to compell him to put either soule or body in ieopardy or to shame him selfe If Peter that great piller for feare of death forsoke hys master ought we not to spare weake consciences I declared how the kyng ought to ridde his Realme from the wily tyrāny of the hypocrites and to bryng the hypocrites vnder his lawes yea and how he ought to be learned to heare and to looke vpon the causes him selfe which he wil punish and not to beleue the hypocrites and to geue them his sword to kill whom they will The kyng ought to count what he hath spent in the Popes quarell sens he was kyng The first viage cost vpō xiiij hundred thousand poundes Rekē sens what hath bene spēt by sea and land betwene vs and Frenchmen and Scottes and then in triumphes and in Ambasiasies and what hath bene sent out of the Realme secretly and all to mainteine our holy father and I doubt not but that will surmount the some of xl or l. hundred thousand poūdes For we had no cause to spend one peny but for our holy father The king therfore ought to make them pay this money euery farthing and fette it out of their myters croses shrines and all maner treasure of the Church and pay it to his commons again not that onely which the Cardinal and his Bishops compelled the commōs to lend and made thē sweare with such an ensample of tyrāny as was neuer before thought on but also all that he hath gathered of them Or els by the cōsent of the commons to keepe it in store for the defence of the realme Yea the kyng ought to loke in the Chronicles what the Popes haue done to kings in time past and make them restore it also And ought to take away from them theyr landes whiche they haue gotten with their false prayers restore it vnto the right heyres agayne or with consent aduisemēt turne them vnto the maynteinyng of the poore and bringyng vp of youth vertuously and to maynteine necessary officers and ministers for to defend the common wealth If he will not do it then ought the commons to take pacience and to take it for Gods scourge and to thinke that God hath blynded the kyng for theyr sinnes sake and commit their cause to God And then shall God make a scourge for them and driue them out of his Temple after hys wonderfull iudgement ON the other side I haue also
vttered the wickednes of the spiritualtie the falshead of the Byshops and iugglyng of the Pope and how they haue disguised them selues borowyng some of their pompe of y e Iewes and some of the Gentiles and haue with suttill wyles turned the obedience that should be geuen to Gods ordinaunce vnto them selues And how they haue put out Gods Testament and Gods truth and set vp their owne traditions and lyes in which they haue taught y e people to beleue there by sit in their consciences as God and haue by that meanes robbed the world of landes goodes of peace and vnitie and of all temporal authoritie and haue brought the people into the ignoraunce of God haue heaped the wrath of God vpon all realmes namely vpon the kings Whom they haue robbed I speake not of worldly thinges onely but euen of their very natural wittes They make theÌ„ beleue that they are most Christen wheÌ„ they lyue most abhominably and will suffer no man in their Realmes that beleueth on Christ and that they are defenders of the fayth when they burne the Gospell promises of God out of which all fayth springeth I shewed how they haue ministred Christ Kyng and Emperour out of their rowmes how they haue made them a seuerall kyngdome which they gote at the first in deceauyng of Princes and now peruert the whole scripture to proue that they haue such authoritie of God And lest the lay men should see how falsely they alledge the places of the Scripture is the greatest cause of this persecution They haue fained confession for the same purpose to stablish their kyngdome with all All secretes know they therby The Bishop knoweth the confession of whom he lusteth throughout all his Dioces Yea and his Chaunceler commaundeth the ghostly father to deliuer it written The pope his Cardinals and Byshops know the confession of the Emperour Kyngs of all Lordes by confession they know all their captiues If any beleue in Christ by confession they know him Shriue thy selfe where thou wilt whether at Sion charterhouse or at the obseruaÌ„ts thy confession is knowen wel inough And thou if thou beleue in Christ art wayted vppon Wonderfull are the thinges that therby are wrought The wife is feared and compelled to utter not her own onely but also the secretes of her husband and the seruaunt the secretes of his master Besides that thoraugh confession they quench the fayth of all the promises of God and take away the effect and vertue of all y e Sacramentes of Christ They haue also corrupted y â— Saintes liues with lyes and fayned miracles haue put many thinges out of the sentence or great curse as raysing of â—ente and fines and hyring men out of their houses and whatsoeuer wickednes they them selues do haue put a great part of the stories and Chronicles on t of the waye lest their falshead shoulde be sene For there is no mischieues or disorder whether it be in the temporall regiment or els in the spiritual wherof they are not the chief causes and eueÌ„ the very fountayne and springes and as we say the wel head so that it is impossible to preach agaynst mischief except thou begyn at them or to set any reformation in the world except thou reforme them first Now are they indurate and tough as Pharao and will not bow vnto any right way or order And therefore persecute they Gods word and the preachers therof and on the other side lye awayte vnto all princes stirre vp all mischief in the world and send them to warre and occupy their myndes therewith or with other voluptuousnes lest they should haue laysure to heare the word of God and to set an order in their realmes By them is all thing ministred and by them are all kynges ruled yea in euery kynges conscience sit they â—re he be king and persuade euery king what they lust and make theÌ„ both to beleue what they will and to doe what they will Neither can any kyng or any realme haue rest for their businesses Behold kyng Henry the v. whom they seÌ„t out for such a purpose as they sent out our kyng that now is See how the Realme is inhabited Aske where the goodly townes and their walles and the people that was wont to be in theÌ„ are become and where the bloud royal of the Realme is become also Turne thine eyes whether thou wilt thou shalt see nothing prosperons but their suttle pollyng With that it is flowyng water yea and I trust it wil be shortly a full see In all their doynges though they pretend outwardly the honour of God or a common wealth their entent and secret Councell is onely to bryng all vnder their power and to take out of the way who soeuer letteth them or is to mighty for them As wheÌ„ they send the Princes to Hierusalem to coÌ„quere the holy land and to fight agaynst the Turkes What soeuer they pretende outwardly their secret entent is while the Princes there conquere them more Bishoprikes to conquere their landes in the meane season with their false hipocrisie and to bryng all vnder them which thou mayest easely perceaue by that they will not let vs know y â— fayth of Christ And when they are ones on hye then are they tyrauntes aboue all tyrauntes whether they be Turkes or Saracenes How minister they prouyng of testamentes How causes of wedlocke or if any man dye intestate If a poore man dye and leaue his wiâ—e and halfe a dosen young children but one cow to finde them that will they haue for a mortuary mercylesse let come of wife and children what will Yea let any thyng be done agaynst their pleasure and they will interdite the whole realme sparyng no person Read the Chronicles of England out of which yet they haue put a great part of their wickednesse thou shalt finde them all wayes both rebellious and disobedient to the kinges and also churiish and vnthankeful so that wheÌ„ all the Realme gaue the kyng somewhat to maynteine him in his right they would not geue a myte Consider the story of K. Iohn where I dout not but they haue put the best fayrest for them selues the worst of kyng Iohn For I suppose they make the Chronicles them selues Compare the doings of their holy Church as they euer call it vnto the learnyng of Christ and of his Apostles Did not the Legate of Rome assoyle all the Lordes of the realme of their due obedieÌ„ce which they ought to the king by the ordinaunce of God would he not haue cursed y â— king with his solemne pompe because he would haue done that office whiche God commaundeth euery kyng to do and wherfore God hath put the sword in euery kynges hand that is to wete because kyng Iohn would haue punished a wicked Clerke that had coyned false money The lay men that had not done halfe so great fautes must dye but
the Clerke must go escape fre Sēt not the Pope also vnto the kyng of Fraunce remission of his sinnes to go and conquere kyng Iohns Realme So now remission of sinnes commeth not by fayth in the Testament that God hath made in Christes bloud but by fightyng murtheryng for the Popes pleasure Last of all was not kyng Iohn fayne to deliuer his crowne vnto the Legate and to yeld vp his Realme vnto the Pope wherfore we pay Peter pēce They might be called the pollyng pence of false Prophetes well inough They care not by what mischief they come by their purpose War and cōquering of landes is their haruest The wickeder the people are the more they haue the hypocrites in reuerence the more they feare them and the more they beleue in them And they that cōquere other mens landes whē they dye make them their heyres to be prayed for for euer Let there come one cōquest more in the Realme and thou shalt see them get yet as much more as they haue if they can keepe downe Gods word that their iugglyng come not to light yea thou shalt see them take y ◠Realme whole into their hādes and crowne one of them selues kyng therof And veryly I see no other likelyhode but that the land shal be shortly conquered The starres of the Scripture promise vs none other fortune in as much as we denye Christ with the wicked Iewes and will not haue him reigne ouer vs but wil be still children of darknes vnder Antichrist and Antichristes possession burnyng the Gospell of Christ and defendyng a fayth that may not stand with hys holy Testament If any mā shed bloud in the church it shal be interoited til he haue payd for the halowing If he be not able the parish must paye or els shall it stand alwayes interdited They wil be auenged on them that neuer offended Full well prophesied of them Paule in the ij Epistle to Timo. iij. Some man wil say wouldest thou that men should fight in the Church vnpunished Nay but let the kyng ordeine a punishment for them as he doth for them that fight in his palace and let not all the Parish be troubled for on s faule And as for their halowing it is y t iuggling of Antichrist A Christen mā is the temple of God and of the holy ghost halowed in Christes bloud A Christē mā is holy in him selfe by reason of the spirite y t dwelleth in him and the place wherin he is is holy be reasō of him whether he be in the field or towne A Christen husband sanctifieth an vnchristē wife and a Christen wife an vnchristen husband as concernyng the vse of matrimony sayth Paul to the Corinthians If now while we seeke to be halowed in Christ we are found vnholy must be halowed by the grounde or place or walles thē died Christ in vayne How beit Antichrist must haue wherwith to sit in mens consciences and to make them feare where is no feare and to robbe them of their faith and to make them trust in that can not helpe them and to seeke holynes of that which is not holy in it selfe After that the old kyng of Fraunce was brought down out of Italy mark what pageaūtes haue ben playes and what are yet a playeng to separate vs frō the Emperour lest by the helpe or ayde of vs he should be able to recouer his right of the Pope to couple vs to the Frēchmē whose might the pope euer abuseth to keepe the Emperour frō Italy What preuayleth it for any kyng to mary his daughter or his sōne or to make any peace or good ordinaunce for the wealth of his realme For it shal no longer last thē it is profitable to them Their treason is so secret that the world cā not perceaue it They dissimule those thynges whiche they are onely cause of simul discorde among them selues whē they are most agreed One shall hold this and another shall dispute the contrary But the conclusiō shal be that most maynteineth their falshead though Gods word be neuer so contrary What haue they wrought in our days yea and what worke they yet to the perpetuall dishonour of the Kyng and rebuke of the Realme and shame of all the nation in what soeuer Realmes they go I vttered vnto you partly the malicious blindnes of the Byshop of Rochester his iuggling his cōneying his foxi wilenes his bopepe his wresting rentyng and shamefull abusyng of the Scripture his Oratory aliegyng of heretikes and how he would make the Apostles authors of blind ceremonies without signification contrary to their owne doctrine and haue set him for an ensample to iudge all other by What soeuer thou art that readest this I exhorte thee in Christ to cōpare his sermon and that which I haue written and the scripture together and iudge There shalt thou finde of our holy fathers authoritie and what it is to be great and how to know the greatest Then foloweth the cause why laye mē can not rule tēporall offices which is the falshead of the Bishops There shalt thou finde of miracles ceremonies without signification of false annoynting lyeng signes false names and how the spiritualtie are disguised in falshead how they rowle the people in darkenes and do all thing in the Latin toung and of their pety pyllage Their polling is like a soking consūption wherin a man cōplaineth of feblenes and of fayntynes and wotteth not whence his disease commeth it is lyke a pocke that freateth inward and consumeth the very marow of the bones There seest thou the cause why it is impossible for kynges to come to the knowledge of the truth For the sprites lay awaite for them serue their appetites at all poyntes and through cōfession buy and sel and betray both them and all their true frendes lay beytes for them and neuer leaue them till they haue blinded them with their sophistry haue brought them into their nettes And thē whē the kyng is captiue they compell all the rest with violēce of his sword For if any man will not obey them be it right or wrōg they cite him suspēde hym and curse or excommunicate him If he then obey not they deliuer him to Pylate that is to say vnto the temporall officers to destroy him Last of all there findest thou the very cause of all persecution whiche is the preachyng agaynst hypocrisie Then come we to the Sacramētes where thou seest that the worke of the Sacrament saueth not but the fayth in the promise which the Sacramēt signifieth iustifieth vs onely There hast y u that a Priest is but a seruaunt to teach onely and what soeuer he taketh vpon him more then to preach to minister the Sacramentes of Christ whiche is also preaching is falshead Then cōmeth how they iuggle thorough dōme ceremonies how they make marchaūdise with fained words penaunce a poena a culpa satisfactiō
thou findest in the scripture and the ensamples that are gone before wyll alway testifie who is the church Though the Phariseis succeded the Patriarkes prophetes and had the scripture of theÌ„ yet they were heretikes and falleÌ„ from the fayth of them and froÌ„ their liuing And Christ and his disciples Iohn the Baptist departed from the Phariseis which were heretikes vnto the right sence of y â— scripture and vnto the faith and liuing of the Patriarkes and Prophetes and rebuked the Phariseis As thou seest how Christ calleth them hipocrites dissimulers blynde guides and painted sepulchers And Iohn called them the generatioÌ„ of vipers and serpentes Of Iohn the angell sayde vnto his father Luke i. he shall turne many of the children of Israell vnto their Lord God which yet before Iohn beleued after a fleshly vnderstanding in God and thought theselues in the right way And he shall turne the harts of the fathers vnto the children That is he shall wyth hys preaching and true interpreting of the scripture make such a spirituall hart in y â— childreÌ„ as was in their fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob And he shall turne the disobedient vnto the obedience of the righteous and prepare the Lord a perfect people That is them that had set vp a righteousnes of their owne and were therefore disobedient vnto the righteousnes of fayth shal he conuert from their blindnes vnto the wisdome of them that beleued in God to be made righteous and with those fathers shall he geue the childreÌ„ Egles eyes to spye out Christ and his righteousnesse and to forsake their own and so to become perfect And after the same maner though our Popish hypocrites succede Christ and his Apostles and haue their scripture yet they be fallen from the fayth liuyng of them and are heretickes and had nede of a Iohn Baptist to conuert them And we depart from them vnto the true Scripture and vnto the fayth and liuyng therof and rebuke them in like maner And as they which depart from the fayth of the true Church are heretickes eueÌ„ so they that depart froÌ„ the Church of heretickes and false fayned fayth of hypocrites are the true church which thou shalt alway know by their fayth examined by the Scripture by their profession and conseÌ„t to liue according vnto the lawes of God ¶ An other Argument AN other like blind reasoÌ„ they haue wherein is all their trust As we come out of them and they not of vs so we receaue the Scripture of them they not of vs. How know we that it is the Scripture of God and true but because they teach vs so How can we beleue except we first beleue that they be the Church and can not erre in any thyng that perteyneth vnto our soules health For if a man tell me of a maruelous thyng whereof I can haue no other knowledge theÌ„ by his mouth onely how should I geue credence except I beleued that the maÌ„ were so honest that he could not lye or would not lye Wherfore we must beleue that they be the right Church that can not erre or els we can beleue nought at all This wise reason is their shoteancre all their hold their refuge to flye vnto chief stone in their foundation wheron they haue built all their lyes al the mischief that they haue wrought this viij huÌ„dred yeares And this reason do the Iewes lay vnto our charge this day and this reason doth chiefly blynd them and hold them still in obstinacie Our spirites first falsifie the Scripture to stablish their lyes And when the Scripture commeth to light and is restored vnto the true vnderstaÌ„dyng and their iugglyng spied they like to suffer shipwracke then they cast out this ancre they be the Church and can not erre their authoritie is greater then the Scripture and the Scripture is not true but because they say so and admitte it And therfore what soeuer they affirme is of as great authoritie as the Scripture Notwithstandyng as I sayd the kyngdome of heauen standeth not in words of maÌ„s wisedome but in power and spirite And therfore loke vnto the examples of the Scripture and so shalt thou vnderstand And of an hundred examples betwene Moyses and Christ where the Israelites fell from God were eueâ— restored by one Prophet or other let vs take one euen Iohn the Baptist Iohn went before Christ to prepare his way that is to bryng meÌ„ vnto the knowledge of their sinnes and vnto repentaunce through true expoundyng of the law which is the onely way vnto Christ For except a man knowledge his sinnes repent of them he can haue no part in Christ of Iohn Christ fayth Math. xvij that he was Elias that should come restore all thyng That is he should restore the scripture vnto the right sence agayne which the Phariseis had corrupt with the leuen of their false gloses and vayne fleshly traditions He made croked thinges straight as it is written and rough smoth Which is al so to be vnderstand of the Scripture which the Phariseis had made croked wrestyng them vnto a false sence with wicked gloses so rought that no man could walke in the way of them For when God sayd honour father mother meanyng that we should obey them and also helpe theÌ„ at their nede the Phariseis put this glose thereto out of their owne leuen saying God is thy father and mother Wherfore what soeuer nede thy father mother haue if thou offer to God thou art hold excused For it is better to offer to God then to thy father and mother and so much more meritorious as God is greater then they yea and God hath done more for thee then they is more thy father and mother then they As ours now affirme that it is more meritorious to offer to God and his holy dead Saintes then vnto the poore liuyng Saintes And wheÌ„ God had promised the people a Sauiour to come blesse them and saue them from theyr sinnes the Phariseis taught to beleue in holy woorkes to be saued by as if they offered and gaue to be prayd for As ours as oft as we haue a promise to be forgeueÌ„ at the repentaunce of the hart through Christes bloud shedding put to thou must first shriue thy selfe to vs of euery sâ—…abe we must lay out handes on thine head and whistell out thy sinnes and enioyne the penaunce to make satisfaction And yet art thou but loused from the synne onely that thou shalt not come into hell but thou must yet suffer for euery sinne seuen yeres in Purgatory which is as whot as hell except thou bye it out of the Pope And it y â— aske by what meanes the Pope geueth such pardon They aunswere out of the merites of Christ And thus at the last they grauÌ„t against theÌ„selues that Christ hath not only deserued
him in their dedes as fast as they can runne The Turkes being in number fiue tymes moe then we are knowledge one God and beleue many thinges of God moued onely by the authoritie of their elders and presume that God will not let so great a multitude erre so long tyme. And yet they haue erred and bene faithlesse these eight hundred yeares And the Iewes beleue this day as much as the carnall sort of them euer beleued moued also by the authoritie of their elders onely and thinke that it is impossible for them to erre being Abrahams seede and the childrē of them to whom the promises of all that we beleue were made And yet they haue erred and bene faythlesse this xv hundred yeares And we of like blindnesse beleue onely by the authoritie of our elders and of like pride thinke that we can not erre beyng such a multitude And yet we see how God in the old Testament did let the great multitude erre reseruyng alway a litle flocke to call the other backe againe and to testifie vnto them the right way ¶ How this word Church hath a double interpretation THis is therfore a sure cōclusion as Paule sayth Rom. ix that not all they that are of Israell are Israelites neither because they be Abrahās sede are they all Abrahams childrē but they onely that folow the faith of Abraham Euen so now none of them that beleue with their mouthes moued with the authority of their elders onely that is none of thē that beleue with M. Mores fayth the Popes fayth and the deuils fayth which may stand as M. More cōfesseth with all maner abhominatiōs haue the right fayth of Christ or are of his Church But they onely that repēt feele that the law is good And haue the law of God written in their harts and the fayth of our Sauiour Iesus euen with the spirite of God There is a carnali Israell a spirituall There is Isaac and Ismaell Iacob Esau And Ismaell persecuted Isaac Esau Iacob the fleshly the spiritual Wher of Paul complayned in his tyme persecuted of his carnall brethrē as we do in our tyme and as the elect euer dyd shall do till the worldes end What a multitude came out of Egypt vnder Moses of which the Scripture testifyeth that they beleued moued by y ◠miracles of Moses as Symon magus beleued by the reason of Philippes miracles Actes viij Neuerthelesse the Scripture testifieth that vj. hundred thousād of those beleuers perished thorough vnbelief and left their carcasses in the wildernesse and neuer entred into the land that was promised them And euen so shal the children of M. Mores faythlesse faith made by the persuation of mā leap short of the test which our Sauiour Iesus is risē vnto And therfore let them embrace this present world as they do whose children they are though they hate so to be called And hereby ye see that it is a playne an euident conclusiō as bright as the sunne shynyng that the truth of Gods word dependeth not of the truth of the congregation And therfore when thou art asked why thou beleuest that thou shalt be saued thorough Christ and of such like principles of our fayth aunswere thou wottest and felest that it is true And when he asketh how thou knowest that it is true aunswere because it is written in thyne hart And if he aske who wrote it aūswere the spirite of God And if he aske how thou came first by it tell him whether by readyng in bookes or hearyng it preached as by an outward instrumēt but that inwardly thou wast taught by y ◠spirite of God And if he aske whether thou beleuest it not because it is written in bookes or because the Priestes so preach aunswere no not now but onely because it is writtē in thyne hart and because the spirite of God so preacheth and so testifieth vnto thy soule And say though at the beginning thou wast moued by readyng or preachyng as the Samaritans were by y ◠wordes of the woman yet now thou beleuest it not therfore any lēger but onely because thou hast heard it of the spirite of God and read it written in thine hart And concernyng outward teachyng we alledge for vs Scripture elder thē any Church that was this xiiij hundred yeares and old antenticke stories which they had brought a slepe where with we confounde their lyes Remēber ye not how in our owne tyme of all that taught Grammer in England not one vnderstode the Latin toung how came we thē by the Latin toung agayne not by them though we learned certaine rules principles of them by which we were moued had an occasion to seke further but out of the old authours Euen so we seke vp old antiquities out of whiche we learne and not of our Church though we receaued many principles of our Church at the begynnyng but more falsehead then truth It hath pleased God of his exceding loue wherewith he loued vs in Christ as Paul sayth before the worlde was made and whē we were dead in sinne and his enemies in that we did cōsent to sinne and to liue euill to write with his spirite ij conclusions in our harts by which we vnderstād all thyng that is to were the fayth of Christ and the loue of our neighbours For whosoeuer feleth the iust damnation of sinne and the forgeuenes and mercy that is in Christes bloud for all that repent forsake it and come and beleue in that mercy the same onely knoweth how God is to be honoured and worshipped and can iudge betwene true seruing of God in the spirite and false Image seruing of God with workes ▪ And y e same knoweth that sacramētes signes ceremonies and bodely things can be no seruice to God in his person but memorials vnto men and a remēbraunce of the testament wherewyth God is serued in the spirite And he that feeleth not that is blynde in hys soule and of our holy fathers generation and maketh God an Image a creature worshippeth him with bodely seruice And on the other side he that loueth his neighbour as himselfe vnderstandeth all lawes and cā iudge betwene good and euil right wrong godly and vngodly in all conuersation deedes lawes bargaines couenaunces ordinaunces and decrees of men and knoweth the office of euery degree and the due honour of euery person And he that hath not that writen in his hart is popishe and of y ◠spiritualtie which vnderstādeth nothing saue his own honour his own profite what is good for himself onely and when he is as he would be thinketh y ◠all the world is as it should be ¶ Of worshipping and what is to be vnderstand by the worde COncerning worshipping or honouring which two termes are both one M. More bringeth forth a difference a distinction or diuision of Greke wordes
violence euen so once our hartes sinned as naturally with full lust and consent vnto the fleshe the deuill possessing our hartes and keeping out the light of grace What good towardnesse and endeuour can we haue to hate sinne as long as we loue it What good towardnes can we haue vnto the will of God while we hate it and be ignoraunt therof Can the will desire that the witte seeth not Can the will long for and sigh for that the witte knoweth not of Can a maÌ„ take thought for that losse that he wotteth not of what good endeuour can the Turkes children the Iewes children and the Popes infantes haue when they be taught all falshead onely with like perswasions of worldly reason to be all iustified with workes It is not therefore as Paule saith of the running or willing but of the mercy of God that a man is called and chosen to grace The first grace the first fayth and the first iustifiyng is geuen vs freely sayth M. More which I would faine wete how it will stand with his other doctrine whether he meane any other thyng by chosyng them to haue Gods spirite geuen me and fayth to see the mercy that is layd vp for me to haue my sinnes forgeuen without all deseruyng preparyng of my self God did not see onely that the these that was saued at Christes death should come thether but God chose him to shew his mercy vnto vs that should after beleue and prouided actually wrought for the bringyng of him thether that day to make him see and to receaue the mercy that was layd vp for him in store before the world was made The xij Chaptâ—… IN y t xij in chaffyng himself to heape lye vpon lye he vttereth his feleable blindnesse For he axeth this question wherfore serueth exhortatioÌ„s vnto faith if the hearers haue not libertie of their frewill by whiche together with Gods grace a man may labour to submitte the rebellion of reason vnto the obedieÌ„ce of faith and credence of the worde of God Wherof ye see that besides his graunt that reason rebelleth agaynst fayth coÌ„trary to the doctrine of his first booke he will that the will shall compell the witte to beleue Whiche is as much to say as the carte must draw the horses and the sonne beget the father and the authoritie of the Church is greater theÌ„ Gods word For the wil can not teach the wit nor lead her but foloweth naturally so that what soeuer the witte iudgeth good or euill that the will loueth or hateth If the witte see and leade straight the will foloweth If the witte be blynde and leade amisse the will foloweth cleane out of y t way I can not loue Gods worde before I beleue it nor hate it before I iudge it false and vanitie He might haue wiselier spoken on this maner wherfore serueth the preachyng of fayth if the wit haue no power to draw the will to loue that whiche the wit iudgeth true and good If the will be nought teach the wit better the will shall alter and turne to good immediatly Blindnesse is the cause of ali euil and light the cause of all good so that where the fayth is right there the hart can not consent vnto euill to folow the lustes of the flesh as the popes fayth doth And this conclusion hath he halfe a doseÌ„ tymes in his boke that the will may compell the witte and captiuate it to beleue what a maÌ„ lusteth Verely it is like that his wittes be in captiuitie and for vauntage tangled with out holy fathers sophistrie His doctrine is after his owne feelyng and as the profession of his hart is For the Popish haue yelded theÌ„ selues to folow the lustes of their flesh compel their witte to absteine froÌ„ looking on y e truth lest she should vnquiet them and draw them out of the podell of their filthy voluptuousnesse As a carte that is ouerladen goyng vp an hill draweth the horses backe and in a tough mire maketh them stand still And then the carter the deuill whiche driueth theÌ„ is euer by and whistelleth vnto them and biddeth them captiuate their vnderstaÌ„dyng vnto profitable doctrine for which they shal haue no persecution but shal reigne and be kynges and enioy the pleasures of the world at their owne will The xiij Chapter IN the xiij hee sayth that the Clergie burneth no man As though the pope had not first fouÌ„d the law as though all his preachers babled not that in euery Sermon burne these heretickes burne them for we haue no other argument to conuince them and as though they compelled not both Kyng Emperour to sweare that they shall so do yer they crowne them Then hee bringeth in prouisions of Kyng Henry the v. Of whom I aske M. More whether he were right heyre vnto England or held hee the land with the sworde as an heathen tyraunt agaynst all right Whom the Prelates lest he should haue had leysure to hearken vnto the truth sent into Fraunce to occupie his mynde in warre and led hym at their will And I aske whether his father slew not his leige kyng and true inheritour vnto the crowne and was therefore set vp of the Byshops a false kyng to mainteine theyr falshead And I aske whether after that wicked deede folowed not the destruction of the comminaltie and quenchyng of all noble bloud The xiiij Chapter IN the xiiij he affirmeth that Martine Luther sayth it is not lawfull to resiste the Turke I wonder that hee shameth not so to lye seyng that Martine hath written a singular treatise for the contrary Besides that in many other workes he proueth it lawfull if he inuade vs. The xvi Chapter IN the xvi he alledgeth Councels I aske whether Councels haue authoritie to make Articles of the faith with out Gods worde yea and of thynges improued by Gods word He alledgeth Augustine Hierome Cypriane Let him put their workes in English and S. Prosperus with them Why damned they the vnion of Doctours but because the Doctours are agaynst them And when he alledgeth Martyrs let him shew one and take the calfe for his labour And in the end he biddeth beware of theÌ„ that liue well in any wise As though they whiche lyue euill can not teach amisse And if that be true then they be of the surest side M. When Tyndall was apposed of his doctrine yer hee went ouer see he sayde and sweare he ment no harme Tyndall He sware not neither was there any man that required an othe of him but he now sweareth by him whoÌ„ â—e trusteth to be saued by that hee neuer ment or yet meaneth any other harme then to suffer all that God hath prepared to be leyd on his backe for to bryng his brethreÌ„ vnto the light of our Sauiour Iesus which the Pope thorough falshead and corruptyng such Poetes as ye are ready vnto
siluer wythout care of thinges to come despising God whom they worshipped for their bellies sake onely and also maÌ„ Moreouer it was the custome eueÌ„ then saith the auctor to aske what the Byshopprike was worth yea and to leaue a worse for a better or to kepe both with a vnion And at the same tyme Isacius the deputie of the Emperour came to Rome to confirme the Pope in his sea with the Emperours auctoritie for y e election of the Pope was theÌ„ nothing worth except it had bene confirmed by the Emperour and he founde so great treasure in the Church of Saint Iohn Lateran that for disdayne which he had that they should haue such treasure in store and not to helpe the Emperour in his warres against y e Turkes â—…ng his soldiars lacked wages he tooke it away with violence against the wyll of y e Prelates of which he exiled some and payde his owne meÌ„ of warre with one part and tooke an other part vnto him selfe and sent the third part vnto the Emperour which must needes haue bene a great treasure in one Church ¶ By what meanes the Prelates fell from Christ THe office of a byshop was a roume at the beginning that no man coueted and that no man durst take vpoÌ„ hym saue he onely which loued Christ better theÌ„ his owne life For as Christ saith that no man might be his disciple except that he were ready to forsake life and all euen so might that officer be sure that it woulde cost him his lyfe at one time or another for bearing record vnto the truth But after that the multitude of the Christen were encreased many great men had receaued y â— faith then both landes and rentes as well as other goodes were geuen vnto the maintenaunce as well of the clergie as of the poore because they gaue then no tythes to the Priestes nor yet now do saue in certaine countryes For it is to much to geue almes offeringes landes and tithes also And then the Byshops made them substitutes vnder them to helpe them which they called priest and kept the name of Byshop vnto themselues But out of the Deacons sprang all the mischiefe For thorow their hands went all thing they ministred vnto y e clergie they ministred vnto the poore they were in fauoure with great and small And when the Byshops office began to haue rest and to be honorable then the Deacons thorow fauour and giftes climed vp therunto as lightly he that hath the olde Abbotes treasure succedeth with vs. And by y e meanes of their practise and acquintaunce in y e worlde they were more subtile and worldly wise then the olde Byshops lesse learned in Gods woorde as our Prelates are when they come froÌ„ stuardships in Gentlemens houses and from surueying of great mens landes Lordes secretes kinges counsels Embassidourship from warre and ministring all worldly matters ye worldly mischiefe and yet now they come not thence but receaue all and bide there still yea they haue enacted by playne parliament that they must byde in the courte still or els they may not haue pluralitie of benefices And then by litle and litle they enhaunsed theÌ„selues and turned all to themselues minishing the poore peoples part and encreasing theirs and ioyning acquaintaunce with great men and with their power climed vp and entitled them w t the chusing and confirming of y e Pope and all Byshops to flatter and purchase fauour and defenders trusting more vnto their worldly wisdome theÌ„ vnto the doctrine of Christ which is y e wisdome of God and vnto the defeÌ„ce of man then of God Then while they that had the plow by the tayle looked backe the plow went awry faith wax ed feble and faintie loue waxed colde the Scripture waxed darcke Christ was no more seene he was in y e mouÌ„t with Moses and therefore the Byshops would haue a God vppon the earth whom they might see and therupon they begaÌ„ to dispute who should be greatest ¶ How the Byshop of Rome became greater then other and called hymselfe Pope THen quod worldly wisdome HierusaleÌ„ must be the greatest for ytwas Christes seat Et factuÌ„ est so it came to passe â—or a season And in conclusion where a great Citie was and much riches there was the Byshoppe euer greater then his felowes Alexandre in Egipte and Antioch in Grece were greater then their neighbours Then those decaying Constantinople and Rome waxed great and stroue who shoulde be greater And CoÌ„staÌ„tinople sayd where the Emperour is there ought to be the greatest seat and chiefest Byshop For the Emperour lay most at Constantinople because it was I suppose nigh the middes of the Empyre therfore I must be the greatest sayde the Byshop of ConstaÌ„tinople Nay quod y e Byshop of Rome though y e Emperour lye nener so much at ConstaÌ„tinople yet he is called Emperour of Rome Rome is the head of the Empyre wherefore of right I must be the father of all WateÌ„ And thus whether they chaleÌ„ged their â—itle by the auctoritie of God or man or by Peter or pouling it was all one so they might be greatest And great intercession was made vnto the Emperours of both parties but in vayne a great ceason for y e Emperours stopped their â—ares at such ambitious requestes long tyme till at y e last there came an Emperour called Phocas which lay long in Italye and was a very soft man a pray for Prelates In whose tyme Boniface the iij. was Byshop of Rome a man ambitious and greedy vppon honour and of a very suttle witte nothing inâ—erior vnto Thomas Wolsee Cardinall of Yorcke This Boniface was great w t the Emperour Phocas and with hys wyly perswasions and great intercession together obtayned of Phocas to be called the chiefest of all Byshops and that his Church should be the chiefe Church Which auctoritie as soone as he had purchased he sent immediatly his commaundement with the Emperours power vnto all the Byshops of Almany commaunding that euery byshop should call all the priestes of hys diocese and charge them that euery man should put away his wife vnder payne of excommunication Which tyranny though great resistaunce was made against it he yet brought to passe with the Emperours sworde and his subtletie together For the Byshops were riche and durst not displeaâ—e the Pope for feare of the Emperour Assoone as Nemroth that mighty hunter had caught this pray that he had compelled all Byshops to be vnder him and to sweare obedience vnto him then he began to be great in the earth and called hymselfe Papa wyth this interpretation father of fathers And when the Pope had exalted hys throne aboue his fellowes then the vnitie that ought to be among brethren in Christes Church brake and deuision began betwene vs and y e Grekes which Grekes I suppose were at y
not commauÌ„ded to care for hys flocke as well as Peter Moreouer if to fede Christes shepe is to be greatest as no doubt to fede Christes flocke is to be great and most to fede is to be greatest in which office though Peter was great yet Paule was greater how commeth it that the pope by that authoritie chaleÌ„geth to be greatest yet this viij hundred yeares fedeth not at all but poysoneth their pasture with the venemous leuen of hys traditions and with wrestyng the text vnto a contrary sense Then came he to this text Math. xvj Thou art Peter and vppon this rocke I will builde my congregation or Church Lo saith Antichrist the carnall beast Peter is the rocke whereon the Church of Christ is built I am his successour and therfore the head of Christes Church When Christ ment by the rocke the confession that Peter had confessed saying Thou art Christ the sonne of the lyning God which art come into this world This fayth is the rocke wheron Christes Churche is built For who is of Christes Churche but he onely that beleueth that Christ is Gods sonne come into this worlde to saue sinners This faith is it against which hell gates caÌ„ not preuaile This fayth is it which saueth the congregation of Christ and not Peter TheÌ„ he goeth forth vnto that which foloweth Vnto thee I will geue the keyes of the kyngdome of heauen and what soeuer thou byndest in earth it shal be bound in heauen c. Loe sayth he in that he sayth what soeuer thou bindest in earth he excepteth nothyng therfore I may make lawes and binde both King Emperour When Christ as he had no worldly kyngdome euen so he spake of no worldly bindyng but of bindyng of sinners Christ gaue hys Disciples the keye of the knowledge of the law of God to binde all sinners and the keye of the promises to loose al that repent to let them into the mercy that is layed vp for vs in Christ Then coÌ„meth he vnto an other text which Christ rehearseth Mathew last saying All power is geuen me in heauen and earth go ye therfore and teach all natioÌ„s Baptising them in the name of the father and the sonne of the hely ghost teachyng them to kepe all that I commauÌ„ded you And behold I am with you vnto the worldes end Loc sayth the Pope Christ hath all power in heauen and earth without exceptioÌ„ and I am Christes Vicare wherfore all power is myne and I am aboue all kynges and Emperours in temporall iurisdiction and they but my seruauÌ„tes to kisse not my feete onely but my N. also if I list not to haue them stoupe so low When Christ as I sayd because he had no temporall kyngdome euen so he ment of no temporall power but of power to saue sinners which the processe of y e text declareth by that he sayth go ye therfore and teach and Baptise that is preach this power to al natioÌ„s and wash of their sinnes through fayth in the promises made in my bloud Then hee commeth vnto an other text Heb. vij which is The priesthode beyng translated the law must needes be translated also Now saith the pope the Priesthode is translated vnto me wherefore it pertayneth vnto me to make lawes and to binde euery man And y â— Epistle meaneth no such thyng but proueth euidently that the ceremonies of Moyses must ceasse For the Priestes of the olde Testament must nedes haue bene of the tribe of Leâ—i as AaroÌ„ was whose duty for euer was y e offeryng of sacrifices Wherfore when that Priesthode ceased the sacrifices ceremonies ceased also Now y t Priesthode ceased in Christ whiche was a Priest of y e order of Melchisedeke not of the order of Aaron for then he must haue bene of the tribe of Leâ—i and that he was not but of the tribe of Iuda of the seede of Dauid Wherefore they that are vnder Christes Priesthode are vnder no sacrifices or ceremonies And of this maner iuggle they with all the Scripture whiche falshed lest the laye men should perceaue with reading the processe of the text is all their feare what soeuer they pretend Moreouer that thou mayst perceaue the Popes falshed marke Christ sayd vnto Peter I will geue not I geue neither sayd he I will geue vnto the onely Therfore looke in the. xx chapter of Iohn where hee gaue them the keyes after his resurrection and thou shalt see that he gaue them vnto all indifferently saying As my father sent me so send I you Whether sent he theÌ„ into all the world and vnto all natioÌ„s What to do to preach the law that the people might repent and the promises that they might beleue in Christ for the remission of sinnes saying receaue the holy ghost who soeuers sinne ye forgeue they shall be forgeuen By which holy ghost he gaue them vnderstaÌ„dyng of the Scripture and of all that they should preach as thou mayst see Luke last where he opened their wittes to vndestand the Scripture and sayd that repentauce and forgeuenesse of sinnes must be preached in his name to all nations and that they were witnesses to preach it Whereby thou seest that to bynde and to lose is but to preach to tell the people their faultes to preach mercy in Christ to all that repent And when he sayth all power is geuen me he sayth not go thou Peter preach but saith vnto all indifferently go ye and preach this power geuen me of my father to saue all that repent and to damne them that repent not but folow the lustes of their flesh with full desire to lyue beastly beyng enemyes vnto the law of God And Math. xviij Peter asked Christ howe oft hee should forgeue hys brethren whether seueÌ„ tymes And Christ sayd seuentie tymes seuen tymes As who should say as ost as he repenteth and asketh forgeuenesse Now though this were spokeÌ„ vnto Peter onely because Peter onely moued the question yet pertaineth it not vnto vs all as well as vnto Peter Are not we as much bound to forgeue our neighbours that repeÌ„t and aske forgeuenesse as Peter Yes verely But because Peter onely asked the question therfore did Christ teach vs by Peter If an other had asked he would haue taught vs by that other And in lyke maner when Christ asked who say ye that I am if any other of the Apostles which beleued it as well as Peter had sayd as Peter did thou art Christ the sonne of the lyuyng God whiche art come into the world of sinners to saue them vnto him would Christ haue auÌ„swered as he did to Peter that vppon the rocke of that his coÌ„fession he wold haue built his church and would haue promised him keyes as well as he dyd Peter Yea and in the xviij chapter of Mathew Christ sayth to all the Apostles yea and to all congregatioÌ„s
where sinners be â–ª that what soeuer they bouÌ„d should be bound and whatsoeuer they loosed should be loosed Moreouer euery man and woman that know Christ his doctrine haue the keyes and power to bynde loose man order and in their measure as tyme place and occasion geueth priuately May not a wife if her husband sinne agaynst God and her and take an other woman tell him his fault betwene him her secretly and in good maner humbly binde his conscience with the law of God And if he repent may she not forgeue him and loose him as well as the Pope Yea and better to as long as the sinne is secret in as much as hee sinneth specially agaynst her and not agaynst the Pope And so may the sonne do to hys father and a seruaunt to his master and euery man to his neighbour as thou seest in the sayd xviij chapter of Mathew Howbeit to bynde and lose in the conscience by open preachyng pertaineth vnto the officers that are appoynted therto And to bynde and lose open sinners and them that will not repent till they be complayned on vnto the congregation pertaineth vnto the congregation Finally there were many that preached Christ at Rome yer Peter came thether if he came euer thether as Paule and many other Had they not authoritie to bynde and lose Or els how did they conuert the people Peter also was an Apostle and went srom place to place as Paule dyd and as Paule ordeyned Byshoppes in euery place to teach the people so no doubt did Peter Why then might not those Byshops chalenge authoritie by Peter as well as they of Rome They say also in their own Legendes that Peter had his seate at Antioch first Dyd he runne to Rome leauing no maÌ„ behynde hym to teach the people at Antioch God forbid Why then myght not that Byshop chalenge Peters authoritie They will haply say sooner theÌ„ proue it that Peter dyed at Rome and therefore his authoritie is greatest there Then by that rule Christes power is no where so full as at Hierusalem But what hath Christes inuisible kyngdoÌ„e to do with places Where Christes Gospell is there is his power full and all his authoritie as well in one place as in an other Finally to get authoritie whence so euer they caÌ„ snatch it they ioyne Paule with Peter in their owne lawes Distinctio xxij saying By the authoritie of Peter and Paule Which is cleane agaynst themselues For they say in their awne lawe in the presence of the superior the power of the inferior ceaseth and is none at all Now if Peter be greater then Paule then by that rule where Peter is preseÌ„t there Paule is but a subiect and without authoritie And where Christ is present bodely and preacheth himselfe there the Apostles geue vp their authoritie and holde their peace and sit downe at hys feete and become scholers harkeÌ„ to Wherfore in that they ioyne Paule wyth Peter and chalenge their superioritie as well by the authoritie of Paule as of Peter there they make Paule fellow and equall wyth Peter And thus it is false that Peter was greater then his felowes But y t blinde owles care not what they houle seyng it is night and the day light of Gods worde shut vp that no man can spye them Moreouer with this terme Peters seat they iuggle a pase as with infinite other saying that Peters seat is the chiefe seat but what Peters seat is that they tell you not For wist ye that ye should soone perceaue that they lye Peters seat is no stoole or chayre for what hath the kingdome of Christ to do with such baggage but it is a spirituall thing Christ saith in the Gospell Math. xxiij The Scribes Phariseis sit on Moses seat What was Moses seat there a chayre or the temple or the châ—rches or sinagoge of the land Nay verely for Moses came neuer there But Moses seat was Moses lawe and doctrine EueÌ„ so Peters seat is Peters doctrine the Gospell of Christ which Peter taught And the same doctrine is Peters keyes so that Peters seat Peters keyes and Peters doctrine is all one thyng Now is Peters doctrine Paules doctrine and the doctrine of all the xij Apostles indifferently for they taught all one thing Wherefore it followeth that Peters keyes and Peters seat be the keyes seat of Paule also and of all the other xij Apostles and are nothing saue the gospell of Christ And thus as Peters doctrine is no better then Paules but one thing Euen so Peters seat is no greater nor hyer nor holier theÌ„ the seat of the other xij Peters seat nowe is Christs seat Christes gospel on which all the Apostles sat and on which this day sitteth al they onely y e preach christ truely Wherfore as Antichrist preacheth not Peters doctrine which is Christes Gospell so he sitteth not on Peters seat but on the seat of Sathan whose vicar he is and on the seat of his owne lawes and ceremonies and false doctrine wherunto he compelleth all men with violence of sworde Then he clame to Purgatory with the ladder of the sayd text whatsoeuer thou bindest in earth c. Purgatory sayth he is in earth wherefore I am Lord there to Neuerthelesse as he can proue no purgatory so caÌ„ he not proue that if there were any it should be in the earth It might well be in the element or spere of fire vnder the Mone as well as in the earth But to bynde and lose is as I haue aboue sayde to preach and to feede and with Christes doctrine to purge soules And they that be dead be not of the flocke which Christ bad Peter feede but they that lyue onely TheÌ„ clame he vp with the same ladder still ouer all vowes and professioÌ„s of all religious persoÌ„s and ouer othes made betwene man and man to dispence with them and ouer all mens testamentes to alter them For what thou makest an hospitall that will he shortly make a colledge of Priestes or a place of religion or what he lusteth TheÌ„ all maner Monkes and Fryers and like draffe tooke dispensations of hym for the ordinaunces of theyr olde fouÌ„ders And because as they thought they had prayed distributed for theyr soules inough to bring them out of purgatory they thrust theÌ„ out of theyr beadrolles and tooke dayly moe and moe But euer since they tooke dispensations of the Pope both for their rules and to deuide all among them they receaued in the name not of the poore but of purgatory to queÌ„ch the raging fire thereof which is as hote as theyr bellyes can fayne it and fooles be out of their wittes to beleue it promising a Masse dayly for xl shillinges by the yeare of which foundations wheÌ„ they haue gotten twenty they will yet with an vnion purchased of the Pope make
worke And that Christ hath done this seruice in his flesh deny all the members of Antichrist And hereby thou shalt know them All doctrine that buildeth thee vpon Christ to put thy trust and confidence in his bloud is of God and true doctrine And all doctrine that withdraweth thyne hope and trust froÌ„ Christ is of the deuill and the doctrine of Antichrist Examine y â— Pope by this rule and thou shalt finde that all hee doth is to the destructioÌ„ of this article He wresteth all the Scriptures setteth them cleane agaynst the woll to destroy this article He ministreth the very Sacramentes of Christ vnto the destruction of this article and so doth he all other ceremonies and his absolution penaunce purgatorie dispensations pardoÌ„s vowes with all disguisings The Pope preacheth that Christ is come to do away sinnes yet not in the flesh but in water salt oyle caÌ„dles bowes asshes friers coates and monkes cowles and in the vowes of theÌ„ that forâ—were matrunonie to keepe whores and swere beggerie to possesse all the treasure riches wealth pleasures of the world and haue vowed obedience to disobey with authoritie all the lawes both of God and man For in these hypocritish and false sacrifices teacheth he vs to trust for the forgiuenes of sinnes not in Christes flesh Ye are of God litle childreÌ„ and haue ouercome them For greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world He that dwelleth in you and worketh in you through fayth is greater then he whiche dwelleth and worketh in them through vnbelefe And in hys strength ye abyde by your profession and coÌ„fesse your Lord Iesus how that he is come in the flesh and hath purged the sinne of all that beleue in his flesh And through that fayth ye ouercome them in the very tormentes of death So that neither their iugglinges neither their pleasures neither their thretnynges or their tormentes or the very death wherewith they slay your bodies can preuayle agaynst you They be of the world and therfore they speake of the world and the world atteÌ„deth vnto them We bee of God and hee that knoweth God heareth vs. And he that is not of God heareth vs not And hereby we know the spirit of truth and the spirite of errour There be and euer shal be two generations in the world one of the deuill which naturally hearken vnto the false Apostles of the deuill because they speake so agreable vnto their naturall complection And an other of God which hearken vnto the true Apostles of God consent vnto their doctrine And this is a sure rule to indge spirites with all that we indge them to haue the spirite of truth which hearkeÌ„ vnto y t true doctrine of Christes Apostles them to haue the spirite of errour which hearken vnto worldly and deuilish doctrine abhorryng the preathing of the Apostles And looke hether the Popes doctrine bee worldly or no if pride and couetousnes be worldly yea and secherie to For what other is all his doctrine then of benefices promotions dignities byshoprikes cardinallshyps vicarages parsonages prebendes chaunge of bishoprikes and resignyng of benefices of vnions pluralities totquots and that which coÌ„meth once into their handes may not out agayn yea and of whores and concubines and of captiuyng of consciences for couetousnes all that hearken to that doctrine abhorre the doctrine of the Apostles and persecute it and them that preach it Dearely beloued let vs loue one an other for loue is of God And all that loue are borne of God and knowe God And he that loueth not knoweth not God for God is loue Iohn singeth his old song agayne and teacheth an infallible and sure token which we may see and feele at our fingers endes and therby be out of all doubt that our fayth is vnfayned and that we knowe God and be borne of God and that we hearkeÌ„ vnto the doctrine of the Apostles purely and godly not of any curiositie to seke glorie and honour therein vnto our selues to make a cloke therof to couer our couetousnes and filthy lustes Whiche token is if we loue one an other For the loue of a mans neighbour vnfaynedly spryngeth out of the vnfayned knowledge of God in Christes bloud By which knowledge we be borne of God loue God and our neighbours for his sake And so he that loueth hys neighbour vnfaynedly is sure of him selfe that he knoweth God and is of God vnfaynedly And contrarywise he that loueth not knoweth not God For God in Christes bloud is such a loue that if a man saw it it were impossible that he should not breake out into the loue of God agayne of his neighbour for his sake Herein appeared the loue of God vnto vs warde because God seÌ„t his onely sonne into the world that we should liue through hym Herein is loue not that we loued God but that he loued vs and sent hys sonne a satisfaction for our synnes If a man had once felt within in his conscience the fierce wrath of God towarde sinners and the terrible most cruell damnation that the law threatneth and then beheld with the eyes of a strong fayth the mercy fauour and grace the takyng away of the damnation of the law and restoryng agayne of life frely offred vs in Christs bloud he should perceaue loue and so much the more that it was shewed vs when we were sinners and enemies to God Roma 5. and that without all deseruyngs without our endeuouryng enforcyng and preparyng our selues and without all good motions qualities properties of our frewill But when our hartes were as dead vnto all good workyng as the meÌ„bers of him whose soule is departed whiche thyng to proue and to stoppe the blasphemous mouthes of all our aduersaries I will of innumerable textes rehearse one in the beginnyng of the second chapter to the Ephes where Paule sayth thus Ye were dead in trespasse sinne in which ye walked accordyng to the course of the world and after the gouernour that ruleth in the ayre the spirite that worketh in the children of vnbelefe amoÌ„g which we also had our conuersation in tyme past in the lustes of our flesh and fulfilled the lustes of the fleshe and of the mynde so that the fleshe and the mynde were agreed both to sinne and the mynde consented as well as the flesh and were by nature the children of wrath as well as other But God beyng rich in mercy through the great loue wherwith he loued vs euen wheÌ„ we were dead in sinne hath quickened vs with Christ for by grace are ye saued and with hym hath raysed vs vp and with him hath made vs sit in heauenly thynges through Iesus Christ for to shew in tyme to come the exceding riches of his grace in kyndnes to vs ward in Iesus Christ For by grace are ye saued through fayth that not of your selues for
of faith trust to Godward in Christs name and a false fayth of thine owne fayning to Saint Whiteward for thine imageseruice or seruyng her with cheese as though she were a bodely thyng And like disputatioÌ„ is it of all other saintes And as we worship the Saintes with imageseruice to obtaine temporal thinges euen so worship we God And as the Iewes turned their sacrifices vnto imageseruice whiche were giuen theÌ„ of God to be signes to moue them to serue God in the spirite Euen so haue we our Sacramentes And for an exaÌ„ple let vs take the Masse which after the Popes abuse of it is the most damnable imageseruice that euer was sence it began Christ accordyng to the testimonie of the Scripture made in the dayes of his flesh satisfaction for al the sinne of them that had or should be leue in his name obtained that they should be the sonnes of God and taken from vnder the damnation of the law and put vnder grace and mercy that God should henceforth deale with them as a mercyful father dealeth with his children that runne not away from him no though ought be at a tyme chaunced amisse but tary euer still by their father and by his doctrine confesse their trespasse and promise henceforth to inforce them selues vnto the vttermost of their power that they doe no more so negligently And this purchase made he with the thinges whiche he suffered in his flesh with the stroÌ„g prayers which he prayed And to kepe his TestameÌ„t euerfresh in minde that it were not forgot he left with vs the Sacrament or signe of his body and bloud to strength our faith and to certifie our coÌ„science that our sinnes were forgeuen assoone as we repented and had recoÌ„ciled our selues vnto our brethren and to arme our soules through the continuall remembraunce of Christes death vnto the despisyng of the world mortifying of the flesh quenching of the lustes and thyrst of worldly thinges As they which haue dayly conuersation with the sicke and miserable and are present at the deathes of men are moued to defie the world and the lustes therof And as Christ had institute the Sacrament of his body and bloud so the Byshoppes in processe of time set signes of all the rest of Christes passion in the ornamentes and gestures of the Masse so that the whole passion was dayly described before our eyes as though we had presently looked vppon it And that thou mayst see for what cause they came vnto the Sacrament they reconciled them selues ech one to other if any man had offeÌ„ded his brother ere they were admitted into the congregation or body of Christ to be members of ech other knit together in one fayth and loue to eate the Lordes Supper as Paule calleth it for the coÌ„gregatioÌ„ thus gathered is called Christes body and Christ their head And likewise if a man had ben taken in opeÌ„ sinne agaynst the professioÌ„ of his Baptisme he was rebuked openly And he confessed his sinne openly and asked forgiuenes of God and of the congregation whom he had offended with the example of his euill deede and tooke penaunce as they call it of the congregation that is certaine discret iniunctioÌ„s how he should liue and order him selfe in tyme to come came his flesh for the auoyding of the sayd vice because his confession and repentaunce which he semed to haue shuld be none hypocrisie but an earnest thing For if an open sinner be founde among vs we must immediatly amende him or cast him out of the congregation with defiaunce and decestation of his sinne as thou seist how quickly Paule cast out the Corinthian that kept his fathers wife and when he was warned would not amend Or els if we suffer such to be among vs vnrebuked we can not but at once fall from the constancie of our professioÌ„ and laughe and haue delectation and coÌ„sent vnto their sinne as it is come to passe throughout all Christendome Which is ten thousand tymes more abhominable then if we sinned our selues For the best man in the world that hateth sinne might at a tyme throughe â—rayltie of the flesh be drawne to sinne But it is altogether deuilish and a sure token that the spirit of Christ is not in vs nor the profession of our Baptisme written in the hart if we laughe at an other mans sinnes though we our selues absteine for shame or feare of hell or for what so euer imagination it be or that we be so blind that we see no other sinne in vs then our outward deedes And the penaunce enioyned frayle persons that could not rule them selues was vnder the authority of the Curate and the sad and discrete meÌ„ of the Parish to relesse part or all at a tyme if necessitie required or when they sawe the person so growne in perfectnes that he neded it not But see wherto it is now come after what maner our holy father that is at Rome dispenseth withall together And see what our Bishops officers do and where the authoritie of the Curate and of the Parish is become If in ten Parishes round there be not one learned and discret to helpe the other theÌ„ the deuil hath a great swynge among vs that the Byshops officers that dwell so farre of must abuse vs as they do And if within a Diocese or an whole land we can finde no shift but that the Pope that dwelleth at the deuill in hell must thus mocke vs what a stroke thinke ye hath Sathan among vs And all is because we be hipocrites and loue not the way of truth for all our pretendyng the contrarie And to begyn with all they sayd CoÌ„fiteor and knowledged them selues to be sinners And then the Priest prayed in generall for all estates and degrees and for encrease of grace and in especially if neede required vnto whiche prayers the people harkened and sayd Amen And then the Gospell and glad tydinges of forgiuenes of sinnes was preached to styre our fayth And then the Sacrament was ministred for the confirmation of the fayth of the Gospell and of the Testament made betwene God and vs of forgiuenes of sinnes in Christes bloud for our repeÌ„taunce and faith as ye see how after all bargaynes there is a signe therof made either clapping of haÌ„des or bowyng a peny or a groate or a peece of gold or giuing some earnest and as I shewed you how after a truse made they slewe beastes for a confirmation And then men departed euery man to his busines full certified that their sinnes were forgiuen and armed with the remembraunce of Christes passion and death for the mortifieng of the flesh all the day after And in all these was neither the Sacrament neither other ceremonies of the Masse imageseruice to God and holy dedes to make satisfaction for our sinnes or to purchase such worldly thinges as the Gospell teacheth vs to dispise And now compare this
in Christes name by his promise but am not sure that my brother will pray for me or that he hath a good hart to God No. But the Saintes in heauen cānot but pray and be hard no more can the Saintes in earth but pray and he heard neither Moses Samuell Dauid Noye Elias Elizeus Esayas Daniell and all the Prophetes prayed and were heard yet was none of those wicked that would not put their trust in God accordyng to their doctrine and preachyng partaker of their prayers in the end And as damnable as it is for the poore to trust in the riches of the richest vpon earth so damnable is it also to leaue the couenaunt made in Christes bloud and to trust in the saint of heauē They that be in heauē know the elect that trust in Christes bloud professe the law of God and for them onely pray and these wicked Idolaters whiche haue no trust in the couenaunt of God nor serue God in the spirite nor in the Gospell of Christes bloud but after their blind Imagination chosing them eueryman a sondry Saint to be their Mediatour to trust to and to be saued by their merites do the Saintes abhorre and defie And their prayers and offeringes are to the Saintes as acceptable and pleasaunt as was the prayer and the offeryng of Symon Magus to Peter Act. viij Moreouer the Saintes in their most combraunce are most comforted most able to comfort other as Paule testifieth i. Cor. i. In so much that S. Stephen and S. Iames prayed for them that slue them S. Martine preached comforted his desperate brethren euen vnto the last breath likewise as stories make mention dyd innumerable mo Yea and I haue knowen of simple vnlearned persons that of some that were great sinners which at the houre of death haue fallen flat on the bloud of Christ and geuen no rowme to other mens either prayers or preachynges but haue as strongly trusted in Christes bloud as euer dyd Peter or Paul and haue therto preached it to other exhorted other so mightly that an aungell of heauen could not mende them Who then should resiste God that he might not geue the same grace to M. Tracie which was a learned man and better sene in the workes of S. Austē xx yeare before hee dyed then euer I knew Doccour in England but that hee must then faint and shrincke whē most neede is to be strong feare the Popes Purgatory trust to the prayer of Priestes dearely payd for I dare say that he prayed for the Priestes whē he dyed that God would conuert a great many of them and if hee had knowen of any good man amōg them that had neded he would haue geuen and if hee had knowen of any lacke of priestes he would haue geuē to mainteine moe But now sence there be mo then inough haue more then euery man a sufficient liuyng how should he haue geuē them but to hyre their prayers of pure mistrust in Christs bloud If robbyng of widowes houses vnder pretence of long prayers be damnable Math. xxiij Then is it damnable also for widowes to suffer them selues to be robbed by the long pattering of hypocrites through mistrust in Christes bloud yea and is it not damnable to mainteine such abhomination Now when this dāuation is spread ouer all how can we geue thē that haue inough already or how can they that haue inough already take more vnder the name of praying not harden the people more in this dāuable damnation And concernyng the burieng of his body he allegeth S. Austen neither is there any man thinke I so mad to affirme that the outward pompe of the body should helpe the soule Moreouer what greater signe of infidelitie is there then to care at the tyme of death with what pompe the carkasse shal be caried to the graue He denieth not but that a Christen man should be honorablie buried namely for the honour and hope of the resurrection and therefore committed that care to his deare executours his sonne and his wife which he wist would in that part do sufficiēt leaue nothyng of the vse of the countrey vndone but the abuse And that best awyng of a great part of his goodes while be yet lyued vppon the poore to be thankefull for the mercy receiued without bying and sellyng with God that is without byndyng those poore vnto any other appointed prayers then God hath bound vs already one to pray for an other one to helpe an other as he hath helped vs but paciently abidyng for the blessynges that God hath appoynted vnto all maner good workes trustyng faythfully to his promise thanking as ye may see by his wordes the bloud of Christ for the reward promised to hys woorkes and not the goodnes of the workes as though he had done more then his dutie or all that And assigned by writyng vnto whom an other part should be distrubuted and geuyng the rest to hys executours that no strife should be whiche executours were by right the heyres of all that was left to thē These things I say are signes euident not onely of a good Christen mā but also of a perfect Christen man and of such a one as needed not to be agast and desperate for feare of the paynfull paynes of Purgatory whiche who so feareth as they fayne it can not but vtterly abhorre death seyng that Christ is there no longer thy Lord after he hath brought thee thether but art excluded from his satisfaction and must satisfie for thy selfe alone and that with sufferyng payne onely or els taryeng the satisfieng of them that shall neuer satisfie inough for them selues or gapyng for the Popes pardons whiche haue so great doubtes and daungers what in the mynde and intent of the graunter and what in the purchaser yer they can be truly obteyned with all due circumstaūces and much lesse certitude that they haue any authoritie at all Paule thristed to be dissolued to be with Christ Stephen desired Christ to take his spirite the Prophetes also desired God to take their soules from them and all the Saintes went with a lusty courage to death neither fearyng or teachyng vs to feare any such crudelitie Where hath the Churche then gotten authoritie to binde vs from beyng so perfite from hauyng any such fayth in the goodnes of God our Father and Lorde Christ and to make such perfitues and fayth of all heresies the greatest Salomō saith in the xxx of his Prouerbes three things are insaciable and the fourth sayth neuer It is inough But there is a fift called dame anarice with as greedy a gutte as meltyng a maw as wyde a throate as gapyng a mouth and with as rauenyng teeth as the best which the more she eateth the hongryer she is An vnquiet euill neuer at rest a blynd monster and a surmisyng beast fearyng at the fall of euery leafe Quid non mortalia pectora
should recount the soule to be mortall whiche thyng after my iudgement is more suttelly gathered then either truly or charitably for seyng there was neuer Christen man that euer so thought no not the very Paganes what godly zeale or brotherly loue was there whiche caused them so to surmise for a good man would not once dreame such a thyng but I pray you why should we not say that the soule doth verely rise which through Christ rising from the filth of sinne doth enter with the body into a new conuersation of life whiche they shall leade together without possibilitie of sinnyng we say also of God by a certaine phrase of Scripture that he ariseth when he openeth vnto vs hys power and presence And why may we not say the same thing of the soule which in the meane season semeth to lye secret then shal expresse vnto vs through Christ her power and presence in takyng agayne her naturall body why should ye then condemne these thynges There is no man that can receiue venome by those wordes except hee haue such a spyderous nature that he can turne an hony combe into perilous poyson Therfore let vs looke on the residue Master Tracie And as touching the wealth of my soule c. Frith Héere he onely cleaueth to God and hys mercye being surely persuaded that according to the testimony of Peter who so euer beléeueth in hym thorowe hys name shall receyue remissyon of synnes Act. 15. Paule also affirmeth that who so euer trusteth in him shall not be cōfounded Ro. 10. And who can denye but thys is moste true when it is vnderstande of that fayth which is formed wyth hope and charitie which y t Apostle calleth faith that worketh by charitie Gal. 5. Now sith these things may be expounded so purely forsoothe he vttereth his owne enuie which woulde otherwise wrest the mynde of the maker of thys Testament And as touchyng the addition of this particle wtout any other mannes worke or woorkes it séemeth that he had respect vnto thys saying of Peter whych declareth that there is none other name vnder heauen geuen vnto men in whych we shoulde be saued Act. 4. Besides that S. Paule committeth the power of sanctifying to Christ only Heb. 2. where he sayth bothe he that sanctifyeth that is to say Christe and they that are sanctified that is to say the faithfull are all of one that is God and surely if we labored to precel eche other in loue and charitie we should not condempne this innocent but we shoulde rather measure hys wordes by the rule of charitie in so muche that if a thyng at the first sight did appeare wycked yet shoulde we take it in the best sense not iudging wickedly of oure brother but referring that secreate iudgemente vnto Christe whych can not be disceyued and thoughe they be disceiued by the pretence of charitie yet therein they may reioyse and therfore they would be lothe to condempne the innocent but lette vs passe these things and sée what foloweth Master Tracie My ground my beleefe is that there is but one God c. Frith Why looke you so sowerly good brethren why do you not rather giue hym great thankes syth he hathe opened vnto you suche a proper distinction by the whiche you may escape the scholasticall snares and mases he only deserueth the name of a mid dealer which being God became man to make men Gods And who cā by right be called a mid dealer betwéene God and man but he that is both God and man therefore sithe we haue suche a mid dealer which in all poyntes hath proued our infirmitie sauing only in sinne which is exalted aboue the heauens and sitteth on the right hande of God and hath in all thyngs obtayned the nexte power vnto him of whose Emperie all things depende lette vs come wyth sure confidence vnto the throne of grace Heb. 4. All other be calleth peticioners whyche receyue grace but are not able to empresse power therof into any other man for that dothe only God distribute wyth hys finger that is to say the spirite of God thorowe Christe I maruell that you are angrye with him that hathe done you such a great pleasure howe be it I doe ascribe this condemnation rather vnto the canonistes than vnto deuines For the godly deuines wold neuer dote so farre as to condemne so proper sayings but peraduenture this myght moue theyr pacience that he will distribute no portion of hys goodes for that entent that anye man should say or doe for the weale of hys soule are you so sore afraide of youre market Be not afraid ye haue salues inoughe to souple that sore ye knowe that he is not bounde vnder payne of dampnation to distribute his goodes on that fashion for then those holy fathers were in shreud cause which cōtinuing in long penurie scant lefte at theyr departing a halfe pennie Thou wilt peraduenture say that they shall suffer the gréenous paines of purgatorie be it so yet may they be quēched both with lesse cost labor the popes pardon is ready at hand where bothe the crime and the paine are remytted at once and verily there is such plentie of them in all places that I canne scantly beléeue that there liueth anye man that is worth an halfe peny but that he is sure of some pardones in store And as for thys man he had innumerable Notwithstanding this distribution is not of necessitie for vnto him that is dampned it profiteth nothing and he that is not dampned is sure of saluation why are ye so hot against thys man are not hys goodes in his owne power he shall giue a reckoning of them vnto God and not vnto you héere you maye sée of howe light iudgement you haue condempned these things nowe let vs ponder the residue Master Tracie And as touching the burying of my body c. Frith What hath he here offēded which rehearseth nothing but the woords of S. Austine If you improue these thinges then reproue you S. Austine himselfe Now if you can finde the meanes to allow S. Austen and charitably to expound his woordes why do you not admit the same fauour vnto your brother especially séeing charitie requireth it Besides that no man can deny but that these thinges are true although S. Austines auctoritie were of no reputation with you for if these thinges were of so great value before God then Christ had euill prouided for his martyres whose bodies are commonly cast out to be consumed with fire and wild beastes notwithstanding I would be afrayde to say that they were any thing the worse for the burning of theyr bodies or tearing of it in péeces Be therefore charitable towards your brother and ponder his woordes which are rather Saint Austines somewhat more iustly M. Tracie As touching the distribution of my temporall goods my purpose is c. Frith There is no man doubteth but that fayth is the roote of the trée and the quickning power
the fayth and many a sléepe and haue lost their fayth in Christes bloud for lacke of remembraunce of his body breaking bloud shedding yea not that onely but many were weake and sicke euen striken with bodelye diseases for abusing y e sacrament of his body eating the bread with their téeth and not his body with their hart and minde and peraduenture some slayne for it by the stroke of God which if they had truely iudged and examined thē selues for what intent they came thither and why it was instituted should not haue béene so iudged and chastened of the Lorde For the Lorde doth chasten to bring vs vnto repentaunce and to mortifie our rebellious mēbers that we may remember hym Here ye may shortly perceyue the mynde of Paule An Epitome and short rehearsall of all this booke shewing in what poyntes Frith dissenteth from our Prelates NOw to be short in these thrée poyntes Frith dissenteth frō our Prelates and from M. More which taketh vpon hym to be their proctor 1. Our Prelates beléeue that in the Sacrament remaineth no bread but that it is turned into the naturall body of Christ both fleshe bloud and bones Frith sayth that it is no article of our Crede and therefore let them beléeue it that will And he thinketh that there remayneth bread still and that he proueth thrée maner of wayes First by y e scripture of Paule whiche calleth it bread saying the bread which we breake is it not the fellowship of the body of Christ For we though we bee many are yet one body and one bread as many as are partakers of one bread And againe he sayth as often as ye eate of thys bread or drinke of thys cup you shall shew the Lordes death vntil he come Also Luke calleth it bread saying in the Actes they continued in the fellowship of the Apostles and in the breaking of the bread prayer Also Christ called the cup the fruite of a vyne saying I shall not from hence forward drinke of the fruite of the vyne vntill I drinke that new in the kingdome of my father Furthermore nature doth teache you that both the bread and wine cōtinue in their nature For the bread mouldeth if it be kept long yea and wormes bréede in it and the poore mouse will runne away with it and eate it ' which are euidence inough that there remayneth bread Also the wine if it were reserued would waxe sower as they confesse them selues and therefore they housell the lay people but with one kinde onely because the wine can not continue nor be reserued to haue ready at hand when néede were And surely as if there remayned no bread it could not mould nor waxe full of wormes euen so if there remayned no wine it could not waxe sower And therefore it is but false doctrine that our prelates so lōg haue taught and published Finally y e there remayneth bread might be proued by the authoritie of many Doctors which call it bread and wine euen as Christ and hys Apostles did And though some sophisters would wrest their saying and expoūd them after their owne phantasie yet shall I alleage thē one Doctor which was Pope that maketh so playne with vs that they shall neuer bee able to auoyde them For Pope Gelasius writeth on thys maner Certe sacramenta quae sumimus corporis sanguinis Christi diuinae res sunt propter quod per eadem diuinae efficimur consortes naturae Et tamen non desinit esse substantia vel natura panis vini sed permanet in suae proproprietate naturae Et certe imago similitudo corporis sanguinis Christi in actione mysteriorum celebrantur That is to say Surely the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ which we receaue are a godly thing and therefore through them are we made partakers of the godly nature And yet doth it not cease to bee the substance or nature of bread and wine but they continue in the propertie of their owne nature And surely the image and similitude of the body and bloud are celebrated in the acte of the mysteryes Thys I am sure that no man can auoyde it nor so wrest it but that all men shall soone espye hys folly and therefore I may conclude that there remayneth the substaunce and nature of bread and wine The second poynt wherin Frith dissenteth from our Prelates and their Proctor THe Prelates beléeue that hys very fleshe is present to the téeth of them that eate the sacrament and that the wicked eate hys very body Frith sayth that it is no article of our Créede and therefore hée reckoneth that hee is in no ieoperdy though hee beleeue it not And hee thinketh that his fleshe is not present vnto the téeth of them that receaue the Sacrament For hys flesh is onely in one place at once And y t hée proueth both by y t authoritie of S. Austen ad Dardanum and also by the authoritie of Fulgentius ad Thrasuuandum lib. 20. as before appeareth in y t booke And Frith sayth that the wicked eate not hys very fleshe although they receaue the sacrament And that hée proueth by the Scripture Doctors and good reason grounded vpon the scriptures The Scripture is this hée that eateth Christes body hath euerlasting life but the wicked hath not euerlasting life ergo then the wicked eate not his body Agayne the Scripture sayth hée that eateth Christes fleshe and drinketh hys bloud abydeth in Christ and Christ in hym but y t wicked abyde not in Christ nor Christ in him ergo the wicked eate not hys fleshe nor drinke hys bloud Thys may also bée confirmed by good authoritie For S. Austen sayth hée that abydeth not in Christ and in whom Christ abydeth not without doubt hée eateth not hys fleshe nor drinketh hys bloud although hée eate and drinke the sacrament of so great a thing vnto hys damnation And euen the same wordes hath Beda vpon the x. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians Agayne S. Austen sayth hée that abydeth not in me and in whom I abyde not let hym not say nor thinke that hée eateth my body or drinketh my bloud And euē the same wordes hath Beda vpon the vi chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians And euen y e same sentēce hath Ambrose and Prosper and Beda vpon the xi chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians Finally thys may bée proued by good reason grounded vpon the scripture Christ would not suffer Mary though shée loued hym well to touch hym because shée lacked one poynt of fayth and dyd not beléeue that hée was equall with his father And therfore by reason it must follow that hée will not suffer the wicked which neither haue good faith nor loue towards hym both to touch hym and eate him into their vncleane bodyes Now sith thys is proued true that the
shepheardes staffe you helpe no man with it you comfort no man you lift vp no man with it but you haue striken downe kynges and kyngdomes with it and knocked in the head Dukes Earles with it Call you this a shepheardes staffe There is a space in the shepheardes staffe for the foote to come out agayne but your staffe turneth and wyndeth alwayes inward and neuer outward signifying that what soeuer hée bée that coÌ„meth within your dauÌ„ger that hée shall neuer come out agayne This exposition your déedes doe declare let theÌ„ bée examined that you haue had to doe with And let vs sée how they haue escaped your shepheardes hooke But these bée the articles for the whiche I must néedes bée an hereticke Neuertheles all the world may sée how shamefully that I haue erred agaynst your holynesses in saying the truth My Lord Cardinal reasoned with me in this article all the other hée passed ouer sauyng this and the sixte article Here did hée aske if I thought it good and reasonable that hée should lay downe his pyllers and pollaxes coyne them Here is the heresie that is so abhominable I made him aunswere that I thought it well done Then sayd hée how thinke you were it better for me being in the honour and dignitie that I am to coyne my pyllers and pollaxes and to geue the money to v. or vj. beggers then for to mayntaine the common wealth by them as I doe Doe you not recken quoth hée the common wealth better then fiue or sixe beggers To this I did aunswere that I reckened it more to the honour of God and to the salnation of his soule and also to the comfort of his poore brethren that they were coyned and giueÌ„ in almes And as for the common wealth dyd not hange of them for as his grace knew the common wealth was afore his grace and must bée wheÌ„ his grace is gone and the pyllers and pollaxes came with him and should also goe away with him Notwithstandyng if the common wealth were in such a condition that it had néede of them then might his grace so loÌ„g vse them or any other thyng in their stede so longe as the common wealth néeded them Notwithstandyng I sayd thus much did I not say in my Sermon agaynst them but all onely I damned in my Sermon the gorgious pompe and pride of all exteriour ornaments Then he sayd well you say very well But as well as it was sayd I am sure that these wordes made me an hereticke for if these wordes had not béene therein myne aduersaryes durst neuer haue shewed their faces against me But now they knew wel that I could neuer bée indifferently heard For if I had got the victory theÌ„ must all the Byshops and my Lord Cardinall haue layd downe all their gorgious ornamentes For the which they had rather burne xx such heretickes as I am as all y e world knoweth But God is mighty and of me hath hée shewed his power for I dare say they neuer intented thing more in their liues theÌ„ they did to destroy me and yet God of his mercy hath saued me agaynst all their violence vnto his godly wisedome is the cause all onely knowen The Byshop of London that was then called Tunstall after my departyng out of prison sayd vnto a substaÌ„ciall man that I was not dead for I dare say his conscience did not recken me such an hereticke that I would haue killed my selfe as the voice weÌ„t but yet would hée haue done it gladly of his charitie but I was sayd hée in Amsterdame where I had neuer béene in my life as God knoweth nor yet in the countrey this x. yeares certaine men did there speake with me sayd hée and hée fained certaine wordes that they should say to me I to them and added thereunto that my Lorde Cardinall would haue me agayne or it should cost him a great summe of money howe much I doe not clearely remember I haue marueile that my Lorde is not ashamed thus shamefully and thus Lordly to lye all though hée might doe it by authoritie And where my Lord Cardinall hée would spende so much money to haue mée againe I haue great maruaile of it What can they make of mée I am a simple poore wreatch and worth no mans money in the worlde sauing theirs not the tenth peny that they will geue for mée And to burne mée or to destroy mée can not so greatly profite them For wheÌ„ I am dead the Sunne the Moone the starres and the element water and fire yea and also stones shall defende this cause agaynst them rather than the veritie should perishe But if they bée so charitable to doe good workes and to spende their money so well they haue prisoners poore men inough in the land let them bestowe their money of them And as for mée I doe promise them here by this present writing and by the faith that I owe to Christ Iesus and by that fidelitie that I owe to my prince that if they will bée bounde to our noble Prince after the maner of hys lawe and after good conscience and right that they shall doe mée no violence nor wronge but discâ—…sse and dispute these articles and all other that I haue written after the holy worde of God and by Christes holy scripture with mée Then will I as soone as I may know it present my self vnto our most noble prince there offring my selfe to his grace that I will either proue these thinges by Gods worde against you all or els I will suffer at his graces pleasure Whom the father of heaueÌ„ preserue in honour Amen And if you refuse this condition then say that you are neyther good nor charitable For I dare say you can desire no more of a Christen man PRiestes doe mumble and rore out their Dyriges and Masses in the Church and churchyardes for theyr founders curious to speake theyr wordes distinctly But I ensure them that their prayers shall doe them no good but onely acceptatio diuina As for this article the Byshops did not make much of for they perceiued that it was gathered without any seÌ„tence For my saying was that men should make their prayers in such a fayth and with such a deuotion that God might accept them and not so idlely and without all deuotion bable and say their dyriges alonely of vondage and of custome and not of deuotion I brought the laying of the Apostle for mée which sayth Let your peticions and prayers appeare before God And also hée that asketh let him aske in faith nothing doubting THere is no prayer acceptable to God except it bée fetched from the fyre of the aulter This article was also gathered without any sentence for my aduersaries did not greatly care what they made of such articles as pertayned to learning and edifiing And therefore they neuer erred so much as they did in them For in those
articles that were agaynst the Byshops they did great diligence in a part of them gathered they my very true sentences and myne owne wordes though in those thinges they left out vncharitably those wordes that made for my declaration and also for the probation of my saying the which I haue also here lefte out all onely adding the articles as thye laid them against mée that all men may sée y t worst that they had against mée For all men may thinke that they wil neither lay the best nor yet the truth agaynst mée But this article dyd I thus preach that men should not in their peticiō and prayers put to their good workes nor their good déedes and their merites As O Lord I doe faste I doe pray I am no theife I am in charitie with all the world and for them defire God to bée mercifull vnto them But they shoulde desire the father of heauen to bée mercifull vnto them alonely for Christes merites For they were y e things wherby both wée and our prayers are accepted in the sight of the father And to prooue this I brought certayne Scriptures As this whatsoeuer yée shall aske the father in my name hée shall geue it you And also the figure of y e old law where there was no sacrifice done but with y e fire that was taken from the aulter Now did I say that Christ is our aulter But thys myne aduersaries vnderstoode not But I maruayle what this article doth amonge the other hereticall articles I thinke they doe not recken it heresie HEe did not praye for the thrée estates of holy Churche neyther made hée his prayers in y e beginning of his sermon according to the olde custome but at the last ende and for the true knowledge of all Christen men making no prayer to our Lady nor for the soules in gurgatory nor for grace expedient If the Byshops had had any indifferency in them or any charitie they woulde haue béene ashamed that such articles shoulde haue béene brought afore thē What is this to the purpose of heresie that I did not pray for the thrée estates of holy Church And yet they graunt that I prayde for all true Christē mē and that men might come to the true knowledge Is not all the church contayned in this But they bée vncharitable men without all cōsideration they bée so blinded in their worldly honour That I did not pray to our Ladye nor for the soules in purgatory what is that to heresy for then were the Apostles heretykes for they did not pray in their sermons to our Lady nor yet to y e soules in purgatorye And as for praying for grace expedient that is not the preacher bound to doe openly But mée thinketh by these articles that God gaue mée a greate grace that I durst so boldelye reproue their abhominable liuing not fearing the daunger that should come thereof but this I leue to other mens iudgement And I dare boldelye say y e if I had spoken tentymes asmuch against y e auctorite of our noble prince and agaynst all his noble dukes and Lordes had taken all power both spirituall and temporall from them and geuen it to our idle byshops then had I béene a faythfull christen man for I had defended y e liberties of holy church But god send them his grace and space for to conuert Amen The whole disputation betweene the Byshops and Doctour Barnes NOw most honorable gracious Prince here haue I shewed your grace the articles that myne aduersaries vncharitablie hath layd agaynst me In the whiche though a greate many of my wordes and sayinges were Yet neuerthelesse there was left out all those things that did make for my declaration and for probations of my wordes and also for mollifying and temperatyng of those thinges that séemed to bée somewhat hardly spokē agaynst the Byshops The whiche thinges were to longe to recite vnto your noble grace But as God is my iudge and also my conscience and all my wordes and déedes and all maner of my liuyng and conuersation I did neuer intende to speake agaynst the Byshops or els any other man further then their liuing and conuersation were agaynst the blessed word of God and the holy doctrine of Christes Churche For the truth is there was no great clerke in the Church of God this CCCC yeares that wrote any thyng but hée complained vehemently agaynst the liuing of the spiritualtie Let their bookes bée brought foorth to proue whether my saying be truth or not Alas is it not a pituous case yea and also agaynst all law and conscience that I poore man shalbée thus violently cast away for speaking agaynst these vices that béene damned by almightie God and by all hys holy creatures yea and the Byshops them selues and all the worlde must graunt that they doe liue as euill yea and rather worse then I did speake Oh Lord God where is loue to vertue where is the shamefastnes that Christen men ought to haue where is Iustice That I shalbée thus shamefully cast awaye for speakyng of that thynge that euery Christen man is bounde to speake They doe so lyue and I beyng a preacher of the verity must bée condemned for speakyng agaynst it But most gracious and mightie Prince God hath set your grace in the same honour and dignitie that you by Gods ordinaunce ought to defende those men that are oppressed wrongfully Wherefore humbly and méekely and with all lowlynes reuerence I beséech your grace to minister vnto me gracious iustice let me bée heard indifferently whether that I can iustifie my cause with learnyng or not If I can not iustifie it your grace is a minister of iustice I will refuse no maner of payne that shal bée due for my trāsgressiō Wherfore ones agayne with all méekenes and lowlynes in the way of charitie and in Christes name and for his swéete bloud sake that hée hath shed for your grace yea and also by y e vertue of your auctoritie that the heauēly God hath deliuered you I doe require and desire of your grace audience and iustice I and all my parētes bée your naturall subiectes borne and a great many of vs hath dyed in your graces quarell and yet is there none of vs but are ready to doe your grace that seruice with our bodyes bloud that shall become trewe subiectes to doe to their noble prince Wherfore thyrdely in my name and in all our names for al they are rebuked in me with all méekenes reuerence I béeseche your grace of gracious audience and of fauorable iustice This thing I trust your grace will not denye me Nor yet take any displeasure with me your poore subiect for thus requiring For I haue none other prince nor Lorde to séeke vnto here on earth but vnto your grace onelye Nor can I come to any charitable ende with myne aduersaries Wherefore I am compelled by extreme violence thus to complayne
an other but because that all men can not vse these keyes all together for y e would make a confusion therofore doth the Church that is the congregation of faythfull men commyt the ministratiof these keyes that is of preaching y e worde of God vnto certayne men whome they thinke most able and best learned in the worde of God the which mē thus chosen bée but ministers of the commen treasure and no Lordes ouer it For the Churche may depose them y e is shée may take away the open and the common mynistration that shée committed vnto them if they vse it not well and then they bée but as other Christen men hauing no common office nor administration in the Church Wherfore they may neither preach nor yet minister sacramentes openlye but as other Christen men may doe pryuately in their owne houses or in other places where men bée gathered which wil heare of Christ there I saye both they and all other Christē men may speake and learne Christes worde and declare it after the gift y e is geuen vnto them of God And they that doe beléeue this word thus preached by Christen men bée by the power of y e keyes losed from their sinne and bound if they beléeue not For all the Church and euery part of the Church haue power to execute these keyes all onely that the open order bée not broken This doth S. Paule declare saying you may all interpretate scriptures but sée that all thinges sée done after an order Now to kéepe an order and that nothing should bée done after a confuse manner therefore the Church assigneth certayne men to be the open and the common mynisters of this treasure the which bée but all onely minysters and no Lordes And of this cōmon treasure and not of their priuate treasure as S. Paule sayth let a man so reckē vs as the ministers of Christ and dispensators of the mynystery of God Also in an other place what is S. Paule what is Appollo but mynisters by whom you haue beléeued Also S. Peter your predecessor commaundeth you that you shoulde not exercise any dominion ouer the congregations but geue example to the flocke Bée not these playne scriptures how you bée no Lordes but ministers of Christes treasure and you leaue the ministration and vsurpe auctoritie S. Petter whose successors you boast your selues to bée commaūdeth you that you shoulde bée alonely but ministers keybearers of these keyes As Chrisostome prooueth in these wordes The keye bearers are priestes vnto whome is committed the worde to teach and to interprete Scriptures c. Heare you not how you bée but keybearers and teachers of y ◠worde of God This doth S. Ambrose witnesse in these wordes sinnes bée forgeuen by the worde of God whose interpreter is the Deacon c. Marke that sinnes bée forgeuen by the word of God of the which you bée but interpreters Where is now I pray you your Lordly power which you call the keyes of heauen is not Scripture and the practise of the Apostles and the exposition of holy Doctours opēly against you Will you vsurpe a thing that is contrary to all these I pray you where finde you in all holy Scripture but one that Peter or Paule did assoyle after the maner of your keyes And yet no doubt but they had the keyes yea and also dyd vse them Wherfore it is to mée great maruayle of whome you haue learned your vsage and where you haue gotten such keyes It maketh no matter to mée though you cry as you are wonte Fathers Fathers Counsels Counsels the Churche the Church For it wilnot helpe you You sée opēly that I haue the holy worde of god and our maister Christe which is elder then our fathers I haue also the practise of the holy Apostles that vnderstand this thynge better then all your counsels But let vs graunt that you haue fathers and counselles for you That is the next way to deceaue the church of God By whom can Christen men bée deceaued but by such men as bée of auctoritie and dignitie of y t world This you know that men can not bée deceaued by Horses nor by Calues but it must bée by men and not by foolishe mē for who will regarde fooles but by them that bée reckoned of wisdome and of reputation in the world And not by one wise man for an other wyse man may bée of as good reputation and wisdome as hée but it must bée by many or els it can haue no shyne nor colour of excellencie yea and by such a multitude that reason can not suspect So that there is neuer so great daunger vnto the church of God as when all these thynges come togither And therefore sayth y e holy Prophete Blessed is that man that foloweth not the counsels of wicked men You know that counselles cā bée no smale thing nor no foolishe nor the wicked men themselues doe recken it for no smale thinge but for the greatest thynge and the wysest thyng and the strongest that they can thinke or deuise And no doubte but it hath a fore reason and a fore all the worlde a great apparence of no smale wisdome and is so strong that euery man is compelled to receaue it Yea and also those men haue auctoritie for as the Prophet saith they sitte in the chayre the which doth both signifie great learning and and also great auctoritie And yet saith y e Prophet that blessed is hée that foloweth not their counselles nor sitteth in theyr chayre Now if these thynges coulde bée iudged by some reason or els they séemed so euill that all the worlde could iudge them What néede the holy Ghost to make such a dooe or to write so strongly agaynst them yea and to say that blessed is hée y e heareth them not Wherfore hée must néedes speke of such mischiefe and of such falshod and of such errours as haue all those thinges for them that you brynge for you That is fatherhod wysdome learning auctoritie multitude and long custome The which thyngs bée able to peruerte any man bée hée neuer so wise or neuer so holy if hée sticke not fast to the worde of God onely And therefore sayth the Prophet Blessed is hee whose wyll and meditation is night and day that is continually in the law of God Vnto the which if all your coūsels all your fathers all your customes briefly all that you bring for you bée compared then shall wée sée whether it bée true and of God or not For of themselues they haue no truth but bée inuentions of corrupted reason and perswasions of the deuill to peruerte the holy church of God But my Lordes let vs goe to reason Tell mée by your honour is it reasonable that the holy Churche of God redéemed wyth Christes precious bloud and assoyled by hym from all her sinnes should bée now bounde vnto you and to your absolution and that shée
should not bée released but thorow your power séeyng that you bée but ministers and seruauntes ordayned of Christ vnto her profite and not to your honour Thys wyll I declare by an example I put this case that there bée a prisoner bounde fast in cheynes ouer the which you haue the custody and the kéepyng after the kynges commaundement now the kynges grace saith vnto you loose that fellow let hym goe frée out of prison vnder this cōdition that he shal promise to serue no Prince but mée onely What will you loose him or not Cā you or dare you kéepe hym longer if you woulde Or can you compell him to make any other composition with you than alonely to serue y e king If you woulde kéepe him longer in prison did you not runne in the kynges displeasure And if hée did promise you any other composition were hée bounde thereto Nay doubtles Moreouer in loosing of him what thyng doe you by your auctoritie yea what thyng doe you at all but that you are mynisters vnto the kynges commaundement and a seruaunt to the poore fellowe The ministration seruice is yours but the auctoritie is the kinges of the which you haue neuer a crumme Take an other example If it please the kynges grace to make any of you an Embassadour and geeue you a commission and commaundement to fetch home into his lande a banished man vnto whom the kinges grace writeth his pardon with such wordes and vnder such condition as pleaseth his grace Now this pardō deliuereth hée to you for to beare and to declare vnto the banished man Here woulde I know of you what you can doe for this banished man more then is written in your cōmission Also what can you doe againste hym in these thinges that the kinges grace hath pardoned hym You can neyther adde nor take away from the kinges pardon You can no more doe but declare it vnto the partie And if hée receaue it then may hée as lawfully and as fréely come into the land as you may and you can not say by right that you haue by your auctoritie discharged hym or geuen him any pardō of his banishmēt but alonely you haue deliuered declared vnto hym the kinges pardon which when hée had receaued with the considerations therein then is hée discharged of hys banishment And if hée will not receaue the kinges pardon then can you neyther helpe him into the land nor yet discharge hym of his trāsgression but onely you leaue hym and declare vnto him yea and that by the kinges wordes that hée is a banished man and so shall remayne till hée receaue the kinges pardon So likewise y e word of God where in is pardon for all sinners is committed vnto you to preach and to declare which if they receiue by faith they are frée and loosed from their synnes but if they doe not they are bound not by your auctorytie for you bée but mynisters and seruauntes and can no further goe then your commyssion but by y e auctorytie of God onely Wherefore sée well to your conscyence how you can discharge your self afore God that doe so presūptuously vsurpe his auctorite of the which you haue neyther worde nor example in scripture Moreouer how can you prooue this manner of absolution Ego absaluo te auctoritate mihi comissa for to bée lawfull I pray you where was there euer any auctoritie cōmitted vnto man to take away synne There is no auctoritie committed vnto man but all onely ministraciō of the worde Now your absolucion maketh mencion of auctoritie yea and that without the sworde and a great many of you vnderstode not the worde Duns sayth Quod absolutio sacerdotis est dispositio necessitatis ad remissionem culpae How thinke you bée these fitte wordes for a Christen man if your absolution bée necessary then can not God take away sinne without you nor you wtout hym but God and you togither take away sinne Whether will you now Will you ascend so hie will you bée check mates with God I thinke shortly you will also bée Gods The Pharesies did recken much better of God then you doe for they sayd that God onely did absolue from sinnes you say I doe assoyle yea and that by auctoritie so that you farre passe the Pharesies But let vs sée what S. Augustine sayth of such mē many sinnes bée forgeuen thee hée Prophecyed of men that bée to come There weare many men to come that would say I forgéeue sinnes I iustefie I sanctifie I make whole so many as I baptise Wherefore the Iewes did better vnderstande the remissyon of synnes thē heretykes doe for the Iewes sayde what mā is this y e forgeueth synnes the heretyke saith I forgeue I make cleane I sanctifie c. These wordes bée playne inough agaynst you for you say we haue auctoritie to remyt synnes And. S. Augustine sayth you bée heretyckes for so saying You can not denye but S. Augustine reprooueth your owne absolucion where in you say that your absolution is requisite of necessitie to remyssion of sinnes the which is nothing els but clearly denying of christ of his blessed bloud and also of his holy worde But if wée had grace wée might perceaue that neyther you nor your absolucion nor yet any thing y e you doe weare of God For all y e you doe is clearely done for mony and for no other cause Recken one thing that you doe as concerning your ministration but that you will haue money for it As not so much as washing of a heape of stones Whereby haue you gotten all your great possessions but alonely vnder the collour that you bée Christes holy bishops For money you make whore dome as lawfull as matrimony For money stollen good shall bée better thē heritage For money you make vsury lawful marchaundise For money all sinnes bée vertue Yea and also haue great pardon to them For money you sell man wife mayde child king and land For money you make as good marchaūdise of womens priuities as a Goldsmith doth of gilted plate You will recken that this is a shame for me to write but it is more shame for you to doe it And if you did not these shamefull déedes I shoulde haue none occasiō to make this shamefull writyng Take you away y e cause and I will take away y t writyng Yea you are not so content but you sell Christ you sel the blessed Sacrament of his flesh and bloud you sell his holy worde you sell all other Sacramentes Briefely you sell all maner of thyng that euer hée left in earth to the comfort of mans soule and all for money Yea and not so content but you make also more lawes and more statutes dispense with them for money and all these thynges doe you by the authoritie of the keyes that both open heauen and hell and a mans coffer and also his pursse yea
this is if men would bée content and satisfied with reason ¶ Ex damaso Papa ad Hieronimum ex Platina Nauclero BVt let vs goe farther and sée how many Popes haue béene priestes children that this matter may bée opened by them and that Popes them selues may be witnes of this doctrine Fyrst is there Siluerius pope the which had a byshop to his father called Ormisda This Siluerius lyued about the yeare of our Lord. 524. Pope Felix the third of that name was y t sonne of Felix priest of Rome This man lyued about the yeare of our Lord. 474. Pope Deus dedit was the sonne of Stephane the subdeacon which lyued about the yeare of our Lord. 623. Pope Theodorus was the sonne of Theodore byshop of Hierusalem This man lyued about the yeare of our Lord. 634. Hadrian y t secoÌ„d was the sonne of Thalare the byshop This man lyued about the yeare of our Lord. 873. Pope Iohn the xv of that name was y t sonne of priest Leo This man lyued aboute the yeare of our Lorde 984. Pope Agapitus the fyrst of that name had a priest to his father called Gordianus hée lyued about the year of our Lord. 534. Pope Siluerius had a father called Siluerius a byshop of Rome This man liued about the yeare of our lord 544. Pope Boniface the fyrst of y t name was sonne to Iucundus priest Pope Osius was y t sonne of Stephan the subdeacon Pope Gelasius the fyrst had a byshop to his father called Valenus anno Domini 484. Iohn the. x. pope of y t name was sonne to pope Surgius about the yere of our Lord. 924. All these a great many more as the Popes lawe testifieth were the children of subdeacons deacons and Priestes and haue borne rule in the Church of Rome Wherefore I meruayle very fore that men doe recken it so new learning that priests should haue wiues séeing that it standeth with Gods holy word with the saying of the olde doctours with the determination of counsels with y t Emperours lawe and also with y t Popes olde decrées Moreouer Christes holy Apostels and many other holy men since their dayes haue liued in the holy estate of matrymony Finally there hath been many holy men and also holy women borne in the wedlocke of Priestes By what reasoÌ„ now can or wil meÌ„ damne all these thynges that bée of so great auctoritie If men wyll heare neyther God nor maÌ„ nor yet no good reason what néede men then so much to speake of learning séeing that they wyll heare nothyng but that they alonely iudge good Truely this is a great high minde of meÌ„ thus wrongfully to condemne other men for heretikes hauyng so good learnyng for them and yet they themselues are grounded onely of their owne sensuall mynde hauyng no learnyng nor reason for them But I wyll put this matter to Gods iudgement And let not men doubt if they béeléeue there is a God but that God wyll bée a reuenger of such wrongfull violence as men doe vse in thys case both agaynst hym and agaynst all his blessed company of Saintes But yet for to doe men pleasure and that they myght bée perswaded if it were possible I will declare vnto them how y t wée doe finde old monuments testifiyng clearely that priests were in peaceable possessioÌ„ of matrimony their childreÌ„ gotteÌ„ in that same matrimony were admitted to spiritual benefices In the tyme of Pope Alexander y t thirde there was a controuersie for the patronage of a benefice betwéene the pryor of PlimptoÌ„ in Deuenshyre and one Iohn de Valletorda Now were there deputed iudges Rychard Archbyshop of Caunterbury Roger Byshop of Wynchester béefore whome the pryor of Plympton prooued his patronage by the reason that hée was in possession and had géeuen it vnto diuers persons Fyrst hée sayth there was a Priest of PlymptoÌ„ called Alpheghe which had by y t gyft of the pryor of Plympton the benefice of Sutton which is now called Plymmouth This Alpheghe had a sonne cauled Sadda which had also the benefice after hys father And after Sadda was there an other priest cauled Alnodus which had the benefice likewyse This Alnodus had a sonne called Robert Dunprust which after the discease of his father Alnode had also the same benefice And after thys Robert Dunpruâ—t William Bacon hys sonne enioyed the benefice lykewyse Here men may see that it is neyther so new learnyng nor yet so long agoe since priestes had lawful wyues Moreouer I reade in our owne Chronicles that in the tyme of kyng Henry the iij. which raygned y t yeare of our Lord 1101. priestes myght lawfully marry wiues in so much y t Anseline than Archbyshop of Caunterbury in a Seane that hée helde at London did make a decrée y t priestes should forsake their wiues the which was both agaynst Gods lawe and mans For the texte of our Mayster Christ is cleare Quos deus coniunxit Homo non seperet Marke these two wordes Deus and Homo And howe much the one passeth the other Farthermore the Pope hymselfe hath not greatly regarded Priestes chastitie if hée myght get any money for dispensations in the which thyng hée coulde not haue dispeÌ„sed if it had béene of Gods lawe And if it bée but but mans lawe what charitie is in the Pope to compell men so sore to kéepe it séeyng that it is so great dauÌ„ger vnto priestes and that so many soules béene lost thorough it Yea what tyranny is in hym thus cruelly to kill men for breakyng alonely of hys commaundement the which is not in their power to kéepe To our purpose the Pope hath often tymes dispensed both wyth Priestes and religious men for their vowe hath géeuen them licence to marry It is not vnknowen to many men that there was an Abbot of Reading whom men for his perfecte lyuinge called Abbot Sancte This man béeyng in daunger of a certayne disease by the reason hée had no wyfe sente vnto the pope desiring hym to dispense wyth hym for hys vowe and y t pope dispensed wyth hym and gaue hym licence to marry a wyfe but vnder a condition that it shoulde bée secretly done and not In facie ecclesie By this men may sée that the Pope himself holdeth not so much of priests chastitie for then hée woulde not regarde more money then it And if the pope may dispence wyth thys Abbot for auoyding of a disease corporall how much more ought hée now to dispense with priestes séeing there bée so many soules in daunger Yea and also the order of priesthoode is sore defamed and sclaundered by the reasoÌ„ that priestes hath no wyues Moreouer wée doe reade that pope Celestine the third did dispense with a Nunne whose name was cauled Constatia Kyng Rogers daughter of Cecyll and gaue her licence to marry with Henry y t Emperour the sixt of that
is built Bindyng and losyng how it is to be vnderstand The keyes Behold here Antichrist how he wresteth the Scriptures Christes power is 〈◊〉 saue sinners Of this maner iuggleth â—ee with all textes At the sufferyng of Christ the offeryng of sacrifices ceremonies â–ª ceassed for Christ offered hym selfe once for all Christ gaue all his Apostles like authoritie To bynde and lose is to preach Christ sent out all hys Apostles not Peter â—â—â—nâ— Note We are bound to forgeue our neighbours aswell as Peter was Christ builded his Churche vpon the confession of Peter not vppon Peter A woman hath power to bynd How 〈…〉 man may bynde and lose To bynde the conscience and to reproue opeÌ„ sinners perteineth to the congregation Reasons that Peter was not y â— greatest by authoritie geuen hym of Christ Peter had first his seate at Antioche Christes power is in the Gospel Paul is called to helpe In the presence of the greater the power of the lesser doth 〈◊〉 Paule is made equal felow with Peter Peters seate what it is Peters seate Peters doctrine Peters keyes are all but one thyng Peters seate is Christes Gospell The Pope sitteth in thâ— deuils seate whose Vicare he is Purgatory The Pope sayth that Purgatory â—s in â—arth Vowes Othes TestameÌ„ts The Pope altereth meÌ„s willes testameÌ„ts at his pleasure The popes marchaundise Vnion The great and shamefull abuse of â—bbeyes DispeÌ„sations purchased of the Pope Choppyng and chaungyng vsed by the pope The wicked bestowing of benefices by the Pope The church can â—ot erre The Pope sayth that the Scripture is true not of it selfe but because he alloweth 〈◊〉 approueth it A similitude This doctrine the papistes vsed in those dayes The câ—â—mon and 〈◊〉 and â—…ching of â—he Papistes The Abbotes keep the monks in ignoraÌ„ce and the bisshops y e priestes â—alne ioyned w t pain maketh â—â—yne nothing The vse of vniuersities â–ª Prouiso S. Tho. de Aquino Saintes Thomas of Canterbury Tho. â—eâ—ket Tho. Wolsey copared together The Pope rewardeth his seruaÌ„ts highly wheÌ„ they be dead Policie The practise of little master parson K. Herold Robert of CaÌ„terbury Remission of sinnes to conquere England Note here how well Christ and the pope agre Christ biddeth saue the pope biddeth kill The pope is a cruell mercilesse tyrant Anselmus a chapleine of y e popes ☜ The pope is well pleased to admit priestes to haue whores but not wiues Note here the pryde and wickednes of the Pope Remission of sinnes to coÌ„quere England Thomas Arundell Practise of Prelates The popes clergy are secret and subtile conspirators ☞ A trayterous practise ☜ The Papistes are styrers vppe of warres sheders of bloud Duke HuÌ„frey Papistes are cruell A Parliament kept at Bury The death of Homfrey Duke of Gloucester protectour of the Realme of England This is Syr Tho. More The Clergy cannot abyde them that can iudge talse miracles Thre causes why the Duke of Gloucester was murthered The Pope is the whore of Babylon An other practise of Prelates Popes haue deposed Emperours and lykewise Emperours haue deposed Popes No man may rebuke the Pope for any mischief that he doth Venetians The Pope may geue and take agayne at hys will pleasure The Venetians â—aâ—e not for the popes cursing nor blessing FrenchmeÌ„ EnglishmeÌ„ The practise of the pope with all kinges princes The pope a breaker of peace The abuse of the sacrament How y â— sacrament should be broken betwene kinges and princes The Pope would not haue the Emperour to strong Remission of sinnes cleane deliuerance out of puâ—gatoâ—ye A frier Forest or a vicar of Croiden Popish practises Dissembled â—ruce Henry v. K. Henry v. conquered more then the prelates thought he would do Henry vi The crafty practise of the popes legate The mariage of king Henry vi The Duke of Glocester trayterously murthered ☜ Frier Bongaye Cruel war betwene k. Henry and the erle of Warwike Confession in the eare was a wicked inuention Lycence of the Pope for xiiij to study Nicromancy A subtile practise of Prelates He meaneth Cardinal Wolâ—ey Leut. 2â— Deut. 28. 29. A practise of the Prelates with their poore Priestes Thomas Wolffe The description of Cardinall Wolsey The kings byrth calked by the Cardinall Byshops talke kings natiuities Kyng Henry the viij had Cardinall Wolsey in great estimation The maner practise of Cardinal Wolsey The kyng is betrayed The quene is betrayeâ— Note this deuilish practise The Byshop of Lyncolne Cardinall Wolsey ruled altogether K. Lewes Pope Iulye This is a true story The new Thomas Maximilian the Emperour was K. Henry 〈◊〉 his souldier Remission of sinnes Note here the subtletie craft of the pope Now King Henry 8. with aâ— his army was abused The Prelates see euer before-hand what is like to folow Papistes are great forecasters of perils Practise The kinges sister 〈◊〉 to Fraunce Traiterous Prelates ☜ The pomp and apparell of the Cardinall his chapâ—aines passed the xij Apostles Prelates SalutatioÌ„ Cardinall Wolsey was a subâ—… worker A certaine secreat Milane Turnay The Emperor came thorough England Nurturing of kinges Practâ—â—e The french king sendeth a defiance to K. Henry viâ— Armies sée into stance The Cardinal was the Emperours freÌ„d openly and the french kinges secreatly The sege of Pauie Pauie A false pope and leud Cardinall Pace the 〈◊〉 of Englands Ambassadour Burbon The Emperour setteth vpon y â— french king by night These shippes were english Angels of gold At the taking of the french king Te Deum was song and great triumph made in England Subtile practises of the Cardinall The marte shold haue bene at Cales A ruffelar The pride and arrogancie of Cardinall Wolsey Cardinall Wolsey a great traytor Cardinall Wolsey coÌ„mitted treason agaynst the Emperour Cardinall Wolsey preferred More to he Chauncelour Treason layd to the Cardinall charge Mortunries probate of Testamentes Pluralitie of benefices Tithes The Churchewardens haue bene accustomed to gather the tithes and to geue the Paâ—â—o his reasonable stipend and to geue the reâ— to the poore Princes haue herein much to aunswere The loane first forgeuen by the Clergie The loane forgeueÌ„ by the temporalitie The Byshoprieke of DurhaÌ„ Tunstall Byshop of Durham brent the new Testament A Bishopricke is a superfluous honor and a lew de liberty The Carnall clearely discharged DefeÌ„der of the fayth The title of the defeÌ„dour of the fayth came froÌ„ Rome The Popishe and vayne glorious maner of Cardinal Wolsey The Cardinals hat The falsest and vainest Cardinall that euer was The chirch erreth if y â— pope and bishops be the chirch Marten Luther submitted him self to king Henry viij More is proued a lyer Sir Thomas HittoÌ„ A daunce in Paris Here Tindal prayeth for y â— ceasing of persecution Tindall proâ—eth the vnderstanding of such as of right should succeed to the crowne Tindall warneth al the Cardinals secretaries to repent and turne to God A generall exhortation to all kinds of people Popish