artykyllis / men wolde geue hym none audience / nor they wolde not here hym / wherefore there were no feare off suche men / for as sone as they open their mouthis to speake agenste any of these / a none we condemne them with out any further iudgemēt wherefore S. Iohā must nedes speake of other craftyar heretikes than these / which graunt all those thinges with many other mo to mās iudgement yee all they doo / they do yt in christes name preache in christes name / do many good workes in christes name / yee paraduentuer al so do miracles in christes name / and yet neuer the lesse vnder the great crafte and subtylty of the deuylle they denye Christ / Is not this a meruelous thinge howe can this be How can they deny christ and also graunt christ how can they preache christ / and yet deny christ But all thys crafte and subtylty vse they in christis name / all by cause they wyll deny Christ / for the more that antichrist preachyth christ / the more wylle he deny hym For whan he hathe once gotte hym auctorite by christes name / than wylle he rage / and waxe secretly mad agenst Christ / and yet wyll he preache Christ / and also deny Christ and so subtylly deny hym / that wyth out we stycke faste to holy scripturs / and haue the spryte of god / we shall not perseue hym / therefore lett vs now proue his sprete / ād we shal sone se that he is not off god But fyrst we must declare / and perfytly know what is christ Not allonly by the name / for that Antichrist graunteth / but we must serche out the properte / and the nature / and the verye effect of christ / and so shall we sone know hym ▪ In holy scripture Christe is nothing elles but a sauiour / a redemer / a iustifyar / and a perfecte peace maker bytwene god ād man Mat. ◠1. Cor. ◠Esa 53. This testimonye dyd the angelle geue off hym in these wordes / he shall saue hys people from their synnes / and also S. Paule Christ is made oure ryghtwysnes oure sanctificacion ād oure redempcion / moreouer the prophet wyttnesyth the same saynge / for the wrechidnes of my people haue I strykyn him / so that here haue we christ with his properties / now yf we wil cōfesse that christ is borne in to this world / thā must we graunt with oure hartes that christ is al oure iustice / all oure redempciō / all oure wysdō / all oure holynes / alonly the purcheser of grace / alonly the peace maker / by twene god mā Breuely al goodnes that we haue / that yt is of him / by him / for his sake only And that we haue no nede of nothing but of hym only / we desyer no nother saluacion / nor no nother satisfaccion / nor any helpe of any other creature / other heuynly or erthely but off him onlye / for as s Pe. sayth / there is no nother name geuen vnto men / where in they must be saued Actu 4. Act. 13. And also S. Paule / by him are all that beleue iustifyde from all thynges Moreover S. Iohan witnesseth the same in these wordes he yt is that hathe opteyned grace for oure sinnes and in a nother place ▪ 1. Ioan. 2. 1. Ioan. 4 He sent his sone to make agremēt for oure synnes Now my lordes / here haue you Christ and his very nature fulle and holle / and he that denyethe any thinge / or any parte of these thinges / or take any of them and aplye them or geue the glorye of them to any other person than to Christ only / the same man robythe Christ of his honour / and denieth christe / and ys very antichrist wherefore my lordes / fyrst what say yov vn to this article / vn to these propertis of Christ / yff you graunt yt / thā are we at a poynte for it saith that faythe in Iesus Christ only iustifythe a fore god / secundarilye yff you deny yt as I am suer you wyll for yov had leuer denye youre crede then graunte yt how can yov than a voyde / but that you be the very antichristis / of whom S. Iohan spekyth for now haue we tryed youre spretis that they be not of god / for you deny Christ That is / yov deny the very nature / the properte of Christ you graunte the name / but you deny the vertu you graunte that he dissended from heaven / but you denye the profyte therof / for he descended from heaven for oure helth / thys denye you and yet it ys youre crede you graunt that he was borne / but yov deny the purposse you graunt that he is rysyn from dethe / but yov deny the profyte there of / for he rosse to iustify vs. you graunt that he is a sauiour but yov deny that he is allonly the sauiour I pray yov wherefore was he borne to iustify vs in parte to redeme vs in parte to doo satysfaccion for parte of oure synnes / so that we must haue a nother to make satisfacciō for the other parte Say what yov wyll yf you geue not al / and fully and alonly to one christ / than deny you christ / and the holy gost S. Iohan dothe declare yov to be contrary to christ This may also be proued / by a playne scripture of the holy gost which is this No man in heuyn nor in erthe / neyther vnder the erthe / was abylle to open the boke / or to loke on the boke / tyll the lambe came vn to whom the senyours spake / on this maner Thou arte worthy to take the boke / and to open the selys ther of for thou wast kylled haste redemed vs by thy bloud How say yov to thys my lordis In heuen was there none founde / neyther by the angyllis / nor yet by the senyours / worthy to open the boke but christ only / and will you fynd that they coulde not fynd wyl you sett an helper to christ / whome they sett a lone but I praye you tell vs what he shall be All the worlde knowethe that they be good workes / but now from whēce come youre good workes whether from heuen / or out of the erthe / or from vnder the erthe yf they were in any of these places / where were they whan the Angells and the senyers sought them haue you found them whome they could not fynd but let this passe I praye you what wylle you lay for youre good workes or by what tytell wyll yov bring them in to Ioyne them with the lambe in openyng off the boke The senyours haue layd for them that the lambe alonly was worthy to open the boke by cause he was slayne / and redemed them with his precious bloud Now what cause lay yov for youre good workes The lambe
bewraye him selfe But shortlye / yt the deuill wolde come in his awne ê‘son disgysyo / Tel me how it were possible that he could be more coÌ„trarie to christ his holy apostillis / thaÌ„ those meÌ„ that call theÌ„ selfe the holy church / yee take a waye the name off the church / set in her stede the name of the deuyll how wil you thaÌ„ knowe a bisshop froÌ„ the deuyll By their workis nay trewly / for they be all one yet wyll ye be the hedys of chrystis church / ye the holy church here selfe / not so ye wyked not so Vvherefore that this blessyd spouse of christ / maye be knowyn froÌ„ the opyn abhominable whores harlatis / therefor wil I bi godis grace set out what holy church is where bi meÌ„ shal know her This worde Ecclesia / bothe in the new testament and the olde / is takyn oftyntymys for the hole congregacion and the holle multitude of the people bothe good and bad / as it is in the boke of numeri / Nume 20 why haue yov brought the congregacion or churche of god in to wildernes also in a nother place / 3. ReguÌ„ 8 The kynge turnyd his face and blessid the holle congregacion or churche of Israell / â— Corin. 4 and alle the churche of Israell stode lykewysse in the newe testament S. Paule to the CorynthiaÌ„s / I haue sent vn to yov Tymothe the whyche shalle lerne yov my ways / that be in christ Iesu / 1. Corin. 11 as I do lerne euery where in alle coÌ„gregacions Also in an other place do yov dispisse the congregacion of god aÌ„d shame them that haue not In alle these placis and in many mo is it opyn that this greke worde ecclesia is takyn for the hole congregacion bothe of good aÌ„d bad / where fore this is not the church that we wille greatly speke of / for in this churche are Iuys and Sarasens / Murtherars aÌ„d theuys / baudys and harlotes though we knowe them not Ephesi 5. But there is a nother holy churche of the which S. paule spekyth yov men loue youre wiuys / as christ hathe louyd the churche / and hathe geuyn hym selfe for hyr / that he myght santyfye hyr / And clense hyr in the fovntayne off watter thorow the word of liffe / to make her to hym selfe a glorious churche with out spot or wrynkille / or any suche thynge / but that she myght be holy and with out blame Here haue yov the very trewe churche of christ / that is so puer and so clene with out spot But whereby is she puer and clene not by hyr awne meritis nor by hir awne myght / not by exterior araye / not by golde nor syluer nor yet by precious stonys / neither by myters nor crosestaues / nor by pillers nor polaxis / but whereby than by Chryst only whiche hathe geuyn hym selfe for that intent that he wolde make her clene and there fore saithe S. Paule / He gaue him selfe that he myght santifie hyr / that he might clense hyr make hyr to hym selfe a glorious churche Also in a nother place yov are wasshid / yov are sanctifyde / yov are iustifyde in the name of Iesus christ / and in the sprete of god Se my lordes / howe the churche is washed bi christ aÌ„d bi his holy sprete / and not by youre blessingis / 1. Corin. â— not by youre sprytualle ornamentis / nor by youre spritualle holy watter / for these thynges caÌ„ not helpe the holy churche for she is holy in sprytte aÌ„d not in outward hypocrysye / she is also clensyd by christes blessyd bloud / and not by outward disgysyngis This dothe S. Augustine well prove sayinge Of christ is the churche made faire / first was she fylthy in synnys / Augustinê° de verbis dnÌ„i ser 50 afterwarde by pardon and by grace was she made fayre cÌ„ here S. Augustine saithe that christ hathe made his churche fayre / and that by his grace and his pardon / And not by youre pardons / nor by youre grace for thys churche / stondythe by Christis eleccion / and not by youres and if Christ haue not wasshid yov and chosyn yov than be yov none of this churche though yov ryde with a thousande spretualle horses / aÌ„d haue alle the spretual tokyns in erth / Ioan. 6. for aÌ„d if the sone of god haue dylyuerd yov thaÌ„ are yov trewly deliuerd / ye can not make by al youre powre and holynes that we shalle al ways fynde good ale or wyne where there hangyth out a grene sygne / And wille yov with youre sprituall sygnes aÌ„d tokins make the church of god to followe yow / or by them assigne out where the church shall be nay nay my lordis / yt wyll not be but they that beleue that Chryst hath wasshed them from their synnes / and styke fast vn to his meryttis and to the promysse made too them in him only / they be the churche of god / aÌ„d so puer and so clene that yt shall not be lawfull no not for Peter to say that they be vnclene / but where they be Iue or greke / kynge or subiect / Carter or cardinalle / bucher or bisshop / TaÌ„cardeberar or caÌ„nâ—lcater / fre or bouÌ„d / fryer or fydler / Monke or Miller if they beleue in Christis worde / and styke faste to his blessed promysys / trust only in the meryttis of hys blessed bloude / they be the holy church of god yee and the very trew church a fore god / and yow with all youre spirytuall tokyns / and with all youre exteryor cleÌ„nes / remayne in youre fylthynes of synne / from the whyche all youre blessynges / all youre pardons / All youre spiritualyte / all youre holynes / caÌ„ not clense you / nor bryng you in to this church Boste / Crake / Blaste / Blesse / Curse tille youre holly yies starte out of youre hed yt wyll not helpe you / for Christ chousythe hys church / at his iudgemeÌ„t not at youres The holy gost ys fre / and in speryth where he wyll / he wil neyther be bound / to Pope nor Cardynall / archebysshop nor Bysshop / Abbot nor Pryor / Deken nor Archedeken / Parson nor Vyckar / too Nunne nor Frear Breuelye come all the holâ— tabbylle of yow to gether that call youre selfe the holy churche and exclude all other yee and take sonne / mone / and stars to helpe yow with all the frendes yow haue in heuen and erthe and yet shall yow not be of holy churche except that you haue the sprite of christ and be wasshid in his blessed bloud / For the holy churche of christ is nothyng els but that congregacion / that is sanctifyed in sprete / redemed with Christis bloud / and stykkyth fast and suer alonly to the promissis that be made theryn So that the
worde of god Also yov haue an other reason / god sheweth myrakles in this place and in that place to the honouringe of this saynct and that saynt / ergo we must lykewyse honour them I answere as to youre myrakles though I haue answered to them afore / yet wille I adde this vn to yt / that god is no god of supersticion nor that fauoreth won place more than an other / or that hath any affection to this place more than to that / wherefore this is youre supersticion invented of the devylle / for god wille neyther be honoured in the mountayne nor yet in Iherusalem / Iohan. 4 but in mens hartes / and as to youre myrakles the grete godes diana did also myrakles as yov maye rede in scriptur / Act. 19. coÌ„syder hare honour that scriptur speketh of / coÌ„pare it to the honoure of youre ymages yov may se they do agre Furthermore Apollo / Castor / Aesculapius aÌ„d such other did also grete myracles as storys do make mencion / and also manye men whiche were bothe wysse welle lerned and also men of as grete reputacion and honour as yov be / ye and men of grete holynes doo bere wyttnes of the same / ergo by thys reson we must also honour them Also an other reson you haue out of Iob / CoÌ„verte thy selfe vn to some of the saynctes / Iob. 5. of this yov conclude that we must pray vnto saynctes I answere of this yov maye conclude that yov be blynde and dulle assys and vnlernyd stockes / peruerters / terars / rentars of holy scripture / I praye yov what sayntes dyd the olde fathers know a fore Christes cummynge whome did they rekkeÌ„ to be in heuen afore Chrystes assencion why dyd they desyer so sore his cummyng if they beleued that they shulde haue assended vppe to heuen But this is the sentence of that place / Elephas reproued Iob and saithe that he is not godes seruant / and therfore god ponysshed hym saithe he / and to proue this he biddeth Iob call to memorye alle holymen and seruantes of god and rekken won yf he cane amonge them alle whome god dyd so ponishe / wherefore he concludeth that Iob is not the seruant of god but a folishe maÌ„ which in scriptur is the enymye of god whome god shalle slee in his wrath / thys is the sentence of that place Psal 150 Fynallye yov haue an other reason / yov shalle prayse god in hys sayntes / ergo saynctes must be honoured I answere is not thys a good consequente I must praysse god in berys and apys ergo berys and apys must be worsshypped adde that it foloweth in the texte yov must praysse god in timbrelles in orgens and in pypys / Ergo after youre consequent Timbrelles orgens and pypes must be worshypped / but if you wer lerned in scripturs / yov shulde fynde an other sentence in the holy psalme than thys is for the very trewe texte is Laudate dominum in sanctitate sua / Preyse god in hys holynes / but lett vs graunt that he saithe preysse god in hys sayntes do not you knowe that scripturs saye blissed is god in all his gyftes / out of thys can not follow that we shall worsshyp and pray to godis giftes but god shall be praysyd and honoured in all hys gyftes / as in saynte man and Angell A nother reson yov haue of a similitude Lyke as a man can not come to the speche of a kynge but that he must haue serten mediators as dukes Erlys aÌ„d suche men as be in fauour betwene hym and the kyng that may intret hys matter / So lykewysse a fore god / I answere / you infydellis aÌ„d mystrusters of god / what will you make of god / wyll you make him a fleshely and a carnall stocke fulle of passyons and off affecions Vnto a mortall prince you make mediatours be cause he knewe not youre harte aÌ„d by cause he ys more affeccionat to won maÌ„ thaÌ„ to an other / and by cause he Iudgeth after the syghte of his yie / and after the percyalnes and affeccyon of his harte / But so dothe not god / but alonly of mere marcy and grace / But to youre similitude / you can not haue no dukes to speke for you except you geue them rewardes or excepte they haue a carnall affeccion to you / Ergo by youre similitude you moste lyke wysse doo too sayntes But Saynt Ambrose answereth clearly to thys daÌ„nable reason of youres Sayinge / ad ro c. 1. Men are vonte to vse this myserable excusacioÌ„ / that by these thiÌ„ges may we come to god as we may come to the kynge by Erlys I answere we doo covme vnto the kynge by the menys of dukes and Erles by cause that the kyng is a man and knoweth not to whome he maye committe the commen welthe / but vn to god from whome nothinge cane be hydde / he knoweth alle mens merites we nede no spokeseman nor no mediator but alonlye a devoute mynde cÌ„ Here are yov clearly answered of saynct Ambrose to youre carnalle reson De consec Dis 3. c. ê“latum Item an other reason out off youre law / that ymages be vnto vnlerned men that same thinge that letters and wryttynges be vnto them that be lerned / that they may there by lerne what they ought to folowe cÌ„ Iff youre ymages be no more to vnlerned men than wryttynges be to lerned men ergo they maye no more doo to them thane lerned men doo to their letters / wolde yov suffer lerned men to come and knele / and offer to my boke and sette vpp candels a fore yt and make vowys to come yearlye there vnto and to desyer peticions a fore my boke of those sayntes that be wrytten therin Se how youre awne example maketh agenste yov and alle thinge that I cane bringe wherfore if there be any grace in yov / or if there be any shame in yov of the world / for christes sake leve of this false lernynge and collorynge of ydolatrie For yov do not wonlye dysseue youre symple brethern / but yov doo also blaspheme the in mortalle god of heueÌ„ / whych doughtles wylle avenge shortly this rebuke on yov yff yov doo not amende whosse violence and myght yov are not abylle to withstond / wherfore I exhorte yov in the blessed name of Christe Ihesus that yov repent in tyme / and take apone yov to lerne the verite / whyche is / how god is wonly to be honoured / wonlye to be sacrifysed vn to / he is wonly to be prayd vnto / of hym wonly must oure peticions be asked / yt is he wonly that geueth welthe and prosperyte / and he wonly must delyuer and comforte vs in alle aduersytes / 1. Timo. 1. and he wonly must helpe vs out of alle dystresse vnto whome as S. Paule saithe be allonly glorye and honour for ever Amen Now
moste excelent and nobylle prynce I haue here after the poore gyfte that god hathe geuen me sett out vnto youre grace serten articles which though they seme at the fyrste syghtte to be newe yet haue I proued them openlye with the euerlastynge worde of god and that not wrong nor wrested after my lyghtt brayne / but after the exposicion of clearkly doctoures yee that of the oldest and of the best wherefore most excelent prynce moste humbly and mekly I beseke youre grace / that I may fynde so grete in dyfferencye at youre graces hande as that the bysshoppes shalle not condemne thys boke after the maner of their olde tyranny / except they cane with open scriptures and with holy doctores / refelle yt as I haue proved yt But I wold yt shuld plese youre grace to call them alle a fore yov / and to command as meny as wylle condemne this boke every won of theÌ„ seuerallye wyth out others counsell to wryght their cause why they wylle condemne yt and the scripturs where by they wylle condemne it and to brynge them alle to youre grace / and youre grace may iudge by twene bothe partys I doo not doute but they wyll brynge youre grace meruelous probacions and such as were neuer harde and if .iij. of them agre in one tale if they be devyded lett me dye for yt / and that youre grace shall well se / the father of heuen and his moste mercyfulle sonne Iesus Christ kepe youre grace in honoure to hys pleasure and glorye Amen Finis I Haue added Christen reader a table to this boke to helpe thy memorie and that thou mayste the more easelye finde that thou desirest wherin I haue also sette out the most notable saynges of doctoures and of the popes lawes whych are alleged in the boke afore / so that this table ys in a maner a summe and shorte rehershall of the hole boke But harken deare reader / thys one thynge I do require off the / that thou wylte compare these sayinges of doctoures / holye fathers and of the popes awne lawe vnto the sayinges of the pope and bysshopes that be nowe / and vnto the practice of thys present worlde / and then geue sentence thy selfe howe they do agre If they accorde then conclude boldlye that thys ys the same churche that was in their dayes but yff they agre not / then mayest thou suspecte that yt ys amysse and that the devell hathe transfygured hym selfe in too an angell of lyght and that they are hys mynysters whych notwithstondynge haue faschyoned theÌ„ selues as though they were the mynysters of rightwisnes whose ende shal be accordinge to their dedes ALen doctour AleÌ„ expouÌ„deth scriptur C.v Ambrose saith / the teares and prayers be the wepons of prestes / and that otherwyse they maye not nor ought not resyst xv Ambrose sayth / they are iustefied frelye / for they doinge nothinge nor nothynge deseruinge alonly by fayth are iustefied by the gifte of god .xli Ambrose saith / It was so decreyd of god / that after the lawe / he shulde require vnto saluacion alonlye the faith of grace / he sayeth that they be blessyd of whom god hath determed wyth out laboure / wyth out all maner of obseruaccioÌ„ / allonly by faith that they shall be iustefyed before god Blessed are they whose sinnes be forgeuen Clearlye they are blessed / vnto whoÌ„ with out laboure / or with out any worke their iniquittyes be remitted their sinnes couered / and no maner of workes required of theÌ„ / but allonly that they shulde beleue xliij Ambrose sayeth / synnes be forgeuen by the worde of god / whose interpretar is the deacoÌ„ lxxvi Ambrose sayth to the emperoure Theodosius How shat thou lifte vpp thy handes out of the which doth yet droppe vâ—rightwise bloude how shalt thou wyth those handes receyue the bodye of god with what boldnesse wilt thou receyue in to thy mouth the cuppe of the precyous bloude / seinge that thorow the wodnesse of thy wordes so greate bloud ys shed wrongfullye C.xxix Ambrose condemninge the vayne opinioÌ„ of the ignorant people as concerninge that they thought it expedient to haue mediatoures and spokysmeÌ„ betwene god and them / writeth in thys maner Men are wonte to vse this miserable excusacioÌ„ that by these thynges we maye come to god / as we may come to the kynge by Erles I answere we do come to the kinge by the meanes off dukes Erles / because the kinge is a man and knoweth not to whom he maye coÌ„mytte the comeÌ„ welth / but vnto god / from whom nothyng can be hyd for he knoweth all meÌ„nes merites we nede no spokesman nor no mediator / but allonlye a deuoute mynde cÌ„ Fol. C.li. Antychristes cast is to warne men of heretykes traytoures because no maÌ„ shuld suspecte hym and in the meane ceason whyle they loke for other cometh he in and playeth both the heretyke and also the traytoure .v Athanasius sayth / there are two maner of faythes / one is iustifyinge / as that of the whych it is spoken / thy fayth hath saued the a nother is called the gyfte of god wherbye miracles be done / of the whych it is wryten / yf you haue fayth as a grayne of mustarde seed lv Athanasius saith It is to youre coÌ„deÌ„nacion that you go to lawe one wyth a nother wherfore do you not rather suffer wronge xxvi Athanasiê° saith / the apostle wolde not coÌ„mytte to one bisshope a whole Ilonde or coÌ„tre / but he did enioyne that euerye cytye shulde haue hys propre pastor or curate because the people myght be the better taught xxviij Athanasiê° saith / Now doth the apostle plainlie shewe that faith alonlye hath the vertu in hym to iustefie bringeth abacuc saynge of faith not of the lawe shal a ryghtwyse man lyue He addeth wel before god / for before maÌ„ paradueÌ„ture they shall be rekened rightwyse that stycke to the lawe but not a fore god cÌ„ xlv Athanasiê° saithe / If thou wilte that thy chyldren shal be obedieÌ„t vnto the vse them to the worde off god But thou shalt not saye that it belongeth allonlye too religyous men too studye scrypture / but rather yt belongeth to euery Chrysten man / specyallye to him that ys wropped in the busynesses off thys worlde / and so moch the more because he hath more nede of helpe / for he ys wropped in the troubles of thys worlde Therfore it is greatlye to thy prosite that thy chyldren shuld both heare and also reade holy scriptures / for of them shall thy lerne thys commandement / honoure thy father and thy mother cÌ„ Fo. 107. Augustyn saith / the saboth is coÌ„maunded to be obserued figuratyuely / and not by bodely ydelnes that is that we cease from vices and concupiscences and not from bodelye labour fo 24 Austyne saythe / those same workes that be done afore faith / though they seme vnto meÌ„ laudable are