endewrance and interpretation The Pope sayeth I am lorde of the scripture to alowe and disalowe it / for of me doth it take his full authorite ca. Si oeÌs And for a token of this / is the scripture of christ / layde vnder his fete when he is at masse Titum i lxvij Christes apostle sayeth / that a Bisshope ought to be so well learned / that he with the scripture / be able to overcome all them that he against the faith The Pope and Bisshopes will dispute inscripture with no man / but cast them first in preson / and proper engynes they have invented to wringe their fingers so sore / that the bloude shall braste out at their fingers endes / they pyne them / and scorge theÌ with infinite other tormentes payninge them / to forsake the trueth And after make theÌ swere on a boke that they shall tell no man of it thus cruelly do they entreate them against iustice And yf they can not subdue them to their willes / then do they committe them vnto the seculare power to burned IoaÌnis xix lxviij Christes accusation / and cause why he was condemned vnto death / was writen over his hed in hebrew / greke / aÌd laten / that all men might know the cause / this was an argument that they vsed iustice all though they condemned him vniustlye syth meÌ might se the offence and iudgement Ioyned togedder The Pope and Bisshopes condempne men and committe them vnto the seculare power / that they shuld exequute the sentence But this is a mischevous abominatioÌ / that they will not suffer the seculare power / to knowe the cause why they put men to deth worshupfull / dis divines / Master doctor / O you gentle nobilite pondre this matter indifferently Be ware how you do exequution except you knowe the cause why Thinke you the bloude shall not be requyred on you / yf for a nothers pleasure you destroye the worke of God They will saye vn to you / as the Iewes sayed vnto Pilate coÌcerninge Christ / yf he were not an evill doer we wold not have delivered him vnto you Trust not their wordes / for no doute they are lyares / know the cawse youre selves And heare the matter vnfaynedly Thinke you they wold not let you know the cause iudgement Yf they did iustice and not tyrannye Be therfore no lenger boyes to theÌ / which ought to be youre servaÌtes / god hath geven you his sprete / grace / and vnderstoÌdinge / hyde not the talente that God hath geven you / but do youre diligence to se iustes exequuted secludinge all tyrannye / for that is youre office appoynted you of God Luce. vjâ lxix Christ sayeth blissed are ye when meÌ hate you / curse you / and excommunicate you for the rightuousnes / that is to saye / you no thinge gyltye nor worthye soch affliction The Pope and Bisshopes saye that their curse is sore to be feared / ye and that it maketh men as blake as a cole in the sight of God though they have not offended Insomoch that they must neades be dampned excepte they absoile them ageine / how be it Christ sayeth / that they are blessed / wherfore other Christ is false / or els they are most vayne lyers Luce. xiiij lxx Christ sayed when thou makest a dyner or feaste calle not thy frindes kinsmen / and negheburs that are riche / but the poore / lame and blinde / which are not able to recompence the then shalt thou be happye / for it shall be rewarded the in the resurrection of the iust The Pope and Busshopes will call none soch / for they thinke it greate shame / but they call men of greate authorite aÌd riches-which will receave theÌ with an other feast / they had lever have their belyes well stuffed in his world / then to tarye for the promisse of Christ They thinke it longe acomynge Math. v Luce. vj lxxi Christ sayeth other make the tre good his frute good also / or els make the tre naught and his frute naught also / Meaninge that the tre first shuld be good / aÌd theÌ bringe forth good frute / the frute maketh not the tre good But the tre maketh the frute good / al though we caÌ not know that the tre is good / but by his frute for we can iudge nothinge but by his outward operation yet god seyth the quickenes in the rote / which in the tyme that god hath apoynted him / shall bringe forth his frute And approveth the tre to be good / although he seme dead vnto ãâã ⪠The tre is faith which is the mother of all good workes / which ever worketh by charite when he seyth occasyon The pope and Bisshopes saye that the frute maketh the tre good / clene contrarye to all scripture and reason / And thus tvrne they the trees and the rootes vpwarde while they affirme that faith springeth aÌd is made good of workes And not the contrarye / even as a man wold saye / the frute bringeth furth and maketh good the tre / And not the contrarye O what madnes is this They wold make men beleve if they shuld longe continewe / that the mone is made of a grene chese lxxij Christ sayeth / I am the dore of the folde he that entereth not in by the dore but by some other waye is a thefe and murderare and regardeth not the shepe The Pope / yee and all the clargye for the most part enter not in by Christ / but they runne yn and are not called nor sent of Christ / One entereth by a bagge of monye / wherwith he byeth a fate benefyce A nother entereth by serviÌge greate meÌ / coryinge favell A nother / by cause he is a greate maÌ borne / must be made a cardinal / or els a bysshope Some have âysons of abbayes other places / to speake a good worde for the to that kiÌge or other great meÌ Some enter thorow their curious singinge / aÌd minyon dawnsinge / fewe or none for vertue and learninge lxxiij Christ sayeth I am a good shepard A good shepard geveth his lyffe for his shepe The Pope and Bisshopes saye also that they are good shepardes / how be it they pille and shere their shepe so nighe / that they leve not one loke of wolle on theyr backes And in all poyntes maye be likened vnto the shepardes that Zacharias prophesied of / which sayeth / I shall reyse vppe a sheparde in the erth / which shall not visite tho thinges that are for saken / and shal not seke that which is gone astraye / nother yet heale the discased / nor norysche and mayntayne that which stondeth / but soche a sheparde that shall norysh him silf and not the shepe and cryeth out of him sayinge O thou sheparde and idoll / thinke you that this sheparde will geve his lyffe for his
Therfore / where / as his vicare raigneth / there is no god / for where god is present / there neadeth no vicare / but only ministers / as thapostles called not theÌself the vicars of god / but onely his ministres Therfore is the sainge of Paule fulfilled Whe se the maÌ of synne sonne of perdition / sittinge in the teÌple of god / ij Thessa ij shewinge him silf as thowgh he were god / beinge an adversary / exalted above the word of god all his worshupe What is more coÌtrary to the trueth of the gospell theÌ these faces and clokes their doctrine how be it / it is worshupped / feared observed above all the worde of god / that vnder the name of him aÌd his learninge / but let vs retvrne vnto daniel ãâ¦ã Danie viij This word hidoth which Daniel doth put in the hebrew toÌge doth signifye a probleme a ryed all / a darke seÌteÌce / which deceaveth the sense if a maÌ loke but on the wordes So in the first of IudicuÌ judicum j. I will propound vn to yov a ryedell ãâã xlviij And in the .xlviij. psalme I will opeÌ in a songe my darke senteÌce Therfore he is called wittye in these sotle reasons aÌd rydels / which caÌ with darke wordes / deceave the hearers / so that they may heare one thinge vnderstoÌd a nother And it is not thus takeÌ that he shuld be wittye in ryedles for to vnderstoÌd that that other men shall speake / but that he is apte mete to deceave other by his awne wordes I will put an exaÌple WheÌ this kiÌge of faces / The Chirche in his decrees doth use this worde the chirch for him silf and his adhereÌres be they never so vngodly and weked goth aboute to persuade all men that what so ever they coÌstitute and ordene / it is done of the chirch as they have now prevailed / yee and triumphe by the obtayning of this word thikest thow that he hath not propouÌded a proper rydle / syth that the chirch doth not signifye / but the holye congregation of faithfull which live and are led with the sprete of god / which are the bodye and fulfillinge of Christ / as Paule saith Colo. iâ What lyes shall not this maÌ grouÌd and sett forth What obedience shall not he obtayne what lawe shall not he stablisshe when he hath so fare prevailed that both the hearers and he that speaketh do vnderstond the Synagoge of SathaÌ for the chirch of god Whââ to he that wold not obeye the church of god we may perceave by this worde that this kiÌgdome of faces differith from the maneraÌd condition of all other kingdoms by cawse he contendith not with armure / but with wordes Not with plaine and simple wordes as the kingdome of Christ the impery of this worlde is vsed and ministered / for the impery of this world in mannes lawes determe of temporall thinges with evideÌte wordes / which of every maÌ sone are vnderstond And the kingdome of Christ is rueled by the sure and playne worde of the gospell But this kingdom doth vndermine meÌ deceave theÌ with darke duble wordes which sounde one thinge and meane an other Nether doth he teach that a maÌ may perceave other wordly thiÌges or spirituall / but he faineth to teach spirituall / in very dede they are wordly teÌporall And in this crafte they are so wittye / sotle / and apte thorow sathanes helpe that they seduce and being in to errour as Christ prophesied the very chosen nether caÌ they be iudged but of them which are spirituall Danie viij Therfore Daniel calleth him sotle and wittye / and his lawes ryedles / by cause he shuld deceave all men / which sharply and wyth greate diligence do not marke and take hede of them Make a proffe thy silf Yf thow be taught to abstaine from / me ates / ââthinges / places / persons / and certaine âther thinges / and to vse soch or soch garmentes / behaveoure / meate / place persons Beinge in this opinion / that by those meanes and labours / thow shalt do good workes obtaine righteousnes / And after wheÌ thow comest to thy self and haste the true vnderstondinge doste perceave that thow hast labored but in temporall thinges which make no more for righteousnes / then other occupations and labours of laye men / woldest thou not say that thou haddest bene properly begyled And haddest thow not in very dede bene deceaved thorow faire wordes And I pray the are not all that the Pope commaundeth even soch phantases Doth he not in his decrees and statutes entreate / and de terme of places / meates / vesture / or persons Where in consisteth no more iustes then if thow shuld go plowe a felde / or weve / or spinne But who playeth the husbond maÌ thinkinge to be iustified if he do his worke / or to sinne if he do it not / all though it be a profitable and necessary worke And thow arte commaunded to laboure in that worke which is nother necessary to the liffe nor yet profitable for any thinge hopinge to find righteousnes in it / and to sinne if thow traÌsgres for what doth it profite other thy liffe or substance to were a blacke or a russer cotâ to cate milke or flesshe / to be shaveÌ or ânshaven / to live in this place or in that Aâ yeâ in this trifelinge and vnprofitable thingeâ thow arte commauÌded to be iustified aÌd halowed / or els to sinne and offend Are not here problemes / ryedles propounded craftely to the And truely all the world / is replenesshed with this false deceitfull doctrine These be the consciences marked with hotte yerons / i. Timo. iiij for as all that they do be very clokes and faces / even so all that they teach be sotle reasons and fained ryedles / so that both in the thinges and in the wordes / are nothinge els but clokes and faces / and yet they make a fearfull and scrupelous conscience with oute any cause or authorite Observe and note with what sober and meke wordes the sprete doth handell these cruell and odious monstres / for he calleth the abominable pompe and hypocrisye nothinge but faces / which thow canst sufficiently and worthely defame with no word And he nameth this pestilent deceavinge of antichristes dottrine And this mischevous foxy wylinesse to delude men / nothinge but rydles Danie viij This clerly doth Daniel in the .vij. prophesye / where he writeth that after the terrible best that had ten hornes which by the consent of all men is the imperye of Rome he considered aÌd sawe an other litle horne spriÌs ginge out of the middes of them that is the impery of the Pope which as we saide is spronââe in the middes of the imperye of Rome ⪠ââd behold there were eyes like mennes ãâã this horne / and
that are not counted for people All these sainges are sharpe and ferse against the covetousnes / wantannes / and vngodlines of Bisshopes and prestes / which are made folissh and carnall / and are wexed grosse / forsakinge to be the people of god Nother only for this cause doth he liken them to Balam / but also that they are cursed chldreÌ as he was / which geving councell to the Moabites / thorow the ydoll Beelphegor did greatly corrupt and destroy the Israelites Nume xxiiij Nume xxv And this hole storye here doth Peter applye vnto the bishoppes / which reysinge vp the idole of their awne doctrines traditions And havinge to do with the harelottes of the Madianites that is to saye with the delicious and voluptuous plesurs of this world begile vnstable soules / and besides the do speake evill as it is sayed before of the waye of trueth and glorye EveÌ as he went aboute / to curse the people of god Which loved the reward of vnrightewesnes ij Petri. ij But was rebuked of his iniquite / the tame dome beast speakinge with maÌnes voice forbade the folishnes of the prophete behold the covetousnes aÌd folishnes of bisshoppes which are geven so hedling to covetuousnes / that they are more insensible then brute bestes These are welles with out water by cause they have the shape and name of sheperdes with out the worke and office / as Zacharias in the .xi. sayeth O thow sheperd and idole And rackes caried aboute of a teÌpest Rackes are like cloudes / but they geve no raine Even so these are caried vnder the title / and in the place of shepardes / and they teach nothinge / but rather are tossed thorow their wordly affections vnto every motion of sathaÌs will To whom the mist of darkenes is reserved for ever / good lord / how fearfull are these thinges Who wold not feare to be counted among the numbre of these shave linges / against whom all these thinges are prophesied with a hole and full sprite ii Petri. ij For when they have sownded the swellinge wordes of vanite / they begile with waÌtannes thorow the lustes of the flessh them that were clene escaped It is mervell if this place do not chefly pertaine to vniversites and studyes of the canon lawe / for we se with what pride Antichrist souÌdeth in everye place of his decrees / where he sayeth / we Commaund / bedding and Commaunding yow straytlye / and soch other proude wordes he hath / with the which he doth occupye all scholes So the Peter doth well call the not speakers / but sounders / for they are nothing but very voyces / the teachers of most vaine vanite / And yet with these infections they have entised seduced the more noble parte of the faithfull / which studcige this vaine trifelinge doctrine / applye folow their awne pleasure desires For who is in these uniuersites which studieth not for theÌreÌt of luker glorye / or that afterward he maye live the more idellye yet will I not speake of that / how manye soules do perishe by the lascivious life / liceÌs of these vniuersites Breflye to coÌclude The canoÌ lawe causeth the people of Colleges scholes to be geven onely to vanite / ryot / waÌtaÌnes / idelnes / poÌpe pride And yet with an incredible noise the presumptuous pope with his Apostles doth bost coÌmeÌd in his decrees / their state / riches / hypocrisye So that Peter maye truely call the cloke aÌd out ward face of godlines / religioÌ / coÌninge wherewith this people is so greatlye bolne the swellinge wordes of vanite / for they are in very dede drenched destroyde in voluptuous pleasurs This seÌce doth Iudas helpe sainge / whose mouthes speake proude thinges woÌderinge at faces / Iude. j. having theÌ in revereÌce be cause of avaÌtage / here calleth he faces / the persones / clokes poÌpes which we spake of before / for this kinge of faces / displayeth his noble titles / privileges / libertes and soch other ij Petri. ij And he doth verye well adioyne / Them that were clene escaped / but now are wropped in errours As I thinke thus it meaneth That what thinge so ever was clene delivered from synne thorow baptime and the word of god / after it had growen and encreased a certaine ceason was drowned and suppressed vnder their lawes and doctrines So that they are compelled to be wropped in errours all though thorow Christ they have escaped clene which is done while they runne hedelinge from faith in to ceremonyes / from the sprete in to persones / from grace in to workes / from the trueth in to cloked hypocrisye / and the hole pompe of faces / thorow the most weked decrees of their presumptuous vanite They promise them libertie and are themselves the bond servantes of corruption This doth both pertaine to pardons / and to all the deceatfull illusion by the which they commend their cloked faces and say they are good / Affirminge that who so ever walke in them / shuld be cownted to walke holelye and godly For so are the orders of prestes / monkes / and of the hole clargye avaunced / that they only are counted to be in the state of helth / and all other are reputed wordly and seculare / forthermore / they fell their labours / merites / and masses / And promise forgevnes of synnes How be it they are the boÌd servantes of corruption / that is to saye they teach nothinge but vaine aÌd corruptible thinges aÌd that he thoucheth in the .ij. to the Collosyans sainge Col. ij which all perish with the vsinge of them / and are after the commaundmentes and doctrines of men And yet be cause they teach men to put confidence in them / thorow that are they the authores of eternall corruption and damnation How be it the tenor and concordance of the scripture doth so lye / that it compelleth vs to take and vnderstond the bonde scroantes of corruption / for them that are the subtectes of synne So that the sense is / syth they them selves with their weked hypocrisye and manifest vices do perishe then presume they to profite other and bringe them to helth cmmunicatinge vnto them their brotherheddes and pardons And it folowith For of whom so ever a man is overcoÌ / vn to the same is he in bondage ij Petrij ij So we not here dayly / that the Pope though he be a mischevous and weked man doth presume to dispeÌce the merites of Christ of his saincres open heveÌ with his fayes to whoÌ he wille And the hole multitude of this clergye folowe him So a weked mand chalengeth the treasure / of the chirch into his awne hand / And he him self being the bond servant of corruptioÌ goth abuote to delivere other ij Petri. ij Therfore Peter doth conclude that the chirch
oure awne merites / not in the pure faith of Christ yee in so moch the we have begon to selloure meretes to other Is not the faith and gospell transgressid and in maner destroied Therfore these ought not to be vndersidoÌ of heretikes but of Busshoppes / Shepardes and religiouse wyth their infinite variete aÌd diversnes of sectes and workes / which deceave destroye them silf and the people / with a false aÌd clokyd hope / teachinge nothiÌge lesse then faithe all stycking to their awne workes And they blind them silf are the leaders of blind meÌ What meanith this that he doth not say they shall deme the lord / but the lord which hath bought ãâã With out doute he prophesieth that Christ shall be denied of them as touchinge iustification / not because they shall plainly denie him for then they shuld not be false doctores / nether prevely bringe in sectes of perdition / counterfettinge the doctrine of trueth But reservinge the titles names will go a boute to be saved by theire awne sectes / and not by the faith in Christ Iesu / for Christ bought vs with his awne bloude / that by the faith in him we might be iustified But the infinite diversite of religions / workes / and sectes / goo aboute to persuade vs / that we must satisfie God with oure actes / and deserve the kingdome of heven All these sectes the Pope makyth full of cloked hypocrisie / and verie noisome by his confirmation / while he doth stablish them as holy orders / and holsom rueles to live after / aÌd makith men to put confidence in them And again that holye father of his best beloued childer full blessidly is strengthed and stablisshed in his tyraÌnie Proverbe And as Mules do in course one clawyth the other So though they confesse in wordes the lorde to be Christ yet they deme him in dedes Of whom they make vnto vs a nother Moses for he bought vs not with shediÌge his bloud / that onlie he might teach vs to live well But to th entent that he might live and raigne with in vs / and that he might be oure lorde workinge in vs all oure workes / and this is done by only faithe in him But they which now teach vs the gospell make Christ oure master / as a servante which shuld tarie with our and teach vs good / and not rule with in vs and worke oure good dedes But it is well that they shall bringe apoÌ theÌ selves swifte perdition / ii Pet. ij math xxiiij for those dayes shall be shortenid / or els no flessh shuld be saved / which shortly we trust shall be parformed Many shall folow their pernicyouse doctrine And fewe shall be saved from their perditions / wherfore Christ in the .xxiiij of Mathew doth councell that they flie to the montaynes / and returne not againe in to their howses j. Iuno i. And Paule calleth them parelous tymes for this clokid hypocrisye and famed holinesse But they obiect / the statutes and ordinances are good / holye meÌ did make them / as Augustine / Benedicte / Barnarde / Francisce / Dominice / aÌd soch other To this I answer That is eveÌ it that christ and the apostles meane / that these workes shuld be lyke to those thiÌges which are taught in the gospell / for that they call counterfettinge of the doctrine / and prevelye banginge in By cause they take only of the fathers exaÌples of workes / and leve the faith And so they ruÌne hedliÌge with owt any iudgement into all those thinges which the fathers sumtyme erringe have made and ordened and no mervell for it is prophesed that if it be possible the very choseÌ shal be brought in to erroure and folowe even the vtter cloke and face of this errour / Math. xxiiij for a good waye / and so are conveied away from the gospell and fayth by a sotle and insensible deccite And chefly when the authorite of the Pope hath approved and alowed those wayes and hath coÌfirmed and stablisshed that meÌ shuld put confideÌce in them / yee and makith them necessary bondes / which the fathers did nother make nor kepe but with the libertye of the sprete / binding no man pepetually to them / for if they did / with owt / doute they erred according to mannes fragilite ij ââth iâij By whome the waye of trueth shal be blasphemed / which is the way of trueth Is it not that which is coÌtrary to the outward face / cloke / and hypocrisye of workes Trewly the apostles did never institute and ordeÌ any secte of religion / But tawght to every man the only comen waye of Christen faith The waye therfore of trveth is to beleve in Christ Who are blasphemars truely they which denie the lord And do not they which thorow the authorite of the Pope crake on their leving Bost their sectes / and prayse theyr orders / as holy / right / and holsome / take awaye the prayse and glorye of the waye of trueth / aÌd applye the same vnto their orders hath not his blasphemye so prevayled that the only clargye / aÌd chefly the religiouse be counted for the christen and the other are called openly seculare and wordly / and are counted for comen Iackes as they were clene out of the way of helth And he that enterith religion / is craked / and belevid to go clene out of the world / fynally it is persuaded comenly / that who so ever wil be saved ought to enteare religioÌ Is not this a playne blaspheminge of the way of truthe Math. xxiiij Is not this to teach that Christ is here and there Is not here the way of faith despised left and in his stede taken / the secte and superstition of workes Is not this the waye that teacheth vs to forsake the faith in Christ aÌd to cleve and put confideÌce in oure awne workes Do not soch hypocrites so shine and here rule in the world / that the simple christen in the faith are counted in comparison to them but durte and filthe of the strete But let vs go a litle farther / yf any man wold rise and presume to reprehend these wayes chosen of men / or as the apostle callith them in the .ij. to the Collossyans / chosen holines / Col. ij and wold teach that they were the pernicious wayes of sclawnder / confirmed of the Pope and avaunsed of them / to destroy the faith / to evacuate and sette at nought the gospell / to seducie and deceave the soules of the christen And that the christen faith is only the waye of health / what thinke you they wold do to him Shuld he not be called sexhondenth times hercrike / a thousande tymes Antichrist / Satan / Sevill / schismatike / and soch other yees truly / there were no name of hate / punyshmentes and blasphemy / ynough for this
interpreted / for he saith And the firste angell blewe / I sawe a starre fall froÌ heveÌ vn to the erth / to him was geveÌ the kaye of the bottoÌlesse pytte here will I sumwhate take myn awne minde expositioÌ It is evident that angelles thorow all the apocalipses do signifye the busshopes of the chirches as it apereth by the second and .iij. chapter / where it is writen to thaÌgell of Ephesus / to the angell of Smirna / to soch other Apoca. ij Now the other kinde of angelles that blowe the trompettes / which as it is shewed in ye. viij hath seveÌ heddes can be applied to none but to the Pope of Rome for it is not writen that any other do blowe trompettes / Apoca. viij for to blow a trompett as the agreinge of the place / and the textes folowinge do specifie can be nothinge els But to make decrees / which thing no man hath taken apon him at any time / but the Pope of Rome / Nother is it writen with out a great cause that they prepared them selves to blow for these only Popes have ever hade an impatient furye / aÌd vnquiett tyrannye / to make lawes and subdew other vnder them But let vs returne vnto oure fyfte Angell which is the first of the thre that shuld bring in .iij. wooes / apoÌ the erth this is he which first did ordene and stablissh vniversites whom it is not easy for me to name / the stories do so differ and dissent But who so ever he was let him be the starre that fell froÌ heven to the erth / whether he were Alexander of hales / or els which I soner beleve sanct Thomas / Saint Thomas de aquino which after the vniversites approved and the trompett of this Angell other was the first / or els the greatist author to bringe in philosophye amonge the christeÌ / beinge a subtyle aÌd very craftye disputer yee very Aristotel him silf into whom as in to the erth he fell from Christ in heven / grounding him silf apon the authorite of the most vngodly and weked Angell which did approve soch maner of studye / he toke the kaye of the bottomlesse pitte / and opened it / brought out vnto vs philosophye which a Collo ii litle before was deade and comdemned by the apostles / and from thense did assend the smoke of this pitte that is to say very wordes and opinions of Aristotle and other philosophers as it hade bene the smoke of a greate fornace / Apocalxâ for phylosophy so did prevaile that he made Aristotle equale with Christ as concerning authorite and faith / where with was darkened the bright sonne of righteousnes and trueth Christ / for in the stede of the faith were brought in morall vertues / and for the trueth infinite opinions the ayer / by the reason of the smoke of this pitte / that you myght vnderstond / that it was not an eclipse of the sone / but a darkenesse both of the sonne and of the ayre thorow the smoke that ascended from beneth / that is to say thorow mens traditions and learninge / Christ and his faith which are the ayre and sprete be oppressed and darkened And there came out of the smoke locustes vpon the erth Locustes This is the people of the vniversite which is rootide and brought vpe in philosophye and are called with a propre name locustes / By cause they folowe the Angell of the bottomlesse pitte / which is the Pope clene forsakinge their kinge Christe and flye on swarmes / as it is said in the .iij. of the Proverbes Prouer. iij And then they despoile / and burne vpe all that is grene / in that parte where they sitte so that the gramarians suppose that they are called locustes a loco vsto which signifieth a burned and wethered place So this people burneth and consumeth the hole grene springe of Christ / that is to say / the fructe of faith And to them is geven power / as the scorpions of the erth have power / that is to say to wond the conscience / for after that the grene and florisshinge frute of faith which healeth the coÌcoÌscience is whethered and destroyed / the coÌscieÌce caÌnot but be hurte And it was said vnto them that they shuld not hurte the grasse of the erth nother all the grene nether all the trees / that is to say the chosen / for they shal not hurte all men Nother naturall locustes do hurte all grene / The seall of god but some certaine place / like wisse here / but only he saith those men which have not the seale in their forheddes / that is some grasse / and theÌ which have not faith which is the seale of God that we beare in a pure conscience and fre conversation And to theÌ was commavnded that they shuld not kille them / Morall philosophye but that they shuld be vexed .v. monthes And this as I suppose was spoken of morall philosophy / which syth it doth not teach the true knowlege of synne it doth not kille as the lawe of God doth / but only with vayne affections doth vexe and prike them ij Timo. iij Ever learninge never attayninge the knowlege of trueth / for they that are killed with the lawe are quickened againe with the everlastinge sprete / and are not vexed .v. monthes / that is to say thorow all the time of their sensuall lyffe / in the which morall vertues rule And we se all morall divines to have a parelous and weked conscience / full of scrupulosite / never quiet which nother caÌ attaine good nor evill Therfore it foloweth / and their paine was as the paine that cometh of a scorpione when he hath stonge a man / be hold the prikinge of the coÌscience / he expoundeth that / which he spake of That they are not holsomly kild / nether quickened spiritually And in these dayes shall men seake death shall not find it / they shall desyre to deye death shall flye froÌ them / that is the death of sinne which raigneth is over quicke / stikinge in the coÌscience / and yet is it not knowen to the pointe as it ought to be / for if it were well knowen it shulde sone perissh and deye But this is not the office of the Etikes of Aristotle / but of the lawe and sprete And the similitude of the locustes was like vnto horses prepared vnto batell / Batell ⪠that is of sotle disputations and brawlinge scole maters / which in an allegory are called batell for they are ready to dispute on this side and that / with it against it And on their heddes were as it were crownes / like vnto gold / they be / names and titles of degrees Oure noble master / humble and vnworthy professor of divinite aÌd so furthe And their faces were as they had bene the faces of
a mowth speakinge great aÌd mervelous thinges These eyes be the rydles / and the sotle vnderstondinge of these ridles / is the wisdome of the flesshe / the blasphemous mowthe against Christ Ephe. iiij Paule in the .iiij. to the Ephesians doth moch more fersly entreate of these rydles sainge / let vs hence forth be no more children wavering and caried with every wind of doctrine by the wylynes of men and craftenes where by they lay away te for vs to deceave vs. But the two greke wordes which thapostle vseth have moch more mistery then here can be expressed / for the first signifieth not only wylines / but also castinge at dyse / and the second is both a craftenes / aÌd sotle illusion as it were of iuglers which with their sportes aÌd pastimes deceave meÌnes senses So these weked masters castinge the wordes of god as they were dyse accordinge to their awne minde and plesure / with their trifeling ceremonies / deceave vs aÌd make vs vnstable / vndermininge vs with these sotle craftes to make vs fall and erre / this is their hole entent that they vse their wordes aÌd deceytfull ceremonies / to vndercrepe vs craftely / and prevely deceave vs or we be ware So he monissheth vs in the .ij. to the Collossians Collo ij Be ware lest any man come and spoyle yow thorow philosophye ãâã deceatfull vanyte / thorow the tradââ ãâã of men and ordinations after the ãâ¦ã after Christ And a litle after even âs pointinge with his finger to this hidoth and bely wisdome / doth say After the coÌmaundmentes and doctryns of men / which thenges have a similitude of wisdome in chosen holines and humblenes and in that they spare not the bodye / and do the flessh no worshupe vn to his nede Marke howe their hydoth hath a similitude of wisdom and is but very superstition and hypocrisye ii Petri. jii And Peter in the .iij. of his second pistell saith There shall come in the last dayes deceatfull mockers which will walke after their awne lustes Doth he not here touch both the deceate and the illusion by cause they deceave in wordes and mocke and illude in clokes and faces imputinge the one to the doctrine / aÌd the other to the workes / even as Paule did meaninge no nether thinge by this deceate and illusion / Ephe. iiij but that which Daniel signifieth by this worde hydoth This also must be observed and noted that this word / vnderstondinge / doth pertaine vnto the mind and affection / for Daniel in the xi speakinge of the same monsire doth say Danie xiâ And he shall have no vnderstoÌdinge that is to say minde affectioÌ to the god of his forefathers / nother to the desire of wives / nother to any god / where it is evident that the word ãâã signifye affection / and regarde / for he shaââ not be so ignorante / not to know what ãâã is / what a woman is / what a wiff is / âhat it meaneth to desyre a womaÌ or a wiff but he shall not regarde them / but make statutes contrary to god and matrimonye / takinge no thought how impossible it is to beare and suffer this bourden of matrimony / and wedlocke which is denied theÌ EveÌ so Daniel when he calleth this kinge wittye / Danie viij and vnderstondinge rydles / vseth the same maner of speakinge and meaneth rather the affection and mind / then the vnderstondinge And truely there was never thinge ordened in the worlde more folisshe and vnsaverye then the Popes lawes In so moch that they are gested at / yee and abhorred of the verye Canonistes which reade and professe them / Proverbe for they have a proverbe amonge them silf that a pure Canoniste is a greate Asse / forther more the world had never imperye whose princes were redyare aÌd maddere to make lawes then the Popes of Rome / so that in their decrees is as moch want of learninge as superfluite of folisshe hardenes / and both are above mesure What doth the Pope in the chirche buâdaye by daye hepe vpe and accumulate moo newe lawes / which he stablisshith and cancelleth / confirmeth and disanunlleth / chauÌgeth rechaungeth / without any cause with oute any reason / eveÌ as it cometh to his wittes ende / be âe dronke or furious And no doute vseth and âââeth oure weke and wretched conscience EveÌ as they were dyse / which when he playeth for his pure pleasure he casteth and turneth hether and thethere as he list him silf / yee somtime to his bawdes and herlottes O this is a worthy reward for oure vnfindnes ii Thessa ij Be hold vs which wold not receave the love of trueth that we might be saved / are worthely comitted in to the handes of this man of sinne / and sonne of perdinon which thorow trifeling / lawghinge / and gaminge hath layde sinnes and perditions vpon vs / with an incredible and malicious furye And to be shorte we may perceave copiously by the forsaide faces / these sotle ridles for sithe the hole Popes lawe doth nothinge els but order these clokes and faces And sithe in the faces is nothing but mockinge and deceavinge by the which the trueth of the faith in the gospell is suppressed it is evident ynough which experience doth teache vs that the Popes doctrine is mockinge and deceatfull / for he gothe not aboute to make vs serve / obaye / aÌd beleve in god But only to serve hem and to be subdewed vnder his iurisdiction And truely it were impossible if he were of God / but that he shuld entreat / move / and entyse vs to the gospell with all his might and power And teach vs plainly that all thinges are fre / aÌd that ãâã can not synne in vsinge clothinge / meates / places / parsones / or any soch thinges / for synne coÌsisteth not in the vse of thinges / but in the inordinatte desire or hate of theÌ / but the pope putteth synne rightuousnes only in the vsinge / therfore he is the maÌ of synne sonne of perditioÌ / filling the world with these folisshe and vaine / sinnes iustices And yet by cause he feareth the coÌscieÌces vnder the title aÌd preteÌce of Christes name he maketh of those thiÌges which in theÌ self are no synnes / very grevous offences For he that beleveth that he doth sinne / if he eat flesshe on the Apostles eve / or say not matens prime in the morninge / or els leve vndone any of the Popes preceptes No doute he synneth Not by cause the dede which he doth is synne / but by cause he beleveth it is sinne against this folissh belefe coÌscieÌce / offeÌdeth / of the which folyssh coÌscience only the Pope is hedde author / for a nother doinge the same dede / thinkinge that he doth not sinne trvely offendeth not And this is the cause that the sprete
of Paule coÌplaineth that manye shall departe from the faith ij Timo. iiij And for this folissh conscience / mennes tradititions be pernicious and noysome / the snares of soules / hurtinge the faith / the libertye of the gospell / if it were not for this cause they shuld do no hurte Therfore the devill thorow the Pope abvseth these coÌscieÌces to stablissh the lawes of his tyrannie / to suppresse ââe with and libertye / and to replenisshe ãâã worlde with errours / vngodlines / synnes and perditions And well doth Paule calle those coÌsciences marked with an hotte yeroÌ / by cause they are not so of their awne nature / nother yet of the sprete / but are marked against nature with the hotte yeron of mannes traditions and doctrines / Paule teacheth that there is nothinge to be refused i. Timot. iiij And the vicare of Christ saith / yes butyre / and whitmeates most be refused ever on certayne prescripte dayes Christ in the .x. of luke said Luc. x Latinge and drinkinge soch as they have But his vicare saith / eare no flessh nor egges Christ suffereth all maner of garmentes frely and indifferently But his vicare commaundeth one maner of rayment to the laye men and taketh a nother maner to him silf and his adherentes / and that vnder deadly synne and precepte of the chirche And in all these thinges they make them selfe a scrupulous conscience as though they did well in kepinge them and synned deadly in transgressinge / though it be nothiÌge so Therfore truely soch conscieÌces are violently made / yet neverthelesse they be sore hurte as we have said in the transgression of these payne preceptes for soch a kinge / soch a lawe Soch a lawe / soch synne and merite and soch a conscieÌce also reserved that as I said of a folishe vayne synne is made a true synne / thorow the erroure of the coÌscieÌce / this is the hort yeron which doth marke him It foloweth And his strength shal be stablisshed / and not in his awne might and power Danie viij ¶ This third propertye of this moÌstruous kingdome is also mervelous and vnlyke all other imperies / by cawse it shal be streÌghted stablisshed with a straÌge power For who hath harde any soch thinge in all other kiÌgdoms The imperye of Rome was gotten / encreased / mayntened thorow his awne strength The hole scripture doth rebuke the horses aÌd flessh of Aegipte and other kingdoÌs / in the which the Iewes did put their trust and confidence / forthermore the kingdome of Christ doth more consist in his awne powre then any of the other For the trueth of it silf is stronge ynowgh And only this kiÌgdome is stablisshed with others streÌgth Strength in this place doth signifye the power / which oure philosophers do call the power to worke vtwardly / which is not of the soule / iii. Reg. xix Gene. xxxj but of the meÌbers So Ezechias in the xix of the fourth boke of kinges The childreÌ came to the birth / the mother had no power to deliver them And in thâ xxxj of Genesis I have served youre father it ãâã all my power And Iob. I counted fââ hinge the power of their handes / thuââ to say that they were able to do In the Hebrew tonge it was called âuth / and the Apostle in the greke toÌge calleth it energeran And the interpreter called it in the latin tonge / efficaciam / and in the englissh toÌge it must be called might and power as in the .ij. to the Galathians / he that was mighty in Peter in the apostleshippe over circunsition / the same was mighty in me amoÌge the geÌtils Gala. ij Therfore the power of this kinge sith it stoÌdeth not in armure / nor in the gospell of Christ / must nedes be raysed vp by his awne doctrines and stablisshed by the power of other Marke this goodly order / first are faces And then lawes / and both are fained and clene alien at from the trueth After theÌ cometh his power / which is not staâlisshed by him silf But with other strange powers and strenghtes / for truely a lye can not endure by his awne power And so hath the kiÌgdome of Antichrist of Rome prospered / that even in the apostles time it began to lene sticke to workes Afterward the chirch as they call it was endewed aÌd garnisshed with certayne ceremonies And at the length the Pope patched theÌ all to gedder made aswere sawce / and thorow them suppressed all liberty / turninge theÌ into most strayre ãâã lawes In so moch that it is with out ãâã ââre a greater offence to transgresse these lawes and ceremonyes / then the preceptes of god So of these faces are sproÌge lawes / of the lawes the streÌgth / of the streÌgth greate power authoryte as it shall folow / for as maners make a lawe / so of the lawe ryeseth a strength to confirme the maners And of the strengthe springeth powre and authoryte Therfore let vs coÌsidre with what power this king of perdition is strengthed and stablisshed ij Thessa ij The Apostle in the .ij. of the second pistell to the ThessalonyaÌs doth attribute applye it vnto sathan sainge Whose cominge shall be thorow the operation of Sathan in lyeinge and mervelous signes / for eveÌ as Christ did trulye stablissh the faith his worde by signes miracles thorow his awne vertue power Even so this counterfettinge Ape / and adversarye of Christ / shall stablissh his faces and lewde lawes / thorow lyeing signes of others that is to say Sathans power The first operation of Sathan in his signes and illusions is this / that the chirch of Rome hath had perpetuall contention with the chirch of the GreciaÌs / yet being weked and vniust hath ever prevailed though it were defeÌded / with false causes wrested scriptures so prevailed that she hath exalted coÌfirmed her self to be the lady mestres of the faith mother of all chirches Besides ãâ¦ã subderved all men with mervelâââ good chaunce aÌd prosperyte were he next also greate / learned holy which ever hath resisted her lawes / statutes / iudgementes glorious pleasurs Who will not iudge that these were mightye signes mervelles / that no maÌ did ever attribute to any / but to god which did fight for the holye chirch of Rome As though god did not vtterly abhorre this abominable and pernicyous doctrines of men with the arrogante pride of these faces Now to this pointe is it brought that kinges / princes / and Bisshopes / which other hurte the holy decrees / libertes or patrimonyes of the chirch of Rome or els do not honour and prefere them above the preceptes of god / shall perisshe by the stroke of the terrrible swerd of excommunication ExcoÌmunication In so moch that the hole world is in
he painteth the popedom aÌd setteth it out with his colours to the vttermost pointe / for after that he had prophesyed that false masters shuld come which in covetuousnes with fained wordes shuld make marchaundise of the people of Christ / which shuld bringe in sectes of perdition And drawe many after them / EveÌ deniyng Christ that hath bought theÌ / theÌ doth he feare them with .iij. notable examples Of the Angelles Of the floude that was in the time of Noe. And of the Zodomites And he saieth that all these were / punisshed of god / for thexample of the weked which shuld come / theÌ he prosequutinge his matter as concerning these weked mastres doth saye Namlye theÌ that walle after the flessh in the lust of vnclennes / and despise the ruelars / Presumptuous are they stubborne / and fear not to speake evill of them that are in authorite / Peter speaketh not of them that do not obey Bisshoppes / but as he began of the weked mastres them silf / that is to say of Bisshopes / Cardinalles / the Pope / for these are they that this epistle speaketh of First who seyth not that the Popes secte above all other walketh after the flessh in the lust of vnclennes For sith they are forbidden matrimonye / and abounde in riches and idelnes / what shuld they do but walke after the flesshe They labour not / as other men do / therfore their iniquite springeth with their fatte / Nether canst thow assigne me any masters and ruelars of the people / which do thus / but onely the papistes The clarkes are dayly encreased / and matrimonye forbidde and both thorow the rule and authorite of the Pope and every man may perceave what profite comethe vnto the chirch by it / for alas where as by matrimonye manye women might be good and please god livinge chastlye / they are now compelled to be harlottes / aÌd that for .ij. causes the one is the misshevous entyesinge thorow giftes and fayre wordes that these venemous locustes vse The other is that their is soch scarsnes of clene men out of his orders that they are not sufficient to the hole nature of women So that if this shuld long continew it wold be the destruction of the hole world Besides that / they despise rulars / who doth so but the Popedome / and the secte of papistes What calleth he the ruelars and powers / but princes and worldly officers For the Bisshopes and successours of thapostles have not rueles and powers / but services and administration And are called the servantes of the Chirch of Christe as Paule sayeth in the first to the CollosyaÌs Colo. â Is not this the dispisinge of powers and rueles / to exempte hiÌ silf by his awne authorite froÌ tribuetes / subiection / and all bourdens of the comen welth Paule commaundeth in the xiij to the Romaynes to geve tribute / custome and honour to them / â Petri. ii that it is dewe to And Peter will that we be subiect vn to kiÌges / and to all maner ordinaunces of man / how be it the Pope coÌtrarye wisse doth exempte his awne person and possessions / yee and all his adherentes promulgatinge serse and cruell lawes / condemninge them noâ to one hell that will heare the voice of Paule or Peter / and to bringe his shawelinges in to an order / requiringe and exactinge tribuete / honoure and their duetye And now is he so far from honouringe of these powers / that he will tell skorne to admitte them to kisse his holye feate forthermor he exalteth every prest and monke though they be as rude as stockes / and more weked theÌ any baude / above all the nobles and princes of the worlde / by cause he is marked with his worshupfull signe and character Crakinge in his most weked rydles and lawes / of maiorite and obedience That the Pope excelleth the emperour as the sonne doth the mone Insomoch that of those most wretched dregges of men / which are avaunced by the Popes mageste / the powers are despised / yee and compelled to honour those idolles of whom they ought to be honoured them silf And I praye you in what ruele and power raigne not these clowdes of abominable men It is a mervelous thinge how aptly Peter calleth them / ii Petri. ii presumptuous and stubborne for after they have obtained this that they them silf only are called spirituall / and all the other seculare and temporall as even now they abvse the wordes at their awne pleasure there is nothinge but they dare behold to take it apoÌ them vnder the name of this spirituall secte / forthermore if they have presumed to take any thinge on hand / how invincible / stiffe / aÌd harde harted they are / vntill they have prevailed so fare that they may with full authorite and with oute regarde blaspheme the gloryes and powers Doth not the pope being but a smalle worme of the erth how be it enflamed with the sprete of Sathan Curse / excommunicate / rebuke with all kindes of checkes the hyghest kinges and ruelars when he liste All though he was ordened onely to blesse theÌ Nether yet doth he that by cause the kinges resist the Gospell aÌd the faith But because they can not suffer and mayntayne the superfluous riches of these shavelinges and holy chirch of Rome with their most weked maners and intollerable tyraÌnye / or els that they resist the Popes vngodlines and iniquite And this meaneth the Apostle wheÌ he sayeth / they fear not to speake evill of theÌ that are in authorite ii Petri. ii Nether is the Popedom counted in the name of power and mageste Nether yet if it were so counted hath it suffered any soch thinge Sith that no power hether to hath prevailed against him But contrary he hath so prospered against the powers / that he may sporte and playe him not onely in the matters of inferior people / but also in the powers and magestes as is will lyeth / transposinge them Puttinge in and out / ad Chaungeinge them as often as he thinketh best Do not the storyes of the kingdomes / of Fraunce / Grece / germanye / Neapoles / Sicilye and soch other imperyes thus resufye Did not lââ the tenth which of him silf was a good man beinge deceaved by the councels and examples of his adherentes Assaute with this tyrannye the dukedoÌs of Italye / which was expulsed from vrbine / and often beseaged Ferraria And the Cardinalles aÌd Busshopes do counterfete him full nobelye / for the Cardinalles are made superiores to kinges / Bisshopes to priÌces O this most wretched kind of men / which is scante worthy to feade hogges / thus they honour the powers / thus they blesse the magestes / thus seake they other meÌnes profittes displeasing them silves / thus put they away presumptuous boldnes / and walke in the fear of God / woo be to