repugnaunce imperfection or that should derogate minish or hurt his glory his name The glory of his Godhead is to bee present and to fill all places at once essencially presently with his almightie power which glory is denyed to any other creature him selfe saying by his Prophet I will not giue my glory to any other creature now therfore syth his maÌ„head is a creature it caÌ„ not haue this glory onely whiche is appropried to the Godhead To attribute to his manhode that propertie whiche onely is appropried to hys Godhead is to confounde both the natures of Christ What thing so euer is euery where after the sayd maner that must nedes be infinite without begynnyng and end it must be one alone and almightie whiche properties onely are appropried vnto the glorious maiestie of the Godhead Wherefore Christes body may not be in all or in many places at once Christ him selfe saying as concerning his manhooâ— He is lesse then the father but as touchyng his Godhead the father I be both one thyng And Paule recityng the Psalme affirmeth Christ as concernyng his manhode to be lesse then God or lesse then aungels as some text hath it Here it is playne that all thinges that More imagineth fayneth are not possible to God for it is not possible for God to make acreature equall vnto him selfe for it includeth repugnauÌ„ce derogateth his glory God promised swore that all nations should be blessed in the death of that promised seede which was Christ God had determined and decreed it before the world was made Ergo Christ must needes haue dyed and not to expouÌ„de this word Oportet as More mynseth it For it was so necessary that the contrary was impossible except More would make God a lyer which is impossible Paule concludeth that Christ must nedes haue dyed vsyng this Latine terme Necesse Saying where so euer is a TestameÌ„t there must the death of the Testament maker go betwene or els the Testament is not ratified sure but righteousnes and remission of sinnes in Christes bloud is his new Testament whereof he is mediatour Ergo the Testament maker must nedes haue died Wrest not therfore M. More this word Oportet though ye finde Potest for Oportet in some corrupt copy vnto your vnsauery sence But let Oportet signifie he must or it behoueth hym to dye For he tooke our very mortall nature for y e same decreed couÌ„cel himselfe saying Oportet exaltari filium hominis c. It behoueth that the sonne of maÌ„ must dye that euery one that beleueth in him perish not c. Here may ye see also y t it is impossible for God to breake his promise It is impossible to God which is that veritie to be found contrary in his deedes and wordes as to saue them whom he hath damned or to damne them whom hee hath saued wherefore all thynges imagined of M. Mores brayne are not possible to God And when More sayth that Christ had power to let his lyfe and to take it agayne therfore not to haue dyed of necessitie I woÌ„der me that his scholemaister here sayled him so cunnyng as he maketh him selfe therin which grauÌ„teth and affirmeth as true it is that with the necessary decreed woorkes of Gods forsight and prouidence staÌ„deth right wel his free libertie But M. More sayth at last if God would cell me that hee would make ech of both their bodyes two meanyng the young mans body and his to be in fiften places at once I would beleue him that he werable to make his wordes true in the bodies of both twayne and neuer would I so much as aske hym whether hee would glorifie them both first or not but I am sure glorified or vnglorified if he sayd it he is able to do it â—o here may ye see what a â—erueÌ„t fayth this old man hath and what an earnest mynde to beleue Christes woordes if hee had told him but I pray you M. More what and if Christ neuer told it you nor said it nor neuer would would ye not be as hasty not to beleue it If he told it you I praye you tell vs where you spake with hym and who was by to beare ye recorde and if you bryng as false a shrew as your selfe to testify this thyng yet by your own doctrine must ye make vs a miracle to confirme your tale ere we be bound to beleue you or yet to admit this your argument God may make his body in many places at once Ergo it is so Syr ye be to busie with Gods almighty power and haue taken to great a burden vppon your weake shoulders ye haue ouerladen your selfe with your own harnesse and weapons and young Dauid is likely to preuayle agaynst you with his sling and stone God hath infatuated your high subtill wisedome Your crafty conueyaunce is spyed God hath sent your Church a mete couer for such a cup eueÌ„ such a defender as ye take vppon your selfe to be that shall let all theyr whole cause fall flatte in the myer vnto both your shames and vtter coÌ„fusion God therfore be praysed euer Amen Then sayth M. More though it semeth repugnaunt both to him to me one body to bee in two places at once yet God seeth how to make them stand together well inough This man with his old eyen spectacles seeth farre in Gods sight and is of his preuey Councel that knoweth belike by some secret reuelation how God seeth one body to be in many places at once includyng no repugnaunce For worde hath hee none for him in all Scripture no more theÌ„ one body to be in al places at once It implyeth first repugnaunce to my sight and reason that all this world should be made of nothyng and that a virgin should bryng forth a child But yet when I see it written with the wordes of my faith which God spake and brought it so to passe theÌ„ implyeth it no repugnaunce to me at all For my fayth reacheth it and receiueth it stedfastly For I know y t voyce of my herd man whiche if he sayd in any place of Scripture that his body should haue ben coÌ„tained vnder the forme of bread so many places at once here in earth and also abidyng yet still in heauen to Verely I would haue beleued him as soone and as firmely as M. More And therfore euen yet if he can shew vs but one sentence truly taken for his part as we caÌ„ do many for the contrary we must giue place For as for his vnwritteÌ„ verities the authority of his Antichristes sinagoge vnto which y t scripture forsaken hee is now at last with shame inough coÌ„pelled to flee they be proued starke lyes and very deuelry Then sayth hee that ye wot well that many good folke haue vsed in this matter many good fruitefull examples of Gods other workes not onely miracles writteÌ„ in Scripture Vnde versus
of thys bée their bagges so filled for such thinges as these bée will they bée rulers of the church as Deacons Archdeacons Byshoppes and Archbyshops c. My Lordes I had thought to haue added Cardinalles and Legates Abbottes and Pryors to haue made the company more holy but I ourst not How thinke you of whom doth hée speake when hée fayth Byshops and Archbyshops what holynes doth hée reprooue when hée spraketh of gorgious araye of harlottes deckyng of game players disguising of goulden spurres saddelles bridles If there were an C. that did vse it more then you yet must you néedes graunt that hée speaketh of you Hée passeth mée sore in condemning of your holy ornamentes for hee caulleth you the seruauntes of Antichrist and your holy ornamentes harlottes decking and game players disguising and hée saith that you are neyther the church nor of the church but the seruauntes of Antichrist how thinke you by S. Barnarde it is tyme to condemne hym for hée speaketh agaynst holy church and all her holy ornamentes thys dare I well say that if the best Christen man within the Realme should preach these wordes of Saint Barnarde you woulde not sticke to condemne hym for an beretike but you were wonte to call hym swéete Barnarde but mée thynketh that hée is soure inough in thys thynge Wherefore dispute the matter wyth hym that you may come into the Church and not wyth mée FINIS An other declaration of the Church wherein hee aunswereth to Maister More IN my first booke I dyd declare how that certayne men dyd take vppon them to bée counted of holy Church whose maners and lyuynges dyd nothyng agrée wyth holy church But after that commeth M. More and hée layeth to my charge that I counted all the spiritualtie to bée naught because hée would make my name somewhat odious vnto them But verely hée doth mée great wrōge for it was neuer my meanyng nor yet my saying But myne intent was to declare that neyther the Pope nor his colledge of Cardinalles nor yet all the Byshoppes in the worlde gathered togither did make holy Churche because of theyr names or else for theyr long gownes or for theyr shauen crownes or else annoynted fingers nor yet for any other exterior thynges that the worlde had in admiration But yet neuerthelesse I dyd graunt and also doe now confesse many good men to haue shauen crownes and also longe gownes But yet for these thyngs they were neuer the more of the church All the popes learning hath béene that hée and his hath béene y e church the which can not erre and all things that belong vnto them were called y e goods of holy church All lawes made by them were the lawes of holy Church They myght not bée conuēted before any temporall Prince because they were men of holy church They myght not bée hanged for murther because they were annoynted and of holy church Briefely there bée innumerable such thynges inuented of them to maynetayne and to defēde theyr holynesse and to proue that they bée holy Church the which thinges I thynke M. More can not denye And if hée woulde yet there bée a great many of bookes forth comming to proue my sentēce against him And also y e practise that hath béene vsed in y e worlde will testifie the same I thinke M. More nor yet any mā lyuyng dyd euer know in hys tyme that any man was iudged or taken to bée of the church but such men as I haue spoken of And I thynke thys name church was neuer named but it was taken specially and principally for those men that had shauen crownes and other lyke tokens Let mée bée reported to those men that bée alyue Now because I saw that these thynges were nothyng the cause of holy church nor yet belonged greatly to holy church therefore I say was I moued to declare what holy church was and who were thereof and by what signes and tokens men myght know her ¶ Now to declare this I brought certaine places of scripture to prooue that this worde Eccleasia was taken in scripture for the whole congregatiō both of good and bad But I sayd I would not greatly speake of that cōgregation for that was not it that could not erre of the which was mine intent to speake And I brought for me y e saying of S. Paule Christ hath geuen hym selfe for his Church that hée might sanctifie her and clense her in the fountaine of water through the worde of lyfe to make her to hym selfe a glorious church without spot or wrincle or any such thyng But that shée might bée holy and without blame To prooue that the Churche was clensed by Christ I brought the saying of S. Augustine for mée Of Christ is the church made fayre First was shée filthy in sinnes afterwarde by pardon and by grace was shée made fayre c. Moreouer to proue y e this church was made cleane by Christ and not by names or by clothyng or by any other exteriour thyng I brought for me y e saying of S. Iohn If y e sonne of God haue deliuered you then are you truely deliuered Also S. Paule You are washed you are sāctified you are iustified in y e name of Iesus Christ in the spirite of God But vnto these things doth M. More answere that I doe not well to exclude out of this Church bad mē for y e knowne church sayth hée standeth in a gathering togither of good mē and bad to prooue that hée bringeth in certeine parables of our Sauiour Christ To this I aunswere that I neuer denyed but that there was such a cōgregatiō of good and bad but I sayd that that was not y e very true church afore God though it beare the name of the Church and in very déede hys owne parables doth declare that our maister Christe shall at length géeue sentence agaynst them that call them selues falsely of the Churche Iudas was called an Apostle and taken so of all his company but yet our maister Christ calleth him the deuil Now if M. More will haue Iudas in hys Churche I must bee content that hée shall also betraye Christe The very trueth is that bad men bée mixt here in the Churche and after outwarde signes bée taken for members of the Churche specially if they bée not excommunicate But the Churche whiche I dyd speake of was not a felowship gathered togither in a cōsent of exteriour things and ceremonies as other politicke felowships bée But it is a felowshyp specially gathered in the vnitie of fayth hauyng the holy ghost within them to sanctifie their spirites whiche doth set their trust onely in the redemptiō promised thē in Christes blessed bloud This I say is the very true church of God let the worlde say what they will and let men call them selues as it pleaseth thē For as S. Paule saith hée that hath not the spirite of God is none of his Also M. Mores
hée haue better reasōs and Scriptures of the newe and olde testament for hym then the Pope hath Neyther it can helpe to say that the counsell can not erre because y e Christ did pray that the fayth of the church should not fayle For I aunswere to thys that though the generall counsell doe represent the whole vniuersall church yet neuerthelesse in very déede there is not the vniuersall church but representatiue For the vniuersall church standeth in the election of all faythfull men throughout the whole worlde whose head spouse is Christ Iesus And the Pope is but the Vicar of Christ and not y e very head of the church Thys is the Church that can not erre c. Here sayth this Doctour that same sētence of the church that I sayd I brought also for the same purpose the saying of Augustine whose words bée these Those counsels that be gathered in euery prouince must without doubt geue place to the auctoritie of the full counsels which bée gathered of all christendome And also those full coūselles oftentymes must bée amended by the full counselles that come afterwarde if any thing bée opened by experience that was before shutte and if any thing bée knowne tha◠was before hydden And this must bée done without any shadow of superstitious pride without any boasted arrogācy without any contention of malicious enuy but wyth holy méekenes with holy peace and with Christen charitie c. Here S. Augustine sayth plainly that the full counselles may erre and may bée refourmed After this I did declare how a mā should know this church by what fignes and tokens sayd that where as the worde of God was purely and sincerely preached and the sacramēts orderly ministred after the blessed ordinaunce of Christ and where as mē did patiently suffer for the veritie the hearers did apply their lyuing to Christes doctrine and with méeknes receaued the holy sacaments These I sayde were good and perfect tokens to iudge vppon that there were certayne members of Christes church And to prooue this I brought also S. Augustine saying Our holy mother the church through all the world scattered farre and wyde taught in her true head Christ hath learned not to feare the contumelies of the Crosse nor yet of death But more more is shée strengthened not in resisting but in suffering Also Chrisostomes wordes bée these They that bée in Iudea let them flye vp to the mountaines that is to say they that bée in Christendome let them géeue themselues to scriptures Wherfore commaunded hée that all christen men in that tyme should flie vnto scriptures For in that tyme in the which heresies haue crepte into the church there can bée no true probation of christendome nor no other refuge vnto christen men willing to know the verity of fayth but the scriptures of God Before by many wayes was it shewed which was y e church of God and which was the congregation of y e Gentiles But now there is none other waye to them that will knowe whiche is the very true Churche of Christ but alonely by scriptures By workes first was y e church of Christe knowne when the congregation of christen men eyther of all or of many were holy the which holynes had not the wicked men But now christen men bée as euill or worse then heretikes or Gentiles yea and greater continencie is founde amonge them then christen men Wherefore hée that will know which is the very church of Christ how shall hée know it but by scriptures onely And therfore our Lorde considering that so great confusion of thynges shoulde come in the latter dayes for that cause commaundeth hée that christen men willing to reserue y ◠stedfastnes of true fayth shoulde flée vnto none other thyng but vnto scriptures For if they haue respect vnto other thynges they shall bée sclaundered and shall pearishe not vnderstandinge which is the true church c. Maister More hath no great thing in this pointe agaynst mée sauynge that hée sayth these sayinges are none of Chrisostomes but of an other mā written in Chrisostomes name Neuerthelesse I let it passe let other men iudge betwéene vs both Afterwarde because that I sawe so great persecution vsed by the popes church agaynst all maner of sortes of good men whome M. More caulleth heretikes more for his pleasure then for theyr deseruynge For this cause I say I brought a saying of Hilarius to prooue that they that did exercise such tyranny were more to bée compared to the Arians then to Christes church his saying is this The church doth threaten with banyshmentes imprisonmentes and shée compelleth men to beléeue her which was exiled and cast in prison Shée hangeth on y e dignitie of her felowshop the which was consecrated by the threatenings of persecutours Shée causeth Priestes to flee that were encreased by the chasing away of Priestes Shée glorieth that shée is loued of y e worlde the which coulde neuer bée Christes except the worlde did hate her c. After this I brought a saying of S. Barnard to proue that the name of spirituall array gorgious apparell y e is vsed in y e Popes church dyd not make y e Church Hys saying is thus They bée the ministers of Christ but they serue Antichrist they goe gorgiously arayed of our Lordes goodes vnto whom they geue no honor And of these commeth the decking of harlots that thou séest dayly the game players disguising kings apparell Of this commeth golde in their brydells in their saddelles and in their spurres so that their spures bée brighter then the aulters Of this commeth their plenteous wyne presses their full sellers bolking from this vnto ye. Of this cōmeth their tūnes of sweete wynes Of this bée their bagges so fylled For such thinges as these bée will they bée rulers of the Church As Deacons Archdeacons Byshops Archbyshops c. Men may make an exposition of S. Barnarde but it wil bée hard to frame hym to their purpose But for a conclusion M. More and I doe vary but in this poynt that hée sayth the very Church of God stādeth by them that bée good and bad and I say that the trew church of Christ standeth in thē onely that bée good men For the kingdome of Christ is distincted in very déede from the kingdome of y e deuyll For euell men bée doubtles the membres of the dyuell as Paule sayth Ephe. 2. Also our M. Christ sayth vnto the Pharysyes You are of your father the dyuell Wherefore it can not stande with no learning that wicked men which bée the members of the deuyll and bée gouerned by hym can bée members of Christs body though that in this present lyfe they bée not yet so declared vnto y e worlde God send vs all his grace y ◠we may bée of his holy Church and mēbres of his blessed Sonne Iesus Amen FINIS What the keyes of
more ieoperdye to geue the pure body of Christ Iesus into a foule soule then y t a drop of bloud by negligence should fall on the ground for there falleth but a drop and here is y t whole body in a foular place then the ground is Also that may bée auoyded with good diligence and wisedome of the Priest but that the sacrament shall alwayes bée receiued into a pure conscience there is no dilygence of the priest that can make it How thinke you now now is all the whole sacrament Christes blessed ordinaunce clearely taken away and all for auoyding ieoperdies and perells Thus trifle you with Christes holy word yea and y t in your great and holy counsels Other reasons my Lorde of Rochester bringeth that bée worthy of no solution for hée doth but mocke scorne and trifle with Gods word Hée bringeth y t myracle of y t fiue loues where there is no mentioÌ„ made of wyne therefore lay men must bée houseled in one kinde is not this madnes What meane these men y t neyther feare God nor yet bée ashamed of man what is this to the purpose Christ dyd a myrackle of fyue loues where is no mencion made of wyne what is this to the sacrament If the bread fygnifyed one part of the sacrament what sygnifyed the 2. fyshes they that were there These 2. things must néedes signifye the other part Also lay men did touch this breade Moreouer in an other place Christ geueth all onely wine Therefore the sacrament must bée receiued in the kinde of wine al onely of the lay men Bée not these goodly argumentes yea and that of bishops it were madnes to aunswere to them That by Gods worde it is lawfull for Priestes that hath not the gift of chastitie to marry Wiues I Haue séene and heard in diuerse countryes where I haue béene intolerable persecutioÌ„ agaynst Priestes that were compelled by weakenes of nature to mary wyues for that intent that they might after Gods law and mans law vse an honest coÌ„uersation in this world For the which thyng I say they haue béene sore persecuted some cast out of their countrey some drowned some burned and some beheaded Finally all the cruelnes that could bée excogitated against them men thought it to litle Wherfore I that recken my selfe a debtour and a seruaunt vnto all meÌ„ in all thynges wherein I may profite them and specially in thynges that apperteine to instructioÌ„ of their conscience hath taken vpoÌ„ me in this cause to shew my litle and small learnyng charitably desiryng theÌ„ that bée some thing yet against this thyng that they will let them selues bée taught and instructed by Gods word and not to set themselues obstinately agaynste the verity of Gods blessed word For our Lord can easely beare and suffer an vnwilled ignoraunce but a peruerse malice and a froward resistyng of his veritie can hée not suffer but thereunto is hée a mortall and an extreme enemy Wherefore let men consider that if this article doth stand with Gods word â—ith Christes holy doctrine that if then they resiste and set themselues agaynst it how that they doe resiste God the which no man is able to performe Certaine men there bée that of a very peruerse froward and obstinate mynde doth set them selues agaynst this article other moe And will in no wise admit either reason or learnyng but still remaine in theyr old errour that they haue conceiued in their braynes whiche is neither grounded in Gods holy word nor yet in the holy conuersation or lyuyng of blessed and vertuous meÌ„ Vnto these men will I write nothyng bycause I will not trouble them and bycause I would bée loth to bée torne with dogs téeth or elles to cast pearles béefore swyne An other sorte of meÌ„ there bée that doth not admit this article by the reason that they bée ignoraunt in Scriptures and know not the very grouÌ„de therof but alonely are led by an old custome that they haue béen brought vp in Yet neuerthelesse they are not obstinate enemyes vnto the veritie but would gladly geue place to learnyng and reason And all that they doe is to search with a sober méekenes what y e truth is The which thing they are glad to embrace as soone as it is layde to them Vnto these men is my writyng and my labour spent whom I doe charitably beséeche that they will fauourably and indifferently iudge this my writyng This doe I bynde my selfe to prooue this thing by Gods grace out of Christs holy worde by the sayinges of holy Doctours by the authoritie of autheÌ„ticall stories by the examples practise of holy and vertuous men And if I doe not this I will bée contented not to bée beléeued which thyng if I can performe I thinke all reasonable men will géeue credence to mée Finally and laâ—t of all I will shew those reasons and authorities wherby that the Pope hath bounde hys Priestes to kéepe as hée calleth it pure chastitie And in conclusion after my poore learnyng I will assoyle all those Scriptures and reasons and prooue that in this thyng they caÌ„ haue no place Vnto the performyng of the whiche Iesus of his infinite mercy graunt me of his holy spirite Amen FIrst coÌ„meth blessed Saint Paule whom the Church of God hath alwayes had in reuerence and hée approueth this doctrine of mine saying Let euery man for auoyding of fornication haue his wife and euery woman haue her husband Marke how blessed S. Paule coÌ„maundeth where as any daunger of fornication is that euery man in auyoding of vicious lyuyng should take a wife Here is no man excepted for the text is for euery man and specially for them that can not lyue sole Vnto theÌ„ it is a streight commaundement to marry there is none other remedy ordeined of God to auoyde fornication but mariage Yea and if there were ten other remedies more then mariage yet must mariage bée as lawfull as they to bée vsed yea and a great deale more séeyng that it is specially appoynted of God for a remedy in this case For as for all other remedyes as fastyng watchyng labouryng chastising of a mans body though they bée lawfull laudable and good yet bée they not appropriately and onely appoynted of God to bée remedies agaynst fornication as blessed S. Paule doth here appoynt mariage for to bée Wherefore if it bée lawfull for Priestes for to fast and watch to auoyde fornication it must néedes bée more lawful for theÌ„ to marry wiues if they bée in daunger of fornication For mariage in this case is not alonely commaunded of God but it is appointed of God for an especiall and singular medecine for this disease Marke also the occasion that S. Paul had to write this text to the Corinthians There were certeine men amoÌ„g them that reckened it an holines and a perfectioÌ„ as certeine meÌ„ doth now for Priestes that Christen meÌ„ should lyue sole without wiues as
publican or infidel and thou bindest him on earth but see that thou binde hym iustly for iustice will breake vnlawfull bondes ¶ In the same place Cap. Temerarium iudicium Verba Augustini RAshe iudgment for the most part neuer hurteth him which is rashlye iudged but to him that iudgeth rashly his rashnes must needes bee hurtfull ¶ In the same place Cap. Quid. Verb Aug. WHat harme is it to a maÌ„ though humane ignoraÌ„ce doth blot him out of that table if his wicked conscieÌ„ce do not blot him out of the booke of life ¶ In the same place Cap. Et si Verba Aug. ALthough for a time thou bee condemned of a man and the procoâ—sull hath geuen iudgmeÌ„t vpon Ciprian the earthly seate is one thing the heauenly iudgmeÌ„t seate is an other from the inferiour seat he hath receiued iudgment from the superiour he receiueth a crowne ¶ 11 Quest 3. Cap. Custodi verba Augusti KEepe thy innocencye secret vnto thy selfe when no man doth oppresse thy cause false witnesse shall preuayle agaynst thee but that onely with men for shall it bee of any force beefore God where thy cause is to bee hearde When as God shall bee the iudge then shall bee no other witnesse then thy conscience betweene the iust iudge and thy thy conscience therefore feare nothing but thy owne cause ¶ 24 Quest 3. Cap. Si quis verba Hieroâ—imi IF any man bee excoÌ„municated with vnrighteous iudgment of theÌ„ which bee rulers of the Church if hee beefore hath not gone out thereof that is if hee hath not so done that deserued to be excommunicated he is nothing hurt in that hee seemeth to bee expelled of men by vniust iudgment and so commeth it to passe that sometime hee which is cast out is within hee is without which seemeth to bee kept within ¶ 24. Quest. 3. Cap. Non in verba Rabbani WEe are not perpetually damned when as we are vniustly iudged according to the saying of Dauid Neither shall hee damne him when hee is iudged Many of the Priestes doe professe y t they persecuted a faulte of a zeale to God ward but whilest that this is vndiscretly done they incurre the wickednes of sacrilege whilest they ruÌ„ne hedlonge to amend others they them selues doe also much rather fall into a worser mischiefe In the same place Cap. Cum aliquis Verba Orige WHen as any man doth goe out from the trueth from the feare of God from fayth and from charity hee goeth out of the tentes of y t Church although by the sentence of the Byshop hee bee not cast out So contrary wise one is with vmust iudgment cast forth if before hee hath not gone out of him selfe that is if hee haue not by hys doeing deserued to goe forth hee is no thing at all harmed For sometime hee that is east forth is within and hee that is without it semeth that he is within The councell of Meldens 11. Questi Cap. Nemo Episcoporum LEt no Byshop without certaine and manifest cause first knowen forbid any man the ecclesiasticall communion And let no man accurse anye one without the knowledge of y t Arch byshop or Byshops but so farre as the Canon auctoritye doth teache because a curse is eternall damnation of death and it ought to bee enioyned but onely for a deadly sinne and vpon those which could not otherwise bee amended ¶ The ende of the workes of Doct. Barnes A brief and necessary Table of all particular matters and wordes to bee noted in these workes of Maister Doctour Barnes A. ALexander the thyrd condemned a Decree made by king Henry the ij 192 Antechrist a subtile crafty marchaunt 186 Antichrist who hee is 301 Antechrist declareth hym selfe to bee agaynst Christ 303 Antechrist his doctrine ibid em Apostles forsake not their wyues 318 Articles agaynst Fridericke the Emperour 191 Articles set forth by the authoritie of the kyng made heresie by the pope 201 Articles for which Barnes was coÌ„demned 205 Authorities to proue that the Scriptures ought to bee in the mother toung 287 B. BArnes was not greeued with the Clergy but with the deuill that reigned in them 190 Barnes earnest zeale in the trueth 201 Barnes and Cardinall Wolsey reason togither 210 Barnes disputation with the Byshops 217 Barnes arested by a Sergeant of armes 221 Barnes threatened to bee burned 222 Barnes examined at Westminster ibidem Barnes forbydden to preach 223 Barnes cruelly persecuted by the papistes 225 Barnes lyued sole and vnmaryed 330 Baruck the Prophet against Idols and Images 343 Barnes maketh a bold chalenge 356 Bilney a vertuous and godly man 193 Bilney a counsaylour to Barnes 221 Blasphemy agaynst Christ and hys Apostles 317 Blynde reasons of Papistes 308 Byndyng and losing what it is 259 260. 261 Byshoppes Court no man can bee founde innocent 183 Byshops gouerne tyrannously 183 Bishops worse then y t great Turke 284 Byshops Captaines of rebelles agaynst the Prince 188 Byshoppes holy workes what they are 196 Byshops haue lofty myndes 191 Byshops commit periury 198 Byshoppes assoyled of their othe to their Prince but neuer of their oth to the Pope ibidem Byshops sweare to visite the Pope yearely 203 Byshoppes myters come from the Iewes 213 Byshoppes vse vayne ceremonyes 214 Byshops Crosier staffe what it meaneth ibidem Byshops pryde and lewde lyuyng is to bee cryed out vpon 217 Byshops compared to popettes and stage players 266 Bishops burners murtherers of y t lyuely images of God but of their worme eaten Images they burne none 346 C. CArdinall Wolsey and Doctour Barnes reason togither 210 Cardinall Wolsey well pleased with his pillers and pollaxes 215 Charitie may bee deceaued but fayth cannot 250 Charitie is Gods gift 313 Chastitie compelled is agaynst the in stitution of the Gospell 328 Chastitie of Papistes most abhominable 328. 329. 330 Children of God who they are 270 Clement Pope excoÌ„municated kyng Henry the viij 198 ClemeÌ„t the pope the sonne of a Curtisan 199 Clement Pope agaynste Vrbane Pope 193 Clergy may not bee reproued 183. 184 Clergy may not bee hindered by power or potentate ibidem Clergy the enemyes of trueth 189 Christe submitted hym selfe to the higher powers 185 Christ and his Apostles ouerthrowe the Popes doctrine 187 ChristiaÌ„ man may not extremely and vncharitably sue and vexe their brethren 207 ChristieÌ„ man may lawfully demaund their debt by the law ibidem Christ onely hath wrought our redemption 227 Christ is all in all 226. 230 Christ is our example to suffer persecution paciently 296 Christes institution of the Sacrament 303 Christes bloud is to bee receaued aswell of the layetie as of the spiritualtie 304 Christ is the onely mediatour betweene God and man 347. 351 Christ onely bringeth vs into the fauour of almightie God 348 Church why it is called holy 246 Churche of God is the treasures of God without spot or wrinkle 246 Church how it is knowen 249 Church that is true is a sufferer and not a
contrary The mayde of Kent The mayde of Ipswich 〈◊〉 the mayde of KeÌ„t were both false dissembling haâ—â—â—tes The mayd of Kent Such as were possessed with deuils fled froÌ„ Christ A false delusion to bryng vs to Idolatry S. Bartholomew Our Lady dyd the mayde of Kent small pleasure Orestes Traditâ—… Allegory â–ª A true exposition of the parable of the â—aâ—…tan All that God hath not planted shal be plucked vp by the rootes Byshops should be seruaunted and not Lordes Actes 15. The Pope will not obey princes though God haue commaunded hym so to do TraditioÌ„s Christes burthen is easie and gentle Math. 5. ☞ The salt of our Prelates iâ— vnâ—…ery Fayth loue charitie arâ— iij. sisters We must beleue neither to much nor yet litle We are promised all thinges for our Sauiour Christes sake â–ª not for the Saintes Iohn 21. The virginitie of our Lady Antichrist is knowen Paules traditions were the doctrine of the Gospel Christes Supper not Masse The consecration Water mixed with the wyne 1. Cor. 14. Iustification of workes Saboth The Saboth day holy dayes are made for be not â—…e for theÌ„ Why women Baptise Why the Prelates vnderstand not the Scripture A good tale if it were long enough Ye can not spede well if ye trye the doctrine of our Prelates by the Scripture All beleue in God that haue the lawe written in their hartâ— The Churche must shewe a reason of theyr doctrine Popes may not be beleued without Scripture Corusailes ought to conclude eccordyng to the Scriptures Luke 16. Luke 10. Math. 18. Math. 〈◊〉 The cause why the Apostles wrote the Gospels Iohn 20. 1. Iohn 2. The Pope and hys Cardinals erred in K. Henry the â—ights case M. Mores conclusion â–ª ☜ The furest way to oppresse true doctrine is to say the preachers fall The Pope is 〈◊〉 â—…st 〈◊〉 Pet. 2. Rom. 3. A swarme of sectes set vp by the Pope The Pope by setting vp of false workes denieth the truth of gods word The Pope selleth sinne and paine all that 〈◊〉 be solde Math. 24 â–ª The popish church are 〈◊〉 but no sufferes 1. Cor. 10. The church of Chriâ—… euer persecuted 2. Thess 〈◊〉 The church of Antichrist is the false church â–ª and euer y e greater number The Pope is a deuelishe blasphemer of God The Pope is aboue kyng and Emperor The Pope persecuteth the word of God S. Paule describeth the Pope his in their coâ—ters Gods worde is y t power and pith of all goodnes Confession Loue is of theÌ„selues Couetous Hye mynded Proude Raylers Disobedient Vnthankefull Vngodly â–ª Churlishe Promise breaketh Accusâ—rs Headyâ— Leuyng lustes Appearaunce of godlynesse The Pope and his are mighty iugglers ☞ In the Churche shall there be for euer both good and euill This word Church is taken ij maner wayes The spirituall Churche of God are called LutheraÌ„s and heretickes The fleshly Churche serue God with workes of their owne Friers ☜ The blasing of hypocrites Calil is a sacrifice that no mâ— may haue any parte therof The small flocke of Christ commeth to the word and promises of God Actes 9. Actes 2. Christ onely is the perfect coÌ„forteâ— of the Christian ☞ The Christian maÌ„ in all thinges seketh â—he honour of Christ The Christian selâ—eth his saluatioÌ„ onely in Christ A pretye 〈◊〉 nâ—â—thesis betwen the Popes Churche Christes litle flocke ☜ The Popish church auÌ„swereth The litle flocke The Popes church The maner oâ— y t Popes cleargie Little flock gâ—â—th euer to wracke The Pope 〈…〉 be â—â—â—d by scripture by scripture must be iudged 〈◊〉 ☞ Iohn 5. None can minister the Sacramentes superâ—…ly but the Popes generation 1. Cor. 2. The naturall carnall man sauoreth not the thinge that be of God Rom. 5. God is fatherly to his elect members Rom. 7. Iâ— we sinne of frailtie God is mercifull ready to forgeue The new life doth tame the fleshe and serue her neighbour â–ª God seketh vs and we not hym More a lying papist Sir Thomas Hitton The Pope hath no martyrs 1. Iohn 3. There is a church that sinneth not The churh is double Gal. 5. The carnall church sinneth Two maner faithes Iohn 15. The â—aith of them that be called â–ª but not elect The Pope hideth the scripture The heretikes be fallen out of the mist Why many â—all Councels ☜ Saintes Luke 1â—… Luke 7. Christ dyâ— such seruice as all the Saintes could not do 1. Cor. 3. We may not trust to Saintes Prayer to Saintes is a great superstition Before Christ we vsed not to pray to Saintes M. More destroyeth the resurrection Math. 2â— 1. Cor. 15. 1. Thes 4. The more trust we haue in Saintes the lesse we haue in Christ Phisitions We must first call vppon God then sende for the phisition The fleshly mynded caÌ„not iudge the thinges that be of God 1. Cor. 3. More driueth from God Heb. 4. Iohn 1â— Ephes 2. We may be bolde to â—â—sort to god for he â—…leth vs so to do M. More is against the Popes profite Purgatory â–ª 〈◊〉 purgatory visible and a purgatory inâ—â—sible Canonisâ—… How you may know who be Saintes in heauen King Henry of Windsore A straunge doctrine to pray to him for helpe that is dead damned The Israelites were â—o in number theÌ„ the Iewes The Iewes committed Idolatry God euer reserueth a litle flocke More feareth not to worship an vncoÌ„secrated hosâ—e 1. Cor. 1. We must first know the true way then agree in the same Christ rebuked the false trust the Iewes had in their wil works The myracles done by the prophetes and Apostles was to coÌ„firme their doctrine Christ made the woman whole and not hys coate Miracles were done for the confirmation of doctrine A filthy chapter Latriâ— Moses Moses â–ª bones The brasen Serpent God is a spirite and wil be worshipped spiritually The Idolatrouâ— persoÌ„ worshippeth the Image for y t Saint Processionâ— though they be abused may not be put downe Wilde Irishe Welch meÌ„ Many thinges are altered for the abuses sake Ezechâ—as The true preaching of Gods worde remoueth theft and an other wickednes ☞ A good maÌ„ may erre yet not be dampned Thâ— myracles of Saintes confirme mans imaginations There were no doctours neither Apostles that did myracles to establishe the worshipping of â—amages Witches where true doctrine is set forth â–ª there needeth no myracle ☜ Let y â— Papistes for lacke of scriptures come torch and do miracles Gods worâ— to y â— touchstone to triâ— myracles The â—ectes in y â— popists church are almost innumerable Mahomets doctrine hath preuailed these viij hundred yeares The cause of false miracles Where the Scripture is there nedeth no miracles The preachers of the worde of God nede no miracles False docctrine was neuer persecuted The Papistes are ashamed of their LegeÌ„d of lyes The deuill hath holpeÌ„ Popes to their dignities The cause why the Turkes Iewes caâ— not come to to the truth Popish doctrine nedeth miracles but Christes
his daughter is rauished his wife is defiled and that of his owne sonne Rahell dyeth Ioseph is taken away yea as he supposed rent of wild beastes And yet how glorious was his ende Note the weakenesse of his children yea and the sinne of them and how God thorow their owne wickednes saued them These examples teache vs that a man is not at once perfect the first day he begynneth to liue well They that be strong therefore must suffer with the weake helpe thē in vnity and peace one with an other vntill they be stronger Note what the brethren sayd when they were tached in Egypt we haue verely sinned sayd they agaynst our brother in that we saw the anguish of his soule when hee besought vs and would not heare him and therfore is this tribulation come vppon vs. By which example thou seest how that cōscience of euill doynges findeth men out at last But namely in tribulation and aduersitie there temptatiō and also desperatiō yea and the very paynes of hell finde vs out there there y t soule feeleth the fierce wrath of GOD and wisheth moūtaines to fall on her and to hyde her if it were possible from the angry face of God Marke also how great euils folow of howe litle an occasion Dina goeth but forth alone to see the daughters of the countrey and how great mischief and trouble foloweth Iacob loued but one sonne more then an other and howe greuous murther folowed in their hartes These are examples for our learnyng to teache vs to walke warely and circumspectly in y t world of weake people that we geue no man occasions of euill Finally see what GOD promised Ioseph in his dreames These promises accompanyed him alwayes and went downe with hym euen into the depe dongeon And brought hym vp agayne And neuer forsoke hym till all y t was promised was fulfilled These are examples writtē for our learnyng as Paule saith to teach vs to trust in God in the strōg fire of tribulation purgatory of our fleshe And that they whiche submitte them selues to folow GOD should note and marke such thynges for learnyng and comfort is the frute of the scripture cause why it was written And with such a purpose to read it is the way to euerlasting life and to those ioysul blessings that are promised vnto all nations in the seede of Abraham whiche seede is Iesus Christ our Lord to whom be honour and prayse for euer and vnto God our father thorow him Amen A Table expoundyng certayne wordes in the first booke of Moses called Genesis ABrech tender father or as some will how the knee Arke a shyppe made flat as it were a chest or cofer Bisse fine white whether it be silke or lynen Blesse Gods blessings are his gifts as in the first Chapter he blessed them saying grow and multiply and haue dominion c. And in the ix Chapter he blessed Noe and his sonnes and gaue them dominion ouer all beastes and authoritie to eat them And God blessed Abraham with cattell and other riches And Iacob desired Esau to receaue the blessing whiche he brought hym that is the present and gift God blessed y t vij day that is gaue it a preheminēce that men should rest therin from bodily labour and learne to know the wil of God his lawes and how to worke their workes godly all the weeke after God also blesseth all nations in Abrahams sede that is he turneth hys loue fauour vnto them and geueth them his spirite and knowledge of the true way and lust and power to walke therin and all for Christes sake Abrahams sonne Cain so is it writtē in Hebrue Notwithstandyng whether we call hym Cain or Caim it maketh no matter so we vnderstand the meanyng Euery land hath his maner that we cal Iohn the Welshmen call Euan the Dutch Haunce Such difference is betwene y t Ebrue Greke and Latine and that maketh them that translate out of the Ebrue varie in names from them that translate out of Latine or Greke Curse Gods curse is the takyng away of his benefites as God cursed y t earth and made it barren So now hunger dearth warre pestilence and such like are yet right curses signes of the wrath of God vnto the vnbeleuers but vnto thē that know Christ they are very blessings and that wholsome crosse and true purgatory of our flesh through which all must goe that will liue godly and be saued as thou readest Math. 5. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnes sake c And Hebr. 11. The lord chastiseth whom he loueth and scourgeth all the children that he receaueth Eden pleasure Firmament the sky Fayth is the beleuyng of Gods promises and a sure trust in the goodnes and truth of God which fayth iustified Abrah Gen. 15. and was the mother of all his good workes whiche he afterafterward did for faith is the goodnes of all works in the sight of god Good workes are things of gods commaundement wrought in fayth And to sow a shoe at the commaundemēt of God to doe thy neighboure seruice withall with fayth to be saued by Christe as God promiseth vs is much better thē to build an abbey of thine owne imagination trusting to bee saued by the fained workes of hipocrites Iacob robbed Laban hys vncle Moses robbed the Egiptians And Abraham is aboute to slay and burne his own sonne and all are holye workes because they are wrought in fayth at Gods commaundement To steale robbe and murder are no holye workes before worldly people but vnto them that haue their trust in God they are holy when God commaundeth them What God commaundeth not getteth no rewarde with god Holy workes of mens imaginations receaue their rewarde here as Christ testisieth Math. 6. Howbeit of fayth and workes I haue spoken aboundantly in Mammon Let him that desireth more seeke there Grace fauour as Noe founde grace that is to say found fauour and loue Ham and Cam all one Iehouah is gods name neither is any creature so called and it is as much to say as one that is of himselfe and dependeth of nothing Moreouer as ofte as thou seest LORDE in greate letters except there be any error in the printing it is in Hebrue Iehouah thou that art or he that is Marshall in Hebrue he is called Sartabaim as thou wouldest say Lorde of the slaughter men And thoughe that Tabaim be taken for cookes in manye places for the cookes did slaye the beastes themselues in those days yet it may be taken for them that put men to execution also and that I thought it should here best signify in as muche as he had the ouersight of the kynges prison and the kyngs prisoners were they neuer so greate men were vnder his custodie therfore I cal him chief Marshal an officer as it were y t Lieuetenaunt of the tower or maister of the Marshalsey Slyme was their morter chap. 11. and slyme
shewe your mercy do a deede of mercy meanyng thereby y t our deedes declare how we loue our neighbours how much we haue compassion on theÌ„ at their neede Moreouer it is not possible to loue except we see a cause Except we see in our hartes y t loue kyndnes of God to vs warde in Christ our Lord it is not possible to loue God aright We say also he that loueth not my dogge loueth not me Nor that a maÌ„ should loue my dogge first But if a man loued me the loue wherewith he loueth me would compell him to loue my dogge though the dogge deserued it not yea though the dogge had done him a displeasure yet if he loued me the same loue would refrayne hym from reuenging himselfe and cause him to referre the vengeaunce vnto me Such speakinges finde we in scripture Iohn in the fourth of hys first epistle sayth He that saith I loue God and yet bateth his brother is a lyar For how can he that loueth not his brother whom he seeth loue God whom he seeth not This is not spoken that a man should first loue hys brother and then God but as it foloweth For this commaundement haue we of hym that he which loueth God should loue his brother also To loue my neighbour is the commaundemeÌ„t which commaundement he that loueth not loueth not GOD The keeping of the commaundemeÌ„t declareth what loue I haue to God If I loued God purely nothing that my neighbour coulde do were able to make me eyther to hate him eyther to take vengeaunce on hym my selfe seing that God hath coÌ„maunded me to loue him to remitte all veÌ„geaunce vnto hym Marke now how much I loue the coÌ„maundement so much I loue God how much I loue God so much beleue I that he is mercifull kynde and good yea and a father vnto me for Christes sake how much I beleue that God is mercifull vnto me and that he will for Christes sake fulfill all his promises vnto me so much I see my sinnes so much do my sins greue me so much do I repent and sorrow that I sinne so much displeaseth me that poyson that moueth me to sinne and so greatly desire I to be healed So now by the naturall order first I see my sinne then I repeÌ„t and sorrow then beleue I Gods promises that he is mercifull vnto me and forgeueth me and will heale me at the last then loue I and then I prepare my selfe to the commaundement THis do and thou shalt liue Luc. x. that is to say loue thy Lord God with all thy hart with all thy soule with all thy strength and with all thy mynde and thy neighbour as thy self As who should say if thou do this or though thou canst not do it yet if thou â—ealest lust thereunto and thy spirite sigheth mourneth and longeth after strength to do it take a signe and euident token thereby that the spirite of life is in thee and that thou art electe to life euerlasting by Christes bloude whose gift and purchase is thy fayth and that spirite that worketh the will of God in thee whose gift also are thy deedes or rather the deedes of the spirite of christ and not thine and whose gift is the reward of eternal life which foloweth good workes It followeth also in the same place of Luke When he shoulde departe he plucked out two pence and gaue them to the host and sayde vnto him Take the charge or cure of him and what soeuer thou spendest more I wil recompeÌ„ce it thee at my coÌ„ming agayne Remember this is a parable and a parable may not be expounded worde by worde but the intent of the similitude must be sought out onely in the whole parable The intent of the similitude is to shew to whom a man is a neighbour or who is a mans neighbour which is both one what is to loue a mans neighbour as him selfe The Samaritane holpe him and shewed mercy as long as he was present and when he could be no longer present he left his money behind him and if that were not sufficient he left his credence to make good the rest and forsoke him not as long as y â— other had need TheÌ„ sayd Christ goe thou and do likewise that is without difference or respectioÌ„ of persons whosoeuer needeth thy helpe him count thy neighbour his neighbor be thou and shew mercy on him as long as he nedeth thy succour and that is to loue a mans neighbour as him selfe Neighbour is a word of loue and signifieth that a man shoulde be euer nigh and at hand and ready to helpe in tune of neede They that will enterpret parables worde by worde fall into straights oft-times whence they can not rid themselues And preach lyes in stead of the truth as do they whiche enterpret by the ij pence the old testament and the new and by that which is bestowed Opera supererogationis howbeit Superarrogantia were a meeter terme that is to say deedes which are more then the law requireth deeds of perfection and of liberalitie which a man is not bouÌ„d to do but of his free will And for them he shal haue an higher place in heauen and may geue to other of his merites or of whiche the pope after his deathe may geue pardons from the paines of purgatorye Against whiche exposition I aunswere first a greater perfection then the law is there not A greater perfection then to loue God and his will which is the commaundementes with all thine hart with all thy soule with all thy strength with all thy minde is there none And to loue a mans neighbour as himselfe is like the same It is a wonderfull loue wherewith a man loueth himselfe As glad as I woulde be to receiue pardon of mine owne life if I had deserued death so glad ought I to be to defend my neighboures life without respect of my life or of my good A man ought neither to spare his goods nor yet himselfe for his brothers sake after the ensample of Christ 1. Iohn 3. Herein sayth he perceiue we loue in that he y t is to say Christ gaue his life for vs. We ought therefore to bestowe our liues for the brethren Nowe sayeth Christ Iohn xv There is no greater loue then that a man bestow his life for his frend Moreouer no man caÌ„ fulfil the law For Iohn sayth i. Chapter of the said epistle if we say we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues and truth is not in vs. If we knowledge our sinnes he is faithfull and righteous to forgeue vs our sinnes and to purge vs from all iniquitie And in the Pater noster also we say father forgeue vs our sins Now if we be all sinners none fulfilleth the lawe For he that fulfilleth the lawe is no sinner In the lawe may neither Peter nor Paule nor any other creature saue Christ onely reioyce In the bloud of
this threatning and forbidding the laye people to reade the Scripture is not for loue of your soules which they care for as the Foxe both for the Geesse is euident and clearer then the Sunne in as much as they permitte and suffer you to read Robbin Hode Beuis of Hampton Hercules Hector and Troylus with a thousand histories and fables of loue and wantones and of rybaudry as filthy as hart can thinke to corrupt the mindes of youth withall cleane contrary to the doctrine of Christ and of his Apostles For Paule Ephes v. sayth see that fornication and all vncleannes or couetousnes be not once named amonge you as it becommeth Saintes neither filthines neither foolishe talking nor gesting whiche are not comely For this ye knowe that no whoremonger either vncleane person or couetous person which is the worshipper of images hath any enheritaunce in the kyngdome of Christ and of God And after sayth he thorough such thyngs commeth the wrath of God vpon the children of vnbeliefe Now seyng they permitte you freely to reade those thynges which corrupte your myndes and robbe you of the kingdome of God and Christ and bring the wrath of God vpon you how is this forbidding for loue of your soules A thousand reasons moe might be made as thou mayst see in Paraclesis Erasmi in his preface to the paraphasis of Mathew vnto which they should be cōpelled to holde their peace or to geue shamefull aunsweres But I hope that these are sufficient vnto them that thyrst the truth God for his mercy and truth shall well open them moe yea and other secretes of hys Godly wisedome if they be diligent to cry vnto him which grace graunt God Amen ¶ The Prologue vnto the booke FOr asmuch as our holy Prelates and our ghostly religious which ought to defēd gods word speake euil of it and do all the shame they cā to it rayle on it beare their captiues in hād that it causeth insurrectiō teacheth the people to disobey their heades gouernours moueth thē to rise against their Princes and to make all common and to make hauoke of other mēs goodes therfore haue I made this litle treatise that foloweth cōteinyng all obedience that is of god In which who soeuer readeth it shal easly perceaue not the cōtrary onely that they lye but also the very cause of such blasphemy and what stirreth thē so furiously to rage and to belye the truth Howbeit it is no new thyng vnto the word of God to be rayled vpon neither is this the first tyme that hypocrites haue ascribed to Gods worde the vengeaunce where of they thē selues were euer cause For the hypocrites with their false doctrine and Idolatry haue euermore ledde the wrath and vengeaunce of God vpon the people so sore that God could no lēger forbeare nor differre his punishmēt Yet God which is alwayes mercyfull before he would take vengeaūce hath euer sent hys true Prophetes and true Preachers to warne the people that they might repent But the people for the most part and namely the heades and rulers through comfort and persuadyng of the hyopcrites haue euer waxed more hard harted then before and haue persecuted the word of God and his Prophetes Thē God whiche is also righteous hath alwayes poured his plagues vppon them without delay Which plagues the hypocrites ascribe vnto Gods word saying see what mischeue is come vpō vs sence this new learnyng came vp and this new sect and this newe doctrine This seest thou Hieremias xliiij Where the people cryed to goe to their old Idolatry agayne saying sence we left it we haue bene in all necessitie and haue bene consumed with warre and hunger But the Prophet aunswered them that their Idolatry wēt vnto the hart of God so that he could no lenger suffer the maliciousnes of theyr owne imaginations or inuētions that the cause of all such mischieues was because they would not heare the voyce of the Lord and walke in his law ordinaunces and testimonies The Scribes and the Phariseis layd also to Christes charge Luke xxiij that be moued the people to sedition And sayd to Pylate we haue found this felow peruertyng the people and forbiddyng to pay tribute to Caesar and sayth that he is Christ a kyng And agayne in the same Chapter hee moueth the people sayd they teachyng throughout Iury and began at Galile euen to this place So likewise layd they to the Apostles charge as thou mayst see in the Actes S. Cyprian also and S. Augustine and many other mo made workes in defence of the word of God against such blasphemies So that thou mayst see how that it is no new thyng but an old and accustomed thyng with the hypocrites to wyte Gods word and the true Preachers of all the mischieue which their lying doctrine is the very cause of Neuer the later in very dede after the preachyng of Gods worde because it is not truly receaued God sendeth great trouble into the world partly to auenge hym selfe of the tyrauntes and persecutours of his worde and partly to destroye those worldly people whiche make of Gods word nothyng but a cloke of their fleshly libertie They are not all good that folow the Gospell Christ Math. xiij like neth the kyngdome of heauen vnto a net cast in the Sea that katcheth fishes both good and bad The kyngdome of heauen is the preachyng of the Gospell vnto which come both good and bad But the good are fewe Christ calleth them therfore a litle flocke Luke xij For they are euer few that come to the Gospell of a true entent seekyng therin nothyng but the glorye and prayse of God and offering thē selues frely and willingly to take aduersitie with Christe for the Gospels sake and for bearyng recorde vnto the truth that al men may heare it The greatest nomber come and euer came and folowed euen Christ hym selfe for a worldly purpose As thou mayst well see Iohn vj. howe that almost fiue thousand folowed Christ and would also haue made hym a kyng because he had well fedde them Whom he rebuked saying ye seke me not because ye saw the miracles But because ye eat of the bread and were filled and droue them away from him with hard preachyng Euen so now as euer the most parte seke libertie They be glad when they heare the vnsatiable couetousnes of the spiritualitie rebuked When they heare their falsehood and wiles vttered When tyrāny and oppressiō is preached against When they heare how kynges and all officers should rule christenly and brotherly seke no other thyng saue the wealth of their subiectes and when they heare that they haue no such authoritie of God so to pylle and polle as they doe and to raise vp taxes and gatherynges to maynteine their phantasies and to make warre they wote not for what cause And therefore because the heades will not so rule will they
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
for the subdueyng of the flesh and not commaund as a tyraunt vnder payne of damnation and to make satisfaction Thus wise let him say brother or sister ye be bouÌ„d vnder payne of deadly sinne to tame your flesh by some maner of way that ye sinne not agaynst God I know no better then this my councell my desire therfore is that ye vse this till either ye haue no more nede or till god shew you some better c. And let the elders consider diligently the course of their youth and with wisedome counsell and discrete gouernaunce helpe the younger to auoyde the perils and ieopardies whiche they haue learned by their owne experieÌ„ce to be in that dauÌ„gerous iourney Moreouer when the people be falleÌ„ from their professioÌ„ and from the law as it shal be impossible for the preacher to kepe the great multitude together if the temporal sword be slacke and negligent in punishing open offences as they euer haue and wil be saue in those poyntes onely wherein lyeth the pith of their owne profite and aduauntage and the weight of their honour main tenaunce of their dignities and when God also as hys promise is hath brought vppon them the curses of the law hunger dearth battaile pestilence and all maner of plagues with all misfortune and euill lucke Then let the true preachers be importune shew the people the causes of their miserie wretched aduersitie and expounde the law to them and bring them to knowledge of their sinnes and so binde their consciences and draw them to repentaunce and to the appointement couenaunt of the Lord agayne As many holy Prophetes Priestes and Kinges in the old Testament did call the people backe and brought them agayne in tyme of aduersitie vnto the appoyntement of the Lord. And the Priest Prophete or Kyng in Gods stede smote handes with them and tooke an oth of them to be the Lordes people and to turne agayne to the Lordes couenauÌ„t for to keepe his law and to beleue in his promises And God immediatly withdrew his hand and ryd them out of all captiuitie and daunger became as mercyfull as euer before But we ChristeÌ„ haue bene very seldome or neue called agayne to the couenaunt of the Lord the law of God and fayth of Christ But to the couenaunt of the Pope often As he now clocketh a pase for his chekyns will both proue all his old policies seke and imagine new practises And if the people come agayne let the Priest or Byshop after the ensample of the Prophetes and hygh Priestes of the Israelites take an oth in Gods stede of the Kyng and Lordes And let the Kyng and Lordes receaue an othe of the people and folow the example of the Niniuites in fastyng and praying Some man will say seyng fastyng is to withdraw all pleasures from the body and to punish the flesh then God deliteth in our payne takyng c. I auÌ„swere God deliteth in true obedience in all that we do at his commaundement and for the entent that he commanndeth it for If thou loue and pitie thy neighbour and helpe him thy almose is acceptable If thou do it of vayne glory to haue the prayse that belongeth to God or for a greater profite onely or to make satisfactioÌ„ for thy sinnes past and to dishonour Christes bloud which hath made it all ready then is thyne almose abhominable If thy prayer be thaÌ„kes in hart or callyng to God for helpe with trust in him accordyng to his promise theÌ„ thy prayer pleaseth If thou beleue in Christes bloud for the remission of sinnes and henceforth hatest sinne that thou punishest thy body to fle thy lustes to kepe them vnder that thou sinne not again then it pleaseth God excedingly But if thou thinke that God delyteh in the worke for the worke it self the true intent away in thy payne for thy pame it selfe y â— art as farre out of the way as froÌ„ heauen to the earth If y â— wouldest kil thy body or wheÌ„ it is tame inough â–ª payne him further that thou were not able to serue God thy neighbour accordyng to the rowme and estate thou art in thy sacrifice were cleane without salt all together vnsauery in the tast of God and thou mad and out of thy witte But and if thou trust in thy worke then art thou abhominable Now let vs looke on the Popes fast First the entent should be to â—ame thy lustes not lechery onely but prâ—… chiefly wrath malice hate 〈◊〉 couetousnes and to keepe the lawe of God and therefore standeth not in meate and drinke onely but how they keepe Gods lawe compare it to their deedes and thou shalt see Secondarily the fast of the olde lawe was to put on mourning clothes as heire or sack and neither to eate nor drinke vâ—…ll night and all the while to pray and to do almose deedes and shewe mercy And at euen they eate fleshe and what God geue soberly as little as woulde sustaine the body c. The Popes fast is commonly onely to eate no fleshe I say not looke how leaue they be but consider what a taming of the fleshe it is to eate ten or twenty manner of fishes dressed afâ—er the costliest maner to sitte a cople of houres and to poure in of the best wine and Ale that may be gotten And at night to banquet with dew as they say of all maner of fruits and confections marmelad Succad Grenegynger comffettes sugerplate with malmesay romney burnt with suger Synamond cloues with bastarde Muscadell and Ipocrasie c. Thinke ye not that such dewes wyth drinking a peece of saltfishe or a Pickrell doth not tame y t body excedingly Furthermore that the true entent is away both of their fasting prayers it is euident first by the multiplying of them for when the Iewes had loste the vnderstanding of their sacrifices and did beleue in the worke then they were mad vpon them that well was he that could robbe him selfe to offer most in so much that the Prophetes cryed out against them that their offeringes stanke in the nose of God And ours had so multiplyed their fasting that they coulde no longer beare them At the beginning they were tollerable for the vauntage quia leuis est labor cuÌ„ lâ—â—ro But when they had purchased inough and inough agayne they became intollerable And therefore all our Monkes whose profession was neuer to eate fleshe set vp the Pope tooke dispensations both for that fast and also for their straite rules made their straite rules as wide as y e hoodes of their cowles And as for the hipocrisie of the fratrie where they eate but inuisible flesh or that is interpret to be no fleshe is spoken of in other places An other prooffe is that they so long a tyme haue geuen pardons of
bynde vpon earth shall be bounde in heauen see frendes these be not our wordes but our master Christes And they shall do myracies in Christes name therto to confirme the false doctrine which they preach in his name O fearefull and terrible iudgement of almighty God and senteÌ„ce of extreme rigorousnes vpon all that loue not the truth when it is preached them that God to aduenge himselfe of their vnkyndnesse shall sende them so strong delusions that doctrine should be preached vnto them in the name of Christ and made seeme to follow out of hys wordes and be confirmed with myracies done in calling vpon the name of Christ to hardeÌ„ their harts in the faith of lyes according to the prophesie of Paule to the Thessalonians in the second Epistle An other of their sheepes coates is that they shall in euery sermon preach mightely agaynst the Scribes Phariseyes against Faustus and Pelagian with such like hereticks which yet neuer preached other doctrine then they themselues do And more of their clothing is they shall preach that Christ preached almost prayer and fasting and professe obedience pouertie and chastitie workes that our Sauiour Christ both preached and did Finally they be holy church and cannot erre But they be within rauening wolnes They preach to other steale not yet they themselues robbe God of hys honour and take from him the prayse and profite of all their doctrine and of all their workes They robbe y t lawe of God of her mighty power wherewith she driueth all men to Christ and make her so weake that the feble free will of man is not able to wrestle with her without calling to Christ for help They haue robbed Christ of all hys merites and clothed themselues therewith They haue robbed the soule of man of the bread of her life the fayth and trust in Christes bloud and haue fedde her with the shales and coddes of the hope in their merites and confidence in their good workes They haue robbed the workes coÌ„maunded by God of the entent purpose that they were ordeined for And with their obedience they haue drawen themselues from vnder the obedience of all Princes and temporall lawes with their pouertie they haue robbed all nations and kyngdomes and so with their wilfull pouertie haue enriched themselues and haue made the commons poore with their chastitie they haue filled all the worlde full of whores and sodomites thinking to please God more highly with keeping of an whore then an honest chast wife If they say it is not truth then all the worlde knoweth they lye for if a priest mary an honest wife they punishe hym immediatly and say he is an hainous hereticke as though matrimony were abhominable But if he keepe a whore then is he a good chast childe of their holy father the Pope whose ensample they follow and I warrant hym sing Masse on the next day after as well as he did before without eyther persecution or excommunication such are the lawes of their vnchast I would say their owne chast father If thou professe obedience why ruÌ„nest thou from father mother maister and ruler which God biddeth thee to obey to be a Fryer If thou obey why obeyest thou not the king and his law by whom God defendeth thee both in lyfe and goodes and all thy great possessions If thou professe pouertie what doest thou with the landes of Gentlemen Squyres Knightes Barons Erles and Dukes What shoulde a Lordes brother be a beggers seruauÌ„t or what should a begger ride with thre or foure score horses wayting on hym Is it meete that a man of noble byrth and y â— right heyre of the landes which thou possessest should be thyne horsekeeper thou being a begger If ye professe chastitie why desire ye aboue all other men the company of women What do ye with whores openly in many countreyes and wyth secrete dispensations to keepe Concubines Why corrupt ye so much other mens wiues and why be there so many sodomites among you Your charitie is mercilesse to the rest of the world to whom ye may geue nought agayne and onely liberall to your selues as is y e charitie of theues thirty or fourty of you together in one denne among which yet are not many that loue three of his neighbours hartely Your fasting maketh you as full and as fat as your hydes can holde beside that ye haue a dispensation of your holy father for your fasting Your prayer is but pattering without all affection your singing is but roaring to stretch out your mawes as do your othee gestures and rising at midnight to make the meate sinke to the bottome of the stomacke that he may haue perfect digestion and be ready to deuour a freshe against the next refection Ye shal know them by their fruites First thornes beare no grapes nor bryers figges Also if thou see goodly blossomes in them and thinkest there to haue figges grapes or any fruit for the sustenaunce or comfort of man goe to theÌ„ in time of neede and thou shalt finde nought at all Thou shalt finde forsouth I haue no goodes nor any thing proper or that is myne owne It is the couentes I were a theefe if I gaue it my father whatsoeuer neede he had It is Saint Edmundes patrimony Saint Albons patrimony S. Edwardes patrimony the goodes of holy church it may not be minished nor occupied vpon laye and prophane vses The king of the realme for all that he defendeth them aboue al other yet getteth he nought what neede so euer he haue saue then onely when he must spend on their causes aâ— that they geue with all that he can get beside of his poore commons If the king will attempt to take ought from them by the aucthoritie of his office for the defence of the realme Or if any man wil entreat them other wise then they lust themselues by what law or right it be they turne to thornes and bryers and waxe atonce rougher then a hedgehogge and will sprinkle them wyth the holy water of their malidictions as thicke as hayle and breath out the lightening of excommunication vpon them and so consume them to pouder Moreouer a corrupt tree can beare no good fruite That is where they haue fruite that semeth to be good goe to and proue it and thou shalt finde it rotten or the karnell eaten out and that it is but as a hollow â—â—tâ— For fayth in Christ that we and all our workes done within the compasse of the lawe of God be accepted to God for his sake is the kernell the sweetenesse and the pleasaunt beutie of al our workes in the sight of God As it is written Ioh. vi this is the worke of God that ye beleue in him whom he hath sent This faith is a worke which God not onely worketh in vs but also hath therein pleasure and delectatioÌ„ and in all other for that faithes sake Faith is
for his death sake and neuer thinke on thē more then it serueth me I not it doth me y e same seruice as if I read the Testament in a booke or as if the preacher preached it vnto me And in lyke maner if I make a crosse in my forehead in a remembraunce that God hath promised assistaunce vnto all that beleue in him for his sake that dyed on the crosse then doth the crosse serue me and I not if And in like maner if I beare on me or looke vpon a crosse of what soeuer matter it be or make a crosse vpon me in remembraunce that who soeuer wil be Christes Disciple must suffer a crosse of aduersitie tribulations and persecution so doth the crosse serue me and I not it And this was the vse of the crosse once and for this cause it was at the begynnyng set vp in the Churches And so if I make an image of Christ or of any thyng that Christ hath done for me in a memory it is good and not euill vntill it be abused And euen so if I take the true lyfe of a Saint and cause it to be painted or carued to put me in remembraunce of the Saintes lyfe to folow the Saint as the Saint did Christ and to put me in remembraunce of the great fayth of the Saint to God and how true God was to helpe him out of all tribulatiō and to see the Saintes loue towardes his neighbour in that he so paciently suffered so paynefull a death so cruell Martyrdome to testifie the truth for to saue other and all to strength my soule with all and my fayth to God and loue to my neighbour then doth the image serue me and I not it And this was the vse of images at the begynnyng of reliques also And to knele before the crosse vnto the word of God which the crosse preacheth is not euill Neither to knele downe before an image in a mans meditations to call the liuyng of the saint to mynde for to desire God of lyke grace to folow the exāple is not euill But the abuse of the thing is euill and to haue a false fayth as to beare a pece of the crosse about a mā thinking that so long as that is about him spirites shall not come at hym his enemyes shall do hym no bodely harme all causes shal go on his side euen for bearing it about him and to thinke that if it were not about hym it would not be so and to thinke if any misfortune chaūce that it came for leauing it of or because this or that ceremonie was left vndone and not rather because we haue broken Gods cōmaundemēts or that God tēpteth vs to proue our patience This is playne idolatry here a man is captiue bond seruaūt vnto a false fayth a false imagination that is neyther God nor his worde Now am I Gods onely and ought to serue nothing but God and his worde My body must serue y t rulers of this world and my neighbour as God hath appointed it and so must all my goods but my soule must serue God onely to loue his lawe and to trust in hys promises of mercy in all my deedes And in like manner it is that thousandes while the Priest pattereth S. Iohns Gospell in Latine ouer their heades crosse themselues with I trow a legion of crosses behynde and before and wyth reuerence on the very arses and as Iacke of napes when hee claweth himselfe plucke vp their legges and crosse so much as their heeles and the very soles of their fete and beleue that if it be done in the time that he readeth the gospel and els not that there shal no mischaunce happen them that day because onely of those crosses And where he should crosse hymselfe to be armed and to make himselfe strong to beare the crosse with Christ be crosseth himselfe to driue the crosse from hym and blesseth hymselfe with a crosse frō the crosse And if he leaue it vndone he thinketh it no smal sinne and that god is highly displeased with him and it any misfortune chaunce thinketh it is therefore which is also Idolatry and not Gods worde And such is the confidēce in the place or image or whatsoeuer bodely obseruaunce it be such is S Agathes letter written in the Gospell tyme. And such are y e crosses on palmesonday made in the passion tyme. And such is the bearing of holy waxe about a man And such is that some hang a pece of S. Iohns Gospell about their neckes And such is to beare y e names of god with crosses betwene ech name about them Such is the saying of gospels vnto women in childbed Such is the limeteriers saying of in principio erat verbum from house to house Such is the saying of Gospels to the corne in the field in the procession weeke that it should the better grow And such is holy bread holy water and seruing of all ceremonies and sacramentes in generall without signification And I pray you how is it possible that y e people can worship images reliques ceremonies and sacramentes saue superstitiously so long as they know not the true meaning neyther wyll y e Prelates suffer any man to tell them yea and the very meaning of some and right vse no man can tell And as for the riches that is bestowed on images and reliques they can not proue but that it is abhominable as long as the poore are dispised and vncared for and not first serued for whose sakes and to finde preachers offeringes tithes landes rentes and all that they haue was geuen the spiritualitie They wil say we may do both May or not may I see that the one most necessary of both is not done but the poore are bereued of the spiritualtie of all that was in tyme passed offered vnto thē Moreouer though both were done they shall neuer proue that the sight of golde and siluer and of precious stones should moue a mās hart to dispise such thinges after the doctrine of Christ Neither can the rich coat helpe to moue thy mynde to follow the ensample of the Saint but rather if he were purtrayde as he suffered in the most vngoodly wise Which thing taken away that such thynges with all other seruice as sticking vp candels moue not thy mynde to follow the ensample of the Saint nor teach thy soule any godly learning thē the image serueth not thee but thou y t Image and so art thou an Idolater that is to say in Englishe a serue Image And thus it appeareth that your vngodly and belly doctrine wherwith ye so magnifie the deedes of your ceremonies and of your pilgrimages and offering for the deede it selfe to please God and to obtaine the fauour of dead Saintes and not to moue you and to put you in remembraunce of the lawe of God and of the promises which are in his sonne
did not allow And therfore they that will be beleued without scripture are false hypocrites and not Christes church For though I know that that messenger which Christ sendeth can not lie yet in a coÌ„â—any where many liers be I can not know which is he without a token of scripture or of miracle And when he sayth the scripture it selâ—e maketh vs not to beleue the scripture but the church teacheth vs to know the scripture for a man might read it not beleue it And so I say that a man might heare you preach and yet beleue you not also And I say therto that your church teacheth nor to know the Scripture but hideth it in the Latine from the common people And from them that vnderstand latine they hid the true seâ—â—e wyth a thousand salâ—e gloses And I say moreouer that the scripture is the cause why men beleue the scripture as well as a preacher is the cause why men beleue hys preachyng For as he that first tolde in England that the Rhodes was taken was the cause why some beleued it euen 〈◊〉 might writing sent from those parties be the cause that some men which red it beleued it M. More will say that letter had his authoritie of the man that sent it and so hath the â—cripture her authority of the church Nay the scripture hath her authoritie of him that sent it that is to wete of God which thing the miracles did testifie and not of the man that brought it He will say thou knowest y e scripture by their shewing I graunt at the begynnyng I doe Then will he say why should ye not beleue them in all their other doctrine besides the scripture in al their expositions of y â— scripture as well as ye beleue them when they tell you that such and such bokes are the scripture May they not shew you a false booke yes and therfore at the beginning I beleue all a like Euery lye that they tell out of their owne braines we beleue to be scripture and so should I beleue theÌ„ if they shewed me a â—alse booke but wheÌ„ I haue read the scripture and fynd noâ— their doctrine there nor depend thereof I do not geue so great credence vnto their other doctrine as vnto y e scripture Why For I finde mo wiâ—â—esses vnto the scripture theÌ„ vnto their other doctrine I finde whole nacions and countryes that receaue the scripture refuse their other doctrine and their expositions in many places And I finde the scripture otherwise expounded of them of olde tyme theÌ„ they which now will be the church expound it Wherby their doctrine is the more suspect I finde mention made of the scripture in stories that it was when I can finde no mencion or likelihode that their doctrine was I finde in all ages that men haue resisted their doctrine with the scripture haue suffred death by the hundred thousandes in resisting their doctrine I see their doctrine brought in and mainteined by a contrary way to that by which the scripture was brought in I finde by the selfe same scripture when I looke diligently thereon that their other doctrine can not stand therewith I finde in the scripture that they which haue not Christes spirite to follow the steppes of his liuing pertaine not vnto Christ Rom. viij I finde in the scripture that they which walke in their carnall birth after the maner of the children of Adam caÌ„not vnderstaÌ„d the thinges of the spirit of God 1. Cor. 2. I finde in the scripture that they which seeke glory caÌ„ not beleue Christ Ioh. 5. I finde in y e scripture that they which submit not theÌ„selues to do y e wil of God can not know what doctrine is of god and what not Ioh. 7. I finde in the scripture Iere. 31. Heb. 8. that all the children of God which only are the true members of his church haue euery one of them the law of god written in their hartes so that if there were no law to compell they would yet naturally out of their owne hartes keepe the law of God yea and against violence compelling to the contrary And I see that they which wil be the church and to proue it hath not so great trust in the scripture as in their sophistrie in the sword which they haue set vp in all landes to keepe them with violence in the roome are so farre of froÌ„ hauing the lawes of God written in their hartes that they neither by Gods lawe nor mans refraine from their opeÌ„ outward wicked liuing Looke in the Chronicles what bloude it hath cofle England to attempt to bring theÌ„ vnder the law yea and see what busines y e Realme hath had to keepe the Prelates within the Realme from taking the benefices with them and lying at Rome and yet scarsely brought it to passe for all that the Pope hath the stint of euery Byshoppricke and of euery great Abbey therto as oft as any is voyde yer a new be admitted to the roome And I see theÌ„ bond vnto their owne will both to do and to consent vnto other to do al that God hath forbiddeÌ„ I see theÌ„ of all people most vain glorious I see them walke after their fleshly birth I see them so farre of froÌ„ the Image of Christ that not onely they will not dye for their flocke after his ensample but also yer they would lose one towne or vilage any polling or priuilege which they haue falsly gotten bryngyng them selues into good pastures with wiles shuttyng theyr flocke without they would cast away an hundred thousand of theÌ„ in one day and begger their Realmes yea and interdite them and bring in straunge nations though it were the Turke to coÌ„quere them and slea them vp so much as the innocent in the cradle And I see that their other doctrine is for their vaÌ„tage onely that therewith they haue gotten all that they haue And I finde in the Scripture that y e Iewes before the coÌ„myng of Christ knew that those bookes were the scripture by the Scribes and y e Phariseis And yet as many as beleued their other doctrine and many expositions of the scripture were deceaued as ye see and how Christ deliuered them out of errour And I see agayne which is no small miracle that the mercyfull care of God to keepe the Scripture to be a testimonie vnto his elect is so great that no men be more gelous ouer the bookes to kepe them and shew them and to alledge that they be the Scripture of God and true then they which when it is read in their eares haue no power to beleue it as the Iewes and the Popish And therfore because they neither can beleue it false neither consent that it is true as it soundeth playnly in their eares in that it is so contrary vnto their fleshly wisedome from which
thou feâ—e theÌ„ and that thine hart mourne for them and that with al thy power thou helpe to amende them and cease not to crye to God for theÌ„ neither day nor night and that thou let nothing be founde in thee that any man may rebuke but whatsoeuer thou teachest them that â—e thou and that thou be not a Wolfe in a Lambes skinne as our holy â—ather y e Pope is which commeth vnto vs in a name of hypocrisie and in the â—…e of curssed Cham or Ham calling hymselfe Seruus seruorum the seruaunt of all seruauntes and is yet founde tyrannus tyraâ—norum of all tyrauntes y e most cruell This is to receaue young children in Christes name and to receaue young children in Christes name is to beare rule in the kingdome of Christ Thus ye see that Christes kingdome is all together spirituall and the bearing of rule in it is cleane coÌ„trary vnto the bearing of rule temporally Wherfore none that beareth rule in it may haue any temporall iurisdiction or minister any temporall office that requireth violence to compell withall ¶ Peter was not greater then the other Apostles by any authoritie geuen him of Christ THey saye that Peter was chiefe of the Apostles verely as Appeâ—â—â—s was called chief of Painters for his excellent cunninge aboue other euen so Peter may be called chiefe of the Apostles for his actiuitie and boldnes aboue the other but that Peter had any auctoritie or rule ouer his brethren and felow Apostles is false and contrary to y e scripture Christ forbad it the last euen before his passion and in diuers tunes before and taught alway the contrary as I haue rehearsed Thou wilt say thou caust not see how there should be any good order in that kyngdome where none were better then other and where the superior had not a lawe and authoritie to compell the inferior with violeÌ„ce The worlde truely can see no other way to rule then with violence For there no man absteineth from euil but for feare because the loue of righteousnes is not written in their hartes And therefore the Popes kingdome is of the world For there one sorte are your grace your holines your fatherhode An other my Lord Byshop my Lord Abbot my Lord Pryor An other master Doctour Father Bachelar mayster Parson maister Vicar and at the last commeth in simple syr Iohn And euery man raigneth ouer other wyth might and haue euery ruler his prison his iayler his chaynes his tormentes euen so much as the Fryers obâ—eruauntes obserue that rule and compell euery man other with violeÌ„ce aboue the cruelnesse of the heathen tyrauntes so that what commeth once in may neuer out for feare of telling taâ—es out of schole They rule ouer the bodye with violence and compell 〈◊〉 whether the harte will or not to obserue thinges of their owne making But in the kingdome of God it is contrary For the spirite that bringeth them thether maketh them wilâ—ing and geueth them lust vnto the law of God loue coÌ„pelleth them to worke and loue maketh euerty maÌ„s good all that he can do coÌ„mune vnto his neighbours nede And as euery maÌ„ is stroÌ„g in that kyngdome so loue compelleth him to take the weake by the hand and to helpe hym and to take him that can not go vppon his shoulders and beare him And so to do seruice vnto the weaker is to beare rule in that kingdome And because Peter did excede the other Apostles in ferueÌ„t seruice toward his brethren therefore is â—e called noâ— in the Scripture but in the vse of speakyng the chiefest of the Apostles not that he had any dominion ouer them Of which truth thou mayst see also the practise in the Actes of the Apostles after the resurrection For when Peter had bene and preached in the house of Cornelius an heathen maÌ„ the other that were Circumcised chode him because he had bene in an vncircumcised mans house had eaten with him for it was forbidden in the law neither wist they yet that the heathen should be called And Peter was fayne to geue accountes vnto them which is no token of superioritie and to shew them how he was warned of the holy ghost so to do Actes xj And Actes xv when a CouÌ„cell was gathered of the Apostles and disciples about the Circumcision of the heatheÌ„ Peter brought forth not his commauÌ„dement and the authoritie of his Vicarshyp but the miracle that the holy ghost had shewed for the heathen how at y â— preachyng of the Gospell the holy ghost had lighted vppon them and purified â—heir hartes through fayth and therefore proued that they ought not to be Circumcised And Paule and Barnabas brought soorth the miracles also that God had shewed by them among the heathen through preachyng of saith And then Iames brought soorth a prophecie of the olde Testament for the sayd part And therewith the aduersaries gaue ouer their hold and they coÌ„cluded with one assent by the authoritie of the scripture and of the holy ghost that the heathen should not be Circumcised not by the commaundement of Peter vnder payne of cursing excommunicatioÌ„ 〈◊〉 interditing and like bugges to make fooles and children afrayed withall And Actes viij Peter was sent of the other Apostles vnto the Samaritanes whiche is an euident token that he had no iurisdiction ouer them for then they could not haue sent him But rather as the truth is that the congregation had authoritie ouer him ouer all other priuate persones to admitte them for ministers and send them forth to preach whether so euer the spirite of God moued them and as they saw occasion And in the Epistle vnto the Galathians thou seest also how Paule corrected Peter when he walked not the straight way after the truth of the Gospel So now thou seest that in the kingdome of Christ and in his Churche or congregation and in his couÌ„sels the ruler is the Scripture approued through the miracles of the holy ghost and men be seruauntes onely and Christ is the head and we all brethren And wheÌ„ we call men our heades that we do not be cause they be shorne or shauen or because of their names Parson Vicare Byshop Pope But onely because of the word whiche they preach If they erre froÌ„ the word theÌ„ may whosoeuer God moueth his hart play Paule and correct hym If he will not obey the Scripture then haue his brethren authoritie by the Scripture to put hym downe and send hym out of Christes Church among the heretickes whiche preferre their false doctrine aboue the true word of Christ ¶ How the Gospell punisheth trespassers and how by the Gospell we ought to go to law with our aduersaries THough that they of Christes coÌ„gregation be all willyng yet because that the most paâ—t is alway weake because also that the occasions of the world be euer many and great in so much that
empyre of Rome ordeined that the right and power to chose the Pope should be his and that no Byshop should bee consecrate till he had obtained of hym both consent and the ornamentes of a Byshop also whiche they now bye of the Pope vnder payne of cursyng and to be deliuered vnto blacke SathaÌ„ the deuill and losse of goodes Dist lxiij And Leo the third whiche succeded Adrian confirmed the same and crowned Charles Emperour of Rome for like seruice done vnto him And then there was appoyntmeÌ„t made betwene the Emperoures of Constantinople and of Rome and the places assigned how farre the borders of either Empire shuld reach And thus of one Empyre was made twayne And therfore the Empire of CoÌ„stantinople for lacke of helpe was shortly after subdued of the Turkes The sayd Leo also called Charles the most Christen kyng because of hys good seruice which title the kynges of Fraunce vse vnto this day though many of them bee neuer so vnchristened As the last Leo called our kyng the defender of the fayth And as this Pope Clemens calleth the Duke of Buâ—lder the eldest sonne of y t holy sea of Rome for no other vertue nor propertie that any man can know saue that hee hath bene all his â—yte a pickequarâ—ll and a cruell and an vnrighteous bloudshedder as his father that sitteth in that holy sea is So now aboue seuen hundred yeares to be a ChristeÌ„ kyng is to fight for the Pope and most Christen that most fighteth and sleath most men for his pleasure This Charles was a great conquerour that is to say a great tyraunt ouercame many natioÌ„s with the sword and as the Turke compelleth vs vnto his fayth so he coÌ„pelled theÌ„ with violence vnto the faith of Christ say the stories But alas Christes fayth whereunto the holy Ghost onely draweth mens hartes thorough preachyng the worde of truth and holy liuyng accordyng therto he knew not but vnto the Pope hee subdued them and vnto this superstitious Idolatrie whiche we vse cleane contrary vnto the Scripture Moreouer at the request and great desyre of his mother hee maryed the daughter of Desiderius kyng of Lombardy but after one yeare vnto the great displeasure of his mother he put her away agayne but not without the false sutiltie of the Pope thou mayst be sure neither without his dispensation For howe could Charles haue made warre for the Popes pleasure with Desiderius her father and haue thrust hym out of his kingdome and banished his sonne for euer deuiding his kingdome betwene him and the pope as long as she had bene his wife And therfore the Pope with his authoritie of bynding and losyng losed the bondes of that Matrimony as he hath many other sence and dayly doth for lyke purposes to the entent that he would with the sword of the Frenche kyng put the kyngdome of Lombardy that was somewhat to nye him out of the way by the reason of whose kings hys fatherhode could not raygne alone nor assigne or sell the Byshopprikes of Italy to whom he lusted and at his pleasure The sayd Charles also kept iiij concubines and lay with two of his own daughters therto And though he wist howe y t it was not vnknowne yet his lustes being greater theÌ„ great Charles he would not wete nor yet refrayne And beyond all that the saying is y t in his old age a whore had so bewitched him with a ryng and a pearle in it and I wotte not what imagerie grauen therein that he went a saâ—te after her as a dogge after a bitche and the dotehead was beside him selfe whole out of his mynde in so much that wheÌ„ the whore was dead he could not departe from the dead corps but caused it to be enbaâ—…ed to be caryed with him whether soeuer he went so that al the world wondered at him till at the last his Lordes accombred with carying her from place to place and ashamed that so old a man so great an Emperour and such a most Christen kyng on whom whose dedes euery mans eyes were set should dote on a dead whore toke counsell what should be y e cause And it was coÌ„cluded that it must nedes be by enchauntement TheÌ„ they went vnto the Cophyne and opened it and sought and found this ring on her finger which one of the Lordes tooke of and put it on his owne finger WheÌ„ the ring was of he commaunded to burye her regardyng her no longer Neuerthelesse he cast a phantasie vnto this Lord and began to dote as fast on him so that he might neuer be out of sight But where our Charles was there must that Lord also be and what Charles did that must he be priuey vnto vntill that this Lord perceauyng that it came because of this enchaunted ring for very payne and tediousnesse tooke and cast it into a well at Acon in Douchland And after that the ryng was in the well the Emperour coulde neuer depart from the towne but in the â—ayd place where the ring was cast though it were a foule marresse yet he built a goodly monastery in the worship of our Lady and thether brought reliques from whence he coulde gette them and pardoÌ„s to sanctifie y e place to make it more haunted And there he lyeth is a Saint as right is For he did for Christes Vicar as much as the great Turcke for Mahomete but to saue his holines that he might be canonised for a Saint they fayne in hys life that his abiding there so continually was for the hotte bathes sakes which â—e there AFter Charlemayne Lewes y e mylde was Emperour which was a very patient man another Phocas and another pray for the Pope and so meke and softe that scarcely he coulde be angry at any thing at all When our holy fathers had seene his water and spyed what complexion he was they chose Steuen the 4. of that name Pope without his knowledge and bad him neyther good morrow nor good euen nor once God speede about the matter against their owne graunt vnto his father for his good seruice And his softnes was yet somewhat displeased therwith in as much as the election of the Pope pertayned vnto his right But the Pope sent Embassadours wrote all the excuses that he coulde and came after him selfe to Fraunce to him and peaced him and crowned hym there Emperour and passed the tyme a season with him and they became very familiar together After that they chose Paschalis Pope of the same maner which Paschalis sent immediatly Legates vnto the Emperour softe Lewes excusing hymselfe saying that it was not his faulte but that the clergie and the commoÌ„ people had drawne him thereto with violence against his will Then the Emperour was content for that once bad they should no more do so but that the olde ordinaunce ought to
inch of her honour or Saint Peters seate one iot of her right And Anselmus that was Byshop in short tyme after neuer left striumge with that mighty prince kyng William the second vntill he had compelled him maugre his teeth to deliuer vp the inuestiture or election of Byshops vnto Saint Peters vicar which inuestiture was of olde tyme the kynges dutie And agayne when the sayde kyng William woulde haue had the tribute that Priestes gaue yearely vnto theyr Byshoppes for their whores payde to hym did not Rāfe Byshop of Chichester forbid Gods seruice as they call it and stoppe vp the Church doores with thornes thoroughout all his diocesse vntill the kyng had yelded hym vp his tribute agayne For when the holy father had forbode Priestes theyr wyues the Byshop permitted them whores of their owne for a yearely tribute do still yet in all landes saue in England where they may not haue any other saue mens wiues onely And agayne for the election of Steuē Langton Archbyshop of Canterbury what mysery and wretchednes was in the realme a long season Then was y e land interdited many yeares And whē that holpe not then Ireland rebelled agaynst kyng Iohn immediatly not without the secrete workinge of our Prelates I dare well say But finally when neither the interditing neither that secrete subtiltie holpe and when Iohn would in no meanes consent that Saint Peters vicar should raigne alone ouer the spiritualtie and ouer all that pertayned vnto them and y t they should sinne and do all mischiefe vnpunished the Pope sent remission of sinnes to the kyng of Fraunce for to goe and conquere his land Whereof kyng Iohn was so sore afrayde that he yelded vp his crowne vnto the Pope and sware to holde the land of him and that his successours should do so likewyse And againe in king Richardes dayes the second Thomas Arundell Archbyshop of Canterbury and Chauncellar was exiled wyth the Earle of Darby The outward pretence of the variaūce betwene the king and hys Lords was for the deliueraunce of the towne of Breste in Britayne But our prelates had an other secrete mistery a bruyng They could not at their owne lust slea the poore wretches which at that tyme were conuerted vnto repētaunce to y t true fayth to put their trust in Christes death bloud sheding for the remissiō of their sinnes by the preaching of Iohn Wiclefe As soone as the Archbyshop was out of the realme the Irishmen began to rebell agaynst kyng Richarde as before agaynst kyng Iohn But not hardly without the inuisible inspiration of thē that rule both in the courte and also in the consciences of all men They be one kyngdome sworne together one to helpe an other scatered abroad in all realines And howbeit that they striue amōg themselues who shal be greatest yet agaynst the temporal power they be alwayes at one though they dissemble it faine as though one helde agaynst the other to know their enemies secretes to betray them withall They can enspyre priuely into the brestes of the people what mischiefe they liste no man shall know whence it cōmeth Their letters go secretly from one to an other thoroughout all kingdomes Saint Peters vicar shall haue worde in xv or xvj dayes from the vttermost part of Christendome The Byshops of Englande at their neede can write vnto the Byshops of Ireland Scotland Denmarke Douchland Fraūce and Spayne promising them as good a turne an other tyme putting thē 〈◊〉 remembraunce that they be all one holy Church and that the cause of y t tone is the cause of the tother saying if our iugglinge breake out youres can not belong hid And the other shall serue their turne and bring the game vnto their handes and no man shall know how it commeth about Assoone as kyng Richard was gone to Ireland to subdue these rebellions the Byshop came in againe and preuēted the kyng and tooke vp his power agaynst hym and tooke him prisoner and put him downe and to death most cruelly and crowned the Erle of Darbye Kyng O mercifull Christ what bloud hath that coronacion cost England but what care they their causes must be auenged He is not worthy to bee kyng that will not auenge their quarels For do not the kyngs receaue their kyngdome of the beast sweare to worship hym and maintayne hys throne And thē whē the Erle of Darbye which was king Henry the fourth was crowned the prelates tooke hys sworde and his sonnes Henry the fift after hym as all the kynges swordes since and abused them to shed Christē bloud at their pleasure And they coupled their cause vnto the kynges cause as now and made it treasō to beleue in Christ as the scripture teacheth and to resiste the Byshops as now and thrust them in the kinges prisons as now so that it is no new inuention that they now do but euen an olde practise though they haue done theyr busie cure to hide their sciēce that their conueyaunce should not be espyed And in kyng Henry the sixt dayes how raged they as fierce Liōs against good Duke Humfrey of Glocester the kynges vncle and protectour of the realme in the kynges youth and childhod because that for him they myght not slea whom they would and make what cheuysaunce they lusted Would not the Byshoppe of winchester haue fallen vpon him and oppressed him openly with might and power in the citie of London had not the Citizens come to his helpe But at the last they founde y t meanes to contriue a drift to bring their matters to passe and made a Parlyament farre from the Cityzens of London where was slayne the good Duke and onely wealth of the realme and the mighty shylde that so long before that kept it from sorow which shortly after his death fell theron by heapes But the chronicles can not tell wherfore he dyed nor by what meanes No maruell verely For he had neede of other eyes then such as y e worlde seeth withall that should spye out their priuy pathes Neuerthelesse the chronicles testifie that he was a vertuous man a godly and good to the commō wealth Moreouer the proctour of purgatory saith in his Dialoge quod I and quod he and quod your frende how that the foresayd Duke of Glocester was a noble mā and a great clarcke and so wise that he coulde spye false myracles and disclose them and iudge them from the true which is an hatefull science vnto our spiritualtie and more abhorred amongest them then Necromancye or witchcrafte and a thyng wherfore a man by their lawe I dare well say is worthy to dye and that secretly if it be possible Now to be good to the common wealth and to see false myracles and thyrdly to withstand that Fraūce then brought vnder the foote of the Englishmen should not be set vp agayne by whose power the
for whatsoeuer thou askest in his name and woulde shewe thee all that God woulde do to thee and what he would also haue thee to do and if thou beleeuest so were thou safe If thou desiredst him to saue thee with his merites He would aunswer that he had no merites but that Christ onely is Lord of all merites nor saluation but that Christ is Lord of saluation Wilte thou therfore be saued by merits wold the Aungell say then pray to God in Christes name and thou shalt be saued by the merites of him and haue me or some other thy seruaunt immediatlye to help thee vnto the vttermost of our power and to keep thee and bring thee vnto the rewarde of his mertites If thou wouldest promise him to worship him with imageseruice that is to sticke vp a candle before his image or such an image as he appeared to thee in He would aunswer that he were a spirite and delighted in no candlelight but would bid thee geue a cādle to thy neighbour that lacked if thou hadst to many And so would he aunswer thee if thou wouldest put money in a boxe for him or cloth his image in cloth of gold or put golden shoes vpon his Images feete If thou saydest that thou wouldest build a chappel in his name he would aunswer that he dwelt in no house made with stones but wold bid thee goe to the churches that are made already and learne of the Preachers there how to beleeue and how to liue and honour God in the spirite for the which cause churches were chiefly builded and for quietnesse to pray And if there be no church then to geue of that thou maist spare to help that one were builded to be a preaching and a praying house and of worshipping God in the spirite and not of imageseruice And if Paule appeared vnto thee what other thing could he aunswer also then that he were a spirite would refuse all thy imageseruice And if thou speake to Paule of his merites he can none otherwise aunswer thee then he aunswered his Corinthians That he dyed for no mans sinnes and that no mā was baptized in his name to trust in his merites He would say I builded all men vppon Christes merites preaching that all that repented and beleued in his name should be saued and taken from vnder the wrath vengeaunce and damnation of the law be put vnder mercy and grace And by this fayth was I saued from damnation and put vnder mercy and grace and made one with Christ to haue my part with him and he with me or rather to make a chainge that he shoulde haue all my sinnes and I his mercye and the giftes of his grace and become glorious with the ornamentes of hys riches And of my sauiour Christ I receaued this lawe that I shoulde loue my brethren all Gods elect as tenderly as he loued them And I consented vnto this law for it seemed right and became a scholler to learne it And as I profited in the knowledge faith and loue of Christ so I grew in the loue of my brethren and suffred all things for their sakes and at the last waxed so perfect that I wished my selfe damned if it might haue bene to saue my brethrē And al my brethrē that receaued Christ receaued the same commaundement grew therein And they that were perfect loued me and all their other brethren no lesse then I loued them And looke with what loue I ministred the giftes of grace which I receaued of Christ for the edifying of his congregation vpon my brethren with the same loue did they minister their giftes agayne on me which they had and I lacked and so loue made all common And moreouer if they call my workes my merites I bestowed all my workes vpon my brethren to teach them and reaped the fruite thereof euen my brethrens edifying and soules health yea and reape daily in that I left my doctrine ensample of liuing behinde me by which many are conuerted vnto Christ daily If thou desire therfore to enioy part of my merite goe read in my Gospel and thou shalt finde the fruite of my labour the knowledge of Christ the health of the soule and euer lasting life And as I loued my brethren whē I liued so I loue them still now more perfectly Howbeit my loue then was paynful for the more I loued the more I sorowed feared and cared for them to bryng them into the knowledge of the truth and to kepe them in vnitie of faith lest the false prophetes should deceaue them or their owne infirmities should breake peace vnitie or cause them to fall into any sinne But now my loue is without paine For I see the will and prouidence of God and how the end of all thynges shal be vnto hys glory profite of the elect And though I see the elect shall sometime fall yet I see how they shall arise agayne how that their fall shal be vnto the glory of God their owne profect And we that are in heauē loue you al a like neither we loue one more an other lesse And therfore if ye loue vs more one thē an other that is fleshly as mine old Corinthiās once loued and I rebuked them Neither can we bee moued to come more to helpe one thē an other But we wayte whē God will send any of vs vnto the elect that call for helpe in Christes name Wherfore if thou wilt be holpe of any of vs pray in Christes name And God shall send one of vs an Aungell or a Saint to keepe the power of the deuils from you but not whō thou wouldest chose temptyng God but whom it pleaseth God to send And if your preachers loue you not after y ◠same maner to edifie you with the true doctrine of Christ and example of liuing therafter and to kepe you in vnitie of fayth and charitie they be not of Christes Disciples but Antichristes which vnder y t name of Christ seeke to raigne ouer you as temporall tyrauntes And in like maner if this be not written in your hartes that ye ought to loue one an other as Christ loued you and as ye had example of vs his Apostles ye go astray in vanities and are not in the right way And hereby are we sure that we knowe hym if we keepe his commaundementes This is cleane agaynst y ◠doctrine of them which say that we can not know whether we be in the state of grace or no. Iohn sayth if we keepe his commaundementes then we be sure that we knowe Christ is euerlastyng lyfe Iohn xvij Then cōtrary to the pope Christen men haue doctrine to know whether they be in grace or no. The kepyng of Gods commaundementes certifieth vs that we be in the state of grace But our Doctours haue no doctrine to know when a man is in the state of grace wherfore it is
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
loue to God and his neighbour which all he professed at Baptisme and this Supper signified and so come in among the congregation to eate of this bread drinke of this cup he calleth it still bread and wyne neither his body nor bloud For he that eateth drinketh vnworthely eateth and drinketh hys owne damnation bycause he discerneth not the Lordes body He calleth still the Lordes body the congregation redemed with Christes body as he dyd before and also in the chapter folowyng fetching his analogie and similitude at the naturall body In which although there be diuers members one excelling an other one inferiour vyler and more cōtemptible then an other yet may not the body want them but must couer them reuerently and hold them in honour Agayn in the body though there be diuers members of diuers offices yet is there no discorde among them but euery member bee it neuer so low and vyle yet doth it minister and serue an other and all together hold vp and helpe the whole body This consideratiō with these cōparisons so eloquently so plenteously so liuely doth Paule set forth in that xij chap. that no mā cādesire any more And all to bryng vs into the consideration and discretion of the body of Christ which is his congregation without whiche consideration and discretion if we thrust our selues in with his signe and recognisance faynedly we be but hypocrites and eate and drinke our owne iudgement For this cause many are sicke among you and many are a slepe that is are dead Here it semeth some plage to haue bencast vppon the Corinthians for this abuse in the eatyng of the Lordes Supper For both the law the Prophetes threatened vs plagues as pestilence famine and sword for our sinnes For if we had iudged our soules that is if we had diligently examined our owne liuyng repented we should not haue ben iudged that is to say punished of y t Lord. But while we be punished we be corrected of the Lord lest we should be condemned with the world Wherfore my brethren when ye come together to eate tary one for an other Here is the cause of all this dissention wherfore Paule rebuketh them But here might some of them obiect tell Paul Syr we come thether hungry and may not tary so long wherunto Paul aunswereth as he dyd before saying Haue ye not houses to eate drinke in Do ye contemne the cōgregation of God and shame them that haue none Here he calleth the poore the church of God whom afterward he called the body of the Lord and now at last he sayth If any mā be so hūgry let him eate somewhat at home and so delay his hunger that he may the better tary for the pore lest ye come together vnto your condemnation And as for other thynges I shall dispose and set in order when I come These other thynges were concerning this Supper and such as were out of frame among them whiche if ye read the whole Epistle are easie to see that they were no necessary truthes for their saluation For all such truthes Paule had preached them before and written them to Neither were these other thinges Lent Fast the Assumption of our Lady halowyng of bowes Belles and Ashes halowyng of Vestimentes and crepyng to the Crosse with such other vnwritten vanities as M. More lysteth to lest and tryful out the truth Now haue ye the very pure sense of these Christs wordes this is my body that is to say This signifieth or representeth my body takyng Est for significat As M. More hym selfe vttered it in his Dialogue put forth in William Barlowes name recityng the opinions of Oecolampadius and Zwinglius saying this is my body is as much to say as this signifieth my body where he saith that Oecolampadius alledgeth for hym Tertulian Chrisostome and Austen but falsely sometyme addyng more to their wordes sometyme takyng away from theyr sentēces Which saying is playne false and hee belyeth the man now departed for first his incomparable learnyng and verye spirituall iudgement would not suffer hym to be ignoraunt in the vnderstandyng of these old holy Doctours whom I dare say he vnder stode as well as More And his couscience and faythfulnes would not suffer hym falsely to peruert them as M. More belyeth and peruerteth Christ Paule and all holy Scripture And if this mā had thus dealt with these Doctours sayinges Luther agaynst whom he did cōtende in this matter would not haue left it vntold hym But Christē reader to put thee out of doubt haue here these doctours own wordes both in Latine and Englishe And first heare Tertulian where thou must first vnderstād that there was an hereticke called Marcion saying that Christ tooke not to hym the very body of man but an imagiued and a phantasticall body to put of and on when he lysted and so not to haue ben borne verely of the virgine Mary nor yet to haue suffered verely death c. agaynst whom thus writeth Tertulian in hys fourth booke Professus itaque se concupiscentia concupisse edere pascha vt suum acceptum panem distributum Discipulis corpus suuni illum fecit hoc est corpus meum dicendo id est figura corporis mei Figura autem non fuisset nisi veritatis esset corpus Caeterū vacua res quod est phantasma figuram capere non posset Whiche wordes are thus in English spoken of Christ Whiche acknowledgyng hym selfe with how feruent desire he longed to eate the passeouer as his bread taken and distributyng to his Disciples made it his body saying This is my body that is to say the figure of my body For figure had it bene none except it were a very body For a voyde thyng which is a phantasie can receaue no figure Here it is playne that this is my body after the old holy Doctour is as much to say as this is the figure or signe that representeth or signifieth my body Also thus sayeth Austen Lex dicit non esse manducandū sanguinem quod anima sit sanguis Quod lex dicit sanguis est anima esse positum dicimus sicut alia multa penè omnia Scripturarum illarum Sacramenta signis figuris plena futurae predicationis quae iam per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum declarata est c. Possum etiam interpretari praeceptum illud in signo esse positum Non enim dubitauit Dominus dicere Hoc est corpus meum quum signum daret corporis sui Sic est enim sanguis anima quomodo petra erat Christus Nec tamen quum haec diceret ait petra significabat Christum sed ait petra erat Christus Quae rursus ne carnaliter acciperetur spiritualem illam vocat id est spiritualiter intelligi docet Whiche woordes be thus in English The law sayeth that bloud should not be eatē because the life is
is written Abac. ij the righteous man lyueth by his fayth And Roma v. because we are iustified by fayth we are at peace with God thorough our Lord Iesus Christ c. WheÌ„ these faithfull or righteous departe theÌ„ sayth this text that they are fooles which thinke them to be in payne or affliction for it affirmeth that they are in peace Now sith their Purgatory whiche they imagine is payne and affliction and yet fayne that the righteous onely shal enter into it after their death then are they fooles that suppose there is a Purgatory or els this text can not be true For what entent will God haue vs tormented in Purgatory to make satisfaction for our sinnes verely theÌ„ is Christ dead in vayne as we haue often proued before But thinke you not rather that our purgation should be to encrease our fayth or grace or charitie for these thrée couer the multitude of sinnes no verely we can not fayne a purgatory for any such cause For fayth springeth by hearing of the word Roma x. But the Pope sendeth theÌ„ no preachers thether Ergo theyr fayth can not there be encreased And agayne payne ingendreth and kyndleth hate against God and not loue or charitie Furthermore My Lord of Rochester is coÌ„pelled to graunt that the soules in Purgatorye obtayne there neither more fayth nor grace nor charitie then they brought in with them and so can I sée no reasonable cause why there should be a purgatory Neuerthelesse M. More sayth that both their grace and charitie is encreased And so may you perceaue that lyes can neuer agrée how wyttie so euer they be that fayne and cloke them For in some poyntes they shall be founde contrary so that at the length they may be disclosed when thou hast no power to accomplish the outward fact For the wiseman sayth Prou. xxiij sonne geue me God is fully pacified with thy will thy hart Now if thy will be vpright and so that thou haue a desire to fulfill the law then doth God reken that will vnto thée for the full fact If then through the frayltie of thy members thou fall into sinne thou mayest well say with the Apostle Roma vâ—j The good that I would doe that do I not that is I haue a will and desire to fulfill the law of God not to displease my heauenly father yet that I do not But the euill which I hate that do I that is I do committe sinne whiche in déede I hate Now if I hate the sinne whiche I do then loue I the law of God whiche forbiddeth sinne and do consent vnto this law that it is good righteous and holy And so the sinne whiche I hate and yet commit it thorough the frayltie of my members is not imputed or rekened vnto me for sinne Neither will S. Paule graunt that it is I which do that sinne but he sayd I haue a will to doe good but I can not performe that will For I do not that good which I would but the euill whiche I would not that do I. Now if I doe that thyng whiche I would not do then is it not I that do it but the sinne that dwelleth with in me I delight in the law of God with myne inward man that is with my will and minde which is renued with the spirite of God but I sée an other law in my members which rebelleth agaynst the law of my mynde and maketh me bonde vnto the law of sinne which is in my members So that I my selfe in my will and mynde do obey the law of God hatyng sinne as the law coÌ„maundeth me and not consentyng vnto it in my mynde will but in my flesh and members I serue the law of sinne for the frayltie of my members compelleth me to sinne Rom. 7. As by example if I sée a poore man whiche is not of abilitie to do me any pleasure and neuertheles doth all his diligence to séeke my fauour would with hart and mynde geue me some acceptable preseÌ„t if he were of power beyng also sory that hee can not performe his will â—nd mynde towardes me Now if there be any point of humanitie or gentlenesse in me I will count this man for my frende and accept his good will as well as though he had in dede performed his wil. For his habilitie extendeth no further If his power were better better should I haue Euen so sith we are not of power and habilitie to performe the law of God and yet beare a good hart towardes God and his law lamentyng our imbecillitie that we can do him no further pleasure then will God recount vs not as his enemyes but as his deare children and beloued frendes Neither will hee afterward thrust vs into Purgatory but as a tender father pardon vs our trespasses and accept our good will for the full déede S. Paule exhorteth vs Gal. vj. that we worke well while we haue tyme for what soeuer a man doth sow that shall he réepe by this may we euidently perceaue that hée shall not receaue according to his doing or sufferyng in an other world and therfore caÌ„ there be no Purgatory The wiseman sayth Eccle. xiiij worke righteousnes before thy death for after this lyfe there is no méete that is to say succour to bee founde There are some which wil vnderstaÌ„d this place also the text in the xlviij argument on this maner that there should be no place of deseruyng but yet there may well bee a place of punishment But this solution besides that it is not grounded on Scripture is very slender For I pray you wherfore should their inuention of Purgatory serue but to bee a place of purgyng punishment and penaunce by the which the soule should make satisfaction that it might so deserue to enter into the rest of heauen Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord from heÌ„ce forward yea truly sayth the spirite that they may rest froÌ„ their labours But theyr workes folow with them This text they vse in theyr soule masses as thoughe it made for Purgatory But surely me thinketh that it maketh much against them For let vs enquire of all the proctours and fautours of Purgatory whether y â— soules that must be prayed for are departed in the Lord or not And they must néedes aunswere that they are departed in the Lord for the vnfaithfull which dye not in the Lord must not be prayed for And therfore must they be vpright Christen soules which are tormeÌ„ted for the other are all damned Now sayth the text that all such dead as dye in the Lord are blessed but what blessednesse were that to broyle in Purgatory And if they would here fayne a glose as their maner is when they are in a straite euer to séeke a startyng hole say that they are blessed because they are in a good hope
are infinite other thynges wherein hee contrarieth Christ in so much that if it be diligētly examined I thinke there is no word that Christ spake but the other hath taught or made a law agaynst it Howbeit for to auoyde tediousnes we shall leaue them vnto your owne iudgement for they are soone searched out espyed Iudge Christē reader all these things with a simple eye be not parcially addict to the one nor to the other But Iudge them by the Scripture And knowledge that to be the truth which Gods word doth alow auoydyng all other doctrine for it springeth of Sathan be not ashamed to confesse poore Christ and to take him for thy head before these rauenous Wolues for then shall he cōfesse thée agayn before his father the aungelles in heauen Then shalt thou bee inheritour with Iesu Christe And the faythfull sonne of thy father whiche is in heauen to whom be all glory eternally Amen ¶ Here endeth the Antithesis betwene Christe and the Pope A booke made by Iohn Frith prisoner in the Tower of London aunsweryng vnto M. Mores letter which he wrote against the first litle treatise that Iohn Frith made concernyng the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ vnto which booke are added in the ende the articles of hys examination before the Bishops of London Winchester and Lyncolne in Paules Churche at London for which Iohn Frith was condemned and after burned in Smithfield without Newgate the fourth day of Iuly Anno. 1533. ¶ The Preface of this booke GRace and increase of knowledge from God the father through our Lorde Iesus Christ be with the Christen reader and with all them that loue the Lord vnfaynedly Amen I chaunced beyng in these parties to be in company with a Christen brother which for his commēdable conuersation and sober behauiour might better be a Byshop then many that weare miters if the rule of S. Paule were regarded in their election This brother after much communication desired to know my mynde as touchyng the Sacrament of the body and bloud of our sauiour Christ Which thing I opened vnto hym accordyng to the gift that God had geuen me First I proued vnto hym that it was no article of our fayth necessary to be beleued vnder payne of damnation Then I declared that Christ had a naturall body euen as myne is sauyng sinne and that it could no more bee in two places at once thē myne cā Thirdly I shewed him that it was not necessarie that the wordes should so be vnderstand as they sound But that it might be a phrase of Scripture as there are innumerable After that I shewed him certaine phrases and maner of speakynges And that it was well vsed in our English toung and finally I recited after what maner they might receiue it according to Christes institutiō not fearyng the froward alteration that the Priests vse contrary to the first forme and institution When I had sufficiently published my mynde hee desired me to entitle the sūme of my wordes and write them for hym because they seemed ouerlong to be well reteined in memorie And albeit I was loth to take the matter in hand yet to fulfill his instant intercession I tooke vpon me to touche this terrible tragedie and wrote a treatise whiche beside my paynfull imprisonmēt is like to purchase me most cruell death which I am ready and glad to receiue with the spirite and inward man although the fleshe be frayle when soeuer it shall please God to lay it vpon me Notwithstādyng to say the truth I wrote it not to the intēt that it should haue ben published For then I would haue touched the matter more earnestly and haue written as well of the spirituall eating drinking which is of necessitie as I dyd of the carnall which is not so necessarie For the treatise that I made was not expedient for all men albeit it were sufficient for them whom I tooke in hand to instruct For they knew the spirituall and necessarie eatyng and drinkyng of his body bloud which is not receiued with the teth and bellye but with the eares and faith and onely neded instructiō in the outward eating whiche thing I therfore onely declared But now it is cōmon abroad and in many mēs mouthes in so much that M. More whiche of late hath busied hym selfe to medle in all such matters of what zeale I will not define hath sore labored to confute it but some mē thinke that he is ashamed of his part and for that cause doth so diligently suppresse the woorke whiche he printed For I my selfe saw the worke in Print in my Lord of Winchesters house vpon S. Stephens day last past But neither I neither all the frēdes I could make might attaine any copie but onely one written copie whiche as it seemed was drawen out in great hast notwithstandyng I can not well iudge what the cause should bee that his boke is kept so secret But this I am right sure of that he neuer touched the foundation that my treatise was builded vpon And therefore sith my foundation standeth so sure and inuincible for els I thinke verely he would sore haue laboured to haue vndermined it I will thereupon builde a litle more and also declare that his ordinaūce is to slender to breake it downe although it were set vppon a woorse foundation ¶ The foundation of that litle treatise was that it is no article of our fayth necessary to be beleued vnder payne of damnation that the Sacrament should be the naturall body of Christ which thyng is proued on this maner FIrste we must all acknowledge that it is no article of our fayth which can saue vs nor which we are bound to beleue vnder the paine of eternal damnation For if I should beleue that hys very naturall body both flesh and bloud were naturally in the bread and wine that should not saue me seyng many beleue that and receiue it to their damnation for it is not his presence in the bread that can saue me but his presence in my hart through faith in his bloud which hath washed out my sinnes and pacified y t fathers wrath toward me And agayne if I doe not beleue his bodely presence in the bread and wyne that shall not damne me but the absence out of my hart thorough vnbelefe Now if they would here obiect that though it be truth that the absēce out of the bread could not damne vs yet are we bounde to beleue it because of gods word which who beleueth not as much as in him lyeth maketh God a lyer And therfore of an obstinate mynde not to beleue hys word may be an occasion of damnation To this we may answere that we beleue Gods worde and knowledge that it is true but in this we dissent whether it be true in the sence that we take it in or in the sence that ye take it in And we say agayne that though
remēbraunce of his body breakyng and bloud shedyng and that we shuld eate it together reioysing with ech other declaryng hys benefites Now were the Corinthians fallen from this hunger and came not together to the intent that Gods prayse should bee published by them in the middest of the congregatiō but came to féede their flesh and to make carnal cheare In so much that y t rich would haue meate and drinke inough and take such aboundaunce y t they would be dronke and so made it their owne per not the Lordes as Paule saith and did eate onely the bread meate and not the body breaking as I haue before said the poore which had not that is to say that had no meate to eate were ashamed and hungry and so could not reioyse and prayse the Lord by the reason that the delicate fare of the riche was an occasion for the poore to lament their pouertie and thus the rich dyd neither prayse God them selues nor suffered the poore to doe it but were an occasion to hynder them They should haue brought theyr meate and drinke and haue deuided it with their poore brethren that they might haue been mery together and so to haue geuen them occasion to be mery and reioyse in the Lorde with thankes geuyng But they had neither lust to prayse God nor to comfort their neighbour Their fayth was féeble and their charitie cold and had no regard but to fill their body and féede their flesh And so despised y t poore cōgregation of God whom they should haue honoured for y t spirite that was in them fauour that God had shewed indifferently vnto them in y ◠bloud of hys sonne Christ When Paule perceiued that they were thus fleshly mynded and had no mynde vnto that spirituall maundy which chiefly shuld ther bee aduertised hée reproueth thē sore rehearsing y t wordes of Christ That which I gaue vnto you I receiued of the Lord. For the Lord Iesus the same night in the which hee was betrayed tooke bread and thanked and brake it and said take ye and eate ye this is my bodye which is broken for you this do ye in the remembraunce of me After the same maner hee tooke the cup when supper was done saying this cuppe is the new Testament in my bloud this doe ye as ofte as ye drinke it in the remembraunce of me For as oft as ye shall eate this bread drinke of this cup ye shall shew the Lordes death til he come As though hée should say ye Corinthians are much to blame whiche at this Supper séeke the foode of your flesh For it was institute of Christ not for the intent to norishe the belly but to strēghten the hart and soule in God And by this you may know that Christ so meant For he calleth it hys body which is geuen for you so that the name it selfe might testifie vnto you that in this supper you should more eate his body whiche is geuen for you by digestyng that into the bowels of your soule then the bread which by the breakyng and the distributyng of it doth represent his body breakyng and the distributyng therof vnto all that are faythful And that bée so meaneth is euident by the wordes folowyng which say this do in the remembrance of mee and likewyse of the cuppe And finally concludyng of both Paule sayth as often as ye shall eate this bread drinke of this cuppe in this place and felowshyp ye shall shew y t Lordes death vntill hée come praysing the Lord for the death of his sonne and exhortyng other to doe the same reioysing in hym with infinite thākes And therfore ye are to blame whiche séeke onely to féede the belly with that thyng which was onely institute to féede the soule And theruppon it foloweth Wherfore who soeuer doth eate of this bread and drinke of this cup vnworthely is gilty of the body and bloud of the Lorde He eateth this bread vnworthely which regardeth not the purpose for the which Christ dydinstitute it which cōmeth not to it with spirituall hūger to eate through fayth his very body which the bread representeth by the breaking and disstributing of it which commeth not with a mery hart geuing God harty thankes for their deliueraunce from sinne Which doe not much more eate in their hart y t death of his body then they doe the bread with their mouth Now sith the Corinthyans did onlye séeke their belly and flesh and forgat Gods honour and prayse for which it was instituted y ◠thākes should be geuen by the remembrance of his body breaking for vs they eate it to Gods dishonour to their neighboures hinderaunce to their owne condemnation so for lacke of fayth were giltye of Christes body which by fayth they should there chiefely haue eaten to their soules health And therefore it followeth †Let a man therfore examyne him selfe and so let him eate of the bread and drinke of the cuppe THis prouing or examinyng of a mans selfe is first to thinke with him selfe with what lust and desire he cōmeth vnto the maundy will eate that bread whether he be sure that he is the child of God and in the faith of Christ And whether his cōscience do beare him witnesse that Christes body was broken for him And whether the lust y t he hath to prayse God and thanke hym with a faythfull hart in the middes of the bretheren do driue hym thether warde Or els whether he do it for y t meates sake or to kéepe the custome for then were it better that he were away For he that eateth or drinketh vnworthely eateth and drinketh his owne damnation becaufe he maketh no differēce of the Lordes body That is as it is sayd before he that regardeth not the purpose for which it was instituted putteth no difference betwene his eating and other eating for other eating doth onely serue the bellye but this eating was instituted and ordayned to serue the soule and inward man And therfore he that abuseth it to the flesh eateth and drinketh his owne damnation And he commeth vnworthelye to the maundye where the sacrament of Christes body is eaten ye where the body of the Lord is eaten not carnally with the téeth and bellye but spiritually with the hart and faith Vpon this followeth the text that M. More allegeth and wresteth for his purpose For this cause many are weake sicke among you and many sléepe yf we had truely Iudged our selues we should not haue béene Indged when we are Iudged of the Lorde we are chastened because we should not bée damned wich the world Wherfore my bretheren whē ye come togither to eate tary one for an other Yf a man hunger let him eate at home that ye come not togither vnto condemnation For this cause that is for lacke of good examinyng of our selues as is before touched many are weake and sicke in
draught But this meate y t I here receaue is spirituall meate receaued with fayth norisheth vs euerlastyngly both body soule neuer entreth into the draught And euē as before the outwarde eyen doe sée the bread yet the outward eyen doe not regarde that or thinke vpō it So likewise the outward man digesteth the bread casteth it into the draught And yet the inward man doth not regarde that nor thinke vppon it But thinketh on the thyng it selfe that is signified by that bread And therfore sayd Chrisostome euen a litle before the wordes whiche they here alleaged lift vp your minde hartes sayd hée whereby hée monisheth vs to looke vppon and consider those heauenly thinges which are represented and signified by the bread and wyne not to marke the bread and wyne in it selfe Here they will say vnto me that it is not Chrisostomes mynde for by his example hée playnly shewith that there remaneth no bread nor wyne that I deny For the example in this place proueth no more but y t ye shall not think on y t bread wine no more then if they were not there but onely on that thyng whiche is signified by them And that ye may euidently perceiue by the wordes folowyng where hée saith thinke that the misteries are cōsumed by the substance of the body Nowe whether Chrisostome thought that there remained bread or no both wayes shall our purpose bée proued First if hée thought there remained still bread and wyne then we haue our purpose Now if he thought that the bread wyne remayned not but were chaūged then are the bread and wyne neither mysteries nor Sacramentes of the body and bloud of Christ For that that is not can neither bée mystery nor Sacrament Finally if hée speake of y e outward appearaunce of bread then we know that that remaineth still is not consumed by the substaunce of the body And therfore hée must néedes bée vnderstanded as I take him I thinke many men wonder how I can dye in this article seyng that it is no necessary article of our fayth for I graunt that neyther parte is an article necessary to bée beléeued vnder payne of damnation but leaue it as a thyng indifferent to thynke therein as God shall instill in euery mans mynde and that neyther parte condemne other for this matter but receiue eche other in brotherly loue reseruing eche others infirmitie to god The cause of my death is thys because I can not in conscience abiure and sweare that our Prelates opinion of the sacrament that is that the substaunce of bread and wine is verely chaunged into the fleshe and bloud of our sauiour Iesus Christ is an vndoubted article of the fayth necessary to bée beléeued vnder payne of damnation Now though this opinion were indéede true which thing they can neither proue true by scripture nor doctours yet coulde I not in conscience graunt that it shoulde bée an article of the fayth necessary to bée beléeued c. For there are many verities which yet may bée no such articles of our fayth It is true that I lay in yrons when I wrote this howbeit I would not haue you to receaue thys truth for an article of our fayth For you may thinke the contrary without all ieopardy of damnation ¶ The cause why I can not beleeue their opinion of transmutation is this 1 FIrst because I thinke verely that it is false and can neither hée proued by scripture nor faythfull doctours if they bée well pondered 2 The second cause is thys because I will not bynde the congregation of Christ by mine example to admitte any necessarye Article beside oure Creede and specially none such as can not bée prooued true by Scripture And I say that the Church as they caule it can not compell vs to receaue any such articles to bée of necessitie vnder payne of damnation 3 The thirde cause is because I dare not bée so presumptuous in entering into Gods iudgement as to make the prelates in this pointe a necessary article of our fayth For then I should damnably condemne all the Germanes Almaines with infinite moe which in déede doe not beléeue nor thinke that the substaūce of bread and wine is chaunged into the substaūce of Christes naturall body And surely I can not bée so foolishe hardy as to condemne such an infinite number for our prelates pleasures Thus all the Germaynes and Almaynes both of Luthers side and also of Oecolampadius doe wholy approue my matter And surely I thinke there is no man that hath a pure conscience but hée will thinke that I dye righteously For that this transubstantiation should bée a necessary article of the faith I thinke no man can say it with a good conscience although it were true in déede By me Iohn Frith An exact and diligent Table wherby you may readely turne to any speciall matter that is contained in all Iohn Frithes bookes 1572. A. ABraham 20 Abrahames bosome what it signified 55 Abraham by faith dyd eate Christes bodye and drinke Christes bloud 109 Ambrose opinion of Purgatory 52 Antithesis betweene Christ and the Pope 97 Argumentes to proue that Christes naturall body is not in the Sacrament 142 Articles of our faith are to bee beleeued vpon payne of damnation 111 Articles of our fayth are as many as are necessary for our saluation 145 Augustine beyng 400. yeares after Christ doubted of Purgatory 32 Augustines opinion of purgatory 52 B. BAptisme defined what it is 92 Baptisme is the founteine of our new byrth 94 Bishopricke in the primatiue church was a charge and not a Lordshyp 116 Blasphemie to saye that Christes bloud is not the full remission of our sinnes 11 Blessyng what it is 154 Bookes of the Machabees are not Canonicall 37 Bookes agaynst Rastall 60 Boasting that is modest is commendable 64 Body of Christe eaten by our fathers and his bloud dronke 109 Body of Christ is no more in the Sacrament thē a mans face in the glasse 146 Brethren is an auncient name in the holy Scripture 114 Bread and wyne remayne in the Sacrament 117 Bread why it is called our body 160 C. CAuse of our blyndnes and grosse errours 3 Causes why the Sacramentes were first instituted 112 Ceremonies of some sortes are guydes vnto the knowledge of God 95 Christ onely hath satisfied for our sinnes 14. 15 Christes merites putteth out the fier of Purgatory 14. 17. 18 Christ is our Aduocate 17 Christes sacrifice onely taketh away sinne 17. 38 Christ onely is our head 43 Christes death hath ouercōmed our death 55 Christ was meeke and gentle 57 Christ onely is the meane to put away our sinnes 73 Christes bloud is the strength of our Baptisme 94 Christ and the Pope compared togither 97. 98. 99. 100. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106 Christ is not to bee eatē carnally but spiritually 118. 119 Christes wordes are spirituall and not carnall 124 Christe gaue
were here with his nette on his necke I thinke you would bid hym walke beggar if you called him not heretik Why doe you not sweare to folowe hys lyuing and to preach and teach his doctrine but that maketh nothing for your purpose Therefore you swerre all onely to S. Peters name But wherein wyll you bée faythfull to S. Peter to mayntane his worldly honours dignities or riches you know well hée sayth that hée hath forsaken all these thinges for Christes sake And for these thinges I thinke hée will require none othe of you Wherfore if you will néedes bée faythfull sworne vnto S. Peter it muste bée in mayntayning and in defending spirituall thynges as preaching of Christes Gospell purely and sincerely mynystring truelye after the institution of our master Christ y e blessed sacramentes of holy church and in vertuous lyuyng geuing example to the holy church of Christe But now if this bée your othe truely you are periured worthy to weare papers for you doe reken your selues to hye and to honorable to goe aboute such simple thinges as these bée And therfore you haue applyed your selues to other greater matters as to christening of belles to halowing of churches to blessing of candels to consecrating of holy oyle to halowing of chalesies vestementes and aulters and to geuing 40. dayes of pardon to them that receiueth your blessings in the streate and to some that visyte holy saintes such like greate matters which partayneth nothing to your othe wherefore I doe recken y e after the true forme of your othe we haue but few byshops but y e bée periured or abiured call it as you will both against God agaynst S. Peter and against their prince It foloweth And to the holy church of Rome what néedeth this what good can you doe to y e holy church of Rome Or what profyte is it to her that you sweare where is any request of her in holy scripture that you shoulde sweare Thinke you that she will compell you by your othe to bée true to her then must shee néedes sue you of periurie if you breake your othe But marke how y e church of Rome is set in your othe as the better person before the Pope wherefore it must néedes followe that y e Pope is vnder y e church and lesse then the church and no hed of the church except you will make hym a third person that neither pertayneth to S. Peter nor yet to holy Churche but is a thyng of him selfe and as your law sayth neither God nor man but middle betwéene them both that is as much to say after my learnyng as the deuill hym selfe But what meaneth it that you sweare onely to the holy Churche of Rome will you bée traytours to the holy Church of Constātinople or els to the holy Churche of England Or doe you thinke other Churches not holy tell vs what you meane for it séemeth a marueilous thyng and also a speciall thyng that you make such an othe all onely to the holy Church of Rome naming none other church Why are you not rather sworne to kéepe and to féede to norish and to bée true to your owne Church of the which you haue taken cure charge As S. Peter commaundeth you Sée that you féede Christes flocke which is among you For of these you haue taken your name lyuyng and dignitie You are called Byshop of Winchester of London and of Lyncolne And of these you are fed but these bée forgotten in your othe and these you litle regarde but to mayntayne the holy Churche of Rome that geueth you neuer a peny but robbeth all other Churches you must bée straitly sworne And why Antichrist must haue a cloke for his treason For now if hée bée a traytour hée is to bée excused why for hée is sworne to it But shall I tell you what I doe take out of it The truth is that you sweare to betray to kil and slay all members of all other Churches sauyng those that liueth after the whoredome and mischief that is vsed in Rome For if you should bee bounde to séeke out in Rome Christened men and those that doth liue after the liuyng of holy church I thinke you should finde but few Yea and vnto those you would thinke scorne to bée sworne Ergo it must folow that you are sworne to the worst sort of Rome and that your holy Churche of Rome is taken for such a sorte as liueth agaynst God agaynst his blessed worde agaynst the liuyng of holy Aposties agaynst the cōditiōs of our holy mother y e church I could say in all whoredome in all oppression in all Sodomytrie in all murther in all pōpe pride summa summarum in all maner of mischief what toung cā tell or hart can thinke But I will not say so for men would reken me vncharitable and to vehement Neuerthelesse all the worlde knoweth that you doe recken your selfe by the vertue of your oth boūde to no men but vnto such as in very déede liueth after this vngracious maner and yet will you bée faithfull and true vnto them agaynst all men Yea I dare say if that their conscience had not cōdemned them of such mischief they would neuer haue desired this assistence of you or els haue thought it necessary to haue required an othe of you But the veritie is they bée naught and haue néede of mayntainers in their mischief And also suspect you not to bée true except you made an othe to them yea and scarsly then onles that you in very déede at tyme and place conuenient doe betray your Princes for that is y e cause of your othe and other profite hath not the kyng by it I will bée reported by all practise that euer came out of your othe It foloweth And to my Lord the Pope I would gladly learne where the Pope hath got the dignitie of a Lord. This thyng is litle regarded of my Lordes the Byshops to bryng in such a worldly dignitie yea they will say it is but a trifle and mocke men for speaking agaynst it But the truth is if they durst as much now as in times past they would burne for this litle trifle the best Lord in England For I dare say it hath cost many a mans lyfe or euer they brought the Pope to Lordshyp Blessed S. Peter whose successour the Pope boasteth him selfe to bée knew nothing of this Lordshyp for bée sayth vnto hys felowes they shall not exercise no Lordshyp ouer the congregation And likewise S. Paule durst not take vppon him to commaunde as a Lord collections to bée made for poore men but mekely desires thē without any Lordshyp Also in an other place Let no man iudge vs but as the Ministers of Christ Blessed S. Paule rekeneth him selfe but a minister a seruaunt And yet y e day hath béene that he was so good as my Lord the Pope Our master Christ that
declare this intollerable or subtile treason thus long shamefully vsed against my prince which is necessary to bée knowne And I am compelled by violēce to declare both my confession and learning in this cause For mē hath not béene ashamed to report that I would which am but a wretch and poore simple worme and not hable to kill a Catte though I woulde doe my vttermost to make insurrection against my noble and mighty prince whom as God knoweth I doe both honour worship loue and fauour to the vttermost power of my hart and am not satisfied because it is no more This I speake afore God Let him bée mercifull vnto mée as it is true And if I were not so true in mine hart it were not possible for mée so earnestly to write agaynst thē whome I doe recken to handle vnfaythfully and vntruely wyth theyr prince yea against both Gods lawe and mans lawe The very truth is I can suffer through Gods grace all maner of wronges iniuries and sclaunders but to bée called an hereticke agaynst God or a traytour against my prince he liueth not but I will say hée lieth And wil bée able so to proue him if I may bée reported by my workes or déedes by my conuer sation or liuing or by any thinge that euer I did But vnto my purpose the Byshoppes doth sweare one othe to the pope and an other contrary to their prince And yet they will bée takē for good and faithfull children And I poore man must bee condemned and all my woorkes for heresy and no mā to reade them vnder the payne of treason And why because I write against their periurie towarde their prince But how commeth S. Peter by these regalles that you are sworne to defende seing that he was neuer no kyng but a fisher All the worlde knoweth that regalia belongeth to kinges and to like power of kynges Why are you not rather sworne to defend Peters net and his fisherie the which thinges hee both hadand vsed neuer regalles But these thinges will not maintayne the holy Church of Rome and therefore ye sweare not to maintayne them But what meane you by that sentence Sauing mine order why say you not sauing my kinges pleasure Your glose sayth you may not defend these thinges with weapons But oh Lord God what vnshamefulnesse is this thus to delude with wordes all the whole worlde Men knoweth that when the Pope hath néede of your helpe there is no men sooner in armes then you are if you call armes harneys bylles glaues swordes and gunnes and such other thyngs Doe you not remember how soone the Byshop of Norwiche Henry Spenser was in armes to defende pope Vrbane It were but foly to recite examples In the yeare of our Lord. 1164. was there a controuersie betwéen the kynges grace the Byshops of England for certaine prerogatiues belōgyng to the kyng Wherfore the king required an othe and a confirmation of the Byshops as concernyng those Articles and prerogatiues But aunswere was made of the Bishops that those prerogatiues cum omnibus prauitatibus in regio scripto contentis were of none effect nor strength bicause they did forbyd to appele to the Court of Rome onles the king gaue licence And bicause that no Byshop might goe at the Popes callyng out of the Realme without the kynges assent And bicause that Clerkes should bée conuented in criminall causes afore a temporall iudge And bicause the kyng would heare matters as cōcernyng tythes other spirituall causes And bicause that it was agaynst the sea of Rome and the dignitie of the same that a Byshop should bée conuēted afore y e kyng Briefly they would not bée vnder the kyng but this addition should bée set vnto it Saluo honore Dei Ecclesie Romane ordine nostro that is we will bée vnder your grace sauyng the honour of God of the Churche of Rome and of our order The cause why they dyd except these thynges was this as they them selues graunt For kynges receiued their authorities and power of the church but the Church receiueth her authoritie of Christ onely wherefore they conclude that the kyng can not commaunde ouer the Byshops nor absolue any of them nor to iudge of tythes nor of Churches neither yet to forbyd Byshoppes the handlyng of any spirituall cause Is not here a marueilous blyndnesse and obstinacie agaynste theyr Prince They will make it agaynst Gods honour to obey their king and are not ashamed to say in the kynges face that his power is of them But I pray you whether was kynges before Byshops or Byshops before kynges You shal finde that God had long admitted kynges or any Bishop as you take hym was thought of Doth not the holy ghost commaūde that we should honour kynges Also in an other place Let all men bée vnder the high powers for the power is of God and hée that resisteth the power resisteth Gods ordinaunce Here blessed S. Paule sayth that kynges power is of God not of Byshops Furthermore what reason is it to defende the Popes prerogatiue agaynst your Princes Is not your Prince nearer and more naturall vnto you then this wretch the Pope But here is a thyng y e maketh me to marueile When you sweare to the Pope Sauyng your order Is as much to say as you shall not vse no weapons but els you shall bée ready and obedient in all thynges But when you shall sweare to your kyng then Sauyng your order is as much to say as you haue authoritie to confirme kynges and to bée their felowes and neither to bée obedient vnto them nor yet to aunswere to any Iustice before them but clearely to bée exempted and they not to medle with you excepte they will geue you some worldly promotion If I would vse my selfe as vnchatariblye agaynst you as you haue handled me doubtles I could make some thyng of this that shold diplease you How would you cry and how would you handle me poore wretch if you had halfe so much agaynst me as this is But I will let you passe God hath preserued mée hitherto of his infinite mercy agaynst your insaciable malice and no doubt but hée shall doe the same still I will returne to your othe It foloweth I shall come to the Synode when I am called vnles I shall bée lawfully let But why doe you not sweare to compell the Pope to call a Councell seyng that it hath béene so often and so instantly required of him by many and noble Princes of Christendome yea seyng that all Christendome doth require with great sightes an order to bée taken set in the highest articles of our faith But vnto this you are not sworne And why bicause it is agaynst your holy popet of Rome For if there were a generall Councell both hée you do know that there must néedes folow both ouer him you a streight reformation Therfore
after my coūsell say that you can not come for you bée lawfully let It foloweth I shal honourably entreate the popes Legate both going and comming and in his necessitie I shal helpe him I pray you sée and prouide well that hée goe not a begging as Peter did And sée also that he neither preach nor teach but pyll and poull with all mischiefe and vnshamefastnes And why because you are sworne this to maintayne It foloweth I shall visite yearely my selfe or by some other messenger the pope of Rome vnles I bée dispenced with of them I pray you what pertaineth this to the office of a Byshop yearely to visite Rome Christ and the most of his Apostles were neuer at Rome and yet they were méetely good Christen men But I reade in the traditions of the Turke that certayne of them must yearly visite their Mahomet From whom I thinke you haue taken this custome Your owne law saith that vnto this clause must these bishops all only bée boūde that bée immediatly vnderneth the Pope Now are not you such for you sweare in your othe to the kyng that you will immediatly take your Byshopprick of him and holde it all onely of his grace Wherefore then doe you here sweare against your owne lawe And also against your othe made to your prince Moreouer you know that there was an olde custome in the dayes of kyng Henry the second that no Byshop shoulde goe out of the Realme without the kinges licence Are you not bound to kéepe this custome but answere that the Pope hath dispensed with you and that you are not bounde to kéepe any obedience towarde the actes that your prince maketh Moreouer I meruaile sore that you be all so straitly sworne of so long tyme and neuer one of you that euer went in my dayes to Rome to discharge his othe And why because you are dispensed with But were it not as good to leaue it out of your othe at the first séeing you entende not to kéepe it as afterwarde to dispence with you for it No forsothe for than the Pope coulde not bynde you to come to Rome at hys pleasure and betraye your kyng all his counselles But in your othe that is newly made that you haue sworne laste is added That if the pope bée on this side y e mountaines you shall visite him euery yeare But if hée bée beyond the moūtaines then euery three yeares One that knew not your practise and the circumstaūces of your factes y e hath béene done would litle suspect this additiō But the very truth is there is a mischieuous and abhominable treason in it agaynst Princes For if it chaunced the Emperour or els any temporall Prince neare vnto Rome to fall at variaunce with the Pope then dyd y e Pope straight runne into Fraunce that is to say on this side the mountaines where you must visite hym yearely And why Bicause your god is in distresse and hath conceiued a deadly hatered agaynst a Prince and can not bring it to passe without your helpe and counsell Wherefore you must come yearely And also hée must know through your betraying how your Prince is mynded and whether hée bée addicted to his contrary parte or not If hée bée then must you betraye his counsell and that yearely And why bicause the pope is on this side the mountaines But and if hée bée in Rome and hath all Princes neckes vnder hys gyrdell then is it sufficient that you come euery thyrd yeare For you cā at ones commyng deuise as much treason as Princes shall auoyde in fiue yeares But what belongeth this vnto a Bishop that the Pope is on this side the moūtaines or beyonde If ye bée bounde by Gods law yearely to visite the Pope then must you visite him where soeuer hée bée though hée were either with God or the deuill And if you bée not bounde by Gods law what a presumption is it of him to bynde you Yea what an ouersight is it of you to let your selfe thus to bée bounde And what a wickednes is it of you so straitely to kéepe this othe to the which you are not boūde by Scripture against your obedience made to your Prince whiche is commaunded by Gods word But I pray you what example hath either hée or you of blessed S. Peter to bynde by the vertue of an othe the other Apostles yearely to visite him at Rome All the world may perceiue that this othe is inuented of insaciable couetousnes that the Pope and you haue toward honours and dignities And that is well declared by these wordes that foloweth in your othe The possessions of my Church I shal not sell geue lay to morgage or make any feoffement or by any other meanes alienate the same without the counsell of y e pope But I pray you tell me one thing why doe you not sweare that you shall neither bye nor yet receiue any possessions to your church nor you shall neither pill nor poull nor shaue to encrease the possessions of your Church But the truth is all is fish that commeth to the nette with you And if it come ones within your cloukes it neuer cōmeth out agayne thoughe the Kyng and his Realme should stand in neuer so great néede But to receiue all his lande you are alwayes ready and it is not agaynst your othe I do not say thus bicause I would ye should sell or alienate the possessions of the Churche but bicause I sée that there is nothyng maintained by them but all onely your mischeuous pompe and your pride Your owne law commaundeth that the fourth part of the spiritual goodes should bée distributed among poore men And for that cause they bée called Bona pauperum but how litle their part is all the world can testifie Wherfore doe you sweare not to alienate your goodes without the popes licence The pope gaue them not to you but the kyng his subiectes How commeth hée now to bée so neare of your counsell in alienating them and the king is thrust out the whiche hath deserued best to bée of your counsell But doe you not remember your own law the which doth forbid that the pope in any wise or sor any necessitie should alienate the goodes of the Church except it bée old houses whiche can not bée kept without great charges This is your owne law and agaynst this will you sweare Then must you néedes bée periured for if you alienate your goodes with the Popes licence then is this Decrée agaynst you and curseth you Wherfore then put you this in your othe seyng you can not alienate your goodes with his consent nor yet without it It foloweth in your new othe decrées ordinaunces sentences disposions reseruations prouisions and commaundementes apostolike with all my power I will obserue shall and cause other men to obserue them These things were added when this Idole was brought so highe that no man durste wynche
agaynst hym and when hée might saye and doe what he would And as your lawe commaundeth no man so hardye to aske hym why hée doth so Then began decrées ordinances depocytions disposycyons reseruations prouysions with like shamefulnes sor to spring and there is no remedy but they must contynue And why Because you are sworne to kéepe them your selfe and to compel other men also to kéepe them And out of the kéepinge of this part of your othe springeth out an other sentence that foloweth which is this All heretykes sysmatikes and rebelles towardes our sayd Lorde y e Pope to my power I shall persecute and withstand This is the cause that hath made vs poore men so great heretykes For it can neuer bée proued that euer we spake agaynst God or our king and yet bée we heretikes And why Forsooth because the Byshops are sworne to the Popes decrées the which condemneth all them for heretikes that speaketh against his holynes though hée bée as holy as my horse For hée sayth hym selfe in his lawe that hée nedeth not to bée holy hym selfe but it is sufficient that hée sytteth in an holy seat These be his wordes who doubteth but hée is holy y e which is exalted to so great a dignitie In whō though good workes of his owne merites be wantinge yet are those good workes sufficyent the which were done by his predecessours Vpon the which texte their glose sayth that if it bée openly knowen that the Pope bée an aduoulterer or a murderer yet ought hée not to bée accused c. Now we poore men can not suffre such myscheuous vyces wherefore we must bée heretikes But why because my lords y e byshops are sworne to persecute vs. But neuertheles I trust to Gods grace and the Kinges that my Lordes the Byshops wyll not bée so hard in this poynt of their othe as they haue béene And why Because mē may nowe come to their aunswere Surely there bée many clauses in his last othe added that bée cleare iniury vnto princes against Gods lawe and mans lawe And yet our Byshops will swere them yea that which is worst of all they will accuse other men of treason rebelliō And there is no mā sworne to treason nor rebellion but they onely ¶ Wherfore most gracious prince with all mekenes and lowlynes that is due to soe noble a prince and also that doth béecome a true subiecte to doe I lowly and méekely require and desire your grace to Iudge betwéene the Byshops and me whiche of vs is trewest and faythfullest to God and to your grace I speake all onelye of those that hath and also would nowe if they durste defende the Pope and his lawes Agaynst them I make this supplication and agaynst them haue I declared the learning and doctrine that I haue both taught and wrytten And as for my factes déedes what I haue done agaynst God and your grace I require them to say their vttermost that they can proue or elles by your gracious fauour I am bere presente and offer my selfe to proue thē lyars And that vnder any maner of payne that your grace shal assigne And agaynst them I haue declared the learnyng and doctrine of theyr Churche and also brought examples of their factes and déedes with the whiche they haue put theyr doctrine in exercise Nowe if they bée gréeued or thinke thē selues wrongfully handled of mée then I require no more of your grace but indifferētly and graciously to here both them and me the which thing no doubt as your grace doth knowe our heauēly father doth require of you who preserue your highnes in all honor dignite Amen The cause of my condemnation MOste gracious Prince y e your grace shoulde knowe what cause of heresye the Byshops had agaynst me for y e which they so vncharitablye and so cruelly hath cast me away Therefore haue I set out y e articles y e were layde agaynst me And as they were layd agaynst me as I will bée reported by their owne actes and bookes The which articles doubtles were vncharitably falsly gathered agaynst me in a sermon y e I made in Cābridge in S. Edwardes Churrh Wherfore I will beséech your grace with all méekenes lowlynes to bée my gracious Lord Prince And not to suffer me thus shamefully cruelly agaynst all law conscience vtterly to bée vndone cast away But of your most highe goodnes to suffer me to come to mine aunswere and then if I can not iustifie my cause I will be at your gracious commaundement to bée punished after right and conscience IF thou beléeue that thou art more boūd to serue God to morow which is Christmas day or of easter day or of whitsonday for an holynes that is in one day more then in an other then art thou no faythfull christean man but supersticious And S. Paule is against thée saying You doe obserue dayes yeares monthes and tydes For vnto a faythfull christean man euery day ought to bée Christmas day Easter day and whitsonday The which thinge the fathers considering that thou diddest not obserue yea that thou wouldest neuer obserue if it were lefte to thy iudgmēt because thou art geuen so much to worldly businesses For that cause they haue assigned thee certaine dayes to come to the certayn dayes to come to y e church to pray togither to heare the worde of God togither and to receaue the blessed sacramēt togither what faulte fynde you in this article because I say that one daye is not holyer then an other I pray you what is y e cause or what nature is in one day that is not in an other wherby that it should bée holyer then the other Because you will say that we halowe the remembraunce of Christes birthe and of Christes resurrection in one day and not in an other This thing I say must you doe euery daye for Christe is euery day borne euery day rysen euery day ascended vp And this must you beléeue euery day stedfastly This must you sanctifie in your hartes dayly and not one day ¶ Now vary we but in this thing You say that we are bound to sanctifie but one Christmas day in the yeare and that is supersticiousnes heresy say I not that I condemne your one day but that you set it to one daye all onely that we are bound to do euery daye Briefely my Lord of Rochester alowed this article saying he would not condemne it for heresy for an C. li. this was a great sūme of money but it was folishely sayde quod hée to preach this afore the butchers of Cambryge As who say they were all butchers that were at the sermon And not y e most parte of y e vniuersity But the byshop of Bathe asked me whether we mighte labour on the holy dayes or not séeing it is written Thou shalt obserue thy holy day I aunswered
iustification Is not this open lyeng on fayth to geue all to him yet as you say hée is not worthy of all for workes bée worthy of parte If fayth bée not worthy alone confesse it openly and gene workes his prayse and faith her prayse say not one thyng with your mouth and thinke an other in your hart For God searcheth the priuities of hartes Who hath required of you such a méekenes But I praye you how can workes helpe to iustification lesse or more when they bée neyther done nor yet thought of Who is iustified but a wicked mā which thinketh nothing of good works But these méeke lyes deserue none aunswere Wherefore let vs heare what holy Doctours say on this texte To hym that worketh not c. Saint Ambrose sayth on this maner It was so decréed of God that after y e lawe the grace of God should require vnto saluation alonely fayth Which thyng hée prooueth by the example of the prophet saying Blessed is that man to whom God doth impute iustification without workes Hée sayth that they bée blessed of whom God hath determined without labour without all maner of obseruation alonely by faith that they shal bée iustified before God Blessed are they whose sinnes bée forgeuē Clearly they are blessed vnto whom without labour or without any worke their iniquitios be remitted and their sinnes bée couered and no maner of workes required of them but alonely that they should beleeue c. Bée not these wordes playne God hath decréed that hée shall require nothyng to iustification but fayth And hée is blessed to whom God imputeth iustification without all manner of works without all maner of obseruations Also their sinnes bée couered no maner of works of penaūcered of them but alonely to beléeue Here haue you Sola fides and Tantum fides and here can you not say that S. Ambrose speaketh alonely of workes of the law but of all maner of works of all maner of obseruations yea and also of penaunce Peraduēture it will bee sayd as a great doctour sayd once to me that S. Ambrose dyd vnderstād it of young children that were newly baptised them their fayth should saue alonely without workes How thinke you is not this a likely aunswere for a great Doctour of Diuinitie for a great Duns man for so great a preacher Are not S. Paule and S. Ambrose wel auoyded and clerkely But I made him this aunswere that this Epistle was written of S. Paule to the Romanes which were men and not children and also the wordes of Scripture speake of the man and not of the childe And S. Ambrose sayth blessed is that man But at this aunswere hée was not a litle moued and sware by the blessed God let Ambrose Augustine say what they will hée would neuer beléeue but that workes dyd helpe to iustificatiō This was a Lordly word of a Prelate of a pyller of Christes Churche But what medlyng is with such mad men But yet peraduenture you will say how that I take a péece of the Doctour as much as maketh for my purpose Notwithstandyng hée sayth otherwise in an other place which I doe not bryng What is that to me yet is not my Doctour thus auoyded For you cā not deny but this is his saying and vppon this place of Scripture and this doth agrée with Scripture or els hée doth expounde Scripture euill Wherfore you must aunswere to the saying of the Doctour in this place for this is the place that is layd agaynst you and this is y e place whereby other places must bée expounded And if you dare deny him in this place then will I deny him in all other places by that same authoritie then bée the holy doctours clearely gone Neuertheles holy Scripture standeth openly agaynst you which if you deny then haue I a cause to suspect you Wherefore take héede what you doe But yet peraduenture will ye say that I vnderstand not S. Ambrose nor holy Doctours as my Lord of Rochester sayd howe I vnderstode not Tertullian hée had none other euasion to saue his honour with But this is not inough so to say but you must proue it other mē must iudge it betwéene you and me Here haue I translated a great many of their sayinges into English let other men iudge whether I vnderstand them or not Go ye to the Latin and let vs sée what other sense you cā take out But my Lordes remember that our God is alyue whose cause we defende afore whom I dare well say you are already confounded in your conscience wherfore doubt you not but that terrible vengeaunce han geth ouer you if you repēt not which whē it cōmeth cōmeth sharpely How are ye able to defend a thing that you cā not proue opēly by holy scripture Say what you will your conscience will murmour and grudge and will neuer bée satisfied with mēs dreames nor yet with tyranny Thinke you that your lawes and your inuentiōs can bée a sufficient rule for Christen men to liue by and to saue their conscience therby Thinke you that your cause is sufficiently proued when you haue compelled poore men by violēce to graūt it Then may we destroy all Scriptures and receiue alonely your tyranny But my Lordes this matter is not righted by your iudgemēt but by our master Christ and his blessed worde afore whose strayte iudgement you shall bée iudged and that straytly For when all your grace all your honour all your dignitie all your pompe and pride briefly all that your hartes doe nowe reioyse in shall lye in the dust then shall you bée called to a strayte rekening It is no light game nor no childes playe Marke it well for it lieth on your necke But what nedeth me to loose many wordes for if you be halfe so full of grace as you say you bée of good workes then will you recken it better then I can moue you But againe to our purpose S. Paule proueth the iustification of faith onely in these wordes No man is iustified by the workes of the law but by the faith of Iesus Christ and we doe beléeue in Iesus Christ that we may bée iustified by the fayth of Christ not by the workes of the law Marke how hée sayth that no man is iustified by the workes of the law no not S. Peter Howe thinke you doth not S. Paule exclude workes bringeth in alonely faith yea and that the workes of the law whiche were the best workes in the world and hée beleeueth to bée iustified onely by the fayth of Iesus Christ and not by workes and that proueth hée in these wordes of the Prophet A righteous man lyueth by fayth Here you not how a righteous man liueth by faith What call you liuing by fayth If hée liue any part by workes then lyueth hée not by fayth but partly by workes Thē is S. Paules probation vnperfite But let vs sée how your Doctours doe
then are we the seruauntes of iustice So that if we truely haue that same fayth that iustifieth vs we shall desire to doe none other workes but those that belong to iustification not that the workes doe iustifie but that we must néedes do these workes as the very true frutes of iustificatioÌ„ and not as the cause of iustification And therfore those men that will doe no good workes because they be iustified onely by fayth bée not the childreÌ„ of God nor the children of iustificafition For the liuyng spirite of God is none authour of ilnes nor of sinne but hée crieth in our hartes Abbapater And of that is this a sure and an euident token for if they were the very true children of God they would bée the gladder to doe good workes because that they are iustified fréely Therfore should they also bée moued fréely to workes if it were for no other purpose nor profite but alonely to doe y e wil of their mercyfull God y e hath so fréely iustified theÌ„ and also to profite their neighbour whoÌ„ they are bound to serue of very true charitie Take an example here is a théefe that is condemned by right the law to bée hanged whom the kings grace of his mercy doth fréely deliuer from the gallowes and geueth him his pardon Now this théefe thus deliuered will not kéepe hym selfe a true man nor doe those workes that belong to a true man to doe but falleth agayne to stelyng because the kyng pardoned hym so fréely and reckeneth that the kyng is so mercyfull that hée will haÌ„g no théeues but deliuer them all of his mercy without their deseruing Now how thinke you wil y e king bée mercifull vnto this théefe when hée coÌ„meth againe to y e gallowes Nay truely for hée was not deliuered for that cause but for to kéepe hym selfe a true man Then commeth my Lord of Rochester and hée sayth that fayth doth begyn a iustification in vs but workes doe performe it and make it perfite I will recite his owne wordes Per fidem initiari dicitur iusticia solum non autem consummari nam consummata in sticia non aliter quam ex operibus natis in lucem editis acquirâ— potest opera consummatè iustificant Fides primum in choat c. What Christened man would thinke that a Byshop would thus trifle and play with Gods holy word Gods worde is so playne that no man can auoyde it how that fayth iustifieth alonely and now commeth my Lord of Rochester with a litle a â—ayne distinction inuented of his owne brayne without authoritie of Scripture and will clearely auoyde all Scriptures and all the whole disputation of S. Paule But my Lord say to me of your conscience how doe you recken to auoyde the vengeauÌ„ce of God sith you thus trifle despise Gods holy word Thinke you that this vayne distinctioÌ„ will bée alowed afore Iesus Christ for whose glorye wée doe coÌ„teÌ„de striue afore whom we doe handle this matter I doe thinke verely that your owne conscience doth sore accuse you for thus blasphemyng the holy worde of God Wherefore my Lord for Christes sake remember that you bée aged and shall not long tary here and these vayne distinctioÌ„s that you haue inuented to the pleasure of men and to the great peruertyng of Gods holy word shall bée to your euerlastyng damnation And at the lest wayes if you feare not y e terrible vengeauÌ„ce of God remeÌ„ber the shame of y e world thinke not that all men bée so mad and so vnlearned as for to bée deceiued by this triflyng distinction seyng that the worde of God is so playne agaynst it Doth not S. Paule say that our iustification is alonely of fayth not of workes How can you auoyde this same Non ex operibus Not of workes if that workes doe make iustification perfite then are not Saint Paules wordes true Also S. Paule sayth that we bée the childreÌ„ of God by fayth And if we bée the childreÌ„ we are also the heyres Now what imperfection finde you in childreÌ„ and in heyres ChristeÌ„ meÌ„ desire no more but this and all this haue they by fayth onely And will you say that fayth doth but begyn a iustification Beside that you know well that S. Paule doth proue in all the whole Epistles to the Romanes and also to the Galathians that fayth doth iustifie yea and that by contention agaynst workes Now how can you bryng in workes to make iustification perfect And S. Paule hath excluded them Moreouer why did not the Iewes against whose works S. Paule disputeth bryng in this distinction for theÌ„ Briefely what will you say to all the Doctours that I haue here recited which say that Sola fides onely fayth doth iustifie But doubtles if it were not to satisfie other men this distinction were not worthy an aunswere An other damnable reason is made that is an open a playne lye which is this Thou sayst that workes doe not iustifie nor yet helpe to iustification but fayth onely Ergo thou destroyest all good workes and wilt that no man shall worke well but alonely beléeue I auÌ„swere if there were any shame in men they might well bée ashamed of these open lyes Tell me one that is learned that euer did say or teach that men should doe no good workes Many there bée that say workes do not iustifie as S. Paule and all his scholers but no maÌ„ denyeth good workes But I marueile not at them for they doe but the workes of their father whiche was a lyer a murtherer from the begynnyng I pray you what coÌ„sequent is this after your owne Logike works doe not iustifie Ergo wee néede not to doe them but despise them for they bée of no valure Take a like consequent You say that the kinges grace doth not iustifie Ergo you despise him Ergo hée is no longer kyng Also the Sunne and Moone doe not iustifie Ergo you destroy them But such a damnable lye must S Paul néedes suffer wheÌ„ hée had proued that fayth onely did iustifie Then came your ouerthwarte fathers and sayd Ergo thou destroyest the law for thou teachest that it iustifieth not God forbid sayth S. Paule for we doe learne the very waye to fulfill the law that is faith whereby the law alonely is fulfilled and without the whiche all the workes of the law bée but sinne So doe we likewise teach the very true way wherby all good workes must be done As first a man by faith to bée iustified then a iust man must néedes doe good workes whiche afore were but sinne now bée all good yea his eatyng drinkyng sléeping are good But beside all these haue they certayne scriptures First of S. Iames whose wordes bee these Wilt thou vnderstand O thou vayne man that fayth without déedes is dead Was not Abraham our father iustified of his dedes When hée offered his soÌ„ne Isaac on the aulter
Lykewise was not Rahab the harlot iustified when she receiued the messengers and sent them out an other way S. Augustine doth declare in diuers places y t blessed S. Paule and S. Iames semed for to bée contrary in this matter And therefore S. Agustine willing to saue the estimacion of this epistle doth declare how that S. Paule doth speake of workes that goe béefore fayth and S. Iames speaketh of workes that folow fayth And yet S. Agustine will not bée compelled by the wordes of this epistle to graunt y e any workes doe iustifie by the reason that Saint Paules wordeâ— bée so appartly and vehemently to the contrary Wherefore séeing that there sheweth a controuersy here in two places of y e scripture it standeth with all reason and learning that the same place which séemeth for to bée féeblest also darkest should bée expounded and declared by that part of scripture that is clerest and most of autorite Now is this of truth that the auctoritie of S. Paule hath alwayes in the church of God béene more of estimacion and strength then euer was this epistle though that this epistle hath bene receyued and especially in this cause y t we now here speake of For in all the scripture is not this article of iustifycation so playnely and plenteouslye handled as it is by blessed S. Paule this must euery learned man graunt Wherfore it standeth with reason and lerning that this saying of Saint Iames must néedes bée reduced and brought vnto blessed S. Paules meaning not S. Paule vnto S. Iames saying Now therefore in as much that both blessed S. Paule and also Saint Iames meaning is that good workes should bée done and they y e bée christeÌ„ men should not bée idle and doe no good because that they are the childreÌ„ of grace but that they should rather in their lyuynge expresse outwardlye their goodnes receiued of grace and as blessed S. Paule sayth To geue their membres to bée seruantes vnto righteousnes as they were afore seruauntes vnto vncleanes For this cause I say S. Iames saying must néedes bée vnderstanded for to bée wrytten agaynst those men that bosted them selues of an idle and vayne opinion that they thought theÌ„ selues to haue which they reckened to bée a good fayth Now S. Iames to proue that this fayth was but an idle thing of none effect doth declare it clerely by y e that it brought forth in time and place conuenient no good works And therefore hée cauleth it a deade fayth Hée bryngeth in also a naked brother the wich hath néede of clothing vnto these men y t boasted their fayth which hath no compassion of his necessitie Wherefore hée concludeth y e that they haue no true fayth And therefore hée sayth vnto them shew vnto mée thy fayth without workes and I shall shew vnto thée of workes my fayth Heare is it playne that S. Iames would no more but that that fayth is a dead fayth and of no valure y e hath no workes For workes shoulde declare and shew the outwarde fayth workes should bée an outward declaration and a testimonie of y e inwarde iustification receiued of fayth not y e workes can or may take away our synne or els bée any satisfaction for any part of synne for that belongeth all onely to Christ As blessed S. Iohn sayth and also S. Paule hée hath appered once for al to put sinne to flight by the offering vp of hym selfe And that this is S. Iames meaning it is declared by that that foloweth Thou séest sayth hée that fayth wrought in Abrahams déedes through y e déedes was his fayth made perfect Marke how fayth wrought in hys déedes That is his fayth because it was a lyuyng fayth brought forth wrought out y e high worke of oblation Also his fayth was perfect through his déedes That is his fayth was declared and had a great testimonye afore all the worlde y e it was a lyuyng and a perfect and a right shapen faith that Abraham had So y t his inward fayth declared him afore God his outward workes afore the worlde to bée good and iustified And thus was his faith made perfect afore God and man Now vnto this doe we all agrée that y t fayth alonely iustifieth before God whiche in tyme and place doth worke well yea it is a liuyng thing of God which can not bée dead nor idle in man But yet for all that we doe geue to fayth and to Christes bloud that glory that belongeth to them onely that is to say iustificatioÌ„ remissioÌ„ of sinnes satisfieng of Gods wrath takyng awaye of euerlastyng vengeaunce purchasing of mercy fulfillyng of the law with all other like things The glorye of these I say belongeth to Christ onely we are pertakers of them by fayth in Christes bloud onely For it is no worke that receyueth the promise made in Christes bloud but fayth onely Take an example God sayth to Abraham In thy seede shall I blesse all people Now can Abrahams workes doe nothyng to receiuyng of this blessing nor yet can they make him hang on that séede but hée beléeueth God and sticketh fast by fayth to that promise and thinketh that God shall bée true though hée bée a lyer and so is hée partaker of the blessing made in y t séede Note also that this blessing is promised in Abrahams séede and not to Abrahams workes Ergo Abraham is blessed because hée hangeth on the séede not on his workes Also blessed S. Paule doth driue a sore argument agaynst workes in as much as Scripture sayth in semine non in seminibus quasi in multis sed in vno Now if workes doe helpe lesse or more to iustificatioÌ„ then must néedes the promise bée made and pertaine to many and not to one onely y e which were sore agaynste blessed S. Paule Wherefore I conclude that the glory and prayse of iustification belongeth onely to fayth in Christes bloud and not to workes in any wise NotwithstaÌ„dyng we doe also laude and prayse good workes and doe teach diligently to doe good workes in as much as God their maker hath commaunded them yea also to profite their neighbours by their good workes and furthermore that other men which blasphemeth the veritie might bée moued through their vertuous liuyng conuersatioÌ„ to the holy religioÌ„ of Christ For these causes and other moe I say doe I teach good meÌ„ to liue wel and vertuously yea also wée teach that good workes shall haue a reward of God as scripture testifieth but not remission of sinnes nor yet iustication for their rewarde Wherfore this saying of S. Iames must néedes bée verified against theÌ„ that boasted them selues of vayne fayth that was indéede but an idle opinion and no true fayth for it did worke thorough charitie And therfore S. Iames disputeth well agaynst them that this fayth was but a dead fayth and coâ—â— not helpe them no
compared to the vyne and all the members of holy Churche to the branches that as the braunches can bring foorth no frute of them selues so cā holy church of her selfe bring foorth no goodnes except shee remaine in Christ by persite fayth This is wel proued by your owne law whose wordes bée these therfore is the Church holy because she beléeueth righteously in God c. Here you not the cause wherfore the Church is holy because she beléeueth righteously in God that is she beléeueth in nothyng but in him and she beléeueth nor heareth no worde but his as our master Christe beareth witnesse my shéepe heare my voyce and an other mans voyce doe they not know Also in an other place hée that is of God heareth the wordes of God How cōmeth this that y e Church of God hath so sure a iudgemēt that she knoweth the voyce of Christ frō other voyces can not erre in her iudgement Because that Christ hath chosen her and because she is learned of God as our master Christ sayth and because she hath as S. Iohn sayth the inwarde oyntmēt of God y ◠teacheth his all maner of verity so that she can not erre But why can shee not erre because she may doe what she will Because that all thing that she doth is well done because she may make new rules and newe lawes at her pleasure Because she may inuent a newe seruice of God that is not in Scripture at her wil Nay nay my Lordes For she is but a woman and must bée ruled by her husbande yea she is but a shéepe and must heare y e voyce of her shepheard and so long as she doth so long cā she not erre because the voyce of her shepheard can not bée false This may be proued by your own law whose wordes bée these y e whole Church can not erre Also in an other place the congregation of faythfull men must néedes bée which also can not erre c. These wordes bée playne what Church it is that can not erre that is the congregation of faythfull men that bée gathered in Christes name whiche haue Christes spirite whiche haue the holy oyntement of God whiche abyde fast by Christes word and heare no other mās voyce but his Now my Lordes gather you all togither with all the lawes that you cā make and all the holynes that you can deuise and crye the Church the Churche and the Councels the Councels that were lawfully gathered in the power of the holy ghost all this may you say yet lye and if you haue not in déede the holy ghost with in you and if you doe heare any other voyce then Christes then are you not of the Churche but of the deuill and théenes murtherers as Christ saith For you come into the fold of Christ without him you bring not his voice but you come with your owne voyce with your owne statutes with your owne word your owne mandamus mandamus precipimus precipimus excommunicamus excommunicamus These bée the voyces of murtherers and Théeues and not of Christ therfore you can not but erre for you bée not taught of God you haue not the holy oyntment you haue not the worde of God for you you heare not the voyce of the true shepheard therfore must you néedes erre in all your counsells This is an other maner of rule then my Lorde of Rochester doth assigne to examine your counsels by for hée sayth where that the Pope and the counsell doth not agrée all in one there will hée suspect the counsell not to bée right Who did euer heare such a rule of a Christean man yea and of a bishop yea and of a doctor of Diuinite where hath hée learned this Diuinite to recken a counsell to bée trew because y e the Pope and so many men doe agree in one yea and that such men as haue so often tymes erred in their coūcels as hée doth declare hym self rekening the counsell of Constantinople that had 330. Byshops and yet did erre and hée knew no other cause but bée cause the Pope did not agrée to them Is not this a resonable cause cā not the Pope erre let hym read his own lawe Distinctio 19. Anastasius Distinctio 40. Si Papa and also 24. q 1. Arecta in the glose and there shall hée fynde that the Pope hath erred Wherefore then should the matter stande in his iudgment Now how will hée by thys rule saue the counsels of constance and of Basell where in both counsels the Popes were condemned for heretykes As the same counsels make mencion also that the councels haue erred that graūted hée hymselfe but peraduenture hée will saye that they were not full Councels Now is it well amended what distinction is as conscernyng the veritie in a counsell that hath a thowsand byshops and in an other that hath fyve thowsand can the multitude helpe to the veritie Then had the Turke the veritie and we the falsed then had the Prophet Micheas the worsse part for hée was alone against iiij hundred so was y e verytie by y e Prophets of Ball and not by Elyas for they were foure hundred and fyftye hee was but one man Briefely Christes flocke is alwayes y e smallest nūber in this world but yet it is the best not the smallest number maketh Christes flocke but that Christes Church stādeth neyther by the greatest number nor yet by the smallest nor by the iudgmēt or numbring of man but by the callyng and eleccion of God Wherefore let my Lorde bring forth what counsell that hée will and if they haue not the word of God I will not all onely say they may erre but also that they doe erre in verye déede And that will I proue by the greatest lawyer that they haue called Panormitanus whose wordes bée these that Councels may erre as they haue erred as concernyng that contract of matrimony inter raptorem raptam and the saying of Saint Hierome was afterward preferred a boue the statute of the counsel as it is proued 36. q. 2. Tria for in thinges concerning the fayth is the saying of a priuat person to bee preferred afore the saying of the pope if hée haue better reasōs and scriptures of the new and of the olde testamēt for him then the Pope nor it can not helpe to say that the counsell can not erre because that Christ did pray for his Church y e her fayth should not fayle For I aūswere to this that though y e generall coūcell doe represent y e whole vniuersall church neuertheles in very déede there is not y e very vniuersall church but representatiue For the vniuersal church stādeth in y e election of all fayth full men all faithfull mē of y ◠world make that vniuersall Church whose head and spouse is Christ Iesus the Pope is but the vicar of Christ and not the
very head of the Church this is the Church that can not erre c. Here it is open that the counsell may erre and that a priuate person hauing scriptures for hym is to bée heard before the Pope and also y e coūsell hauing no scriptures for them you haue also what is the very trew Church which can not erre which thing can not bée veryfyed of your counsels for they bée neyther without errour nor yet the holy Church but that they doe represēt the Church as a legate representeth a kings person but of that followeth not that hée is y e king or hath as much power as the king or is aboue The king or that he may rule the king this may also bée proued by S. Augustine whose words bée these those counselles that bée gathered in euery Prouince must without doubt geue place to the auctoritie of the ful counsels which bée gathered of all Christendom and also those full counsels oft tymes must bée amended by the full counsels that come after if any thyng bée opened by any experience that was a fore shut and if any thing bée knowen that was hydden And this may bee done without any shadowe of supersticious pride without any boasted Arrogancy with out any contentiō of malicious enuy but with holy méekenes with holy peace and with Christen charitye c. Here it is playne that your full coūsels may bée amended and reformed y e which thing néede not if they could not erre yea and if they did not erre in déede Moreouer you must néedes graunt that there is a rule where by your counsels must bée exammined where by sentence must bée geuen which of your councels bée true and which false by the which rule if your counsels bée not ordered they must néedes erre and bée false and of the deuill Wherfore gather all your coūsels togither and yet of them can you not make holy church But peraduenture there may bée many in your coūsels good and perfite men and of holy Churche but they and you togither make not the vnyuersall holy church that can not erre neither haue you any anctoritie ouer holy Church further then the holy scripture of God but as soone as you forsake Christ and his holy worde so soone are you the congregation of the deuyll and théeues and murtherers and yet for all this there must néedes bée an holy church of Christ in earth that is neyther bounde to Ierusalem nor to Constantinople nor yet to Rome as though shée were lyke vnto the Asse and the fole But now wyll there bée obiected that our Mayster Christ commaundeth if my brother offende mée that I shoulde complayne to the church Now is this church that I haue set out spirituall and no man knoweth her but God onely shée is also scattered thorow out the worlde wherfore how can a man complayne to that church I aunswere our M. Christ doth playnely speake of a man that hath wronge the which must néedes bée a perticuler and a certayne man and therefore likewyse hée biddeth hym complayne not to the vniuersall church but to the perticular church Now this particular church if shée bée of God and a true member of the vniuersal church shée will iudge righteously after Christes worde and after the probations brought afore her Neuerthelesse oftētymes cōmeth it to passe y ◠this particular church doth fully and wholy erre and iudgeth vnryght and excommunicateth him that is blessed of god as it is open in your owne lawe whose wordes bée these oftētymes hée that is cast out is within and hée that is within is kept without c. Here haue you playnely y e the particular church may erre Wherefore that church that can not erre is all only the vniuersall church which is caulled the communion and the felowship of Saintes the which addition was made by holy fathers for in Ciprians time was there no mention of it by all likelyhode to declare the presumption of certayne men and of certayne congregations that reckened themselues to bée holy church Wherfore my Lordes sée well to it least the holy Ghost haue pricked you wyth thys addition for you haue alwayes made your selfe holy church yea and that wythout any holines Now haue I declared vnto you what is holy church that is the congregation of faithfull men thorowout all y e world and whereby shée is holy that is by Christes holynesse and by Christes bloud and also what is the cause that shée can not erre because that shée kepeth her selfe so fast to the worde of God whiche is a perfite a true rule Nowe must we declare by what signes and tokēs that we may know that in this place or in that place there bée certeine members of this holye church For though shée bée in her self spirituall ▪ and can not bée perfitely knowen by our exteriour senses yet neuerthelesse we may haue certeine tokens of her spirituall presence whereby we may recken that in this place and in that place bee certeine of her members As by a naturall example though the soule of man in her selfe bée spirituall inuisible yet may we haue sure tokens of her presence as hearyng mouyng speakyng smellyng with such other So likewise where the word of God is truely and perfitely preached without the damnable dreames of men and where it is well of the hearers receiued also where we sée good woorkes that doe openly agrée with the doctrine of the Gospell these bée good and sure tokēs whereby we may iudge that there bée some men of holy Church As to the first whereas the Gospell is truely preached it must néedes light in some mens hartes as the prophete witnesseth my word shall not returne agayne to me frustrate but it shall doe all thyng that I will and it shall prosper in those thynges vnto the which I did send it Also S. Paule sayth fayth cōmeth by hearyng and hearyng commeth by the word of God and therfore it is open in holy Scripture that when Peter spake the wordes of God the holy ghost fell downe on them all Wherfore it is open that Gods worde can neuer bée preached in vayne but some men must néedes receiue it and thereby bée made of holy Churche though that men doe not know them neither by their names nor yet by their faces for this word is receiued into their hartes The second token is that the receiuers of this woord doe worke well thereafter as S. Paule declareth of his hearers when you receiued of vs the word wherewith God was preached you receiued it not as the word of men but euen as it was in déede the word of God whiche worketh in you that beléeue So that if men doe worke after the worde of God it is a good token that there bée men of the Churche though that we hypocrisie is so subtile and so secret may bée oftentymes deceiued by these
learnyng will graunt that euill men bée the dead members of the Churche what they bée worth let other men iudge But M. More reckoneth that there is not such a Churche here in earth that is without spot and wrincle as S. Paul sayth For the Church sayth hée is here gracious and not glorious Truely I haue marueile what hée meaneth thus to expound Saint Paules saying for I thinke hée can not prooue but that S. Paules saying is verified of the Church that is here militant and not of the church triumphaunt But I will not at this tyme greatly dispute with M. More But and if hée were as hée hath béene I would say some thyng more to hym then I will doe at this tyme. Hée can neither mocke me nor iest me out of coÌ„ceite and if I were disposed to couple with hym nor it is not hys foule shameles woorkes and vntrue sayinges that hée layeth to me that could feare me But now that it hath pleased God without any helpe or know ledge of me to bryng hym vnto this fall I will praye to God for hym to geue hym grace that hée may reuoke all such false doctrine as hée hath brought into the worlde For doubtles if hée abyde in the meanyng that hée is now in I doe not sée how hée can dye Gods seruaunt Yea his own knowen Church is agaynst hym whoÌ„ hée sayth men are bound to beléeue vnder payne of damnation But truely as God shall iudge me I am sory for hys trouble if I could helpe hym with any lawfull meanes I would doe my best so euill will beare I him But to procéede farther in my matter I will not greatly speake much of the Church by the reason that many other men sence my fyrst writinge haue declared this article much better then I can doe it Wherefore I will all onelye resite the places of holy doctours that I haue brought for mée in my fyrst booke and the intent wherefore I aleaged them to prooue that y e Church was afrée thing throughout all the world and not bounde eyther to place or to person I brought for me y e saying of S. Augustine saying these wordes The holy Church are wée But I doe not saye are we as one should say we that bée heare all onely that heare mée now but as many as bée heare faythfull christean men in this Church y e is to say in this Cytie as many as bée in this region as many as bée beyonde the sea as many as bée in all the whole world for from y e rysing of the sunne tyll the goinge downe is the name of God praysed So is y â— holy Church our mother c. Also Lyra sayth The Church doth not stand in men by the reason of spirituall power or seculer dignitie For many princes and many Popes and other inferiour persoÌ„s haue swerued from the fayth Wherfore the church doth stand in those persons in whom is the true knowledge and confession of fayth and of veritye c. Here Lyra sayth as much as I doe in cleare wordes And M. More doth not nor yet caÌ„ refell hym Afterward I bring a saying of S. Augustine to prooue that the Church hath spottes and wryncles in her And yet by confessing of them and by stycking to Christes bloud they bée not imputed vnto her This is his saying The whole Church prayeth Lord forgeue vs our sinnes Wherfore she hath spottes and wryncles But by knowledging of them her wryncles bée streatched out and by knowledging her spottes are washed away The Church continueth in prayer y e shée myght bée clensed by knowledgeing of her synnes And as long as we here liue so standeth it And when euery maÌ„ departeth out of this body all such sinnes are forgeuen hym the which ought to bée forgeueÌ„ For they bée forgeuen by dayly prayer and hée goeth hence clensed And the Church of God is layde vp in the treasure of God for puregolde by this meane the Church of God is in the treasure of our Lord without spotte or wrynkell It foloweth Let vs therefore pray that God may forgeue vs and that we may forgeue our dettours séeing it is sayde and it shall be forgeuen vnto you We say this dayly and dayly we doe this and this thing is done dayly in vs. We are not here without sinne But we shall departe hence without synne c. Let euery man iudge whether that this place of S. Augustine maketh for my purpose or not that is to say whether that y e Church hath any spottes or wrincles in her or not And yet neuertheles shée hath no spottes nor wrincles For S. Augustine sayth y e Church of God is in the treasurie of God without any spotte so that through Gods mercy nothing is imputed vnto her Her cleannes is not y e shée hath no spots but béecause that for Christes sake there is nothing layd to her charge M. More maketh many wordes of â—enyall synnes and deadly synnes But to speake after his owne schoole men it should bée to harde for hym to defende that exposition that hée here maketh of S. Augustine But to proue that the Church is cleane by the reason of Christ I brought for mée their owne lawe whose wordes bée these Therefore is y e Church holy because shée beléeueth righteously in God c. Furthermore to prooue that this congregation of faythfull men is the Church that can not erre I brought for mée their owne lawe Whose wordes bée these The holy Church can not erre c. Also in an other place The Congregation of faythfull men must néedes bée which also can not erre c. So that it is cleare first that there must nedes bée a congregation of faythfull men which bée neyther bounde to Rome nor to Hierusalem uor yet to any certayne place but it is spread abroade throughout the whole worlde and standeth in the vnitye of faythfull christen men And that is the church that God suffereth uot to erre in those thinges that belong to saluation Wherefore I dyd say in my other booke that the Popes councels were not the church that coulde not erre For for y â— most part those couÌ„sels did not order themselues after Gods worde Wherfore I sayd they myght well erre And for that cause a pryuate person hauing scripture for hym ought to bée preferred afore a whole counsell if they had no scripture For Gods worde ought to bée iudge ouer all counsels and to prooue this I brought for mée the saying of Panormitanus which sayth The counsell may erre as it hath erred concernyng y e contracte of matrimony inter Raptorem Raptam And y e saying of S. Hierome was afteaward preferred aboue the statute of y â— couÌ„sell as it is prooued 36. quest 2. Tria For in these thynges concernyng the fayth the saying of a priuate person is to bée preferred before the saying of the Pope if
when you are at home the godly Bibles and receaue the thyng therein with great studye for thereby shall you haue great aduantage c. These wordes bée so plaine that I can adde nothyng to them woulde you that wée shoulde take you for byshops and for holy fathers that bée so openly agaynst Scripture and so centrary to holy doctours That will I neuer doe while I liue I will neuer looke to sée other Antichristes then you and so will I take you till I sée almighty God conuerte you Also the same doctour saith Which of you all that bée here if it were required coulde say one Psalme without the booke or any other part of holy scripture not one doubtles But this is not alonely the worste but that you bée so slow and so remisse vnto spirituall thinges and vnto deuillishnesse you are hotter then any fier but men will defende this mischief with this excuse I am no religious mā I haue a wife and children and a house to care for This is y e excuse wherewith you doe as it were with a pestilence corrupt all thinges for you doe recken that the studye of holy Scripture béelongeth alonely vnto religious men when they bée much more necessary vnto you then vnto them c. Here may you sée that your damnable institution was in the hartes of men in Chrisostomes dayes howe they woulde reade no scriptures but you sée hée condemneth it and calleth it a pestilēce and will you now bring it in agayne If you had but a lousie statute of your owne against mée or an other man you woulde call vs hetikes But you neither regarde Christes holy worde nor holy Doctours nor yet any other thinge y e is agaynst you But let vs sée what your owne lawe saith to this If Christ as Paul sayth bée the power and the wisdome of God thē to bée ignoraunt in scriptures is as much as to bée ignoraunt of Christ c. Here haue you playnely that to take away scriptures from lay men is as much as to take away Christ frō them the which no doubt but that you doe intēde in your harts to doe and that thing God knoweth and your workes doe declare it the which God shall aduenge full straitly ouer you Also in an other place I will set my meditation in thy iustifications and I will not forgette thy wordes the which thing is excéeding good for all Christen men to obserue and kéepe c. Here is a counsell of your owne that hath admitted that all Christen men shall study Scripture And will you now condemne it Is there neither Scripture of God nor practise of Christē men nor exposition of Doctours nor your owne law nor yet any statute of counsels that will hold agaynst you You bée marueilous giantes how shal a mā behaue him selfe to handle with you it is not possible to ouercome you for you wil admitte nothyng that is against you But yet will I not so leue you but I will first declare it manifestly y e you bée cōtrary to Christ and to all holy doctours S. Hierome reprooueth you very sore in these wordes O Paula and Eustochium if there bée any thyng in this life that doth preserue a wise mā and doth persuade him to abide with a good will in the oppressions and the thraldomes of the world I doe reckē that specially it is the meditations and the study of holy scripture séeyng that we doe differre from other creatures specially in that that we bée reasonable in that that we can speake now is reason and all maner of wordes cōteined in godly Scripture whereby that we may learne to knowe God also the cause wherefore we bée created Wherfore I doe sore marueile y ◠there bée certein men the which geue thē selues to slouthfulnes sluggishnes and will not learne those things that bée good but recken those men worthy to bée reprooued that haue that good mynde c. Marke how that this was written to two women that were learned Also hée reckeneth nothyng better then to study holy scriptures hée also marueileth that certaine will neither study Scriptures them selues nor yet let other mē study thē It is well knowē that these wordes pricke no men but you and ye bée so slouthfull so geuen to voluptuousnes that you your selues will not study Scriptures nor yet suffer other mē to study them but if you doe study them it is to deceiue your simple and poore brother there by and to maintaine your abhominable liuing with wrostyng and wryngyng of them other profite commeth there none of your study as all the worlde knoweth For you may not preach but when you haue damnably condemned Christes blessed word or els by violence made some of your poore brethren heretickes then come you with all your gorgious estate pompe and pride to out face Christ and your simple brother with your outward dānable pride afore the face of the world But my Lordes leue of your fasing and your brasing for our Lord whose cause we defend agaynst you will at length not bée out faced Remēber how the holy ghost prayeth against you saying iudge them Lord that they may fall from their cogitations expell them Lord for they haue prouoked thée doubte you not but this holy spirite will preuaile agaynst you though God suffer you for a season yet hath hée till this day defended him selfe his godly wordes agaynst all the proude crakyngs of the world and thinke you that hée wil now take a fall at your hand nay nay hée shall first thrust you out headlonge that all the world shall take example by you this is my beléeue For that word that you haue cōdemned doth thus learne me Wherfore if you doe not reuoke the condemnation of the new Testament and ordeine that all Christen men may read holy Scripture you shal haue the greatest shame that euer men had in this world for you are neuer able to defend it by any meanes nor by any power y e is in earth And if all power in earth wil withstand it hée shall rather bryng them all to dust and raise vp of stones newe rulers You wormes meate you stinking car rion you nourishmēt of hell fire how dare you thus presume against your God omnipotent whether will you flie to auoyde his daunger Heauen earth water and fire sunne moone and starres saintes and angels man and child bée against you and holde you accursed What though the deuill laugh on you for a season Remember the ende but God geue you hys grace that I lose not my labour about you But now let mée assoyle your carnall reasons that you bring for you The fyrst is this euyll men doe take an occasion of heresy out of scriptures Wherfore it is best they haue it not I aunswere lykewise good men doe take an occasion of goodnes there of Ergo the people ought to haue
a burden of a tyraunt that is layde on vs and neither helpeth to the increasing of gods honour nor to the edifiyng of our brethreÌ„ they them selues kéepe theÌ„ not Of these speaketh our master Christ they binde gréeuous and vntollerable burdens lay them on mens neckes but they themselues will not once set their litle â—inger to them As for an example To eate fleshe on the Fryday is forbidden by the Byshoppes now if they compell thée to it as vnto a thyng necessary and without the which thou canst not bée saued then shalt thou not doe it vnder the payne of sinne but if they will haue thée kéepe this as a thyng of congruence and as a thyng that may bée an exterior meane to mortifie the bodie or an outwarde shyne of holynes and vnto this he will compell thée by outwarde paynes this thyng shalte thou doe of thy charitie béecause thou wilt not breake the outwarde order nor make any disquietnesse for those thinges that neyther make thée good nor yet condemne thee béefore God for as S. Paule sayth if wée eate neither are wée the better nor if wée eate not are wée the worse Alwayes prouided that in these indifferent thynges thou neyther set confidence nor holynesse nor yet offende thy weake brothers charitie for therein though thou bée frée in thy selfe the thyng is also indiffereÌ„t to thée yet of charitie fréely makest thou thy selfe seruaunt to all meÌ„ as S. Paule saith When I was frée from all thynges yet dyd I make my selfe a seruaunte that I might winne many men Note that hée alwayes speaketh of weake brethren and not of obstinate and indurate persons agaynst whome thou shalt alwayes withstand and defende thy libertye as hée dyd hée is thy weake brother that hath a good minde and béeléeueth the worde of God neuerchelesse hée hath not that gifte to perceaue as yet this libertie to vse indifferent thynges fréely wyth thankes Therfore fayth and charitie must bée thy guide in all these thynges and folowing them thou canst not erre FINIS That all men are bounde to receiue the holy Communion vnder both kyndes vnder the payne of deadly sinne IF men had stucke to the opeÌ„ scriptures of God to y e practise of Christes holy church and to y e exposition of olde doctours as it did béecome Christen men to doe then had it not béene néedefull for mée to haue taken these paynes labours in this cause nor yet to haue layd to their charges those thinges y â— Antichrist doth onely But now seeyng that they will doe the open déedes of Antechrist they must bée conteÌ„t that I may also geue them his name And that all the world may openly know y â— Antechrist doth raine in the world yea and that vnder the name of Christ I will heare set you forth an act of his which wheÌ„ it is coÌ„pared to our M. Christes wordes I doe not doubt but all trew Christen men will iudge it to bée of the deuyll as it is in very déede though that the childreÌ„ of the world doe iudge it otherwyse This doe I say of an acte that the Councell of Constance dyd make agaynst the most holy and glorious sacrament of our eternall God Iesus Christ Where in the one kynde of this most blessed sacrament was condemned as vnlawfull for lay men to receiue and y â— euery man may know by what auctoritie they dyd it what thing did moue them to condemne so blessed and so gloryous an ordinance of our Lord Iesus Christ here will I wryte their owne wordes which be these As this custome for auoyding certayne sclaunders and perrils was resonably brought in notwithstaÌ„ding in the béeginning of the Church this sacrament was receiued of Christen men vnder both kindes afterward it was receiued al onely vnder y e kind of bread wherefore séeing that such a custome of the Church and of holy fathers reasonably brought in long obserued must bée taken for a lawe y t which shall not bée lawfull to reprooue nor without auctorytie of the Church to chauÌ„ge it at a maÌ„s pleasure Wherfore to say y â— it is sacrilege or vnlawfull to obserue this coÌ„suetude or law must bée iudged erronius and they that doe pertinaciter defende the contrary of these premissis must bée restrayned as heretikes and greuously punished by the Byshops or their officials or by them that bée inquisitores hereticae prauitatis which that bée in kyngdomes or in prouinces in these men that doe attempt or presume any thyng agaynst thys decrée shall men procéede agaynst them after the holy and lawfull decrées that bée inuented agaynst heretickes and their fauters into the fauoure of the Catholicall fayth c. Now wyll I exhorte all Christen men in y e glorious name of our mightie Lord Iesus Christ which is both their redéemer shall bée their iudge that they wyll indifferently heare this article discussed by the blessed worde of our Maister Christ Iesus whiche was not alonely of God but also very God himselfe and all that hée dyd was done by the counsel of the whole trinitie and not alonely by his by whole counsell all counselles both in heauen and earth must bée ordered and that counsell that is contrary to it whether it bée of Sainte Angel or of man must bée accursed and iudged to bée of the deuil though they bée neuer so mighty neuer so well learned and neuer so many in multitude for there is no power no learning nor yet no multitude neither in heauen nor in earth nor no ieoperdies nor no sclauÌ„ders that may iudge Christ and hys holy worde nor that they may géeue place vnto Wherfore if I can prooue by open Scriptures of our Mayster Christ and also by the practise of holy Church that this counsell is false and damnable then let all Christen men iudge which of vs must bée heard and béeléeued eyther the counsell hauyng no scripture yea contrary to all scripture or els I that haue the opeÌ„ worde of God and the very vse and practise of the holy Apostles of holy church Christ is of God that no maÌ„ doubteth but y e holy counsell though there were fiue thousaÌ„des of byshops therin must proue theÌ„selues to bée of God by the worde of God and by theyr workes the which they can not doe if they bée contrary to Christ and hys blessed worde Moreouer Christ is not true vnder a condition bycause that men doe a low hym for though all the worlde were agaynst hym yet were hée neuerthelesse true but the couÌ„sell is not true but alonely vnder this condition bycause it doth agrée with Christes holy worde and of it selfe it hath no veritie but is of the deuill if it varye from Christ Before the dreadfull trone of God shall y e counsell bée iudged by Christes holy worde Christ shal not bée iudged by the decrée of the counsell but hée shall bée the counsels
many excellent and holy fathers and great Doctours of Diuinitie and so many noble Princes and wise men of the worlde and bée with these two poore men which bée of no reputation in this worlde Wherefore my Lordes procéede against them after the holy decrées that bée inuented agaynst heretickes sticke not for their names for it is neither Christ nor Paule that cā hurt you you haue also condemned theyr learning and preuailed against them why should you not condemne them as well you bée Lords and you haue the strength and the wisdome of the worlde with you and as a certayne Doctour of the law sayde they haue no man to holde with them but a sorte of beggers and despised persons of the worlde wherfore spare them not bée bolde Implete numerum patrum vestrorum All tyrantes bée not yet dead But now when you haue condemned them yet haue you as muche to doe as euer you had for your owne lawe is openly agaynst you in these wordes Wée vnderstand that certayne men receauing alonely the portion of the blessed body doe abstaine from the chalice of the holy bloud the which doubtles séeing I can not tell by what superstition they are learned to abstayne let them eyther receaue the whole Sacrament or els let them bée forbidden from the whole Sacrament for the diuision of one and of y e same mistery can not bée done wythout great sacrilege c. How thynke you by these wordes bée they not playne that all men shall eyther receaue both kyndes or none Here haue you an other hereticke for hée iudgeth and sayth that it is a sacrilege which is openly agaynst your Counsell to receaue it in one kynde But paraduenture you wyll say this law was written to priestes I aunswere to whomsoeuer it was writtē it maketh no matter for these wordes bée plaine the diuision of one misterye can not bée done without great sacrilege These words bée not spoken of the persons that shall receaue it but of the deuiding of the sacrament whosoeuer shall receaue it it is sacrilege to deuide this thynge aunswere you to that Marke also that your owne lawe cauleth it superstition to receaue but one kynde and no doubt they that did receaue it so were blynded by this damnable reason of yours that there is no body without bloude and yet hée calleth it superstition But let vs sée what your glose saith on this texte it is not superfluously sayth hée receaued vnder both kindes for the kynde of bread is referred vnto the fleshe and the kynde of wyne vnto the bloude The wyne is the Sacrament of bloude in the which is the seate of the soule therfore it is receiued vnder both kindes to signifie that Christ did receiue both body and soule and that the partaking thereof doth profite both bodye and soule Wherefore if it were receiued alonely vnder one kynde it shoulde signifie that it did profite allonely but one part c. How thinke you doth this glose vnderstand it of preistes onely haue lay men no soules May not this Sacrament profite them both bodye and soule Marke also that hée sayth it is not superfluously nor without a cause receiued vnder both kyndes Also an other lawe When the host is brokē and the bloude shed out of the chalys into the mouthes of faythfull men what other thyng is there signified but the immolation of our Lords body on the crosse and the shedding of hys bloud out of his side c. Here is it plaine that the bloud is géeuen out of the chalys and not out of the body and into faythfull mens mouthes and not alonely into priests mouthes Also an other lawe If that the bloud of Christ bée shed for remission of sinnes as oftē as it is shedde then ought I lawfully for to receaue it I which doe alwayes sinne must alwayes receaue a medecyne c. Here your owne lawe sayth that the receiuing of the bloude is a medycinall way to bée receiued of thē that sinne you will not denie but that lay men sinne Wherefore shoulde they not then receiue a medicyne for their sinne you may perceiue that thys is not alonely spoken of Priestes but of sinners c. Furthermore S. Ciprian sayth How doe wée teach or how can wee prouoke men to shed their bloude for the cōfession of Christes name if wée doe denye them the bloude of Christ when they shall goe to battayle Or how dare wée able them vnto the victordum of martyrdome if wée doe not firste by right admitte them to drincke the cuppe of our Lorde in the congregation c. Here is Cyprian openly against you which will that as many shall receiue y e bloud of Christ as doe confesse the name of Christ yea and that out of the cuppe and not out of the body Also S. Ambrose sayth to the Emperour Theodosius how shalt thou lift vp thy handes out of y t which doth yet droppe vnrighteous bloud how shalt thou with those handes receaue the body of God with what boldnes wilt thou receaue into thy mouth the Cup of the precious bloud séeing that through the wodnes of thy wordes so great bloud is shed wrongfully c. Marke that the manner was in Saint Ambrose tyme that lay men should receiue y t blessed bloud of Christ yea and that out of the cup seuerally and not out of the body onely wherefore my Lords see to your conscience how you can discharge your self before the dreadfull trone of Christ Iesus for making this detestable dānable statute agaynst y t heauēly word of God ▪ and agaynst the vse of holy Church ▪ contrary to the exposition of all holy doctours It were to great a thing for you so presumptuously to breake the statute of your mortall prince howe much more of your immortall God which will not bée auoyded with a carnall reason nor with condemnation of heresye nor yet with saying there bée ieoperdies perils and sclaūders for these proud crakes can not there excuse you nor yet helpe you For I doubt not but the great Turke hath as good reasons for hym as these bée also as proude crakes as you haue though peraduenture hée vseth them not so hipocritely agaynst God omnipotent as you doe but yet it will not helpe hym Wherefore now most excellent and gracious Prince I doe with all méekenes with all due subiection admonysh exhorte your most noble grace yea and y e father of heauen doth openly commannd you vnder the payne of his displeasure and as you will auoyde the daunger of eternall damnation and also by the vertue of Christes blessed bloud and as you will receiue remission from all your sinnes thorow the merites of his gloryous bloud that you doe defēd with all your might Christes blessed worde and his swéete bloud and his holy ordinaunce and suffer them not so lightly to bee oppressed and troden vnder
the foote Your grace may not consyder in this cause y t multitude nor the dignitie of men for you bée as good as the best of thē but your grace must consider that it is God omnipotentes cause it is Christes cause it is the word of God it is y t blessed bloud of Christ that is ouer troden it is the ordinaunce that commeth out of heauen and not out of counsels yea and geuen by God hymselfe and not by mans auctoritye And now shall your grace suffer thys thynge so lightly to bée broken béecause men doe inuent a carnall reason agaynst it the deuill was neuer without a reason but that proueth not the cause against Gods word King Saul had no smale reasō for hym whē hée dyd saue kyng Agag the best shéepe and Orē to offer to God was not this a resonable cause to saue the beastes to Gods honour and to offer thē vp vnto God was it not a goodly shine to saue the kyng rather then to kill hym What man will recken it euill to saue a mā what man can iudge it euill to saue beastes and that y t best to offer them to God Was not God best worthy was not this a good consideration was not this a good intent Finally it is ten tymes better then the reason of the counsell is and yet Saul with all his good reason wyth all his good deuotion with all his good purpose with all his fatte beastes is repelled of God for euer all bycause hée stucke to his good intention left the commaundement of God Some men will thinke it but a light thynge whether they receiue y t blessed bloud by it selfe or els with the body but as light as they thinke it yet is it Gods word yet is it Christes ordinaūce yet did the Apostles obserue it yet did the holy Church so fulfill it And if y t word of God were away by reason it were but a light thyng to Baptise in water or in wyne but the worde of God is open that it must bée done with water and not in wyne and yet there is no cause why but the worde of God Moreouer by reason it was but a light thyng to say Bée glad y ◠daughter of Siō behold thy kyng cōmeth to thée sittyng on an Asse on her fole This saying by reason is not alonely simple but also foolishe to say that a kyng shal come riding on an Asse yea and on a borowed Asse and therof to make so much a doe as though it wer a notable thyng who would not now mocke a kyng if hée dyd so ryde notwithstandyng all this these bée the wordes of God yea and also fulfilled in very déede of our maister Christ in his owne proper person Moreouer by reason it was but a madde token that the Sauiour of the world Christ Iesus was borne to say you shal finde a young child wrapped in cloutes layd in a cribbe what is this to purpose what is this to prooue that the sauiour of y t world is borne will not reason mocke this when wil reason bée persuaded by this token y t Messias whom all the Prophetes all the Patriarkes haue promised so many hūdred yeares afore was now borne and yet this token came from heauē yea and by the ministration of aungels and the shepheardes dyd beléeue y t word Briefly by reason what bée all the articles of the fayth where is Christ where is remission of sins where is y t lyfe to come Reason mocketh all these thynges but yet they bée true bycause alonely y t word of God speaketh them Wherfore most noble and excellēt Prince looke on the word of God and not of blynde reason and saue the honour therof for it shal saue your grace at your most néede Furthermore I doe exhorte and require with all honour yea and I doe cōmaunde in the vertue of Christ Iesus and his blessed word all Dukes all Earles all Lordes all maner of estates hygh and lowe that will bée Christen men that will bée saued by the vertue of Iesus Christes blessed bloud that they doe sée this ordinaūce of the God of heauen obserued to the vttermost of their power and when soeuer that they will bée houseled that they receiue the blessed Sacramēt vnder both kyndes and at the lest desire it with all their hart of their curates and so desire it that they may bée discharged afore the immortall God of heauen whiche will not bée mocked nor auoyded with a damnable reasō but what soeuer thyng there bée that is agaynst the holy word of God and the glorious ordinaūce what collour so euer it bryng with it of holynes let it bée a cursed and reckened of the deuill This doth S. Cyprian learne vs saying what thyng soeuer it bée that is ordeined by mans madnes where by the ordinaunce of God is violated it is whoredome it is of the deuil and it is sacrilege Wherfore fly frō such contagiousnesse of men and auoyde their woordes as a canker and as pestilence c. These woordes bée playne of all maner of men of what estate what dignitie or of what honour soeuer they bée and what collour of holynes soeuer they bryng with them Wherfore in this present writyng I doe counsel and exhorte all true Christen men to take héede what they doe The word of god is so playne in this matter that they can desire it no playner It is no childes game to trifle with Gods worde God will not bée trifled with nor yet mocked But nowe to helpe poore men that bée vnlearned I will assoyle certeine of their damnable reasons The first is we will not geue it vnder that kynde of wyne lest that there shoulde by negligence either of the Priest or of the receiuer fall any droppe on the grounde I aunswere our Christ dyd know that such a chaunce might come you can not deny it except you will say that hée was not God as you would not greatly sticke to doe if you might haue maintenaunce and yet notwithstanding dyd hée institute it in both kindes Aunswere you to this Moreouer why doe not by this reasō your owne priestes abstayne frō the wine séeing that this perill may also chaūce to them as your cautelles of y t Masse doe graunt Also if it bée a reasonable cause that you shal not kéepe Christes ordinaunce béecause of auoyding of perilles then may you take away all the whole Sacrament to auoyde perilles for in receauing of it in y e kinde of bread is ieopardous least there remayne any crumme in the receauers téeth This reasō is as good as yours so that now all the Sacramēt in both kindes is taken away Furthermore if you will auoyde all perilles then may you géeue thys Sacrament to no man for you can not tell who is in deadly sinne who not for you know not their hartes it were a sore perell and greatly
they â—oâ— NegligeÌ„ce 〈◊〉 doyng â—…ed brynâ—…th vs to desperation Two apte similitudes 〈◊〉 well and â—…l doings Promise He that professeth not a newe lyfe hath no promise of mercy in Christ Prayer Workes must be seasoned with Gods worde if they shall please God Prayer What it is and how many wayes it may be named prayer Chamber To shut thy chamber doore what it meaneth Prayer Gods commaundement and promise shuld moâ—â— vs to pray The Pater noster That prayer is vayne wherein y t hart is not ioyned with the toung False prayer is painefull True prayer to pleasaunt Sion Shenâ—… Not the multitude of thy â—ordes but thy fayth 〈◊〉 praying God doth respect The Dater noster is expounded To honour Gods name what it is Kinges must commaunde nothyng nor forbid to do any thing contrary to Gods worde When we request any thing at Gods haÌ„d we must pray that his will be done not ours Dayly breade whereby is vnderstoode all that pertaineth vnto the necessitie of this lyfe A surer way then pardons How thou mayst bee sure of pardon for thy sinnes We cannot of our selues but â—all into 〈◊〉 Small occasions drâ—… vs to 〈…〉 〈◊〉 we are 〈◊〉 ly prone Who shuld thinke hym selfe to be without sinne were as euill as Lucifer Kynges 〈◊〉 subiectes are all one afore God A couenauÌ„t where with God is bounde to forgeue vs and we to forgeue ech other Gods couenaunt is a sure absolution to all that keepe Leauen how many wayed it is taken Faith what power it is of and the fruites that spring thereof Loue is righteousnes Faith bringeth loue Workes Loue. Fayth As Leauen can not be seene in a â—oafe without smell or tast so cannot saith in vs without good workes and y â— intent of the same be seene or appeare That fayth iustifieth what iâ— meaneth Fayth Workes are sacramentes Baptim Christ Fayth Fast If fasting be vsed to any other and then to tame the fleshe that thereby we may be the more prone to serue God it is abused To annoint the head what it meaneth Fastyng The heape of inconueniences that spring by â—…rate superfluous 〈◊〉 and drinking Fastyng dayes or dayes of abstmence are to be ordained for common weales sake Almose Prayer Fasting Almose prayer and fasting how necessary Almose prayer and fasting are inseperable Fasting is not in eating and drinking onely Workes make hipocrites 〈◊〉 y â— true entent be away Rulers be ordained for theÌ„ that cannot rule theÌ„selues Preacher The office of a true preacher Note this well ye temporall magistrates Prophets Priestes yea and Kynges of the old TestameÌ„t zealous Preachers Papistes haue often bene called to the Popes couenaunt but seldome to the Lords Obiection Solution Payne How God delueth in our payne takyng Fast The intent of fastyng what â—…s Fast How the Iewes did fast Fast The popes fast A feasâ—yng fast Faslyng The true intent is away from the Popes fastyng Monkes made the Pope a â—…od for his dispensations Couetousnes 〈◊〉 at a 〈…〉 〈◊〉 is 2. Pet 〈◊〉 Couetousnes cannot but erre More Couetousnes blinded the eyes hardened y e hart of Sir Thomas More The coÌ„modities that folow couetous and worldly rich men â—uke xij Luke xiiij Couetousnes maketh the salte of Godes worde vnsauery Couetousnes maketh a false Prophet Darckenesse Couetousnes causeth darcknesse Darckenesse The daâ—â—nes of the Popes doctrine here plainely appeareth Fayth in workes is darcknesse Darcknes Mammon what it is Mammon is a God Mammon maketh meÌ„ disguise theÌ„ selues The seruauntes of Mammon are not oâ— Chriâ—â—es Church The seruaunt of Mammon to no true preacher To bee MammoÌ„s seruaunt what it is MammoÌ„s seruaunt how he is knowen The goodnes of god towarde mankynd Byrdes beastes teache vs to put away care Care Mammon Actes 〈◊〉 ConenauÌ„t keepe couenaunt with God and he shal keepe promise wyth thee Kingdome of heauen what Righteousnes of the kingdome of heauen what it is Iâ— thou folow Christ thou canst not 〈…〉 sufficient liuing Care What we ought châ—â—â—â—est to care for Tempte Why God letteth hys children be tempted with aduersitie What care is forbiddeÌ„ Care whâ—… care euery man ought to haue Gods commaundement is mans lyfe Exod. xx Why God suffereth tirauntes to prosper Iudgyng What iudgyng is to be rebuked All dayes are indifferent to do good dedes to y â— prayse of God the profite of our neighbore The beame Ceremonies hee that breaketh vnitie for zeale of ceremonies vnder slandeth not Gods law Ceremonies Measure â–ª Dogges who they be what is signified therby Swyne truly described Praâ—er is a commauÌ„dement Belefe To beleue in God what Luke 18. Prayer By prayer we wynne the victory onely and therefore is it of all thyngesâ— most necessary False Prophetes what their wickednes 〈◊〉 Mark xiij Math. 24. Thy hart must be ioy ned with thy prayer The riche must pray for dayly bread To thinke our selues saued or preserued by any other meanes then by Gods â–ª is Idolatry Faith must be ioyned to our prayer Though God differ thy request yet must thou not saynt Doubtes How to â—oyle doubtes Note Note Law what the fulfillyng therof is The end of all y â— lawes betwen mâ— and man is to loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Strayte gate The narrow way Few finde the narrow waâ— and whâ— Peter Paule â–ª Christ The false prophetes who Sheepes clothing what it meaneth â–ª 〈◊〉 Thess 2. Sheepes clothing Rauening wolues The obedience pouertie and wilfull chastitie of our spiritualtie Pouertie Chastitie Charitie Fasting Prayer Thornes beare no Figges The aunswere of cloysterers to such as shall desire â—elefe at theâ— haÌ„ds A corrupt tree beareth no good â—â—ute Fayth is the kernell of all our good frutes Faith maketh the â—oorke â—oâ—d and acceptable An example howe thy workâ— or deede may be pleasaunt and acceptable before God â–ª Handy craftes are the commaundement of God The Iewes Turkes geâ—r almes as we doe yet for lacke of fayth it is abhominable God is aswell pleased when we thankefully receaue his benefites as when we do geue for his sake Hipocrites exâ—oll their owne workes to destroy the workes of God The holynes of hypocrites wherein it is Aske the 〈◊〉 steÌ„ Friâ—is why they murthered one of their felowes at London Who is y â— spiritualty IgnoraÌ„ce 〈◊〉 not if we wâ—â— notâ—câ— False prophetes how to 〈◊〉 â—here they be Beleuers without 〈◊〉 workers without fayth are built on 〈◊〉 The 〈…〉 〈…〉 the◠〈…〉 in Iesus Christ Fayth what it breedeth Loue. The word of God 〈…〉 〈◊〉 a man into 〈◊〉 parts 〈…〉 y t fleâ—â—e to hold one â—ay and 〈◊〉 spirite to draw an other Iohn 16. The holy ghost shall rebuke the world for lacke of true iudgement 〈◊〉 Cor. 2. The spiritual iudgeth all thynges spiritually Math. 22. Rom. 13. Math. 22. The spirituall man searcheth 〈◊〉 the cause why 〈◊〉 ought to loue hys neighbour â–ª Man is Lord ouer all the creatures of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reg. â—1 Circumâ—…oÌ„ not trequented in 〈◊〉
â—eares Holy dayes are ordâ—â—ned for 〈◊〉 and not man for the holy dayes The signification of thynges are to be sought and not to serue the visible signes Ceremonies with out some good doctrine are to be reiected Turkes are rather to be lameÌ„ted for their ignoraunce and to be wonne with good doctrine example of good lyfe then to be hated and murthered We do nothyng well eâ—â—ept we do it of loue from a pure hart Superstitious obseruations are rather the breakyng of the law then the kepyng of the same The world is to be rebuked for lacke of iudgement Iudge by these things whether the Pope haue erred or noâ— Iudge what baggage is in the Popes doctrine and of his making Note the 〈…〉 spiritualtie 〈…〉 Christ Our 〈◊〉 is the cause that hypoâ—… The practice of prelates Signification of the 〈…〉 are 〈…〉 The ministers of the 〈◊〉 are 〈…〉 to preach to y t people sâ—…ly the woâ—… of 〈◊〉 to pray in a 〈…〉 vnderstand The lawe cannot be fulfilled w t workes or they neuer so holy A great abuse in prayer The church taken for the spiritualty King William King Iohn S. Thomas of Caunterbury Holy Church hath bornt a great swinge The Pope and his rable takeÌ„ for the church The church is a congâ—â—gation of people of all sortes gathered together The church of God how it is taken in Scripture Gal. 1. Actes 23. Gal. 1. Rom. 16. 1. Cor. 16. 1. Tim. 3. 1. Tim. 5. The church is a multitude of all them that beleue in Christ wheresoeuer â—hey be gathered together A double significatioÌ„ of this worde church The cause why Tyndall traÌ„slated y t word church into this worde congregation Congregation is vnderstand by the circuÌ„staunce Ecclesia is a greke worde and signifieth a congregation Actes 19. M. More was â—…ful in Poetry Iudas Balaaâ— A good adâ—… to M. More M. More did greatly fauour Erasmâ—s M. More was a â—epe dissembler M. More 〈◊〉 captious M. More 〈…〉 1. Pet. 5. 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 Byshops ought to be bydâ—rs in one place Note Women God poureth hys holy spirite 〈◊〉 wisdome 〈…〉 aswell weâ—… meÌ„ God is vnder no 〈…〉 necessitie lawlesse The cause why young 〈◊〉 was preferred by 〈◊〉 to be a Byshop Paul was a faâ—herly instructer to 〈◊〉 â—…thy S. Paule was a worthy moâ—t â—…ther instructour A great difference betwene teaching of the people and teaching of a preacher â—â—lyng 〈◊〉 shaâ—ing â—…ny thing or any part of priestâ—… Oâ—…â—alt 〈◊〉 are 〈…〉 â—yle hath â—…o 〈◊〉 at all 〈…〉 the 〈…〉 ☞ The minister amoÌ„g the 〈…〉 were naâ—… 〈◊〉 age Why â—yn 〈…〉 this worde 〈…〉 rather 〈◊〉 Charitie hath 〈◊〉 significations Loue 〈◊〉 is 〈…〉 vnderstaÌ„d Euery loue is not charitie nor euery charitie is not loue Why Tyndall sayth fauour and â—ot grace Knowledge and not confession repentauÌ„ce and not penaunce The Papistes may not forbeare to haue their iugglyng termes Penaunce Penaunce was profitâ—… to the Papistes â—rue penaunce what it is Fayth in Christ 〈◊〉 get a true repentauÌ„ce Deut. 17. ☜ Balam The sinne agaynst the holy ghost ☜ 2. Pet. 1. The chuch before y â— gospell or the Gospell before the church Rom. 9. The word which is y â— Gospell was before the church Ioh. 15. Ioh. 17. Note wâ—ll thys Whether y â— Apostles taught any thing that they did not write So much to written as is necessary â—or 〈◊〉 saluation The scripture writteÌ„ must conâ—oâ—nde the vnwritten verities Writing hath bene from the beginning God froÌ„ y â— beginning hath 〈◊〉 ten 〈…〉 y â— hartes of his 〈◊〉 The Pope hath taken fro vs the significations of the Sacramentes Actes 7. There can no more be taught vs then to coÌ„teyned in the scriptures Purgatorye The HeatheÌ„ thought nothing more madder theÌ„ the doctrine of the resurrection The Apostles taught nothing that they were afrayde to write SacrameÌ„tes haue significations All y â— Sacramentes taught eyther in the olde testament or new haue significations ☞ The Popish Sacramentes 〈◊〉 one agaynste an other SacrameÌ„ts with out significations are not to be 〈◊〉 Whether y â— Church caÌ„â—… or not What y e very Church is what fayth saueth By fayth we are made the sonnes of God Ephe. 〈◊〉 â–ª Math. 〈…〉 The offeryng of Christes body and bloud is y e onely satisfaction for our sinnes There is no way to saluation but by Christes death and passion Collos 1. Ephes 5. Rom. 8. 1. Iohn 3. Fayth and sinne can not â—aâ—d together 1. Iohn 1. All fleshe deth sinne We sinne of frailtie weakenes We may erre yet be saued Who they be that erre from the way of â—ayth Faith is euer assailed with besperation All power readines to do good coÌ„â—eth of God not of our selues A very good example The faythfull though they slâ—â— yet they fall not Faith in y â— good neâ— of God is our staye Ioh. 15. If we consider how mercifull god is vnto vs we caÌ„not chuse but submit our selues vnto hys lawes Christian meÌ„ must be patient Mercy waiteth euer on the elect Dauid The elect of God must haue patience be long sufferers God trieth his elect by suffering them to tell into temptation We may coÌ„aâ—t sinne and yet not forget God The aÌ„postles beyng amased w t teÌ„ptations forgat all Christes myracles A great temptation layd vpoÌ„ y â— Apostles The Apostles were very doubtfull Christ hys resurrectioÌ„ The Disciples were not without fayth but yet the â—ame was very doubtfull Peters fayth fayled not ☞ Luke 22. A foolish glose made by M. More ☜ 1. Pope The Pope his sect are not the Church of Christ 2. 〈◊〉 The Pope in forbyddyng mariage to Priestes doth not coÌ„seÌ„t that the lawe of god is 〈◊〉 The Pope licenceth whordome whiche God forbiddeth 3. The Popish Clergy are persecutours An abhominable wicked deuilish decree 4. Rom. 13. 5. 1. Cor. 5. The Pope is vtterly against the doctrine of Christ Their first reason A 〈◊〉 reason One Argument confuted with an other of like nature The solution The right fayth dyd neuer 〈◊〉 continue in the greater number of 〈◊〉 Church Math. 16. Math. 23. Hypocrites are crept vp in to the seate of Christ his Apostles 〈◊〉 Pet. 2. The Pope and hys Clergye haue corrupted the Scriptures of God with their traditions Iohn 〈◊〉 The scriptures beare witnes who are the right Church Christ Iohn Baptist Luke 1. ☜ The doctrine of Iohn brought y â— hart of the Iewes into the right way Our Popish hypocrites haue nede of a Iohn Baptist to conuert theÌ„ Those which depart from the fayth of hypocrites are the true Church Their second reasoÌ„ Note here this Popish Argument The Pope and his sect say they are the church and can not erre The solution Iohn Baptist was a true expositor of the law Math. 17. The Phariseis added false gloses to y â— Scripture The Pa 〈◊〉 doctrine Purgatorye The Phariseis and papistes agree in the false interpreting of y â—
doctrine nedeth not now of miracles for it was confirmed by Christ with myracles Math. 24. The Pope commeth 〈◊〉 Christes name with false miracles The preachers of gods word confirmed the same with miracles whyle they were alyue God suffeâ—eth such as haue no loue to hys truth to be deceaued with lying miracles Why the Pope tell In the Popish church all miracles are wrought by dead Saintes S. Thomas of CaÌ„terbury Thomas de Aquino Dunce ☜ Miracles Our fayth may not be grounded onely vpon miracles but vpon the worde of God Math. 1â— Iohn 21. The Apostles of Christe knew no such authoritie as the Pope now vsurpeth What iâ— there had bene no scripture Grekes God to 〈…〉 â—…de heresâ—… caused the scriptures to be written â–ª Noe. What faith â—…th Where true faith is there is repentauÌ„ce and ameÌ„dment of 〈◊〉 ☜ Abraham The elderâ— did erre The elders in y e time of the Iewes did erre The Scribes Phariseis and Elders did erre The scripture was aucthorised by true myracles False bookes set forth by the Papistes Erasmus The true church teacheth nothing but that which the scripture proueth and mainteineth The Pope hideth the scripture The Papistes hide y e scripture The scripture is the cause why men beleue y â— scripture The Papistes docctrine is nâ—â— to be beleued wiihouâ— scripture Why the 〈◊〉 is not to be beleued wtout scripture why he is not the true church The doctrine of the Papistes hath bene 〈◊〉 resisted by y e scripture What thinges 〈◊〉 finde in scripture Rom. 〈◊〉 1. Cor. â— 1. Cor. 2. Iohn 5. Iohn 7. Heb. 8. The Papistes will neither by Gods lawe nor mans refraine froÌ„ their wicked liuyng Iohn 10. The Papistes will lose nothing that belongeth to them Christ deliuered the Iewes out of errour ☜ None haue more care of the scripture then those that beleue it not M. More reasoneth agaynst himselfe ☜ Actes 13. Iohn 8. They that preach not Christ truty are murtherers The end of hipocrites Predestination Balam Wit must first shew a cause and then will is sturted to worke More feeleth Purgatory Popish doe trine concernyng Purgatory The pope how he can both forgeue and receiue sinne Tyndall feeleth Purgatory Iohn 15. Iohn 13. Bodyly payne purgeth the body and not y e soule M. More â—o of an euil opinion Faith in Châ—… 〈◊〉 purchaseth forgâ—… of sinne Ephe. 5. There is no purgatory for hym that dyeth repentâ—unt beleueth Iohn 15. 1. Iohn 〈◊〉 Payne of sinne 〈◊〉 popes 〈◊〉 Purgatory prâ—… to y â— Pope Purgatory to a tormenting Iayle as y â— Pope maketh it Money dispatcheth Purgatory The Pope is Antichrist The fleshly children do naturally consent vnto lyes The fleshly mynded can neuer consent vnto Gods law The fleshly persecute them of the spirite The true church is not w t out a signe of a miracle to proue that it is Gods church The popes life doctrine is more wicked theÌ„ the Turkes all y e heatheÌ„ that euer were Euticus Actes 3. All glory and honour is to be geuen to the name of Iesu Iudges Deut. 17. Purgatory to the foundation of Abbeyes Colledges c. M. More is a commoÌ„â—ester and a scouÌ„er ☞ The Papistes are cruell and vnmercyfull Sweryng The oth of a witnes may be taken but no maÌ„ may be coÌ„pelled to sweare be a witnes A godly lesson M. More is a lyer The Papistes are obstinate will not repent Iudas Prayers of an euill Priest profite not A fond saying To minister SacrameÌ„ts with out signification is to be lead in darkenesse Sacrifice Heb. 10. Christes body in the SacrameÌ„t is not carnall but spirituall Christe was sacrificed on the crosse once for all More Deacons Tyndall Christes Deaâ—…s and the pâ—â—eâ— Deacons differ much More Priestes Tyndall More Tyndall 1. Iohn 4. M. Mores fayth was a common fayth More Tyndall More Tyndall As good no lawe as a law not executed Age is to be preferred before â—outh The chast vnchastirie of the Papistes is abhominable both to God and man S. Hierome The Pope iudgeth no sinne to bee sinne and sinne to be no sinne A Priest by the Popes order may haue a whore but not a wife Rom. 14. Mores doctrine is superstitious 1. Tim. 4. The Pope forbiddeth mariage Apparant godlynesse why the Priest may not haue y â— secoÌ„d wife Christes benefites toward vs are figured by matrimony We were Idolaters when we came to Christ S. Paules doctrine is that priests shuld haue wiues Widowes More is a scoâ—fer The office of the wâ—ddowes in y e primatine church Rom. 13 â–ª Young widowes were forbiddeÌ„ to minister in the commoÌ„ seruice Fishe no better then fleshe nor fleshe no better then fishe in the kingdame of Christ 〈◊〉 ☞ Tyndall More Tyndall Three lyes at â—…ce 〈…〉 Priestes must be endued wyth vertue and honesty Generall counsell Parlâ—…ment The 〈◊〉 vsed both in generall to â–ª â—…es and also 〈◊〉 parliamentes A practise vsed in all counsayles and Parlamentes The spiritualtie make heretickes of them that resist theyr power and will Why Priestes may haue no wyues The chastitie of the â—â—ergy pertâ—â—neth to the tempoâ—…ie as much as to the spiritualtie Vowes No oth is to be kept that is agaynst charitie or necessitie The popes snares 〈◊〉 2. 3. 4. 5. Tyndall doth here playnly proue More an hereticke That is euer best that moueth man to the kepyng of Gods commaundementes ☜ Deuilish doctrine Math. 15. Christes natural body is not in the Sacrament The Sacrament of the body 〈◊〉 bloud of Christ how it must be receiued ☞ S. Michael wayeth 〈◊〉 soules The true seruice of God what it is Whether it were best that priestes were gelded ☜ Leuit. 10. More Tyndall Paphnutius More had two wiues therefore was Bigamus More Tyndall The Pope a cruell tyraâ—nt More Tyndall The spiritualtie would not haue the scripture in Englishe Hunne More Horsey Tyndall If we be not giltie we neede no pardon More woulde excuse the murther of Hunne Hunne ☜ More Tyndall Doetour Lolet Olde translation More was a subtill Poet. The hauyng of the Scripture in English is vtterly agaynst the myndes of the Popish Clergie More Tyndall The scripture was first deliuered to the pâ—opâ—e in their vulgere toung More Tyndall More Tyndall The ordinaâ—… are hangmeÌ„ to such as desire the knowledge of the scripture None can vnderstand the Scripture except he knewe Christ to be his iustification More Tyndall More Tyndall Eare confession and pardons were neuer confirmed by miracle More Tyndall The Popish spiritualitie are tyrâ—unts persecutors More Tyndall Pope forbiddeth matrimony the eatyng of meates The wicked monstrous doynges of the Pope More Tyndall More Tyndall More Tyndall All Sacramentes teach vs what to do or what to beleue More Tyndall Eare confession destroyeth the beneâ—ite of Christes bloud More Tyndall More Tyndall RepeÌ„tauÌ„ce More Tyndall SacrameÌ„t More Fayth Tyndall The Pâ—pistes aâ—â— slaundâ—â—â—s of the Gospell More Woâ—… Tyndall â–ª More Tyndall We can do no
vsed of Christ Iohn 6. The olde passeouer compared with the Supper of our Lord. Baptisme compared with Circumcision 1. Cor. 10. 11. and 12. Rom. 6. Ephes 4. Eucharistia thaÌ„kes giuyng 1. Cor. 10. and 11. 1. Tim. 1. Baptisme was figured by Circumcision and the Lordes Supper by the paschall lambe Luke 12. 1. Cor. 5. Exod. 12. Luke 22. The Paschall lambe eaten and the Sacrament instituted Twoo thynges to be considered in the Sacramentes The matter and substaunce of of the SacrameÌ„t and the signes of the 〈◊〉 â–ª The signe is called the thyng Gene. 17. Exod. 12. The scripture calleth the signe by the name of the thing that it signifieth The bread in the SacrameÌ„t called the body of Christ the wyne called the bloud of Christ â—st is takeÌ„ for significat Gene. 40. The figuratiue speches vsed in the scripture 〈◊〉 Pet. 2. Ezech. 5. The maner of speakyng in the scripturo Iohn 3. The naturall body of Christ is not in the SacrameÌ„t â–ª The Sacrament is to be receaued with thankes geuyng The vse of the supper Luke 22. Note here the whole circumstaunce of the maner and institution of the SacrameÌ„t of Christes body Luke 22. 1. Cor. 11. Iohn 6. Abacuk 2. Christ declared to his disciples that he would leaue this world 〈◊〉 go to his father in heauen Scriptures are many that shewe Christ as touchyng his natural body is gone and is not here Actes 2. Christ asceÌ„ded into heauen Iohn 14. and. 16. Christ â—â—playne wordes declareth his bodely departure out of this world Christ playnlye shewed vnto the disciples that he must depart from this world to his father in heauen Christes â—…rified body is in heauen Christes 〈◊〉 scention was witnessed by many The here 〈◊〉 of Marcâ—… what it was 1. Timo. 6. 2. Timo. 2. 1. Timo. 〈◊〉 1. Cor. 11. The Supper of the Lord is the commemâ—ration and memoriall of Christes death S. Paule calleth the SacrameÌ„t bread after the consecration By one loafe of bread we are fignified to bee one body in Christ The cup of the Lord 〈◊〉 the cup of the deuill how they differte Who they are that eate of the bread and drinke of the cup vnworthely Euery 〈◊〉 did eate his own supper and not the Supper of the â—â—rd We must firste examine out stlues and theÌ„ come to the table of the Lord. Loke more of this in the Epistle to the reader If we come not thankfully and charitably vnto y t Lordes borde we eate and drinke our damnation S. Paule calleth the poore the Church of God This place the Papistes alledge to proue vnwritten be ritie More belyeth Decolampâ—dius and Zuingitus Loke more of this in the Epistle to the reader Tertulian The worâ—es of Tertulian AusteÌ„ cap. xij against â—dimâ—nt Gene. 6. Leui. 7. Deut. 12. Austen calleth Sacrament the signe of his body Homâ— 83. operitiâ— imperfectâ— Chrisostome calleth the sacrameÌ„t the signe of Christes body The confutatioÌ„ of the Papistes gloses The Papistes are wreâ—ters peruerters of the scriptures The Papistes say that the traÌ„ substantion is done by miracles All true miracles are done to let forth the glory of God Christ dyd miracles to declare hâ—m selfe to be both God and man 〈…〉 〈…〉 1. Thes 2. 1. Iohn 2. 〈…〉 scriptures The conteÌ„tious and wicked doctrine of y â— Papistes hath prouoked the lyght of gods truth to be set forth to the vnderstandyng of the people How the 〈…〉 Aâ—…â—2 The Sacrament is not vsed in these dayes as it was in the tyme of the Apostles A good doctrine for al such ministers as haue cure of soules to vse to his flocke Thankes geuyng The bread and wyne are not prophane but Sacramentes to holy vse 1. Cor. 1. A wholesome and good lesson namely for all ministers Rom. 5. At the ministration of the Sacrament let the minister exhorte all men to haue faith and lone to pray for grace I good and necessary exhortatioÌ„ to be mate to y â— people of the tâ—… they receaue the communioÌ„ None may come to the commuâ—… without y â— weddyng germent 〈◊〉 â—ayth Iohn 13. Thankesgeuyng to God Those wordes of his are in his booke that he made for y t pore soules in Purgatory Marke 42. Not who speaketh but that whiche is spoken is to be weyed most 1. Tim. 4. The holy ghost inspireth where when and on whom he pleaseth Actes 2. 1. Cor. 12. The talent of our learnyng is to be employed to the edifiyng of Christes congregation Wilfully to resist Gods worde is sinne agaynst the holy ghost Ezech. 33. Obiection Aunswere 1. Thess Our imperfection forgeuen thorough faith in Christes bloud The Byshop of Rochesters owne opinion concernyng the vnderstandyng of the scriptures in his time and long a forâ— that Actes 17. The cause of our blindnes and grosse errours 2. Thess 2. Rom. 15. Voluntary ignorauÌ„ce not to bee excused The cause of Iohn Frithes writyng against Purgatory Mans reason must be obedient to the Scriptures Aulus Gelius The rebuke of an open enemy better then the sclender prayse of a frend M. More my Lord of Rochester can not agree The Purgatoryes that God hath ordeyned Iohn 15. The Purgatory of the hart The Purgatory of the hart is fayth The Purgatory of the members Heb. 12. The Purgatory of the meÌ„bers is the crosse of Christ Psal 89. God nayleth vs to the crosse to heale our infirmities So euill was the life of the Papistes that they imagined a Purgatory for them selues The wisedome of the world foolishnes afore God Symon Fishe the maker of the booke of the Supplication of Beggers Our riches is to be bestowed on the poore Either there is no Purgatory els the Pope is mercylesse Whereat M. More first began to fume agaynst such as denye Purgatory Rastell foloweth M. More The names of the disputers in the matter of Purgatory The soÌ„me and contentes of Rastels iij. Dialogues An aunswere to Rastels Dialogue Rastels booke is either true or false If naturall reason conclude agaynst the Scripture then is naturall reasoÌ„ false Roma 5. Iohn 11. 2. Rastels boke clearely quickly confouÌ„ded Rastel beaten to the wall The first chief reason made for Purgatory Rastell Aunswere to the first argument Psal 81. 1. Thess 4. Question Math. 24. The confutatioÌ„ of Rastels first chief argument 1. Iohn 1. 1. Cor. 15. 1. Thess 4. Ephes 1. and. 5. Rastell ouerthroweÌ„ in his owne turne 3. Hebr. 1. Christ is the onely Purgatory and purger of our sins 4. Ephe. 5. A frutefull and excelleÌ„t argument 5. Ephe. 1. Christ by his election doth purge and clense vs. 6. 1. Iohn 1. Ephe. 1. Gallat 5. Roma 7. Roma 8. Roma 5. Roma 4. Psal 31. Iustification freely doth exclude Purgatory Roma 3. Obiection In aunswere to the first obiection Obiection 1. In aunswere to the second obiection 2. The Pope â—elleth Christes merites for money 3. We may not robbe God of his honour 4. Blasphemy to say Christes bloud is not full
Iudic. 20. Here note that the children of Israell fought at Gods commaundement and in a righteous cause yet were twise ouerthrowen 1. Macha 3 M. More Frith Christe spake of no carnall eating of him but of a spirituall catyng by sayth The Papistes doe falsly alledge this text Aug. in IohaÌ„ tract 26 To beleue in Christ is to dwell in Christ Math. 26. Iohn 6. Iohn 15. Iohn 10. Gene. 35. Gene. 32. Ieremy 19 More Frith Roma 4. 1. Cor. 10. Iohn 15. Iohn 10. Osea 17. Math. 2. The Scripture speaketh diuersly and hath diuers senses M. More More is a mocker and trifler Frith In aunswere to Mores triflyng Eucharistia The right cause why we should come to the Table of our Lord. More hath here a cheke mate M. More Frith Why certeine places of y e Scripture must be vnderstand spiritually M. More Frith No man is to be beleued that bryngeth hys owne iudgement onely vpon any senteÌ„ce of Scripture More is here pretely â—…ypped M. More Frith Iohn 6. Note here the saying of S. Austen How the fleshe of Christ profiteth nothyng and how it doth profite Frith vseth not wordes without alledgyng authorities Augustinus in sermone ad infantes Augu. 54. The Iewes vnderstode Christ carnally and not spiritually as he meant M. More fallen into the errour of pope In nocent Aug. Lib. 3. de doctrina Christiana Here S. Augustine sheweth plainly that Christes woordes were a figuratiue spech Augustinus in sermone ad infantes Origi in leus ho. 7. Christes wordes are spirituall and not carnall Augusti sermo eirca sacra feria Pascha The eating drinkyng of Christ what it is Idem Beda super 1. Cor. 10. The wicked eate not the fleshe of Christ Roma 5. August de ciuitat dei li. 21. ca. 25. Beda super 1. Cor. 6. The sacrament is a figure token and a memoriall of the breaking of Christes body sheding of hys bloud Ambros de sacra Lib. 5 cap. 4. Prosp in libro sententiaruÌ„ sent 339. Idem Beda super 1. Cor. 11. More Frith More hath no olde author to maintaine hys quareling Papistry The Papistes haue corrupted the Scriptures and aduaunced them selues aboue Kinges and rulers Articles of our fayth made by the Pope To beleue the articles contayned in our crede is sufficient for our saluation Frith allegeth authorities to proue hys doctrine true Tertul. lib. 2. contra MarcioneÌ„ Tertul. lib. 4. contra MarcioneÌ„ This is my body that is to say a figure of my body August in prafa Psal 3. Christ deliuered to his desciples the figure of hys body August super Psal 98. S. Austen ad BonifaciuÌ„ Epist. 23. The sacrament is the memoriall of Christes death The sacrament of Christes body and bloud after a maner is Christes body and bloud Good Friday next is called the day that Christ suffered hys passion and yet it is not so for that good Friday is past loÌ„g sâ—â—hens Frith writeth of the Masse according to the coÌ„mon opinioÌ„ that was at that time After a certaine maner the Sacrament of Christes bodye is Christes body August contra AdamaÌ„ tum cap. 12 Christe gaue to his Disciples the signe of his body Ambrosi super illud mortem domini annuÌ„â—ia Ambrosi de sacra Lib. 4 Cap. 4. Ambrosi Libro 4. de Sacramen Cap. 5. The Sacrament is a figure of Christes body Hieroni. super eccle Cap. 3. We eate the very flesh of Christ drinke hys bloud in a mystery The vnder standyng of the Scripture is very meate very drinke Christes body is no materiall meate or drinke Hieronimus super Math. 26. Where there is no true body there can beno figure of the same Beda super Luke 22. Bread and wiâ—â—e is mistically referred to the body bloud of Christ A Sacrament what it is Ad Marcellum Bread and wyne represent vnto vs the flesh and bloud of Christ Chrisosto super Math. 26. Sacrifice Christes body a sacrifice offered on the crosse once for all Chrisosto ad Hebre. Home 17. The Sacrifice that we offer in bread and wyne is the remembraunce of Christes death Roma 6. As S. Austen declareth afore ad Bonifacum The masse is called a sacrifice be cause it representeth the death passion of Christ that was sacrificed on the Crosse Chrisost super Math. 〈◊〉 Christ by drinkyng of the cup dyd shewe the mistery and that it was no naturall nor carnall bloud Super Ioh. cap. 6. Hoâ—… 46. All misteryes must be considered spiritually The plaine saying of Chrisostome â—uâ—pentius 〈◊〉 Lib. de 〈◊〉 The Sacrament of Christes body is a thankes Seuyng Fulgentius This cup is the new TestameÌ„t is as much as this cup signifieth the new testament Eusebius Consecrat Druthmarius The Sacrament how it is our body Augustinus in sermone adâ—…fantes Aug. in sermo de sacraferia pascha Here you may see that y â— Sacrament is our body August de sacra feria pascha S. Austen calleth it by the name of SacrameÌ„t meanyng the figure signe or token of Christes bodyâ—… The wâ—…ked and vnfaythfull do not receaue the body of Christ and yet they receaue the SacrameÌ„t to their daÌ„nation The Sacrament as it is our body so it is Christes Note well this argument Bartram The Sacrament is Christes body in a mystery Cyprianus adâ—… As water is the people so wine is Christes bloud Eusebius By ytâ—…ture of water y t faithfull people are in corporate with Christ M. More â—rith More is a captious Sophister 〈◊〉 subâ—â—le Poet and 〈◊〉 malicious Papist More is better acquainted with the Popes lawes them with S. Austens workes Ad Hiâ—râ—nimum Christes body occupieth one place onely August ad BardanuÌ„ What Christ ment by thys worde Paradise How S. Austen laboureth to proue that Christes body might not be in ino places at once then in one If we affirme that the body of Christ is in many places at one mstant theÌ„ we should take away the truth of his body Augustin ibideâ—s Austen Christ as touching his Godhead is in all places Fulgentius Christ ascended into heauen because he is locall and a very man More Frith The flesh profiteth nothing The fleshe of Christ profiteth much if it be eaten with fayth August tract super 6. 〈◊〉 Athanasius 3. lib. qui dix verb. lâ—…ram The bread and wyne in the Sacrament why they are called mysteries If the Sacrament of the body of Christ were his natural body theÌ„ note what inconueniences must folow The wicked may not nor can not eate the body of Christ The wicked eate the SacrameÌ„t but yet dwell not in Christ Iohn 6. Iohn 6. Iohn 6. Math. 26. Mark 14. Iohn 12. God may do all thing but yet so as he caÌ„not denye hys truth neither restore virginitie c. Iohn 3. The naturall body of Christ is not present to our teeth in the Sacrament ArgumeÌ„ts to proue that Christes naturall body is not in the SacrameÌ„t of his body and bloud The ioyfull eatyng of Christ is â—y
all thyng for vauntage leadeth in the darkenesse of death M. Tyndall doth knowe how that S. Augustine and S. Hierome do proue with holy Scripture that confessioÌ„ is of necessitie vnto saluation Tyndall That is false if ye meane eareconfession Why alledge ye not the places where But ye know by S. Hierome and other stories and by the conuersation with Erasmus how it came vp and that the vse was once farre other then now M. I meruell that Tyndal denieth Purgatory except he entend to go to hell Tyndall He entendeth to purge here vnto the vttermost of his power hopeth that death will end and finish hys purgation And if there be any other purgyng he will commit it to God take it as he findeth it when he coÌ„meth at it and in the meane tyme take no thought therefore but for this that is present wherewith all Saintes were purged and were taught so to be And Tyndall marueleth what secret pilles they take to purge them selues whiche not onely will not purge here with the crosse of Christ but also bye out theyr Purgatory therof the pope for a groat or vj. pence The xviij Chapter M. The Clergie doth nothyng vnto the heretikes but as the holy Doctours dyd Tyndall Yes ye put them in your prisons and diote them and handle them after your fashion as temporall tyrauÌ„tes and dispute with them secretly and will not come at light And ye slea theÌ„ for rebukyng you with Gods worde and so did not the old holy Doctours If a man slea his father ye care not But if any man touche one of you though he haue neuer so great an occasion geuen him ye curse him and if he will not submitte him selfe vnto your punishmeÌ„t ye leaue him vnto the temporall power whome ye haue hyred with y e spoyle of his goodes to be your hangman so that he must lose his life for geuyng one of you but a blowe on the cheke M. Saint Paule gaue two heretickes vnto the deuill whiche tormented theyr fleshe whiche was no small punishement and haply he slew them Tyndall O expounder of the Scripture like Hugo Charensis which exposideth haereticum hominem deuita take the hereticke out of his lyfe We read of no payne that he had whom the Corinthians excommunicated and gaue to Sathan to slea his fleshe saue that hee was ashamed of hym selfe and repented when he saw his offence so earnestly taken and so abhorred But ye because ye haue no power to deliuer them to Sathan to blynde theyr myndes ye deliuer theÌ„ to the fire to destroy their flesh that no more is seene of them after then the ashes ¶ FINIS ¶ The practise of papisticall Prelates made by Wylliam Tyndall ¶ In the yeare of our Lorde 1530. ¶ William Tyndall to the Christian Reader WHen the olde Scribes and Phariseis had darckned the Scripture wyth their traditions and false interpretacions and wicked perswasions of fleshly wisdome and shut vp the kingdome of heauen which is Gods word that the people coulde not enter in vnto the knowledge of the true way as Christ complayneth in the Gospell Math. x. iij. Then they sat in the hartes of men with their false doctrine in the stead of God and hys word slew the soules of the people to deuoure their bodyes and to robbe them of their worldly substaunce But when Christ and Iohn the Baptiste had restored the Scripture agayne vnto the true vnderstanding and had vttered their falsehead and improued their tradicions and confounded their false interpretations with the cleare and euident textes and with power of the holy Ghost had brought all their iuggling and hypocrisie to light theÌ„ they gat them vnto the elders of the people perswaded them saying this man is surely of the deuill and hys myracles be of the deuill no doubt And these good workes which he doth in healing the people yea and his preaching against our couetousnes are but a cloke to bring hym vnto hys purpose that when he hath gotteÌ„ him disciples ynow he may rise against the Emperour and make hymselfe kyng And then shall the Romaynes come take our land from vs and cary away our people and put other naâ—ions in our realme and so shall we lose all that we haue and the most part of our liues therto Take heede therefore betimes while there is remedy yer he go so far that ye be not able to resiste hym The elders of the people which were rich and welthy though before they in a maner fauoured Christ or at y â— least way were indifferent nor greatly caryng whether God or the deuil raigned so that they might bide in their authoritie feared immediatly as Herode did of the losse of his kingdome when the wise men asked where the new borne king of Iewed was and conspired with the Scribes and Phariseis against Christ and tooke him and braught him vnto Pilate saying We haue â—ounde this fellow peruerting the people and forbidding to pay tribute vnto Cesar and saying that he is king and mouyng the people from Galile vnto this place The Pilate though he likewise was before indifferent put now in feare of the losse of his office thorow such perswasions slew innocent Christ And in very deede as the Scribes Phariseis were all their liues before blynde guides vnto the destruction of their soules euen so were they at their last ende blinde Prophetes vnto the destruction of their bodyes For after that they had slayne Christ and diuers of his Apostles and persecuted those poore wretches that beleued on hym God to aduenge the poore innocent bloude that bare witnes vnto the truth poured hys wrath among them that they theÌ„selues rose against the Emperour And the Romaynes came according as they blyndly prophesied and slew the most part of them and caryed y e rest captiue into all nacions and put other nacions in the Realme But whose fault was that insurrection against the Emperour and mischiefe that followed Christes and his Apostles whom they falsely accused before hand Nay Christ taught that they shoulde geue Cesar that pertayned vnto Cesar and God that which belonged to God EueÌ„ that they should geue Cesar lawfull their bodely seruice God the hart and that they should loue Gods law repent of their euill come and receaue mercy and let the wrath of god be taken from of them And the Apostles taught that all soules should obey the hyer powers or temporall rulers but their obstinate malice that so hardened their harâ—s that they coulde not repent and their raylyng vppon the open and manifest with which they coulde not improue and resisting the holy Ghost and sleying of the preachers of righteousnes brought the wrath of God vpoÌ„ theÌ„ and was cause of their vtter destruction Euen so our Scribes and Pharises now that their hypocrisie is disclosed and there falshead so brought
to light that it can no lōger be hid get thē vnto the elders of the people the Lordes gentlemen and temporall officers and to all that loue this worlde as they do and vnto whosoeuer is great wyth the kyng and vnto the kyngs grace himselfe and after the same ensample and wyth the same perswasions cast them into like feare of losing of their worldly dominions and rore vnto them saying ye be negligent and care nothing ot all but haue a good sport that the heretickes rayle on vs. But geue thē space a while till they be growen vnto a multitude and then ye shall see them preach as fast against you and moue the people agaynst you and do their beste to thruste you downe also and shall cry hauocke and make all common O generation of serpentes how well declare ye that ye be the right sonnes of the father of all lyes For they which ye call heretickes preach nothing saue that which our Sauiour Iesus Christ preached and his Apostles adding nought therto nor plucking ought therfro as the Scripture commaundeth and teach all men repentaunce to God and his holy lawe and fayth vnto our Sauiour Iesus Christ and the promises of mercy made in hym and obedience vnto all that God commaundeth to obey Neyther teach we so much as to resiste your most cruell tyranny with bodely violence saue wyth Gods worde onely entending nothing but to driue you out of the temple of Christ the harts consciences and soules of mē wherein with your falshead ye sit and to restore agayne Iesus our Sauiour vnto his possession and inheritaunce bought with his bloude whence ye haue driuen him out with your manifolde wyles and subtiltie Take heede therefore wicked Prelates blynde leaders of the blynde indurat and obstinate hypocrites take heede For if the Phariseis for their resisting the holy Ghost that is to say persecuting the open and manifest truth and sleying the preachers therof escaped not the wrath vengeaunce of god how shall ye scape which are farre worse thē the Phariseis For though the Phariseis had shut vp the Scripture and set vp theyr owne professions yet they kept theyr owne professions for the most part But ye will be the chiefest in Christes flocke and yet wyll not keepe one iot of the right way of his doctrine Ye haue therto set vp wonderfull professions to be more holy therby thē ye thinke that Christes doctrine is able to make you and yet keepe as little thereof except it be with dispensations in so much that if a man aske you what your maruelous fashioned playing coates and your other popatrye meane and what your disfigured heades all your Apishplay meane ye know not and yet are they but signes of thinges which ye haue professed Thyrdly ye will be Papistes and holde of the Pope and yet looke in the Popes lawe and ye keepe thereof almost nought at all but whatsoeuer soundeth to make for your bellyes and to maintaine your honour whether in the Scripture or in your owne traditions or in the Popes lawe that ye compell the laye people to obserue violently threatening them with your excommunications and cursses that they shal be damned both body and soule if they keepe them not And if that helpe you not then ye murther them mercilesly with the sworde of the temporall powers whom ye haue made so blinde that they be ready to sley whom ye cōmaūde and will not yet heare his cause examined nor geue him roome to aunswere for himselse And ye elders of the people feare ye God also For as the elders of the Iewes which were partakers with the Scribes and Phariseis in resisting the holy Ghost and in persecuting the open truth and sleying the witnesses therof and in prouoking the wrath of God had their parte with them also in the day of wrath and sharpe vengeaunce which shortly after fell vppon them as the nature of the sinne against the holy Ghost is haue her damnation not onely in the worlde to come but also in this life according vnto all the ensamples of the Bible and autenticke stories since the worlde beganne euen likewise ye if ye will wincke in so open cleare light and let your selues be led blyndfold and haue your part with the hypocrites in lyke sinne and mischief be sure ye shall haue your part with them in lyke wrath and vengeance that is like shortly to fall vpon them And concernyng that the hypocrites put you in feare of the rising of your commons agaynst you I aunswere if ye feare your cōmōs so testifie ye agaynst your selues that ye are tyrauntes For if your consciences accused you not of euill doyng what neede ye to feare your commons What commons was euer so euil that they rose against their heads for well doyng Moreouer ye witnesse agaynst your selues also that ye haue no trust in God For he hath promised the temporall officers assistence if they minister their offices truly and to care for the keepyng of thē as much as they care for to kepe his lawes The hypocrites happly byd you take an example of the Vplanoish people of Almany which they lye that Martin Luther styrred vp For first what one sentence in all the writyng of Martin Luther finde they that teacheth a mā to resist his superiour Moreouer if Martin Luther and the preachers had styrred vp the common people of Germany how happened it that Martin Luther other like preachers had not perished likewise with them whiche are yet all alyue at this houre Ye will aske me who styrred thē vp them I aske you Who styrred vp the commōs of the Iewes to resiste the Emperour after that the Scribes and Phariseis with the Elders of the people had slayne Christ his Apostles Verely the wrath of God And euen so here the wrath of God styrred them vp partly to destroy the enemyes and persecutours of the truth and partly to take vengeaunce on those carnall beastes whiche abused the Gospell of Christ to make a cloke of it to defend their fleshly libertie and not to obey it and to saue their soules therby If Kynges Lordes and great men therfore feare the losse of this worlde Let them feare God also For in fearyng God shall they prolong their dayes vpon the earth and not with sightyng agaynst God The earth is Gods onely his fauour and mercy doth prolong the dayes of kynges in their estate not their owne power and might And let all men be they neuer so great hearkē vnto this and let this be an aunswere vnto them Wicked kyng Achab sayd vnto the Prophet Elias Art thou he that troublest Israell And Elias aūswered it is not I that trouble Israell but thou and thy fathers houshold in that ye haue forsaken the commaundementes of the Lord and folow Idoles Euen so the preachers of the truth which rebuke sinne are not the troublers of