now also write I haue to lead me therunto these causes First my office and calling draweth me as beeing a Dispensar of the woord of God Secondly my dutie which is to winne all but especially you which are so farre off Thirdly that care which beyond measure I haue had is a prick and a spurre within me since the firste time I was with you at the Tower And which should prouoke me I haue a commaundement giuen me from the eternall God to preach in season and out of season in time and out of time whersoeuer I see the Church to stand in need Therfore I beeing espetially mooued aboue the rest you haue no farther to enquire after me As concerning the thinges I am to charge you withall they are many great importable and such as you can neuer answere They concerne the Lord the high God whose lawes you contemne They concerne the Church from which you are fled They concerne the trueth which you denye They concerne Religion which you abhorre They concerne Christianitie which you are farre from They concerne true Woorship which you repose in your Imageâ— They concerne Faith which you lay in Worâ—â—s They concerne perfecte and Christian adoration this you claspe vp in the bosome of the Pope They coÌ„cerne prayer which in steed of God you giue to men They concerne Christe whose institutions you chaunge They concerne the perfect seruice of the Lord which you infolde in the Masse They concerne our Meditation which you make but a sacrifice Propitiatorie by the woork of a Preest They concerne our attonement and reconciler Christe and him whome the heauens containeth you infolde in a Wafer cake They concerne the Gospell which you refuse you stick to the customes of your fathers And they concerne the woord of the Lord which you heare not but compelled which you slaun der beeing hardened which you contemne beeing blinded and which you spurn throwe away euen before our faces to our great greef and your confusion if you repent not All these many things more I am to charge you with hauing this purpose in my selfe That first you are to be loked vnto and if that you will not turne vnto the Lord our God and serue him after the manner that we his People Israell doo either we must shut you out of the Tents and dwelling places of the inheritaunce of our God or we must finde some way to pacifye the Lord withall For I am certainly perswaded that you haue been kept ouer long you and your fellowe Ammonites yea these twentie yeares haue you been pricks and thornes in our sides now you come out of your holes wherin younestled resisting openly the hoste of the Lord vnto their faces But this may not be suffered least your example of gathering sudâ— vpon the Sabaoth day be an occasion also that others shall violate and break the commaundements of God I warne you therfore in time and these Sermons of myne which I made vnto you haue I gathered together in a little volume that you may read them They contayne in them a breefe and short confutation of all such Heresies as you doo holde With this speech if you be not contented I wil then call back and reclaime it when as I perceiue and see thorow ly that you are amended More I cannot say more I may not say and more I dare not say as yet to you whom not I but aâ— Christian harts doo thinke to be instruments of Satan raysed vp for our sinnes as two edged Swoordes to rent and out in peeces the poore Church of England For mine owne parce I wil pray to the Lord our God for your amendement and I will begge that Discipline at his hands which you if you come not to him are woorthie to haue To whom I doo commit you that hath both life and death faluation and condemnation in his handes Yours in the Lord if you come vnto the Lord. Iohn Keltridge At London Iune 10. 1581. The first part of the Sermon wherein is largelie confuted sundrie grosse heresies which the Iesuites Seminaries and other the Popes Schollers doo holde preached at the Tower in their presence that the trueth might be known vnto them more apparantlie 7. Maij. 1581. IT is thus written right Honourable right VVoorshipfull and belooued in our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christe Deut. 6. v. 4. Heare O Israel the Lord our God is Lord onely and thou shalt looue the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy might And these words which I commaund thee this day shall be in thy heart THe looue that our Lord God bare to Israell his people though it be in many places of this booke shewed openly and declared plainlie to them Of all the bookes of Moses this of Deuteronomy for the blessing great benefiteâ— God shewed to his people is the most coÌ„fore table and heauenly booke Yet in more ample manner it was neuer set downe at any time to that Nation as in this the vnspeakable looue of the Lord their God who in daunger defending them in troubles deliuering them in extremities assisting them in slauerie and captiuiâ—e vpholding them by his mightie hand did not onely by Myracles she we his power or by his Prouision for them signifie his looue or by his outstretched arme manifest his care or by fighting with Kinges for their sakes driue all onlie an especiall reuerence into their hearts of his Maiestie But verie fatherlie in affection most loouingly in Mercie and tenderlte with long Patience did the Lord instructe and teach them by Moses and Aaron that they might know the Commaundements of the Lord and feare him Wherefore as at the first to cause them to remember him the Lord our God appeared in fire and lightning and in most terrible manner to beate a care and reuerent feare into their hearts So to â—omfore them againe was Moses sent with this 〈◊〉 and these Coâ—â—tâ—ndements as reâ—embraunces pledges of his looue that in the same they might acknowledge him and in trembling and feare obey him in knowledge increase their looue towards him and in reuereÌ„ce serue him all the dayes of their lyfe Now this booke is a recapitulation a bréefe summarie and short rehersall of all such Lawes Ordinaunces Statutes as the Lord had giuen to Israel and a Commemoration of all his sundrie notable and famous benefites as Israel and this People had receyned at the handes of God and therefore sayth Moses Heare O Israel the Lord thy God is Lord onely These woordes haue in them noted two principall thinges common bothe in the Lawe and in the Prophetes 1. First an exhortation In requesting and in praying them 2. Secondlie a Commaundement In willinge and in forcing them The Inuocation or calling on them to heare that which appertayneth to God declareth howe ready the Lord is to saue man The Lawe and constraint vsed by commaundement certifieth vs albeit we will not come vnto
yéelde certaine reasons Pride First of all the pride of Sion is great and her daughters haue waÌ„dring eyes and stretched out neckes they mince it in the stréetes with their féete as if onely they had a care to liue héere and to doo nothing else Securitie Secondly the fulnesse of bread is great and 〈◊〉 are inglutted with the Oliue and the Grape therefore beginne freé to to be carelesse Whordom Thirdlie there is a gréeuous sinne which of all other I feare which aboue the rest I abhorre which of all is most damnable which in the most is most common yet estéemed of ouer lighthe by the most godlie which is whoredome that is so sparinglie punished For these sinnes am I perswaded that God hath begunâ—e to shewe his displeasure and angrie countenaunce vpon vs the Lord hath nowe forewarned vs to looke about and to examine our selues against the tyme of his comming And assuredlie I am sore grâ—ucâ— for the same for the Papistes finding that we haue displeased God and knowing that the Lord neuer striketh but when he is angry have nowe of late lyft vp their heads thinking to make a conquest and to pray vpon vs So that I sée we are nowe in distresse and two kinde of inconueniences fall vpon vs for our sinnes First the Lord is 〈◊〉 honoured and the Papistes they hope for a day Secondlie our people and nation is affrighted and in parte discouraged 〈◊〉 they feare that because the multitude of Heretiques are nowe incâ—â—sed that therefore God as he hath warned vs hath also forsaken vs and as he hath touched vs hath certainly delivered vs into their handes which is nothing so wherefore séeing the the aduersaire is so exalted against God in his pride and the poore Church so discouraged for her sinnes in great humilitie I will say some thing to them be the. As concerning you the aduersaries of God and enimies to England whether you be called by the name of Papistes or tearmed as Catholiques or estéemed as Iesuites or thought to be Seminaries 〈◊〉 called by any other name among men Vnderstand all of you that if we haue sinned you haue no cause to reioyce we haue not trespassed against you but against God and if any thing happen vnto vs we are vnder the handes of the Lord not vnder yours What if our fathers haue erred what if our Kinges and Princes haue offended what if our Rulers haue trespassed and we his people gone astraie that appertayneth not vnto you but vnto our God To him we submitte our selues to him we yéelde to him we acknowledge our sinnes 〈◊〉 for you what haue you to doo with vs why trouble you his people and what haue you to doo with his annointed we will submitte not selues to the highest we will not be delyuered into your handes nor into the handes of men Knowe you that we will neither choose to â—ye thrée dayes before our enimies nor haue seuen yéeres famine come vpon vs in the land but we will fall into the handes of God let the Lord doo what séemeth him best in his eyes Now if it should come to passe that we were againe made slaues vnto you as we haue béene of oide tyme yet would the Lord be reuenged vpon you your Shéepheards should be scattered as was Gardner and Bonner your Princes and blasphemers should perishe as all those haue done that stoode against vs your Runners and Deuowrers with the swoord should haue a deadly ende as hath befaine to the persecutors of our Church and you your selues should haue all the plagues of Egipt to trouble you tyll you had deliuered vs. what if we serued you seuen or eight péeres for our sinnes to reclaime vs yet would the Lord send an other Othoniell Iudg. 3.9 to redéeme vs consume you what if eightéen yéeres as we confesse some times we did what aduantage was that to you when Eglon your King Iudg. 3.14 with the Ammonites and Amalekites were afterward destroyed for it by Ehud of Gera the Captaine of the Lord What I pray you aduauntageth it you to rayle on the hoast of the lyuing God and to curse vs and to defie vs before the Lord if afterwards you and yours be found all onely to be they that are cursed for so it fell out in the dayes of Ezechias when Senacherib defied Israell and rayled on the lyuing God Isai 37.38 And so fell it out at the beginning to Balack the sonne of Ziphor Numb 22. that hyred Balaam to curse Israell as the Pope hath hyred and sent you out to curse vs. Therfore this people if they will feare the Lord shall not be afraide of two or thrée Bées of the East but euen they shall sée your dead carcases vppon the ground and you the enimies of God to be drowned and swim before their faces And nowe for the second point for which I doo perceyue the people of this Land are greatly troubled namely because that the Papistes and Iesuites with other the riffe raffe and scumme of this Realme are nowe séene to appeare who before this tyme haue béene hidden in the bytches and channelles of England Let them all vnderstand that it is a small thing with God and no great or rare matter to haue wicked men and vngodlie ones to arise in the Familie of the Lord. For so it must it be in his Church Congregation for euer that those that are his may be tried VVhy wherefore for what cause should you be â—â—â—couraged it hath béene so of olde from the beginning it hath béene thus Looke and sée search and vnderstand it will be found true It is a small matter in great abundance of small hearbes to haue a handfull of stinking wéedes in a mightie ground well eared with corne to finde some Darnel or some Cockle in plentifull Gardens and well â—â—ored to haue a bundle or two of Nettles or in our great and mighty Church of England to haue a fewe of wicked and peruerse papistes The Israelites cannot doo amisse though some Préestes of â—â—all 〈◊〉 in the Land the Congregation shall not all perishe though Coré Dâ—than and Abiram conspire the Prophetes of God all faithfull persons must not be dismaied albeit some offer vp Incense to the Quine of Heauen and England must not be afrayde though some Iesuiets trouble them The Church of Corinthus had in it false brethren that hindred them and Laodecaea and Smirna and Theatyra in the Reuelation had among them wicked persons that withortwe them and the Primitiue Church hath not béene without Heretiques at all tythes that haue withstoode them neither shall England be without Seâ—inaries and schollers of the Pope to molest them I remember what Augustine sayth August ad Petrum Cap. 43. Firmissime tene et nallatenâ—â— dubites Aream esse Dei ecclesiam Catholicam et in ea vsque in sinem seculi frumento mixtas pale as contineri That is It is to be thought
stedfastilie and not to be doubted of by any man that the Barnes of the Lord doo signifie vnto vs the Church of God and within them 〈◊〉 the ende of the world there will be Chaffe mixt with good Corneâ— that is wicked with good euill men among righteous men and Heretiqâ—â—â— among those that are faithfull It is as true and as pretie as it is plaine that Prosper sayth Prosper depromis et praed Dei Cap. 7. Nunc vero ecclesia aut Arca velut mundâ— et immunda animalia bonos malosque portare cognoscitur vsque in praedictum finem de quo Dominus et saluator noster in Euangelio 〈◊〉 est That is And nowe we are assured that the Church of God which is as was the Arke hath in it bothe fowle and cleant 〈◊〉 and is openlie knowne as well to carie the good as those that are euill euen vntyll the determined ende and tyme whereof our Sauiour Christe spake in the Gospell which is vnttyil the ende of the worâ—e So that nowe we are not to be discouraged but comforted not dismayed but stayed in as much as the Lord will alwayes fight for vs and permitte the wicked for a season that their condempnation may be greater when he commeth And it must not be vnknowen to you that there haue risen vp Heretiques from tyme to tyme but especially in the Primitiue Church and in the lyght of the Gospell as the Iesuites and the Fanulie of Looue and the Seminaries doo now in our age Euse Lib. 2. Cap. 1. After Christe 46 yéeres began Simon Magus whome the Pope is 〈◊〉 lyke as can be that selteth the holie Ghost and hell and Heauen and soules of men for money Beda After Christe 58. yéeres or thereabout 〈◊〉 by Elymas Bariesus he would haue peruerted and turned Sergius Paulus from the trueth as Champion and Howlet haue laboured of 〈◊〉 to peruert the state of England Iren. Lib. 1. Cap. 25. After Christe 73. sprang vp Corinthus as like the Papistes in this one thing as might be that he luâ—â—â— after the satissying of the â—â—â—lie and delighted in meate and drinke and maried women Euse Lib. 4. Cap. 7. After Christe 93. sprâ—ng vp Basilides before 〈◊〉 Menander whome in this one thing the Pope and his Clergie resâ—â—â— bleth in that they thinke that Faith by periurie may be renouriâ—â—â— Epiphanius Haer. 26. After Christe 100. yéeres arose vp the Gnostikes some call them Barborites all one with Papistes for they had in them a swelling pride as hath the Pope with his Cardinals thought they knowe all things and their women among them were as common as the strumpets and 〈◊〉 be at Roome for the Friars Haer. 29. After Christe 121. dyd the Nazaritâ—â— spread their Herefies abroade altogether in effect as are the Iesuites who gaue them selues to the obseruation of the Lawe euen alike as be all their Ceremonies which they vse Euse Lib. 5. Cap. 13. After Christ 163. were the Montanists verie rife in the world what they differed from the sects of Iesuites and their company I knowe not all one they were in many things For they for bad mariage as papistes doo they absteined from 〈…〉 béeing vnlaâ—â—full euen as papistes doo they vsed 〈…〉 and defiled women as the papists doo And thus from time to time since Christe there haue béene most detestable Herefies in the Church now I am of opinion that the errors of the papistes are a confused and mingled Chaos euen a trusse and Booget of Hertfies gathered togeather of all sortes of Heretiques from the beginning which when time seâ—ueth I will prooue Héere lyeth out 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 holde that God of his mercie will as wel defend vs as he hath done the other his Churches that hath béene pestered with them since the comming of Christe And as for England they can doo it no 〈◊〉 God is with vs. They cannot hurt vs God fighteth for vs theâ—r pretious bauâ—â—es shal not breake our heads for so hath the Lord 〈…〉 Their errors shall doo what God will haue done that is mough to comfort vs. For the papistes them selues what grosse and 〈◊〉 opinions they holde this short Treatise shall declare 〈◊〉 Irequire at your hands that shall reade this Booke First that 〈…〉 â—â—differerently without partiality Secondly that you way the Articles and sundrie pointes and howe and where the trueth in them is to be looked for Thirdly that you cast not your eyes vpon the writer or vpon the Aduersary that is confuted but that you iudge 〈◊〉 betwixt bothe Last of all with a perfect pure and vndefiled 〈…〉 this booke to be read of thée that thou thy selfe mayst be comâ—â—ted thy conscience assured thy minde and beare satisfied and thy adversaries mouthes that would hinder thée for euermore stopped So I leaue thée to the tuition of the Almightie and do aduertise thée to may for the conuersion of these Heret ques or for the will of the Lord to be shewed vpâ— them according â—â— that purpose and determination of 〈◊〉 which he hath decréed And so fare you most hattehe well Yours in the Lord. Iohn Keltridge ⧠To the aduersaries of the grace of God in the Tower of London or els where I Iohn Keltridge wishe amendment of life conuersion to the moste auncient and vndoubted faith with true repentaunce and contrition of hart That they may become liuely and perfect members of Iesus Christe ALbeit the rare strange comming of you into England hath kindled the harts of many men against you so them see on fire as it is very apparaÌ„t that the flaÌ„erherof is not like to be extinguished till either the godly people see your conuersion from your heresies or conceiue some hope that you will return to God speedily Yet we for our partes that haue endeuored by preaching to bring you to the Lord may not cannot cease continually either to pray with earnestnes or desire with stedfastnes or begge with feruentnes or intreat in all faithfulnes at the handes of the Lord that he would lighten you by his spirit or quicken you thorow his grace or resolue you by the trueth or confirme you by the woord which you dayly heare that the only true and perfect man Iesus Christe maye be knowen unto you which knowledge and perfect vnderstanding you cannot be ignorant of if you shut not your eyes or withdrawe your harts from the hearing of the same What you haue been hitherto we know but what heerafter you shal be that the Lord our GOD knoweth not we We may hope very hardly for you refuse the trueth willingly your conuersioÌ„ 〈◊〉 we not looke for speedily you perseuere in your errours so stouely So that for that matter we deforre and commit all to to the Lord. Notwithstanding for myne owne 〈…〉 some thing to say vnto you for your owne behalfe I haue much to charge you with For my selfe wheras I haue bothe spoken heertofore and doo
high Préest onely wherfore I aunswer you that the Cherubins were not séene of the people but your Images are set in Churches before all the people so that if your Images were as were the Cherubins then should your Images be séen of none Then what place will you assigne for your Images I suppose none vnlesse you will make an other Tabernacle then also giue an other lawe then also vse the whole Ceremonies and Rites of the same then also look for an other Christe Then also as yet the Gospell is not knowne and the Apostles haue not preached thorow out the world as yet then you sée howe vppon one inconuenience there followeth an other but I aunswere you farther answer 3 Your Images are not set vp to that end the Cherubins were the Cherubins described and set foorth the glory of the Lord and so doo not your Images for you derogate from the glorious Maiestie of God and giue to Images that you ought not answer 4 The Cherubins were extraordinarie and for a season your Images are ordinarie and daylie vsed and set vp continuallie answer 5 The Cherubins were taken away and are not now found why then doo you suffer your Images to remaine in Churches A full aunswer to the Iesuites Take them away as be nowe the Cherubins and let Images be no more found in your Churches then be the Cherubins in the Tabernacle and then shall you say some thing answer 6 Moreouer the Cherubins were not leste to the ende that any should worshippe and fall downe vnto them but your Images are adored of all Lastlie and to conclude the Cherubins were ser in theyr places and they couered the Mercie seate but yet at the commaundement of the Lord and by his appointment then vpon your owne woordes shall iudgement be giuen If you will haue vs to alowe of your Images prooue that you haue the same speciall commaundement for them that they had for the Cherubins which done we will then allowe of them as you doo in the meane senson we will estéeme of you as you are Ob. 2. Papist As in the former argument and fonde reason of yours you cannot but sée your owne follie so in this second bolte which is let goe by some vnskilfull and wandering roauer on your side there will appeare great rashnesse For the same Maister Harding your Archringleader to the way of death hath most dissolutely and verie carelessie wrested an other place of Scripture to the selfe same purpose that the other was and taken out of the booke of Numb Chap. 21. Where it is sayde That Moses made a brasen Serpent and whosoeuer of the people was stoong with the same he looking thereon lyued Resp Now this was an Image of a Serpent Ergo Images are lawfull In déede answer 1 this that you say prooueth that the Serpent of brasse set vp was lawfull but Ergo your Images it followeth not It is a clowted argument and patched vp with a sowterlie Elench The young Sophister will tell you that Ab eo quod erat adid quod est necessaria consequentia esse non potest 1 For from the thing that was done to an other more contrarie thing that is done no good and sound reason can be framed And yet we may say more vnto you then so answer 2 We can aunswere you as Tertullian dooth who was sufficiently contented for that the Lord God would haue it so which commaūdement you can not shewe for your Images answer 3 Moreouer the brasen Serpent was a figure of Christe so be not your Images and therefore not lawfull and therefore not to be vsed and therefore in vaine and therefore condempned of all answer 4 Also the brasen Serpent healed those that looked thereon which thinge you could neuer auouch for certaintie in any one of your Images this I knowe that by a Faith in those dayes were they healed that were stoong by Serpentes and as the Serpent was lyfted vp so was the Sonne of Man hoong on the Crosse for our sakes Ioh. 3.24 answer 5 Also in the Serpent that stoong them a remēbrance wherof was that lifted vp in the Wildernesse The Israelites did call to minde the Deuill the olde Serpent the Dragon that beguiled them and such vse there is none in your Images answer .6 Lastly there was a most liuely type and figure of Christe in the lyfting vp of the brasen Serpent for as all that looked thereon were healed So also as many as beléeued in Iesus Christe the sonne of God were saued Then séeing that you vsurpe and mistake all Scriptures wreathing them to your owne purpose to serue your turnes neyther can we holde with you iustlie vnlesse we will be guiltie as you are Neither are we to allowe of you for the Lord hath reiected you neyther may we defend you for you weaken your owne selues neither dare we speake for you in as much as God him selfe is against you but I will pray for you that the Lord would turne you if it be his pleasure or that he would deale in Iustice with you as you deserue that no more of his poore shéepe be deuowred by you as hetherto they haue béene by your meanes For vndoubtedlie you are Caterpillers that haue infected the earth you haue confounded the spéeche of the world and made the simple to rebell against God you haue stroken Moses and Aaron on the face and Israel haue you entised to become Egiptians with you Many of the Saints haue you racked and innumerable companies haue you drawne vnto you from the Lord therefore you shall not escape the iudgements of our God and looke vnto it for they be at hand There remayneth yet one reason more of yours which is thought to be so strong so firme so certaine so vndoubted and of such force as that no man is able to gainsay it It is taken out of Ezechiel the. 9. Cha. Where as sayth Maister Harding There is one cloathed in Linne and he had an Inckorne at his side and was commaunded to write Signum Thau That is sayth Maister Harding The signe of the Crosse In their foreheads For as you suppose this Letter had the similitude of the Crosse and was all one with it and afterwarde as you affirme Constantine the Emperour by the Image and signe thereof ouercame and got the féeld and heard a voice saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Vnder this signe shalt thou conquer and haue victorie and the King ouercame his enimies that day and returned in glorie But what gather you of all this you must conclude Ergo Images are lawfull This is in déede London and Yorke Porchmouth and Douer England and Roome Ergo the next yéere you shall haue warre I marueyle greatlie at so friuolous an argument as you trouble vs with of a trueth it should not séeme méete for men of learning for this is stitched together so botcherlike as nothing may be more vainly spoken by any Abbey lowbie in the
both to the right hand and to the left hand contrarie to the word of God I appeale to your owne consciences I referre my selfe to that spirite which I knowe euen nowe pricketh you The profession of Iesuites and the name of theÌ„ was taken of two sundrie per sons the profession vpoÌ„the ererection of a college by a Pope the name is taken was before the erection of the house almost 1050. yeares for they be Iesuites of Iesus Haeret. fabularum Compend 10. lib. 4. and in the same tel me whether I charge you wroÌ„gfully yea or not Where haue you warrant for that profession which some of you here professe Why are you seuered from men by an other name and wherefore haue you that same vnheardof title of Iesuites what Prophete what Apostle what good and auncient dustoâ—â—e of the Primitiue Church sinde you this in The time will not permit me now but hereafter I will shewe your originall at large But yet tell me what authoritie what warrant what Scripture you haue for your whippings and your shauings Truely they are good marks for you to be knowne by as of such as be right Priestes of Baal Who as you whippe your selues so they also launched them selues to be séene of men Or you be like vnto the Donatistes of whome Theodoretus Bishop of Cyrus speaketh For they fat vp them selues like Porklings before they dye and offer vp sacrifices to them that are aliue and whip one an other oftentimes One merrie pretie conceited thing I do remember written of them by the same Theodorete which thing a yong Gentleman is said to haue done Now it fell out that many of them vpon a time assembled together being like vnto madde men and in a phrensie The Arrian in killing of him selfe the Donatist in his madnesse doing the same and the Iesuite in whipping of him and shortening his time agree al in one fell vpon a noble and couragious young Gentleman and among them one reached vnto him a naked sword and bid him runne him thorowe for he was wearie of his life the young youth aunswered that he was afraide to doe any such déede and then peraduenture if I should doe it your companions also would kill me But they forced him at length the Gentleman vpon condition condescended so that they would be all bound with cords that he might be in feare of nothing They also yealded to that This Gentleman bound them fast then tooke he the sword of them which done he would not runne vpon them or kil them but tooke whippes and whipped them For my owne part of a trueth I commend this young man and I would that our grayheaded Fathers in this Realme were of his minde Not that I doe desire they should drawe out the sword to cut you off but bicause you are so well vsed to whippings as being a profession of your owne to doe it I would councell them to haue a care of the same and no withered armes in the tryall of this matter Nowe if you like your owne countrie cordes better than ours they shall doe a good deede to shippe you ouer to Rome againe There can be no better lawe to tame them then is the same to which they are sworne â—â—d is so well allowed of them from whence you came Then can you not complaine of vs for we haue done no more vnto you then you would haue vs doe no nor then you do vnto your selues And weout al dout if you should be touched according to your deseruings I do not finde howe you should escape w e your liues the both seditiously come hither to raise vp her Maiesties subiectes and tumultuously spread abroad rebellious pamphlets and with so horrible sacriledge to the Maiestie of God cause our people to refuse comming to the Church Thrée which if both her Maiestie were not merciful and our learned and sage Fathers willing also to heare of your conuersion and amendment are able to cut you short enough for euer séeing Rome or the Pope any more For my owne part The false Churches vse fire and â—aggot in much crueltie therefore the true Church may vse some discipline and some sharp punishmeÌ„t with out tyrannie I will not add willingly affliction to affliction or griefe vnto griefe yet what we suffered in those bloudie and late dayes the world knoweth and for the bread and good kéeping you finde in the Towre you trussed vs vp at the Gallowes and fiered vs at the stake The Lord graunt that it be not layde vnto your charge But thankes to our Lorde God that hither to hath saued vs from you I hope that for his names sake he will deliuer vs still In déede you beginne to bussell nowe and by little and a little to shewe your heades in this Realme but your hope shall be turned to distrust and your day you looke for to an vnknowne day and what so euer it be that you trust vnto whether to the hollowe heartes of England The church was nener without one Achitophel some Doeg or other or one Iudas to betray it or to the faire prontifes of those that sent you â—uer or to some Oracle you haue by which you haue receiued courage or to the foreigne powers which haue bewitched you or to the trayterous attemptes that haue bene practised or to the seditious tumultes which the Pope and Spaine haue raised or else to what so euer it is you trust I tell you plainely you are beguiled you are deceiued you are blinded you are infatuated and your Counsel is brought to nought You may retire wel enough with your companions for of a truth as Achior saide to Olofernes captaine of the armie of Assur Iudeth 5. so can we and so will we answere you If we haue done no great sinne or committed no euill in the sight of our God whereby we haue prouoked him he shall fight against you all But if we haue then if we repent not the Lord will surely deliuer vs into your handes and if there be none iniquitie in vs it is best for you and for your confederates to goe by and to returne backe for I tell you the Lord will fight for vs. Nowe if it should come to passe that God should deliuer vs into the handes of forainers and into she handes of the wicked God not man is to be feated when man commâ—â—deth haâ—â—is coâ—tratie to God yet will we say as Shadrach Meshach and Abednego saide to Nebucadnezar We woulde neither obey them nor their commaundement but let the Lord do what semeth him good in his eyes And in the meane season as wee depende vpon the Lorde our God that made both heauen and earth So also wee will not cease to crye out against you to desire the Lorde to deale with you accoâ—ding to the iniquitie of your inuentions Psal 28.5 To disperse your lying lippes and your deceiptfull tongues Psalm 12.3 To reward you seuenfolde into your