make Christe and eate Christe and if he once be past mans meate burne Christe who hath as great authoritie so to do as Iosias had shée might likewise saye their fleshe nor bodies were not burned nor hurte but their Accidentes as their length breadth thicknesse thinnesse weight and colour and such like but if they were thus handled though they woulde make vs beléeue that nothyng of the Sacrament is burned but the Accidentes they woulde then both beléeue and féele that their bones fleshe skinne sinewes and all their whole bodies were burded aswell as their Accidents Marke this also if the bread bée chaunged into the bodie of Christe by the Priestes consecrating it then why was the Emperoure Henrie the sixth poysoned by eating the bodie of Christ and why was Pope Victor poisoned in his Chalice by drynkyng the bloude of Christe is the bodie of Christe nowe so farre contrarie to it selfe to that it was before and is nowe become a destroyer and killer of menne whiche before was a helper and healer of men a meruailous matter when Christ was here on earth and his bodie not glorified he raysed Lazarus from death to lyfe that had bene foure dayes dead and now that he is in Heauen and glorified his bodie hath poysoned and killed men that had lyued aboue thirtie yéeres and so brought them from lyfe to death Therefore how soeuer you haue vsed Christ amoÌ„g you he is woÌ„derfully changed A man would thinke it had bene more likely that Christes bodie being so full of vertue and power as it is that it should haue turned the poyson mixt with it to the good nature and vertue of it selfe and to haue preserued mens bodies and not the poyson to turne Christes bodie into poyson and so to poyson or kill men Perhaps you will saie that it was not Christes bodie that the poison was mixt withall truely if you say so I beléeue you I allow his wit the better that he tarried not it was time for him to be gone for if he had tarried he had bin poisoned But I pray you what was it then that the poison was mixt withall you will not now for shame say that it was the accidents of Christes bodie least you make Christ to haue such a strange bodie or rather no bodie at all as is before mentioned Belike then it was the bread that was there before for the one it must néedes be for what soeuer the Popes Doctors saie al learned and wise men affirme that there can be no Accidentes without a Substance and yong children that are but in the beginning of their Grammer can tell you that an Adiectiue must néeds haue a Substantiue truly if the bread being the bodie of Christ and exalted to so high a degrée did vnchriste himself was content to become bread again to be poisoned to saue the bodie of Christ froÌ„ poisoning then it was the louingst bread the friendliest bread a bread of the greatest consideration that I euer heard of well in so doing I muste néedes saie that the bread shewed Christ a verye friendly part for if the bread had not come againe then Christ himself had bin poysoned and then he had dyed twice then the professors of the Gospell had bin vtterly vndone for the Pope beyng â—opercioner with Christ hauing both one consistorie or seate of Iudgement would haue claimed all by suruiuor and so he woulde haue sit alone and thereby he might haue sent the Diuels and the wicked to heauen and the Angels and the godly to hell But if one shoulde aske you howe many bodyes Christ had I am sure you will say he had but one if you say truely then if the bread were changed as you say yet coulde it be but a péece of the body of Christ or else Christ hath had at one time twentie thousand bodyes at the least for I am sure there haue bin so many Masses at the least saide in one day Though this be sufficient that I haue alreadie spoken to any ChristiaÌ„ godly wise or reasonable man that the bread is not neither by any meanes can be changed into the body of Christ yet I will go further with you Suppose y t Christ at his last Supper by these wordes this is my bodye dyd turne the bread into his very body which before is proued he did not both by the scriptures auncient Doctors and naturall reason yet therefore the Priestes are neuer a whyt the neare for the turning or changing of the breade into the body of Christ. For if he had done it yet he gaue them no warrant nor commission to doe it For where can you finde that Christ said as often as any Priest shal pronounce and say these wordes ouer a white little cake this is my body and shall blesse and consecrate it that straight way the little cake shall be turned and transubstantiated into my very body and the substance of the bread from thence forth shall be cleane gone and my very bodye fleshe bloud and bone that was borne on the virgin Marie my mother shall remaine there in the steade of bread If you coulde shewe vs these wordes or such like spoken by Christ then it woulde séeme that they had Christes commission so to doe but they haue from Christ no such commission or warrant so to doe if Christ had done it as he did it not Therefore all the racking glosing and expoundyng of the some wordes of Christ serue your turne neuer a whyt all that Christ said therein to his Apostles was doe this in my remembrance So that neyther Pope nor Priest can haue anye more authoritie therein than the Apostles had themselues Therefore the Priestes doe not onely most wickedly to make you beléeue that the Sacramentall breade is the body of Christ which is but a signe or remembraunce of Christ and his death but also both they and you committe moste horrible and abhominable Idolatrie in knéeling to it and worshipping of it If a great Lorde that loues me wel being my maister should deliuer me his painted picture which were somthing more like him than a cake is like Christ say to me when you looke on this my picture in my absence remember me and then if I should when he were gone shew the same picture abroade say to euerye one that sées it that the same picture is my Lord maister himselfe that left it with me and so make curtesie to it and reuerence honor it for the said Lorde all that should sée me doe so woulde not onely thinke I were starke mad but also my said Lord maister that loued me so much would not be very wel content with me for taking and honoring that dumbe dead and sencelesse picture for himselfe that he did leaue with me for a signe to remember him withal in his absence besides that I thinke he would dismisse me as I were wel worthy out of his seruice Euen so all wise men may
can not doe For thoughe God be called Omnipotens Almightie yet he is not Almightie bycause he can do al thinges but bycause he can doe all that he will or woulde doe whych the Pope can not do for all he taketh himselfe to bée a God for if he could this our realme of England shoulde not haue béene so long in quyet as it hathe béene And if Christe and the Pope make or haue one Consistorie or Iudgement seate then hereby the Pope maye be copercioner and fellow Iudge with Christe at the daye of Iudgement and iudge both the quicke and the deade But if then the Pope shoulde be so contraâ—ie to Christe and so muche hys enimie as he is here the controuersies of all matters and crimes from the beginning of the Worlde will not be determined and iudged in one daye For one daye woulde be little ynoughe to trye whiche of them shal sitte the vppermost for if he be ther then as haughtie and proud as hée is and hathe bene héere he will scarcelye suffer Christe to sitte aboue him for he that hathe sitâ—e aboue Emperours and kings and hathe made the Emperours necke his foote stoole wil be loath I beléeue to sit beneath Christ that was so poore as he was Nay if his power be aboue all the powers in Heauen and in earth as is before declared you shall sée that the Pope will goe neare to thrust Christ besides his seate and sitte there alone and be Iudge and al himselfe And if the authoritie of the Romaine Churche and the Pope is more than Gods worde as Siluester Prierias doeth write Then when Christ shal sit in iudgemente at the laste daye and hathe seuered the Shéepe from the Goates and bidde the blessed Shéepe to come into the kingdome of heauen and sente the curssed Goates into Hell the Pope maye come in then by hys aucthoritie and say to Christ by your leaue sirra a little séeing you haue giuen iudgement by your lawe I will nowe giue definitiue sentence by my lawe whiche is more than Gods worde And then the Pope maye say Come backe againe yée curssed that Christ bad to go to Hell and looke that yée go into Heauen for I haue appointed it for you to dwell in and you blessed that Christe hath willed to goe into Heauen come backe againe or I wil fetche you and sée that you goe into Hell for that is the place that I haue appointed for you to dwell in And thus maye the Pope by his aucthoritie whiche is more than Gods worde as Prierias sayeth controll and vndoe all Christes doings and sende the godly to Hel and the wicked to Heauen and he himselfe to be in Heauen like a God that liued on the earth like a Diuel What Hel-houndes are these that would make vs beléeue that the Popes power and aucthoritie is more than the word of God But if the Pope in a maner can do whatsoeuer God can doe or if he haue all power giuen hym in Heauen and in Earth as he sayeth then why did Pope Boniface the eight suffer Scaira wyth his souldiours to set fire on the gates of his pallaice and to breake downe the dores and windowes where he was in Aruagium and to enter vpon him and to rifle him of all his goods iewels and Treasure which was suche a deale as Christe and all hys Apostles neuer had And why then did he suffer them to sette him on a wilde and vnbroken colte with his face towardes the horsse tayle and the colte to runne vp and down with him vntil he was almost breathlesse and why did he suffer himselfe to be imprisoned by the sayde Scaira thrée dayes and to be almoste famished for meate thys holye Father that coulde commaunde the Angels to carry mens soules to Heauen I maruell that he did not commande them to come out of Heauen to deliuer him out of prison and out of his enimies handes But be bolde he woulde haue done it if he coulde haue done it And therefore you maye perceiue that he promiseth you more by hys Pardons than he is able to performe for if the Pope hath suche power to pardon you and to forgiue you your sinnes and to sende your soules by Aungels to Heauen then the Pope woulde haue helped himselfe out of prison and thraldome Therefore you maye sée if you wil sée that he tels you that he can doe a greate deale more than he can do for if he coulde deliuer mens soules from Hel he were able to deliuer his owne bodye out of prison And iâ— he be able to bring other mens soules from Earthe vnto heauen where he was neuer then he were as able to bring his own body out of prison to his own house where he hath bin And thoughe the Pope hathe suche greate and high aucthoritie as he hath he claimeth it not but by the aucthoritie of the Scriptures or by excellente and learned argumentes As thus the Sun is higher and greater than the Moone therefore Pope Innocentius sayeth that the Pope is greâ—er and higher than the Emperour this is that holy and méeke Pope that sayde that either he woulde lose his Mitre or else he woulde pul the Emperours Crown from his head Maister Harding to excuse the Pope withal said This is not a reason but a similitude To whom Maister Iewel the Bishop of Salisburie aunswereth as followeth This thing may easilye be graunted for in deede it is a similitude vtterly voyde of either Witte or Reason But who taughte the Pope so childishlye to playe with similitudes thereby to aduaunce himselfe and to abase the Emperour of the Worlde who tolde him that the Pope is the Sunne and the Emperour the Moone or that the Emperour is so farre inferior to the Pope as the Moone is inferior to the Sunne Isodorus that liued 600. yeares before Pope Innocentius the third sayth quite contrarie By the Sunne saith he we vnderstande the kingdome and by the Moone wee vnderstande the Priesthoode whereby he giueth vs to vnderstand contrarie to the iudgement of Pope Innocentius that as the Moone is inferior to the Sun so is the Pope inferior to the Emperour And here is another excellent argumente to proue the Popes aucthoritie both of the Spiritualtie and Temporaltie Peter sayde to Christe Lo heere are twoo swords Therefore Pope Boniface sayeth that the Pope hathe power both of the Spiritual Sworde and of the Temporall Sword Uery wel gest Maister Pope euen so one may say that by as good aucthoritie Lo here are two daggers And then a straunger to him that hath the Daggers may starte straighte-way in and say Marry therefore I oughte to be Lord Chauncelor of England and the Archebishoppe of Canterburie The Pope can lacke no power if suche conclusions may serue his turne Marke what a trimme exposition one of the Popes pâ—n men to maintaine the Pope in his Godhead hathe made vpon a verse of the eighte Psalme attributing
vtterly damned for euer Which no true Christian will beléeue Therfore if you will néedes beléeue the Popes Transubstantiation and that the Sacramentall bread is turned into the body of Christ and that if you eate it with your mouth champe it with your téeth that then you eate the very bodie flesh of Christ then you must also beléeue that al these holy men martires yong children and the théefe that neuer did eate it with their mouthes are dāned Which Diuelish and most vntrue doctrine I hope you wil beléeue no longer but if you do yet we will rather beléeue they are saued that your Diuelish doctrine of Transubstantiation is altogither false Thus you may sée into what a great mischiefe inconuenience you are driuen by beléeuing that the Sacramentall bread is the very body of Christ. And now marke well how you are brought into an other maruelous mischiefe and inconuenience by this your Romishe doctrine Christ sayth Whosoeuer eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath eternall life and I will rayse him vp at the last day Now if your eating of the Sacrament with your mouth and téeth and your drinking of the wine is the right eating and drinking of the bodie bloud of Christ then Iudas is saued for he did eate drinke it and Iewes Turkes and the Heathen worshippers of Idols shalbe saued if they once catch holde of your bodie of Christ and eate it yea and the little Mouse shalbe saued if she catch it and eate it for I dare say for hir that she neither beléeues in Christ nor would beléeue that it were the bodie of Christ but a péece of bread or a cake for if shée did thinke it were the bodie of a man shée would not come so nie it Thus if it be the very bodie of Christ and be truely receyued whether one beléeue in Christ or not then the greatest Infidels Idolaters Tirants and the most wicked persons on the earth yea and the Mouse the Dogge or any other beast if they may once get this your Christes bodie into their mouthes mawes are sure to be saued Christ will raise them vp at the last day for Christ saith as it is before whosoeuer eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath eternall life and I will raise him vp at the last day And so by this your true reasonable doctrine Christ will raise vp Mise and Dogges that haue and shall eate your Sacrament at the last day and also by this meanes the théefe is damned that Christ said should be saued and Iudas is saued that Christ saide was damned When you haue red this may you not be ashamed that euer you gaue such credite to this vile Diuelish doctrine of the Romish Church Yes verily if you haue any wit or reason but especially any sparke of the grace of God Sée hereafter I praie you how Christes doctrine and your Romishe religion agrées in this point forsooth euen as it doeth in all the rest Christe sayde I am the liuing bread that came downe from Heauen but cleane came and quite contrarie you saie that your earthly dead bread is Christ that went to Heauen for I am sure that the bread that you make your Christes bodie of was neuer in Heauen therefore your bread neuer came from heauen and so your bread can not be the bodie of Christe for that hée sayth I am the liuing bread that came downe from heauen And so your dead bread can not be the bodie of Christ. And now bycause it can not be the liuing bodie of Christe it must néedes be a dead Substance or péece of bread Therefore be no longer allured by the Romishe Religion that teacheth you thus falsely and vnreasonably that the Sacramentall bread by their consecrating of it is the bodie of Christ but beléeue as the Gospell doth tell you the Apostles do shewe you as Saint Steuen doth learne you and as your Créede doth teache you that the bodie of Christe is now in Heauen on the right hande of God the father from whence hée will come to iudge the quicke and the dead And if these be not sufficient to persuade you that he in his bodie is in Heauen and no where else you shall heare the opinions of auncient godly and learned men therein S. Augustine saith Ibat per id quod homo erat manebat per id quod Deus erat c. Christ departed by that he was man but abode by that he was God he departed by that that was in one place he abode by that that is in all places Fulgentius writes as followeth concerning Christes absence and presence Secundum humanitatem suam localiter erat in terra c. Christe according to his manhood he was placed in earth but according to his godhead he filled both heauē earth The manhood of Christ is contained in place the godhead of Christ is infinite and in all places The fleshe of Christ is doubtles locall or in place the godhead of Christ is for euer in euery place There remained still in Christ the infinite godhead there was receiued of him a locall manhood how ascended he into Heauen sauing he is very man contayned in place how is he present with the faithful sauing he is infinite and true God And last of all he saith Vnus idemque Christus secundum humanam substantiam c. Christ being one according to the Substance of his manhead was absent frō Heauen when he was in earth and he forsooke earth when he was in heauen Now if we may beléeue Christ if we may credite our Créede if S. Steuen said truly if S. Paule be true of his worde If Tertullian Cyprian Augustine Chrysostome and this Fulgentius with many other godly fathers and learned writers haue not fabled herein then surely the very body of Christ that died on the Crosse is at this present time in heauen on the right hand of God the Father neither here on earth nor any where else though the Pope and his Parasites tell vs that he is here But marke further you shal sée how learnedly clarkly M. Hard. goeth about to proue this turning of a cake into Christ. Who saith that Christ made his Apostles saith M. Iewel misteriall Spirits saying Do this wherein is contained make this in my remēbrance saying a litle before that Christe was a Priest and consecrated as a Priest as S. Hier. dothe witnesse that as Melchisedech in foreshewing the figure of Christ had done Panem vinum offerens ipse quoque veritatem sui corporis sanguinis representaret Christ himselfe also should make present the truth of his body and bloud To whom that famous and learned man M. Iewell late Bishop of Sarisburie answeared as followeth Is representare Latine to make present M. Harding what Grammarian euer taught you so to say or what making finde you in this worde as you tender your credite tell vs who euer
he performed and broke not And is not our Princesse Quéene of England as wel as Asa was King of Iuda And hath not she as great power in hir kingdome as he had in his And if God was well pleased wyth King Asa for making and performing that couenant as hée was indéede woulde he then be angrye thinke you with Quéene Elizabeth if she made the like and performed it I thinke not But our merciful Quéene though she hathe set forth the very true law of God as spéedily as earnestly and as zealously as eyther king Asa or anye other Ruler hathe done to be followed and obserued throughoute hir whole Realme hath not made any such couenaunt or lawe to slea or kil them that do not followe and obey the same But consider this well if the Pope not appointed by Gods law to raigne and rule as he hath done and doth may murther and kill as many of you thinke he may the professors and folowers of Gods word being not his subiects for disobeying his law deuised inuented by man on earth and procured by the Diuel Then may not we thinke that our Quéene appoyâ—ted by God and allowed by his word to raigne ouer vs may lawfully kil and put to death the Idolatrous Papistes hir subiectes for wilfully disobeying and withstanding the law of God that came from heauen béeing long sinâ—e taught vs by the Prophets by Iesus Christ the sonne of God and by his Apostles moued and procured thereto by God the holy ghost Therfore I beséeche you weigh the milde nature of our gratious Quéene the mother of Mercie that doth not vse the iustice she may and marke your holy father the Pope the Captain of Crueltie that vseth â—he iniusticie he ought not I pray you is not our Elizabeth Quéene of England aswel as Quéen Mary was what power what iurisdiction what auctoritie what superioritie what excellencie and what else hadde Quéene Mary that this our Quéene Elizabeth hath not Quéen Mary was King Henry the eights daughter so was our Quéen Elizabeth Quéene Mary was King Edw. sister so is Quéene Elizabeth Q. Mary succéeded hir brother King Edward so dydde Quéene Elizabeth succéede hir sister Quéene Mary Quéene Mary was lawful Quéene of England Quéene Elizabeth is as lawful Quéene of England I wil not say more Quéene Mary put downe Gods worde planted by hir brother and set vp Papistrie and Idolatrie and obeyed the Pope Quéene Elizabeth putte downe Papistrie and Idolatrie planted by hir sister and obeys God Quéene Mary vsed hir harmlesse and obedient Subiectes cruelly and putte them to death that professed Gods word Quéene Elizabeth vseth hir wicked and disobedient Subiectes mercifullye and suffereth them to liue that professe and stiffely defende Papistrie and Idolatrie the doctrine of the Diuel These comparisons duly considered your Quéene Mary did not muche excell oure Quéene Elizabeth vnlesse in crueltie and burning hir harmlesse subiects Nowe if Quéene Mary might put to death hir humble and harmelesse subiects for professing of Gods worde then I can not sée but that our Quéene Elizabeth maye as wel execute hir stubborne and disobedient subiectes whiche she as yet neuer did that withstande Gods worde and wil néedes followe Papistrie and Idolatrie And further if Quéene Mary hadde a lawe to burne the seruauntes of God that were obedient to hir concernyng their worldly duty and neuer meant hir harm Then why may not our Quéene Elizabeth make a law to execute the Popes seruants that are bound to be hir louing subiects which are disobedient vnto hir and that séeke procure desire and wish hir death and destruction Therfore be thankfull to God that hath giuen you and vs such a merciful Prince to raigne ouer vs loue obâ—y hir that gyueth you for Iustice mercy and for extremitie lenitie And now as hir Grace doth refraine fcom that she may do so prouoke not hir highnesse to that she can doe And as I saide thinke not that hir Grace can not vse the sworde againste you bycause she hathe not vsed it for if you thinke so you do not only deceiue youre selues but also do much abuse hir Maiestie in that you séeme thereby to make hir a Prince without power whereby you are vnworthy of the great mercy she shewes vnto you What seruant is so foolishe to thinke much more to say that bycause his Maister doth not beate him for his faulte therefore he can not beate him Bycause the mercifull father doth not beate his sonne for his offence that maketh not that he can not beate him for the same Shall hir clemencie and mercie make you thinke in hir disabilitie Therefore if anye of you thinke so as I beléeue some of you haue said so you are not worthy of suche a mercifull Maistresse that vseth you so And I am sure that it is the spirite of vnthankfulnesse the spirite of blindnesse the spirite of errour or rather the spirite of the diuel that makes you say so Thinke not I beséech you that I haue written this for that I woulde haue the Quéenes Maiestie to withdrawe hir mercie from you and to vse you with crueltie whiche is contrary to hir milde and merciful nature if anye other way would serue for I do it as the Lord knows my hart to make you to sée and vnderstand hir great mercy lenitie and gentlenesse towards you thereby to win and allure you froÌ„ obstinacie to obediencie from ingratitude to thaÌ„kfulnesse from ignorance to knowlege froÌ„ error to truth It may be that some of you wil saye that you loue the Quéene as wel as we and wishe the commoditie of youre country as wel as we If you do so then you wil not procure nor wishe anye forraine foes to come into anye of hir Graces dominions to help aide or succor any rebelles or traytors against our Quéen neither wil you be glad when you heare that any such are aryued or come into anye of hir highnesse dominions to fight against hir neither will you reioice if they and the rebels shoulde prosper againste oure Quéene and country But if you hearken for their comming in to fight against hir Maiesty and hir louing subiects or to aide rebelles againste hir or if you reioyce that they aide or helpe traitors against our Quéene or if you desire that they the rebels may get the victorie of hir and hir louing subiects as I feare many of you haue done and yet doe then whatsoeuer you say you are I am sure you are not true subiects but traitors to your prince no friendes but enimies to England Did none of you reioice that the forraine foes ariued in Ireland of late were none of you glad that they aided the rebels there against our Quéene and hir louing subiects And were none of you sory for their euil successe and ouerthrow you in your consciences know whether you do thus or not whether you are such or not whether you reioyced that the forraine foes ayded the
change that you desire and hope for must néedes be warres troubles penurie aduersitie crueltie and such like as before is mentioned Now if you will not beléeue me beléeue y e word of God that cannot lye which plainely declares what prosperitie and blessings they shall haue that followe his worde and kéepe his commandements and also the plagues that shall happen to them that chaunge and turne from his worde which are written by Moyses the Prophet the seruant of God as followeth If thou shalt obey diligently the voyce of the Lorde thy GOD not the voyce of the Pope and obserue and do al his commandements which I do coÌ„mand thee this day then the Lord thy God will set thee on highe aboue all the nations of the earth and al these blessings shal come on thee ouertake thee if thou shalt obey the voice of the Lord thy God Blessed shalt thou be in the Citie and blessed in the fielde blessed shall be the fruite of thy bodye and the fruite of thy grounde and the fruite of thy Cattell the encrease of thy Kine and the flockes of thy Sheepe blessed shal be thy basket and the Dough blessed shalt thou bee when thou comest in and blessed also when thou goest out The Lord shal cause thine enimies that rise againste thee to fal before thy face they shal come out against thee one way and shal flye before thee seuen ways The Lord shal coÌ„mand the blessings to be with thee in thy storehouses in al that thou seâ—st thy haÌ„d vnto wil blesse thee in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee The Lord shal make thee an holy people vnto himselfe as hee hath sworne vnto thee if thou shalt kepe the commandements of the Lord thy God walke in his wayes TheÌ„ al the people of the earth shal see that the name of the Lord is called vpon ouer thee they shal be afraid of thee And the Lord shal make thee pleÌ„teous in goods in the fruite of thy body and in the fruite of thy Cattel and in the fruite of thy ground The Lorde shal open vnto thee his good treasure eueÌ„ the heaueÌ„ to giue thee rayn vnto thy land in due season and blesse al the workes of thy handes And thou shalt lende vnto many nations but shalte not borrow thy self and the Lord shall make thee the heade and not the taile and thou shalt be aboue onely and shalte not be beneath if thou obey the commaundementes of the Lorde thy God which I commaunde thee this day to keepe and to doe them But thou shalt not decline from anye of the wordes which I commaunde you this day eyther to the right hande or to the lefte to goe after other Gods to serue them But if thou wilt not obey the voyce of the Lorde thy God to keepe do all his coÌ„mandements his ordinaunces which I commaunde thee this daye then all these curses shall come vpon thee and ouertake thee Curssed shalt thou be in the Towne and curssed also in the field curssed shal be thy basket and thy Dough cursed shal be the fruite of thy bodie and the fruite of thy land the encrease of thy kine the flockes of thy sheepe cursed shalte thou be when thou comest in and cursed also when thou goest out The Lorde shall sende vpon thee cursing trouble and shame in all that whiche thou settest thy hande to do vntil thou be destroyed and perish quickly bicause of the wickednesse of thy works whereby thou hast forsaken me the Lorde shall make the pestilence cleaue to thee vntill hee hath consumed thee c. The Lorde shal smite thee with a consumptioÌ„ and with the feuer and with a burning ague and with feruent heate and with the sword and with blasting with meldew they shall pursue thee vntil thou perish And thine Heauen that is ouer thyne head shall be brasse and the Earthe that is vnder thee Iron The Lord shall giue thee for the raine of thy lande dust and Ashes euen from the Heauen shall it come downe vpon thee vntil thou be destroyed And the Lorde shal cause thee to fall before thine enimies thou shalte come out one way against them and shalt flee seauen ways before them And shalt bee scattered through al the kingdomes of the earth And thy carcasse shal be meate to all the foules of the ayre and vnto the beastes of the earthe and none shall fray them away The Lord wil smite thee with the botche of Egipt and with the Emrods and with the scab and with the Itche that thou canste not bee healed And the Lorde shal smite thee with madnesse with blindenesse with astonnying of the heart Thou shalt also grope at the noone days as the blinde gropeth in darknesse and shalt not prosper in thy wayes Thou shalt neuer but be oppressed wyth wroÌ„g be polled euermore no man shal succour thee Thou shalt betrouth a wife and another man shal lye with hir Thou shalt build a house shalt not dwel therein thou shalt plant a Vineyarde and shalt not eate the fruite Thyne Oxe shal be slaine before thine eyes and thou shalt not eate thereof Thine Asse shal be violently taken away before thy face shal not be restored to thee Thy sheepe shal be giueÌ„ vnto thine enemies and no man shall rescue them for thee Thy sonnes and thy daughters shal bee giuen vnto another people thine eyes shall still looke for them euen till they fall out and there shall be no power in thine hand the fruite of thy land and all thy labors shal a people eate which thou knowest not Thou shalte neuer but suffer wrong and violence alwaye so that thou shalt be madde for the sight that thine eyes shall see The Lorde shall smite thee in the knees and in thy thyghes with a sore botch that thou canst not be healed euen from the sole of the foote to the toppe of thine head The Lord shall bring thee and thy King which thou shalt set ouer thee vnto a natioÌ„ which neither thou nor thy Fathers haue knowne there thou shalt serue other Gods euen wood stone thou shalt be a wonder a prouerb a common talke among all people whether the Lord shall carry thee Thou shalt carrie out much seede to the fielde shalt gather but little in for the Grassehopper shall destroy it Thou shalt plant a Vineyard dresse it but shalt neither drinke of the Wine nor gather the Grapes for the wormes shall eate it Thou shalt haue Oliue trees in al thy coasts but shalt not annoint thy selfe with the oyle for thine Oliues shall fall Thou shalt beget sonnes and daughters but shalt not haue them for they shal go into Captiuitie c. Here you may sée the great blessings of God promised to his people that hearken to his voyce and obey his lawes and commaundementes so that they decline neither to the right hand nor
doo sinne against the holy Ghost whereby to feare you that you should not accuse him nor to thinke hée doth euill whatsoeuer hée dooth it is he it is he rather that sinnes against the holie Ghost that committes such wilfull blasphemie and so wittingly contrarie to his owne Conscience takes vpō him to be Christ and robs Christ of his due honour and glorie who knowes most certenlye that he is neyther Christ nor that the sayde Scriptures were meant of him nor can be by any meanes rightly applied to him And so vnlesse the former Popes whiche besides this great blasphemie were euill and wicked enough as before is manyfest haue repented and the Pope and hys Prelates that are nowe doo repent this their most horrible blasphemie whiche they cannot choose but knowe and commit thus willinglye and wittinglye surelye they shall neuer be forgiuen neyther in this worlde nor in the worlde to come For I beléeue it is the very sinne against the holy Ghost And if all this cannot persuade you that these monstrous and execrable Popes are the Seruauntes of Sathan the Deuils deputies and the very Antichrist and the Antichrist that the Scriptures meaneth off you shall haue here other Authors more credible than my selfe that shall so plainely describe the Pope to be the very Antichriste that you cannot choose but so to take hym vnlesse you be vtterly bent not to yéelde vnto the truth or to saye with the foolish Poet Non persuadebis etiam si persuaseris Though you persuade me I will not be persuaded But yet before we come to that marke what prerogatiue the Pope claymeth whereby you shall the better perceiue that he is the very Antichriste The Pope is aboue all generall Counsels That his bare worde muste be holden as a Lawe That whatsoeuer he do none may say vnto him why do you thus That his iudgementes are more certaine than the iudgementes of all the worlde That if all the whole worlde giue sentence in anye matter contrary to the Popes pleasure yet it seemeth wee are bounde to stande to the iudgement of the Pope And whatsoeuer he sayth or doth being Pope he cannot erre Yet Pope Pius the seconde before he was Pope sayde That the Counsel is aboue the Pope but after when he was Pope being better instructed I see sayde he beefore I was muche deceiued now the Pope is aboue the Counsel Thus eyther the Popes are lyars or else lyars are made Popes The Popes Canonists say That the Pope may dispence against the lawe of God The Pope maye dispence againste the Lawe of Nature The Pope may dispence against Saint Paule the Apostle The Pope maye dispence againste the newe Testament The Pope maye dispence wyth all the Commaundementes bothe of the olde and also of the new Testament If the Pope can doe all this then he may putte Christe out of al his aucthoritie then hée maye cursse the mercifull and blesse the cruel tyraunte then hée maye damne them that be saued and saue the damned And then GOD helpe the poore Protestantes for they are lyke to goe to Hel and all the Papistes are like to goe to Heauen And if Christe and the Aungels be no Papistes he wyll goe neare to thruste them al out of Heauen and sende them to Hel. Who would thinke or beléeue that these proude Popes woulde suffer them selues to be called God or that any would be so beastly or wicked to call them so The Popes Canonistes haue moued questions whether the Pope bée God or not and one saide thus presentlye before his face in the Counsell of Laterane without rebuke Thou arte another God in the Earth And the Popes Godhead is published abroade to the whole worlde in printed Bookes Our Lorde God the Pope If our Bibles or other Bookes contained such blasphemy and heresie as these your Popes Bookes doo they were then well worthy to be burned but the Pope neither punisheth these blasphemers nor yet burnes their Bookes as he burneth the Bible and worde of God And wheras Saint Augustine writeth Who dare to say thus to God the Popes Canonistes haue bettered it in this sorte Who dareth to say thus to God or to the Pope Marie I say Scaira that tooke the Pope prisoner made him to ride with his face towardes the Horse tayle and had like to haue famished him in prison durst saye so to the Pope although he durst not say so to God The Pope also hearde these wordes spoken before his face In the Pope is all maner of power aboue all powers as well of Heauen as of Earth What power is this but euen the very power of God thus you may plainely perceyue that the Pope is contented to be called a God of the earth The Pope is Lord God The Pope hath al power aboue all powers either in Heauen or in earth And as Zabarella sayth the Pope doeth whatsoeuer hée lysteth yea although it be vnlawfull and is more than GOD. What would you haue more this is enough I think it is more than euer his Father had before him vnlesse he were a Popes son if they had al this power which none hath or can haue but God as they would make fooles dawcocks beleue they haue why did popes then suffer them selues to be poysoned famished killed haue their eyes put out who is so blinde but may plainely sée that the Popes are horrible and wicked the children of Sathan and make men beléeue that they are farre more and greater than they are Abbat Panormitan saith out of Hostiensis Christus Papa faciunt vnum consistorium excepto peccato potest Papa quasi omnia facere quae potest Deus Christ and the Pope make one Consistorie and Sinne excepted the Pope in a manner can doe al things that God can doe Woulde you haue thought that eyther any woulde haue written thus of the Pope or that the Pope woulde take thys vppon him or suffer anye eyther to write or saye thus I thinke that none of you doe beléeue that the Pope can doe as God can doe for I am sure that God can and will burne all the worlde at once yea and that quickly whiche I am sure the Pope can not do for if he could then al they that professe Gods word should be burned ere to morrowe nay within this houre besides he would do then many other things that he can neuer doe but thoughe the Pope cannot doe whatsoeuer God can doe yet I will helpe hym a lyttle he can doe more than God can doe for hée can blaspheme God he can lye he can hate them that loue him he can hurte them that neuer offended him hée can be vnmercifull he can breake his promise hée can saye that hée can doe more than hée can doe hée can bée a false Harlot hée can bée the chylde of the Dyuel he can bée Antichriste and he can aduaunce himselfe higher than he ought to be al whych God
that to the Pope that Saint Paule applyeth to Christ which though I name not Papistrie yet I maye safely call it blasphemie These are the words Omnia subiecisti sub pedibus eius id est Papae pecora campi id est homines viuentes in terra pisces maris id est animas in Purgatorio volucres caeli id est animas beatorum which are thus in English Thou hast made all things subiect to him that is to saye to the Pope The cattell of the field that is to saye men liuing on thee earth The fishes in the Sea that is to say the soules in Purgatorie The birds of the Heauens that is to say the soules of the blessed in Heauen You that hold on the Pope how like you this expoūding of the words of Saint Paule if Saint Paule had expounded them himselfe he woulde neuer haue expounded them on this fashion for there was neyther Pope nor Purgatorie when he wrote them was it not happy that thys man was borne that thus expounded them yes I trow for if he had neuer bin borne then it is like they had neuer bene thus expounded and so our holye Father the Pope had neuer knowne the greate aucthoritye and power that GOD by these words of the Psalme hath allowed him Surely Dauid that wrote firste this Psalme was muche ouerséene that he named not the Pope therein for so the Pope might haue lackte a greate deale of his power If the Pope maye applye in thys sorte al the Scriptures to himselfe that are ment vpon Christ then he may put Christe out of all the aucthoritie that God his father hath promised him and at the last day iudge the quicke and the deade and make Christe to stande at the barre and hold vppe his hande and as Pilate condemned Christe on Earthe so the Pope maye condemne Christe in Heauen Marke further for here are excellent proofes for the Popes prerogatiue Peter lept into the water and came to Christ The rest of the Disciples came by boate Ergo the Pope hath iurisdiction of all the world Peter Crab that lately compiled the Bookes of Counsels reasoneth thus Peter paide the Tribute money for Christ and himselfe Christ said vnto Peter Followe thou me Againe he saide Launch forth into the deepe againe Peter art thou a sleepe couldst thou not watche with mee one houre And againe From henceforth thy name shall be Peter And Peter drewe his sworde and cut off Malchus eare Therfore saith he the Pope hath authoritie ouer the whole Church of God Are not here notable argumentes to proue the Popes great authoritie I maruell that Peter Crab had forgotten these that follow which serue for the Popes authoritie as well as the other Christ said to Peter Verily before the Cocke crow thou shalt denie me thrice And he said vnto Peter Come after me Sathan If Peters paying of tribute money made Peter a Pope than the Bishop of Rome is no Pope for he payes no tribute but the Kings are Popes that pay tribute to the Pope If Christ made Peter Pope gaue him all this authoritie bicause he followed Christ then the Pope is a false Pope and hath no such authoritie bicause he hath cleane forsaken Christ followes him neuer a whit Marry if Peters sléeping and bicause he coulde not watch with Christ made him Pope and therby had all this great authoritie then I will not denye but the Pope may be a Pope aswell as Peter for he sléepes in all kind of sinne he watches neuer a whit with Christ. And as Peter did not preach Gods word all the while he slept so it appeares that the Pope sléepes alwayes for he neuer preaches And if Peters fighting and the cutting off of Malchus eare made him Pope and got him such authoritie then I warrant the Pope is a right and perfect Pope for he doth fight as fiercely as Peter did for his life whereas Peter did cut off the eare of one the Pope cuttes off the heads burnes the bodyes of thousandes And whereas Peter dyd fighte with Christes enemie but kylled him not the Pope doeth fight with Christes friends killes them out-right Therfore if Peters fighting made him Pope then the Pope is a ryghte Pope as well as hée But it is not to bée founde in all the newe Testament that Christ eyther called Peter the Pope of Rome or gaue hym any such authoritie as the Pope claymes by Peter I finde as I said before y t Christ called Peter Sathan or Diuell but hée neuer called hym Pope Marry if Christ had sayde these wordes to Peter Peter thou shalt bée Pope of Rome and all that shall succéede thée in that seate shal be Popes and shall neuer erre saye or doe what they wyll I giue to thée and them all my power in Heauen and in earth thou they shall be aboue Emperors and Kings shalt treade in their neckes put them downe and put other in their places when thou they liste Thou and they shall be called God and shal in a manner do what soeuer God can do and thou and they shal haue one place or seate of iudgement with me you shall haue power to giue the Scriptures what vnderstanding and sense you list thy authoritie and theirs shal be aboue the Scriptures or word of God and you shal haue power to commaund the Angels of Heauen to come downe to the Earth and to carry whose Soules you list to Heauen And whosoeuer shall haue your pardons what offence so euer they haue done or howe wickedly soeuer they die they shal be forgiuen and as soone as they are deade they shall goe to heauen c. If Christ I saye had sayde these wordes to Peter as plainely as he said Come after me Sathan then I woulde haue graunted that Peter and all hys successours hadde béene made perfecte Popes and that therefore Christ had gyuen them a good and large commission But sure I neuer read that Christ gaue either him or them al these authorities or made them such Popes But if euer Christe made Peter Pope at all then truely I thinke he made him Pope and all his successours with all the priuiledges before mentioned and a great sorte mo at the same time when he called hym Sathan or named him Diuell whych Popedome and priuiledges belonging therto as the Popes vse them is so fitte an office for Sathan the Diuell to execute that if al the world had deuised they could not haue inuēted a fitter office for him Well though the Pope holde not his Popedome and his power by commission yet at least he kéepes it by custome Therefore hée will be a God who euer sayes nay for as he saith he hath all power in Heauen and in Earth But though he haue al the power in Heauen and earth and ouer the Angels in Heauen yet Hel is lefte out as hap is so that it séemes he beares no swaye there
Therefore let the Pope take héede least he come there among the vnruly Diuels for though he rule on Earth the Diuell wyll bée ruler in Hell it were a foule ouersighte of the Pope to goe to Hell and to be ruled of the Diuels that nowe doth rule both Angels in Heauen and men in earth Wel howsoeuer the Pope hath gotten his authoritie he hath it and will holde it as long as he can and if these two pillers will stay him he meanes to sit stil in his seate The first is the Church of Rome whatsoeuer she say or doe can neuer erre for the Pope makes it Heresie to say so another is the Pope whatsoeuer he doe may neuer be called to any reckning if these two points be graunted then he may do what he list Iohannes de Parisijs sayeth We must expound euery fact of the holy Father for the best and if it bee theft or any other thing that of it selfe is euill as aduoutrie or fornication wee must thinke it is done by the secrete inspiration of GOD. An other sayeth If the Pope drawe infinite companyes of people by heapes togither with himself into Hell to bee punished with hym with manye strypes for euer yet let no mortall man presume to reproue hys faultes You may sée that these holye Fathers did not meane to liue godly that allowed their Doctours to defend their abhominable liuing as the fruites shewe what the trée is so the Popes doing shewes what they are and haue bin euen the very Antichrist But to satisfie you that almost nothing will satisfie I wyll prooue vnto you y t the Pope of Rome is the very whore of Babilon that Saint Iohn speaketh of in his Reuelation euē with the verye wordes that the learned Doctor Fulke dyd vtter in his excellent Sermon made at Hampton Courte to that ende The Angel did expound to S. Iohn that the seauē heades of the beast whereon the woman sitteth doe signifie seauen Hilles and where is there any Citie in all the world but only Rome in Italie that is builded vpon seauen Hilles and these are the names of the Hilles Palatinus Capitolinus Auentinus Exquilinus Viminalis Quirinalis Caelius The Angell herein hath more plainely shewed this great Babilon to be Rome than if he had named it to bée Rome For the Citie of Constantinople was once called new Rome but yet it is not builded vppon seauen Hilles as this Rome is Therefore Rome must néedes bée the seate of Antichrist if the Woman bée Antichriste that dyd sitte on the beaste And further the Angell sayeth in playne wordes that that great whore of Babilon is that great Citie which hath dominion ouer Kings of the Earth Nowe it is euident that then the Romaynes had the fourth Monarche spoken of by Daniel and had rule ouer the Kyngs of the Earthe So that wythout all contradiction Rome must néedes bée the place where that whore doeth sitte And Ireneus a moste auntient writer that liued almost fiftéene hundreth yéeres since writing of the Sée of Antichrist vppon the last verse of the thirtéenth Chapter of the Reuelation of Saint Iohn where the number of the beast is expressed to bée sixe hundreth sixtie and sixe shewes plainely that the same number correspondent to the Gréeke letters makes this word Lateinos whiche in Englishe is the Latine man or Romaine and these are his wordes Sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nomen sexcentorum sexaginta sex numerorum c valde veresimile est quoniam verissimum regnum habet hoc vocabulum this name Lateinos saith he cōtaining the number of 666. is thought to be the name of Antichriste and it is very like so to be for that verie kingdome hath this name for they are Latines that nowe do raigne Thus that olde and auncient Father Irenaeus founde out by the number of the beast that his name is such a one as beares rule ouer Rome this is not deuised by anye late Author but by one that is so auncient that he in no wise is to be mistrusted for then in his time there was neyther Pope nor Papist neither Lutheran nor Zwinglian Tertullian a worthie and auntient writer saith very plainly that Babilon doth signifie Rome these are his words Euen so doth Babilon of our Iohn meaning the wordes of S. Iohn in the Apocalips beare the figure of the Citie of Rome which is as great and proude in raigne and as great a persecutor of the Saints as Babilon was Thus you heare the opinion of that auntient writer Tertullian that liued aboue thirtéene hundred yeares since who sayeth flatly that this Babilon bears the figure of the Citie of Rome Saint Chrysostome likewise sayeth Antichrist shall inuade the principalitie of the Empire being voide shall assay to drawe vnto himselfe the Empires both of God and men What can be more manifest than this for did not the Popes kingdome and rule encrease by the decaie of the Empire yes truely and at the fall of the Emperiall Monarchie the Pope chalenged the rule both spiritual and temporal Marke what Saint Ierome sayeth wryting vnto Algasia Nec vult c. whiche is neyther will he openly say that the Romaine Empire should be destroyed which they that gouerne it thinke it to be euerlasting wherefore according to the Reuelation of Saint Iohn in the forehead of the purple whore there is written a name of blasphemie which is Rome Euerlasting Here Saint Ierome a credible authour and one of the Doctours of the Church nameth the whore of Babilon to the Purple whore of Rome in whose forehead is written a name of blasphemie whiche is Rome Euerlasting For so the Pope takes Rome to bée that Rocke that can by no meanes be remoued For the Pope bragges that Rome is that same Rocke againste whiche Hell gates cannot preuayle but he and all they that trust him be maruellouslye deceyued for God with his breath that is his word will ouerthrowe and destroy it And also Sainct Ierome calleth Rome the daughter of Babilon and taketh Babilon in Chaldea for Babilon the Elder and Rome hir daughter for Babilon the yonger Also Sainct Ierome writing in his Preface vnto the booke of Didimus de spiritu sancto writing to Paulinianus vttereth these wordes Cùm in Babilone c. when I was in Babilon sayth he meaning Rome and was an inhabitaunte of the Purple Harlot and liued after the lawes of the Romaines I thought to entreate something of the Holy Ghost Here contemptuouslie he calleth Rome by the name of Babilon hauing no occasion so to doe whereby it appeares he was fullye persuaded that Rome coulde be none other but that Babilon mentioned by Sainct Iohn in the Apocalips And Sainct Ierome writing to Marcella a vertuous Gentlewoman of Rome persuaded hyr to forsake Rome whiche was the Babilonical Harlot appointed for the byrth of Antichrist which there should arise and exercise his Tirannie and from thence shoulde deceiue the whole
world with his wicked wiles and to come and dwel neare him in Bethlem which was situate in the holy lande and the place consecrate to the birth of Christ. Here it appeares that he did not only know that Babilon is Rome and is the verye seate of that Purple whore but also that hée did maruellously detest and abhorre it Primasius also affirmeth that the prophesies of the Apocalips concerning Antichrist are to be fulfilled in the Romaine Empire S. Augustine in his excellent worke De ciuitate dei oftentimes calleth Rome Babilon and Babilon Rome as in his sixtéenth booke and seauententh Chapter he calleth Rome another Babilon in the Weast And in his eightéenth booke and second Chapter he calleth Babilon of Chaldea the firste Rome and Rome of Italie the seconde Babilon And the same Augustine in the two and twentith Chapter of the eightéenth booke calleth Rome another Babilon and the daughter of the firste Babilon And also he calleth Rome Westerne Babilon This and much more did the learned D. Fulke declare in his Sermon at Hampton court These are sufficient to proue that Rome is the very seate and place of the whore of Babilon spoken of by Saint Iohn in his Reuelations And now you shall sée whether the Pope be that strumpet and whore of Babilon or not Irenaeus saieth notwithstanding he be but a slaue yet he will be worshipped as if he were God S. Gregorie sayeth he is Antichrist that shall clayme to be called vniuersall Bishop and shall haue a guarde of Priestes to attend vpon him Ioachimus Abbas sayeth Antichrist is now borne in Rome and yet shall he be higher in the Apostolike See Saint Barnard sayeth the beast that is spoken of in the booke of Reuelations vnto which beast is giuen a mouth to speake blasphemie and to keepe warre against the Saints of God is now gotten into Peters chaire as a Lion prepared to his praie Franciscus Petrarcha calleth Rome the whore of Babilon the mother of Idolatrie and fornication and that all shame and reuerence is quite departed thence Baptista Mantuanus sayth Viuere qui sanctè cupitis discedite Roma Omnia cùm liceant non licet esse bonum that is to say All yee that would liue godly gette you away from Rome for whereas al things are there lawfull to be good it is not lawfull Saint Gregorie writing of Antichrist saith thus whereas he is a damned man by lying and not a spirite he faineth himself to be God and thus bicause the Pope as is before declared is called an earthly God and our Lorde God the Pope therefore he must néedes be the very Antichrist all things before well weighed and considered But perhappes you will saie that other haue bin called God as well as the Pope therefore why should hée bée Antichrist more thā they I grant that Antiochus somtime King of Syria entitled himselfe by the name of God So the Emperoure Domitian vsed to assigne his Proclamations Your Lorde God Domitian So the Emperour Caligula called himselfe the beste and most mightie God and the great God Iupiter of Italie Sopores the great King of Persia called himselfe the brother of the Sunne and the Moone Nicagoras made himselfe a payre of winges and woulde néedes be called the God Mercurius And the Romaines in olde time erected an Image in the honor of Simon Magus the sorcerer with this inscription or poesie In the honor of Simon the holy God These and diuers moe haue bin called Gods but they were heathen and did neuer sitte in the Temple of God as that Antichrist that Saint Paule speaketh of that he calleth the man of sinne that should sitte in the Temple of God and shewe himselfe as if he were God For which of those before named did sit so déepe in mens consciences as the Pope hath done and yet doth did euer any thinke that they coulde not erre or do euill whatsoeuer they did did euer any beléeue in them so muche that if they had curssed them they should then haue bin dāned did they euer make the people beléeue that they were the Deputies or vickars of Christ were they euer so farre and déepe in mens consciences that men thought to be saued by their pardons did they euer make any beléeue that they could commaund the Aungelles to come from Heauen and to carrie whose soules they list to Paradise did they make euer any man beléeue that they had the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen did they euer sitte so déepe in mens consciences which is the Temple and place of God that they coulde dispense with Whoredome Murder Thefte Idolatrie or any other Sins Did euer any beléeue that whatsoeuer they loosed in earth should be loosed in Heauen and whatsoeuer they bound in earth shoulde be bounde in heauen Did they euer say that they had all power in heauen and in earth Didde they euer make men beléeue that they coulde do in a manner whatsoeuer God could do that they Christ hadde one seat of iudgement Did they euer take vpon thē to be Christ the son of God wer they euer called the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world or did euer any fall down before them say so to them Did these before mentioned that were called Gods make men beléeue these things as the Pope hathe done and hath sit so déepe in mens consciences the temple of God as the Popes haue done No no neuer any but only the Pope Therefore it is he onely that S. Paule calleth the childe of Sinne that should sit in the Temple of God and shewe himselfe as if he were God It is the Pope onely that is that purple Whore of Babilon that hath names of blasphemie spoken of by S. Iohn in the Apocalips Therefore Anselmus saith verye truely and well that Antichrist shall faine himselfe to be holy that he may deceiue men vnder the colour of holines yea and he shal cal himselfe God and shall cause himselfe to be worshipped and shal promise the Kingdome of heauen Now tel me as I said before who euer did al these things or attempted to do thē but only the Pope The Pope onely therefore must néeds be the very Antichrist spoken of by Saint Iohn in the Reuelation and none other If this and all the rest that I haue spoken of the Pope which is most true wyl neither make you thinke euil of the Pope nor flye from him nor yet beléeue that he is the verye Antichriste then according to Esay the Prophet I feare that you haue eyes and see not eares and heare not and heartes and vnderstande not leaste you should repent and turne and the Lord thereby should haue mercie on you Thus you sée that you that are so addict to the Pope I haue proued you to be English enimies not obedient nor louing subiects to your Prince enimies to your Countrie and séeke or wishe the ruine of this famous
Irenaeus affyrmeth who saith thus Columna firmamentū Ecclesiae est Euangelium spiritus vitae The piller and buttresse of the Churche is the Gospell and the spirite of life Saint Augustine saith Nolo humanis documentis c. I will not saieth he that the holy Churche bee shewed by mens documentes but by the worde of God Chrisostome saith Nullo modo cognoscitur quae sit vera ecclesia Christe nisi tantummodo per scripturas By no way it is to be known whyche is the true Church of Christ but onely by the Scriptures Thus you may sée plainly by these ancient holy lerned writers whatsoeuer the Pope his late Parasites write and bragge of the Church of Rome that the true Church Christ only is to be known tryed by the holy Scriptures Perhappes you wil say that many places of the Scriptures are so darke and so doubtfull that they wil neuer be vnderstanded vnlesse they be opened and expounded by some learned Doctor or Writer I wil not deny but that it is good and necessary to haue the Scriptures opened and declared by godly vertuous and learned men yet not of necessitie to be bounde thereto and so to beléeue their writings so farre as they shall agrée with the Scriptures but that must not be by the Pope and his Doctors for they as you haue heard before so interprete the Scriptures that they lose their meaning and sense both of God Christ the Prophets and the Apostles and so are made the Popes doctrine onely to serue his wicked and ambitious authoritie and desire And also you shall here perceiue that the holy and auncient Fathers and Doctors are of this opinion that the Scriptures are able to expounde themselues and néede none other interpretor and that there is no case in religion so doubtful or darke but y t it may wel be either proued or reproued by collection and conferēce of the Scripturs Saint Hierome saith Moris est scripturarum obscuris manifesta nectere It is the order of the Scriptures after hard things to ioyne other things that be plaine Saint Augustine also saith Solet circumstantia scripturarum illuminare sententiam The circumstance of the scriptures is wont to giue light and to open the meaning Tertullian giueth the like rule Oportet secundum plura intelligi pauciora The fewer places must be expounded by the moe Thus these learned Fathers and Doctors iudgement is that the Scriptures expounde their owne meaning and one place openeth an other But nowe marke what one of the Popes Chaplaines wryteth concerning the exposition of the Scriptures and whether he agrée with the Diuel or with these saide holy Doctors or not Hosius one of the pillers of the Popes Church saith If a man haue the exposition of the Church of Rome touching anye place of the Scriptures althoughe he neither know nor vnderstand whether and howe it agreeth with the wordes of the Scriptures yet he hath the very word of God You may perceiue by this fellowes writing of what Church he is and that he is of an other Church than Saint Hierom Saint Augustine Tertullian or Chrisostom were for he saith If the Church of Rome expound the Scriptures though it be contrary to the Scriptures or do not agree with the wordes of the Scriptures yet it is the very word of God Thus haue the Popes Doctors deluded the people that the Scriptures were no Scriptures vnlesse it agréede with the expositions and so they made the very word◠of God whyche is our light to Saluation to be very darkenesse and our leader to damnation Marke also what that Caterpiller Cardinall Cusanus writes for the authoritie of their Romishe Churche aboue the Scriptures I tell thee saith he that there is nothing taken for Christes commaundement vnlesse it be so allowed of the Churche meaning the Churche of Rome when the Churche hath chaunged hir iudgement Gods iudgemente is likewise changed Oh abhominable and detestable imps of Sathan though the whorish Church of Rome may change in hir iudgementes yet God in his holy worde is infallible and vnchangeable in hys iudgements What hel-houndes are these that woulde make vs beléeue that as the Popes iudgements doe change so Gods iudgementes doe change and that nothing is taken for Gods commaundement vnlesse the Pope and the Romish Church allowe it but contrary say I that the commaundements of the Pope and of their Churche are nothing vnlesse Christ doth allow them And marke wel for as thys Cusanus hath written euen so the Pope hathe chaunged the law of God cleane contrarye to his own or rather the Diuels commaundement For whereas God himselfe sayde Thou shalt haue none other Gods but me Now that is not Gods cōmandemēt vnles it be allowed by the Church of Rome and bicause the iudgemēt of the church of Rome is changed therfore Gods iudgement therein is changed So that this law must now be takē thus thou shalt honor Pope for a God on earth and thou shalt call him Lorde God the Pope And whereas God saith Thou shalt not make to thy self any grauē Image of any likenesse that is in heauē c. Now the Church of Rome hath changed hir iudgement therein therfore Gods iudgement is changed wherfore that commandment must be turnd thus Thou shalt worship Images as thou wouldst the sonne of God he that worshippeth an Image and saith it is Christe offendeth not nay he offendeth that worshippeth not an Image he that worshippeth not an Image is an heretike thou shalte worship an Image with y e same reuerēce wherwith thou dost worship y e holy Trinitie And wheras God said Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine c. Now the church of Rome hath changed hir Iudgement so that God hath chāged his iudgemēt therin also Therfore now you must say thus if thou haue married a wife thou shalt sweare take thine othe to forsake hir to put hir away from thée but thou shalt not sweare to forsake whoores or harlots or to refuse whoredome And whereas God saith thou shalt keepe holy the Sabboth day c. now that is none of Gods cōmaundement for the Church of Rome hath changed hir iudgement therfore Gods iudgemēt is likewise changed wherfore that lawe must now be turned thus Thou shalt not kéepe holy the Sabboth day but whereas Gods worde should then be redde and preached thou shalt in stéede therof commit idolatrie worship Images and pray vnto them and knéele to Masses and honor a péece of bread and take it for the bodie of Christ. God also saith Honor thy father mother yea but now for that the Church of Rome hath chaunged hir iudgement God hath also in this commandement changed his iudgement therfore that law must now be thus Thou shalt disobey thy father and mother King Prince Country and obey the Pope and the Church of Rome
for an Heretike shal be excommunicated lose al his spiritual liuing But if he shal kéep cōcubines Harlots he shal be a Catholike mā of a good religiō and kéepe al his liuings stil. Thus may y e pretious Pope the holy Church of Rome turne tosse the words meaning of Christ how they list but though they allowe and do these things yet therfore we must not think they ar good or to be liked but to be abhorred detested And I beléeue y t manye wil not allow their wicked laws and writings therein But now if y e Scriptures may haue sūdry senses at sūdry times may haue one mening at one time another mening at another time if this be so y t the Pope may chāge the senses of Christs Gospel for his pleasure thē why may not Christ change the meaning of his own Gospel for hys own pleasure therfore looke by what places of y e scripturs Peter his successors wer made Popes of Rome Christ may change the senses meaning of thē clean contrary therby vnpope them again For wheras Christ said Super han◠Petrā id est super ecclesiā Romanā edificabo ecclesiā meā which is Vpon this rocke that is to say vpō the Church of Rome I wil build my Church now Christ I thinke hath altered y e meaning sense of y e saying bicause y e order of the Church of Rome is changed therfore now to be vnderstāded thus vpon this rock being y e Church of Rome y e church of y e diuel shal be builded And wheras Christ said to Peter the first Pope as they say Whatsoeuer thou binds in Earth shall be bound in heauē now y e sense of y e scripture is changed the meaning therof is now thus whatsoeur y u binds in earth it shal be bound in Hel loke whose sins yée forgiue they shal not be forgiuen whō soeuer y u blesse in earth shal be curst in Hel whō soeuer y u curse on erth shal be blessed in heauē And wheras y e Pope sayes y t the meaning of Christ was y t the Popes being Peters successors should haue the keys which he gaue to Peter to open the gates of heauen to let vs in to it now I beleue y e same words of Christ haue another mening according to y e time chāging of y e Popes maners which are now quite contrarie to S. Peters conditions y t the keys now which the Pope hath shal shut men out of heauen open the gates of Hel let the Pope his Papistical Prelats into it thus the Pope by his chāging the sense of y e scriptures to serue for times hath made a very fair market for therby he is nether Pope nor Christs Uickar so he may binde in hel if he wil but he can binde nothing in heauen also therby he hath lost the keys of y e kingdome of Heauen hath in stead therof gotten y e keys of y e dungeō of Hel. For if y e Pope hath any spiritual keys at al as he sayth he hath by y e place of Scripture then the meaning therof is surely changed according to the time as Cusanus saieth so the Popes keys are not the keys of the kingdome of heauen but of the doleful dungeon of Hel. But though Hosius this Cusanus with other such like doth extol the Church of Rome sayth the authoritie theris aboue the scriptures that the meaning of y e scriptures are vncertain changes as the iudgement of the church of Rome changes y t nothing is takē for Christs cōmandemēt vnlesse the Church of Rome doth allow it Ther is no wise man wil beléeue them vnlesse they bring better authorities therfore thē their own bare words in y e mean space let vs giue credite to S. Aug. which was as godly a man as vertuous a mā as wel lerned a mā one y t knew what authority y e church of Rome ought to haue as wel as they who saith thus Cedamus cōsētiamus c Let vs yeld saith he consent to the holy Scriptures which can neither deceiue nor be deceiued He names not here the Churche of Rome nor sayeth that it hathe aucthority aboue the Scriptures nor yet sayth that the Scripturs haue sometimes one meaning and sometimes another and that the sense doth alter or chaunge but he bids both the Church of Rome and al other Churches whatsoeuer to yéeld and cōsent to the scripture which as he saith can neither deceiue nor be deceiued Truely if your Church of Rome had had any such aucthoritie aboue the scriptures as y e Popes proctors wold make vs beléeue then Irenaeus S. Ierome S. Augustine Tertullian Chrisost. other learned writers would haue writtē something of it nay if they had done so y e Popes doctors would haue brought thē forth for the better credite of their cause But bicause they write directly against thē as is before mētioned therefore they let thē alone Now if the scriptures according to Saint Au. can neither deceiue nor be deceiued then the Church of Rome which is inferior to the scripturs ought to giue place to y e Gospel being cleane contrary to the scripturs may deceiue vs therfore may erre ly as she cā do none other as before is very manifest but though these y e Popes prelates wold make vs beléeue y t ther were no certainty in the scriptures and y t the Gospell is vncertain the meaning therof chaunges according to y e times which is a moste diuellish doctrine yet I will approue that there is neyther certainetye trueth nor godlinesse in the Popes lawes nor in the Church of Rome Platina sayth that the Popes y t follow do euermore eyther breake or wholye abrogate the decrées of the Popes that were before now séeing there is such vncertaintie in the Popes lawes decrées are not we worthye to beléeue and credite the same Looke what lawes God did sende vnto vs by Iesus Christ his sonne which is the Gospel he neuer disanulled them nor did deliuer vs anye other since nor neuer wil his doings and iudgements are so certaine true infallible and therfore Gods law his holy gospel is so right true perfect infallible that al other doctrines ought to be iudged and tryed by it Therfore if you be the children of God you wil credite no doctrine be it neuer so auncient and séeme it neuer so glorious nor so holye no further than it doeth agrée with the Scriptures and the worde of God Therefore beléeue not the Church of Rome whose Doctours doctrine are so diuellish as before is well proued and as hereafter shal be more manifested Therefore marke well a little more of this doctrine of your church of Rome which if you be
the thurstie to drinke of the well of lyfe for nothing not for his owne workes or desertes Origen sayth most truly forasmuch as all men are shut vp and closed vnder sinne now the saluation of man standeth not in mans merites but in Gods mercie And many such like haue the learned fathers written only to beate vs downe from our owne works to lay hold on Gods mercies and the merites of Christ. S. Bernard writeth excellently hereof my merite saith he is the mercie of God so long as God is not poore of mercie so long can not I be poore of merite if his mercies be great then am I great in merites This is the whole merite of man if he put his whole affiance in the Lorde This same is the Protestants Religion to trust with S. Barnarde in the merites of Christ and mercies of God But they of that wicked Romish religion do trust to their owne workes for belyke they are so holy they néede not Christes merites For they can deserue the kingdome of Heauen by their owne workes which is a most detestable and Diuelish doctrine For marke this well all the déedes and good workes that you can doe are but worldly workes and if you looke to be rewarded for doing of them yet a heauenly rewarde is to good for an earthly worke and a heauenly wages is to much for an earthly seruice It is inough if God gyue you a worldly rewarde for your worldly workes Nay is your worldly workes and seruice that you saie you doo vnto God worthie of the earthly giftes and rewardes that God dayly giues you no I warrant you if a man might aske you that saies you may deserue Heauen by your owne merits what seruice do you or can you do that God stands néede off he is a heauenly King and therefore hath heauenly seruants to wayte vpon him to do his will and to serue him who obeye him in al things offende him in nothing but you are earthly creatures both vnworthie vnable to serue such a king that obeyes him in nothing and offendes him in all things Therefore if you be his seruauntes you are but simple seruantes and serue him but slenderly and as Christ cals you vnprofitable seruants Yet for all that marke the great goodnesse of God though we neither obey him nor are able to serue him yet he vseth vs rather like Sonnes then seruants Hath he not created vs to his owne likenesse that is our soules to the Image of God and our bodies to the likenesse of Christ and doth not he giue vs meate dayly to féede vs clothes to couer vs all things on the earth to maintaine helpe vs now weigh with your selues what seruice doe wée to God or are hable to do vnto him that can deserue al these earthly benefits that he doth dayly bestowe vpon vs No the greatest seruice that wée can do to God is farre vnworthie of the least benefite that God hath done to vs therfore we can not iustly say that we serue God in any point but rather that God doth serue our turne in euery point For if we do him any seruice it is only to serue our owne turne for whē we pray vnto God wherin we say we serue God do we then serue pleasure or help him in any thing no it is to helpe our selues to pleasure our selues and to profite our selues For by our praier to God we craue of him those things that we haue néede of and do not proffer him any thing that he stands in néede of Therefore though we saie we serue God when we praie we might more truly say that we serue our selues whē we pray And thus wheras you claime heauen as a due reward for your seruing of God it séemes you claime Heauen for seruing your selues wherein I must néedes saie that you are without all reason or honestie For if I should come to my Prince pray hir humbly vpon my knées that she would giue me a farme to dwel in and then she of hir goodnesse should graunt me my request might not I be thought to be most impudent shameles and without all reason if I should then clayme for knéeling to hir for the farme which she gaue me the inheritance of all hir kingdome yes and well worthie yea and therefore to be quite thrust out of hir kingdome Euen so they that claymes the kingdome of Heauen for their praying and knéelyng to God for their owne profite and commoditie are not onely most impudent shamelesse and vnreasonable but also are well worthie to be thrust out of the kingdome of Heauen Now if our worldly seruing of God if we do serue him can not deserue the worldly benefites that hée doth dayly bestowe vpon vs then our worldly seruing of him can by no meanes deserue the kingdome of Heauen the ioyes wherof are without comparison and euerlasting If a King by chaunce let his gloue fall out of a window should he that takes it vp thinke that he hath deserued therfore that the King shoulde make him heyre of his crowne and kingdome euery one might thinke that he were to sawsie presumptuous and to déere a seruant that woulde clayme such a great gift for such a small seruice a worse rewarde might serue well inough many woulde bée content to do a great deale more for a great deale lesse Nowe if this worldly rewarde is a great deale to much for suche a seruice wherof the King stoode néede then the euerlasting kingdome of Heauen is a wonderfull deale to much for our worldly workes whereof God stands no néede nay which perhappes he mislikes Therefore reuoke this Diuelish doctrine of the Romishe Churche whiche teacheth you that you may deserue the kingdome of Heauen by your owne workes and merites for as it is sufficiently proued before our owne merites deserues the kingdome of Hell and Christes merites onely deserues for vs the kingdome of Heauen And bragge not of your vayne and sinfull workes for the better you estéeme them the worse doth God lyke them and do what you can for your life yet thinke your selues vnprofitable seruauntes For the more you thinke you deserue at Gods hande the lesse I am sure you shall haue at his hande The proude Pharisey and the humble and repentant Publicane may be a sufficient example to you for the proude presumptuous Pharisey thought he had deserued much of God for his workes but the humble Publican thought he deserued Gods wrath for his sinnes Now whiche of these two got more at Gods hands and was the better estéemed of God forsoth the Pharisey that boasted bragged of his good workes displeased God and went away vniustified And the humble Publicane that disabled his owne workes and trusted not to them pleased God and went awaie pardoned So that in any wise refuse your owne merites and trust to the mercie of God and the merites of Christ for if your workes be no better than the
would become théeues as the most of the Popes Priestes become whorekéepers For put down labour set vp theft Euen so driue away marriage and bring in whoredome There are a great sorte in England at this present y t liue honestly with their wiues but if they were al vnmarryed and might not marry do you thinke that they al then wold liue chaste no I warraunt you Euen so though a greate sort of Bishops Preachers and ministers liue godly and honestly now hauing wiues yet al Bishops Preachers ministers wold not liue godly and chastly without wiues Nay there are some of them fornicators hauing wiues then think you they would liue chast if they had no wiues I thinke not If one woman be not ynow then no woman would be too fewe if they can not be content with one they would scantly bée content with none yet you wil skantly beléeue whatsoeuer is proued or sayd But if the Quéenes maiestie to please you and displease God shoulde cause all Priestes and Ministers vnder hir to put away their wiues and commaunde them to liue chast do you thinke they woulde liue chastlye yea y t they woulde as poore men commaunded not to laboure would liue truely and not steale You maye as well learne the chastitie of vnmarried Priests by the Popes Priests of Italie Rome France Spayne of them that were late in Qu. Maries time which liued liue vnder their holye and chaste Popes lawes as to haue our Bishoppes and Ministers and Preachers to putte away their wiues for if they liue and liued chastelye wythout wyues then ours woulde liue chastly without wiues But for as muche as we sée and knowe that they liued and do liue most abhominably and wickedly counting it no sinne and haue license of the Pope fréely to vse the same Therfore as Gods word doth allow our Bishops Priests and ministers haue their lawful wiues to auoyde wickednesse and whoredome But some of you haue a déepe and greate worldly reason that the marriyng of our preachers and ministers will fill al the realme ful of beggers surely if that were true it woulde haue bene spyed once in two and twentie yeares if you sée so muche you sée more than manye that are as wise and as well sighted as you I maruel why you haue not spyed as wel that if poore labouring men blind men and lame men yea and beggers be marryed that they will likewise fil y e Realm with beggers but if you allow poore mē to marry y t haue no liuing at al but only by threshing hedging ditching and suche like where diuerse of them are not worth fortie shillings in all the worlde Yea and beggers that liues only of almes then I thinke y e Quéens maiestie may as wel allow the B. Deanes Archdeacons Doctours Parsons Uickars Curats to marry wherof diuerse haue Lords liuings many of them great liuings yea and the worst of them yearely liuings who are more able to bring vp their children in learning hereafter to get their liuings and more likelye to leaue their wiues and children more goods and substaunce than these poore men that in their life haue little or nothing and at their deaths leaues their wiues and children as good as nothing Therfore that the marrying of Preachers and ministers wil fil this Realme full of beggers is but a bare beggerlye excuse But if one shoulde aske you howe manye of their children you haue séene goe a begging I thinke you would either holde your peace or else say that you haue séene but a few And thoughe many of the Papistical Priestes haue bin and are great fornicators yet they woulde séeme to be holy husbandes and so they had néede for they make vs beléeue they haue a holy wife for they saye that oure Lady as they call hir is their wife They may wel take hir for their wife but surely she doth not take suche fornicators for hir husbands Truly I muse that she when she was liuing here on earth hadde but one husband which was both godly and chaste and now being dead and in Heauen to haue such a rabble of husbands that are so vitious and wicked therefore it is not like that she that woulde haue but one honest husbande when she was a liue wil haue so manye naughtye husbandes when shée is dead If the marriage of Priestes be so euill as many of you woulde make it then the Priests children can not be good and so if any Popes were Priests sonnes then these Popes must néedes be euil Then al these Popes that follow were nought for they were Priestes sonnes For Pope Siluerius Pope Deus dedit Pope Adrianus 2. Pope Iohn 15. Pope Felix 3. Pope Hosius Pope Agapetus Pope Gelasius Pope Bonifacius Pope Iohn 10. Pope Theodorus and many other are found That being Priestes sonnes ruled the Sea of Rome Nowe if Priestes maye be fathers to Popes then Priests may be fathers to pore men And if Priestes maye beget them that rule Emperoures and Kings then Priests maye begette them that Emperoures and Kyngs maye rule And for that it appeareth by the writings of the learned Doctors and fathers that Priestes marriage was honorable and lawful in the Primitiue Churche and long after I will likewise let you vnderstande that the auncient Popes and Byshops haue bothe allowed it and confirmed by their Cannons For Pope Leo saith Lette him be consecrated a Bishop of whome it may wel appeare that eyther hee is or hathe bin the husband of one wife Yet Pope Hyldebrand that came after him comaundes that Bishops and Priests shall haue no wiues Here is one Pope againste an other one of them muste néedes be wrong Therefore whether shall we truste to Pope Leo that agrées with Saint Paule whiche saith Let a Bishoppe be the husbande of one wife or to Pope Hildebrand that according to the Diuels doctrine hathe commaunded that a Bishoppe muste haue no wife but that for money he may haue as many whores as he wil yea and without mony if he can play priuily And it is written in the Cannons commonlye called the Apostles Cannons Let not eyther Byshoppe or Priest or Deacon put away his wife vnder colour of Religion or if hee so doe let him be put from the communion of the faithfull and if he so continue let him bee vtterly deposed from hys office But nowe the Pope hathe an other Canon though it be neither so ancient nor so good that whatsoeuer Bishop or Priest wil not put away his wife or hath a wife shal be put out of his office Thus you maye sée that S. Paule and the Pope the Apostles Canons the popes Canons and the former Popes the latter Popes agrée as wel togither as God the Diuel light and darknes truth falshoode Saint Paule saith Maister Iewel did write to the married people in Rome saying You are not in the fleshe but in the spirite they were maried
into wine that is one creature into an other contrarie creature the Priestes woulde make vs beléeue that they turne a creature which is bread into Christ which is no creature but God Mā the sonne of God creatour maker of al things So that Christes body cānot be made of bread nor of any other thing for Christ is the Sonne of God and was not made but was begotten by God his Father and was conceyued by the holy Ghost and borne on the virgin Marie Therefore let it neyther sinke in your mindes that a péece of bread or a cake can be turned into the bodie of Christe nor that the bodie bloud of Christ is to be eaten and drunke with our mouthes and so to be conueyed into our bodies as other meates and drinkes are but they are onely foode of the Soule and must be eaten and drunke of the same by faith as before is declared If the Canibals are to be abhorred bicause they deuour and eate mans flesh their enimies whome they take in the warres are not you then much more to be detested that are not ashamed to eate and deuoure with your mouthes and téeth the very bodie of Christ your great high friend the onely Sauiour of all the worlde Bels Priests were much more to be commended than the Popes priestes and were not such Caniball rauenours as they be for they did honor their God Bell and did but eate his meate from him but the papisticall Priests after they haue honoured the bodie of their Christe they eate him cleane vp deuoure him Are not these fellowes woorthy to haue a Christ that after they haue honored him a litle do then eate and deuoure him that he shall neuer be séene againe If a King Cyrus did put the 70. Priests of God Bell woorthily to death for eating their Gods meate from him surely then our Quéene might more lawfully put the papisticall Priests to death that eate and deuoure vp their Christ himselfe But the Priestes haue none other song but this Christ sayd This is my body therfore it is the bodie of Christ and Christ bad them eate it and therfore according to Christes commaundement they eate the bodie of Christe well the meaning of those wordes and what is the true eating of Christes bodie is sufficiently expressed before but to driue you cleane from this grosse and absurde errour marke wel these reasonable argumentes following As Christ did say this is my bodie so he said I am the waye c. yet wée must not thinke therefore that he is a very waie that leades vs from Towne to Towne or that wée muste treade or goe vppon him when wée walke or goe to any place as the proude Persian Prince Sopores vsed to treade on a Kings backe when hée got vp vpon his Horse But as this worthie Sacrament doth signifie Christes bodie which by his death hath redéemed vs Euen so Christe is our Spirituall waye by whome we must go to Heauen And as our common wayes leades vs in our earthly trauell to the place wée determine to go so Christe doth onely lead and direct vs in our Spirituall iourney to Heauen Christe also saith he is the light of the worlde If wée shoulde take these wordes litterally and as they are spoken then wée might say that Christe is the Sunne that shineth dayly vpon vs for the Sunne is the chiefest lighte that wée in this worlde doe sée by and without it we could not so perfectly direct our iourneis in this worlde as wée do But Christ doth not meane that he is the Sunne or any suche light But as the Sunne doth gyue vs light to direct our iourneis on the earth so Christ being the Sunne of God doth shyne and giueth vs our whole light in our Spirituall iourney to Heauen And thus Christe is the light of the worlde that in this worlde doth light vs to Heauen Christe also sayd I am the doore but wée muste not thinke though he sayde so that he is a very doore but in some respect is lyke vnto a doore for as the righte and readie waie into a house is to go in at the doore so Christ is the very true doore of Heauen by whome euery one must enter that shall go into Heauen And as Christ calleth them Théeues that enter into the house any other waie but by the doore euen so they are Spirituall théeues and enimies to God that goe aboute to enter any other waie into Heauen than by Christe the true doore of Heauen And this is the true meaning of Christe that sayd he is the doore Christ also sayd haue I not chosen twelue of you and one of you is a Diuell meaning Iudas that after betrayed him if we may credite old wiues fables the Diuell hath hornes and clouen féete yet we must not thinke though Christ called him so that Iudas was turned or Transubstantiated into a Diuell and had hornes and clouen féete But as the Diuell is a murtherer and a betrayer of innocent bloud so Iudas did resemble the Diuell in betraying his innocent maister Christe and in procuring his death Thus you may sée that the wordes of Christ are not alwayes to be vnderstanded litterally as Christe spake them no more ought those wordes spoken by hym of the Sacrament But if all this that is sayde herein will neyther satisfie nor persuade you I woulde fayne knowe of you whether the bread is turned into Christes bodie that was vncrucified or that was crucified if you saye it was his bodie that sate among his Disciples at his last Supper before hée was crucified then how coulde he die on the crosse after séeing his Apostles had eaten his bodie before If you saie it was his bodie after it was crucified that coulde not be for when he brake the bread to his Disciples he was not then crucified therefore he could not gyue them his crucified bodie to eate for then it was not crucified for as one can not gyue to any baked bread before it bée baked so Christe coulde not gyue hys crucified bodie to his Disciples before it was crucified And thus euery way you are dryuen to a mischiefe There was a learned man he was a maister of Arte at the least chaūced to be at supper where I was with diuers other who said then that he would proue by Scriptures by learning that the bread after it is cōsecrated by a priest is the very bodie of Christ the same that was borne on the virgin Marie whome then I asked if he would stand to his worde and he said he would then I said to him againe that I would eyther make him denie his worde yéeld vnto me or else hold his peace for want of answere who answered me againe as it séemed both proudely and disdainfully saying that I was to yong a Scholler to do that Then I sayd againe if I do it not then let all them at this table beare
impossible Therfore as the Iewes were worthily plagued for going from the word of the Lorde in committing suche wicked Idolatrie to a golden Calfe euen so assure your selues for your contemning and refusing the Gospell and for committing this moste detestable Idolatrie to a Cake of bread making it your Christe that you shal receiue the gréeuous plagues before rehearsed or greater in this world and after your deaths euerlasting torments in hel fire suche as no tong can expresse or hart can thinke vnlesse you repent vnfainedly flye from your Romish doctrine moste spéedily and embrace Christes Gospel right thankfully whiche is the pure doctrine of Christ and law of God thoughe many of you moste blasphemously call it Heresie Therefore right earnestly I desire you and most humbly beséeche you to cease from worshipping a Cake on earth and fall to the honoring of Christ in heauen Thus you maye sée if you wil sée that youre Popishe Masse and your Transubstantiation or turning or chaunging of the bread into the body of Christe by Gods worde is confounded by the Doctors confuted and by naturall reason cleane ouerwhelmed which you counted y e most truest and holyest parte of the Romish religion besides that it is a most diuelish detestable and damnable doctrine which robbes God of his glorie Christe of his merites and you of youre saluation Hitherto you may perceiue that the Popes and their doctrine doe not muche differ for as the Popes were moste wicked and diuelish so their religion is most erronious and pernitious So that howe can you thinke well of your selues and how can you take your selues to be méete members of Englande that for to haue this abhominable Idolatrous and monstrous Masse againe planted here you seeke or wish the supplanting of our prince the ouerthrow of our Nobilitie the sorrowe of our Communaltie the confusion of our Country and the ruine of the whole realme of England wherefore with all spéede of English enimies becom English friends to be defeÌ„ded by the power of England and to be nourished in England And séeing that I haue proued vnto you that your Masse is a gugaw not a Iewell a poyson not a preseruatiue a confusion not a consolation and a guyder to Hel not a leader to Heauen Nowe you shall heare what proper things the Popes pardons are to please you withall as your yong children are pleased with Babies but I would to God his pardons did hurte you no more than the Babies doe the children for the Babies doe stil them when they crye and make them mery hurte them not but the Popes pardons please you here for a while to displease you euer after I may compare the Popes pardons to a counterfaite Priuiledge as if a false suttle fellowe to get mony withal should write a large Priuiledge from the Prince counterfayting the Kings seale wherein he sheweth that the King hath giuen hym licence and whome hée shall allowe to steale without daunger of any lawe and to haue no harme therefore thoughe they be taken with the manner where vppon many giue him money to be priuiledged thereby to steale and think it to be no counterfaite but a true priuilege from the Kyng whereby they steale boldelye but are hanged therefore sodainely and though they alleage for themselues at the gallowes and shewe their aucthoritie to steale from hym that had the counterfaite Priuiledge and say that hée had money of them for it yet al that wil not serue but they are hanged for their stealing Euen so the Pope maketh you beléeue that he by his power and auctoritie from God may pardon whom he list for whatsoeuer offence they commit but whatsoeuer he say he hath no such Priuilege from God therfore his is but a counterfaite Commission which he like a false harlot hathe inuented onelye to get money whose wordes you so credite that you beléeue that God himselfe solde his Commission wherevppon you thinke that Commission from God is so cocke sure that you gyue hym mony for his pardons whereby you thinke you are not onely pardoned of all your sinnes and as cleane as when you were newe borne but also that you maye fréely commit what sins you wil assuring your selues for money therfore at anye time to be pardoned at the Popes handes yet we must not say but that your religion doth restraine men from sin and our religion of the Gospell doeth giue libertie to sin but how true it is herein you may sée if you be not blinde but when you are deade if before you haue not a better pardon of God without money than you haue of the Pope for money you are like to be hanged in hell with the Popes pardons about your necke And then the Pope bringeth you into a worse case than they that were hanged for stealing by a counterfaite Priuiledge But marke the mischieuous crafte of the Pope all the wares that he selleth you as his Masse Trentalles Dirges and pardons and al other his trumperie are such that by iust tryall in this life you cannot comptroll them or say they haue not pleasured you excepte you looke in Gods worde whyche hée kéepeth safe ynoughe from you for the tryall of hys wares whether they do you good or not is after your death whereby he is sure you can not come backe agayne to chyde or checke him for selling to you such deceitfull wares He promiseth and selleth you great and woÌ„derfull things that are to be tryed after your death but he doeth not promise and sell you things of smaller force and waight that maye be tryed duryng youre life I warrant you he wil not sell you any Pardons or Priuiledges that steale as ofte as you wil you shall neuer bée hanged or putte to death therefore that eate as muche as you will you shall neuer surffet or be sicke of it drinke as much as you wil you shal neuer be drunk and spend what you list you shal haue neuer the lesse mony in your puâ—â—e and yet these are easier things for him to promise and perform than to giue vs the kingdom of heauen y t deserue the kingdom of hel thaÌ„ to saue vs from our spirituall hanging in Hel though we neuer so much robbe God of his glorie and though we offend neuer so much yet still to be pardoned and cleane clensed from sinne Wherfore you may wel suspecte nay firmely beléeue that his pardons and other wares that he so boldly sels you are naught bycause they are such as you can not reproue before you be dead and for that he neuer offers to sel you any thing that you may trie whiles you are aliue For he knowes full well that if hée should sell you a priuiledge that though you eate neuer so much or what meate soeuer you eate you shoulde neyther be sicke or surfet thereby yet when you were sicke or did surfet by eating of it wherof you should be sure then you would say that his priuiledges were naught not
pleasure to talke of their tormentes yet they had no great pleasure in féeling their torments But who I pray you did put them to death in their errour false heresie as you call it euen they y t are of your holy Romish Church who without repētance shall answer y e shedding of their guiltlesse bloud yea some haue not sticked to say that they that were burned were damned which was but a hard iudgement first to iudge their bodies to be burned here on earth and after their soules to be burned in Hell they will not stand to this iudgement they will rather appeale But if they died in errour and are damned as some of your religion saide then who was the cause of their damnation forsooth euen they that condemned them and burned them for thoughe they had bene so wilfull to burne in an euill opinion yet they shoulde not haue bene so mercilesse to haue burned them in that opinion If you should sée a mad man running into a pit to drown himself would you run after him thrust him into the pyt The children of God would rather pluck him backe saue him frō drowning Euen so if they had bene such heretikes as you would make them their opinions so damnable as you report them why did your holy religious brethren of the Churche of Rome so cruelly burne them whereby they were damned haue you no greater zeale to your brethren but so rashly and vncharitably to sende them to hell Euerlasting damnatiō is an horrible and dolefull thing for they that are there once shal be in torments vnspeakable in hell fyre for euer and euer worlde without ende And can you or any such looke to haue any mercie at Gods hande that thruste your brethren being as you say in a damnable opinion or heresie first into the fire here and burne them from thence sende them into an other fire the fire of hell where they shall burne for euer truely you may looke and hope for mercie but if you refraine not from this your heathenish crueltie and repent the same vnfaynedly you are more like to goe without it than haue it You that are such burners of your brethren herein doe condemne your selues for most cruell and mercylesse tyrants for you burne them here and after say they be damned The Franciscane Friers of Paris in Fraunce maye séeme to bée more charitable than the Popishe persecutors before mētioned for they whiles one was in a good opinion as they said hanged him vp quickly bicause he should be saued go to Heauen but these said cruell Papists haue burned their brethrē bicause they should go to hel Marke it wel for it is worth y e hearing There was a ritch marchant mā in Paris who said in 〈◊〉 to the Friers of S. Fraunces you weare a rope about your bodyes bicause S. Fraunces once shoulde haue bene hanged and the Pope redéemed 〈◊〉 vppon this condition that all his lyfe after he shoulde weare a rope Upon this saying the Franciscane Friers of Paris caused him to be apprehended and to be laid in prison also iudgement past vppon him that he shoulde be hanged But he to saue his life was content to recant and so did the Friers hearing of his recantation commended him saying if he continued so he should be saued and so the Friers calling vpon the officers caused them to make hast to the gallowes to hang him vp whiles he was yet in a good way sayd they least he fal againe And so this Marchant notwithstanding his recantation was hanged Thus though some of you do burne men to send them to hell yet these charitable Friers did hang this Marchant to sende him to heauen But as your burning of vs contrarie to your saying doth bring vs through Christ to saluation so I pray God that the Friers hanging of the Marchant contrarie to their saying did not bring him to damnation If the Popes Friers do hang men for iesting against them then it is no maruell though the Popes Champions doe burne men for speaking against them in earnest The hanging of this Marchant may well be iustice according to y e Popes lawe but it is scant iustice by Gods lawe nor by the lawe of any godly Prince These holy Friers might learne this of the Diuell for I am sure they neuer learned it of God You shall sée by Christes wordes whether you that doe this murther and persecute your brethren are of God or the Diuel Christ saith Whatsoeuer you would that men should doe to you do euen the same to them Now weigh with your selues would you be content that if you were heathen men or Iewes that other shoulde burne you and sende you thereby after to hell I thinke not Christ saith Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercie but the Papisticall persecutors are vnmercifull tyrantes as their burning of their brethren and their saying after they be damned do euidently declare therfore you that are the Popes persecutors are vnhappie shal not obteine mercy vnlesse as I said you repent in time But we are most sure that they are not gone to Hell as some of your sect haue both boasted and bragged for they are vnder the Altar where the rest of the Saints Martirs be that haue dipt their garments in y e bloud of the Lambe But if they had bin in errour or Heresie thus you would haue serued them And though they died willingly they died not in Heresie and yet they died not so willingly as the mad man I spoke of parabolically but that they woulde haue liued if they might with a safe conscience without denying Christ. For you droue them to a mischiefe eyther to be burned here in your fire and to saue their endlesse life in Heauen or else to saue their life here and to burne for euer in Hell who remembred Christes wordes which are these Whosoeuer shall denie me afore men him also will I denie before my father in Heauen Thus you may sée what cruell Tirantes the Pope and his partakers are that without all pittie and mercie do burne and kill vs here to burne vs and kill vs euerlastingly in Hell And yet the Popes for all this call themselues the Seruants of Gods Seruants but if the Pope be such an vnderling then he vsed y e Emperour his maister but homely when he made him lie downe and trode in his necke and also if the Pope be the Seruant of Gods seruants then he is a very euill seruant that hath killed so many of his maisters And now you shall haue an other infallible rule that our Religion is the true Religion and that the true professors and followers thereof are of the kingdome of God The Popes kingdome is encreased and mainteyned with crueltie murther and persecuting but Christs kingdome increaseth by humilitie by being murthered and persecuted for though the true Christians are dayly killed and murthered yet their number is
godly miraculous suffring and dying of the professors of the Gospell can procure you nor yet the suddaine dreadful desperate damnable deaths of the persecuting Papistes can feare you from your detestable and Diuelish doctrine of the Pope which is against the law of God the law of our Quéene the law of Nature and the lawe of Reason Then I can sée none other but that you are determined to withstand God and his Gospell asmuch as lieth in you to your vtter confusion as they did which before I sette foorth for examples to warne you withall And though by writing I can do no more for you than I haue done yet I will pray for you still as I haue done Whiche is that God may giue you eies to sée and hearts to vnderstand the trueth whereby you and we may embrace and follow the Gospell of Christ here on earth togither that after this life we may dwell in the kingdome of Heauen togither as y e children of God to whom be all honour glory and praise for euer and euer Amen FINIS ¶ Imprinted at London by Henrie Bynneman ANNO DOMINI 1581. Cum Priuilegio ad imprimendum solum Maâ—â— 6. 4. King 23 Luke 11. Hollenshead Chron. Marke 19. â— Samuel 24 2. Sam. 1.15 Matt. 7.16 Psal. 1. Deut. 28. Iosua 1. Iosua 3. Iosu. 6. Iosua 7. Iosua 10. Iosua 23. Iud. 1. Iud. 3. Iud. 2. Iud. 3. Iud. 7. Sam. 17. Sam. 7.8 2. Chro. 14. 2. Chro. 16. 2. Chro. 17. 2. Chro. 21. 2. Chron. 27. Esai 37. Iudio 3. 2. Samuel 24 11. 2. Chron. 16. 2. Chro. 18. Acts and Monuments Cooper in Epit. Chro. fol. 223. Math. 16. 1. Samuel 5 Cooper Epiâ— Chron. 〈…〉 Acts and Monuments page 140. Iude in his Epistle Confil. Constan. Session 19. Math. 7. 4. Kings 23.20 Esai 5.20 Coopers chro fol 21. Acts Monumentes Cooper Epit. Chron. Cooper Epit. Chron. Iewel in defens Apolog. Hollenshed in his Chro. Galen de Theriaca Malac. 2. Mala. 2. Iosephus Acts and Monuments Iewel in deâ— Apolog. 360. Iohan Sleidaâ—us lib. 4. Acts and Monumentâ— page 378. Math. 5. Asts Mo. Page 661. Acts of the Apostles 12. Acts Mo. Page 138. Acts Mo. Page 160. Acts Mo. Page 161. Acts Mo. Page 161. Acts Mo. Page 181. Benno Cardinall Acts Monumentes pag. 179. Iohn 8. Benno Cardinall Iewel in defens Apol. pag. 167. Acts and Monuments pag. 349. Acts and Monuments pag. 350. Iewel in defens apol pag. 458. Acts and Monuments pag. 347. Iewel in defens apol pag. 142. Rom. 8. Acts Monuments pag. 198. Acts and Monuments pag. 199. Acts and Monuments pag. 256. Acts and Monuments Acts Monuments pag. 686. Acts and Monuments pag. 378. Iewel in defen Apolog. pag. 127. Iewel in defens Apolog. pag. 162. Cooper Epit. Chro. Fol. 235. Cooper Epit. Chro. Fol. 241 Cooper Epit. Chro. Fol. 222 Math. 5. Cooper Chro. Fol. 248. Cooper chron Fol. 268. Iewel in defen Apolog. pag. 458. Acts Monumentes Pag 16â— Iohn 8. Iewel in def Apolog. pag. 466. Iewel in defens Apolog. pag. 468. Iewel in defens Apolog. pag 472. Acts and Monuments page 174. Platinaiâ— Steph. 6. Sabellic Ennead 9. lib. 2. Iewel in defeÌ„ Apo. pag 162 Iewel in defeÌ„ Apol. Pâ— 1â—7 Auentinus in Adriano 4. Stanislaius Orichouius in Chinera Fol. 97. Acts Mo. Page 176. Acts Mo. Iewel in defeÌ„ Apol. Pa. 461 in alto lib. in def Apol. Pag. 410. Greg. lib. 4. Epist. 38. Ceremoniar lib. 1. Sectio 5. ca. 3. Iohn 13. Ceremoniar Lib. 1. Cap. 8. Iewel in defens Apol. pag. 463. I. in alio lib. pag. 412. Ceremoniar Lib. 2 Cap. 10 Iewel in defens Apol. pag. 515. Concil Later Session 6. Pag. 604. Concil Trid. sub Paulo 3. oratione Cornelij Episcopi Bitontini Concil to 2. Decreta collecta per AdrianuÌ„ p. 613. Paulus Aemilius lib. 7 Concil tomo 1. in purgatio Sixti Extr. de elect Electi potest significa Iewel in defens apol pag. 43. in somr bookes 48. Iewel in defeÌ„ Apo. pag. 49. 16. q. 1. quicun que in glossa 15. q. 6. author in glossa dist 34. lector Abbas panor Extra de diuor cap. fin SuÌ„ma Angel in distin Pap. Iewel in def Apolog. 584. Christopher Marcel in conc Latera Sess 4. Extra Iohanâ— 22. cum inter in Glossa Im. Lugduni Anno. 1555. Iewel defens Apol. Iewel in defeÌ„ Apol. 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Chro. fo 268. Iewel pa. 551. Consi Nicen. 2. Action 2. 2. Action 4. Citantur in lib. Caroli magni Exod. 20. Deut. 28. Hester 3. Reuela 22. Nicolaus de Clauengijs Math. 3. Iewel in defen Apo. pag. 676. Hosius in coÌ„fessione Petri comen ca. 29. Glosa super dest 40 in verbo cumbered Iewel in defen Apo. pag. 734. Iohan. Caluinus de reliquijs Iewel in defen Apol. Pa. 765 Gregor lib. 12 Indict 7. Iewel in defens Apolog. Pag. 765. Inter decret Zachariae Inter decret Alexan. 3. Par. 30. cap. 2. Math. 7. Iewel in def Apolog. 552. Iohn â— Iewel in defens Apol. pagâ— 22. Hosius lib. 2. contra BreÌ„tiuÌ„ Hosius de expresso verbo dei Pag. 97. Siluester Prierias contra Lutherum Iohn 5. Math. 16. Math. 5. Ioannes Maria Verractus Rom. 1. Iren. lib. 3. Aug. de vnit eccle cap. 3. Chrisostome in opere imperfecto Hom. 49. Iewel in defeÌ„ Apol. Pa. 78. Hieronim in Esai cap. 19. August in lib. 83. quaest q. â—9 Tertullian aduersus praâ—eam Hosius de depresso verbo dei Exod. 20. Extra Iohan. 22. cum inter Exod. 20. In concil Grae cor Citant in lib. Caroli magni Exod. 20. Constit. Othonis Iewel in defens apol 422 Exod. 20. Exod. 20. Acts Monumentes pag 198. Exod. 20. This needeth no author Exod. 20 The Popes law forbids Briests marriage Exod. 20. This is toâ— manifest Exod. 20. Bonifacius Extra de Maior obedi Priam. SaÌ„ct gloss in eodem Exod. 20. Iewel