mindinge by that meanes to cutt for euer the knot of the frendship that might haue ensued betwixte England and Scotland by that godlie coniunction What the papistes feared is manifest For then Christe Iesus being more purely preached in England then at any tyme before would shortly haue suppressed their pride and vaine glorie and therefore they raged that he should not reigne aboue them also But what is like to apprehend you for because ye did not betymes withstaÌd their most wicked couÌsils wise men do coÌsider How heauie and vnpleasant shall the burthen and yock of a Frenchman be to your shoulders aÌd necks God graunt that experience do not teach you But to returne to my former purpose by all those means rehersed by his messeÌgers by the blood of his saincts shed amoÌgest you by fauours aÌd frendship by warre and the sword yea by famin aÌd pestileÌce aÌd all other meaÌs hath God your mercifull father called you to labour in his vineyard but to this day alas we heare not of your huÌble obedience but stil ye say with stubburn faces we will not labour we will not be bouÌde to such thraldome to abide the burthens of the vineyard Ye think perchaÌce I am to sharpe and that I accuse you more then you deserue For amoÌgest you many do know the will of your father and many make profession of his Ghospel but coÌsider BrethreÌ that it is not enoug he to know the coÌmauÌdemeÌt and to êfesse the same in mouthe but it is necessarie that ye refuse your selues your owne pleasures appetites and your owne wisdome if ye shall be iudged faithfull labourers in the Lordes vineyard aÌd that ye beare the burthens togiter with your brethren and suffre heate and sweate before ye taste the frutes with them God will not stand content that ye loke ouer the hedge and beholde the labours of your brethreÌ but he requireth that ye put your haÌdes also to your labours that ye trauail continually to pluck vpp all vnprofitable wedes albeit in so doing the thornes pricke you to the hard bones that ye assist your brethreÌ in theyr labours thoghe it be with the icopardie of your lifes the losse of your substance and displeasure of the hole earthe Except that thus ye be minded to labour the Lord of the vineyarde wil not acknolledge you for his faith full seruantes And because this matter is of weight and greate importance I will speake soÌwhat more plainely for your instruction It is bruted to the greate comfort of all godlie that heare it that somme of you deare Brethren of Scotland do desire Christ Iesus to be faithfully preached amoÌgest you which thing if froÌ the heart you desyre and with godlie wisdome and stowt courrage folow your purpose and enterprise ye shall be blessed of the Lord for euer But in the begynnyng ye must beware that ye folow not the exaÌple of your brethreÌ of EnglaÌd in whose handes albeit the worke of the Lord appeared to prosper for a time yet because the eye was not single we see to our grief the ouer throw of the same They began to plante Christ Iesus in the heartes of the people aÌd to baÌnish that Romish Antichrist they did driue owt the fylthie swyne froÌ theyr dennes and holes I mean the monkes and other such papisticall vermin from their cloisters aÌd abbayes This was a good be ginning but alas in the one and the other there was great faulte For the banishiÌg of that Romish Antichrist was rather by the feare of the lawes pronouÌced against him by actes of parlameÌt theÌ by the liuelie preachiÌg of Christ Iesus aÌd by the discoueriÌg of his abominatioÌs And the suppressioÌ of the abbaies did rather smell of auarice theÌ of true religioÌ Those venemous locustes which before were holdeÌ within their cloisters were then set abrode to destroy all good aÌd grene herbes For superstitious freers ignoraÌt moÌks aÌd idle abots were made archbishoppes bishoppes persons vicars aÌd such as oght to fede the soules of men ⪠who thus set at libertie did coÌtinually wrootup the Lords vineyard And one crafty Gardener whose name was Stephen hauiÌg wolflik coÌditioÌs did maiÌtaiÌ many a wolfe did sow wicked seed in the gardeÌ aÌd cherished many weedes to deface the vineyard And his maid Marie who after was his mastres now maried to Philip waÌtiÌg no wil to wickednes wheÌ she was at the weakest norsto make to do euill when she gatt the mastrie did cherishe many weedes Those two I say haue so broken the hedges of the same vineyarde God so punishing the sinnes of those that oght to haue made better prouision for the same that the husbandmen are hanged vp the diggars dressours and planters are banished prisoned and burned Such hauock is made that al wilde beastes haue power to pollute the sanctuarie of the Lorde O heauens beholde her crueltie o earthe cry for vengeance o seas and deserte mountains witnesses of her wickednes break furthe against this monster of England But whether do I runne by the bitternes of my grefe I must nedes leaue the o Scotland after that I haue aduertised the of this that thou folow not the example as I haue said of EnglaÌd but in the bowels of Christ Iesus I exhorte the that if thou preteÌdest any reformatioÌ in religion which is the chefe labour of the vineyarde that thou do it at the first with a single eye and all simplicitie that from yeare to yeare thou be not compelled to change as was England but let thy reformation be full and plaine according to goddes holie will and worde without addition Let all the plaÌtes which thy heauenly father hath not planted be rooted owt at once let not auarice blind the neither yet wordlie wisdome discourage thy hearte let none beare the name of a teacher that is knowen to be a fosterer of superstitioÌ or any kynde of wickednes And thou so doing shalt moue God of his greate mercie to send vnto the faithfull worke men in abundaÌce to blesse the worke that thou preteÌdest in the vineyarde aÌd to preserue the to the glorie of his own name and to thy euerlasting comforte Thus must thou Scotland repent thy former inobedience if that thou wilt be approued of the Lord. And now do I return to the O EnglaÌd I do liken the to the secoÌde sonne in the parable which answered his father with flattering wordes saying I go father but yet he went not at all For sence the time that I had any remembrance our heaueÌlie father of his great mercies hath not ceased to call the in to his vineyard and to these late daies thou hast said alwayes that thou woldest enter and be obedient In the tyme of king Henrie the eght when by Tyndale Frith Bylnay and other his faithfull seruantes God called EnglaÌd to dresse his vineyard many promised full faire whome I could name But what frute folowed nothing but bitter grapes yea breeres and brambles the wormewood of auarice the
Prophetes with the sayinges of Dauid or of this holy sainct of God Iohn the Baptist but with our sauiour Christs two most swete parables of the two sonnes and of the tilme to whome he set his vineyard I will labour to set before your eyes your rebellion hypocrisie and crueltie if so I caÌ bring any of you to repentance Our sauiour Christe putteth furth this parable A certaine man had two sonnes aÌd he came to the first and said soÌne go aÌd worke to day in my vineyard Who answered I will not but afterward repeÌted and went Then came he to the second and said likewise and he answered I will syr but went not Wherein a wonderful comforte first is to be coÌsidered how the Lord our God maker of heaueÌ aÌd earth doth huÌble him selfe not only to be called a maÌ a husbaÌd man a housholder aÌd such like but he abaseth hiÌselfe of mercie to vs vile earth and asshes that his sonne becometh maÌ to make mankynd glorious in his sight to make all those that do not refuse his grace offred of the slaues of Satan his sonnes by adoption You are his sonnes you are his vineyard you are as dear vnto hym as the apple of his eye as Moses speaketh if you can beleue it he sweareth that you shall be his inheritaÌce and he will be yours if ye will only receiue his grace and beleue hym when he sweareth Will ye call his trueth into doubt his glorie into shame by your misbelefe Better it were that all creatures should perish heauen man and angels then that God should not haue credit or that his glorie in the least iote should be diminished He hath called you by his worde now many a tyme to worke in his vineyard I aske what you haue answered your conscience can witnesse and all the world seeth it SoÌme of you haue said plaine lyke rebellious childreÌ that ye would not do it that ye would not worke in your fathers vineyarde Shall I applie this part to Scotland I may right well do it and also to a greate parte in England But Scotland in dede called most plainely and euidently through the mercies of God both by their own faithfull countrie men and also by earnest trauail of our English nation to comme to the Lords vineyard in the tyme of king Edward hath to the domage of both coÌtinually refused as the coÌscience of many this day beareth witnesse That tyme as ye know the vineyarde in EnglaÌd by the children of God was not all togither neglected and theÌ most earnestly were ye O Brethren of Scotland required to ioyne haÌdes with vs iÌ the Lords worke but Satan alas would not suffer it His old fostred malice and Antichrist his sonne could not abyde that Christ should grow so strong by ioynynge that ile togither in perfect religioÌ whome God hath so many waies coupled aÌd streÌgthended by his worke in nature the papistes practised all theyr fyne craftes in England Scotland and in France that the Ghospellers should not with so strong walles be defensed lest this one iland should becoÌme a safe sanctuarie as it began to be to all the persecuted in all places They moue sturdie stomackes they dispens with periuries they worke by theyr craftie coÌfessions they raise vp warre in the end whereby ye deare Brethren of Scotland were sore plaged Of all these traiterouse sleghtes ye can not be ignorant For yet it is not passed the memorie of man that your king made promisse to haue mett king HeÌrie the eght att Yorke ⪠whose purpose albeit in other things I do not alow him in that case was most godlie and praise worthie For it was to make an end of that vngodlie warre and cruell murther which loÌge had coÌtinued betwixt the two realms Your king I say made promisse to mete him the breche whereof as it was the occasion of much trouble so is it euidently knowen that your Cardinal and his clergie laboured and procured the same For it is not vnknowen to somme amongest you how many thousand crownes the churchmen did promisse for maintenance of the warre which king Henrie did denouÌce by the reason of that breche Superfluous it were to me to recite all the causes mouing your pestilent preestes to solicitat your king to that infidelitie But this is moste euident that they feared nothing but the fall of their glorie and the trouble of their kingdome which then in England beganne to be shaken by suppressing of the abbaies This moued your preestes ernestly to labour that your kinge should falsly breake his promisse But what affliction ye sustained by that and other their practises your selues can witnesse For your borderrs were destroyed your nobilitie for the most parte were takeÌ prisoners and your king for sorowe sodenly died But these your miseries did nothing moue your preestes to repentance but rather did inflame them against God and against the êpfit of their natiue realme For when againe after the death of your kiÌge your freÌdship and fauours were soght first by king HeÌrie and after his death by king Edward his sonne aÌd by him who theÌ was chosen Protectour how craftely I say did theÌ your preestes vndermine all ye are not ignoraÌt When your Gouernoure with the consent of the most part of the nobilitie had soleÌnely sworne iÌ the abbay of Haliroode house syr Raphe Sadler theÌ being embassadour for EnglaÌd to perfurm the mariage coÌtracted betwixt king Edward and your yonge quene and faithfully to stand to euerie point coÌcluded and agreed ãâã perfurmaÌce of that vnioÌ when seales were interchanged and the embassadour dimissed what sturr tumult and sedition raised your Cardinal in that your realme it is not vnknowen To witt how that by his craft and malice the realme was deuided the Gouernour compelled to seke his fauour to violate his oth and so to becomme iÌfamous for euer And finally by the pride of the papistes was that leage broken But what did thereof ensue Edinburgh Leith DuÌdie yea the most part of the realme did fele Your shippes were stayed your gooddes were lost your chefe townes were burned and at the end the beautie of your real me did fall in the edge of the sworde the hand of God manifestly feghting against you because against your solemne oth ye did feght against them who soght your fauours by that godlie coÌiunction which before was promised But still proceaded your ennemies the clergie and theire adhereÌtes in theyr purposed malice WoÌder not that I terme them your ennemies For albeit they be your countrie men yet because they seke nothing more then the maiÌtainaÌce of their owne kiÌgdome which is the power of darckns aÌd the king dome of Antichrist they are becomme coÌiured ennemies to euerie citie nation or man that labour to comme to the knolledge of the trueth That pestilent generation I say did not cease till they obteined their purpose by deliueringe your yonge quene to the handes of the French king assuredly
gall of crueltie the poisoÌ of filthie fornicatioÌ flowing from head to foote the contempt of God and open defense of the Cake Idol by opeÌ proclamatioÌ to be red in the Churches in the stead of goddes scriptures Thus was there no reformation but a deformation in the tyme of that tyrant and lecherous moÌster The bore I graÌte was busie wrooting aÌd digging in the earth aÌd all his pigges that folowed hym But they soght only for the pleasaÌt frutes that they winded with their longe snowtes And for their own bellies sake they wrooted vp many weeds but they turned the grouÌde so miÌgling good aÌd badd togither swete and so wre medecine aÌd poyson they made Isay such coÌfusioÌ of religioÌ and lawes that no good thing could grow but by great miracle vnder such Gardners And no meruail if it be rightly coÌsidered for this bore raged against God against Deuill against Christ and against Antichrist as the fome that he cast owt against Luther the racing furth of the name of the Pope and yet alowiÌg his laws aÌd his murther of many Christian souldiours and of many papistes do clearly aÌd euideÌtly testifie vnto vs. Especially the burniÌg of Barnes Ierome aÌd Garrat three faithful preachers of the trueth haÌgiÌg the same day for maintainaÌce of the Pope Powel Abel and Fetherstone doth clearly paynt his beastlynes that he cared for no maner of religioÌ This moÌstrous bore for al this must nedes be called the head of the Churche in paine of treason displacing Christ our onlie head who oght alone to haue this title Wherefore in this pointe o England ye were no better then the Romishe Antichrist who by the same title maketh hym selfe a God sitteth in meÌnes coÌsciences baÌnysheth the worde of God as did your king HeÌrie whome ye so magnifie For in his best time nothing was hard but the kings booke aÌd the kings êcedings the kinges homelies in the Churches where goddes word should onely haue bene preached So made you your kiÌg a God beleuing nothiÌg but that the alowed But how he died I will not write for shame I will not name how he turned to his vomet I will not write your other wickednes of those times your murthers without measure adulteries and incestes of your kinge his Lordes aud coÌmunes It greueth me to write those euils of my couÌtrie saue onlie that I must nedes declare what frutes were fouÌde in the vineyarde after you promised to worke therin to moue you to repentance and to iustifie Godds iudgements how greuously so euer he shall plage you hereafter Wherefore I desire you to call to remeÌbrance your best state vnder king Edward when all men with generall coÌsÌt promised to worke in the vineyarde and ye shall haue cause I doubte not to lameÌt your wickednes that so conteÌned the voice of God for your owne lustes for your crueltie for your couetousnes that the name of God was by your vanities euill spoken of in other nations I will name no particulare thinges becaus I reuerence those tymes saue only the killing of both the kinges vncles and the prisonnement of Hoper for popishe garments God graunt you all repentant heartes for no order nor state did any part of his duetie in those dayes But to speak of the best whereof ye vse to boast your religion was but an English matyns patched furthe of the popes portesse many thinges were in your great booke supersticious aÌd foolishe all were driuen to a prescripte seruice lyke the papistes that they should thinke theyr dueties discharged if the noÌbre were said of psalmes and chapters Finally there could no discipline be broght into the Churche nor correction of maners I will touche no further abuses yet willing and desiering you to consider theÌ in your heartes that knowing your negligence ye may bring furth frutes of repentance For this I admonishe you o ye people of England wheresoeuer you be scattered or placed that onles ye do right spedely repent of your former negligence it is not the Spanyardes only that ye haue to feare as roddes of goddes wrath but all other nations France Turkie and Denmarke yea all creatures shall be armed against you for the contempt of those tymes when your heauenlie father so mercifullie called you To what contempt was goddes worde and the admonition of his prophetes comme in all estates before God did stryke somme men are not ignorant The preachers them selues for the most part could fynd no fault in religion but that the Churche was poore and lacked liuing Trueth it is that the abbay laÌdes and other such reuenues as afore appertained to the papistical Churche were most wickedly and vngodly spent but yet many thinges would haue bene reformed before that the kitching had bene better êuided for to our prelates in England It was moste euideÌt that many of you vnder the cloke of religion serued your own bellies somme were so busie to heap benefice vpon benefice soÌme to labour in parlameÌt for purchesing of lands that the tyme was small which coulde be founde for the reformation of abuses and very litle which was spent vpon the feeding of your flockes I nede not now to examine particular crimes of preachers Only I say that the Ghospell was so lightly estemed that the most part of men thoght rather that God should bow and obey to theyr appetites then that they should be subiect to his holie commaundementes For the communes did continew in malice and rebellion in craft and subtiltie notwithstanding all lawes that could be deuised for reformation of abuses The merchants had their own soules to sell for gaines the gentlemen were becomme NeÌrods and Gyants and the nobilitie and couÌsile would suffer no rebukes of Gods messeÌgers thogh theyr offenses were neuer so manifest Let those that preached in the court the lent before king Edward deceased speak theyr conscience and accuse me if I lie yea let a writing written by that miserable man then duke of Northumberland to master Harlow for that time Byshoppe of Harford be broght to lighte and it shall testifie that he ashamed not to say that the libertie of the preachers tonges would cause the counsile and nobilitie to ryse vppe against them for they could not suffer so to be intreated These were the frutes euen in the tyme of haruest a litle before the winter came And of the tyme of Marie what should I write England is now so miserable that no penne can paynt it It ceaseth to be in the nomber of children because it openly dispiteth God the father It hath cast of the trueth knowen and confessed and foloweth lies and errours which once it detested It buyldeth the buylding which it once destroyed ⪠it raiseth vp the idols which once were there confounded it murthereth the sainctes it mainteineth Baals prophetes by the coÌmaundement of Iesabel Such are the euil husbandes that now haunte the vineyard so that this is true that our Sauiour Christ saieth The Lord hym selfe hath
all fainted I except euer such as gaue witnesse with theyr blood or theyr flying that such impietie displeased them all kept silence by the which all approued iniquitie and ioyned haÌds with the tyraÌtes and so were all arrayed and set as it had bene in one battayle against the omnipotent and against his sonne Christ Iesus For whosoeuer gathereth not with Christ in the day of his haruest is iudged to scatter And therefore of one veÌgeaÌce teÌporal were they all partakers Which thiÌg as before I haue touched oght to moue you to the depe coÌsideratioÌ of your duties in these last and most perilous tymes The iniquitie of your Byshoppes is more then manifest theyr filthie liues infect the aier the innoceÌt blood which they shed crieth veÌgeaÌce in the eares of our God the idolatrie and abominatioÌ which opeÌly they coÌmit aÌd without punishmeÌt maiÌtaine doth corrupt aÌd defyle the hole laÌd and none amongest you doth vnfainedly studie for any redresse of such enormities Wil God in this behalf hold you as innocentes Be not deceaued dear Brethren God hath punished not only the proude tyrantes filthie persoÌs and cruel murtherers but also such as with them did draw the yoke of iniquitie was it by flattering theyr offenses obeying theyr iniust coÌmaundemeÌtes or in wynking at theyr manifest iniquitie All such I say hath God once punished with the chefe offeÌders Be ye assured Brethren that as he is immutable of nature so will he not pardon in you that which so seuerely he hath punished in others and now the lesse because he hath plainely admonished you of the daungers to come and hath offred you his mercie before he pourefurth his wrath and displeasure vpoÌ the inobedieÌt God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ who is father of glorie and God of all consolation geue you the spirit of wisdome and open vnto you the knolledge of hym self by the meanes of his dear sonne by the which ye may attaine to the esperance and hope that after the trubles of this traÌsitorious life ye may be partakers of the riches of that glorious inheritance which is prepared for such as refuse them selues and feght vnder the baÌner of Christ Iesus in the day of this his battaile that in depe consideration of the same ye may learn to prefer the inuisible and eternal ioyes to the vaine pleasures that are present God further graunt you his holie spirit righteously to consider what I in his name haue required of your nobilitie and of you the subiects and moue you all togither so to answer that my petition be not a testimonie of your iust condemnation when the Lord Iesus shal appear to reuenge the blood of his sainctes and the contempt of his most holie worde Amen Sleap not in syn for vengeance is prepared against all inobedieÌt Flie from Babylon if ye will not be partakers of her plages Be witnesse to my appellation Grace be with you From Geneua The 14. of Iuly 1558. Your brother to commaunde in godlines IOHN KNOXE AN ADMONITION TO ENGLAND AND Scotland to call them to repentance written by Antoni Gilby VVhere as many haue writteÌ many profitable admonitioÌs to you twaine O England and ScotlaÌd both makinge one Iland most happie if you could know your own happines somme against the regimeÌt of womeÌ wherewith ye are bothe plaged somme against vnlauful obedieÌce and the admitting of strangers to be your kinges somme declaring the vile nature of the Spaniards whome thou o EnglaÌd to thy destructioÌ mainteinest somme the pryde of the Frenchmen whome thou o Scotland to thy ruine receauest and many hundrethes with penne with tonge with worde with writing with ieopardie and losse of landes goods and lyues haue admonished you bothe twaine of that caÌkred poyson of papistrie that ye foster and pamper to your own perdition and vtter destruction of soules and bodies of your selues aÌd yours for now and euer I thoght it my duetie seing your destructioÌ to mans iudgemeÌt to draw so neare how much or litle so euer they haue preuailed yet once againe to admonishe you both to giue testimonie to that trueth which my brethren haue writteÌ aÌd specially to stirre your hearts to repentance or at the least to offre my selfe a witnesse against you for the iustice of God and his righteous iudgementes which doubtles if your hearts be hardned against you both are at hand to be vttered Thus by our writiÌgs whome it pleaseth God to styrre vp of your nations all men that now liue and that shall comme after vs shall haue cause also to praise the mercie of God that so oft admonisheth before he do stryke and to coÌsider his iust punyshment when he shall pourefurth his vengeance Giue eare therefore betymes O Britanie for of that name both reioyseth whiles the Lord calleth exhorteth aÌd admonisheth that is the acceptable tyme when he will be founde Yf ye refuse the tyme offred ye can not haue it afterward thogh with teares as did Esau ye do seme to seke it Yet once againe in goddes behalfe I do offre you the verie meanes which if God of his mercies graunte you grace to folow I doubt nothing but that of al your ennemies spedely ye shallbe deliuered Ye reioyce at this word I am sure if ye haue ani hope of the perfourmaÌce TheÌ harkeÌ to the matter which I do write vnto you not furth of mennes dreames nor fables not furth of prophane histories painted with mannes wisdome vaine eloquence or subtile reasons but furth of the infallible trueth of goddes worde and by such plaine demonstrations as shall be able to conuince euerie one of your owne consciences be he neuer so obstinate I will aske no further iudges Is not this goddes curse and threatninge amongest many other pronounced against the sinfull land and disobedient people That strangers should deuoure the frute of thy laÌd that the stranger should clyme aboue the and thou should comme downe and be his inferiour he shall be the head and thou the taile The Lord shall bring vpon the a people farr of whose tongue thou canste not vnderstand thy strong wales wherin thou trusted shall be destroied c. And doth not Esaie reckeÌ this also as the extremitie of all plages for the wickednes of the people to haue womeÌ raised vp to rule ouer you But what saieth the same êphete in the begynnyng of his prophesie for a remedie against these and all other euilles Your handes are full of blood saieth he O you princes of Sodom and you people of Gomorrha but washe you make you cleane take away your wicked thoghts furth of my sight Cease to do euil learn to do well seke iudgemeÌt help the oppressed c. Then will I turn my hand to the and trie owt all thy drosse and take away thy tynne aÌd I will restore thy iudges as afore tyme and counsilours as of old And Moses said before in the place alledged That if thou wilt heare the voice
planted a faire vineyard he hedged it round about and buylded a toure c. And when the tyme of the frute drew nere he sent his seruants to the tilmen to receyue the frutes thereof but they caught his seruantes they bett one they killed an other and stoned others Againe he sent other seruantes mo and they serued them like wise What nede any exposition to applie this vnto England All is fulfilled that is spoken in that parable onles they do waite for the sonne hym selfe for to comme that they may handle hym lykewise as they haue done his seruantes But all is one saieth our Sauiour Christ. That which ye do to one of these litle ons the same ye do to me be it good or bad Why doest thou persecute me saieth Christ to Saul when he was as he now is at the right hand of God his father in the heauens Therefore they persecute they banishe they burne Christ the sonne of God in his membres The iudgement therefore now remaineth which the wicked then gaue against them selues That the Lord of the vineyarde will cruelly destroy those euill persons and will let furth his vineyarde vnto other husbandes And the confirmation of the same by the sentence of the chefe iudge that The kingdome of God shall be taken from such and geuen to a people that shall bringe furth the frutes thereof The which iudgement is begonne in Englande and shortly alas will be fully executed and finished without right spedie repentance Somme hope is in Scotland which hath not shewed furth any such crueltie and hath not contemned the knowen treasures but lyke wanton children haue contemned the commaundement of theyr father partely of frailtie partely of ignorance But EnglaÌd the seruante that knew the will of his Lord and maister which was once lightened with most clere beames which hath tasted of the swetenes of the worde of God and of the ioyes of the worlde to comme which hath abiured Antichrist and all idolatrie which hath boasted to professe Christ with greate boldnes before all the worlde must be beaten with many stripes it can not be auoided But to be shorte this only remaineth for bothe these nations that they repent and returne into the vineyarde with the fyrst sonne For neither shall ignorance excuse any land or nation as is playn in the fyrst to the Romanes neither can any people be receyued without the frutes of repentance as Iohn Baptist proclaimeth The frutes of repentance I call not only to know your synnes and to lament them but to amend your liues and to make streght the Lordes pathes by resisting Satan and synne and obeying God in doing the workes of righteousnes and executing goddes praecepts and iudgementes so longe amongest you contemned For euen now is the axe put to the roote of the tree so that euerie tree that bringeth not furthe goode frute shalbe heweÌ downe and cast into the fier The Lord hath now his fanne in his hande and will purge his flore aÌd gather the wheate into his garner but will burne the chaffe with vnqueÌchable fier Repent therefore whiles ye haue tyme before ye be fanned heweÌ downe and fiered When I do behold both your two realmes I see the fanne I see the axe But this I am suer is the begynnyng of your ruine that ye do mary with strangers and giue your power to forraine nations such as feare not God but are open idolaters blasphemers persecuters of the saincts of God that careth neither for heauen nor hell God nor deuill so that they may wynne landes townes and countries God shall hew you downe by theÌ therefore as he hath done other nations by like meanes and causes and they shall fanne you furthe of your own huskes and homes to make you vagaboundes and beggars and after possesse your landes and goods as God threatned by Moses as was before alledged Trust not to thy strengthe afterwarde when thy ennemy is setled if thou haue no strengthe to resist his begynnynges no more theÌ thou canst ouercome a canker that hath ouerrunne many membres That God would not haue you to truste to your force of men townes or castels there is enough exaÌples that you bothe haue felt to your grefe And I can not write without murnyng For how litle auayled the multitude and stowt courrage of you dear BrethreÌ of ScotlaÌd att Musselburgh or Pinkefield the carcases alas of many thousands who that day fell in the edge of the sworde may teach you And how vaine be all strengthes be they iudged neuer so stronge or inexpugnable lett Calice lately taken admonish you But I do leaue such exaÌples to your considerations to teache you to call to the liuinge Lord who offereth hym selfe as a mercifull father vnto you still calling you to repentance by wordes by writinges and most gentle corrections if ye will not be harde harted Yet here haue we to lameÌt the miserable state of maÌkynde which is so seduced by the subtile serpeÌt that he can not know his miserie when he is admonished nor perceaue his perdition when it draweth so nere When the seruantes of God set furthe his trueth they are charged to trouble realmes and countries as was Elias when they warne men not to ioyne handes with wicked kinges and princes they are counted traitours as was Esaias and Ieremias Such is mannes malice But if there be a God that is fyrst of all to be soght and without whome nothing can be profitable vnto vs but without hym all thinges are vnhappie and accursed if the kingdome of God and the righteousnes thereof must fyrst be soght and then all thinges shall be ministred if our heauenlie kinge must before man be obeyed then all such doctrine as calleth vs from man to God is easie to be perceaued and oght not to be resisted Wherefore I do admonish and exhorte you bothe in the name of the liuinge God that how so euer you haue hitherto shewed your selues the seruants of men to beare and to flatter with the worlde that now ye learne in goddes cause to despise the faces of men to bend your selues against this wicked world neither regarding the visars of honours vaine titles nor dignities any further then they seke God his onelie glorie For his glorie will he not suffer to be contemned for any cause No he will powre contempt on those princes that striue against his trueth but those that glorifie hym will he glorifie And what king dome realme or nation so euer it be that will not seke to sanctifie his name they shall in the day of goddes greuous visitation which is now at hand be vtterly coÌfounded theyr streÌgth shalbe straw theyr honours shall be shame and all their idolatrous preestes in whose lies they delyte togither with their idols with whome they are bewitched shall be stubble and brymstone to burne togither wheÌ the wrathe of the Lorde of hostes shall set them on fier The preestes shall not saue theyr goddes nor the