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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	great_a	lord_n	realm_n	2,628	5	7.7717	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A20307	A short description of Antichrist vnto the nobilitie of Englande, and to all my brethren and contreymen borne and dwelling therin, with a warnynge to see to, that they be not deceaued by the hypocrisie and crafty conueyaunce of the clergie	Old, John, fl. 1545-1555, attributed name. aut; Gwalther, Rudolf, 1519-1586, attributed name. aut	1555 (1555)	STC 673; ESTC S116863	35,736	88

al heretikes by crafte gyle and falsheed seduced and begyled the Emperours and kinges and robbed them of their dominions and powers wherby the hath exalted him selfe not only aboue them but also aboue God And then became he a most cruell tyrant and made lawes of death for all soch as he and his fylthy secte did adiuge heretikes Therby colourably to morther and destroye all soch as did ones speake or preach against his vsurped power or by any meanes reueyle his iniquitie for that calleth he and all his filthye generation of infideles heresie Which exemple of makinge of lyke lawes oure english bishops did compasse and bringe to passe about the yere of oure Lorde 1420. then beinge a bishop Lorde Chaunceloure and a nother lorde priuey Seale wherby being in great authoritie high estimation amongest the nobles and counselours thorow flattery circūuented the kinge and his counsaill and other of the nobles to make a law in Englande to suppresse heresie spronge vp in this realme But what that heresie was that must only be adiudged by the Antichristes lawes and by his sworen secte the generation of infideles the enemyes of God aduersaries of Christe For as it is reported by cronicles it was the reuelation of Antichristes iniquitie that he calleth heresye Forther to colour their cruel tirānie they sayed with their forfathers the Bishops Priestes Scribes and Phariseys and the rest of the Iewish clergie It is not lawfull to vs for to sley any man And as for vs ye may trust well inough we be to holy to deceaue you You maye frely wtout scrupulositie of consciēce crucifie whome so euer we committe in to voure handes For if he be not an euill doer we wil neuer deliuer him vnto you You re honours neade neuer to examine the cause but boldly burne him Oure soules for youres His blood vpon oure heades And by soch subtile meanes made all Kinges and Officers of Englāde that haue bin synce their tourmentours and hange mē A goodly office that they haue sett all kinges and you right honorable lordes in They haue made the kinge and you their hange men not a whit better And yet for al their warrantyse puttīge their soules for youres though ye wash neuer so cleane your hāde with Pylate whē ye thus morther the innocentes for their saith in Iesu Christe be assured that Gods curse will not departe from you youre howses excepce ye spedelye repente But how that law agreeth with Gods worde it shal appere Euen as God the deuel Christ and Antichrist light and darkenes First God by his Prophet Esai sayeth Esai 11. they shal not hurte nor shall they kil in all my holy hyll By this holy hil meanīg this his church Wherfore yf youre lordly Lorde bishops were true ministres in this church they wold not morther any man for his faith / or for want of a good faith which he can not haue of his awne power and studie The Prophet Hieremie sayeth also Iere. 7. Behold these men saye vnto me where is the worde of the Lorde Let it come Where as I neuer the lesse leading the flocke in thy wayes haue compelled no man by violence for I neuer desired mans deeth This knowest thou well Here Hieremie sayeth that he leading the flocke in the Lordes wayes compelled none by violence to walke therin This doctrine and exemple geuen by Hieremie agreeth but sclenderlye with Antichristes canons decrees lawes nor with the law newly reuyued by your lordships consentes and laste of all with youre bishops mortheringe and tormentinge of your lerned men Also when Christe going vnto Hierusalem Ioan and Iames entered in to a citie of the Samaritanes to make prouision for Christe But the citesins wold not receaue Christ Wherfore Ioan and Iames retourned to Christ and shewed to him the vnkindnes of the citesins sayeng vnto him Master will thou that we commaundye fyre to come from heauen and consume them Iesus turned to thē / and rebuked them sayenge You know not of what spirit ye be The sonne of man is not come to destroye mēs lyues but to saue them If your lordly lorde bisshops were Christes true seruātes then wold they folow his doctrine and example As Christ sayeth He that serueth me let him folow me Ioh. 18. Ioan. 12. And he that foloweth me walketh not in darknes But all men maye perceaue that this their mortherīge is mere contrary to both Christes doctrine and example and vtterly bewrayeth them to be the seruantes of Antichriste As Paul sayeth 1. Tim. 5. Good deades be manifeste and they that be euyll can not be hid The parable of Christe of the tares sowed by the enemie vpon the good seed which the master wold not haue drawē vp vntill harueste leste drawinge vp the tares Math. 3. the good wheate shuld also haue ben drawen vp declareth manifestlie that Christe wold not any man of an euil faith to be killed for his euill faith For if Paul had byn tormented to deeth for wāte of a good faith whē he was a persequuter of Christes church He thē had neuer bin the Apostle of the gentiles ne yet the most laborious worke man that euer wrought in Christes vinyard And if Sainte Augustine had foūde so cruell tyrātes to haue persequuted him to deeth before he was cōuerted by God at the preachinge of S. Ambrose thē the church had wā●ed at this daye as godly a doctor wryter as euer wrote in Christes church sence the Apostles But ouer besides Christes doctrine and exmple which be not any errours or vperfite doctrines the Apostles doctrine is that the seruante of God shulde not stryue 2. Tim. 2 but to be gētle to al men apte to teach and one that can suffer the euill with mekenes and can enforme them that resiste the trueth He sayeth not can kill them that resiste the trueth but can enforme them For neither he nor nay mā can know when it shall please God to open the eyes of his heart and to geue vnto him a perfite faith which now ys holdē captiue in vnbelefe at the wil of the Lorde This doctine of the Apostle although you wil not geue credite therto yet proueth it manifestly before all men that your lordly lorde bishops be not the seruauntes of God that shuld suffer the euill accordinge to Christes doctrine and example And also this doctrine of the Apostle proueth that youre law reuyued is against the doctrine of Christe and of his Apostle And therfore is a wicked law inuented by Antichriste and his filthy genratiō and sluttish secte of infideles to subuert extinguish al godly knowleage faith Also the Apostle sayethrif ther be any that obeyeth not oure teachinges 2. Thes 3 sende vs worde of him by a letter and haue no company with him that he may be ashamed And counte him not as an enemie but warne him as a brother Perceaue ye not honorable lordes

in their whorish confessions nor yet know they what is a gospel moch lesse cā they preach the gospell Halas by what meanes do these beastes of the bely geue remission of synnes to the people when they speake not one worde of Christe that the confessed doeth vnderstande or perceaue But in their absolutions they geue penaunce to the confessed fastinge certen dayes lyplabour in sayenge of thinges they vnderstande not masses to be sayed and almes to be geuen for the satisfaction of their sinnes Thus burye they Christes passion and deeth and bloodshedinge which only be oure satisfaction for oure synnes And no nother can be And although God by his prophete Esai commaundeth all pastours that haue the spirituall charge of soules Esai 43. to shew vnto his people their synnes sayenge Crie and cease not Lyft vp thy voyce as a trumpet Esai 58. shew my people their synnes Notwithstandinge this commaundemente of God geuen to all them that haue spirituall charge of soules Antichriste myndinge to shew to the world that he thinketh him selfe wiser thē God and that he can make more godly and holsome prouision for soule health then God hath made a law that all people of euery kinde once in the yere at the leest shal confesse and shew their synnes to their awne Pastour or curate God commaundeth that the pastoure shall shew to the people theyr synnes But Antichriste commaundeth cleane contrary that the people shall shew their synnes to their curates By these meanes the people for the most parte beleue that they haue remission of their synnes because they haue nombred their synnes in to the eares of their confessoure Or els for what cause shulde we confesse thē to our curates For euery man knoweth what is synne that he shal be damned yf he forsake not his synne yf the priestes execute the commaundemente of God geuē by Esai Esai 58. But the simple people thinke verely that when the curate pronounceth a certen sownde and voyce of wordes ouer their beedes which they thinke is an absolutiō frō their sinnes although they vnderstande not one worde what he sayeth yet beleue they that the wordes that he speaketh hauinge his hande vpon their heedes haue vertue and power to forgeue to them their synnes euen because the priest sitting in Gods stede as they thinke and as the priestes boaste them selfes to do pronounceth and speaketh them Wherin all be deceaued lamentablye Assured meanes wherby euery man maye haue remission of sinnes But doutles he that earnestly repenteth his sinfull life fully mynded neuer after to returne to the same thē trusteth cōstantly to Gods promise made of remissiō of sinnes to hym for the passion deeth of oure sauioure Christe / the same hath remissiō of his synne althouth he neuer nombre them in to the eare of any preist And then yf he fealinge and perceauinge true repentaunce and faith in his hearte will resorte to any prieste to receaue absolution and remission of his synnes wherof he is assured by Gods promise the same declareth hymself to mistrust Gods promise made to hym of remission of his synnes and then is he an infidele that by no meanes can haue remission of his synnes And if he be not fully mynded to forsake his former euill lyfe and neuer to retorne to the same againe then can he not haue any trust to haue remission of his synnes because that is promised to them only that for euer forsake their synnes And therfore if he mindeth not to forsake his synnes he goeth in vayne to his curate to haue remissiō of his synnes And if he repenteth his synnes and beleueth as I haue said then doeth he euyll to fatch remission of his synnes wherof he is assured already by Gods promise to be forgeuen And therfore his goinge to his curate to be confessed is veraye vayne and a poynte of infidelitie Oh that the curates of Englāde wold theye and obserue Gods commaundemente geuen to them by the mouth of his prophete Esaia But that will they neuer 〈◊〉 But their master Antichristes cōmaundementes wyll they deligently obeye although they bringe no commoditie spirituall or temporall to any man sauinge to their fylthie paunches Euery man maye well perceaue wherfore they be so gready to holde and to maynteyne this whorish confession Th causes why the clergie so earnestlie maynteyne auriculer confession and authoritie to heare testamentary causes c. Ouer besydes that they prouide for them selfes in their confessions where they maye be sped of a whore or two all the yere after Yet by these their cōfessiōs the chiefe Antichrist kepeth his sluttish secte of perdition in estimation with the comen people in whose cōsciēces they sitte as God and execute Antichristes office that is to fill hell with soules And so in their confessions be euer ready to worke sedition and treason against both Emperoure kinge and al other gouernours of that Empire realme and dominion that ether cōtendeth or striueth with their holy father Antichriste or speaketh against his vsurped power his false and craftie deceated wicked doctrines wherby he seduceth begyleth all men for the most parte leading them with a false confidence and fayth to haue remission of their synnes because they declare them to his filthy generatiō of serpentes And by these meanes innumerable soules be le●… 〈◊〉 to hell And moch sedition and treason is wroughte wherby moch bloodshedinge and murther is broughte to passe to the vtter subuersion and destruction of many Realmes As the last sedicion stirred vp in the North in Somerset shire Deuonshire and in other partes of this Realme be most miserable monimētes and witnesses And this is not their only comen practise practised with vs in Englāde but also the like practise was practised with the Princes of Germany that will neuer suffer their treasōs to be out of mās memory Wherfore this whorish confession wherof procedeth so moch euyll and mischefe to all realmes which also bringeth no profite with it but seduceth and begyleth many ought to be banished and abolished although they saye that they cānot well gyue medicine or plaister that shal be holesome or profitable excepte they also know the particuler disease and grief Which answere oure holy father hymself desproueth For he geueth cleane remission a prenaet a culpa that is from peyne and synne to thē that neuer shewed their offences to hym and healeth all sickenesses and sores with this one plaister that is all that be truly sory and penitente for their synnes and be confessed to a priest haue cleane remission As for faith in our sauioure Iesus Christe it forceth not so thou be confessed it maketh no matter whether thou beleue in Christe or no. And yet without Christ are we all for euer remidiles damned Why do ye right honorable lordes / admit this blasphemous doctrine of remission of synnes without faith in Christ All that be truly sorry for their synnes

dispence or discharge Wherfore as they be minisers contrary and not according to Christes commaūdement Euen so be they Antichristes that be euer against Christ in all his doctrine and forme of lyuing As Christ sayeth ▪ he that is not with me is against me Matt. 12. And how many so euer be come against me be s●…s by daye and nighte Ioan. 10. And consequently Christ myndinge to shew vnto you the cōdicions wherby ye maye euer know who be spirituall theues sayeth the thefe commeth not but to steale to kill and to destroye Of their stealinges youre Lordships be not ignoraūte How many beneficed men be within this Realme as well bishops as deanes Archedeacons persons uicars and prebendaries which take the profites from their benefices / and do not feede their flock with the word of God Mat. 4. with out the which the soules of the flocke cā not lyue Wherfore they steale the profites that do not the office And of their cruell mortheringe you haue to moch experience that nother of thefe mortherere robber or traytour but of the best lerned mē of this realme or that euer were in this realme Euen of soch as were hable to reproue and cōtrolle them in all thinges by Gods worde Wherin they deceaue and mocke you and all the people And to proue thē veraye theues And as youre lordships haue to moch experience of their stealinge and of their mortheringe Euen so shal your lordships not sayle to haue more certen and sure experience that they shal be most miserable destroyers of this realme of Englande and that at soch tyme when your lordships nor any of youre posteritie shal be hable to prouyde any helpe or remedie to redresse their destruction For euen as Christes wordes be vnfaynedly true that the thefe cometh not for any purpose but to steale and to kyll so must the residew of his wordes euer be founde to be true most certen and sure that is that he shall also destroye And although you now do not regard nor beleue Christes wordes to be true yet when you thinke least theron your infidelitie shal be requyred with the fealinge and peynful sufferinge the destruction of you and of youre posterytie and the most miserable chaunge and alteration of the state of this realme This miserable mischiefe ensueth and cometh of this misorder that the gouernaunce of this realme by your lordships consentes hath be committed and done agaynst God in makinge a bishop that by Gods worde and appointemēte was assigned to feed the flocke committed to his spirituall charge to leaue his office committed to hym by God to be executed and done to be a chauncelour wher by he was so occupied and busied in the hearinge of the matters affaires of this realme that he could not attende his flocke to feade them accorddinge to Christes commaundemente Wherby he was put out of that order and rule that God had appointed to him Beinge out of the which order appointemente of God he could neuer be cōmodietie or profite to this realme For he was entred into the office not by the dore Christ but ascended by a nother waye therfore was a thefe from̄ whōe no good counsaill or any other godlines can procede nor more then of thornes maye grapes be gadered And that his doinges will proue to well For in that office he hath brought to passe by his counsaill and persuasion and by your lordships sufferaūces soch incurable euill that all Englande shall lamente and bewayle the same Not only in kyllinge the preachers and lerned mē of this realem but also in the vtt●r destruction of this Realme the alteratiō of the state and honour of the same And although God hath delyuered you of that spirituall thefe Yet be your lordships and all the Realme burdened with a nother in the same office that shall do no lesse euil then the other hath done Yf so moch euill maye be done For as a ioynte ordeyned by God in the bodye is appointed and set in a dew order to helpe the bodie which ioynte beinge out of that order that God hath set it in can not be any commoditie and helpe to the bodie but great peyne and trouble to the bodye Euen in lyke maner if a bishop that is appointed and ordeyned by God to teach his flocke be taken from that office wher in God had assigned and ordered him he can neuer be profitable but great hurte and peyne to the bodie For I thinke that there is no man that hath any knowlege in the holy scriptures or any good conscience towarde God but he well knoweth that a bisshop that feedeth not his flocke is a thefe Otherwise he beleueth not Christe to be true in his wordes And if he be a thefe as the trueth sayeth he is then is his cominge for no nother purpose then to steale to kyll and to destroye And who so euer doubteth ther of doubteth whether Christe be true And I feare me that because the gouernours haue not beleued Christe to be true that they shall proue it true by experience to their great peyne Soch shal be the frutes of a bishop set in autoritie to be a counselour for the temporall affaires of the Realme that he is one of them that is come to steal to kill and to destroye Of whome God by his prophete Esai complayneth sayenge Esay 1. Heare oh heauens and herken oh earth for the Lorde speaketh I haue noreshed and brought vp childerne and they are fallē awaye from me How happeneth it that the righteous citie which was ful of equitie is become vnfaithful as an whore Rightuousnes dwelled in her but now mortherers In tymes past it was the office of Nero and of other tyrantes to tormentt men to death for their faith but now oure english bishops haue takē vpō them to put the tyrātes out of that office For they them selfes condemne both lerned and vnlerned for their faith and make you right honorable lordes to execute the office That they might set forth to all mē that they be the veraye theues of whom Christ that can not lie speaketh Whose cominge is for no nother purpose then to steale to kill and to destroye And yet to deceaue the people they be crepte in vnder the cloke of my lorde bishop a reuerende father But to this my lorde bisshops and their accomplisshes saye that they kil none for their fayth but for their heresie which ought of all Christen men to be abhorred and auoyded accordinge to the true sayēge of the Apostle that commaundeth sayenge an heretike after he is twise reproued auoyd him 2. Tit. 3. But yet sayeth he not kil min but auoyd him As al the fathers of the primatiue church haue shewed manifest example in the exile of many that in veraye dede were heretikes approued by gods worde to be heretikes and yet were not persecuted to deeth for their heresyes Vntil Antichrist of Rome the heed of

how contrary your bishops be to Christe and how contrarie they be to his doctrine and to the doctrine of his Apostles and also how wicked your law lately by your consētes reuyued is contrary to Gods worde But good my lordes thinke not that you can gather grapes vpon thornes This their mortheringe of their brethern for their faith declareth vnto all men whose vnderstandinge is not takē awaye by God that they be the theues of which Christe speaketh Ioh. 8. of whome cā not come any good frute For morther is a worke that proueth them to be the deuels seruātes who was a mortherer from the beginninge sayeth Christ that lyeth not But as Abraham had two children one borne after the fleshe called Ismael Gal. 4. and an other after the spirite called Isaac As then he that was borne carnally persecuted him that was borne spirituallye euē so is it now sayeth Sainte Paul Did Christ my good lordes compel any mā to come to his religion with imprisonemente or with fyre Did Christe kill the Iewes scribes pharisees that hearinge his doctrine and seinge also his wonderous miracles not withstandinge both wold not beleue in him Ys not faith honorable lordes the only gifte of God liberally geuen to whome it pleaseth him Can any man by his awne industry studie and laboure obteyne faith If you will suffer youre byteshepes so cruelly to morther men for wante of soch faith as it hath pleased them to deuyse by lyke equitie and Reason maye you suffer them to morther all them that haue not the lyberall gifte of God to make whole the sicke And also with moare equitie you your selfes maye hange vp the bishop of London and all youre other bisshops preistes as theues and mortherers that take charge of soules receaue the profites of their benefices which haue not the gifte of God to preach the gospell to the flocke accordinge to Christes commaundemente And by no lesse equitie all they must suffer deeth that haue not the gift of chastitie allthough to deceaue the people they saye they haue auowed it And although your lordships as ye thinke do not any violence against soch as now suffer by force of that wicked law that by youre consentes is reuiued because your lordships haue referred al the determinatiō iudgemēte of heresie vnto your byteshepes Yet be your lordships and all they that haue consented to the reuiuinge and makinge in force strēgth of the sayd law gyltie of the blood and deeth of all thē that haue suffered deeth shall suffer or do suffer by force s trēgth of the said law For not only all they that committe do euill be worthy deeth sayeth Paul but also all they that consente therto Rom. 1. Not only because the law by force wherof many suffer deeth was reuyued by your consētes But also bycause the same law is manifest wicked vnrightuous because it is contrary to the worde of God Wherfore it cā not be but wicked And therfore the same law wherby all they suffer vniustlie and the blood of thē that suffer deeth shal be a witnes before God against you of their tormentes and deeth And then good my lordes remember the sētence of God pronounced against al them that shede innocēte blood vnrightuously not only that they be mortherers who shal neuer inheret the kingedome of heauen 1. Cor. 5. Gene. 9 But also the holy goost sayeth he that shedeth innocente blood of men his blood shal be shed againe by men If your lordships do not thinke God false in his promises loke most certēly for your blood if ye do not vnfaynedly spedely repente to be shed of men againe And although you wold not beleue the promises of God to be true Yet way you the late experience of that trueth verefied in the late dukes of Somerset and Northumberlande whose doinges to al them that did know them do manifestlie prooue the sayed promises of God to be most certenly and truely verefied in them As they can not be otherwise in all men And now I trust your lordships do well vnderstande and perceaue that this law by your consentes lately reuiued made a law in force and stength is contrary both to the doctrine and example of Christe and of his Apostles and Prophetes Wherfore it can not be but a wicked law Esai 10. Woo therfore be vnto you that make wicked lawes sayeth God by his prophe Esaias And if a nother magistrate shuld by the prouision of God be called to reigne oue vs who iudgeth the forme of religion last receaued of vs to be contrary to Gods worde and therfore to be worthely abolished then maye he persecute all youre bishops and thē that now haue consented to morther christen men for their fayth but nor because he perceaueth that they haue no perfite faith or els a wicked faith for then should he commit lyke iniquitie but because the worde of God sayeth The same measure that you haue measured to other the same shal be measured to you againe By this sentence that is no wicked law al youre mortheringe bishops maye iustly be handles as they haue handled them This law of late by youre consentes reuyued and made in force and strength as a perfite law doeth not only reproue youre lordships of youre inconstauncie who not longe tyme before vpon reasonable and godly causes wel wayed frely disputed and reasoned did dysanull make frustrate voyed the same as a wicked law but also this youre sodeine reinuinge of the same declareth that you care not what you do be it neuer so wicked contrary to God so that you maye auoyde the displeasure of the magistrate and supreme eyuill gouernour Wherby it appereth manifestlie that you regarde more the displeasure of man then the displeasure of God Doeth nor your lordships consider that God saith by the prophere Psal 5. The lorde shall breake the bones of them that do studie to please men Halas right honorable lordes who har● so be witched you now that you so sodenly aye fled from Gods trueth Gal. 3. Your awne cōnsciēces so longe tyme approuīg the same Before whose eyes Iesus Christ was so lyuely preached and so faithfully set forth And neuertheles now not only his doctrine and the true and profitable vse of the sacramentes be by your consētes repelled for heresie but also Christ him self in his holy membres and misticall body most truelly tormented and slayn Halas that foreyne nations shal obsecre this inconstantie to your dishonours namely to be so in constante and ●…inge in the principall pointes concerninge a Christen mans religion and faith consideringe that by your owne consentes the same religion now by you repelled as heresye was by your commandemes set forth and commaunded thorough all the Realme and dominions of Englāde to be taught and also to be receaued of the people To what trueth and to what religion maye the subiectes of this realme here