was able to finde out the name of the blessed Trinitie By reason whereof the people stoode in a manunering supposing it was a newe Doctrine Your Massemongers and Idoll Préests durst not preach of it for feare of dulling the peoples heads with so great and déepe Mysteries And diuers of your Church of Roome doo thinke that this Doctrine is to hie a Doctrine for the people yet what colour so euer you all haue and beare of zeale and Religion I sée plainlie that you doo but cast away the soules of men for you reade in an vnknowne tongue you condempne your selues for you speake flatlie against the trueth you doo but dissemble in this waightie Article of our faithe and of the Trinitie and how cunningly soeuer you glose and do ceitfully soeuer it be that you colour your imquitie the Lord shall reueale it and we doo knowe it alreadie Wherefore I will first of all begin with this pointe of our faithe this ended I will come to the rest In all which I promise that no new doctrine shal be taught you or vaine matters opened to you or any doubtfull thinge deliuered to you But for that which I speake I will giue you a good and sufficient warrant out of the booke of God Thus I beléeue therefore and thus I teache all that faithfully will beléeue to hold and kéepe this ground of saluation for euer which is This reuerend doctrine of the Trinitie is in all holy and sacred wise to be read of euery person that vvilbe saued That Trinitie in Vnitie and Vnitie in Trinitie is to be woorshipped For there is the father who created all there is the sonne and he redéemed all and there is the spirit the holie Ghost that dooth sanctifie all The Father is made of none neither made nor created nor begotten The Sonne is of the Father alone not made nor created but begotten The holy Ghost is of the Father and of the sonne not made nor created nor begotten but proceeding And as in the Scriptures all things that are taught vs are of thrée sorts Either put in and set downe for man to beléeue and not to sée as was the heauen and the earth made of nothing by the Lorde Either to beholde and containe by faithe as is our redemption by Christ either which is last sensiblie to perceiue and naturally to take héede of and beware as is our obedience and disobedience in the commaundements of the Lord The naturall man is lead by reason and sense the godly is directed by faithe and hope So I am of opinion that the carnall and grose man is not able to comprehend the depth of this Christian veritie for that he referreth all thinges to the senses which deceiue him or to the outwarde apparaunces which ouerthrowe him or to naturall reasons which ouâ—e come hun or to materiall and visible apparitions which are alwayes drawing and with holding him so that as he measureth his faith by his sight and the truthe by his corporall and palpable blindnes so is he neuer able to attaine vnto the liuely perfect trueth which riseth of faith is giuen by the Lord. For my owne part I am not of your opinion which deuide your selues from the Church by your foolishe â—â—nes of Catholiques Iesuites Seminaries by which as by sâ—les coates you haue béene alwayes known amoÌ„g the righteous you shinke that this doctrine is haroÌ„e If it be it is no â—â—â—aile in you for you be hard hearted vnbeléeuing persoâ—â— you thinke that the depth thereof caÌ„not be attained vnto The vvilful and blinde are more more blinded by God in euerie thing that euery chyld coÌ„trolleth I easily grauÌ„t you this for séeing you serue not the Lord aright in matters wherin children sée your grosenes wherfore should you presume to search the depth of this secrete you thinke that the people is not able to coÌ„prehend this doctrine I think so too for at your hands they caÌ„not be taught at all your selues are ignorant In the scriptures they caÌ„not learne for you kéepe close the booke of the Lord and you hide these Misteries froÌ„ them But they be carnal you worldly it is therfore ouer hard meat for them to féede on They then be as you are no marueile if the blind leading the blind they both fall at length wherefore lye you still snorting in your Closets rather inglutted with surfetting and riot then experienced in articles of your faith and lie there so loÌ„g as you list suffer your own people to die for want of the light as you haue done rather then as ruÌ„nagates and maisterles men to trouble vs in EnglaÌ„d The Pope hath alwayes been knowne to be Antitichrist in sending foorth such as dysturbe common vvealthes I tell you the plainest Preacher that we haue caÌ„ vtter doctrine you caÌ„not coÌ„prehend and now as you fit dumbe mute speaking nothing you shal be witnesses in your own coÌ„sciences that I will speake no other thing then the trueth Therefore I make protestation of my faith vnto you in this manner There is in the Trinitie thrée persons but one God the persons be these the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost In dignitie none desire to rise higher then the other in power they are equiualeÌ„t none goeth beyoÌ„d the other in glory they are glorious none is worshipped more then is the other Such as is the Father in diuinity such is the SoÌ„ne also in his exceltencie as the Father the SoÌ„ne is in theyâ— brightnes so is the holy Ghost equal vnto them in his highnesse Maiesty which power Principality which right Honour and renowne which hath béene with them from all beginning is common and proper to all thrée Thrée be they in person one and all onely one in Goodhead In béede the Father died not but the Sonne died for vs â—he Sonne was begotten of his Father before all worldes the Father was not begotten of the Sonne The Spirite the holy Ghost protéedeth from them bothe the Spirit the holy Ghost is of them bothe the Spirit the holy Ghost is with them bothe The Father the SoÌ„ne procéeded not of the Spâ—rit yet are they vnited so in the Godhead as the one is not aboue the other neither is there superiority in the one more then is in the other The Rabbines were pitthy and vvittie in many thinges though scrupulous and superstitious in som things The Hebrew Rabbines doo assigne and expresse the Trinitie by this name God which is with them Iehouah This the Gréekes call Tetragrammaton which is a name or word of fowre Letters to outward she we yet there are but thrée indéede for He is put in twise as in the second in the fourth place By these thrée Letters they doo expresse the Trinitie Iod betokeneth Principium 1 A beginning aptlie sheweth the Father that began and created all The second Letter He signifieth To be or to lyue and declareth the SoÌ„ne which is
Basill nor with Gregorie Nazianzen nor with Ambrose in this matter but with the Lord will I holde And yet I tell you that euen these men Contra Idola Ambrosius Lib. de spiritu sancto cap. 12. Denieth it law full to pray to the Virgin Marie named by me are contrarie to them selues For Athanasius sayth in his booke of Prayer that Mens fons est orationis 1 The minde is the fountaine and well spring of Prayer And to the same vpon the fiftie and fowre Psalme he sayth Promptae semper in hominum praecationes Dei aures sunt 1 That is The eares of the Lord are alwayes open to the prayers of men By which his Testimonies he is contrarie to the other places of praying to Saintes for first Athanasius referreth all to the spirite of man and secondlie The Fathers haue not defended the praying to Saintes giueth all audience to the Lord and none other And Basill in his booke De vita solitaria is verie flat against him selfe he speaketh much in other places against praying to Saints For this he saith Ora ad Deum cum timore et animi humilitate That is Pray vnto God in feare and all humilitie of the minde You sée prayer made by him to God excludeth all other For it went a lyttle afore Pete ex fide semper quod binum est operans 1 Aske by faith doing that alwayes which is good Faith excludeth héere praying to Saintes séeing that Faith and beléefe is not to be reposed in them I may say the same of Gregorie Nazianzen and of Ambrose and Ambrose him selfe is flat against praying to Saintes and against all prayers that are to be made to the Virgin Marie as appeareth in his booke Lib. 3. De spiritu sancto ca. 12 Non quicquam adorandum praeter Deum sicut Scriptura dixit Dominum Deum tuum adorabis 1 There is nothing to be worshipped but God He giueth an other reason For it is written in the scripture Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God Wherefore I am of opinion that some Miscreant and wicked man moued by the Spirite of error hath enterlaced and in many places corrupted the good sayinges of the Fathers with euill opinions Tertullian in his Apollogie Cap. 17. sayth We must worship this onely one and true God who with his worde hath made the heauens and the elementes and all spirituall bodies in the same Epiphanius Lib. 3. against the Antidicomarianites and against the worshippers of the Virgin Marie hath many excellent sayinges concerning this thing to whome I referre you Gregorius Nazianzen in his Oration to the Subiects that were affrayde sayth thus Christus tanua et reconciliatio hominum ad Patrem factus 1 Christe is made the doore and the reconciliation of man vnto his Father Cyrill vpon Iohn Lib. 7. Cap 3. sayth That an entraunce is made vnto the kingdome of heauen all onely by Iesus Christe Wherefore I doo request you to reade that learned Theophilact in his Epistle to them of Colossa and Augustine to Honoratus Cap. 10. and the same in his booke of True Religion and they will satisfie you in this Question of praying and to whome to pray Wherefore I will conclude with two reasons drawne out of the Scriptures Psal 51.6 Iob. 14.4 Pron 24.16 Rom. 3.10 The first is this They which sinne as wée doo can not be helpers of vs in our prayer for all prayer is to them that are holie and perfect but the Saintes haue sinned and sinne as we doo Ergo Psalm 3.8 Esa 27.3 Hos 13.4 we haue no cause to pray to them but to the Lord that can helpe vs. Also it is euident that prayer is not to be giuen to any but such as can helpe themselues and other Now the Saints can helpe neither themselues nor any other but Christe Iesus onely must doo it Then no prayer is to be giuen to them for this is the nature of prayer and such things are to be required herein 1. First we must pray to God for he heareth the prayers of the whole world 2. Secondly to one that is able and can doo all thinges which onely is God 3. Thirdly that he be a worthy Person to whom we pray and so is none but the Lord. 4. Fourthly that he be no creature least we derogate from the creator so that the dead haue no portion or inheritaunce in our prayers but onely the Lord. Now therefore I will conclude that Israell must all onely serue the Lorde his God and none other neither in heauen neither in earth neither aboue the heauens neither vnderneath the earth is there any one to whom we must giue homage but onelye to him Then take the Cuppe of salnation into your handes and call on the name of the Lorde Sanctifie your selues and drawe néere to his Tabernacle A stronge Towre is the name of the Lord he that runneth to him shal be saued In Ierusalem is saluation and on the heads of the Goodly is strengthe no falsehood is found in the wise and no halting in those that feare God Though the world doo delight in Chariots and the Kinges of the earth in their Horses and great men in theyr strength yet will we onely call vpon the name of the Lord we wil say glory to the highest and prayses vnto him in the vppermost heauens we will offer sacrifice of thankes giuing vnto our God and paye our vowes to the Almightie we will singe to the Lord a new songe and Sion shall not staye to prayse her God we will singe with Moses and prayse the Lorde with Aaron in his holy assemblye we will not giue his powre vnto man nor the strength of his arme vnto a Forrainer our Crownes shal be set vpon his heade and we will fall downe to him as to our God we will giue blessing and glorie and honour vnto him that sitteth on the Throne for euer and euer and all the Beasts of the earth shall subscribe vnto vs. But as for you you haue not knowne the Lord the God of Iacob hath not béene your defence you haue giuen his honour to the great Beast and the Oragon hath frayed you so that you haue his markes of blasphemie in your foreheads you haue serued that great whore and bowed your knées to the Woman of sinne Therefore shall your portion be without the Gates of the holy Cittie and you shall not sée the Lambs and his face for euer In the Vinepresse of his wrathe shall you bee troden to péeces and if you repent not your portion shal be Fier and Brimstone for euermore You are the sonnes of the bloody Fathers that haue killed the Prophets you are the Children of the cursed séede You are of the posteritie of Amelech vnworthie to liue among Israell You are the reliques of Iebus and of the remnaunt of the Hittites that haue béene prickes and thornes in the sides of the righteous men You are the Chemerims
not to be grossely taken that no more is to be followed then those named in this place But by these wordes must be vnderstoode all his lawes and ordinances written in the Lawe and in the Prophetes and I referre this place Vnto Deut. 12.32 thus written God is of heauen heauenly therefore bumane traditions must not be mingled with his seruice Quicquid tibi in mandatâ—m dedero hoc facies neque addi aliquid neque diminui patieris a verbo meo What so euer I commaund thee that shalt thou doe thou shalt neither add any thing therevnto neither shalt thou plucke any thing therefrom which euen very same commandement is written Deut. 4.2 Hearken you O Israel vnto the ordinances and lawes which I teach you to doe it followeth you shall put nothing vnto the worde which I commaund you neither shal you take ought therefrom And vnto Ioshua was the same lawe giuen in commaundement Iosh 1.7 and he was charged to obserue all things that Moses the seruant of the Lord did commaund him the restraint was set downe thus Thou shalt not turne away from it to the right hande or to the left that thou maiest prosper whither so euer thou goest The Priestes of Bâ—al the foolish Chemermâ— and the Scribes and Phariâ—ies were in the same maner blinded as be our Iesurtes Papistes and Seminaries their most principall and chiefe Ceremonies were al one the same proofâ— they vse both of them for their superstitions and the verie same customs they doe allowe of bicause their fathers of olde vsed them which lawe and most sacred and holy ordinance of the Lord when I consider of I wonder how you the aduersaries of the grace of God schollers of the Pope and Antichrist either burst not in pieces for feare or holde not downe your heades for shame or accuse not your selues in your consciences or cry not out vnto the Lorde in this extremitie when you sée all thinges in your religion and profession either to be inuented either to be founded by man either to disagrée either to be contrarie dissonant from the word of God either to be whorish either to be diuelish either to be Idolatrous either to be superstitious which is the least fault you haue of al It can not be if you had read the lawe as you flée from it If you had experience in the scriptures as you shut them vp If you had exercises of prayer as you haue none aright If you had the Commaundements of the Lorde among you as you denye them If you had true seruice as you corrupt it If you had the ordinaunces of the Lord and his wordes with you as you are farre from them But that you should sée easily and perceiue rightly and iudge perfectly and deale syncerely and after an other manner to than nowe you doe in your daily administrations and vnlawfull sacrifices Remember that cursse that is laide vpon your shoulders and vpon the shoulders of your fathers in the last of the Reuelation Reuel 22.18 for your corrupting of the word Therefore after a rewarde that is giuen to euerie one according to his workes there is a description of Christ whom we ought to acknowledge in this manner 1 First as being α and ω the beginning and the end 2 Secondly as being the first and the last There is also a blessing set downe vnto those that shall feare his Commaundements 1 Their right way shall be in the tree of life 2 They shall enter in through the gates of the citie After this there are certaine per sons named the are shut out of the kingdome of God 1 Dogges be the first sort sauage wilde vntamed and wanton persons 2 Inchaunters be next such as haue bene the most of your Romish Prelates 3 Whoremongers the third and you and the Romanistes speake against marriage and yet maintame whores in your Cloysters 4 Murtherers folow such are you and such haue your fathers bene that seeke and thirst after the bloud of the Saints 5 Idolaters also are without and more vile more ougly more monstrous and more filthie theÌ„ are you of Rome I know none vnder heauen professors of religion at this day 6 Moreouer such as loue and make lyes are in the number and these can be no other than you and as you be that maintaine false doctrine and delight therein After al this there is a message sent vnto men The messinger is the Angel of God and his message or tidings is heauenly and diuine namely 1 That the roote and generation of Dauid Iesus Christ 2 That the bright morning starre Christ the light that brought light into the world Hath of his meeremercy brought â—vs good tidings 1 How that the spirit and the bride do cry come 2 How that euery one that heareth may come 3 How that al those that are a thirst may come 4 How that euery one that will take of the water of life may come freely But there followeth a Protestation with a ComminatioÌ„ 1 First that what man so euer he be 2 Secondly that heareth 3 Thirdly the wordes 4 Fourthly of this prophecie 5 Fifthly presuming to add any thing thervnto That then God shall adde vnto that man all the plagues that are written in that booke Furthermore the Lorde inlargeth that spoken before So that if any man shall presume 1 To diminish the wordes of the booke of that prophecie 2 His part shall be taken out of the booke of life 3 His parte shall be taken out of the holie citie 4 He shall haue no part in the things are written in this booke 5 And all this is confirmed by the Lorde for hee will come quickly to see it done As they are more to be feared that can kill and destroy the soul rather than those onely that do spill the bodie so are the papistes the more to be abhorred as they doe cast away both the outward the inward man Nowe therefore looke you vnto this O you the enimies of God more then enimies vnto the Lorde for you make all other whome you can get enimies vnto him worse than common enimies for you raise vp straungers against him crueller than are the enimies for they kil but the body you destroy both bodye and soule Fiercer than are all enimies for they vse the sword you abuse the word and bring in an other contrarie to it I charge you not without cause I lay nothing vnto you but that I may iustly Your consciences bewray you and you betray your selues your comming ouer to vs presuming to teach being more fitter you should learne entring and insinuating of you into the hearts of men spreading abroad your damnable opinions are tokens sufficient I say to manifest vnto the world what men you be You you haue counterfeited the Scriptures you you haue falsified the trueth You you haue added and diminished You you haue put too and taken from the word of God You you haue inclined
both to the right hand and to the left hand contrarie to the word of God I appeale to your owne consciences I referre my selfe to that spirite which I knowe euen nowe pricketh you The profession of Iesuites and the name of theÌ„ was taken of two sundrie per sons the profession vpoÌ„the ererection of a college by a Pope the name is taken was before the erection of the house almost 1050. yeares for they be Iesuites of Iesus Haeret. fabularum Compend 10. lib. 4. and in the same tel me whether I charge you wroÌ„gfully yea or not Where haue you warrant for that profession which some of you here professe Why are you seuered from men by an other name and wherefore haue you that same vnheardof title of Iesuites what Prophete what Apostle what good and auncient dustoâ—â—e of the Primitiue Church sinde you this in The time will not permit me now but hereafter I will shewe your originall at large But yet tell me what authoritie what warrant what Scripture you haue for your whippings and your shauings Truely they are good marks for you to be knowne by as of such as be right Priestes of Baal Who as you whippe your selues so they also launched them selues to be séene of men Or you be like vnto the Donatistes of whome Theodoretus Bishop of Cyrus speaketh For they fat vp them selues like Porklings before they dye and offer vp sacrifices to them that are aliue and whip one an other oftentimes One merrie pretie conceited thing I do remember written of them by the same Theodorete which thing a yong Gentleman is said to haue done Now it fell out that many of them vpon a time assembled together being like vnto madde men and in a phrensie The Arrian in killing of him selfe the Donatist in his madnesse doing the same and the Iesuite in whipping of him and shortening his time agree al in one fell vpon a noble and couragious young Gentleman and among them one reached vnto him a naked sword and bid him runne him thorowe for he was wearie of his life the young youth aunswered that he was afraide to doe any such déede and then peraduenture if I should doe it your companions also would kill me But they forced him at length the Gentleman vpon condition condescended so that they would be all bound with cords that he might be in feare of nothing They also yealded to that This Gentleman bound them fast then tooke he the sword of them which done he would not runne vpon them or kil them but tooke whippes and whipped them For my owne part of a trueth I commend this young man and I would that our grayheaded Fathers in this Realme were of his minde Not that I doe desire they should drawe out the sword to cut you off but bicause you are so well vsed to whippings as being a profession of your owne to doe it I would councell them to haue a care of the same and no withered armes in the tryall of this matter Nowe if you like your owne countrie cordes better than ours they shall doe a good deede to shippe you ouer to Rome againe There can be no better lawe to tame them then is the same to which they are sworne â—â—d is so well allowed of them from whence you came Then can you not complaine of vs for we haue done no more vnto you then you would haue vs doe no nor then you do vnto your selues And weout al dout if you should be touched according to your deseruings I do not finde howe you should escape w e your liues the both seditiously come hither to raise vp her Maiesties subiectes and tumultuously spread abroad rebellious pamphlets and with so horrible sacriledge to the Maiestie of God cause our people to refuse comming to the Church Thrée which if both her Maiestie were not merciful and our learned and sage Fathers willing also to heare of your conuersion and amendment are able to cut you short enough for euer séeing Rome or the Pope any more For my owne part The false Churches vse fire and â—aggot in much crueltie therefore the true Church may vse some discipline and some sharp punishmeÌ„t with out tyrannie I will not add willingly affliction to affliction or griefe vnto griefe yet what we suffered in those bloudie and late dayes the world knoweth and for the bread and good kéeping you finde in the Towre you trussed vs vp at the Gallowes and fiered vs at the stake The Lord graunt that it be not layde vnto your charge But thankes to our Lorde God that hither to hath saued vs from you I hope that for his names sake he will deliuer vs still In déede you beginne to bussell nowe and by little and a little to shewe your heades in this Realme but your hope shall be turned to distrust and your day you looke for to an vnknowne day and what so euer it be that you trust vnto whether to the hollowe heartes of England The church was nener without one Achitophel some Doeg or other or one Iudas to betray it or to the faire prontifes of those that sent you â—uer or to some Oracle you haue by which you haue receiued courage or to the foreigne powers which haue bewitched you or to the trayterous attemptes that haue bene practised or to the seditious tumultes which the Pope and Spaine haue raised or else to what so euer it is you trust I tell you plainely you are beguiled you are deceiued you are blinded you are infatuated and your Counsel is brought to nought You may retire wel enough with your companions for of a truth as Achior saide to Olofernes captaine of the armie of Assur Iudeth 5. so can we and so will we answere you If we haue done no great sinne or committed no euill in the sight of our God whereby we haue prouoked him he shall fight against you all But if we haue then if we repent not the Lord will surely deliuer vs into your handes and if there be none iniquitie in vs it is best for you and for your confederates to goe by and to returne backe for I tell you the Lord will fight for vs. Nowe if it should come to passe that God should deliuer vs into the handes of forainers and into she handes of the wicked God not man is to be feated when man commâ—â—deth haâ—â—is coâ—tratie to God yet will we say as Shadrach Meshach and Abednego saide to Nebucadnezar We woulde neither obey them nor their commaundement but let the Lord do what semeth him good in his eyes And in the meane season as wee depende vpon the Lorde our God that made both heauen and earth So also wee will not cease to crye out against you to desire the Lorde to deale with you accoâ—ding to the iniquitie of your inuentions Psal 28.5 To disperse your lying lippes and your deceiptfull tongues Psalm 12.3 To reward you seuenfolde into your
little did for to get them wholy permit oblations for a season that at length their superstitions might be forgotteÌ„ Now your Gregorius after that ordained it as a lawe for euer that he that came to Masse should not come emptie but bring something with him by reason whereof your pursses and your coffers are so enlarged at this day Your Prefaces are all referred for their antiquitie to Gelasius Your Canon Read Albertus Eccle. 47. which of all other is likest the Master Gregorie that instituted it hath diuelish and idolatrous stuffe within it There is the remembrance of their Saintes or rather of their Goddes There be your wordes of Consecration rather Coniuring Ioh. Syracusanâ— Episcop parte 8 epist 7. there is the Lords prayer so oft repeated there the breaking of the hoast c. So that all good and faithfull men may sée howe grieuously you haue proudked the Lord The blindnesse where with God hath stroken these men appeareth in that they obey the institutions of these wiâ—ked Popes and will not obey the word of the Lord. in bringing in of uewfangled Ceremonies which before this were neuer knowne in the Church of God Nowe therefore what delay should there be made what stay what let should hinder you that you should not come to the Lorde and be sorie and sée your follie Is it better to serue God or to serue man to obey the Lorde or to holde with the Pope to acknowledge the trueth or to be in error to remember the ordinaunces of those that are temporall which ruled you which gouerned you being but vsurpers and Termagaunts among men or to feare the eternall and euerliuing maker of heauen and earth and to giue eare vnto his wordes I am grieued I am touched I am moued in soule and spirite to sée you so hard so peruerse so vntamed in affections so vnbrideled in your speaches so carelesse of your selues so stiffened in your errors and so impudent before this assemblie as I perceiue you are Is it for that you suspect me for the antiquitie of your religion search and find it otherwise Children and fooles and Papistes are alike for if you controll them they fight if you let them alone they are worse if you doe becken at them they will return vpon you with violence then accuse me Is it bicause you be but vpstartes and wresters of all trueth Conuince me then and condemne me Is it bicause your religion commeth of men then be ashamed professe Gods worde Is it bicause all your trumperie procéedeth of the Pope reuolt returne amende and denye him stay vpon the Lorde GOD Is it bicause the inuenters of your Masse haue bene such as was also your seruice inuented filthie vngodly wicked diuelish euill disposed naughtie persons and idolaters Why you may forsake them when you will But is it bicause that I open to you the trueth bicause I tell you of the sinnes of your fathers and of your owne bicause I tell you of your manifolde lyings Your owne men speake worse of you than I doe Martinus Meyr a Chauncellor Aeneas Syluius a Cardinall the coÌ„plaint of the whole nation of the Germanes vnder Caesar Augustus Maximilianê° sheweth it great vntruthes slaunderous reproches filthie demeanor vngodly life euill déedes erronious opinions foolish Ceremonies diuelish heresies bypocriticall deuises humane institutions Popish decrées and whorish fables which you haue brought in and would confirme in England I exhort you then in the name of the Lorde to eschewe and abhorre them all you shall neuer be tolde of them any more we will forget them If not then heauen and earth shall he witnesse that I haue told you of all your sinnes and of all your abhominations this day and yet you cease not to perseuere still in the same You that are here comming from the Pope howe can you stande so boldly and face it out so gazingly and heare vs so repiningly and spurne so yrkesomely as you doe without horrour of conscience Miscellanea Missae All the appertinaunces to the Masse We can not suffer you we maye not suffer you we will neuer suffer you to defende so horrible and erronious constitutions as your forefathers the wicked Popes inuented What sinne was not committed by them what abhominations were there not done by them what stinking and slauish Constitutions were not decréed by them Your Pope Sixtus decréed the first of that name That no Lay man or any woman should touch so much as the Cuppe or Chalice that the Prieste did sacrifice in or any else of the holie vessels Platina in descript vitae Sext. Pont. Your Pope Alexander the first brought in the oblation of Wafer cakes as he calleth it Your Telesphorus commaunded that three Masses should be saide vpon Christmas day Pla. in eius vita and thereof we retaine in our Church of England this worde Christmas which came vp of that custome vsed by that Bishoppe for it was called at the first Christmas day as hauing a Masse saide that day for Christe wherefore I doe wishe that together with the sacrifice of Masse the name of Masse may be abrogated and for that worde let the good and faithfull men say as they sayde in the Churches of the East and the West Sozam lib. 8. cap. 20. The Natiuitie and Birthday of Christe let the remembraunce and memoriall of this brought in by the Pope be abrogated For at Constantinople was celebrated Natalis Christi Maximus Taurinensis in Homilijs The birth day of Christe And so also was it in the Churches of Gallia Wherefore as your Popes haue corrupted all thinges so will we and so ought we to flée from them in all thinges Nowe those that succéeded haue bene more diuelishly deluded Alexander the first who liued in the dayes of Hadrian the Emperour Liber Cone was the first bringer in of the mixture of the Wine with Water and before his time it was neuer vsed by commaundement at Masse or otherwise This was he that brought in Wafer cakes when as before that Liber Canticorum leauened breade was vsed at the Sacrament Also he appointed holie water for the people after Masse and one Masse to be sayde in one day Your Boniface Pope Lib. Conc. diuided the Cleargie from the Laytie and then seuering them Platina set the one aboue the other beneath Your Vigilius Bishop of Rome commaunded that none should say Masse Petrus de Nar. but with his face to the East Your Iohannes Portuensis Platina in the sixt Synode helde at Constantinople gathered-together by Constantinus against the Monotholites was the first that euer celebrated the Latine Masse Volater which is religiously obserued by you at this day Valafridus an Abbas vnder Ludonicus Pius 840. after Christ doth maruellous ly complanie of these and the like abuses brought in by the Popes Sabianus appointed houres for ringing of Belles and Lampes to burne in the Temple this
is the newe Testament in my bloode This figure did the fathers we often times and the scholemen too Lactanâ—â—â—â— called the churche the temple of God Hylarie calleth it the house of Gods Ambrose calleth it the mother of al that liue Epiphanius saith it is via Regia the high kinges high waye Ierome saith it is the Arke of Noe and so doe they also speake of the supper of the Lord Nazianzen calleth it the supper of the Lorde a thankes giuing and againe a Table Ambrose calleth it a spirituall restoratiue and Dionisius calleth it a societie a communion a congregation an assembly so that if the Papistes and Iesuites did not willingly erre they might see the trueth In which wordes is a deuble Metonymie a double figure First the vessel is taken for that which was contained in the vessell as the cuppe for the wine which was within the cuppe Then the wine is called the couenant or Testament where as 〈…〉 the thing it is it can bée but the signe of the Testament 〈◊〉 rather of the bloode of Christe whereby the Testamente was made And thus doe I thinke of the body of Christ for it was spoken by the same figure representing the bodie and the bloode of Iesus Christ Nowe for that you may knowe both my faith and what I thinke hereof I will make open protestation of that certaine and vndoubted veritie which I beléeue as also so farre as in me lyeth confirme and establish the weake consciences of those that are here At the supper of the Lorde you shall consider two thinges 1. The person of God 2. The person of man In the person of God 1 The institutor which is Christ 2 The cause of his institution which is the remembrance of his death In the institution of these thinges 1 The externall signes 1 Bread for his bodie for his death 2 Wine for his blood shedding most precious sacrifice 3 The word for the remembraunce of both 2 The internal meaning And then shall you see all his spirituall graces most heauenly benefites Which are these most excellent 1 Faith if we beleeue 2 Assurance of life if we continue 3 Saluation if we receiue these mysteries truely 4 In Christes blood shedding our blood is not shedd 5 In his offering God the father is pacified 6 By his death hath hee ouercome the power of death and hee giueth the spirite which worketh vnto life to all those that receiue him worthily Secondly we haue here to coÌ„sider maÌ„ and it is to be done two waies 1 In his own person 2 In the persoÌ„ of his neighbor If in his owne person then let him consider 1 The time Hee is warned to flye sinne and though at all time hee bee put in minde thereof yet nowe aboue all times and though neuer vntimely yet it is the best time to remember it 2 The place it is holy for wee come before God 3 The persons and they are these 1 God the father 2 God the Sonne 3 God the holy Ghost These are al there these are naturally there these are in power ther they are not really there these are in grace there they are not in state there these are in gouernmeÌ„t of spirite truth there they will not be mocked at your handes 4 The vse of this the supper of the Lord. The vse is this 1 That we stand in faith conforme our selues to the death of Christ 2 That we examine our selues and come with a loathing of sinne meaning to sinne no more 3 That you be assured that whatsoeuer hath been done before time is pardoned Then here commeth in the last thing to be considered which is The person of thy neighbour for there be two sortes at the table 1 Thou thy selfe 2 And others For thy selfe call to minde 1 What thou wast 2 What thou art 3 What thou shalt be 1 Without God and borne in sinne 2 Made a newe man strengthned in Iesus Christ 3 An heir with God copartner with him if thou liue therafter For others remember 1 To laye aside all malice with hawtines 2 To laye aside all enuye with bitternesse 3 To lay aside all reuenge with greedinesse Then haue you fulfilled all Nowe for my owne parte I do protest simply before the Lord my God The Lord did foresee that these blasphemouâ— heretikes woulde rise vp therefore hath God giuen to vs many examples to approue that which here he spake so that Papists Iesuits cannot be excused for euer that if I had but any warrant at al in the scriptures to satistie me in this point I wold condescend willingly vnto your opinions But séeing the whole body of the Bible is against you and we haue the Lord wholy on our side what reason is there that I should credit you And as for you if you were not blinded if you were not deceiued if you were not most wonderfully drowned in your errours you might easily see the truth of this matter If God alone had vsed this figure in this place if it had béen founde no where else if the scripture would not haue permitted it if the lawe and the Prophets did not testifie it if reason and God him self did not condescend vnto it then you might haue perswaded vs but seeing that the Lord our God hath not bene against our opinions but hath euen by his owne mouth iustified all that we haue spoken what cause what reason what moueth you to coutende Search and sée looke into the booke of God if 〈◊〉 very same figure be not vsed in many thinges as it is in this one thing of his bodye The worde of God is compared to leauen that leaueneth the whole lumpe Matth. 13.33 Isay 49.2 Ephe. 6.17 Apoc. 19.15 Ier. 5.14 Ier. 23.29 Ezec. 3.3 Esa 55.10 Deut. 32.2 Matt. 13.19 the word is called a sworde the worde is called Musterde séede the worde of God is called fire the worde of God is a hammer the word of God is bony the worde of God is as snowe the worde of God is as raine the worde of God is the seede sowen yet for all this the worde of the Lord leaueneth not the worde of the Lorde striketh not the worde of the Lorde groweth not the worde of the Lorde burneth not the worde of the Lord killeth not the worde of the Lord sweeteneth not the worde of the Lorde snoweth not the worde of the Lorde rayneth not the worde of the Lorde powreth not downe materially grossely earthly and really as the wordes portende and so I say of the body of Christe you haue it not carnally you haue it not fleshly you haue it not verily flesh blood and bone in the sacrament The same maner of speach also in the scripture concerning Christ is found euery where Christ was the rocke that gushed out water 1. Cor. 10.1 yet Christ was not in the rocke and Augustine and Origen are of the same opinion that the rocke signified Christ