helpe to resyst synne / but onely by gods worde / as our sauiour christ dyd / wherin he must fyxe a sure and constāt faythe Mat. .iiii. Faythe causeth vs and all ours / to be acceptable in the syght of God Roma xiiij For a conclusiō / whatsoeuer is not of fayth that same is synne And wtowte a constante and sure fayth / it is impossyble to please God Heb. xi All men maye well perceyue / that by the lawes and by the iuste execution of them / although synne may be for a tyme cohybyted and restrayned / yet it can not be suppressed and abholyshed / but onely through fayth For there was neuer more godly lawes made for the punyshmente of synne / nor neuer more iuste and godly executyon of lawes admynistred / and yet there was neuer more synne raygnynge For cyuyle lawes made by man / can not be of greater effycacye or strength / nor worke greater perfectyon vertue and good wyll in man / than the lawe of god but the lawe of God not onely worketh no obedyence or vertue / but rather through occasyō takē of the infirmyte of the fleshe / steareth vp synne / as sayethe Paul Ro. vij I knowe not what luste dyd meane / except the lawe had sayed thow shalte not luste But synne toke an occasyon by the meanes of the commandemente / and wrought in me all maner of cōcupiscence / for verely wtoute the lawe / synne was dead I ones sayth Paul / lyued wtout lawe But when the cōmandement came / synne reuyued / and I was dead / and the very same commaundement which was ordeyned vnto lyffe / was founde to be vnto me an occasyon of deathe Ro. vij But nowe graciouse lorde / for asmoche as it appeareth / that the lawe of God was not geuen to take awaye synne / but rather to declare and to punyshe synne moche lesse any lawe made by man / can auoyde and put away synne But faythe is the true Instrument appoynted by God / wherby synne is ouercome exiled Act. xv As the scripture sayeth / that God through faithe / dothe puryfye make cleane all hartes Io. xv Also Christ sayethe / nowe are yow cleane / by the meanes of the wordes / whiche I haue spoken vnto you This faythe shall cause / noryshe and breade / true obeydyence / and all other vertues in your graces subiectes hartes / wherby they shall be enforced to laboure not onely to obserue kepe Godes lawes / but also all your graces ordynances commaundementes and lawes / without grudge or murmuracyon This faythe as the Apostle sayeth commethe by hearinge of Gods worde preached / wherof Byshops Parsons / Vicars / suche other called to haue spirituall cure / be or shulde be dylygent mynisters / to whose vocatyō iustely parteyneth to declare and publyshe Gods worde syncerely truely / to all the people cōmytted to their spirituall charge Rom. x. Most myghty Prynce wherfor if the Pastours appoynted to preache teache Gods worde / wtin this your graces realme / doo not dyligētly instructe teache the people cōmytted to their spirituall charge with the sayd worde / accordinge as they be cōmaunded in the scriptures Act. xx i. Pe. v. Mal. ij Proue xxix Act. xx i. Pet. v. and Malache xx all kyndē of synne shall increase and abounde / the people vtterly be devyded As sayethe the holy ghoste When the worde of God is not preached the people perysheth Also the Wyse mā sayethe Sa. xiij All men be vayne in whom there is not the knowleage of god Wherfore without any doubt the wāte and lacke of preaching of godes worde syncerely and truely hathe bene the very originall grounde and cause of all the insurrection / cōmotiō / dyscention / which hathe rysen or begone within this your graces real me or any parte therof For through the want of preachyng of Godes worde syncely haue entered in all popyshe blyndenes / vayne dead ceremonyes / mēnes tradycyons be crept into the conscyences of the symple innocentes in the steade of the lawe of God Yea ydolatrye and all hypocrysye with detestable superstycyon for lacke of the lyght of Godes worde / is become Gods seruyce And yet notwtstandinge this wante lack of knowleage in Godes worde the euyll which cōmethe manyfestly therof / the more it is to be lamented / there be many popishe monckes which late were Abbottes to whom not onely vnworthely / but also vniustely / were geven greate pensyons and many of their covent mo◅kes hauinge nother lernynge nor other godly qualytyes apte meate or convenyent to be in spirituall pastours be nowe admytted to haue cure of soules And some suche which ded neuer knowe what is a soule / nor yet be able to haue cure ouer one soule / be nowe admytted to haue charge ouer an hundreth and many moo / to the increase of all yngnorācye and all popishe blyndnes / the hyghe waye meanes to let in all kynde of synne / to the vtter dampnacion of all the soules commytted to their spirituall charge Alas doo nother the patrones of suche benefyces / nor yet the incumbentes pōder or regarde Gods threatenyngs by his Prophete Ezechiell sayeng / As truely as I lyue sayeth the lorde for asmuche as my shepe are robbed and deuowred of the wilde beastes of the felde hauynge noo shepeherde / and seing that my shepherdes take noo regarde of my shepe / but feade them selues onely / and not my shepe Ezech. xxxiiij Therfore here the worde of the lorde o ye shepherdes / thus sayeth the lorde God Beholde I my selfe will vpon the shepherdes / and requyre my shepe from their handes / and make them cease from feadinge of my shepe Yea the shepherdes shall feade them selues nomore / for I will delyuer my shepe owte of their mowthes / so that they shall not deuoure them after this If this threatenynge be not suffycient warnynge monycion to suche blynde shepherdes / yet at the lest let them feare Goddes curse pronownced in the same chapiter agaynst suche neglygent and ingnorāt shepherdes / sayenge Woo be to the shepherdes of Israell that feade them selues / shulde not the shepherdes feade the flocke / yow haue eaten vp the fatt / yow haue clothed yow with the wolle / the best fedd haue youe flayne / but the flocke haue yow not noryshed / heauen and erthe shall muche rather perishe / than these wordes wherwith God threatened suche pastours shal be found vntrue / That is / I will requyre my flocke of the handes of the shepherde Suerly most myghty prynce it is to busye an office / tomuche and laborouse for one spirituall shepherde althoughe he were very expert and connynge to guyde ordre / and kepe / two or thre flockes of shepe / specially beyng so farre dystāt one from an other / that the sayd shepherde can not be dayly present with them / to
se the governaunce of them / whose nature is dayly to falle into dyuerse offences and spirituall dyseases For the office of a good shepherd is not onely to feade his shepe in good pasture / but also to seke the lost shepe / to call agayne the strayed shepe in to the ryght waye / to salue and to make hole the broken which is broken by aduersyte / the weake and sycke shepe in the faythe / with the counfortable promyses of God / declared in the gospell / to make stronge constant and in cōclusyon to aduenture his liffe if nede requyre for the defence of his shepe / ever circūspecte lyeng in wayte / to resyst the roringe lyon / whiche neuer slepeth / goinge abowte and seakynge whome he maye devoure i. Pe. v. Suche I saye shulde be their diligence and dayly cure ouer their flocke shewed / that not onely their shepe / but also all other / seing and preceyvinge their greate paynes and labours sustayned and takē for the helpe and counforte of their shepe / the gentle entertayninge with all pacyence / humylyte meakenes / the fatherly love / cure / and affeccion which the said byshops and other Pastours shulde daylye shewe / exercyse practyse towardes Christes flocke cōmytted to their spirituall charge shall iudge them not onely good shepherdes which enter in by the dore / but also shall receyue take thē to be most gētle / prouydēt kynde / lovinge spirituall fathers But most prudēt gouernoure how shall this fatherly cure / love / zeale / affection / be shewed by the pastoure to his spirituall shepe which daylye cowcheth and wayteth in your graces householde and courte / and in other noble worshipfull mēnes howses / attendinge to please mē whych is called onely to serue God And not wtstandinge his callinge to be a shepherde to feade Christes flocke / yet he will sease se and visyte them ones in the yere And when he visyteth his shepe / what ghostely councell he geveth them / God knoweth But for the more parte / he loketh more to his owne profett than to their wealthe Alas the ambicyouse appetyte burnynge covetuouse desyre of the yerely cōmodyties / profettes and advauntages of the benefyces / hathe vtterly extynguyshed and supped vp the spirituall love / zeale and affection which ought to be in the spirituall shepherdes So that nowe it is straunge and wonderfull to se or knowe one iustely to execute his offyce Is this the honowre of any Kynge or of any other gouernowre / that vnder the cloke and coloure of hys seruyce / a Byshope or Pryste called to seade the flocke of Christe / shall leaue the same vntaught / and so transgresse the commaundement of Christe for the pleasure of men Haue not Kynges and other rulers sufficyent to endowe their chapelaynes / wtout retayninge suche which haue receyued lyuinge and stypende to be in their churches feadinge Christes flock This is tomoche dishonoure to the higher powers / agaynste goddes commaundemēt word to retayne an other mans seruaūt But certenly althoughe your highnes or other rulers wolde nother call nor retayne suche ambyciouse blynde guydes and couetouse pastours / yet they their selfe will by their fryndes make importunate sute and laboure to be in seruice with youre magestye and with other rulers The cause is thys / one inconuenyence graunted / many folowe Anno. xxi Hērici viij There is alawe made in this your noble realme / that all spirituall parsons of youre counsell maye haue thre benefyces with cure And all the chaplaynes of the Kynge / quene / prynce / prynces or of any of the Kyngs children / brethren / sisters / vncles and auntes / maye haue lycence to haue two benefyces with cure Euery Duke / marques / erle / vycounte / archebysshope / bysshope / with dyuers other estates aswell men as women maye haue two chaplaynes which maye haue two benefyces with cure / And also dyuerse other degres of scole maye haue euery one two benefyces with cure / so that ouer one of his cures althoughe he take the profyttes yet from that he muste neades be no resydent and peraduenture to bothe he wil be no feader nor teacher And also in the same estatute all attendaunce in the courte and all other attēdaunces vpon suche noble and worshipfull men which be lycenced to haue chaplaynes maye be not resydent / yea pylgrymes in the tyme of goynge and cōmynge from their pylgrymage be by that estatute dyspenced to be non resydent O lorde where was the light of thy worde / which shulde haue bene written in the hartes of the makers of the estatute If there had ben godly shepherdes which had dyligently executyd their office and callynge / we had neuer wandered so blyndely to agree or consent to the makynge of any suche estatute Doo we which thinke vs Christen men esteame spirituall benefyces to be nothinge els but lyvinges to be geuen at owre pleasure to prystes for seruyce done Is not the benefyce geuen in respecte of a spirituall offyce to be executyd done Doth not God cōmaunde straytely shepherdes to feade their flocke dyligently Can man or any lawe made by man dyspence with Gods commaundement O lorde in thy handes be the hartes of all Kynges and other rulers / enlyghten theyr hartes lorde with the light of thy worde that they maye knowe and see this pestylent yll blyndenes / which so longe hathe caused thy shepe to wander in darckenes And when they perceyue it they maye haue grace and tyme to reforme the same to thy glory and the helpe of this realme And I shall euer desyer of God and wishe in my harte to all suche as be called to be attendaunte nere youre magestie and all other gouernowres / that for any carnall loue / fauoure / or affectyon whiche they beare to any man for kyndred / frendshipe / luker / or otherwise / they doo not make any suche vngodly suytes petycions or requestes to your highnes or to any other gouernowre for any parson to be admytted to any offyce other spirituall or temporall / whome they doo not certeynly knowe by most certeyne and sure proues and witnesses / to be apte / meate / and conuenyent aswell in lernynge as in condycions / to excercise vse and to occupye suche offyce and rome / wherunto he by suche their sute made / shulde be called / appoynted and admytted not onely for the shame rebuke and troble whiche vpon dewe examynacion had and founde contrary to their vntrewe sute myght come and growe to them / but also for the euyll incommodyte and pestilent myschef which shall ensewe to all suche which shal be commytted to his or their gouernaunce charge Alas that euer amongest the chrysten flocke shulde be knowen or sene that suche office which in Christes churche shulde be the most godly / most necessary / most spirituall and most profytable bothe to the bodye and sowle / nowe
profet come to lytle aduauntage Surely a wyse man wolde chose no suche shepherde And if he were deceyued through the persuasyon of some of his frendes / yet when he hathe proued that he hathe no connynge nor dyligence / he will shortely dyscharge hym of his cure and seruice Shall we be estemed christen men whiche haue more tēder loue and affectyon to owre corruptyble profett / than we haue to the honowre of God the eternall wealthe of the immortall sowles of owre christen bretheren / whom Gode commaundeth to loue as owre selfe Io. xxi Christ ded not commytt to Peter the cure and charge of his shepe before he asked thryse of Peter whether he loued hym As who shulde saye I wolde not commytt my best beloued Ioywell and treasure vnto the / vnlesse thowe loue me hartely I wolde wyshe that all gouernowres and rulers in this case wolde take example and folowe Christ whiche knowynge the Good wyll of Peters harte / yet as one ingnorāte therof ded demaunde this questiō of Peter before he ded cōmytt the cure of his flocke to hym / therby to geue example cōmon doctryne to all his faythfull folowers that they shulde haue suche tender and feruent loue towardes the Christen sowles / that they wolde not commytt the gouernaunce and cure of them to any man / but vnto suche of whom they haue proue sure knowleage / that aswell by their preachinge syncere teachinge of Gods worde / as also by their vertuouse lyuinge cōsonante to the same worde they had vnfaynedly a faythfull harty loue towardes Chrystes flocke A blynde eye which can not dyrecte and leade the bodye is a blemyshe and a burden to the naturall bodye / and noo commodyte In lykewyse a man chosen to be a spyrytuall Pastour which hathe not the knowleage and grace to preache the lawe and the gospell / is but a blynde eye not able to dyrecte and leade the spyrytuall bodye Wherfore if any patrō chose any suche ingnorāte mā to be a pastoure / a spirituall eye and light to leade the spirituall sowles / he not onely deceyueth them but also asmoche as lyeth in hym kyllethe the bodye / and dothe greate iniurye to Christes bloode Now it maye please yowre highnes to note and marke what myschef and incōuenyence folowe the electyon and admyssion of an ingnorante postour Fyrste if an ingnorante byshope in Gods worde be admytted / he can not execute his office because he knoweth not the scryptures whiche teacheth hym what shulde perteyne to his owne office And as the byshop is ignorante in Godes worde / so he admytteth suche as be vnlerned in Gods worde / evyn suche as by noo possybylite can execute the office of their callinge Idle parsons / vnhappy / dronckerdes / swerers / common players at all vnthryftye games / in whom there is no chastyre / noo humylyte / iustyce / nor temperance For a conclusion / suche they admytte in whom there is noo holynes / godly doctryne / nor good example of lyuinge To suche they commytte the healthe of sowles / the flocke of Christe dearely bought with his bloode / by suche ydle and wicked harlottes the enheritaunce of Christe is troden vnder fote All euyll condycions maners and doctrynes by them be tawght / so that in the steade of holy scripture is crepte in the doctryne of lyes / all superstycions / dead vayne ceremonyes / and lycence to doo all kynde of synne Some of the blynde ignorante prestes teache the people that God is honowred / and soules releued of their paynes through the rynginge of belles / painting of postes / and settynge vp tapers and candelles before the sayd postes / whō the blynde prestes doo bothe sence spryncle with holy water An other sorte of blynde shauelings teache the people to gett heuen with tastynge / this prescripte daye that daye / with trentalles and masses of scala celi / with forbearinge of bodely workes kepinge ydle holy dayes / they preache muche holynes and Gods seruice to stande in their holy oyle / holy creame / holy water / holy asshes / hallowed bedes / mumblynge of a numbre of psalmes in laten / keapinge of church ales in the whiche with leappynge / daunsynge / and kyssyng they maynteyne the profett of their churche to the honoure of God as they both saye and thyncke And thus the blynde leadeth the blynde / that both fall hedlonge into the lake of eternall brenninge fyer What naturall harte is there whiche will not lamente the misery / yea the dampnaciō most certēly thretenede by Gods worde vnto all ingnorante and neglygent bysshopps and other spyrytuall shepherdes which doo not dylygently execute theyr offyce and vocation What honest louinge harte doth not bewayle the habundaunce of synne / the longe myserable blyndnes wherin this realme hath ben ledd and wrapped in through the yngnorancye and neglygence of suche blynde guydes But is there any chrysten harte which can forbere contynuall syghinge and mornynge / remembringe the multytude yea the infynyte numbre of sowles whiche without the greate mercye of God passinge all his worckes through ingnorancye negligēce of suche blynde shepherdes / be vtterly cast awaye dampned What good cyuyle harte wolde not I saye lament and bewayle the greate burden wherwith this your realme gracyouse lorde is ouercharged through the greate multytude of chauntery prestes / soule prestes / chanons / resydensaryes in chathedrall churches / prebendaryes / muncke pencyons / morowe mas prestes / vnlerned curattes / prestes of gyldes and of fraternytees or brotherhedes / rydinge Chaplaynes / and suche other ydle parsons / whyche yf they be well noted / and also what frute spryngethe of them indyfferētly valewed / consydered / and pondered / it will appere manyfestly to all reasonable and godly wyttes / that they do brynge noo maner commodyte profett or vtylyte other spyrituall or temporall to this your publycke wealthe No / no / they be not onely no commodyte nor profett to the common wealthe / but rather moche hynderance And truly no lytle wasters / spoylers / and robbers / and that of the most poore / in dygēt and neadye of youre louinge subiectes / which be most craftely / subtelly / and vnrightuousely depryued of the charytable succoure and almes of many symple vnlerned innocentes / through a vayne hope and false confydence that theyr sowles shulde be releued and released of theyr paynes and tormentes dewe for theyr synnes / when they be departed this worlde / by the longe prayers of prestes And the more it is to be lamented noo lytle nombre of your subiectes through suche vngodly truste and confydence in masses and dyryges to be songe and celebrated for them when they be dead / be greatly encoraged to lyue both wickedly towardes God / and also vnfrutefully towardes the worlde / lytle remembrynge and estemynge their vocacion callinge wherin God hath appoynted them to walke / and moche lesse