passion Peter was angry and rebuked Christ and thought earnestly that he had raued and not wist what he sayde as at another time when Christ was so feruently busied in healyng the people that he had no leisure to eat they went out to hold him supposing that he had bene beside hymselfe And one that cast out diuels in Christes name they forbade because he wayted not on them so glorious were they yet And though Christ taught alway to forgeue yet Peter after long goyng to schole asked whether men should forgeue seuen tymes thinkyng that viij tymes had bene to much And at the last supper Peter would haue dyed with christ but yet within few houres after he denyed him both cowardly and shamefully And after the same maner though he had so long heard that no man might auenge him self but rather turne the other cheeke to then to smite agayne yet when Christ was in takyng Peter asked whether it were lawful to smite with the sword and taried none aunswere but layed on rashly So that though when we come first vnto knowledge of the truth and the peace is made betwene God and vs and we loue his lawes and beleue and trust in him as in our father and haue good hartes vnto him and be borne a new in the spirite yet we are but childrē and young scholers weake and feble and must haue leysure to grow in the spirite in knowledge loue and in the ded◅ therof as young children must haue tyme to grow in their bodies And God our father and scholemaster feedeth vs and teacheth vs accorcordyng vnto the capacitie of our stomackes and maketh vs to grow and waxe perfect and fineth and trieth vs as gold in the fire of temptations and tribulations As Moyses witnesseth Deutero viij saying Remember all the way by whiche the Lord thy God caried thee this xl yeares in the wildernesse to humble thee and to tempte or prouoke thee y t it might be knowen what were in thine hart He brought thee into aduersitie and made thee an hungred then fed thee with Manna which neither thou nor yet thy fathers euer knew of to teach that man lyueth not by bread onely but by all that procedeth out of the mouth of GOD. For the promises of God are lyfe vnto all that cleaue vnto them muche more then breade and bodyly sustenaunce as the iourney of the children of Israell out of Egipt into the land promised them ministreth thee notable ensamples and that aboundantly as doth all the rest of the Bible also Howbeit it is impossible for flesh to beleue and to trust in the truth of Gods promises vntil he haue learned it in much tribulation after that God hath deliuered him out therof agayne God therefore to teach Ionas and to shew him his owne hart to make him perfect and to instruct vs also by his ensample sent him out of the lande of Israell where he was a Prophet to go among the heathen people and to the greatest and mightiest Citie of the world then called Niniue to preache that within xl dayes they should all perish for their sinnes and that the Citie should be ouerthrowen Whiche message the free will of Ionas had as much power to doe as the weakest harted womā in the world ▪ hath power if◅ were commaunde◅ to leape int◅e of lyuyng snakes and adders as happely if God had cōmaunded Sara to haue sacrificed her sonne Isaa◅ as he did Abraham she would haue disputed with him yer shee had done it or though she were strong enough yet many an holy Saint could not haue founde in their hartes but would haue runne away from the presence of the commaundement of God with Ionas if they had bene so strongly tempted For Ionas thought of this maner loe I am here a Prophet vnto Gods people the Israelites Whiche though they haue Gods worde testified vnto them dayly yet despise it and worshyp God vnder the likenesse of calues and after all maner fashions saue after hys owne word and therfore are of all nations the worst and most worthy of punishment And yet God for loue of fewe that are among them and for his names sake spareth and defendeth them How then should GOD take so cruel vengeaunce on so great a multitude of them to whō hys name was neuer preached to and therfore are not the tenth part so euill as these If I shall therfore go preach so shal I laye and shame my selfe and God thereto make them the more to dispise God and set the lesse by him and to bee the more cruell vnto his people And vpon that imagination he fled from the face or presence of God that is out of the coūtrey where God was worshipped in and from the prosecutyng of Gods commaundement and thought I will get me an other way among the heathen people and be no more a prophet but liue at rest and out of all combraunce Neuerthelesse the God of all mercy which careth fo◠his elect children turneth all vnto good to them and smiteth them to heale thē againe and killeth them to make them aliue agayne and playeth with them as a father doth some tyme with his young ignoraunt children and tempteth them and proueth them to make them see their owne hartes prouided for Ionas how all thinges should be When Ionas entred into the shyp he layd him down to slepe and to take his rest that is his conscience was tossed betwene the commaundement of God which sent him to Ninine and his fleshly wisedome that dissnaded counselled him the contrary and at the last preuailed against the commaundement and caryed him an other way as a shyp caught betwene two streames as Poetes faine the mother of Meliager to be betwen diuers affections while to aduenge her brothers death shee sought to slea her owne sonne Whereupon for very paine and tediousnes he lay down to slepe for to put the commaundement which so gnewe and fret his conscience out of mynde as the nature of all wicked is when they haue sinned a good to seke all meanes with riot reuell and pastime to driue the remembraūce of sinne out of their thoughtes or as Adam did to couer their nakednes with apornes of Pope holy workes But God awoke him out of his dreame set his sinnes before his face For when y t lot had caught Ionas then bee sure that his sinnes came to remembraunce agayne and that his cōscience raged no lesse then the waues of the Sea And then he thought that he onely was a sinner and the heathen that were in the shyp none in respect of him and thought also as veryly as he was fled from God that as veryly God had cast him away for the sight of the rodde maketh the naturall child not onely to see and to knowledge his faulte but also to forget all his fathers old mercy and kindnesse And then he confessed his sinne openly
the sygh of the hart is his sinne put away in Christes bloud For Christes bloud purgeth euer and blesseth euer For Iohn sayth in the second of his first epistle This I write vnto you that ye sinne not And though any man sinne meaning of frailtie and so repent yet haue we an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ which is righteous and he it is that obteineth grace for our sinnes and Heb. vij it is written But this man meaning Christ because he lasteth or abideth euer hath an euerlasting priesthod Therefore is he able also euer to saue thē that come to God through hym seing he euer liueth to make intercession for vs. The Byshops therefore ought to blesse vs in preaching Christ and not to deceaue vs and to bring the curse of God vpon vs wyth wagging their handes ouer vs. To preache is their dutie onely and not to offer their feete to bee kissed or testicles or stones to be groped We feele also by experience that after the Popes Byshoppes or Cardinals blessing we are no otherwise disposed in our soules then before Let this be sufficient as concerning the sacramentes and ceremonies with this protestation that if any cā say better or improue this with Gods word no man shall be better content therewith then I. For I seeke nothing but the truth and to walke in the light I submit therefore this worke and all other that I haue made or shall make if God will that I shall more make vnto the iudgements not of them that furiously burne all truth but of them which are ready with Gods worde to correct if any thing be sayde amisse to further Gods worde I will talke a worde or two after the worldly wisdome with them and make an ende of this matter If the sacramentes iustifie as they say I vnderstand by iustifiyng forgeuenes of sinnes Then do they wrong vnto the sacraments in as much as they robbe the most part of them through confession of their effect of the cause wherfore they were ordeined For no man may receaue the body of Christ no mā may marry no man may be oyled or aneiled as they call it no man may receaue orders except he be fyrst shriuen Now when the sinnes be forgeuen by shrift afore hand there is nought left for the sacramentes to doe They will aunswere that at the least way they encrease grace and not the sacramētes onely but also hearing of masse matens and euensong and receauing of holy water holy bread and of the Bishops blessing and so forth by all ceremonies By grace I vnderstand the fauour of God and also the giftes and working of his spirite in vs as loue kyndnes patience obedience mercifulnes despising of worldly thynges peace concorde and such like If after thou hast heard so many masses matens and euensonges and after thou hast receaued holy bread holy water and the Byshops blessing or a Cardinals or the Popes if thou wilt be more kinde to thy neighbour and loue him better then before if thou be more obediēt vnto thy superiors more mercifull more ready to forgeue wrong done vnto thee more despisest the world and more a thyrst after spirituall thynges if after that a Priest hath taken orders he be lesse couetous then before if a wife after so many and oft pilgrimages be more chast more obedient vnto her husband more kynde to her maydes and other seruauntes if Gentlemen knightes Lordes and kinges and Emperours after they haue sayd so often dayly seruice wyth their Chappellaynes know more of Christ then before and can better skill to rule their tenauntes subiectes and realmes christenly then before and be content with their duties then do such thinges encrease grace if not it is a lie Whether it be so or no I report me to experience If they haue any other enterpretations of iustifiyng or grace I pray them to teach it me For I would gladly learne it Now let vs goe to our purpose agayne ¶ Of miracles and worshipping of Saintes ANtichrist shal not only come with lying signes and disguised wyth falshod but also wyth lying miracles and wonders saith Paule in the said place ij Thess ij All the true miracles which are of God are shewed as I aboue rehearsed to moue vs to heare Gods word and to stablishe our fayth therin and to confirme the truth of Gods promises that we might without all doubting beleue thē For Gods worde thorough fayth bringeth the spirite into our hartes and also life as Christ sayth Iohn vi The wordes which I speake are spirite and lyfe The worde also purgeth vs and clenseth vs as Christ sayth Iohn xv ye are cleane by the meanes of the word Paul sayth i. Timo. ij One God one Mediatour that is to say aduocate intercessor or an atonemaker betwene God man the man Christ Iesus which gaue him selfe a raunson for all men Peter sayth of Christ Actes iiij Neither is their health in any other neither yet also any other name geuen vnto men wherin we must be saued So now Christ is our peace our redemption or raunsom for our sinnes our righteousnes satisfactiō and all the promises of God are yea Amen in him ij Cor. i. And we for y t great and infinite loue whiche God hath to vs in Christ loue him agayn loue also his lawes loue one an other And the deedes whiche we hence forth doe do we not to make satisfaction or to obteine heauen but to succour our neighbour to tame y t flesh that we may waxe perfect and strong men in Christ and to be thankefull to God againe for his mercy and to glorifie his name COntrarywise the miracles of Antichrist are done to pull thee from the worde of God and from beleuyng his promises and from Christ and to put thy trust in a man or a ceremonie wherin Gods word is not As soone as Gods woorde is beleued the fayth spread abroad then sease the miracles of god But the miracles of Antichrist because they are wrought by the deuil to quench the fayth grow dayly more and more neither shall cease vntill the worldes end among them that beloue not Gods worde and promises Seest thou not how God loosed sent forth all the deuils in the old world among the Heathen or Gētiles And how the deuils wrought miracles spake to them in euery image Euen so shal the deuill woorke falshode by one craft or an other vntill the worldes end amōg them that beleue not Gods word For the iudgement and damnation of hym that hath no lust to heare the truth is to heare lyes and to be stablished and grounded therein through false miracles and he that will not see is worthy to be blind and he that biddeth the spirite of God go from him is worthy to be without him Paul Peter and all true Apostles preached Christ onely And the miracles did but confirme and stablish their preachyng and those
maliciously resisted the open truth agaynst hys owne conscience sence the world began that euer I read For it is sinne agaynst y â— holy ghost which Christ saith shall neither be forgeueÌ„ here nor in the world to come whiche text may this wise be vnderstand that as that sinne shal be punished with euerlastyng daÌ„nation in the lyfe to come euen so shall it not escape vengeauÌ„ce here As thou â—eest in Iudas in Pharao in Balam and in all other tyrauntes whiche agaynst their consciences resisted the open truth of God So now the cause why our Prelates thus rage that moueth them to call M. More to helpe is not that they finde iust causes in the translation but because they haue lost their iugglyng and fayned termes wherewith Peter prophesied they should make marchaundise of the people ¶ Whether the Church were before the Gospell or the Gospell before the Church AN other doubt there is whether the Church or congregatioÌ„ be before the Gospell or the Gospell before the Church Which question is as hard to solue as whether the father be elder then the sonne or the sonne elder then his father For the whole Scripture and all beleuing hartes testifie that we are begotten through the word Wherfore if the word beget the congregatioÌ„ he that begetteth is before hym that is begotten then is the Gospell before the Church Paul also Rom. ix sayth how shall they call on him whom they beleue not And how shall they beleue without a preacher That is Christ must first be preached yer men can beleue in him And then it foloweth that the word of the preacher must be before the fayth of the beleuer And therfore in as much as the word is before the faith and faith maketh the congregation therfore is the word or Gospell before the congregation And agayne as the ayre is darke of it selfe receaueth all her light of the sonne euen so are all mens hartes of theÌ„selues darke with lyes and receaue all their truth of Gods word in that they consent therto And moreouer as the darke ayre geueth the sonne no light but contrarywise the light of the sonne in respect of the ayre is of it selfe and lighteneth the ayre purgeth it from darkenesse eueÌ„ so the lying hart of man can geue the word of God no truth but contrary wise the truth of Gods word is of her self and lighteneth the harts of the beleuers and maketh them true and clenseth them from lyes as thou readest Iohn xv ye be cleane by reason of the word Which is to be vnderstand in that the word had purged their harces from lyes from false opinions from thinking euill good and therfore from consentyng to sinne And Iohn xvij sanctifie them O father thorough thy truth And thy woorde is truth And thus thou seest that Gods truth dependeth not of man It is not true because man so sayth or admitteth it for true But man is true because he beleueth it testifieth and geueth witnesse in hys hart that it is true And Christ also sayth him selfe Iohn v. I receaue no witnesse of maÌ„ For if the multitude of maÌ„s witnesse might make ought true then were the doctrine of Mahomete truer then Christes ¶ Whether the Apostles left ought vnwritten that is of necessitie to be beleued BUt did not y â— Apostles teach ought by mouth that they wrot not I aunswere because that many taught one thyng and euery man the same in diuers places and vnto diuers people and confirmed euery sermoÌ„ wyth a sundry miracle therfore Christ his Apostles preached an â—…red thousaÌ„d sermons and did as many miracles which had bene superfluous to haue bene all written But the pith and substaunce in generall of euery thing necessary vnto our soules health both of what we ought to beleue and what we ought to do was written and of the miracles done to confirme it as many as were nedeful So that whatsoeuer we ought to beleue or do that same is written expresely or drawen out of that which is written For if I were bound to do or beleue vnder payne of the losse of my soule any thing that were written nor depeÌ„ded of that which is writteÌ„ what holpe me the scripture that is written And thereto in as much as Christ and all his Apostles warned vs that false prophetes shoulde come with false miracles euen to deceaue the elect if it were possible wherewith shoulde the true preacher confound the false except he brought true miracles to confound the false or els autenticke scripture of full authoritie already among the people Some man woulde aske how dyd God continue his congregation from Adam to Noe and froÌ„ Noe to Abraham and so to Moses without writing but with teaching from mouth to mouth I aunswere first that there was no scripture all the whyle they shall proue wheÌ„ our Lady hath a new sonne God taught Adam greater thynges then to write And that there was writing in the world long yer Abraham yea yer Noe do stories testifie Notwithstanding though there had bene no writing the preachers were euer prophetes glorious in doing of miracles wherwith they cofirmed their preaching And beyond that god wrote his testameÌ„t vnto them aâ—way both what to do and to beleue eueÌ„ in y e sacramentes For the sacrifices which God gaue Adams sonnes were no dumme popetrie or superstitious Mahometrie but signes of the testament of God And in them they red y e worde of God as we do in bookes and as we should do in our sacraments if the wicked Pope had not taken the significations away from vs as he hath robbed vs of the true sence of all the scripture The testament which God made with Noe that he woulde no more drowne the worlde with water he wrote in the sacrament of the rainebow And the appointment made betwene him and Abraham he wrote in the sacrament of circumcision And therefore sayd Steuen Act. vij he gaue them y â— testameÌ„t of circumcision Not that the outwarde circumcision was the whole testament but the sacrameÌ„t or signe there For circumcision preached Gods worde vnto theÌ„ as I haue in other places declared But in the tyme of Moyses when the congregation was encreased that they must haue many preachers also rulers temporall then all was receaued in scripture in so much that Christ and his Apostles might not haue bene beleued without scripture for all their miracles Wherefore in as much as Christes congregation is spred abroad into all the worlde much broader then Moses and in as much as we haue not the olde testament onely but also the new wherein all thinges are opened so richly and all fulfilled that before was promised in as much as there is no promise behinde of ought to be shewed more saue the resurrection yea and seyng that Christ and all the Apostles with all the Angels of
Princes and to all that are in authoritie how to rule vnto Gods pleasure vnto their owne profite For there is not a perfecter life in this world both to the honor of God and profite of his neighbour nor yet a greater crosse theÌ„ to rule christianly And of Aaron also see that thou make no figure of Christ vntill hee come vnto hys sacrifisyng but an example vnto all Preachers that they adde nothyng vnto Gods word or take ought therefro Note also how GOD sendeth his promise to the people and Moyses coÌ„firmeth it with miracles and the people beleue But when temptatioÌ„ commeth they fall into vnbelief and fewe byde standyng When thou seest that all be not Christen that will be so called and that the crosse tryeth the true from the fayned for if the crosse were not Christ should haue Disciples enough Whereof also thou seest what an excellent gift of God true fayth is and impossible to be had without the spirite of God For it is aboue all natural power that a maÌ„ in time of temtation when GOD scourgeth hym should beleue then stedfastly how that God loueth him and careth for hym and hath prepared all good thyngs for hym and that that scourgyng is an earnest that GOD hath elect and chosen hym Note how oft Moyses styred them vp to beleue and trust in God putting them in remembraunce alway in tyme of temptation of the miracles wonders that GGD hath wrought before tyme in their eye sight How diligently also forbiddeth hee all that might withdraw their hartes from God to put ought to GODS word to take ought from it coÌ„maundyng to do that onely that is ryght in the sight of the Lord that they should make no maner Image to kneele downe before it yea that they should make none aultare of hewed stone for feare of Images to fle the heathen Idolatries vtterly and to destroy their Idols and cut downe theyr groues where they worshypped and that they should not take the daughters of them vnto their sonnes nor geue their daughters to y t sonnes of them and that who soeuer moued any of them to worshyp false Gods how soeuer nighe of kynne he were they must accuse him and bryng him to death yea wheresoeuer they heard of man woman or Citie that worshypped false Gods they should slea them destroy the Citie for euer and not builde it agayne and all bycause they should worship nothing but God nor put confidence in any thing saue in his word Yea and howe warneth he to beware of witchcraft sorcerie enchauntment nicromancie and all craftes of the Deuill and of dreamers â—othsayers and of miracle doers to destroy the word and that they should suffer none such to lyue Thou wilt hapely say they tell a man the truth What then GOD will that we care not to knowe what shall come He will haue vs to care onely to kepe his commaundementes and to committe all chaunces vnto hym He hath promised to care for vs to kepe vs from all ill All thynges are in hys hand he can remedy all thynges and will for his truth sake if we pray hym In his promises onely will hee haue vs trust and there rest and to seke no farther How also doth he prouoke them to loue euer rehearsing the benefites of God done to them already the godly promises that were to come And how goodly lawes of loue geueth hee to helpe one an other and that a man should not hate his neighbour in hys hart but loue him as himself Leuit. 19 And what a charge geueth he in euery place ouer the poore and nedie ouer the strauÌ„ger frendlesse and widowes And when he desireth to shew mercy he rehearseth with all the benefites of God done to them at their neede that they might see a cause at the least waye in GOD to shew mercy of very loue vnto their neighbours at their nede Also there is no lawe so simple in apparaunce thoroughout the v. bokes of Moses but that there is a great reason of y t makyng therof if a man search diligently As that a man is forbyd to sethe a Kydde in hys mothers milke moueth vs vnto compassion and to be pitiful As doth also that a man should not offer the syre or damme the youÌ„g both in one day Leuiticus .xxij. For it might seme a cruell thyng in as much as his mothers milke is as it were his bloud wherfore god wil not haue him sodde therin but will haue a man shew curtesie vppon the very beastes As in an other place hee commaundeth that we mosell not the Oxe that treadeth out the corne whiche maner of threshyng is vsed in hoate countreys and that bycause we should much rather to be liberall and kynd vnto men that do vs seruice Or happely GOD would haue none such wanton meate vsed among his people For the Kydde of it selfe is nourishyng and the Goates milke is restauratiue and both together might be to rancke and therefore forbydden or some other lyke cause there was Of the ceremonies sacrifices and tabernacle with all hys glory and pompe vnderstand that they were not permitted onely but also commaunded of GOD to lead the people in the shadowe of Moyses and night of the olde Testament vntill the lyght of Christ and day of the new Testament were come As children are lead in the phantasies of youth vntill the discretion of mans age be come vpon them And all was done to keepe them from Idolatrie The tabernacle was ordeined to the entent they might haue a place appointed them to do their sacrifices openly in the sight of the people and namely the Priestes whiche wayted thereon that it might bee sene that they dyd all thynges accordyng to Gods worde not after the Idolatry of their owne imagination And the costlinesse of the Tabernacle and the beauty also pertayning therunto that they should see nothyng among the heathen but that they should see thinges more beautiful at home because they shoulde not bee moued to follow them And in lyke maner the diuers fashions of sacrifices and ceremonies was to occupy their minds that they shold haue no lust to follow the Heathen the multitude of them was that they should haue so much to do in keepyng them that they should haue no leysure to imagine other of their owne yea that Gods worde might be there by in all that they did that they might haue their fayth and trust in God which he cannot haue that followeth either hys own inuentions or traditions of meÌ„s makyng without Gods worde Finally God hath two testaments the olde and the new The olde testament is those teÌ„porall promises which God made the children of Israell of a good lande and that he would defend them and of wealth and prosperitie of temporall blessinges of which thou readest ouer all the law of Moses but namely Leuiticus 26. and Deut.
for the professiō of our Baptisme or couenantes made betwene GOD and vs. As for an ensample Christ sayth Mat. v. Happy are the mercifull for they shall obtayne mercy Lo here GOD hath made a couenaunt with vs to be mercyfull vnto vs if we will be mercyfull one to an other so that the man whiche sheweth mercy vnto his neighbour may be bold to trust in GOD for mercy at all needes And contrarywise iudgement without mercy shal be to him that sheweth not mercy So now if he that sheweth no mercy trust in GOD for mercy his faith is carnall and worldly and but vayne presumption For God hath promised mercy onely to the mercyfull And therfore the mercyles haue not Gods word that they shall haue mercy but contrarywise that they shall haue iudgement without mercy And Math. vi If ye shall forgeue then theyr fautes your heauenly father shall forgeue you but and if ye shall not forgeue men their faultes no more shall your father forgeue you your faultes Here also by the vertue and strēgth of this couenaunt wherewith God of his mercy hath bounde him selfe to vs vnworthy he that forgeueth his neighbour may be bold when he returneth and amendeth to beleue and trust in GOD for remission of what soeuer he hath done amisse And contrarywise he that will not forgeue can not but dispayre of forgeuenesse in the end and feare iudgement without mercy The generall couenaunt wherin all other are comprehended included is this If we meke our selues to god to kepe all his lawes after the ensample of Christ then God hath bounde him selfe vnto vs to kepe and make good all y t mercies promised in Christ thoroughout all the Scripture All the whole law which was geuē to vtter our corrupt nature is comprehended in the tenne commaundementes And the ten commaundemēts are comprehended in these two loue God and thy neighbour And he that loueth his neighbour in GOD and Christ fulfilleth these two and consequently the ten and finally all the other Now if we loue our neighbours in God and Christ that is to witte if we be louyng kynde and mercyfull to them because God hath created them vnto his likenes and Christ hath redemed them and bought them with his bloud thē may we be bold to trust in God through Christ and his deseruing for all mercy For God hath promised and bounde him selfe to vs to shew vs all mercy and to be a father almighty to vs so that we shall not neede to feare the power of all our aduersaries Now if any mā that submitteth not him selfe to kepe the cōmaundements doe thinke that hee hath any faith in God the same mans fayth is vayne worldly damnable diuelish playne presumption as is aboue sayd and is no fayth that can iustify or be accepted before God And that is it that Iames meaneth in his Epistle For how can a man beleue sayth Paule without a preacher Rom. 10. Now read all the scripture and see where God sent any to preach mercy to any saue vnto them onely that repente and turne to God with all their hartes to kepe his commaundementes Vnto the disobedient that wil not turne is threatned wrath vengeance and damnation according to all the terrible actes and fearful ensamples of the Bible Faith now in God y t father through our Lord Iesus Christ accordyng to the couenauntes appointment made betwene God and vs is our saluatiō Wherfore I haue euer noted the couenantes in the margents also y t promises Moreouer where thou findest a promise and no couenaunt expressed therwith there must thou vnderstand a couenaunt that we when we be receyued to grace know it to be our duty to kepe the law As for an ensample when the scripture saith Mat. 7. Aske and it shall be geuen you seeke and ye shall fynde knocke and it shall be opened vnto you It is to be vnderstand if that when thy neighbour asketh seketh or knocketh to thee thou thē shew hym the same mercy which thou desirest of God then hath god bound him selfe to helpe thee agayne and els not Also ye see that two thynges are required to be in a christen mā The first is a stedfast fayth and trust in almighty God to obtayne all the mercy that he hath promised vs through y t deseruyng and merites of Christes bloude onely without all respect to our owne workes And the other is that we forsake euill and turne to GOD to kepe hys lawes and to fight agaynst our selues and our corrupt nature perpetually that we may do the will of God euery day better and better Thys haue I sayd most deare reader to warne thee least thou shouldst be deceyued and shouldest not onely read the scriptures in vayne and to no profite but also vnto thy greater damnation For the nature of gods worde is that whosoeuer read it or heare it reasoned and disputed before hym it wyll begin immediately to make hym euery day better and better till he be grown into a perfect man in y t knowledge of Christ and loue of the law of God or els make hym worse worse till he be hardened that he openly resist the spirit of god then blaspheme after the ensample of Pharao Coran Abiron Balam Iudas Symon Magus and such other This to bee euen so the woordes of Christ Iohn 3. do well confirme This is condemnation sayth he the light is come into the world but the men loued darkenes more then light for their deedes were euill Behold when the light of Gods worde commeth to a man whether he reade it or heare it preached or testified and he yet haue no loue therto to fashion his lyfe therafter but consenteth still vnto hys olde dedes of ignoraunce then beginneth hys iust damnation immediatly and he is henceforth without excuse in that he refused mercy offered hym for God offreth mercy vpon the conditiō that he will mende hys liuing but he wyll not come vnder the couenaunte And from that houre forward he waxech worse and worse God taking hys spirit of mercy and grace from him for his vnthankfulnes sake And Paul writeth Rom. 1. that the heathen because whē they knew god they had no lust to honour hym wyth godly liuing therfore God poured his wrath vpon them and tooke hys spirit from them and gaue thē vp to their hartes lustes to serue sinne from iniquitie to iniquitie till they were thorowly hardened and past repentance And Pharao because when y e word of God was in his countrey Gods people scattred throughout all his lād yet he neither loued thē nor it therfore God gaue hym vp and in takyng hys spirit of grace from hym so hardened hys hart with couetousnes that afterward no myracle could conuerte hym Hereunto pertaineth y t parable of the talentes Mat. 25. The Lord commaūdeth the talent to be taken away from the euill and slouthfull seruant and to
can doe of his owne free will of his owne proper strength and enforcing Notwithstandyng thoughe there be neuer so great workyng yet as long as their remaineth in the hart vnlust tediousnes grudgyng grief payne lothsâ—nnes compulsion toward the law so long are all the workes vnprofitable lost ye and damnable in the sight of God This meaneth Paule in the iij. Chapter where he sayth by the dedes of the lawe shall no fleshe be iustified in the sight of God Hereby perceauest thou that those sophisters are but disceauers whiche teach that a man may and must prepare him selfe to grace and to the fauour of god with good workes How caÌ„ they prepare them selues vnto the fauour of God to that whiche is good when them selues can do no good no can not once thinke a good thought or consent to do good the deuill possessing their hartes myndes thoughtes captiue at his pleasure CaÌ„ those workes please GOD thinkest thou whiche are done with grief payne and tediousnes with an euill will with a contrary and a grudgyng mynde O holy saint Prosperous how mightely with the Scripture of Paule diddest thou confound this heresie twelue hundred yeares a goe or therupon To fulfill the law is to do y t workes therof and what soeuer the lawe commaundeth with loue lust and inward affection and delectation and to lyue godly and well freely willyngly and without compulsion of the lawe euen as thoughe there were no lawe at all Such lust and free libertie to loue the law commeth onely by the workyng of the spirite in the hart as hee sayth in the first Chapter Now is the spirite none otherwise geuen then by fayth onely in that we beleue the promises of God without waueryng how that God is true and will fulfill all hys good promises toward vs for Christes blondes sake as it is playne in the first Chapter I am not ashamed sayth Paule of Christes glad tydynges for it is the power of GOD vnto saluation to as many as beleue for at once and together euen as we beleue the glad tydynges preached to vs the holy ghost entreth into our hartes and looseth the bondes of the deuill whiche before possessed our hartes in captiuitie and held them that we could haue no lust to y t will of God in the law and as the spirite commeth by fayth onely euen so fayth commeth by hearyng the word or glad tidynges of God when Christ is preached how that hee is Gods sonne and man also dead and risen againe for our sakes as he sayth in the thyrd fourth and tenth Chapters All our iustifying then commeth of faith and faith and the spirite come of God and not of vs. Hereof commeth it that fayth onely iustifieth maketh righteous and fulfilleth the law for it bringeth the spirit through Christes deseruinges the spirite bringeth lust looseth the hart maketh him free setteth hym at libertie and geueth him strength to worke the deedes of the lawe with loue euen as the law requireth then at the last out of the same fayth so workyng in the hart spryng all good workes by their owne accorde That meaneth he in the thyrd Chapter for after he hath cast away the workes of the law so that he soundeth as though he would breake and disanulle the law through fayth he aunswereth to that might bee layd agaynst saying we destroy not the law through fayth but mayntaine further or stablish the law through fayth that is to say we fulfill the law thorough fayth Sinne in the Scripture is not called that outward worke onely committed by the body but all the whole busines and what so euer accompanyeth moueth or stirreth vnto the outward deede and that whence the workes spring as vnbelefe pronenes and readynes vnto the deede in the grounde of the hart with all the powers affections and appetites wherwith we can but sinne so that we say that a man then sinneth when he is caried awaye headlong into sinne all together as much as he is of that poyson inclination and corrupt nature wherein hee was conceiued and borne For there is none outward sinne committed except a maÌ„ be caried away all together with life soule hart body lust and mynde thereunto The Scripture loketh singularly vnto the hart vnto the roote and originall fountaine of all synne which is vnbelefe in the bottom of the hart For as fayth onely iustifieth and bryngeth the spirit and lust vnto the outward good workes Euen so vnbelefe onely damneth and keepeth out the spirit prouoketh the flesh and styrreth vp lust vnto the euill outwarde works as it fortuned to Adam Euâ— in Paradise Gene. 3. For this cause Christ calleth synne vnbelefe and that notablie in the. 16. of Iohn the spirite sayth he shall rebuke the world of sinne because they beleue not in me Wherefore then before all good workes as good frutes there must needes be fayth in the hart whence they spryng and before all bad deedes as bad frutes there must nedes be vnbelief in the hart as in the roote fountain pith and streÌ„gth of all sinne whiche vnbelefe is called the head of the Serpent and of the old Dragon which the womans seede Christ must treade vnderfoote as it was promised vnto Adam Grace and gift haue this difference Grace properly is Gods fauour beneuolence or kynd minde which of his owne selfe without deseruyng of vs he beareth to vs whereby he was moued and inclined to geue Christ vnto vs with all his other giftes of grace Gift is y t holy ghost and his working which hee poureth into the hartes of them on whoÌ„ he hath mercy and whoÌ„ he fauoureth Though the giftes the spirit encrease in vs dayly haue not yet their ful perfection ye and though there remaine in vs yet euill lustes synne which fight agaynst the sprite as he sayth here in the 7. chapter and in the 5. to the Galath and as it was spoken before in the 3. chapter of Gen. of the debate betwene y â— womans sede the seed of y t serpent yet neuertheles gods fauour is so great and so strong ouer vs for Christes sake that we are counted for full whole and perfect before God For Gods fauour towarde vs deuideth not her selfe encreasyng a little and a little as do the giftes but receiueth vs whole altogether in ful loue for Christes sake our intercessour and mediator and because y t the giftes of the sprite the battell betwene the sprite and euill lustes are begonne in vs already Of this now vnderstandest thou the 7. chapter where Paul accuseth hymselfe as a sinner and yet in the 8. chapter sayeth there is no damnation to them that are in Christ and that because of the spirite and because the giftes of the sprite are begonne in vs. Sinners we are because the fleshe is not full killed and mortified Neuertheles in as muche as we beleue in
conclusion not to bee doubted of that there must be first in the hart of a man before he do any good worke a greater and a preciouser thyng then all the good workes in the world to reconcile him to God to bryng the loue and fauour of God to him to make him loue God agayne to make him righteous and good in the sight of God to do a way his sinne to deliuer him and lose him out of that captiuitie where in he was conceaued and borne in whiche he could neither loue God neither the will of God Or els how can he worke any good woorke that should please God if there were not some supernaturall goodnes in him giuen of GOD freely where of the good worke must spryng euen as a sicke man must first be healed or made whole yer he can do the dedes of an whole man and as the blind man must first haue sight geuen him yer he can see and he that hath his feete in fetters giues or stockes must first be loosed or he can go walke or runne and euen as they whiche thou readest of in the Gospel that they were possessed of the deuils could not laude God till the deuils were cast out That precious thing which must be in the hart yer a man can worke any good worke is y ◠word of God which in the Gospell preacheth profereth bryngeth vnto all that repent and beleue the fauour of God in Christ Who soeuer heareth the word and beleueth it the same is thereby righteous and thereby is geuen hym the spirite of God which leadeth him vnto all that is the will of God and is loosed from the captiuitie and bondage of the deuill and his hart is free to loue God and hath lust to do the will of GOD. Therfore it is called the word of lyfe the word of grace the word of health the word of redemption the word of forgiuenes and the word of peace he that heareth it not or beleueth it not cā by no meanes be made righteous before God This confirmeth Peter in the xv of the Actes seyng that GOD through fayth doth purifie the hartes For of what nature so euer the word of God is of the same nature must the hartes be whiche beleue thereon and cleaue thereunto Now is the word liuyng pure righteous and true euen so maketh it the hartes of them that beleue theron IF it be sayd that Paul when he saith in the iij. to the Romaines no fleshe shal be or can be iustified by the deedes of the law meaneth it of the ceremonies or sacrifices it is an vntrue saying For it foloweth immediatly by the law commeth the knowledge of sinne Now are they not the ceremonies that vtter sinne but the law of cōmaundementes In the iiij he sayth the law causeth wrath whiche can not bee vnderstand of the ceremonies for they were geuen to reconcile the people to God agayne after they had sinned If as they say the ceremonies which were geuen to purge sinne and to reconcile iustifie not neither blesse but temporally onely much more the law of commaundementes iustifieth not For that whiche proueth a man sick health him not neither doth the cause of wrath bring to fauour neither can that whiche damneth saue a man When the mother commaundeth her childe but euen to rocke the cradle it grudgeth the commaundement doth but vtter the poyson that lay hid and setteth him at bate with hys mother and maketh hym beleue shee loueth him not These commaundements also thou shalt not couet thy neighbours house thou shalt not lust desire or wishe after thy neighbours wife seruaunt mayde oxe or asse or what soeuer pertaineth vnto thy neyghbour geue me not power so to doe but vtter the poyson that is in me and damne me because I can not so do and proue that God is wrath with me seing that his wil and mine are so contrary Therefore sayth Paul Gal. iij. If there had ben geuen such a law that could haue geuen lyfe then no doubt righteousnes had come by the law but the Scripture concluded all vnder sinne sayth he that the promise might bee geuen vnto them that beleue through the fayth that is in Iesus Christ The promises when they are beleued are they that iustifie for they bring the spirite whiche looseth the hart giueth lust to the law and certifieth vs of y t good will of God vnto vs ward If we submit our selues vnto God desire him to heale vs he wil do it and will in the meane tyme because of the consent of y ◠hart vnto y ◠law count vs for full whole wil no more hate vs but pitie vs cherish vs be tender harted to vs loue vs as he doth Christ him selfe Christ is our redemer Sauiour peace attonement and satisfactiō and hath made amendes or satisfaction to Godward for all the sinne whiche they that repēt consentyng to the law and beleuyng the promises do haue done or shal do So that if through fragilitie we fall a thousand tymes in a day yet if we do repent agayne we haue alway mercy layd vp for vs in store in Iesus Christ our Lord. WHat shall we say then to those Scriptures whiche go so sore vpō good workes As we read Math. xxv I was an hungred and ye gaue me meate c. And such like Whiche all sound as though we should be iustified and accepted vnto the fauour of God in Christ through good workes To this I aunswere Many there are which whē they heare or read of fayth at once they cōsent therunto and haue a certaine imagination or opinion of fayth as when a man telleth a story or a thyng done in a straunge lande that pertayneth not to thē at all Which yet they heleue and tell as a true thyng And this imagination or opinion they call faith They thinke no further then that fayth is a thyng which standeth in their own power to haue as do other naturall workes whiche men worke but they feele no maner workyng of the spirite neither the terrible sentence of the law the fearefull iudgements of God the horrible damnation and captiuitie vnder Sathan Therefore as soone as they haue this opinion or imaginatiō in there hartes that sayth verely this doctrine semeth true I beleue it is euē so Then they thinke that the right fayth is there But afterward when they feele in them selues and also see in other that there is none alteration and that the workes folow not but that they are altogether euē as before and abide in their old estate then thinke they y t faith is not sufficient but that it must be some greater thing then fayth that should iustifie a man So faule they away from fayth agayne and crye saying fayth onely iustifieth not a man and maketh him acceptable to GOD. If thou aske them wherfore They aūswere see how many there are that beleue and yet do no more
way euery mā his wayes One iudgeth this best an other that to be best Now is worldly witte nothyng els but craft sutletie to obteine that which we iudge falsly to be best As I erre in my witte so erre I in my wil. Whē I iudge that to be euill which in dede is good then hate I that which is good And when I suppose that good whiche is euill in deede then loue I euil As if I be persuaded and borne in hād that my most frende is myne enemy then hate I my best frend and if I be brought in belefe that my most enemy is my frend Thē loue I my most enemy Now when we say euery man hath his free wil to do what him lusteth I say verely that men do what they lust Notwithstandyng to folow lustes is not fredome but captiuitie bondage If God opē any mans wittes to make him feele in his hart that lustes and appetites are damnable and geue hym power to hate and resiste them then is he free euen with the fredome wherewith Christ maketh free and hath power to do the will of God Thou mayst hereby perceaue that all that is done in the world before the spirite of God come geueth vs light is damnable sinne and the more glorious the more damnable so that that which the world counteth most glorious is more damnable in the sight of GOD then that which the whore the thefe and the murderer do With blind reasons of worldly wisedome mayst thou chaunge y e myndes of youth and make them geue them selues to what thou wilt either for feare for prayse or for profite and yet doest but chaūge thē from one vice to an other As the persuasions of her frendes made Lucrece chast Lucrece beleued if she were a good huswife and chast that she should be most glorious that all the world would geue her honour prayse her She sought her own glory in her chastitie and not gods When she had lost her chastitie then counted she her selfe most abhominable in the sight of all men and for very payne and thought which she had not that she had displeased God but that she had lost her honour slew her selfe Looke how great her paine and sorrow was for the losse of her chastitie so great was her glorie and reioysing therein and so much despised she them that were otherwise and pitied them not Which pride God more abhorreth thē the whoredome of any whore Of like pride are all y e morall vertues of Aristotle Plato and Socrates and all the doctrine of the Philosophers the very Gods of our schole men In like maner is it for the most part of our most holy Religion For they of lyke imagination do thynges whiche they of Bedlem may see that they are but madnes They looke on the miracles which God did by the Saintes to moue the vnbeleuyng vnto the fayth and to confirme the trouth of his promises in Christ whereby all that beleue are made Saintes as thou seest in the last Chapter of Marke They preached sayth he euery where the Lord workyng with them and confirmyng their preachyng with miracles that folowed And in the fourth of the Actes the Disciples prayed that God would stretch forth his handes to doe miracles and wonders in the name of Iesus And Paul i. Corin. xiiij sayth that the miracle of speakyng with diuers tounges is but a signe for vnbeleuers and not for them that beleue These miracles turne they vnto an other purpose saying in their blynde hartes See what miracles God hath shewed for this Saint he must be verely great with GOD. And at once turne them selues from Gods word and put their trust and confidence in the Saint and his merites and make an Aduocate or rather a GOD of the Saint and of their blind imagination make a Testamēt or bond betwene the Saint and them the Testament of Christes bloud cleane forgotten They looke on the Saintes garmentes and lyues or rather lyes which men lye on the Saintes and this wise imagine in their hartes saying the Saint for wearyng such a garmēt and for such dedes is become so glorious in heauen If I do likewise so shall I be also They see not the fayth and trust whiche the Saintes had in Christ neither the the word of God whiche the Saintes preached neither the entent of the Saintes how that the Saintes dyd such thynges to tame their bodies and to be an ensample to the world and to teach that such thynges are to be despised which the world most wondreth at and magnifieth They see not also that some landes are so whote that a man can neither drinke wyne nor eate fleshe therein neither consider they the complexion of the Saintes and a thousand lyke thynges see they not So whē they haue killed their bodies and brought them in that case that scarce with any restauratiue they can recouer their health agayne yet had they leuer dye then to eate fleshe Why for they thinke I haue now this xx xxx or xl yeares eaten no flesh and haue obteined I doubt not by this tyme as hye a rowme as the best of them should I now loose that nay I had leuer dye and as Lucretia had leuer haue bene flayne if he had not bene to strong for her then to haue lost her glorie euen so had these They ascribe heauen vnto their imaginations and mad inuentions and receaue it not of the liberalitie of God by the merites and deseruynges of Christ He now that is renewed in Christ kepeth the law without any law written or compulsion of any ruler or officer saue by the ledyng of the spirite onely but the naturall man is entised and moued to keepe the law carnally with carnall reasons and worldly persuasions as for glorie honour riches and dignitie But the last remedy of all when all other fayle is feare Beate one the rest will absteine for feare as Moyses euer putteth in remembraunce saying kill stone burne So shall thou put euill from thee and all Israell shal heare and feare and shall no more do so If feare helpe not then will God that they be taken out of this life Kynges were ordeined then as I before sayd and the sword put in their handes to take vengeaunce of euill doers that other might feare and were not ordeined to fight one against an other or to rise agaynst the Emperour to defende the false authoritie of the Pope that very Antechrist Byshops they onely can minister the temporall sword their office the preachyng of Gods word layd a part which the wil neither do nor suffer any mā to do but slay with the temporall sword whiche they haue gotten out of the hand of all Princes them that would The preachyng of Gods word is hatefull and contrary vnto them Why For it is impossible to preach Christ except thou preach agaynst Antichrist that is to say
wherewith y ◠hart is purified as fayth hope loue pacience long sufferyng and obedience could neuer be sene without outward experience For if thou were not brought sometime into combraunce whence God onely could deliuer thee thou shouldest neuer see thy fayth yea except thou foughtest sometyme agaynst desperation hell death sinne and powers of this worlde for thy faythe 's sake thou shouldest neuer know true fayth from a dreame Except thy brother now and then offended thee thou couldest not know whether thy loue were Godly For a Turke is not angre till he be hurt and offended but it thou loue him that doth thee euill then is thy loue of God likewise if thy rulers were alway kinde thou shouldest not know whether thyne obedience were pure or no but if thou canst paciently obeye euill rulers in all thyngs that is not to the dishonour of God and when thou hurtest not thy neighbours then art thou sure that Gods spirite worketh in thee and that thy fayth is no dreame nor any false imagination Therfore counceleth Paule Rom. xij recompense to no man euill And on your part haue peace with all men Dearely beloued auenge not your selues but geue rowme vnto the wrath of God For it is written vengeaunce is myne and I will reward sayth the Lord. Therfore if thy enemie hungre feede hym If he thurst geue hym drinke For in so doyng thou shalt heape coales of fire on his heed that is thou shalt kindle loue in him Be not ouercome of euil that is let not an other mans wickednesse make thee wicked also But ouercome euill with good that is with softenes kindnesse and all pacience winne him euen as God with kindnesse wonue thee THe law was geuē in thūder lightenyng fire smoke and the voyce of a trumpet and terrible sight Exod. xx So that the people quaked for feare and stode a farre of saying to Moyses Speake thou to vs and we wil heare let not the Lord speake vnto vs left we dye No eare if it be awaked and vnderstandeth the meanyng is able to abide the voice of the law except the promises of mercy be by That thunder except the rayne of mercy be ioyned with it destroyeth all and buildeth not The law is a witnesse agaynst vs and testifieth that God abhorreth the the sinnes that are in vs and vs for our sinnes sake In like maner when God gaue the people of Israell a kyng it thundred and rained that y ◠people feared so sore that they cryed to Samuell for to pray for them that they should not dye i. Reg. xij As the law is a terrible thing euen so is the kyng For he is ordeined to take vengeaunce and hath a sword in his hād and not pecockes feethers Feare him therfore and looke on hym as thou wouldest looke on a sharpe sword that hanged ouer thy head by an heare Heades and gouerners are ordeined of God and are euen the gifte of God whether they be good or bad And what soeuer is done vnto vs by them y t doth God be it good or bad If they be euill why are they euill verely for our wickednesse sake are they euill Because that whē they were good we would not receaue that goodnesse of the hand of God and be thankefull submitting our selues vnto his lawes and ordinaunces but abused the goodnesse of God vnto our sensuall beastly lustes Therefore doth God make hys scorge of them and turne them vnto wilde beastes cōtrary to the nature of their names and offices euen into Lyons Beares Foxes and vncleane Swine to auenge himselfe of our vnnaturall and blind vnkindnesse and of our rebellious disobedience In the Cvj. Psalme thou readest he destroyed the riuers and dryed vp the springes of water and turned y t fruitfull land into barennesse for the wickednesse of the inhabiters therein Whē the children of Israell had forgotten God in Egipt God moued the hartes of the Egiptians to hate them and to subdue them with craft and wilynes Psal Ciiij and Deuteronomiun iij. Moyses rehearseth saying God was angry wyth me for your sakes so that the wrath of God fell on Moyses for the wickednesse of the people And in the secōd Chap. of the second booke of kynges God was angry with the people and moued Dauid to number them when Ioab and the other Lords wondred why hee would haue them numbred and because they feared lest some euil should folow disswaded the kyng yet it holpe not God so hardened his hart in his purpose to haue an occasion to slay the wicked people Euill rulers then are a signe that God is angry and wroth with vs. Is it not a great wrath and vengeaunce that the father and mother should hate their children euen their flesh and their bloud or that an husband should be vnkinde vnto his wife or a master vnto the seruaunt that wayteth on his profite or the Lordes and Kynges should be tyrauntes vnto their subiectes and tenauntes which pay them tribute tolle custome and rente laboring and toyling to finde them in honour and to mainteine them in their estate is not this a fearefull iudgemēt of God and a cruell wrath that the very Prelates and shepheardes of our soules whiche were wont to feede Christes flocke with Christs doctrine and to walke before them in lyuyng there after and to geue their lyues for them to their ensample and edifiyng and to strengthē their weake faythes are now so sore chaunged that if they smell that one of their flocke as they now cal them and no lenger Christes do but once long or desire for the true knowledge of Christ they will slay hym burnyng him with fire most cruelly What is the cause of this and that they also teach false doctrine confirmyng it with lyes veryly it is the hād of God to auenge the wickednes of them that haue no loue nor lust vnto the truth of God when it is preached but reioyse in vnrighteousnes As thou maist see in the second Epistle of Paul to the Thessalonians Where he speaketh of the comming of Antichrist Whos 's commyng shal be sayth he by the workyng of Sathan with all miracles signes and wonders which are but lyes and in all deceanable vnrighteousnes among them that perish because they receaued not any loue to the truth to haue bene saued Therefore shall God send them strong delusion to beleue lyes Marke how God to auenge his truth sendeth to the vnthankefull false doctrine and false miracles to confirme them and to harden their harts in the false way that afterward it shall not be possible for them to admitte the truth As thou seest in Exod. vij and viij how God suffered false miracles to be shewed in y t sight of Pharao to harden his hart that he should not beleue the truth in as much as hys sorcerers turned their roddes into Serpēts and turned water into bloud and made frogges by their inchauntment so thought he
no vnrighteousnesse in hym that is to say he will do hys masters message truly and not alter it Where contrarywise he that seeketh his owne glory will be false wheÌ„ he is sent and wil alter his masters message to turne his masters glory vnto his owne selfe Euen so did the Scribes and Phariseis alter the woorde of God for their own profite glory And when Gods word is altered with false gloses it is no more Gods worde As when God sayth loue thy neighbour thou puttest to thy leueÌ„ and sayest if my neighbour do me no hurt nor say me any I am bound to loue him but not to geue him at his neede my goodes which I haue gotteÌ„ with my sore labour Now this is thy law and not Gods Gods law is pure and single loue thy neighbour whether he be good or bad And by loue god meaneth to helpe at nede Now when God byddeth thee to get thy liuyng and somwhat ouer to helpe him that cannot or at a tyme hath not wherewith to helpe him selfe if thou xxx or xl with thee get you to wildernesse not onely helpe not your neighbours but also robbe a great number of two or three thousand pouÌ„d yearely how loue ye your neighbours Such men helpe the world with prayer thou wilt say to me Thou were better to say they robbe y â— world with their hypocrisie say I to thee and it is truth in dede that they so do For if I sticke vp to the middle in the myre like to perish without present helpe and thou stand by and wilt not succour me but knelest downe and prayest wil God heare the prayers of such an hipocrite God biddeth thee so to loue me that thou put thy selfe in ieopardie to helpe me and that thyne hart while thy body laboureth do pray and trust in God that he will assiste thee through thee to saue me An hypocrite that will put neither body nor goodes in perill for to helpe me at my neede loueth me not neither hath compassion on me therfore hys hart caÌ„ not pray though he wagge his lippes neuer so much It is written Iohn ix If a man be a worshipper of God and do his wil which is the true worshyp him God heareth Now the will of God is that we loue one an other to helpe at nede And such louers he heareth not suttle hypocrites As loue maketh thee helpe me at my nede so when it is past thy power to helpe it maketh thee pray to God Euen so where is no loue to make thee take bodely paine w t me there is no loue y â— maketh thee pray for me But thy prayer is in deede foâ—…y bely which y â— louest What were the scribes and Phariseys The scribes besides that they were Phariseys as I suppose were also officers as are our Byshoppes Chauncellers Comistaries Archdeacones and Officialles And the Phariseys were religious men which had professed not as now one dominicke the other Fraunces an other Barnardes rules But euen to holde the very law of God with prayer fastyng and almeâ—â—eedes and were the flower and persection of all the Iewes as Saint Paule reioyseth of himselfe Phil. iiâ— saying I was an Ebrue and concernyng the law a Pharisey and concerning the righteousnes of the lawe I was faultlesse They were more honorable then any secte of the Monkes with vs whether obseruauÌ„t or Ancre or whatsoeuer other be had in price These might much better haue reioysed to haue beene the true Church and to haue had the spirite of God that they coulde not haue erred then they whom all the world seeth neither to keepe Gods lawes nor mans nor yet that deuilles lawe of their owne makyng For God had made them of y â— olde testameÌ„t as great promises that he would be their God and that hys spirite and all grace shoulde be wyth them if they kept his lawes as he hath made to vs. Now seing they kept the vttermost iote of the lawe in the sight of the worlde and were faultlesse and seyng thereto that God hath promised neither vs nor them ought at all but vppon the profession of keepyng hys lawes whether were more lyke to be the right church and to be taught of the spirite of God that they coulde not erre those Phariseys or ours Might not the generall councelles of those the things there decreed without scripture seeme to be of as great auctoritie as the generall councelles of ours the thynges there ordained and decreed both cleane without also against Gods worde Might not the ceremonies which those had added to the ceremonies of Moses seeme to be as holy and as well to please God as the ceremonies of ours The thynges which they added to the ceremonies of Moses were of y â— same kynde as those ceremonies were and no more to be rebuked then the ceremonies of Moses As for an ensample if Moses bad washe a table or a dishe when an vncleane worme had crept thereon the Phariseys did washe the table wyth a were cloute before euery refection least any vncleane thyng had touched them vnwares to all men as we put vnto our tythes a mortuary for all forgotteÌ„ tythes What was then the wickednesse of the Phariseys verely the leuen of their gloses to y â— morall lawes by which they corrupted the coÌ„maundementes and made them no more Gods and their false faith in the ceremonies that the bare worke was a sacrifice and a seruice to God the significations loste and the opinion of false righteousnesse in their prayers fastinges and almesoâ—edes that such workes did iustifie a man before God and not that God forgeueth sinne of his mere mercy if a man beleue repent and promise to do his vttermost to sinne no more When these thus sate in the hartes of the people with the opinion of vertue holinesse and righteousnesse and their lawe the lawe of God their workes workes coÌ„maunded by God and confirmed by all his prophets as prayer fasting and alâ—nesdeede they looked vppon as the Church of God that coulde not erre and finally they themselues eyther euery where were the chiefe rulers or so sate in the harts of the rulers that their worde was beleued to be the worde of God What other thyng coulde it be to preach agaynst all such and to coÌ„dempne their righteousnes for the most dampnable sinne that can be then to seeme to goe about to destroy the lawe and the prophetes What other thyng can such a preacher seeme to be before the blynde worlde then an hereticke scismaticke seditious possessed wyth the deuyll worthy of shame most vile and death most cruell And yet these must be first rebuked and their false righteousnesse detected yer thou mayst preach against open sinners Or els if thou shouldest conuert an open sinner froÌ„ hys euill lyuing thou shouldest make hym nyne hundred times worse theÌ„ before For he would at
had forget all the miracles and all the wordes which he had told them before how that he should be betrayde and deliuered on the same maner vnto death Moreouer they neuer vnderstode that saying of hys death because theyr hartes were all way heauy and ouer lade with earthly thoughtes For though they saw hym raise vp other yet who should rayse him vp when he were dead they could not comprehend Read what thou read canst thou shalt finde no temptatioÌ„ like vnto that from the creation of the world or so great as it by the huÌ„dred part So that the wonderfull soden chaunge and the terrible sight of his passion and of hys most cruell and most vyle death the losse of whoÌ„ they so greatly loued that their hartes would fayne haue dyed with him and the feare of their owne death and the impossibilitie that a man should rise againe of his owne power so occupyed their mindes and so astonyed them and amased them that they could receaue no comfort either of the Scripture or of the miracles whiche they had sene Christ do nor of the monitions warnings wherwith he had warned theÌ„ before neither of the women that brought them tydynges that he was risen The sword of temptations with feare sorow mournyng and wepyng had depely pearced theyr hartes and the cruell sight had so combred their myndes that they could not beleue vntill Christ him selfe came death put of and ouercome yea wheÌ„ they first saw him they were astonyed for wonderyng and ioy together that thoughtes arose in their hartes alas is this he or doth some spirite mocke vs he was fayne to let them feele hym and to eate with them to streÌ„gth theyr faythes Howbeit there was none of them that was fallen in his hart froÌ„ Christ For assoone as the women brought word Peter and Iohn ranne vnto the sepulchre saw and wondred would fayne haue beleued that he was risen and longed for him But could not beleue the wound of temptation beyng greater then that it could bee healed with the preaching of a woman without any other miracle Ioseph of Arimathia and Nicodemus whiche while he yet lyued durst not be a knowen of him assoone as he was dead begged his body and buried hym boldly And the women assoone as it was lawfull to worke prepared their annoyntments with all diligeÌ„ce And the hartes of the Disciples that weÌ„t to Emaus burned in their bresâ—es to heare him spoken of And Thomas had not forsaken Christ but could not beleue vntill he saw him and yet desired and longed to see him and reioysed when he saw him and for ioy cried out my Lord my God There was none of them that euer â—ayled on him and came so farre foorth to say he was a disceauer and wrought with the deuils craft all this while and see where to he is come in the end we defie hym all his workes false wretch that he was and hys false doctrine also And thereto must they haue come at the last when feare sorow and wonderyng had bene past if they had not bene preuented and holpe in the meane tyme. Yea and Peter aâ—soone as he had denyed Christ came to hym selfe immediatly and went out and wept bitterly for sorow And thus ye see that Peters faith failed not though it were oppressed for a tyme so that we nede to seke no gloses for the text that Christ sayd to Peter how that hys fayth should not fayle Yes sayth M. More it fayled in hym selfe but was reserued in our Lady But let vs see the text and their glose together Christ sayth Luke xxij Symon Symon Sathan seketh you to sifte you as men sift where but I haue prayed for thee that thy fayth shall not fayle wherfore wheÌ„ thou art come vnto thy selfe agayne streÌ„gth thy brethreÌ„ Now put this wise gloâ—e thereto and see how they agree together Symon SathaÌ„ seketh to sift you as where but I haue prayed for thee that my mothers fayth shall not fayle wherfore when thou art come to thy selfe again accordyng as my prayer hath obtained for thee that my mothers fayth shall not fayle strength thy brethren How say ye is not this a proper text well framed together Do ye not thinke that there is as much witte in the head of mad Colens as in the draynes oâ— such expositours ¶ Whether the Pope and his sect be Christes Church or no. THat the Pope and his spirite â—e not the Church may this wise be proued He that hath no fayth to be saued through Christ is not of Christes Church The Pope beleueth not to be saued through Christ For he teacheth to trust in holy workes for the remission of sinnes and saluation as in the woorkes of penaunce enioyned in vowes in pilgrimage in chastitie in other mens prayers and holy lyuyng in Friers Friers coates in Saintes merites and the significatioÌ„s put out he teacheth to beleue in y t dedes of the ceremonies of the Sacramentes ordeined at the beginnyng to preach vnto vs and to do vs seruice not that we should beleue in them and serue them And a thousand such superâ—â—iciousnesses setteth he before vs in stede of Christ to beleue in neither Christ nor Gods word neither honorable to God nor seruiceable vnto our neighbour nor profitable vnto our selues for the tamyng of the flesh which all are the denying of Christes bloud An other reason is this Whosoeuer beleueth in Christ conâ—enteth that Gods law is good The pope contenteth not that Gods law is good For he hath forbydden lawfull wedlocke vnto all his ouer whom he raigneth as a temporall tyraunt with lawes of his owne makyng not as a brother exhortyng them to kepe Christes And he hath graunted vnlawfull whoredome vnto as many as bryng money As through Dutchland euery Priest paying a gildren vnto the Archdeacon shall frely and quietly haue his whore and put her away at his pleasure and take an other at his own lust As they do in wales in Ireland Scotland Fraunce and Spayne And in EnglaÌ„d therto they be not few which haue lyceÌ„ces to kepe whores some of the pope and some of their ordinaries And wheÌ„ the Parishes go to law with them to put away their whores the Byshops officers mocke them poll them make them spend their â—hrâ—res the Priests kepe their whores stil Howbeit in very dede sence they were rebuked by the preachyng of wickleffe our English spiritualtie haue layd their snares vnto mens wiues to couer theyr abhominations though they byde not all way secret Therto all Christen meÌ„ if they haue done amisse repent when their faultes be tolde them The spiritualtie repent not but of very lust and coÌ„sent to sinne persecute both the scripture wherwith they be rebuked and also them that warne them to amende and make heretikes of them and burne them And besides that the
they can not depart they seke a thousand gloses to turne it into an other sense to make it agree vnto their beastlynesse and where it will receaue no such gloses theyr they thinke that no man vnderstandeth it Then in the end of the Chapter M. More coÌ„meth vnto his wise conclusion and proueth nothing saue sheweth his ignoraunce as in all thyng He sayth we beleue the doctrine of the Scripture without Scripture as for an example the Popes pardons because onely that the Church so teacheth though no Scripture confirmeth it Why so because sayth he the holy ghost by inspiration if I doe my endeuour and captiuate mine vnderstandyng teacheth me to beleue the Church concernyng Gods worde taught by the Churche and grauen in mens hartes with out Scripture as well as he teacheth vs to beleue wordes written in the Scripture Marke where hee is now Afore hee saith the Scripture causeth vs not to beleue the Scripture for a man may read it beleue it not And much more the preacher maketh vs not to beleue y e preacher for a man may heare him and beleue him not also As we see the Apostles could not cause all men to beleue them For though the Scripture be an outward instrument and the preacher also to moue meÌ„ to beleue yet the chief and principall cause why a man beleueth or beleueth not is within That is the spirite of God teacheth his children to beleue and the deuill blyndeth his children and kepeth them in vnbeleffe and maketh them to consent vnto lyes thinke good euill euill good As the Actes of the Apostles say in many places there beleued as many as were ordeyned vnto euerlastyng lyfe And Christ sayth Iohn viij they that be of God heare Gods word And vnto the wicked Iewes he saith ye caÌ„ not beleue because ye be not of God And in the same place sayth he ye be of your father the deuill and his will ye will do and he bode not in the truth therfore will not suffer his children to consent to the truth And Iohn in y e x. saith Christ all that came before me be theeues murtherers but my shepe heard not theyr voyces That is all that preach any saluatioÌ„ saue in Christ murther y e soules Howbeit Christes shepe could not consent to their lyes as the rest caÌ„ not but beleue lyes so that there is euer a remanaunt kepte by grace And of this I haue sene diuers examples I haue knowen as holy men as might be as the world counteth holynesse which at the houre of death had no trust in God at all but cryed cast holy water light the holy candell and so forth sore lamentyng that they must dye And I haue knowen other which were despised as men that cared not for their diuine seruice which at death haue falsen so flat vppon the bloud of Christ as is possible and haue preached vnto other mightyly as it had bene an Apostle of our Sauiour and comforted them with comfort of the lyfe to come haue dyed so gladly that they would haue receaued no worlds good to bide still in the flesh And thus is M. More fallen vpoÌ„ predestination and is compelled wish violence of Scripture to confesse that which he hateth and studieth to make appeare false to stablish freewill with all not so much of ignoraunce I feare as for lucres sake and to get honour promotioÌ„ dignitie and money by helpe of our mitred monsters Take exaÌ„ple of Balam the false Prophet which gaue counsell sought meanes through like blynd couetousnesse to make the truth and prophesie which God had shewed him false He had the knowledge of y e truth but with out loue therto and therfore for vauntage became enemy vnto the truth but what came of hym But M. More pepereth his conclusioÌ„ lest men should feele the tast saying if we endeuour our selues and captiue our vnderstandyng to beleue O how betleblynd is fleshly reason the will hath none operation at all in the workyng of fayth in my soule no more then the child hath in the begettyng of hys father For sayth Paule it is the gift of God and not of vs. My witte must coÌ„clude good or bad yer my will can loue or hate My witte must shew me a true cause or an apparent cause why yer my will haue any workyng at all And of that peperyng it well appeareth what the Popes fayth is euen a blynd imagination of their naturall witte wrought without the light of the spirite of God agreing vnto their voluptuous lustes in which their beastly wil so deliteth that hee will not let their wittes atteÌ„de vnto any other learning for vnquietyng hym selfe and styrring from his pleasure and delectation And thus we be as farre a sunder as euer we were and his mighty argumentes proue not the value of a poding pricke M. More feeleth in his hart by inspiration and with his endeueryng him self and captiuatyng his vnderstandyng to beleue it that there is a Purgatory as whot as hell Wherein if a sily soule were appointed by God to lye a thousand yeares to purge him with all the Pope for the value of a groat shall commaunde him thence ful purged in the twinkelyng of an eye by as good reason if her were goyng thence kepe him there still He feeleth by inspiration and in captiuatyng hys wittes that the Pope can worke wonders with a Caiues skinne that he can commaunde one to eate fâ—esh though he be neuer so lusty and that an other eate none on payne of daÌ„natioÌ„ though he should dye for lacke of it and that he can forgeue sinne and not the payne as much and as litle of the payne or all if he lust and yet can neither helpe hym to loue the law or to beleue or to hate the flesh seyng he preacheth not And such thinges innumerable M. More feleth true and therfore beleueth that the Pope is the true Church And I cleane coÌ„trary fele that there is no such worldly and fleshly imagined Purgatory For I feele that the soules be purged onely by the word of God doctrine of Christ as it is written Iohn xv ye be cleane through the word saith Christ to his Apostles And I feele agayne that he which is cleane through the doctrine needeth not but to washe his feete onely for his head handes are cleane all ready Iohn xiij that is he must tame his flesh kepe it vnder for his soule is cleane all ready through the doctrine I feele also that bodyly payne doth but purge the body onely in so much that the payne not onely purgeth not the soule but maketh it more foule except that there be kynde learning by to purge the soule so that the more a maÌ„ beateth his soÌ„ne the worse he is except he teach him louingly shew him kindnesse besides partly to kepe hym from
as we haue sinned be in sinne or do sinne or shal sinne so farforth must faith in Christes bloud iustifie vs onely and els nothing To loue is to be righteous so farforth as thou louest but not to make righteous nor to make peace To beleue in Christes bloud with a repēting hart is to make righteous and the onely makyng of peace and satisfaction to Godwarde And thus because termes be darcke to them that be not expert and exercised we alway set out our meaning wyth cleare ensamples reporting our selues vnto the hartes and consciences of all men M. The blasphemous wordes of Luther seme to signifie that both Iohn Baptiste and our Lady were sinners Tyndall Iohn Baptiste sayde to Christ Mat. 3. I had neede to be baptised of thee and commest thou to me Wherof did Iohn confesse that he had nede to be washed purged by Christ of his holynes and good deedes When Iohn saide beholde y e Lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of y e worlde he was not of that sorte nor had any sinnes to be taken away at any time nor any part in Christs bloud which dyed for sinners onely Iohn came to restore all thyng sayth Christ That is he came to enterprete the law of God truely and to proue all fleshe sinners to send thē to Christ as Paul doth in the beginning of y e Romanes Which lawe if M. More coulde vnderstand how spirituall it is and what it requireth of vs he woulde not so dispute And if there were no imperfectnesse in our Ladies deedes why dyd Christ rebuke her Iohn 2. when he ought rather to haue honoured his mother and why did he make her secke him three dayes Chrisostomus dare say that our Lady was now and then taken with a little vayne glory She ioked for the promises of him that should come and blesse her from what She beleued to be saued by Christ from what This I graunt that our Lady Iohn Baptiste Isaac Iacob Ioseph Moses and many like did neuer consent to sinne to follow it But had the holy ghost from the beginning Neuer the later while they folowed the spirite and wrought their best yet chaunces met them by the way and temptations that made their woorkes come sometimes vnperfectly to passe as a potter that hath his craft neuer so wel meteth a chaunce now and then that maketh him fashion a pot a misse So that I thinke the perfectest of them all as we haue ensamples of some were compelled to say with Paul that good that I would I do not and that euill that I would not that I do I would not sweare on a booke that if our Lady had bene let slip as we other were and as hard apposed with as present death before her eyes that she would not haue denyed somethinges that she knew true ye but she was preserued by grace that she was not No but though she were kept by grace from y e outwarde deede yet if there were such wickednes in her fleshe she had sinne And the grace was that she knew it and was meeke to beleue in Christ to haue it forgeuen her and to be preserued that it should not bud forth Iohn the Euangelist when he was as holy as euer was Iohn the Baptist sayd if we say we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues Then he compareth fayth deedes together and will that fayth shoulde stand in no better seruice of right then deedes Yes for the deedes be examined by the lawe and therfore it is not inough to do them onely or to do thē with loue but I must do them wyth as great loue as Christ did for me and as I receaue a good deede at my nede But faith is vnder no lawe and therfore be she neuer so feeble she shall receaue according to the truth of the promiser M. What thing coulde we aske God of right because we beleue him Tyndall Verely all that he promiseth may we be bolde to aske of right and dutie and by good obligation More Ferman sayd that all workes be good inough in thē that god hath chosē Tyndall I am sure it is vntrue for their best be not good inough though God forgeueth them their euill of hys mercy at y e repentaunce of their harts Then he endeth in his schole doctrine contrary vnto all the scripture that God remitteth not the sinne of hys chosen people because that he hath chosen thē not of his mercy but of a towardnes that is more in one then in an other saying God saw before that Peter should repent and Iudas woulde dispaire and therefore chose Peter If God chose Peter because he did repent why chose he not Iudas to which repented as much as he knowledged his sinne and brought the money agayne O this blindnesse as God had wrought nothing in the repentaunce of Peter Sayde not Christ before that Peter should falle And sayd he not that he had prayed for him that he shoulde be holpe vppe agayne Christ prayed a strong prayer for Peter to helpe hym vp agayne and suffered a strong death thereto And before his death he committed them vnto his father saying I haue kept them in thy name and I depart keepe them now from euill Peter had a good hart to God and loued his lawe and beleued in Christ had the spirite of God in him which neuer left him for all his falle Peter sinned of no malice but of frailtie and sodaine feare of death And the goodnesse of God wrought his repentaunce and all the meanes by which he was brought vp againe at Christes requeste And Iudas was neuer good nor came to Christ for loue of his doctrine but of couetousnesse nor did euer beleue in Christ Iudas was by nature and birth as we all be heyre of the wrath of God in whome the deuill wrought his will and blinded his hart with ignoraunce In which ignorannce and blindnes he grew as he grew in age and fell deeper and deeper therein and thereby wrought all his wickednesse and the deuilles will and perished therin Frō which ignoraunce God purged Peter of his mercy and gaue him light and his spirite to gouerne him and not of any towardnesse that was in Peter of hys owne byrth but for the mercy that we haue in the birth of Christes death And how will M. More proue that God chuseth not of his goodnes but of our towardnes What good towardnes can he haue and endeuour that is altogether blinde and caryed away at the will of the deuill till the deuill be cast out Are we not robbed of all towardnes in Adam and be by nature made the children of sinne so that we sinne naturally and to sinne is our nature So that as now though we would do well the flesh yet sinneth naturally neither ceaseth to sinne but so farforth as it is kept vnder with
empyre of Rome ordeined that the right and power to chose the Pope should be his and that no Byshop should bee consecrate till he had obtained of hym both consent and the ornamentes of a Byshop also whiche they now bye of the Pope vnder payne of cursyng and to be deliuered vnto blacke SathaÌ„ the deuill and losse of goodes Dist lxiij And Leo the third whiche succeded Adrian confirmed the same and crowned Charles Emperour of Rome for like seruice done vnto him And then there was appoyntmeÌ„t made betwene the Emperoures of Constantinople and of Rome and the places assigned how farre the borders of either Empire shuld reach And thus of one Empyre was made twayne And therfore the Empire of CoÌ„stantinople for lacke of helpe was shortly after subdued of the Turkes The sayd Leo also called Charles the most Christen kyng because of hys good seruice which title the kynges of Fraunce vse vnto this day though many of them bee neuer so vnchristened As the last Leo called our kyng the defender of the fayth And as this Pope Clemens calleth the Duke of Buâ—lder the eldest sonne of y t holy sea of Rome for no other vertue nor propertie that any man can know saue that hee hath bene all his â—yte a pickequarâ—ll and a cruell and an vnrighteous bloudshedder as his father that sitteth in that holy sea is So now aboue seuen hundred yeares to be a ChristeÌ„ kyng is to fight for the Pope and most Christen that most fighteth and sleath most men for his pleasure This Charles was a great conquerour that is to say a great tyraunt ouercame many natioÌ„s with the sword and as the Turke compelleth vs vnto his fayth so he coÌ„pelled theÌ„ with violence vnto the faith of Christ say the stories But alas Christes fayth whereunto the holy Ghost onely draweth mens hartes thorough preachyng the worde of truth and holy liuyng accordyng therto he knew not but vnto the Pope hee subdued them and vnto this superstitious Idolatrie whiche we vse cleane contrary vnto the Scripture Moreouer at the request and great desyre of his mother hee maryed the daughter of Desiderius kyng of Lombardy but after one yeare vnto the great displeasure of his mother he put her away agayne but not without the false sutiltie of the Pope thou mayst be sure neither without his dispensation For howe could Charles haue made warre for the Popes pleasure with Desiderius her father and haue thrust hym out of his kingdome and banished his sonne for euer deuiding his kingdome betwene him and the pope as long as she had bene his wife And therfore the Pope with his authoritie of bynding and losyng losed the bondes of that Matrimony as he hath many other sence and dayly doth for lyke purposes to the entent that he would with the sword of the Frenche kyng put the kyngdome of Lombardy that was somewhat to nye him out of the way by the reason of whose kings hys fatherhode could not raygne alone nor assigne or sell the Byshopprikes of Italy to whom he lusted and at his pleasure The sayd Charles also kept iiij concubines and lay with two of his own daughters therto And though he wist howe y t it was not vnknowne yet his lustes being greater theÌ„ great Charles he would not wete nor yet refrayne And beyond all that the saying is y t in his old age a whore had so bewitched him with a ryng and a pearle in it and I wotte not what imagerie grauen therein that he went a saâ—te after her as a dogge after a bitche and the dotehead was beside him selfe whole out of his mynde in so much that wheÌ„ the whore was dead he could not departe from the dead corps but caused it to be enbaâ—…ed to be caryed with him whether soeuer he went so that al the world wondered at him till at the last his Lordes accombred with carying her from place to place and ashamed that so old a man so great an Emperour and such a most Christen kyng on whom whose dedes euery mans eyes were set should dote on a dead whore toke counsell what should be y e cause And it was coÌ„cluded that it must nedes be by enchauntement TheÌ„ they went vnto the Cophyne and opened it and sought and found this ring on her finger which one of the Lordes tooke of and put it on his owne finger WheÌ„ the ring was of he commaunded to burye her regardyng her no longer Neuerthelesse he cast a phantasie vnto this Lord and began to dote as fast on him so that he might neuer be out of sight But where our Charles was there must that Lord also be and what Charles did that must he be priuey vnto vntill that this Lord perceauyng that it came because of this enchaunted ring for very payne and tediousnesse tooke and cast it into a well at Acon in Douchland And after that the ryng was in the well the Emperour coulde neuer depart from the towne but in the â—ayd place where the ring was cast though it were a foule marresse yet he built a goodly monastery in the worship of our Lady and thether brought reliques from whence he coulde gette them and pardoÌ„s to sanctifie y e place to make it more haunted And there he lyeth is a Saint as right is For he did for Christes Vicar as much as the great Turcke for Mahomete but to saue his holines that he might be canonised for a Saint they fayne in hys life that his abiding there so continually was for the hotte bathes sakes which â—e there AFter Charlemayne Lewes y e mylde was Emperour which was a very patient man another Phocas and another pray for the Pope and so meke and softe that scarcely he coulde be angry at any thing at all When our holy fathers had seene his water and spyed what complexion he was they chose Steuen the 4. of that name Pope without his knowledge and bad him neyther good morrow nor good euen nor once God speede about the matter against their owne graunt vnto his father for his good seruice And his softnes was yet somewhat displeased therwith in as much as the election of the Pope pertayned vnto his right But the Pope sent Embassadours wrote all the excuses that he coulde and came after him selfe to Fraunce to him and peaced him and crowned hym there Emperour and passed the tyme a season with him and they became very familiar together After that they chose Paschalis Pope of the same maner which Paschalis sent immediatly Legates vnto the Emperour softe Lewes excusing hymselfe saying that it was not his faulte but that the clergie and the commoÌ„ people had drawne him thereto with violence against his will Then the Emperour was content for that once bad they should no more do so but that the olde ordinaunce ought to
came to destroy the workes of the deuill in vs to giue vs a new byrth a new nature and to sow new seede in vs that we should by the reasoÌ„ of that byrth sinne no more For the seede of that byrth that is to wete the spirite of God and the liuely seede of his word sowen in our hartes kepeth our harts that we can not consent to sinne as the seede of the deuill holdeth the hartes of his that they can not consent to good This is coÌ„trary vnto the Pope in two poyntes in one that he sayth that our good deedes make vs first good and teacheth vs not to beleue in Christes bloud there to be washed made first good And in an other that he sayth God choseth vs first for our good qualites properties and for the enforcement and good endeuour of our frewill What good endeuour is there where the deuill possesseth the whole hart that it can consent to no good And finally there is great difference betwene the sinne of them that beleue in Christ vnfaynedly and the sinne of them that beleue not For they that beleue sinne not of purpose and of coÌ„sent to wickednesse that it is good castyng and compassyng afore hand without grudge of coÌ„science to bryng their purpose about As ye see our hypocrites haue vexed all Christendome this xx yeares to bryng a little lust to effect Their fathers conceiued mischief viij hundreth yeares ago And the sonnes consent vnto the same haue no power to depart therefrom And therfore their sinne is deuilishe and vnder the damnation of the law But if he that beleueth sinne he doth it not of purpose or that he consenteth vnto the life of sinne But of infirmitie chauÌ„ce and some great temptation that hath ouercome him And therefore his sinne is veniall and vnder mercy and grace though it be murther theft or adulterie and not vnder the daÌ„nation of the law So that his father shall scourge hym but not cast hym away or damne hym Marke in the sinne of Saule of Dauid Saule euer excused his sinne and could not but persecute the will of God And Dauid confessed his sinne with great repentauÌ„ce at the first warnyng whensoeuer he forgot him selfe All that worke not righteousnes are not of God Nor hee that loueth not his brother For this is the tydinges which ye heard at the begynnyg that we should loue one an other and not be as Cain which was of the deuill and slew his brother And wherefore slew he him for his deedes were euill and hys brothers righteous Maruell not my brethren thoughe the worlde hate you The law of righteousnes is that we loue one an other as Christ loued vs and he that hath not this law liuyng in his hart and when the tyme is bringeth not forth the frutes therof the same is not of God but of the deuill whose byrth and properties of the same ye see described in Cain how he resisted God and persecuted the childreÌ„ of God for their belefe workes therof And as ye see in Cain and his brother Abell so shall it euer continue betwene the children of God and of the deuill vnto the worldes ende Wonder not therefore thoughe the worlde hate you We know that we are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren He that loueth not his brother abydeth in death All that hate theyr brethren are murtherers and ye know that no murtherer hath eternall lyfe abydyng in hym If thou loue thy brother in Christ and art ready to do to suffer for him as Christ dyd for thee then thou art sure thereby that thou art the sonne of God and heyre of life and deliuered froÌ„ death and damnation So haue Christen men signes to know whether they be in the state of grace or no. And on the other side he that hath no power to loue his brethren may be sure that he is in the state of death and damnation An other is this let euery man looke vpoÌ„ his hart and be sure that he which hateth his brother hath slayne hym before God is a murtherer And murtherers shal not obteine the kingdome of God Gala. 5. But are Caines brethren and the deuils children and are heyres of death and euer vnder damnation Compare the regiment of the spiritualtie which haue had the temperall sword in their handes now aboue viij hundreth yeares vnto this doctrine of Iohn Iudge whether they haue led vs truely after the steppes of Christes doctrine Hereby we are assured of loue because hee left his lyfe for vs and therfore ought we to leaue our lyues for our brethren He then that hath the substaunce of the worlde and seith his brother haue neede and shutteth vp his compassion froÌ„ him how dwelleth the loue of God in hym If we felt the loue of Christes death it would sure set our hart on fire to loue hym agayne and our brethren for his sake and should neuer cease to sâ—ay our resisting members vntill we could not onely be wel content that our brethren were in a more prosperous state then we but also vntill we could blesse them wheâ—â— they curse vs and pray for them when they persecute vs and to suffer death for theÌ„ to testifie the worde of their soules health vnto them and with loue to ouercome them and to wynne them vnto Christ If now euery Christen man ought to haue this rule of his profession before his eyes to learne it that hee should loue his brother as Christ dyd hym to depart with his lyfe for his brothers example how farre are they of from good scholers that can not finde in their hartes to depart with a litle of the aboundaunce superfluitie of their temporall goodes to helpe their neighbours neede My litle children let vs not loue in worde nor with the toung but with the dede and of a truth For thereby we know that we be of the truth and so shall we certifie our hartes in his sight If we haue power to worke then doth the worke certefie our hartes that our fayth in Christ and loue to God and our neighbour for his sake are vnfayned and that we are true children and no hypocrites And then are we bold in our coÌ„science before God And this is it that Peter meaneth 2. Pet. 1. where he biddeth vs minister in our fayth vertue godly liuing and all maner of good workes and therewith to make our vocation and election or our calling add chosing sure For the sight of the worke doth certify vs that God hath called vs and chosen vs vnto grace and mercy But and if when the time of woorking is come I fly and haue no power to worke then will our conscience accuse vs of sinne and transgressioÌ„ within the hart before God and so for feare of the rodde we dare not be bolde but draw backe and stand alooâ—e Let a childe haue neuer so mercifull a father yet if
By this word doe we receiue lyfe as the prophet sayth Thy speach shall quicken mée Also the secreates of our hartes be opened by this word S. Paule declareth saying if there come one that doth not beléeue hée is reproued by the word of all men and the secreates of his harte are opened By this worde also is declared vnto vs grace and euerlasting lyfe as S. Paule sayth Christ hath put away death and hath brought lyfe and immortalitie vnto the light through the Gospell This is the thing onely where by that our conscience is losed and made frée from synne Therefore sayth the holy Prophet there is much peace vn to them that loue the lawe of God there is no sclauÌ„der vnto them Much peace is nothyng els but remission of sinnes yea that without any doubt for hée that is loosed by the worde of God that is hée that hath the open word of God for hym that his sinnes bée forgeueÌ„ him hée can not bée sclauÌ„dered that is there is nothyng can make him to doubt but though heauen and hell life and death doe threaten him hée is not offended hée is not sclaundered but hydeth fast knoweth surely that all these thynges must perishe but the word of God bydeth for euer Wherefore this is the very keye that iudgeth the thoughtes and the intentes of the hart as S. Paule sayth By this haue we also the very knowledge of our sinne as S. Paule declareth to the Romaines by this is also declared vnto vs grace also remission of our sinnes if we beléeue it Wherefore this must néedes bée the very true keye as you may sée euidently thoroughout all Scripture and not your boasted and craked power for there is no such thynge nor yet can bée in man that can loose the soule of man from hys sinne Wherefore it is damnable and deuillishe learning and commeth of the presumptuous pride of maÌ„ to learne that man hath a power in hym by the which power mans soule is bounde or loosed from sinne But this is all that man hath hée is a minister and a dispensator of the heauenly worde of God for whose sake our sinnes bée remitted when we beléeue it and our sinnes bée retained when wée doe de spise it Therfore the blessed word of God is the very keye and in that is all the might and power to loouse our sinnes and man is but a minister and a seruaunt vnto this worde This may bée prooued by our Maister Christes wordes where hée sayth Goe your wayes into all the worlde and preach the Gospell vnto all creatures and hée that doth beléeue and is baptised shal be saued but hée that doth not beléeue shall bee damned Here may you playnely sée that the Apostles bée but ministers and seruauntes and haue no power but alonely ministration The keyes that they haue whereby they must loose men and bynde is the very worde of God And therfore sayth our Maister Christ hée that beléeueth shall bée saued and hée that doth not beléeue shal bée damned By this worde did the holy Apostles declare grace thorough Christ and learned meÌ„ to set all their hope of saluation in Christ onely By this worde did they learne men to knowledge their sinne and to séeke for grace fully and wholly to hope for remission forgéeuenes of theyr sinnes in Christ onely Briefely by these keyes is opened all goodnes if they bée receaued And all goodnes is shutte from vs if wée receaue them not Now where this keye is receaued by faith there is all things â—wsed that is all sinnes bée forgéeuen and the consciences bée made frée And where it commeth not in nor is receaued by faith there all thynges bée shutte and bounde Of this maner did the holy Apostles bynde and loose when they preached this holy worde of God vnto y â— people As wée haue an open example of S. Peter that preached this holy worde and at his preaching y e hearers were pricked in their hartes and asked Peter what they myght doe and hée aunswered them repent and bée baptised euery one of you in the name of Iesus for remission of your sinnes and you shall receaue the gifte of the holy Ghost wherfore as many as receaued his word were baptised Here you haue playnely the very true maner of loosing from sinnes as y e holy Apostles vsed it that is when the people beléeued the worde that they preached theÌ„ they declared how their sinnes were remitted for Christes sake and not thorow any power that they had for they were but ministers But the very power was in the word of God whereby they were deliuered from their sinnes This is well proued by our maister Christes word where hée sayth vnto them goe and preach saying That the kyngdome of heauen is at hande What is this the kyngdome of heauen not any power that is in man but remission of sinnes shall bée geuen to them that receiue either your power or your persons and therfore followeth it In what house you enter say first peace bée with you and if the house bée worthy your peace shall come vppon the same that is to say if they reciue your word and beléeue it than shall your peace that is the peace of the Gospel which you bring with you geue them quietnes of conscieÌ„ce and lose them from all synne But if the house bée not worthy your peace shall returne to you agayn and whosoeuer shall not receiue you nor will heare your preaching when you depart out of that house shake of the dust from your féete I say vnto you it shal be easyer for Sodom and Gomorra in the day of Iudgment then for that Cytie What is this your peace shall returne agayne nothing els but that they shall not bée pertakers thereof but shall remaine bound in their sinne And why because they receiue not your persons or your power nay trewlye but because they heare not your preaching It is not to bée doubted but that many men by hearing the Apostles preaching the word of God were losed from their synnes and yet neuer spake with the Apostles Wherefore the receauyng of the word not the Apostle loseth vs from our sinnes for that cause the Apostle did declare by their departing froÌ„ theÌ„ that would not beleue the word y e they remained still in their sinnes for as S. Marke sayth your departyng shal bée a testimonie agaynst them that is to say a token of their condemnation We haue also an open practise of S. Paule how hée dyd bynde theÌ„ that did not receiue his preaching to whoÌ„ hée sayth these wordes Your bloud vpon your heades I will departe froÌ„ hence in clennes vnto the Gentiles Now haue you playnely how the holy Apostle dyd bynde and loose and with what keye they did it that is by preachyng of the holy word of God And because this thyng shoulde
of forgeuenesse of synnes through fayth in Christes bloud And now seing that fayth onely letteth a man in vnto rest and vnbelief excludeth him what is the cause of this vnbeliefe verely no sinne y t the world seeth but a Pope holinesse and a righteousnes of their own imagination as Paule sayth Roma x. They bee ignoraunt of the righteousnes wherewith God iustifieth and haue set vp a righteousnes of their owne makyng thorough which they be disobedient vnto the righteousnes of God And Christ rebuketh not the Phariseys for grosse sinnes whiche the world sawe but for those holy deedes whiche so blered the eies of the world that they were taken as Gods euen for long prayers for fastyng for tythyng so diligently that they lefte not so much as their herbes vntithed for their clennesse in washyng before meate and for washyng of cups dishes and all maner vessels for buildyng y e Prophetes sepulchers and for kepyng the holy day and for turnyng y t heathē vnto the fayth for geuyng of almes For vnto such holy dedes they ascribed righteousnes and therefore when the righteousnesse of GOD was preached vnto them they could not but persecute it the deuill was so strong in them Whiche thyng Christ well describeth Luke xj saying That after the deuill is cast out he commeth agayne and findeth hys house swept and made gay and then taketh seuen woorse then hym selfe and dwelleth therein and so is the ende of that man worse then the beginnyng That is whē they be a litle clēsed from grosse sinnes which the world seyth and then made gaye in their own sight with the righteousnes of traditions then commeth seuen that is to say the whole power of the deuill for vij with the Hebrues signifieth a multitude without number and the extremitie of a thyng and is a speach borowed I suppose out of Leuiticus where is so ofte mention made of seuen Where I would say I wil punish thee that all the world shal take an example of thee there the Iew would saye I will Circumcise thee or Baptise thee seuen tymes And so here by seuen is ment all the deuils of hel and all the might and power of the deuill For vnto what further blindnesse could all the deuils in hell bring them then to make thē beleue that they were iustified thoroughe their owne good workes For when they once beleued that they were purged frō their sinnes and made righteous thoroughe theyr owne holy workes what rowme was there left for the righteousnes that is in Christes bloudshedyng And therfore whē they be fallen into this blindnesse they can not but hate and persecute the light And the more cleare and euidently their deedes be rebuked the furiousser and maliciousser blinde are they vntill they breake out into open blasphemy and synnyng agaynste the holy ghost which is the malicious persecutyng of the cleare trouth so manifestly proued that they can not once hish agaynst it as the Phariseis persecuted Christ because hee rebuked their holy dedes And when he proued hys doctrine with the Scripture and miracles yet thoughe they could not improue hym nor reason agaynst him they taught y ◠the scripture must haue some other meanyng because his inter pretation vndermined their foundatiō and plucked vp by the rootes the sects which they had plāted and they ascribed also his miracles to the deuill And in lyke maner thoughe our hypocrites can not deny but this is the scripture yet because there can be no other sense gathered therof but that ouerthoweth their buildynges therefore they euer thinke that it hath some other meanyng then as the wordes sounde and that no man vnderstandeth it or vnderstode it since the tyme of the Apostles Or if they thinke that some that wrote vpon it since the Apostles vnderstode it they yet thinke that w◅ like maner as we vnderstand not the text it selfe so we vnderstand not the meanyng of the wordes of that Doctour For when thou layest the iustifying of holy workes and deniest the iustifying of fayth how canst thou vnderstand S. Paule Peter Iohn and the Actes of y e Apostles or any Scripture at all seyng the iustifying of fayth is almost all that they entēde to proue Finally concernyng vowes wherof thou readest in the xxx Chapter there may be many questions whereunto I aūswere shortly that we ought to put salt to all our offerynges that is we ought to minister knowledge in all our workes and to doe nothyng whereof we could not geue a reason out of Gods wordes We be now in the day light and all the secretes of God and all hys counsell and wil is opened vnto vs and he that was promised should come and blesse vs is come alredy and hath shed hys bloud for vs and hath blessed vs with al maner blessinges and hathe obtayned all grace for vs and in hym we haue all Wherfore God henceforth wil receiue no more sacrifices of beastes of vs as thou readest Hebr. 10. If thou burne vnto god the bloud or fatte of beastes to obtaine forgeuenesse of sinnes therby or that God should the better heare thy request then thou doest wrong vnto the bloud of Christ and Christ vnto thee is dead in vayne For in him God hath promised not forgeuenesse of sins onely but also what soeuer we aske to keepe vs from sinne and temptation with all And what if thou burne frankencens vnto him what if thou burne a candle what if thou burne thy chastitie or virginitie vnto him for the same purpose doest thou not lyke rebuke vnto Christs bloud Moreouer if thou offer gold siluer or any other good for the same entēt is there any difference And euen so if thou go in pilgrimage or fastest or goest wolward or sprynelest thy selfe with holy water or elles what soeuer dede it is or obseruest what soeuer ceremonie it be for lyke meanyng then it is lyke abhominatiō We must therfore bryng the salt of the knowledge of Gods word with al our sacrifices or elles we shall make no swete sauour vnto God therof Thou wilt aske me shall I vow nothyng at all yes Gods commaundemēt which thou hast vowed in thy Baptisme For what entent verelye for the loue of Christe which hath bought thee with his bloud and made the sonne heyre of God with him that thou shouldest wayte on hys will and commaundementes and purifie thy members accordyng to the same doctrine that hath purified thyne harte for if the knowledge of Gods word hath not purified thine hart so y t thou consentest vnto the law of god y t it is righteous and good sorowest y t thy members moue thee vnto the contrary so hast thou no part with Christ For if thou repent not of thy sinne so it is impossible that thou shouldest beleue that Christe had deliuered thee from the daunger therof If thou beleue not that Christ hath deliuered thee so is
by the way of repentance vnto the fountayne of Christes bloud to washe it away thorow faith By the reason of which false righteousnes they wer disobediēt vnto the righteousnes of god whiche is the forgeuenesse of sinne in Christes bloud and could not beleue it And so thorow fleshly interpretyne the law and false imagined righteousnes their hartes were hardened and made as stony as clay in an whot furnace of fire that they could receiue neither repentance nor fayth or any moysture of grace at all But the heathen Niniuites though they were blinded with lustes yet werin those two poyntes vncorrupte and vnhardened and therfore with the only preachyng of Ionas came vnto the knowledge of their sinnes and confessed them and repented truly and turned euery man from hys euil dedes declared their sorrow of hart and true repentaunce with theyr deedes which they did out of fayth and hope of forgeuenesse chastieing their bodies with prayer and fastyng and with takyng all pleasures from the flesh trustyng as God was angry for their wickednesse euen so should he forgeue them of his mercy if they repented and forsoke their misseliuing And in the last ende of all thou hast yet a goodly ensample of learnyng to see how earthy Ionas is still for all his trying in y t whales belly He was so sore displesed because the Niniuites perished not that he was wery of hys life and wished after death for very sorow that he had lost the glory of hys prophesiyng in y t hys prophecie came not to passe But GOD rebuked hym with a likenes saying it greueth thine hart for the losse of a vile shrub or spray wheron thou bestowedst no labour or cost neither was it thine handy work How much more then should it greue myne hart the losse of so great a multitude of innocentes as are in Niniue which are all mine hādes worke Nay Ionas I am God ouer all and father as well vnto the heathen as vnto the Iewes and merciful to all and warneere I smite neither threate I so cruelly by any prophet but that I will forgeue if they repent and aske mercy neither on the other side whatsoeuer I promise will I fulfill it saue for their sakes onely which trust in me submit themselues to keepe my lawes of very loue as naturall children ON this maner to read the Scripture is the right vse therof why the holy ghost caused it to be written That is that thou first seke out y t law that God wyll haue thee to do interpreting it spiritually without glose or couering the brightnes of Moses face so that that thou feele in thyne harte how that it is damnable sinne before God not to loue thy neighbour that is thine enemy as purely as Christ loued thee that not to loue thy neighbour in thyne hart is to haue committed already all sinne against him And therfore vntill that loue be come thou must knowledge vnfainedly that there is sinne in the best deede thou doest And it must ernestly greue thine hart and thou must wash all thy good dedes in Christes bloud ere they can be pure and an acceptable sacrifice vnto god and must desire God the father for his sake to take thy dedes a worth and to pardon the imperfectnesse of them to geue thee power to do thē better and with more feruent loue And on the other side thou must serch diligently for the promises of mercye which God hath promised thee again Which two poynces that is to witte the law spiritually interpreted howe that all is damnable synne that is not vnfayned loue out of the ground and bottome of the harte after the ensample of Christes loue to vs because we be all equally created and formed of one God our father and indifferently bought and redemed with one bloude of our sauiour Iesus Christ and that the promises be geuen vnto a repentyng soule that thursteth and longeth after thē of the pure and fatherly mercy of God thorow our fayth only with out all deseruyng of our dedes or merites of our workes but for Christes sake a lone and for the merites and deseruynges of hys workes death and passions that he suffered all together for vs and not for hymself which two poyntes I say if they bee written in thyne hart are the keyes which so open all the Scripture vnto thee that no creature can locke thee out with which thou shalt go in and out find pasture and foode euery where And if these lessons be not written in thyne hart then is all the scripture shut vp as a cornel in the shale so that thou mayest read it and commen of it and reherse all the stories of it and dispute wittily and be a profounde sophister and yet vnderstand not one iot thereof And thirdly that thou take the stories and lyues which are contained in the bible for sure and vndoubted ensamples that god so wil deale with vs vnto the worldes ende ¶ Herewith Reader farewell and be commended vnto God and vnto the grace of hys spirit And first see y t thou stoppe not thyne eares vnto the callyng of GOD and harden not thine hart beguiled with fleshly interpreting of the law and false imagined and hipocritish righteousnes least then the Niniuites rise with thee at the day of iudgement and condemne thee And secondarily if thou fynde ought amisse when thou seest thy selfe in the glasse of Gods worde thinke it necessary wisdome to amend the same betymes monished and warned by the ensample of other men rather then to tary vntill thou be beaten also And thirdly if it shall so chaunce that the wylde lustes of thy flesh shall blynde thee cary thee cleane away w t the for a tyme yet at y t latter end when the God of all mercy shall haue compassed thee in on euery syde with temtations tribulation aduersities and combrance to bryng thee home againe vnto thine owne harte and to set thy sinnes which thou wouldest so fayne couer and put out of mynde with delectation of voluptuous pastunes before the eyes of thy conscience then cal the faythfull ensample of Ionas and all like stories vnto thy remembrance and with Ionas turne vnto thy father that smote thee not to cast thee away but to lay a corosie and a fretting plaister vnto the pocke that lay hidde and fret inward to draw the disease out to make it appeare that thou mightest feele thy sicknes and the danger therof and come and receiue the healyng plaister of mercy And forget not that whatsoeuer ensample of mercy God hath shewed since the beginnyng of the world the same is promised thee if thou wylt in like maner turne agayne and receiue it as they did and with Ionas bee a knowen of thy sinne and confesse it knowledge it vnto thy father And as the law which fretteth thy conscience is in thine hart and is none
outward thing euen so seeke within thy hart the plaister of mercy the promises of forgeuenes in our Sauiour Iesus Christ accordyng vnto all the ensamples of mercy y t are gone before And with Ionas let them that wait on vanities and seke God here and there and in euery temple saue in their hartes go and seke thou the testament of God in thyne harte For in thyne hart is the word of the law in thine hart is the word of faith in the promises of mercy in Iesus Christ So that if thou confesse with a repentyng hart and knowledge and surely beleue that Iesus is Lord ouer all sinne thou art safe And finally when the rage of thy conscience is ceased and quieted with fast faith in the promises of mercy thē offer with Ionas the offring of prayse and thankesgeuyng and pay the vowe of thy Baptisme that God onely saueth of his onely mercy and goodnes that is beleue stedsastly and preach cōstātly that it is God onely that smiteth and GOD onely that healeth ascribyng the cause of thy tribulation vnto thyne owne sinne and the cause of thy deliuerance vnto y t mercy of god And beware of the leuen that sayth we haue power in our free will before the preaching of the Gospel to deserue grace to kepe the law of congruite or god to bee vnrighteous And say with Iohn in the first that as the law was geuen by Moses euen so grace to fulfill it is geuen by Christ And when they say our deedes with grace deserue heauen say thou with Paule Rom. vj that euerlastyng lyfe is the gift of GOD thorough Iesus Christe our Lorde and that we be made sonnes by fayth Iohn i. And therefore heires of GOD with Christ Rom. viij And say that we receaue all of God through faith that foloweth repentaunce and that we doe not our workes vnto God but either vnto our selues to slay the sinne that remaineth in the fleshe and to waxe perfect either vnto our neighbours which do as much for vs agayne in other thynges And when a man excedeth in giftes of grace let him vnderstand that they be geuen him as well for his weake brethren as for him self as though all the bread be committed vnto the panter yet for his felowes with him whiche geue thee thankes vnto their Lord and recompence the panter agayn with other kynde of seruice in their offices And when they say that Christ hath made no satisfaction for the sinne we do after our Baptisme say thou with the doctrine of Paule that in our Baptisme we receaue the merites of Christes death through repentaunce faith of which two Baptisme is y t signe And though when we sinne of frailtie after our Baptisme we receaue the signe no more yet we be renewed agayne through repentance and fayth in Christes bloud of which twaine y t signe of Baptisme euen continued among vs in Baptising our young childrē doth euer kepe vs in mind call vs backe again vnto our profession if we begon astray promiseth vs forgeuenesse Neither cā actual sinne be washed away with our workes but with Christes bloud neither can there be any other sacrifice or satisfaction to Godward for them saue christes bloud For as much as we can do no workes vnto God but receiue only of his mercy with our repenting faith through Iesus Christ our lord and only sauiour vnto whom and vnto God our father thorowe hym and vnto his holy spirite y t onely purgeth sanctifieth and washeth vs in the innocent bloude of our redemption be prayse for euer Amen The Prologue vppon the Gospell of S. Mathew by M. William Tyndall HEre hast thou mostdere reader the new Testamēt or couenaunt made with vs of GOD in Christes bloud Whiche I haue looked ouer agayne now at the last with all diligence compared it vnto the Greke haue weeded out of it many fautes which lacke of helpe at the begynning and ouersight did sow therein If ought seme chaunged or not altogether agreyng with the Greeke let the finder of the faute consider the Hebrue phrase or maner of speache left in the Greeke wordes Whose preterperfectence and presentence is oft both one the futuretence is the optatiue mode also the futuretence oft y t imperatiue mode in the actiue voyce in the passiue euer Likewise person for person number for number and interrogatiō for a cōditionall and such lyke is with the Hebruesa common vsage I haue also in many places set light in the margent to vnderstand the text by If any mā finde fautes either with the translation or ought beside which is easier for many to do then so well to haue translated it thē selues of their owne pregnante wittes at the beginnyng without an ensāple to the same it shal be lawfull to trāslate it them selues and to put what they lust thereto It I shall perceaue either by my selfe or by information of other y t ought be escaped me or might more playnly be translated I will shortly after cause it to be amended Howbeit in many places me thinketh it better to put a declaration in the margent then to runne to farre from the text And in many places where the text semeth at the first choppe hard to be vnderstād yet the circumstaunces before and after and often readyng together make it plaine inough Moreouer because the kyngdome of heauen which is the Scripture and word of GOD may be so locked vp that he which readeth or heareth it can not vnderstand it as Christ testifieth how that the Scribes and Phariseis had so shut it vp Math. xxiij and had taken awaye the keye of knowledge Luke xj that y t Iewes which thought them selues within were yet so locked out and are to this day that they can vnderstand no sentence of the Scripture vnto their saluation though they cā rehearse the textes euery where and dispute therof as subtely as the Popish Doctours of Dunces darke learnyng whiche with their sophistry serned vs as the Phariseis did y t Iewes Therfore that I might be found faith full to my father and Lord in distributyng vnto my brethren and felowes of one faith their due and necessary fode so dressing it and seasonyng it that the weake stomackes may receiue it also and be the better for it I thought it my dutie most deare reader to warne thee before and to shew thee the right way in and to geue thee the true keye to open it with all and to arme thee agaynst false Prophetes and malicious hypocrites whose perpetuall studie is to blind the scripture with gloses and there to locke it vp where it should saue thee soule to make vs shoote at a wrōg marke to put our trust in those thinges that profite their bellyes onely and slea our soules The right way yea and the onely way to vnderstand the Scripture vnto saluation is that we earnestly and aboue all thyng search
bynde hym hand and foote and to cast hym into vtter darkenes and to geue the talent vnto hym that had ten saying to all that haue more shall be geuen but from hym that hath not that he hath shal be taken from hym That is to say he that hath a good harte toward the word of god and to garnish it with godly liuyng and to testify it to other y e same shall increase daily more and more in the grace of Christ But he that loueth it not to lyue therafter and to edify other the same shall loose the grace of true knowledge be blinded agayne and euery day wax worse and worse and blynder and blynder tyll he be an vtter enemy of the worde of God and hys hart so hardened that it shall be impossible to conuert hym And Luke xij The seruaunte that knoweth hys maisters wyll and prepareth not hymselfe shall be beaten wyth many stripes That is shall haue greater damnation And Mat. 7. All that heare the worde of God and do not therafter build on sande that is as the foundation laid on sand can not resist violence of water but is vndermyned and ouerthrowne euen so the fayth of them that haue no lust nor loue to the law of God builded vpon y t sand of their owne imaginatiōs and not on the rocke of Gods word accordyng to hys couenauntes turneth to desperation in tyme of tribulatiō and when God commeth to iudge And the vineyard Mat. 21. planted and hyred out to the husbandmen that would not render to the Lorde of the fruit in due tyme and therfore was takē from them and hyred out to other doth confirme the same For Christe sayth to the Iewes the kingdome of heauē shal be taken from you and geuen to a nation that wyll bring forthe y t frutes therof as it is come to passe For the Iewes haue lost the spirituall knowledge of God of his cōmaundementes and also of all the scripture so that they can vnderstand nothyng godly And the dore is so locked vppe that all their knockyng is in vayne though many of them take great payn for gods sake And Luke 13. The figge tree that beareth no fruite is cōmaunded to be plucked vp And finally hereto pertayneth with infinyte other the terrible parable of the vncleane spirite Luke 11. which after hee is cast out when hee commeth and findeth hys house swept and garnished taketh to hym 7. worse then hymselfe and commeth entreth in and dwelleth there and so is y t ende of the man worse then the beginnyng The Iewes they had cleansed themselues with gods word from all outward idolatry and worshipping of idols But their hartes remayned styll faythlesse to godward and toward his mercy and truth and therfore without loue also lust to his law to their neighbours for hys sake and through false trust in their owne woorkes to which heresy the chylde of perdition the wicked bishop of Rome with hys lawyers hath broughte vs christen were more abhominable idolaters thē before and become ten tymes worse in the end then at the beginning For the first idolatry was soone spyed and easie to be rebuked of the Prophets by the Scripture But the latter is more subtill to beguile withall and an hundreth tymes of more difficultie to bee weeded out of mens hartes This also is a conclusion nothyng more certayne or more proued by the testimony and ensamples of the scripture that if any that fauoureth the worde of God be so weake that he can not chaste hys flesh hym wyll the lord chastice and scourge euery day sharper and sharper with tribulation and misfortune that nothyng shall prosper with him but all shall go against him what soeuer he taketh in hand will visite him with pouertie with sickenesses and diseases and shall plague him with plague vpon plague eche more lothsome terrible and fearefull then other till he be at vtter desiaunce with his flesh Let vs therefore that haue now at this tyme our eyes opened agayne through the tender mercy of GOD kepe a meane Let vs so put our trust in the mercy of GOD through Christ that we know it our duetie to kepe the law of GOD and to loue our neighbours for their fathers sake whiche created them and for their Lords sake which redemed them and bought thē so dearely with his bloud Lette vs walke in y t feare of God and haue our eyes open vnto both partes of Gods couenaunts beyng certified that none shal be partaker of the mercy saue hee that will fight against the flesh to kepe the lawe And let vs arme our selues with this remembraunce y t as Christs workes iustifie from sinne and set vs in the fauour of GOD so our owne dedes through workyng of the spirite of God helpe vs to continue in the fauour and the grace into which Christ hath brought vs and that we can no longer continue in fauour and grace then our hartes are to kepe the law Furthermore concernyng the lawe of God this is a generall conclusion that the whole lawe whether they be ceremonies sacrifices yea or Sacramentes either or preceptes of equitie betwene man and man throughout al degrees of the world all were geuē for our profite and necessitie onely not for any nede that God hath of our keping thē or y t his ioy is encreased therby or that the dede for the dede it selfe doth please him That is all that God requireth of vs whē we be at one with him and doe put our trust in him and loue him is that we loue euery man his neighbour to pity hym to haue compassion on him in all his needes and to be mercyfull vnto him This to be euen so Christ testifieth in the. vij of Math This is the lawe and the Prophetes That is to do as thou wouldst be done to accordyng I meane to the doctrine of the Scripture and not to do that thou wouldest not haue done to thee is all that the law requireth the Prophets And Paul to the Rom. xiij affirmeth also y t loue is that fulfillyng of the law and that he which loueth doth of his owne accorde all that the law requireth And. i. Tim. i. Paul sayth that the loue of a pure hart and good conscience and faith vnfayned is the end and fulfillyng of the law For faith vnfained in Christes bloud causeth y e to loue for Christes sake which loue is the pure loue onely the onely cause of a good conscience For then is the conscience pure whē the eye looketh to Christ in all her deedes to doe them for his sake and not for her owne singular aduaūtage or any other wicked purpose And Iohn both in hys Gospel and also Epistles speaketh neuer of any other law then to loue one an other purely affirmyng that we haue God him selfe dwellyng in vs all that GOD desireth if we loue one the other Seyng then that
then they did before These are they whiche Iudas in his Epistle calleth dreamers which deceaue themselues with their owne fantasies For what other thing is their imagination which they call fayth then a dreamyng of the fayth and an opinion of their owne imagination wrought without the grace of God These must nedes be worse at the latter end thē at the begynnyng These are the old vessels that rent when new wyne is poured into them Math. ix that is they heare Gods word but hold it not and therfore waxe worse then they were before But the right fayth spryngeth not of mans fantasie neither is it in any mās power to obtaine it but is all together the pure gift of God poured into vs freely without all maner doyng of vs without deseruing and merites yea and without sekyng for of vs. And is as sayth Paul in the second to the Ephesians euen Gods gift and grace purchased through Christ Therfore is it mighty in operation full of vertue and euer working which also renueth a man and begetteth him a fresh altereth him chaungeth hym and turneth him altogether into a new nature and conuersation so that a man feeleth hys hart all together altered chaunged and farre otherwise disposed then before hath power to loue that whiche before he could not but hate and deliteth in that which before he abhorred and hateth that which before he could not but loue And it setteth the soule at libertie and maketh her free to folow the will of God and doth to the soule euen as health doth vnto the body after that a man is pined and wasted away with a long sokyng disease the legges cannot beare hym he cannot lift vp his handes to helpe hymself his taste is corrupt suger is bitter in hys mouth his stomacke abhorreth longyng after slibbersause and swashe at which a whole stomacke is readye to cast hys gorge When helth commeth she changeth and altereth hym cleane geueth hym strength in all hys members lust to do of his owne accord that which before he could not do neither could suffer that any mā exhorted hym to do and hath now lust in holesome thynges and hys members are free and at libertie and haue power to do of their owne accorde all thinges which belong to an whole man to do which afore they had no power to do but were in captiuitie and bondage So likewise in all thyng doth right fayth to the soule The sprite of God accompanieth fayth bringeth with her light wherwith a man beholdeth hymselfe in the lawe of God and seeth his miserable bondage and captiuitie and humbleth himselfe and abhorreth himselfe she bringeth Gods promises of all good thinges in Christ God worketh with his worde and in his worde And as his worde is preached fayth rooteth her selfe in the hartes of the elect and as faith entreth and the worde of God is beleued the power of God looseth the hart from the captiuitie and bondage vnder sinne and knitteth and coupleth him to God and to the wyll of God altereth hym chaungeth hym cleane fashioneth and forgeth hym a new geueth hym power to loue and to doe that whiche before was vnpossible for hym eyther to loue or do and turneth hym into a new nature so y t he loueth that which he before hated and hateth that which he before loued and is cleane altered chaunged and contrary disposed and is knit and coupled fast to Gods will and naturally bringeth forthe good workes that is to say that which God commaundeth to do and not thinges of hys owne imagination And that doth he of hys owne accorde as a tree bringeth forth fruit of her own accord And as thou needest not to bid a tree to bryng forth fruite so is there no law put vnto hym that beleueth and is iustified through fayth as sayth Paul in the first Epistle to Timothie the fyrst chapter Neither is it nedeful for the law of god is written graued in his harte and his pleasure is therein And as without commaundement but euē of hys owne nature he eateth drincketh seeth heareth talketh goeth euē so of his owne nature without coaction or compulsion of y t law bringeth he forth good workes And as a whole man when he is a thurst tarieth but for drinke and when he hungreth abideth but for meate and then drinketh and eateth naturally euē so is y e faithfull euer a thurst an hungred after the will of God and tarieth but for occasion And whensoeuer an occasion is geuen he worketh naturally the wyll of God For this blessing is geuen to all them that trust in Christes bloud that they thrust and hunger to do gods wyll He that hath not this fayth is but an vnprofitable babler of faith and workes and wotteth neither what he bableth nor what he meaneth or wherunto his wordes pertayne For he feeleth not the power of faith nor y e working of the spirite in his hart but enterpreteth the scriptures which speake of fayth and workes after hys owne blynd reason folish fantasies not of any feeling that he hath in his hart as a man rehearseth a tale of an other mans mouth and wotteth not whether it be so or no as he sayth nor hath any experience of y t thing it selfe Now doth the scripture ascribe both fayth workes not to vs but to God only to whom they belong onely and to whō they are appropriate whose gifte they are and the proper worke of his spirit Is it not a frowarde and peruerse blindnes to teach how a man can do nothing of his owne selfe and yet presumptuously take vpō them the greatest and hyest worke of God euen to make fayth in themselues of their own power and of their owne false imagination and thoughtes Therfore I say we must dispayre of our selues pray God as christes apostles did to geue vs fayth to encrease our fayth When we haue that we neede no other thing more For she bringeth the spirite with her and he not onely teacheth vs all thinges but worketh them also mightely in vs and carieth vs through aduersitie persecution death and hel vnto heauen and euerlasting lyfe MArke diligently therfore seing we are come to answer The Scripture because of such dreames and fayned faythes sake vseth such manner of speakinges of workes not that a man should therby be made good to Godwarde or iustified but to declare vnto other and to take of other the differēce betwene false fayned fayth and ryght fayth For where right fayth is there bringeth she forthe good workes if there followe not good workes it is no doubt but a dreame and an opinion or fained fayth Wherfore looke as the fruit maketh not the tree good but declareth and testifieth outwardlye that the tree is good as Christ sayeth euery tree is knowen by his fruite euen so shall ye know the right fayth by her fruite Take for an
is forasmuch as faythe iustifieth and putteth away sinne in the sight of God bringeth lyfe health and the fauour of God maketh vs the heyres of God poureth the spirite of God into our soules and filleth vs with all godly fulnes in Christ it wer to great a shame rebuke and wronge vnto the fayth ye to christes bloud if a man would worke any thyng to purchase that wherwith fayth hath indued hym already and God hath geuen hym freely Euen as Christ had done rebuke and shame vnto hymselfe if he would haue done good workes and wrought to haue bene made thereby Gods sonne and heyre ouer all which thing he was alredy Now doth fayth make vs the sonnes or childrē of god Iohn 1. he gaue them might or power to be y t sonnes of God in that they beleued on his name If we be sonnes so are we also heires Roma viij and Gala. iiij How can or ought we then to worke for to purchase that inheritaunce withall whereof we are heyres already by fayth What shall we say thē to those scriptures whiche sound as though a man should do good workes and lyue well for heauens sake or eternall reward As these are make you frendes of the vnrighteous Mammon And Math. vij Gather you treasures together in heauen Also Math. xix If thou wilt enter into lyfe keepe the commaundementes and such like This say I that they whiche vnderstand not neither feele in their hartes what fayth meaneth talke and thinke of the reward euen as they do of the worke neither suppose they y t a man ought to worke but in a respect to the reward For they imagine that it is in the kyngdome of Christ as it is in the world among mē that they must deserue heauen with their good woorkes Howbeit their thoughtes are but dreames and false imaginations Of these men speaketh Malachias Chap. i. who is it among you that shutteth a doore for my pleasure for nought y t is without respect of reward These are seruauntes that seke gaynes and vauntage hyrelinges day labourers whiche here on earth receaue their rewardes as the Phariseis with their prayers and fastynges Math. v. But on this wise goeth it with heauen with euerlastyng lyfe and eternall reward likewise as good workes naturally folow fayth as it is aboue rehearsed so that thou nedest not to commaunde a true beleuer to worke or to compel him with any law for it is vnpossible that he should not worke he taryeth but for an occasion he is euer disposed of him selfe thou nedest but to put him in remembraunce and that to know the false fayth from the true Euen so naturally doth eternall lyfe folow faith and good liuing without sekyng for is impossible that it should not come though no mā thought there on Yet is it rehearsed in y ◠Scripture alledged and promised to know the difference betwene a false beleuer and a true beleuer and that euery man may know what foloweth good liuyng naturally and of it selfe without takyng thought for it Take a grosse ensample Hell that is euerlastyng death is threatned vnto sinners and yet foloweth it sinne naturally without sekyng for For no mā doth euill to be damned therfore but had rather auoyde it Yet there the one foloweth the other naturally though no man told or warned him of it yet should the sinner finde it and feele it Neuerthelesse it is therfore threatned that men may know what foloweth euill liuyng Now then as after euill liuyng foloweth his reward vnsought for euen so after good liuing foloweth his reward naturally vnsought for or vnthought vpon Euen as when thou drinkest wine be it good or bad the tast foloweth of it selfe thoughe thou therfore drinke it not Yet testifieth the Scripture and it is true that we are by inheritaunce heyres of damnation and that ere we be borne we are vessels of the wrath of God full of that poyson whence naturally all synnes spring and wherewith we can not but sinne which thyng the dedes that folow whē we behold our selues in the glasse of the law of God do declare vtter kill our consciences show vs what we were and wist not of it certifieth vs that we are heyres of damnatiō For if we were of God we should cleaue to God and lust after the wil of God But now our dedes compared to the law declare y ◠contrary by our dedes we see our selues both what we be and what our end shall be So now thou seest that lyfe eternall and all good thynges are promised vnto fayth and belefe so that he that beleueth on Christ shal be safe Christes bloud hath purchased life for vs hath made vs the heyres of god so that heauen commeth by Christes bloud If thou wouldest obtaine heauē with the merites and deseruinges of thine own woorkes so dyddest thou wrong yea and shamedest the bloud of Christ and vnto thee were Christ dead in vayne Now is the true beleuer heyre of God by Christes deseruynges yea and in Christ was predestinate and ordeined vnto eternall life before the world began And when the Gospel is preached vnto vs we beleue the mercy of God and in beleuyng we receaue the spirite of God which is the earnest of eternal lyfe and we are in eternal life already feele already in our hartes the swetnes therof and are ouercome with the kyndnes of God and Christ and therfore loue the will of God and of loue are ready to woorke freely and not to obtaine that which is geuen vs freely and whereof we are heyres already Now when Christ sayth Make you frendes of vnrighteous Mammon Gather you treasure together in heauen and such like Thou seest that the meanyng and entent is no other but that thou shouldest do good so will it folow of it selfe naturally without sekyng takyng of thought that thou shalt find frendes and treasure in heauē and receaue a reward So let thyne eye be single and looke vnto good lyuyng onely and take no thought for y t reward But be content For as much as thou knowest and art sure that the reward all thyng contained in gods promises folow good liuyng naturally and thy good workes do but testifie onely and certifie thee that the spirite of God is in thee whom thou hast receaued in earnest of Gods truth and that thou art heyre of all the goodnes of God and that all good thynges are thyne already purchased by Christes bloud and layd vp in store against that day when euery man shall receaue according to his dedes that is according as his dedes declare and testifie what he is or was For they that looke vnto the reward are slow false suttle and crafty workers and loue the reward more thē the worke yea hate the labour yea hate God which commaūdeth the labour and are wery both of the commaundement and also
is for Christes sake deceaueth him selfe and maketh a mocke of himselfe vnto the godles hipocrites infidels No man can serue two maisters God and Mammon that is to say wicked riches also Mathew vj. Thou must loue Christ aboue all thing but that doest thou not if thou be not ready to forsake all for hys sake if thou haue forsaken all for his sake then art thou sure that thou louest him Tribulation is our right baptisme and is signified by plunging into the water Wee that are baptized in the name of Christ sayth Paule Rom. vj. are baptized to dye with him The spirite through tribulation purgeth vs and killeth our fleshly witte our worldly vnderstādyng and belly wisedome and filleth vs full of the wisedome of God Tribulation is a blessing that commeth of God as witnesseth Christ Math. v. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theyrs is the kyngdome of heauen Is not this a comfortable word Who ought not rather to chuse and desire to be blessed w t Christ in a little tribulation then to be cursed perpetually with the world for a little pleasure Prosperitie is a right curse and a thing that God geueth vnto his enemies Wo be to you ritch sayth Christ Luke vj. loe ye haue your consolation wo be to you that are ful for ye shall hunger wo be to you that laugh for ye shall weepe wo be to you when men prayse you for so did theyr fathers vnto the false prophetes yea and so haue our fathers done vnto the false hypocrites The hipocrites with worldly preaching haue not gotten the prayse onely but euen the possessions also and the dominion and rule of the whole worlde Tribulation for righteousnes is not a blessing onely but also a gift that God geueth vnto none saue his speciall frendes The Apostles Act. v. reioyced that they were counted woorthy to suffer rebuke for Christes sake And Paule in the second epistle third chapter to Timothe sayth All that will liue godly in Christ Iesu must suffer persecutiō And Philip. j. he sayth Vnto you it is geuen not onely to beleue in Christ but also to suffer for his sake Here seest thou that it is Gods gift to suffer for Christes sake And in the 1. Pet. 4. sayth Happy are ye if ye suffer for the name of Christ for the glorious spirite of God resteth in you Is it not an happy thing to be sure that thou art sealed with Gods spirite vnto euerlasting life And verily thou art sure therof if thou suffer patiently for his sake By suffring art thou sure but by persecuting canst thou neuer be sure For Paule Rom. 5. sayth Tribulation maketh feeling that is it maketh vs feele the goodnesse of God and his helpe and the working of his spirite 2. Cor. 12. the Lord sayd vnto Paul My grace is sufficiēt for thee for my strēgth is made perfect through weaknes Lo Christ is neuer strong in vs till we be weake As our strength abateth so groweth the strength of Christ in vs when we are cleane emptied of our own strength then are we ful of Christes strength looke how much of our owne strength remayneth in vs so much lacketh there of y ◠strength of Christ Therfore sayth Paule 2. Cor. 12. Very gladly will I reioyce in my weaknes that the strength of Christ may dwell in me therfore haue I delectation sayth Paule in infirmities in rebukes in need in persecutions and in anguish for Christes sake for when I am weake then am I strong Meaning that the weaknes of the fleshe is the strength of the spirite And by flesh vnderstand wit wisedome and all that is in a man before the spirite of God come and whatsoeuer springeth not of the spirite of God and of Gods woorde And of like testimonies is all the scripture full Behold God setteth before vs a blessing and also a curse A blessing verely and that a glorious and an euerlasting if we will suffer tribulatiō and aduersity with our Lord and sauiour Christ And an euerlasting curse if for a little pleasure sake we withdrawe our selues from the chastysing nurture of God wherewith he teacheth all his sonnes and fashioneth them after his godly will and maketh them perfect as he did Christ and maketh them apte and meete vessels to receiue his grace and hys spirite that they might perceaue and feele the exceeding mercy which we haue in Christ the innumerable blessinges and the vnspeakeable inheritance whereunto we are called and chosen and sealed in our sauiour Iesus Christ vnto whome be prayse for euer Amen Finally whome God chuseth to raigne euerlastingly with christ him sealeth he with his mighty spirite and poureth strength into his hart to suffer afflictiōs also with Christ for bearing witnesse vnto the truth And this is the difference betwene the children of God and of saluation and betwene the children of the deuyll and of damnation that the children of God haue power in theyr hartes to suffer for Gods worde which is theyr life and saluatiō their hope and trust and whereby they liue in the soule and spirite before God And the children of the deuyll in time of aduersity flye from Christ whome they followed faynedly theyr hartes not sealed with hys holy mighty spirite and gett them to the standerde of theyr right father the Deuyll and take his wages the pleasures of this world which ar the earnest of euerlasting damnation which conclusion the xij chap. to the Hebrues well confirmeth saying My sonne despise not thou the chasticing of the Lord neither faint whē thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loueth him he chasticeth yea he scourgeth euery sonne whome he receaueth To persecution and aduersitie for the truthes sake is Gods scourge and Gods rod and pertaineth vnto all his children indifferently for when he sayth he scourgeth euery sonne he maketh none exception Moreouer sayth the text If ye shall endure chasticing God offreth hymselfe vnto you as vnto sonnes what sonne is it that the father chasticeth not If ye be not vnder correction whereof all are partakers then are ye bastardes and not sonnes Forasmuch then as we must needes bee baptised in tribulations and through the red sea and a great and a fearefull wildernes a land of cruell Giantes into our naturall coūtrey ▪ yea and in asmuch as it is a playne earnest that there is no other way into the kingdome of life then through persecution sufferyng of payne of very death after the ensample of Christe therefore let vs arme our soules with the comforte of the Scriptures How that God is euer ready at hand in time of neede to helpe vs and how that such tyrants and persecutors are but gods scourge and his rod to chastice vs. And as the father hath alway in time of correction the rod fast in his hand so that the rod doth
nothing but as the father moueth it euen so hath God all tyrantes in hys hande and letteth them not do whatsoeuer they would but as much onely as he appoynteth them to do and as far forth as it is necessarye for vs. And as when the childe submitteth himselfe vnto hys fathers correction and nurture and humbleth himself altogether vnto the will of his father theÌ„ the rod is taken away euen so when we ar come vnto the knowledge of the right waye and haue forsaken our owne will and offer our selues cleane vnto the will of God to walke which way soeuer he will haue vs then turneth he the tyrantes or els if they enforce to persecute vs any further he putteth them out of the way according vnto the comfortable ensamples of the scripture Moreouer let vs arme our soules with the promises both of helpe and assistance and also of the glorious rewarde that followeth Great is your reward in heaueÌ„ sayth Christ Math. 5. And he that knowledgeth mee before men him will I knowledge before my father that is in heauen Math. 10. and Call on me in time of tribulation and I wyll deliuer thee Psal 65. and Beholde the eyes of the Lord are ouer them thet feare hym and ouer them that trust in hys mercy to deliuer theyr soules from death and to feede them in time of hunger Psal 46. And in Psal 47. sayth Dauid The Lorde is nygh them that are troubled in theyr hartes and the meeke in spirite will he saue The tribulations of the righteous are many and out of them all will the Lord deliuer them The Lord keepeth al the bones of them so that not one of theÌ„ shall be brused The Lord shal redeeme the soules of his seruauntes And of such like consolation are all the Psalmes full woulde to God when ye read them ye vnderstood them And Math. 10. When they deliuer you take no thought what ye shall say it shall be geuen you the same houre what ye shall say for it is not ye that speake but the spirite of your Father which speaketh in you The very heares of your heades are numbred saith Christ also Math. 10. If God care for our heares he much more careth for our soules which he hath sealed with his holy spirite Therefore sayth Peter 1. Pet. 4. Cast all your care vppon him for he careth for you And Paule 1. Cor. 10. sayeth God is true he wil not suffer you to be tempted aboue your might And Psal 71. Cast thy care vpon the Lord. Let thy care be to prepare thy selfe with all thy strength for to walke which way he will haue thee and to beleue that he will goe with thee assist thee and strengthen thee agaynst all tyraÌ„tes deliuer thee out of al tribulatioÌ„ But what way or by what meanes he will do it that committe vnto him and his godly pleasure and wisedome and cast that care vpon him And though it seeme neuer so vnlikely or neuer so impossible vnto naturall reason yet beleue stedfastly that he will do it and then shall he according to his olde vse chainge the course of the worlde euen in the twinckling of an eye and come sodenly vpon our Gyantes as a theefe in the night and coÌ„passe them in their wyles and worldly wisedome when they crye peace all is safe then shall theyr sorrowes beginne as the panges of a woman that traueileth with childe and then shall he destroy them and deliuer thee vnto the glorious prayse of hys mercy and truth Amen ANd as pertayning vnto them that despise Gods worde counting it as a phantasie or a dreame and to them also that for feare of a little persecution fall from it sette this before thyne eyes how God since the beginning of the world before a generall plague euer sent his true prophetes preachers of his word to warne the people and gaue them time to repent But they for the greatest part of theÌ„ hardened theyr hartes and persecuted the worde that was sent to saue them And then God destroyed them vtterly and tooke them cleane from the earth As thou seest what followed the preaching of Noe in y â— olde world what folowed the preaching of Loth among the Sodomites the preachyng of Moses and Aaron among the Egiptians and that sodenly against all possibilitie of mans witte Moreouer as ofte as the children of Israell fel from God to the worshipping of images he sent his prophets vnto them and they persecuted and waxed harde harted and then he sent them into all places of the world captiue Last of all he sent his owne sonne vnto them and they waxed more hard harted then euer before And see what a fearefull example of his wrath and cruel vengeance he hath made of them vnto all the worlde now almost fifteene hundred yeares Vnto the olde Brittaines also which dwelled where our natioÌ„ doth now preached Gildas and rebuked them of theyr wickednes and prophesied both vnto the spirituall as they will be called and vnto the lay men also what vengeaunce would follow except they repented But they waxed hard harted and God sente his plagues and pestilences among them and sent theyr enemies in vppon them on euery side destroyed them vtterly Marke also how Christ threateneth theÌ„ that forsake him for whatsoeuer cause it be whether for feare eyther for shame eyther for losse of honour frendes lyfe or goodes â–ª He that denyeth me before men him will I deâ—y before my father that is in heauen He that loueth father or mother more then me is not worthy of me all thys he sayth Math. 10. And in Mark 8. he sayth Whosoeuer is ashamed of me or my wordes among this adulterous and sinfull generation of him shall the sonne of man be ashamed when he commeth in the glory of his father with his holy Angels And Luk. 9. also None that layeth his hande to the plowe and looketh backe is meete for the kingdome of heauen Neuerthelesse yet if any man haue resisted ignorantly as Paule did let him looke on the truth which Paule wrote after he came to knowledge Also if any man cleane against his hart but ouercome with the weaknes of the flesh for feare of persecution haue denied as Peter did or haue deliuered his booke or put it away secretly let him if he repente come again and take better hold and not dispayre or take it for a signe that God hath forsaken him for God ofttimes taketh hys strength euen froÌ„ his very elect wheÌ„ they either trust in theyr own strength or are negligent to call to him for his strength And that doth hee to teach theÌ„ to make theÌ„ feele that in that fire of tribulatioÌ„ for his wordes sake nothing can endure and abide saue his word and that streÌ„gth onely which he hath promised For the which strength he will haue vs to praye vnto him night and day wyth all
also no longer obey but resiste and rise agaynst their euill heades And one wicked destroyeth an other Yet is Gods word not the cause of this neither yet the preachers For though that Christ hym selfe taught all obedience how that it is not lawfull to resiste wrong but for the officer that is appointed thereunto and howe a man must loue his very enemy pray for them that persecute him and blesse them that curse hym and how that all vengeaunce must bee remitted to God and that a man must forgeue if hee wil be forgeuen of God Yet the people for the most part receaued it not They were euer ready to rise and to fight For euer when the Scribes and Phariseis wēt about to take Christ they were afraide of the people Not on the holy day sayde they Math. xxvj lest any rumour aryse among the people And Math. xxi They would haue takē him but they feared the people And Luke xx Christe asked the Phariseis a question vnto whiche they durst not aūswere lest the people should haue stoned them Last of all for as much as the very Disciples and Apostles of Christ after so lōg hearyng of Christes doctrine were yet ready to fight for Christe cleane agaynst Christes teachyng As Peter Math. xxvi drew his sword but he was rebuked And Luke ix Iames and Iohn would haue had fire to come from heauen to cōsume the Samaritanes and to auenge the iniury of Christe but were likewise rebuked if Christes Disciples were so long carnall what wonder is it if we be not all perfect the first daye Yea in as much as we bee taught euen of very babes to kil a Turke to slea a Iewe to burne an hereticke to fight for the liberties and right of the Church as they cal it yea and in asmuch as wee are brought in belefe if wee shed the bloud of our euen Christen or if the sonne shed the bloud of hys father that begat hym for the defence not of the Popes Godhead onely but also for what so euer cause it bee yea though it be for no cause but that his holynes commaundeth it onely that we deserue as much as Christ deserued for vs when he dyed on the crosse or if we be slaine in the quarel that our soules goe nay flye to heauen and be there ere our bloud be cold In as much I saye as we haue sucked in suche bloudy imaginatiōs into the bottome of our harts euen with our mothers milke and haue ben so long hardened therein what wonder were it if while we be yet young in Christ we thought that it were lawful to fight for the true word of god Yea and though a man were throughly persuaded that it were not lawful to resist his kyng thoughe he would wrongfully take away lyfe and goodes Yet might he thinke that it were lawful to resist the hipocrites and to rise not agaynst his kyng but with his kyng to deliuer his kyng out of bondage and captiuitie wherin the hipocrites hold hym with wyles and falsehode so that no man may bee suffered to come at him to tell him the trouth This seest thou that it is the bloudy doctrine of the Pope which causeth disobedience rebellion and insurrectiō For hee teacheth to sight and to defende hys traditions and what soeuer he dreameth with fire water and sworde and to disobey Father Mother Master Lorde Kyng and Emperour Yea and to inuade what so euer lād or natiō that will not receaue and admit his Godhead Where the peaceable doctrine of Christe teacheth to obey and to suffer for the word of God to remit the vengeaunce and the defense of the word to god which is mighty and able to defende it which also as soone as the worde is once openly preached and testified or witnessed vnto the world and when he hath geuen them a season to repent is ready at once to take vengeaunce of his enemies and shoteth arrowes with heades dipte in deadly poyson at them and poureth hys plagues from heauen downe vpon them and sendeth the moren and pestilence among them and sinketh the Cities of them and maketh the earth swalow them and cōpasseth them in their wyles and taketh them in theyr owne trappes and snares and casteth thē into the pittes whiche they digged for other men and sendeth them a dasyng in in the head and vtterly destroyeth them with their owne suttle councell Prepare thy mynde therefore vnto this litle treatise and read it discretly and iudge it indifferently and when I alledge any Scripture loke thou on the text whether I interprete it right whiche thou shalt easely perceaue by the circumstance and processe of thē if thou make Christ the foundation and ground and build all on him and referrest all to hym and findest also that the expositiō agreeth vnto the common Articles of the faith and opē scriptures And GOD the father of mercy whiche for hys truthes sake raysed our Sauiour Christ vp agayne to iustifie vs geue thee hys spirite to iudge what is righteous in his eyes and geue the strength to abyde by it and to mayntayne it withall patience and long sufferyng vnto the example and edifying of his congregation and glory of his name Amen The obedience of all degrees proued by Gods word and first of children vnto theyr elders GOd which worketh all in all thynges for a secrete iudgement and purpose and for hys godly pleasure prouided an houre that thy father and mother should come together to make thee throughe them He was present with thee in thy mothers wombe and fashioned thee brethed lyfe into thee and for y t great loue he had vnto thee prouided milke in thy mothers brestes for thee agaynst thou were borne moued also thy father and mother and all other to loue thee to pitie thee and to care for thee And as he made thee through them so hath he cast thee vnder the power authoritie of them to obeye and serue them in his stede saying honor thy father and mother Exo. xx Which is not to be vnderstand in bowyng the knee and puttyng of the cappe onely but that thou loue them with al thyne hart and feare and drede them and wayte on their commaundementes and seke their worshyp pleasure will and profite in all thynges and geue thy life for them counting them worthy of all honour remembryng that thou art theyr good and possession that thou owest vnto thē thine owne selfe and all thou art able yea and more then thou art able to doe Vnderstand also that what soeuer thou doest vnto thē be it good or bad thou doest vnto God Whē thou pleasest them y ◠pleasest god whē thou displeasest thē thou displeasest God whē they are angry with thee god is angry w t thee neither is it possible for thee to come vnto y ◠fauour of God againe no though all the aūgels of heauē pray for thee vntil thou
The dutie of Kynges and of the Iudges and Officers LEt Kynges if they had leuer be Christen in deede then so to be called geue themselues all together to the wealth of their Realmes after the ensample of Christ remembryng that the people are Gods not theirs ye are Christes inheritaunce and possession bought with his bloud The most despised person in his Realme is the kynges brother and felowmember with hym and equall with him in the kyngdome of God and of Christ Let him therfore not thinke him selfe to good to do thē seruice neither seke any other thing in them then a father seketh in his children yea then Christ sought in vs. Though that the kyng in the temporal regiment be in the rowme of God and representeth God him self and is with out all comparison better thē his subiectes yet let him put of that and become a brother doing and leauing vndone all thinges in respect of the common wealth that all men may see that he seketh nothing but the profet of his subiectes When a cause that requireth execution is brought before him then onely let him take y e person of God on him Then let him know no creature but heare all indifferently whether it be a straunger or one of his owne Realme the small as well as the great and iudge righteously for the iudgemēt is the Lordes Deut. i. In tyme of iudgement he is no minister in the kyngdome of Christ he preacheth no Gospell but the sharpe law of vengeance Let him take the holy iudges of the olde Testament for an example and namely Moses which in executing the law was mercylesse otherwise more then a mother vnto them neuer auengyng his owne wronges but suffering all thing bearing euery mans weakenes teaching warning exhorting and euer caryng for them and so tenderly loued them that he desired God either to forgeue them or to damne hym with them Let the iudges also priuatly when they haue put of the person of a iudge exhort with good counsell and warne the people helpe that they come not at Gods iudgemēt but the causes that are brought vnto them when they sit in Gods stede let them iudge and cōdemne y e trespasser vnder lawfull witnesses and not breake vp into the consciences of men after the example of Antichristes disciples and compell thē either to forsweare them selues by the almightie God and by the holy Gospell of his mercyfull promises or to testifie against them selues Which abhominatiō our Prelates learned of Cayphas Math. xxvj saying to Christ I adiure or charge thee in the name of the liuing God that thou tell vs whether thou be Christ the sonne of God Let that which is secret to God onely where of no profe cā be made nor lawfull witnesse brought abyde vnto the commyng of the Lord which shall opē all secretes If any malice breake forth that let them iudge onely For further authoritie hath God not geuen them Moyses Deut. xvij warneth iudges to kepe them vpright and to looke on no mans person that is that they preferre not the hye before the low the great before the small the rich before poore his acquaintaunce frende kinsman countrey man or one of his own nation before a straūger a frend or an aliant ye or one of their own faith before an infidell but that they looke on the cause onely to iudge indifferently For the rowme that they are in and the law that they execute are Gods which as he hath made all and is God of all and all are his sonnes euen so is he iudge ouer all and wil haue al iudged by his law indifferently and to haue the right of his law and will auenge the wrong done vnto the Turke or Sareson For though they be not vnder the euerlastyng Testament of God in Christ as few of vs which are called Christen be and euen no mo thē to whom God hath sent his promises and poured his spirite into their harts to beleue them and through fayth grauen lust in their hartes to fulfill the law of loue yet are they vnder the Testament of y e law naturall which is the lawes of euery land made for the common wealth there and for peace and vnite that one may lyue by an other In whiche lawes the infidels if they kepe them haue promises of worldly things Who soeuer therfore hyndreth a very infidell from the right of that law sinneth agaynst God and of him will God be auēged Moreouer Moyses warneth them that they receaue no giftes rewardes or bribes For those two pointes fauoryng of one person more then an other and receauyng rewardes peruerte all right and equitie and is y e onely pestilence of all iudges And the kynges warneth he that they haue not to many wiues lest their hartes turne away and that they read alway in the law of God to learne to feare him lest their hartes be lift vp aboue their brethren Which ij pointes wemen and pride the despising of their subiectes which are in very deed their owne brethren are the common pestilence of all Princes Read the stories and see The Shyriffes Bayly arauntes Constables and such like officers may let no man that hurteth his neighbour scape but that they bryng them before the iudges except they in the meane time agree with their neighbours and make them amendes Let Kinges defende their subiectes from the wronges of other natiōs but picke no quarels for euery trifle no let not our most holy father make them no more so dronkē with vayne names with cappes of maintenaunce and like bables as it were popetry for childrē to begger their Realmes and to murther their people for defendyng of our holy fathers tyrāny If a lawfull peace that standeth with Gods woorde be made betwene Prince and Prince and the name of God taken to recorde and the body of our Sauiour broken betwene them vppon the bonde whiche they haue made that peace or bonde can our holy father not dispence with neither lowse it with all the keyes he hath no veryly Christ can not breake it For he came not to breake the law but to fulfill it Math. v. If any man haue broken the law or a good ordinaunce and repent come to the rightway agayne then hath Christ power to forgeue hym but licence to breake the law cā he not geue much more his disciples and vicares as they call them selues can not do it The keyes wherof they so greatly bost them selues are no carnall things but spirituall and nothing els saue knowledge of the law and of the promises or Gospell if any man for lacke of spirituall feelyng desire authoritie of men let him read the old Doctours If any man desire authoritie of Scripture Christ sayth Luke xj woe be to you lawyers for ye haue takē away the key of knowledge ye enter not in your selues and them that come in ye forbyd that is
they had blynded y ◠Scripture whose knowledge as it were a keye letteth into God with gloses and traditions Likewise findest thou Math. xxiij As Peter aunswered in the name of al so Christ promised him the keyes in the person of all Math. xvj And in the. xx of Iohn he payed them saying receaue the holy Ghost who soeuers sinnes ye remitte they are remitted or forgeuen who soeuers sinnes ye retaine they are retained or holden With preachyng the promises loose they as many as repent and beleue And for that Iohn sayth receaue y t holy ghost Luke in his last Chapter sayth then opened he their wittes that they might vnderstand the Scriptures and sayd vnto them thus it is written And thus it behoued Christ to suffre and to rise agayne the thyrd day And that repentaunce remission of sinnes should be preached in his name amōg all nations At preachyng of the law repent men and at the preachyng of the promises do they beleue are saued Peter in the second of the Actes practised his keyes and by preachyng the law brought the people into y t knowledge of them selues and bound their consciences so that they were pricked in their hartes and sayd vnto Peter and to the other Apostles what shall we doe Then brought they foorth the keye of the swete promises saying repent and be Baptised euery one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes and ye shall receaue the gift of the holy ghost For the promise was made vnto you and vnto your children and to all that are a farre euen as many as the Lord shal call Of like examples is the Actes full and Peters Epistles and Paules Epistles and all the Scripture neither hath our holy father any other authoritie of Christ or by the reason of his predecessor Peter then to preach Gods word As Christ cōpareth the vnderstandyng of Scripture vnto a keye so compareth he it to a net and vnto leuen and vnto many other thinges for certeine properties I maruell therfore that they boast not them selues of their nette and leuen as well as of their keyes for they are all one thyng But as Christ biddeth vs beware of y ◠leuē of the Phariseis so beware of their counterfeted keyes and of their false nette which are their traditiōs and ceremonies their hipocrisie false doctrine wherewith they katch not soules vnto Christ but authoritie and riches vnto them selues Let christen kynges therefore keepe their fayth and truth and all lawfull promises and bondes not one wyth an other onely but euen wyth the Turke or whatsoeuer infidell it be For so it is right before God as the scriptures and exāples of the Bible testifie Whosoeuer voweth an vnlawful vow promiseth an vnlawfull promise sweareth an vnlawful oth sinneth against God and ought therfore to breake it He nedeth not to sue to Rome for a licence For he hath Gods word not a licēce onely but also a commaundement to breake it They therefore y ◠are sworne to be true vnto Cardinals Byshops that is to say false vnto God the king and the realme may breake their othes lawfully without grudge of conscience by the aucthoritie of Gods worde In makyng them they sinned but in repētyng and breakyng them they please God hyghly and receaue forgeuenes in Christ Let kynges take their dutie of their subiectes and that is necessary vnto y t defence of the realme Let them rule their Realmes them selues wyth the helpe of laye men that are sage wyse learned and expert Is it not a shame aboue all shames a monstrous thing that no man should be founde able to gouerne a worldly kyngdome saue byshops and prelates that haue forsakē the worlde and are taken out of the worlde and appoynted to preach the kyngdome of God Christ sayth y t hys kingdome is not of this world Iohn 18. And Luk. 12. vnto y ◠young mā that desired hym to bid his brother to geue hym part of the inheritaunce he aunswered who made me a iudge or a deuider among you No man that layeth his hand to the Plowe and looketh backe is apt for the kingdome of heauen Luke ix No man can serue two maisters but he must despise the one Math. vj. To preach Gods worde is to much for halfe a man And to minister a temporall kingdome is to much for halfe a man also Either other requireth an whole man One therfore can not well do both He that auengeth himselfe on euery trifle is not mete to preach y t pacience of Christ how that a man ought to forgeue and to suffer all thynges He that is ouerwhelmed with all maner riches and doth but seeke more dayly is not meete to preach pouertie He that will obey no man is not mete to preach how we ought to obey all men Peter saith Act. vj. It is not meete that we should leaue the word of God and serue at the tables Paule sayth in the ix chapter of the first Corinthe Wo is me if I preach not a terible saying verely for Popes Cardinals and Byshoppes If he had sayd wo be vnto me if I fight not moue Princes vnto warre or if I encrease not S. Peters patrimonie as they call it it had bene a more easy saying for them Christ forbiddeth hys disciples and that oft as thou mayst see Math. xviij And also xx Mark ix and also x. Luk. ix and also xxij Euen at his last supper not onely to clime aboue Lordes kynges and Emperours in worldly rule but also to exalt themselues one aboue an other in y e kingdome of God But in vayne for the Pope would not heare it though he had commaunded it tenne thousand tymes Gods worde should rule onely and not Byshoppes decrees or the Popes pleasure That ought they to preach purely and spiritually and to fashion their liues after wyth all ensample of godly liuyng long suffering to draw all to Christ and not to expounde the Scriptures carnally and worldly saying God spake thys to Peter and I am his successour therefore thys aucthoritie is myne onely and then bring in the tyranny of their fleshly wisdome in praesentia maioris cessat potestas minoris that is in the presence of the greater y ◠lesse hath no power There is no brotherhod where such philosophy is taught SVch philosophy and so to abuse the scriptures and to mocke with Gods word is after the maner of the Byshop of Rochesters diuinitie For he in hys Sermō of the condemnation of Martin Luther proueth by a shadow of the olde testament that is by Moyses and Aaron that Sathan and Antichrist our most holy father the Pope is Christes vicare head of Christes cōgregation Moyses sayth he signifieth Christ and Aaron the Pope And yet the epistle vnto the Hebrues proueth that the hye Priest of the olde lawe signifieth Christ and his
their somners and apparitars by bawdery in a yeare Shall ye not finde Curates inough which to flatter the Commissaries and Officials with all that they may go quite them selues shall open vnto them the confessiōs of the richest of their Parishes Whom they cite priuely and lay to their charges secretly If they desire to know their accusers nay say they the matter is knowen well inough and to more then ye are ware of Come lay your hand on the booke if ye forswere your selfe we shal bring proues we will handle you we will make an example of you Oh how terrible are they Come and swere say they that ye wil be obedient vnto our iniunctions And by that craft wryng they their purses and make them drop as long as there is a peny in them In three or foure yeares shall they in those offices get ynough to pay for a Byshops bulle What other thyng are these in a Realme saue horsleches and euen very maggotes cankres caterpillers which deuour no more but all that is grene and those wolues which Paul prophesied should come should not spare the flocke Actes xx Chapter And whiche Christ sayd should come in lambes skynnes and bad vs beware of them and iudge them by their workes THough as I before haue sufficiētly proued a Christen mā must suffer all thyng be it neuer so great vnright as long as it is not agaynst Gods commaundement neither is it lawfull for him to cast any burthen of his backe by his owne authoritie tyll God pull it of which layd it on for our deseruinges yet ought the kynges euery where to defend their realmes frō such oppression if they were Christen which is seldom seene and is an harde thyng verely though not impossible For alas they be captiues or euer they be kyngs yea almost er they be borne No man may be suffered about hym but flatterers and such as are fyrst sworne true vnto our most holy fathers the Byshops that is to say false to God and man If any of the nobles of the realme be true to the kyng and so bolde that he dare councell him that which should be to hys honour and for the wealth of the realme They will waite a seasō for hym as men say They wyll prouide a ghostly father for hym God bring their wickednes to light There is no mischiefe wherof they are not the roote nor bloudshedde but thorough their cause either by their counsell or in that they preach not true obedience and teach not the people to feare God If any faythfull seruaunt be in all the courte he shall haue twēty spies wayting vpon him he shal be cast out of the courte or as the saying is conuayed to Callice and made a captayne or an Ambassadoure he shal be kepte farre inough from the kynges presence The kinges ought I say to remember that they are in Gods steede ordayned of God not for themselues but for the wealth of their subiectes Let them remember that their subiectes are their brethren their fleshe bloud members of their owne body and euē their owne selues in Christ Therefore ought they to pitie them to rid them from such wylye tyrāny which encreaseth more and more dayly And though that the kynges by the falshod of the Byshops and Abbottes be sworne to defend such liberties yet ought they not to keepe their othes but to breake them For as much as they are vnright and cleane agaynst Gods ordinaunce and euen but cruell oppression contrary vnto brotherly loue and charitie Moreouer the spirituall officer ought to punish no sinne but and if any sinne breake out the kyng is ordained to punishe it and they not but to preach exhort thē to feare God and that they sinne not And let the kinges put downe some of theyr tyranny and turne some vnto a common wealth If the tenth part of such tyranny were geuen the kyng yearely laide vp in the shyre townes agaynst the realme had neede what would it grow to in certayne yeares Moreouer one kyng one lawe is Gods ordinaunce in euery realme Therefore ought not the king to suffer them to haue a seuerall lawe by themselues and to draw hys subiectes thether It is not mete will they say that a spirituall man should be iudged of a worldly or a temporall man O abhomination see how they deuide and separate themselues If the laye man be of the worlde so is he not of God If he beleue in Christ then is he a mēber of Christ Christes brother Christes fleshe Christes bloud Christes spouse coheyre wyth Christ and hath his spirite in earnest and is also spirituall If they woulde robbe vs of the spirite of God why should they feare to robbe vs of worldly goodes Because thou art put in office to preach Gods word art thou therefore no more one of the brethren is the Maior of London no more one of the Citie because he is the chiefe officer Is the kyng no more of the realme because he is head thereof The king is in the roome of God and hys lawe is Gods lawe and nothyng but the lawe of nature and naturall equitie which God graued in the harts of men Yet Antichrist is to good to be iudged by the lawe of God he must haue a new of hys owne making It were mete verely that they went to no lawe at all No more needed they if they woulde studie to preach Gods worde truely and be contented wyth sufficient and to be lyke one of theyr brethren If any question arose about y ◠fayth or of the scripture that let them iudge by the manifest and open scriptures not excluding the laye men For there are many founde among the laye men which are as wise as the officers Or els when the officer dyeth how coulde we put an other in hys roome Wyl◠thou so teach xx xxx xl or fifty yeares that no man shall haue knowledge or iudgement in Gods worde saue thou onely Is it not a shame that we Christē come so oft to Church in vaine whē he of foure score yeare olde knoweth no more then he that was borne yesterday Moreouer when the spirituall officers haue excommunicate any man or haue condemned any opinion for heresy Let not the kyng nor temporall officers punish sley by by at their commaundement But let them looke on Gods worde and compare theyr iudgement vnto the scripture and see whether it be right or no and not beleue them at the fyrst choppe whatsoeuer they say namely in thynges that pertayne vnto their owne authorities and power For no mā is a right iudge in his owne cause Why doth Christ cōma◅de the Scripture to be preached vnto all creatures but that it pertaineth vnto all mē to know them Christ referreth him selfe vnto the scriptures Iohn v. And in the. xj Chapter of Mathew vnto the question of Iohn Baptistes
groweth dayly in the operations workes therof ¶ Of Confession COnfession is diuers One foloweth true fayth insparably And is the confessing and knowledging with the mouth wherein we put our trust and confideÌ„ce As when we say our Credo confessing that we trust in God the father almighty and in his truth promises in his sonne Iesus our Lord and in his merites and deseruinges in the holy Ghost and in his power assistance and guiding This confession is necessary vnto all men that wyll be saued For Christ saith Mathew x. he that denyeth me before men hym will I deny before my father that is in heauen And of this confession sayth the holy Apostle Paule in the x. chapter The beliefe of the hart iustifieth and to knowledge wyth the mouth maketh a man safe This is a wonderfull text for our Philosophers or rather sophisters our worldly wyse enemies to the wisdome of God our deepe profounde welles wythout water our cloudes wythout moysture of rayne that is to say naturall soules without the sprite of God and feeling of godly thynges To iustifie and to make safe are both one thing And to confesse with the mouth is a good worke and the frute of a true fayth as all other workes are If thou repent and beleue the promises then Gods truth iustifieth thee that is forgeueth thee thy sinnes and sealeth thee with hys holy spirite and maketh thee heyre of euerlastyng lyfe through Christes deseruinges Now if thou haue true fayth so seest thou the exceeding and infinite loue and mercy which God hath shewed thee freely in Christ then must thou needes loue agayne and loue can not but compell thee to worke and boldly to confesse knowledge thy Lord Christ and the trust which thou hast in his word And this knowledge maketh thee safe that is declareth that thou art safe already certifieth thine hart and maketh thee feele that thy fayth is right and that Gods spirite is in thee as all other good workes doe For if when it commeth vnto the point thou hast no lust to worke nor power to confesse how couldest thou presume to thinke that Gods sprite were in thee An other confession is there which goeth before saith and accompanieth repentaunce For who so euer repenteth doth knowledge his sinnes in his hart And who soeuer doth knowledge his sinnes receaueth forgenenes as â—ayth Iohn in the first of his first Epistle If we knowledge our sinnes he is faythfull and iust to forgeue vs out sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnes that is because he hath promised he must for his truthes sake doe it This confession is necessary all our liues long as is repentaunce And as thou vnderstandest of repentaunce so vnderstand of this confession for it is likewise included in the sacrament of Baptime For we alwayes repent and alwayes knowledge or coÌ„fesse our sinnes vnto God and yet dispayre not but remember that we are washed in in Christes bloud which thing our baptime doth represeÌ„t and signifie vnto vs. Shrift in the eare is verely a worke of Sathan and that the â—alsest that euer was wrought and that most hath deuoured the fayth It began among the Greekes and was not as it is now to reckeÌ„ all a maÌ„s sinnes in the priestes eare but to aske couÌ„cell of such doubtes as men had as thou mayst see in S. Hierome and in other authors Neither went they to Priestes onely which were very fewe at that tyme no moe then preached the worde of God for this so great vantage in so many masses saying was not yet founde but went indifferently where they saw a good and a learned man And for because of a litle knauery which a DeacoÌ„ at Constantinople plaide thorough coÌ„fession with one of the chiefe wiues of the citie it was layde downe agayne But we Antichristes possession the more knauery we see growe thereby dayly the more we stablishe it A christen man is a spirituall thing and hath Gods word in his hart and gods spirite to certifie him of all thing He is not bound to come to any eare And as for the reasons which they make are but persuasions of mans wisedome First as perteining vnto the keyes maner of bynding and loosing is eough aboue rehearsed in other places Thou maist also see how the Apostles vsed them in the Actes and in Paules Epistles how at the preaching of fayth the spirite came and certified their harts that they were iustified thorough beleuing the promises When a man feeleth that his hart consenteth vnto the law of God and feeleth hymselfe meeke pacient curteous and mercifull to hys neighbour altered and fashioned like vnto Christ why shoulde he doubt but that God hath forgeuen him and chosen him and put his spirite in hym though he neuer cromme hys sinne into the priestes eare One blynde reason haue they saying How shall the Priest vnbynde loose and forgeue the sinne which he knoweth not How did the Apostles The Scripture forsake they and runne vnto their blinde reasons and draw the Scripture vnto a carnall purpose When I haue tolde thee in thyne eare all that I haue done my life long in order and with all circumstances after the shamefullest maner what caÌ„st thou doe more then preach me the promises saying if thou repent beleue Gods truth shall saue thee for Christes sake Thou seest not myne hart thou knowest not whether I repent or no neyther whether I consent to the law that it is holy righteous and good Moreouer whether I beleue the promises or no is also vnknowen to thee If thou preach the law and the promises as the Apostles did so should they that God hath chosen repent and beleue and be saued euen now as well as then How be it Antichrist must know all secretes to stablish his kingdom to worke his misteries withall They bryng also for them the storie of the x. lepers whiche is written in the. xvij Chapter of Luke Here marke their falsehoode and learne to knowe them for euer The fourtene Sonday after the feast of the Trinitie the begynnyng of the vij leâ—…n is the sayd Gospell and the viij the ix lessons with the rest of the seuenth is the exposition of Bede vpon the sayd Gospell Where saith Bede of all that Christ healed of what so euer disease it were he sent none vnto the Priestes but the lepers And by the lepers enterpreteth the folowers of false doctrine onely which the spirituall officers and the learned men of the congregation ought to examine and rebuke their learning with Gods word and to warne the congregation to beware of them Which if they were afterward healed by the grace of Christ ought to come before the coÌ„gregation and there openly confesse theyr true fayth But all other vices saith he doth God heale within in the conscience Though they this wise reade at mattens yet at hie masse if they haue any
them to continue still wyth violence And thus teach our deuines as it appereth by their argumentes He that taketh most payne say they is greatest and so forth The people are throughly brought in beliefe that the deede in it selfe without any further respect saueth them if they be so long at Church or say so many Pater nosters and reade so much in a toung whtch they vnderstand not or goe so much a pilgrimage and take so much payne or fast such a superstitious fast or obserue such a superstitious obseruaūce neither profitable to himselfe nor to hys neyghbour but done of a good entent onely say they to please God withall ye to kisse the paxe they thinke it a meritorious deede when to loue their neyghbour and to forgeue hym which thyng is signified thereby they studie not to doe nor haue power to doe nor thinke that they are bounde to doe it if they be offended by hym So fore haue our false prophets brought y ◠people out of their wittes haue wrapped thē in darcknes and haue rocked them a sleepe in blyndnes and ignorauncy Now is all such doctrine false doctrine and all such fayth false fayth For the deede pleaseth not but as farre forth as it is applyed vnto our neyghbours profet or the taming of our bodyes to keepe the commaundement Now must the body be tame onely and that wyth the remedies that God hath ordeined and not kylled Thou must not forswere the naturall remedy which God hath ordeined and bryng thy selfe into such case that thou shouldest eyther breake Gods commaundement or kyll thy selfe or burne nyght and day wythout rest so that thou cāst not once thinke a godly thought neyther is it lawfull to forsake thy neyghbour and to withdraw thy selfe from seruing him and to get thee into a den and lyue idlely profitable to no man but robbing all men first of fayth and then of goodes and land and of all he hath wyth makyng hym beleue in the hypocrisy of thy superstitious prayers and Popeholy deedes The prayer of fayth and y e deedes thereof that spring of loue are accepted before God The prayer is good according to the proportion of fayth and the deede according to the measure of loue Now he that bideth in the world as Monkes call it hath more fayth then the cloysterer For he hangeth on God in all thynges He must trust God to sende hym good speede good lucke fauour helpe a good mayster a good neyghbour a good seruaunt a good wyfe a good chapman marchaunt to send hys marchaundice safe to land and a thousand like He loueth also more which appeareth in that hee doth seruice alwayes vnto his neighbour To pray one for an other are we equally boūd and to pray is a thyng that we may alwayes doe what so euer we haue in hand and that to do may no man hyre an other Christes bloud hath hyred vs all ready Thus in the deede deliteth God as farforth as we do it either to to serue our neighbour with all as I haue sayd or to tame the flesh that we may fulfill the commaundement from the bottome of the hart And as for our payne takyng God reioyseth not therin as a tyraunt but pitieth vs as it were morneth with vs and is alway ready and at hand to helpe vs if we call as a mercyfull father and a kynd mother Neuer the later hee suffereth vs to fall into many temptations and much aduersitie yea him selfe layeth the crosse of tribulatiō on our backes not that he reioyseth in our sorrow but to driue sinne out of y ◠flesh which can none otherwise be cured as the Phisition and Surgion do many thinges which are paynefull to the sicke not that they reioyse in the paynes of the poore wretches but to persecute and to driue out the diseases which can no otherwise be healed When the people beleue therfore if they doe so much woorke or suffer so much payne or go so much a pilgrimage that they are safe is a false fayth For a Christen man is not saued by woorkes but by fayth in the promises before all good woorkes though that the woorkes when we worke Gods commaūdement with a good wil and not workes of our own imagination declare that we are safe and that the spirite of him that hath made vs safe is in vs yea and as God through preachyng of fayth doth purge and iustifie the hart euen so thorough workyng of deedes doth he purge and iustifie the members makyng vs perfect both in body and soule after the lykenesse of Christ Neither nedeth a Christen man to runne hether or thether to Rome to Hierusalem or S. Iames or any other pilgrimage farre or nere to be saued thereby or to purchase forgeuenes of his sinnes For a Christen mās health and saluation is with in him euen in his mouth Roma x. The word is nye thee euen in thy mouth and in thyne hart that is the word of faith which we preach sayth Paul If we beleue the promises with our hartes and confesse them with our mouthes we are safe This is our health with in vs. But how shall they beleue that they heare not And how shal they heare without a preacher sayth Paul Roma x. For looke on the promises of God and so are all our preachers domme Or if they preach them they so sause thē and leuen thē that no stomacke can brooke them nor finde any sauor in them For they paynte vs such an eare confession as is impossible to be kept and more impossible that it should stand with the promises and Testament of God And they ioyne them penaunce as they call it to fast to go pilgrimages and geue so much to make satisfaction with all They preach their Masses their merites their pardons their ceremonies and put the promise cleane out of possession The word of health and saluation is nye thee in thy mouth thyne hart sayth Paul Nay say they thy saluation is in our faythfull eare This is their hold thereby know they all secretes thereby mocke they all men and all mens wiues and beguile Knight and Squier Lord and Kyng and betray all Realmes The Byshops with the Pope haue a certaine conspiration and secret treason agaynst the whole world And by confession know they what Kings and Emperours thinke If ought be agaynst them do they neuer so euill then moue they their captiues to warre and to fight and geue them pardons to slay whom they will haue taken out of the way They haue with falsehode taken from all Kynges and Emperours their right and duties whiche now they call their freedomes liberties priuileges haue peruerted the ordinaunces that God left in the world and haue made euery Kyng sweare to defend their falsehode against their own selues So that now if any man preach Gods worde truly and shew the fredome and libertie of the soule whiche we haue in
accord frely willingly for the great loues sake onely which they see in Christ therfore neede they no law to cōpell them Christ is all in all things to them that beleue and the cause of all loue Paule sayth Ephes 6. Seruantes obay vnto your carnall or fleshly maisters wyth feare and trembling in singlenes of your hartes as vnto Christ not wyth eye seruice as menpleasers but as the seruantes of Christ doing the wyll of God from the hart euen as though ye serued the Lord and not men And remember that whatsoeuer good thing any man doth that shall he receiue againe of the Lord whether he be bond or free Christ thus is all in all thinges and cause of all to a christen man And Christ sayth Math. 25. In as much as ye haue done it to any of the least of these my brethren ye haue done it to mee And in as much as ye haue not done it vnto one of the least of these ye haue not done it to me Here seest thou that we are Christes brethren and cuē Christ him selfe and what so euer we do one to another that do we to Christ If we be in Christ we woorke for no worldly purpose but of loue As Paul saith 2. Cor. 5. The loue of Christ compelled vs as who shoulde say wee worke not of a fleshly purpose For sayeth hee we knowe hencefoorth no man fleshly no though we once knew Christ fleshly we do so now no more We are otherwise minded then when Peter drewe hys swoorde to fight for Christ We are now ready to suffer with Christ and to lose life and all for our very enemies to bring them vnto Christ If we be in Christ we are minded like vnto Christ which knew nothing fleshly or after the will of the flesh as thou seest Math. 12. when one sayd to him Lo thy mother and thy brethren stande without desiring to speake with thee Hee aunswered who is my mother and who are my brethren And stretched hys hande ouer hys Disciples saying see my mother and my brethren for whosoeuer doth the will of my Father which is in heauen the same is my brother my sister and my mother He knew not his mother in that she bare him but in that she did the will of his Father in heauen So now as God the Fathers will and commaundement is all to Christ euen so Christ is all to a Christen man Christ is the cause why I loue thee why I am ready to do the vttermost of my power for thee and why I pray for thee And as long as the cause abideth so long lasteth the effect euen as it is alwayes day so long as the Sun shineth Do therefore the worst thou caust vnto me take away my goodes take away my good name yet as long as Christ remayneth in my harte so long I loue thee not a whit the lesse and so long art thou as deare vnto me as mine owne soule and so long am I ready to doo thee good for thine euill and so long I pray for thee with al my hart for Christ desireth it of me and hath deserued it of me Thine vnkindnes compared vnto his kindnes is no thing at all yea it is swallowed vp as a little smoke of a mightie winde and is no more scene or thought vppon Moreouer that euill which thou didst to me I receaue not of thy hande but of the hande of God and as Gods scourge to teach me pacience to norture me And therfore haue no cause to be angry with thee more thē the child hath to be angry with his fathers rod. or a sicke man with a soure or bitter medecine that healeth him or a prisoner with hys fetters or he that is punished lawfully with the officer that punisheth him Thus is Christ all and the whole cause why I loue thee And to all can nought be added Therefore cannot a litle mony make me loue thee better or more bound to pray for thee nor make Gods cōmaundement greater Last of all if I be in Christ then the loue of Christ compelleth me And therfore I am ready to geue thee mine not to take thyne from thee If I be able I will do thee seruice frely if not then if thou minister to me againe that receiue I of the hande of God which ministreth it to me by thee For God careth for his and ministreth all thinges vnto them and moueth Turkes and Saracenes and all maner infidels to do them good as thou seest in Abraham Isaac and Iacob and how God went with Ioseph into Egipt and gat him fauour in the prison and in euery place which fauour Ioseph receiued of the hand of God and to God gaue the thankes This is God and Christ all in all good and bad receiue I of God Them that are good I loue because they are in Christ and the euill to bring them to Christ When any mā doth well I reioyce that God is honoured and when any man doth euill I sorow because that God is dishonored Finally in as much as God hath created all and Christ bought all with his bloud therefore ought all to seeke God Christ in all els nothing But contrariwise vnto monkes friers and to y ◠other of our holy spiritualtie the belly is all in all cause of all loue Offer thereto so art thou father mother sister and brother vnto them Offerest thou not so know they thee not thou art nether father mother sister brother nor any kynne at all to them She is a sister of ours hee is a brother of ours say they hee is verily a good man for he doth much for our religion She is a mother to our couent we be greatly bound to pray for them And as for such and such say they we know not whether they be good or bad or whether they be fish or flesh for they do nought for vs we be more bounde to pray for our benefactours say they and for them that geue vs thē for them that geue vs not For them that geue little are they little bound and them they loue little and for them that geue much they are much bound and them they loue much And for them that geue nought are they naught bound and them they loue not at al. And as they loue thee when thou geuest so hate they thee when thou takest away from them and run all vnder a stoole and curse thee as black as pitch So is cloyster loue belly loue cloyster prayer belly prayer and cloyster brotherhode belly brotherhode Morouer loue that springeth of Christ seeketh not hir owne selfe 1. Cor. 13. but forgetteth her selfe and bestoweth hir vpon hir neighboures profite as Christ sought our profite and not hys owne He sought not the fauour of god for himselfe but for vs yea he toke the wrath and vengeance of God from vs vnto himself and bare it on his owne backe
spirite of the lyuing God not in tables of stone as the ten commaundementes but in the fleshy tables of the hart as who shuld say we writ not a dead law with inke and in parchemenâ— nor graue that which damned you in tables of stone but preache you that which bringeth the spirite of lyfe vnto your brestes which spirite writeth and graueth the law of loue in your hartes and geueth you lust to do the will of God And furthermore sayth he our ablenes coÌ„meth of God which hath made vs able to minister the new TestameÌ„t not of the letter y t is to say not of the law but of the spirite For the letter that is to say the law killeth but the spirite geueth life that is to say the spirite of God whiche entreth your hartes wheÌ„ ye beleue the glad tydinges that are preached you in Christe quickeneth your hartes and geueth you life lust and maketh you to do of loue and of your owne accorde without compulsioÌ„ that which the law compelled you to do and daÌ„ned you because ye could not doe with loue and lust and naturally Thus seest thou that the letter signifieth not the litterall sence and the spirite the spirituall sence And Rom. ij Paul vseth this terme Littera for the law And Rom. vij where he setteth it so playne that it the great wrath of God had not blinded them they could neuer haue stombled at it God is a spirite and all his wordes are spirituall His litterall sence is spituall and all his wordes are spiritual When thou readest Math. j. she shall beare a sonne thou shalt cal his name Iesus For he shall saue his people froÌ„ their sinnes This litteral sence is spiritual and euerlasting life vnto as many as beleue it And the litterall sence of these wordes Math. v. blessed are the mercyfull for they shall haue mercy are spirituall and life Wherby they that are mercyfull may of right by the truth and promise of God challenge mercy And like is it of these wordes Math. vj. If you forgeue othermen their sinnes your heauenly father shall forgeue you yours And so is it of all the promises of God Finally all gods wordes are spiritual if thou haue eyes of God to see the right meanyng of the text whereunto y â— Scripture perteyneth the final end and cause therof All the Scripture is either the promises and TestameÌ„t of God in Christ and stories perteining thereunto to strength thy faith either the law and stories perteining therto to feare thee from euil doing There is no story nor gest seme it neuer so simple or so vyle vnto the worlde but that thou shalt finde therein spirite and life and edifieng in the litterall sense For it is gods Scripture written for thy learnyng and comforte There is no cloute or tagge there that hath not precious reliques wrapt therein of fayth hope pacience and long sufferyng and of the truth of God and also of hys righteousnes Set before thee the storie of Ruben which defiled his fathers beo Marke what a crosse God suffered to fal on the necke of his elect Iacob CoÌ„sider first the shame among the heatheÌ„ when as yet there was no moe of the whole world within the Testament of God but he and his houshold I report me to our Prelates which sweare by their honor whether it were a crosse or no. Seest thou not how our wicked bylders rage because they see their bildynges burne now they are tryed by the fire of Gods word and how they stirre vp the whole world to quench the word of God for feare of loosing their honour Then what busines had he to pacifie his children Looke what a do he had at y â— defiling of his daughter Dina. And be thou sure that the brethren there were no more furious for the defiling of their sister then the sonnes heare for defiling of their mother Marke what folowed Ruben to feare other that they shame not their fathers and mothers He was cursed and lost the kyngdome and also the Priestdome and his tribe or generatioÌ„ was euer few in number as it appeareth in the stories of the Bible The adulterie of Dauid with Barsabe is an ensample not to moue vs to euill but if while we folow the way of righteousnes any chaunce driue vs aside that we despayre not For if we saw not such infirmities in Gods elect we which are so weake and fall so oft should vtterly dispaire thinke that God had cleane forsaken vs. It is therfore a sure and an vndoubted conclusion whether we be holy or vnholy we are all sinners But the differeÌ„ce is that Gods sinners consent not to their sinne They consent vnto the law that it is both holy and righteous and mourne to haue their sinne taken away But the deuils sinners consent vnto their sinne and would haue the law and hell taken away and are enemies vnto the righteousnes of God Likewise in the whomely gest of Noe when he was dronke and lay in his tente with hys priuy members open hast thou great edifyeng in the litteral sence Thou seest what became of the curied children of wicked Ham which saw his fathers priuie members and gested therof vnto his brethren Thou seest also what blessing fell on Sem and Iaphet which went backward and couered their fathers members saw them not And thirdly thou seest what infirmitie accompanieth Goâ—s elect be they neuer so holy which yet is not imputed vnto theÌ„ For the fayth trust they haue in God swalloweth vp all their sinnes Notwithstandyng this text offereth vs an apte and an hansome allegory or similitude to describe our wicked Ham Antichrist the Pope which many huÌ„dred yeares hath done all the shame that hart caÌ„ thinke vnto the priâ—ey meÌ„ber of God which is the word of promise or y â— word of faith as Paule calleth it Rom. x. and the Gospell and TestameÌ„t of Christ wherewith we are begotten as thou seest i. Peter i. and Iames. i. And as the cursed children of Ham grew into gyauntes so mightie and great that the children of Israell semed but greshoppers in respect of them so the cursed sonnes of our Ham the Pope his Cardinals Bysshops Abbots Monkes and Friers are become mighty gyauntes aboue all power and authoritie so that the children of faith in respect of them are much lesse then greshoppers They heape mountayne vppon mountayne will to heaueÌ„ by their own strength by away of their owne making not by the way Christ Neuer the latter those gyauÌ„tes for the wickednes abhominatioÌ„s which they had wrought did God vtterly destroy part of them by the childreÌ„ of Loth and part by the children of Esau and seuen nations of them by the children of Israell So no doubt shall he destroy these for like abhominations that shortly For their kyngdome is but the kyngdome of lyes and falshead which must needes perish at
God and fayth of Christ and corrupt the text of the couenaunt with false gloses and are disobedient to God and therefore sâ—… deadly Oâ— this also ye see the difference betwene the lambes of true beleuers and betwene the vncleane swyne that follow carnall lustes fleshly libertie and the churlishe and hypocrâ—…e dogges Which for the blinde zeale of their owne righteousnes persecute the righteousnes of the fayth in Christes bloud The effeminate and careles swyne which coÌ„tinue in their fleshlines cease not to wallow theÌ„selues in their olde podell thinke that they beleue very well in Christes bloud but they are deceaued as thou mayst clearely perceaue because they feare not the damnation of euill workes nor loue the lawe of good workes and therefore haue no part in the promise The cruell and doggishe hypocrits which take vpon them to worke thinke they loue the lawe which yet they neuer sawe saue vnder a vayle But they be deceaued as thou mayst perceaue by that they beleue not in Christ for the forgeuenes of sinne Whereby also I meane that they beleue not thou mayst perceaue that they vnderstand not the lawe For if they vnderstoode the lawe it would eyther driue them to Christ or make them dispayre immediatly But the true beleuers beholde the lawe in her owne likenes and see the impossibilitie thereof to be fulfilled wyth naturall power and therefore flee to Christ for mercy grace and power and then of a very thankfulnes for the mercy receaued loue the lawe in her owne likenes and submit theÌ„selues to learne it and to profit therein and to do to morow that they can not do to day Ye see also the difference of all manner of faythes The fayth of the true beleuers is that God iustifieth or forgeueth and Christ deserueth it and the fayth or trust in Christes bloud receaueth it and certifieth the coÌ„science thereof and saueth and deliuereth her from feare of death and damnation And this is that we meane when we say fayth iustifieth that fayth I meane in Christ and not in our owne workes certifieth the conscience that our sinnes are forgeueÌ„ vs for Christes bloudes sake But the fayth of hypocrites is that God forgeueth and workes deserue it And that same false fayth in their owne workes receaueth the mercy promised to the merites of their owne workes and so Christ vtterly excluded And thus ye see that faith is the thing that to affirmed to iustifie of all partyes For faith in Christes bloud which is Gods promise quieteth the conscience of the true beleuers And a false fayth or trust in workes which is their owne fayning beguileth the blynde hypocrites for a season tyll God for the greatnes of their sinne when it is â—ull openeth their eyes then they dispayre But the swyne say God is so good that he wyll saue deuilles and all and damne no man perpetually whatsoeuer he do An other conclusion is this to beleue in Christ for the remission of sinnes and of a thankfulnes for that mercy to loue the lawe truely that is to say to loue God that is father of all and geueth all and Iesus Christ that is Lord of vs all and bought vs al with all our hartes soules power and might and our brethren for our fathers sake because they be created after his image and for our Lord and master Christes sake because they be the price of his bloud and to long for the lyfe to come because this lyfe cannot be fedde without sinne These â—…tes I say are the profession and religion of a Christen maÌ„ and the inward baptime of the hart signifyed by the outward washing of the bodye And they be that spirituall character badge or signe wherewith God thorouge hys spirite marketh all his immediatly and assoone as they be ioyned to Christ and made members of hys Church by true fayth The Church of Christ then is the multitude of all them that beleue in Christ for the remission of sinne and of a thankfulnes for that mercy loue the lawe of God purely and without gloses and of hate they haue to the sinne of this world long for the life to come This is the church that cannot erre dampnably nor any long tyme nor all of them but assoone as any question aryseth the truth of Gods promise stirreth vp one or other to teach them the truth of euery thing needefull to saluation out of Gods worde and lighteneth the hartes of the other true members to see the same and to consent thereto And as all they that haue their hartes washed wyth this inwarde baptyme of the sprite are of the church and haue the keyes of the scripture ye and of binding and lowsing and do not erre Euen so they that sinne of purpose wyll not heare when their faultes be tolde them but seeke liberties and priuilegies to sinne vnpunished and glose out the lawe of God and mainteine ceremonies traditions and customes to destroy the fayth of Christ the same be members of Sathan all their doctrine is poison Errour darcknes ye though they be Popes Byshoppes Abbotes Eurates and Doctoures of diuinitie and though they can rehearse all the scripture without booke and though they be seene in Greeke Ebrew and Latine ye and though they so preach Christ and the passion of Christ that they make the poore women weepe and howle agayne For when they come to the point that they should minister Christes passion vnto the saluation of our soules there they poyson all together and glose out the lawe that should make vs feele our saluation in Christ and driue vs in that poynt from Christ and teach vs to put our trust in our owne workes for the remission and satisfaction of our sinnes and in the Apish play of hypocrites which sell their merites in steede of Christes bloud passion â–ª â—o now deare reader to beleue in Christes bloud for the remission of sinnâ— and putchasing of all the good promises that helpe to the lyfe to come and to loue the law and to long for the life to come is the inward Baptisme of the soule the Baptisme that onely auayleth in the sight of God the new generation and image of Christ the onely keye also to binde and â—owse synners The touchstone to trye all doctrines The lanterne and light that scattereth and expelleth the mist darknes of all hypocrisie and a preseruatiue agaynst all errour and heresie The mother of all good workes The earnest of euerlastyng lyfe and title whereby we chalenge our inheritaunce And thoughe fayth in Christes bloude make the mariage betwene our soule and Christ is properly the Mariage garment yea and the signe Thau that defendeth vs from the sâ—…tyng and power of the euill aungels and is also the rocke whereon Christes Churche is built and whereon all that is built standeth against all weather of wynde and tempestes yet might the
policy And finally marke one point in Luke 14. None of them that reâ—useth not al that he possesseth caÌ„ be my disciple that is he that casteth not away y â— loue of all worldly thinges can be no scholer of Christes to learne his doctrine TheÌ„ he addeth that salt is good but if the salt be vnsauery or hath lost his veâ—…e what can be seasoned therwith verely nothing Now by salt is vnderstand the doctrine and the meaning is if ye be couetous and loue worldly thinges it will corrupt y e salt of your doctrine so that whatsoeuer you powder therewith it shal be more vnsauery then before Where your treasure is there are your hartes If your treasure be in y e worlde so is the loue of your hartes And if ye loue the world the thynges of the world the loue of God is not in you and the loue of God is the loue of his commaundements and he that loueth not Gods commaundementes shall neuer preach them truely because he loueth them not But shall corrupt them with gloses that they may stand with that which his hart loueth and vntill they haue an other sence then euer God gaue them Ergo no couetous person can be a true Prophet It is not for nought then that Christ to oft and so diligently warneth his disciples to beware of couetousnes as of that thing which he wist well had euer corrupt the woorde of God and euer shoulde The light of thy body is thyne eye wherfore if thine eye be single all thy body shall be full of lyght But and if thine eye be wicked thaÌ„ shall thy whole body be darcke If therfore the light that is in thee be darcknesse how great is that darknesse Note the conclusion wyth a proper similitude The eye is the light of the body and by the light of the eye all other members see and are gouerned As long as the eye seeth hand foote do their duties neyther is there any feare that a man should sinnible or fall into fire or water But if the eye be blynde all the body is blinde and that so blinde that there is no remedy at al set a candle before him he seeth not geue hym a lanterne in hys hand and yet he goeth not straighte Bring him out into the sunne point hym vnto y t which thou wouldest haue hym see yt boteth not Euen so if couetousnesse haue blinded the spirituall eye peruerted the right entent of the lawe of God and of the workes commaunded by God and of the sacrifâ—ce ceremonies and sacramentes and of all other ordinaunces of God which entent is the spirituall eye then is all the doctrine darcke and very blyndnes yea and then how darke is the darcknes when that which is pure blindnes is beleued to be light how darcke is the doctrine of them that teach that a man may compell God wyth the woorkes of free will to geue them hys fauour grace or make God vnrighteous How darcke is the doctrine of them which to y e rebuke of Christes bloud teach that woorkes do iustifie before God and make satifaction for sinnes How blinde are they which thinke prayer to be the pattering of many wordes and will therefore not onely be praysed and payed of the world but also by the title thereof chalenge heaueÌ„ not by y e merites of Christes bloud How darcke is the doctrine of them whose fayth is onely and all together in appointmentes which they themselues haue fayned betwene them and God vnto which yet God neuer subscribed In which also they assigne what worke and how much they will do and what rewarde and how great God must geue them or chuse whether he will be vnrighteous How darcke is the doctrine of them that say stifly that the worke of the Sacramentes in it selfe not referring it to styrre vp the faith of the promises annexed to theÌ„ doth iustifie and affirme that bodely payne for the payne it selfe not referryng it either to the loue of y e law of god or of their neighbour doth please God How darcke damnable deuelish is the doctrine of them which not onely thinke lucre to be the seruice of God but also are so farre past all shame that they affirme they be the holy Church and cannot erre and all that they decree must be an article of our fayth and that it is damnable once to doubt or search the Scripture whether their doctrine will therto agree or no But say their decrees must be beleued as they sound how contrary so euer the Scripture be and the Scripture must be expounded and made agree to them They neede not to regarde the Scripture but to do and say as their holy Ghost moueth them and if the Scripture be contrary then make it a nose of waxe and wrest it this way and that way till it agree Faith of workes was the darcknesse of the false Prophets out of the which the true could not draw them Faith of workes was the blyndnesse of the phariseis out of the which neither Iohn Baptist nor Christ could bryng them And though Iohn Baptist pyped to them with reasons of the Scripture in uincible and Christ therto added miracles yet the Phariseis would not daunce For Iohn Baptist as they thought was to mad to lyue so strayte a life and to refuse to be iustified therby And as for Christ his Disciples the Phariseis were much holyer them selues fasted oftener and prayed thicker yea and vttered many mo wordes in their prayer then they Fayth of workes is that belefe of the Turkes Iewes which driueth them euer away from Christ Faith of workes hath ben that light of darcknes in which a great part of vs Christen haue walked euer sence Pelagius and Faustus well about xij C. yeares and euer mo and mo in which all our religious haue walked all and more to this foure or fiue hundred yeare in which the Priestes also haue walked a long season the Lord bryng them out agayne Finally how darcke is the darcknesse when a Pharisey and a very Pelagian standeth vp and preacheth agaynst the Phariseis the Pelagians and is alowed of al y e audience And in conclusion when the world euer sence it began hath doth of naturall blindnesse beleue in their owne workes theÌ„ if the Scripture be peruerted to confirme that errour how sore are their hartes hardened and how depe is that darckenesse No man can serue two masters for he shal either hate the one and loue the other or cleaue to the one and despise the other Ye can not serue God and Mammon Mammon is riches or aboundance of goods And Christ concludeth with a plaine similitude that as it is impossible to serue two contrary masters as it is impossible to be retayned vnto two diuers Lords which are enemies one to the other so is it impossible to serue God and Mammon Two
That fayth haue they in theyr owne workes onely But the true hearers vnderstand the lawe as Christ interpreteth it here and feele thereby theyr righteous damnation and runne to Christ for succour and for remission of all their sinnes that are past and for all the sinne which chaunce thorough infirmities shall compel theÌ„ to do for remission of that the law is to stronge for their weake nature And upon that they consent to the lawe loue it and professe it to fulfill it to the vttermost of their power and then go to and worke Faith or confidence in Christes bloud without helpe and before the workes of the law bringeth all maner of remission of sinnes satisfaction Faith is mother of loue fayth accompanieth loue in all her workes to fulfill as much as there lacketh in our doing the lawe of that perfect loue which Christ had to his father and vs in his fulfilling of the law for vs. Now when we be reconciled then is loue fayth together our righteousnesse our keeping the lawe our continuing our proceeding forwarde in the grace which we stand in our bringing to the euerlasting sauing and euerlasting life And the woorkes be esteemed of God according to the loue of the hart If the woorkes be great loue little and colde then the woorkes be regarded thereafter of God If the workes be small and loue much and feruent the workes be taken for great of God And it came to passe that when Iesus had ended these sayinges the people were astonied at his doctrine for he taught them as one hauing power and not as the Scribes The Scribes and Phariseyes had thrust vp the sworde of the woorde of God into a scabbarde or shethe of gloses and therein had knit it fast that it coulde neither sticke nor cut teaching dead workes without fayth and loue which are the life and the whole goodnes of all workes and the onely thing why they please God And therefore their audience abode euer carnall and fleshly mynded without faith to God and loue to their neighbours Christes wordes were spirit life Ioh. vi That is to say they ministred spirite and life and entred into the hart and grated on the conscience and thorow preaching the lawe made the hearers perceaue their duties euen what loue they ought to God what to man and the right dampnation of all them that had not the loue of God and man written in their hartes and thorow preaching of fayth made all that consented to the lawe of God fele the mercy of God in Christ and certified them of their saluation For the worde of God is a two edged sworde that pearceth and deuideth the spirite and soule of man a sonder Heb. 〈◊〉 A man before the preaching of Godes woorde is but one man all fleshe the soule consenting vnto the lustes of the fleshe to follow them But the sworde of the worde of God where it taketh effect diuideth a man in two and serteth him at variaunce against his own selfe The fleshe haling one way and the spirite drawing another the fleshe raging to follow lustes and the spirite calling backe agayne to follow the lawe and will of God A man all the while â—e consenteth to the flesh before he be borne again in Christ is called soule or carnall But whe he is renued in Christ through y t word of lyâ—e and hath the loue of God and of hys neighbor and the fayth of Christ written in his hart he is called spirite or spirituall The Lord of all mercy send vs preachers with power that is to say 〈◊〉 expounders of the worde of God and speakers to the hart of man and deliuer vs from Scribes Phariseyes hypocrites and all false Prophetes Amen An aunswere vnto Syr Thomas Mores Dialogue made by William Tyndall 1530. ☞ First he declareth what the Church is and geueth a reason of certaine wordes which Master More rebuketh in the translation of the new Testament ¶ After that he aunswereth particularly vnto euery Chapter which semeth to haue any appearaunce of truth thorough all his foure bookes ¶ Awake thou that slepest and stand vp from death and Christ shall geue the light Ephesians 5. THe grace of our Lord the light of his spirite to see to iudge true repeÌ„taunce towardeâ— Gods lâ—we a fast fayth in the mercyfull prâ—…es y â— are in our sauiour Christ serueÌ„t loue toward thy neighbour after the exaÌ„ple of Christ his Saints be with thee O Reader with all that loue the truth loÌ„g for the redemption of Gods elect Amen Our Sauiour I esus in the 16. of Iohn at his last Supper when he tooke his leaue of his Disciples warned them saying the holy Ghost shall come and rebuke the world of iudgemeÌ„t That is he shall rebuke the world for lacke of true iudgement and discretion to iudge and shall proue that the tast of theyr mouthes is corrupt so that they iudge swete to be sowre and sowre to be swete the eyes to be blynd so that they thinke that to be the verâ— seruice of God which is but a blynd superstition for zeale of which yet they persecute the true seruice of God and that they iudge to be the lawe of God whiche is but a false imagination of a corrupt iudgement for blynd affection of whiche yet they persecute the true law of God and them that kepe it And this same it is that Paul sayth 1. Corinth ij how that the naturall man that is not borne agayne and created a new with the spirite of God be he neuer so great a Philosopher neuer so well sene in the law neuer so sore studied in the Scripture as we haue examples in the Phariseis yet hee cannot vnderstaÌ„d the thynges of the spirite of God but sayth he the spirituall iudgeth all thyngs and hys spirâ—e searcheth the deepe secretes of God so that what soeuer God commauÌ„deth hym to do he neuer leaueth searchyng till he come at the bottome the pith the quicke the lyâ—e the sâ—… the mâ—â—ow very cause why and iudgeth all thyng Take an example in the great commaundement loue God with all thyne hart y t spirituall searcheth the cause and looketh on the benefites of God and so conceaueth loue in his hart And when he is commaunded to obey the powers and rulers of the world hee looketh on the benefites which God sheweth the world through them and therefore doth it gladly And when hee â–ª is commauÌ„ded to loue his neighbour as hym selfe he searcheth that his neighbour is created of God and bought with Christes bloud and so forth and therefore he loueth hym out of his hart and if he be euill forheareth hym and with all loue and pacience draweth hym to good as elder brethren wayte on the youÌ„ger and serue them and suffer them when they will not come they speake fayre flatter and geue some gaye thyng and
then thorough corruptyng with their riches wherof they haue infinite treasure in store and last of all with the sword Haue they not compelled the Emperours of the earth and the great Lordes and hygh â—…cers to be obedient vnto them to dispure for them and to be their tormeÌ„tours and the Samsumims theÌ„ selues do but imagine mischief and inspire them Marke whether it were euer truer then now the Scribes Phariseis Pylate Herode Cayphas and Anna are gathered together agaynst God Christ But yet I trust in vayne and he that brake the Counsell of A chitophell shall scatter theirs Marke whether it 〈◊〉 not true in the hyghest degree that for the sinne of the people hypocrites shall rayne ouer them What shewes what faces and contrary pretenses are made and all to stablish them in their theft falsehead damnable lyes and to gather them together for to continue suâ—…ltie to oppresse the truth and to stoppe the light to kepe all still in darkenesse Wherfore it is time to awake and to see euery man with his owne eyes and to iudge if we will not be iudged of Christ when he commeth to iudge And remember that he which is warned hath none excuse if he take nâ—…ede Here with fare wel in y e Lord Iesus Christ whose spirite be thy guide doctrine and the light to iudge with all Amen ¶ What the Church is THis worde Churche hath diuerse significations First it signifieth a place or house whether Christen people were wont in the old tyme to resorte at tymes coÌ„uenient for to heare the word of doctrine the law of God the fayth of our Sauiour Iesus Christ how and what to pray and whence to aske power and strength to liue godly For the officers therto appointed preached the price word of God onely and prayâ—d in a tâ—â—ng that all men vnderstode And y t people hearkned vnto his prayers sayd thereto AmeÌ„ prayed with him in their hartes of him learned to pray at home and euery where and to instruct euery man his houshold Where now we heare but voyces with out signification and buzsinges howlynges and cryinges as it were the haâ—…yngâ—s of Foxes or baytings of Bearâ—s wonder at disguisings tâ—yes wherof we know no meanyng By reason wherof we be fallen into such ignorauncie that we know of the mercy promises whiche are in Christ nothyng at all And of the law of God we thinke as do the Turkes and as did the old heathen people how that it is a thyng which euery man may do of his owne power and in doyng therof becoÌ„meth good and waxeth righteous and deserueth heauen yea and are yet more mad then that For we imagine the same of Phantasies and vayne ceremonies of our owne making neither nedefull vnto the tamyng of our owne flesh neither profitable vnto our neighbour neither honour vnto God And of prayer we thinke that no man can pray but at Church and that it is nothing els but to say Pater noster vnto a post Wherewith yet and with other obseruauÌ„ces of our owne imaginyng we beleue we deserue to be sped of all that our blynd hartes desire In an other signification it is abused and mistakeÌ„ for a multitude of shauen shorne and oyled which we now call the spiritualtie and Clergy As when we read in the Chronicles kyng William was a great tyrauÌ„t and a wicked man vnto holy Church and tooke much landes from them Kyng Iohn was also a perâ—â—ous man and a wicked vnto holy Church would haue had them punished for theft murther and what soeuer mischief they dyd as though they had not bene people annoynted but eueÌ„ of the vile rascall and common lay people And Thomas Becket was a blessed an holy man for he dyed for the liberties to do all mischief vnpunished priuileges of the Church Is he a laye man or a man of the Church Such is the liuing of holy Church So men say of holy church Ye must beleue in holy Church do as they teach you Will ye not obey holy Church Will ye not do the penaunce enioyned you by holy Church Will yet not forsweare obedience vnto holy Church Beware least ye fal into y t indignatioÌ„ of holy church lest they curse you so forth In which all we vnderstand but y e Pope Cardinals Legates Patriarckes Archbyshops Byshops Abbotes Priours Chauncelers Archdeacons Commissaries Officials Priestes Monkes Friers Blacke Whit Pied Grey and so forth by I trow a thousand names of blasphemy and of hypocrisies as many sundry fashions of disguisinges It hath yet or should haue an other signification little knowen among the common people now a dayes That is to wit it signifieth a congregation a multitude or a company gathered together in one of all degrees of people As a maÌ„ would say the church of LoÌ„don meaning not the spiritualtie onely as they will be called for their diligent seruing of God in the spirite and so sore eschuing to meddle wyth temporall matters but the whole bodye of the citie of all kindes conditions degrees and the church of Bristow all that pertaine vnto the towne generally And what congregation is meÌ„t thou shalt alway vnderstand by the matter that is entreated of and by the circumstaunces thereof And in this third signification is the church of God or Christ taken in the scripture eueÌ„ for the whole multitude of all them that receaue the name of Christ to beleue in him and not for the clergy onely For Paule sayth Gal. i. I persecuted the church of God aboue measure which was not the preachers onely but all that beleued generally as it is to see Act. xxij where he saith I persecuted this way euen vnto the death binding and putting in prison both men and women And Gal. i. I was vnknowen concerning my person vnto the congregations of the Iewes which were in Christ And Rom. xvi I commende vnto you Phebe the Deaconiâ—â—e of the church of Cenchris And the churches of Asia salute you i. Corin. the last And if a man can not rule his owne house how shall he take the care of the church of God i. Tim. iij if any faithfull man or woman haue widdowes let them finde them that the church be not charged i. Tim. v. And Mat. 18. if thy brother heare thee not tell the church or congregation and so forth In which places and thoroughout all the scripture the church is taken for y e whole multitude of them that beleue in Christ in that place in that parishe towne citie prouince land or thoroughout all the worlde and not for the spiritualtie onely NotwithstaÌ„ding yet it is somtimes taken generally for all them that embrace the name of Christ though their faithes be naught or though they haue no fayth at all And sometimes it is taken specially
for the electe onely in whose hartes God hath written hys lawe with his holy spirite and geuen them a feeling faith of the mercy that is in Christ Iesu our Lord. ¶ Why Tindall vsed this worde congregation rather theÌ„ church in the translation of the new Testament WHerefore in as much as the clergy as the nature of those hard indurat AdamaÌ„tstones is to draw all to them had appropriat vnto themselues the terme that of right is common vnto all the whole congregation of them that beleue in Christ wyth their false and subtil wyles had beguiled and mocked the people brought them into the ignoraunce of the word making theÌ„ vnderstand by this worde church nothing but the shauen flocke of them that shore the whole worlde therefore in the translation of the new Testament where I found this word Ecclesia I enterpreted it by thys word congregation Euen therfore did I it and not of any mischeuous mynde or purpose to stablâ—she heresie as master More vntruely reporteth of me in hys Dialoge where he rayleth on y t translation of the new Testament And when M. More sayth that this word Church is knowen wel inough I report me vnto the conscieÌ„ces of all the land whether he say truth or other wise or whether the lay people vnderstand by Church the whole multitude of all that professe Christ or the iugglyng spirites onely And wheÌ„ he saith that congregation is a more generall terme if it were it hurteth not For the circumstance doth euer tell what coÌ„gregation is ment Neuerthelesse yet sayth he not the truth For whersoeuer I may say a congregation there may I say a Church also as the Church of the deuill the Church of Sathan the Church of wretches y t Church of wickedmen the Churche of lyers and a Church of Turkes therto For M. More must graunt if he will haue Ecclesia translated throughout all the new Testament by this woorde Church that Church is as commoÌ„ as Ecclesia Now is Ecclesia a Greeke word and was in vse before the tyme of the Apostles and taken for a coÌ„gregation among the heatheÌ„ where was no congregation of God or of Christ And also Lucas him selfe vseth Ecclesia for a Church or congregation of heathen people thrise in one Chapter eueÌ„ in the xix of the Actes where Demetrius the goldsmith or siluersmith had gathered a company agaynst Paule for preachyng agaynst Images Howbeit M. More hath so long vsed â–ª his figures of Poetry that I suppose wheÌ„ he erreth most he now by the reason oâ— a long custome beleueth himself that he sayth most true Or els as the wise people which when they daunce naked in nettes beleue that no man seeth them euen so M. More thinketh that his errours be so subtilly couched that no man can espy them So blinde he counteth all other men in comparison of his great vnderstandyng But charitably I exhorte him in Christ to take hede for though Iudas were wilier then his felowes to get lucre yet he proued not most wise at y t last end Neither though Balam the false Prophet had a cleare sight to bryng y â— curse of God vpon the childreÌ„ of Israell for honours sake yet his couetousnesse did so blind his prophesie that he could not see his owne end Let therfore M. More and his coÌ„pany awake be tymes ere euer their sinne be ripe lest y e voyce of their wickednesse ascenoâ— vp and awake God out of his slepe to loke vpoÌ„ them and to how his eares vnto theyr cursed blasphemies agaynst the open truth and to send his haruest men and mowares of vengeaunce to repe it But how happeth it that M. More hath not contended in likewise against hys derelyng Erasmus all this longe while Doth not he chauÌ„ge this word Ecclesia into congregatioÌ„ and that not seldome in the new TestameÌ„t peraduenture he oweth him fauour because he made Moria in hys house Whiche booke if it were in English theÌ„ should euery man see how that he then was farre otherwise mynded then he now writeth But verely I thinke that as Iudas betrayd not Christ for any loue that he had vnto the hyghe Priestes Scribes and Phariseis but onely to come by that wherfore he thirsted eueÌ„ so M. More as there are tokens euideÌ„t wrote not these bookes for any affectioÌ„ that he bare vnto the spiritualty or vnto the opinions which he so barely defeÌ„deth but to obtaine onely that which he was an hungred for I pray God that he eate not to hastly lest he be chokeo at the latter end but that he repeÌ„t and resist not the spirite of God which openeth light vnto the worlde ¶ Why he vseth this woorde Elder and not Priest AN other thyng which he rebuketh is that I interprete this Greeke worde Presbiteros by this worde Senior Of a truth Senior is no very good Englishe though Senior and Iuniot be vsed in the vniuersities but there came no better in my mynde at that tyme. Howbeit I spied my fault since long yer M. More tolde it me and haue â—…ded it in all the woorkes which I sens made and call it an Elder And in that he maketh hereâ—ie of it to call Presbiteros an Elder he condemneth their owne old Latin text of heresie also which they vse yet dayly myâ—â—…ch and haue vsed I suppose this I suppose this run huÌ„dred yeares For that text doth 〈…〉 an elder likewise In the. 1. Pet. 5. â—…s standeth it in y e Latin text Seâ—…ores qui in vobis sunt obsecro ego conâ—… pascite qui in vobis est gregem Chriâ—… 〈…〉 elders that are among you I 〈…〉 which am an elder also that ye sedâ—… flocke of Christ which is among 〈…〉 There is Presbyteros calle◠〈…〉 And in y t he sayth fede Chrisâ—… he meaneth euen the Ministeâ—… chosen to teach the people to 〈…〉 them in Gods word no â—ay 〈…〉 And in the 2. Epâ—stâ—e of Ioh◠〈…〉 text Senior electae Dominae 〈…〉 The elder vnto the eleâ—t Lady 〈…〉 her children And in the 〈…〉 Iohn Senior Gaâ—o dilecto 〈…〉 vnto the beloued Gaiâ—s In these 〈…〉 pistles Presbyteros is calleâ— an 〈…〉 And in the xx of the Actes y â— text sâ—… Paule sent for maiores natu Eccleâ—… 〈…〉 elders in byrth of the congregation or Church and sayd vnto them take 〈…〉 vnto your selues vnto y â— whoâ—e 〈◊〉 ouer which the holy ghosâ— hath 〈…〉 you Episcopos ad regendum Eccleâ—… Dei Byshops ouerâ—caâ—s to 〈…〉 the Church of God There is â—…teros called an Elder in byrth 〈…〉 same immediately called a 〈…〉 ouersear to declare what pâ—… ment Hereof ye see that I haue 〈…〉 more erred then their owne text 〈…〉 they haue vsed sence the scripture waâ— first in the Latin â—oung and that their owne text vnderstandeth by Presbyâ—eros nothyng saue an Elder And they were called
heauen if they were here could preach no more then is preached of necessitie vnto our soules How then should we receaue a new article of the fayth with out scripture as profitable vnto my soule when I had beleued it as smoke for â—ore eyes What holpe it me to beleue that our Ladies bodye is in heauen What am I the better for the beliefe of Purgatory to feare men thou wilt say Christ his Apostles thought hell â—…ough And yet besides that the fleshly imaginatioÌ„ may not stand with Gods worde what great feare can there be of that terrible fire which thou mayst quench almost for three halfe pence And that the Apostles should teach ought by mouth which they woulde not write I pray you for what purpose because they should not come into the handes of the Heathen for mocking saith M. More I pray you what thing more to be mocked of the Heathen coulde they teach then the resurrection and that Christ was God and man and dyed betwene two theeues and that for his deathes sake all that repent and beleue therein should haue their sinnes forgeuen them yea and if the Apostles vnderstoode thereby as we do what madder thing vnto heathen people coulde they haue taught theÌ„ y t bread is Christes body wyne his bloud And yet all these thynges they wrote And agayne purgatory confession in the eare penaunce and satisfaction for sinne to Godward with holy deedes and praying to Saintes with such like as dumme sacraments and ceremonies are maruelous agreable vnto the superstition of the Heathen people so that they needed not to abstaine from writing of theÌ„ for feare least the Heathen should haue mocked them Moreouer what is it that the Apostles taught by mouth and durst not write The sacramentes As for baptim and the sacrament of the body and bloude of Christ they wrote and it is expressed what is signified by them And also all the ceremonies and sacramentes that were froÌ„ Adam to Christ had significations and all that are made mention of in the new testameÌ„t Wherefore in as much as the sacramentes of the olde testament haue significations and in as much as the sacramentes of the new testament of which meÌ„tion is made that they were deliuered vnto vs by the very Apostles at Christes commaundement haue also significatioÌ„s and in as much as the office of an Apostle is to edifie in Christ and in as much as a dumme eremonie edifieth not but hurteth altogether for if it preach not vnto me then I can not but put confideÌ„ce therin that the deede it selfe iustifieth me which is y e denying of Christes bloud and in as much as no meÌ„tion is made of theÌ„ as well as of other nor is knowen what is ment by them therefore it appeareth that the Apostles taught them not but that they be the false marchaundise of wily hipocrites And therto priesthode was in the tyme of the Apostles an office which if they would do truely it woulde more profite then all the sacraments in y e world And agayne Gods holinesses strine not one against an other nor defile one another Their sacraments defile one another For wedlocke defileth priesthode more theÌ„ whordome theft murther or any sinne against nature They will haply demaunde where it is written that women should baptise Verely in this commaundement Loue thy neighbour as thy selfe it is written that they may and ought to minister not onely Baptim but all other in tyme of neede if they be so necessarie as they preach them And finally though we were sure that God hymselfe had geuen vs a sacrament whatsoeuer it were yet if y e signification were once lost we must of necessitie either seeke vp the significatioÌ„ or put some significatioÌ„ of Gods word therto what we ought to do or beleue therby or els put it downe For it is impossible to obserue a sacrament without significatioÌ„ but vnto our daÌ„pnatioÌ„ If we keepe y â— faith purely the law of loue vndefiled which are y â— significatioÌ„s of all ceremonies there is no icopardy to alter or chaunge the fashion of the ceremony or to put it downe if neede require ¶ Whether the Churche can erre THere is an other question whether the Church may erre Which if ye vnderstand of the Pope and hys generation it is verely as hard a question as to aske whether he which hath both hys eyes out be blynde or no or whether it be possible for him that hath one legge shorter theÌ„ an other to halt But I sayd that Christes elect church is the whole multitude of all repenting sinners that beleue in Christ and put all their trust and confideÌ„ce in the mercy of God feeling in their hartes that God for Christes sake loueth theÌ„ and will be or rather is mercifull vnto them and forgeueth theÌ„ their sinnes of which they repent and that he forgeueth them also all the motions vnto sinne of which they feare least they shoulde thereby be drawen into sinne agayne And this faith they haue with out all respect of their owne deseruinges yea and for none other cause then that the mercifull truth of God the father which can not lie hath so promised and so sworne And this faith and knowledge is euerlasting life and by this we be borne a new and made the sonnes of God and obtayne forgeuenes of sinnes and are translated from death to life froÌ„ the wrath of God vnto his loue and fauour And this faith is the mother of all truth and bringeth with her y e spirite of all truth Which spirite purgeth vs as from all sinne euen so froÌ„ all lies and errour noysome and hurtfull And this faith is the foundation layd of the Apostles and Prophetes whereon Paul sayth Ephes ij that we are built and therby of the houshold of God And this fayth is the rocke wheron Christ build his congregatioÌ„ Christ asked the Apostles Math. xvj whom they tooke him for And Peter aunswered for them all saying I say that thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God y t arâ— come into this world That is we beleue that thou art he that was promised vnto AbrahaÌ„ that should come blesse vs and deliuer vs. Howbeit Peter yet wist not by what meanes But now it is opened throroughout all the world that through the offeryng of hys body bloud that offeryng is a satisfaction for the sinne of all that repent and a purchasyng of what soeuer they can aske to keepe them in fauour And that they sinne no more And Christ aunswered vpoÌ„ this rocke I will build my congregation that is vppon this fayth And agaynst the rocke of this fayth can no synne no hell no deuill no lyes nor errour preuayle For what soeuer any maÌ„ hath committed if he repent and come to this rocke he is safe And that this fayth is the onely way by which the Church of Christ
coÌ„sent of many As if one tolde me that the turke had wonne a citie and I beleued it moued with the honestie of the man Now if there come an other that seemeth more honest or that hath better perswasions that it is not so I thinke immediatly that he lyed and lose my fayth agayne And a feeling fayth is as if a man were there present when it was wonne and there were wounded and had there lost all that he had and were taken prisoner there also That man should so beleue that all y e worlde could not turne him from hys fayth Euen likewise if my mother had blowen on her finger and tolde me that the fire woulde burne me I shoulde haue beleued her with an historicall fayth as we beleue the stories of the world because I thought she woulde not haue mocked me And so I should haue done if she had tolde me that the fire had bene cold and would not haue burned but assoone as I had put my finger in the fire I should haue beleued not by reason of her but wyth a feeling faith so that she could not haue perswaded me afterward the contrary So now with an historicall fayth I may beleue that y â— scripture is gods by the teaching of them so I should haue done though they had tolde me that Roben Hode had bene the scripture of God Which fayth is but an opinion and therfore abideth euer frutlesse and falleth away if a more glorious reason be made vnto me or if the preacher liue contrary But of a feeling fayth it is written Iohn vi They shall be all taught of God That is God shall write it in their harts with his holy spirite And Paule also testifieth Rom. 8. the spirite beareth record vnto our spirit that we be the sonnes of God And thys fayth is none opinion but a sure feling and therefore euer fruitfull Neyther hangeth it of the honesty of the preacher but of the power of God and of the spirite and therefore if all the preachers of the world would goe about to perswade the contrary it would not preuayle no more theÌ„ though they would make me beleue the tire were colde after that I had put my finger therein Of this ye haue an ensample Ioh. 4. of the Samaritanish wife which left her pitcher and went into the citie and sayd come see a man that hath tolde me al that euer I did is not he Christ And many of the Samaritanes beleued because of the saying of the womaÌ„ how that he had tolde her all that euer she did and went out vnto him desired him to come in which fayth was but an opinion and no fayth that could haue lasted or haue brought out fruit but when they had heard Christ the spirite wrought and made them feele Wherupon they came vnto the womaÌ„ and sayd we beleue not now because of thy saying but because we haue heard our selues and know that he is Christ the sauiour of the worlde For Christes preaching was with power and spirite that maketh a maÌ„ feele and know and worke to and not as the Scribes and Pharisies preached and as ours make a man ready to cast hys gorge to heare them raue and rage as mad men And therefore sayth y â— scripture cursed is he that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme that is to say hys strength And euen so cursed is he that hath none other beliefe but because men so say Cursed were he y â— had none other why to beleue theÌ„ that I so say And euen so cursed is he that beleueth only because y â— Pope so saith and so forth thoroughout all the men in the worlde ¶ The fayth that dependeth of an other mans mouth is weake IF I haue none other feeling in my fayth then because a man so sayth then is my fayth faithles and fruitles For if I haue none other seeling that lecherie is sinne then that the Pope so preacheth whom I see before my face set vp in Rome a stewes of xx or xxx thousand whores taking of euery pece tribute yearly and his Byshops with all other his disciples folowing the ensample mightely and the Pope therewith not content but to set vp thereto a stewes of young boyes agaynst nature the committers of which sinne be burnt at a stake among the Turkes as Moses also commaundeth in hys lawe And the Pope also to forbid all the spiritualtie a multitude of xl or l. huÌ„dred thousand to mary and to geue them licence to keepe euery man hys whore who so will If I say I haue none other feeling in my fayth that lechery is sinne theÌ„ this maÌ„s preaching I thinke my fayth should be to weake to beare much fruite How coulde I beleue a man that would say he loued me if all hys deedes were contrary I coulde not beleue God himselfe that he loued me if in all my tribulations I had of him none other comfort then those bare wordes And in like maner if I had none other feeling in my fayth that couetousnes were sinne then that the spiritualtie so sayth my fayth coulde be but weake and faintie when I see how y â— Pope with wiles hath thrust downe the Emperour and how the Byshops and Prelates be cropt vp an hye in all regions aboue their kynges and haue made them a seuerall kyngdome and haue gotten into their handes almost the one halfe of euery realme which they deuide among theÌ„selues geuyng no lay man any part with them heaping vp Byshopprike vpon Byshopprike promotion vpon promotion benefice vpon benefice with vnions and tot quottes robbing in euery parishe the soules of their â—oode and the poore of their due sustenaunce yea and some preaching that it were lesse sinne 〈◊〉 haue two wiues then two benifices but while they be yet young and hoâ—â— and therefore thinke couetousnes greater sinne theÌ„ lechery which same wheÌ„ they be waxed elder and their coÌ„plâ—â—tion somewhat altered thinke that couetousnes is as small a sinne as lechery and therfore take all that commeth And if any man cast their preachyng in their tethes they answere that they be better learned and haue seue further If I say I haue no other felyng that couetousnes is sinne then y e preaching of these holy fathers my fayth were built but vpoÌ„ a weake rocke or rather on the soft â—and And therfore our defenders do right well to some out their owne shame and to vtter the secrete thoughtes of their harâ—es For as they write so they beleue Other felyng of the lawes of God and fayth of Christ haue they none then that theyr God the Pope so sayth And therfore as the Pope preacheth wyth his moâ—th onely eueÌ„ so beleue they with their mouth onely whatsoeuer he preacheth without more a doe be it neuer so abhominable and in their hartes consent vnto all their fathers wickednes and folow
Paschall Lambe is offered for vs and hath deliuered vs as Paule sayth 1. Cor. v. whose signe and memoriall is the Sacrament of his body and bloud Moreouer we were not deliuered one of Egypt And therefore in as much as we be ouerladen with our owne I see no cause why we should become Iewes to obserue their ceremonies to And when he sayth holy straunge gestures I aunswere for the holynesse I will not sweare but the straungenesse I dare well auow For euery Priest maketh them of a sundry maner many more madly then the gestures of Iack anapes And when he sayth that they were left from hand to hand sence the Apostles time it is vntrue For the Apostles vsed the Sacramēt as Christ dyd as thou mayst see 1. Cor. xj More ouer the Apostles left vs in the light taught vs all the counsell of God as Paule witnesseth Actes xx and hid nothyng in straunge holy gestures and apes play the significations wherof no man might vnderstand And a Christen man is more moued to pitie sayth he at the sight of y e crosse then without it If he take pitie as Englishmen do for compassiō I say that a Christen man is moued to pitie whē hee seeth his brother beare the crosse And at the sight of the Crosse he that is learned in God wepeth not with ignoraūt womē as a mā doth for hys father when he is dead but mourneth for hys sinnes and at the sight of the crosse comforteth his soule with the cōsolation of him that dyed theron But there is no sight whether of the crosse or ought els that can moue you to leue your wickednesse for the Testament of God is not written in your hartes And when he speaketh of praying at Churche who denyeth hym that men might not pray at Church or that the church shuld not be a place of prayer But that a man could not pray saue at Church and that my prayers were not heard as well els where If I prayed with like feruentnesse strong sayth is a false lye And whē he speaketh of the presence of God in the temple I aunswere that the Prophetes testified how that hee dwelt not there so doth Paule Actes xvij so doth Steuē Actes vij Salomon iij. Of the kynges viij And no doubt as the madde Iewes ment he dwelt not there nor as we more mad suppose also But he dwelled there onely in his signes Sacramentes and testimonies which preached his woorde vnto the people And finally for theyr false confidence in the temple God destroyed it And no doubt for our false fayth in visityng the monumentes of Christ therefore hath God also destroyed them and geuen the place vnder the infidels And when he speaketh of the piller of fire and cloude I answere that god was no otherwise present there then in all fire and in all cloudes saue that he shewed his power there specially by the reason of the miracle as he doth in the eyes of the blinde whom he maketh see and yet is no other wise present in those eyes then in other nor more there to be prayed to then in other And in like maner he is no more to be prayed to where he doth a miracle then where he doth none Neither though we cā not but be in some place ought we to seeke God in any place saue onely in our hartes and that in veritie in fayth hope and loue or charitie accordyng to the woorde of hys doctrine And our sacramentes signes ceremonies Images reliques and monumentes ought to be had in reuerence so farforth as they put vs in mynde of Gods worde and of the ensample of them that liued thereafter and no further And the place is to be sought and one to be preferred before an other for quietnesse to pray and for liuely preaching and for y e preaching of such monumentes and so forth And so long as the people so vsed thē in the olde testament they were acceptable pleasaūt to God and God was sayd to dwell in the temple But when the significations being lost the people worshipped such thinges for the things selues as we now do they were abhominable to God and God was sayde to be no longer in the temple The fourth chapter ANd in the fourth he sayth that god setteth more by one place then an other Which doctrine besides that it should binde vs vnto the place and God thereto and can not but make vs haue confidence in the place is yet false For first God vnto whose worde we may adde nought hath geuen no such commaundement nor made any such couenaunt Neither is Christ here or there saith the scripture but in our hartes is the place where God dwelleth by his owne testimony if his word be there And when he proueth it because God doth a miracle more in one place then in an other I aunswere if God will do a miracle it requireth a place to be done in Howbeit he doth it not for the place but for the peoples sakes whom he would call vnto the knowledge of his name and not to worshippe hym more in one place then in an other As the miracles done in Egipt in the red sea in mount Sinay so forth were not done that men should goe in pilgrimage vnto the places to pray there but to prouoke them vnto the true knowledge of god that afterward they might euer pray in y e sprite whersoeuer they were Christ also dyd not his miracles that men should pray in the places where he did them but to stirre vp the people to come and heare the worde of their soules health And when he bringeth the miracle of Silo I answere that the sayd miracle and that Christ sent the blynde thether to receaue his sight were not done that men should pray in the poole but the second miracle was so done to declare the obedient fayth of the blinde and to make the miracle more knowen and the first for the worde of God that was preached in the temple to moue the countrey about to come thether and learne to know God and to become a liuely temple out of which they might euer pray and in all places Neyther was the miracle of Lazarus done that men shoulde more pray in that place then in an other but to shew Christes power to moue the people thorow wondering at the miracle to harkē vnto Gods word and beleue it as it is to see playnely Moreouer God so loueth no church but that the parishe haue libertie to take it downe and to builde it in an other place yea and if it be tymber to make it of stone and to alter it at their pleasure For the places yea and the Images must serue vs and not God which is a spirite and careth for none more thē other nor is otherwise presēt in one place thē in an other And
bringeth he in the perpetuall virginitie of our Lady which though it be neuer so true is yet none article of our fayth to be saued by But we beleue it with a story fayth because we see no cause reasonable to thinke the contrary And when he sayth many misteries are yet to be opened as the commyng of Antichrist Nay verely the babe is knowne well inough and all the tokens spide in him which the scripture describeth hym by And when he alleageth Paules traditions to the Thessalo to proue hys phantasie I haue answered Rochester in the obedience that his traditions were the Gospell that he preached And when he alleageth Paule to the Corin. I say that Paule neuer knew of this word Masse Neither can any man gather thereof any straunge holy gestures but the playne contrary and that there was no other vse there then to breake the bread amōg them at supper as Christ did And therefore he calleth it Christes supper and not Masse There was learned y ◠maner of consecration A great doubt as though we coulde not gather of the scripture how to do it And of the water that the Priest mingleth wyth the wyne A great doubt also and a perilois case if it were left out For either it was done to slake the heate of the wine or put to after as a ceremony to signifie that as the water is chaunged into wine so are we chaunged thorow sayth as it were into Christ and are one wyth him how be it all is to their owne shame that ought shoulde be done or vsed among vs Christen whereof no man wist the meaning For if I vnderstand not the meaning it helpeth me not 1. Cor. 14. and as experience reacheth But if our shepherdes had bene as well willing to feede as to shere we had needed no such dispicience nor they to haue burnt so many as they haue And as for that he alleageth out of the Epistle of James for the iustifying of workes I haue aunswered in the Mammon against which he can not hisse and will speake more in the iiij booke And as for the Saboth a great matter we be Lordes ouer the Saboth may yet chaunge it into the monday or or any other day as we see neede or may make euery tenth day holy daye onely if we see a cause why we may make two euery weeke if it were expedient and one not inongh to teach y ◠people Neither was there any cause to chaunge it from the Saterday then to put difference betwene vs and the Iewes and least we should become seruanntes vnto the day after their superstition Neyther needed we any holyday at all if the people myght be taught without it And when he asketh by what scripture we know that a womā may christen I answere if baptim be so necessary as they make it then loue thy neighbour as thy selfe doth teach women to baptise in tyme of neede yea and to teach to rule their husbandes to if they be besides them selues And when he sayth that of likelihode the laye people vnderstoode the Gospell of Iohn and Paules Epistles better then great Clarkes now I answere the more shame is theirs How be it there be ij causes why the one is their diligent shering and an other they deny the iustifying of fayth wherof both Paule and Iohn do entreate almost of nothyng els if the signification of our baptim which is the lawe of God fayth of Christ were expounded truely vnto vs y t scripture would be easie to all that exercised themselues therin And sir in as much as the prelates care so little for the losse of y t vnderstanding of the Scripture and to teach y ◠people how happeneth it that they care so sore for a balde ceremonie which y ◠significatiō lost though Christ hymfelse had institute it we coulde not obserue without a false faith and without hurtyng of our soules And finally to rocke vs a sleepe with all he sayth that he shall neuer speede well that will seeke in the scripture whether our Prelates teach vs a true fayth though ten preach ech contrary to other in one day And yet Christ for all his miracles sendeth vs to y t scripture And for all Paules miracles the Iewes studyed the scripture the deligenterly to see whether it were as he sayd or no. How be it he meaneth that such cā not speede well because the prelates will burne them except M. More helpe them and make them forsweare Christ before hand The xxvii chapter IN the xxvij he bringeth Paule exhorting to agree and to tell all one tale in the fayth which can not be saith M. More except one beleue by the reasō of an other Yes verely we all beleue y e the fire is hot and yet not by the reasō of an other and that with a more surer knowledge then if we beleued it y ◠one by the tellyng of an other And euē so they that haue the law of God written in their hartes and are taught of y t spirite to know sinne and to abhorre it and to feele the power of the resurrection of Christ beleue much surer then they that haue none other certeintie of their fayth then the Popes preachyng confirmed with so godly liuing And it is not vnknowne to M. More that the churches of late dayes and the churches now beyng haue determined thynges in one case the one contrary to the other in such wise that he can not deny but the one hath or doth erre the which case I could shew hym if I so were mynded The olde Popes Cardinalles and Byshops sayd ye to the thyng that I meane whereunto these that now raigne say nay Now syr if you gather a generall counsell for the matter the churches of Fraunce and Italy will not beleue the Churches of Spayne and Douchland because they so say but will aske how they proue it Neyther will Louayne beleue Paris because they say that they can not erre but wyl heare first their probation Also how shall we know that the olde Pope and hys Prelates erred because these that are now so say When y t olde Pope liued we were as much bounde to beleue that he could not erre as we be now that this can not wherefore you must graunt me that God must shew a myracle for the tone parte or els they must bring autētike scripture Now syr God hath made hys last euerlasting testament so that all is open and no more behynde then the appearyng of Christ againe And because he wyll not stirre vp euery day a new prophet with a new miracle to cōfirme new doctrine or to call agayne the olde that was forgotten therefore were all thinges necessary to saluation comprehended in scripture euer to endure By which scripture the counsels generall and not by open miracles haue cōcluded such thynges as
were in them determined as stories make meÌ„tion And by the same fcripture we know which counsels were true which false And by the same scripture shall we if any new question arâ—…e determine it also Abraham answered the rich man they haue Moses and the Prophets let theÌ„ heare them and sayd not they haue the Scribes and the Phariseis whom they should heare preachyng out of the seate of their owne doctrine wythout scripture And when he alleageth he that heareth you heareth me and if any man heare not the church take hym for an heathen concluding that we must beleue whosoeuer is shauen in all that he affirmeth without scripture or myracle I would fayne know in what figure that silogismus is made Christes disciples taught Christes doctrine confirming it with miracles that it might be knowen for Gods and not theirs And euen so must the Church that I wyll beleue shew a myracle or bryng autentike scripture that is come from the Apostles which consirmed it with myracles The xxix Chapter IN the xxix he alleageth that Christ sayd not the holy ghost shall write but shall teach It is not the vse to say the holy ghost writeth but inspireth y â— writer I maruayle that he had not brought as many of hys brethren do Mathew in the last where Christ coÌ„maunded the Apostles to go and teach all nations and sayd not write I auswere that this precept loue thy neighbour as thy selfe and God aboue all thyng went wyth the Apostles coÌ„pelled them to seeke Gods honour in vs and to seeke all meanes to continue the fayth vnto the worldes ende Now the Apostles knew before that heresies shoulde come and therefore wrote that it myght be a remedie against heresies as it well appeareth Iohn xx Where he sayth these are written that ye beleue and thorow beliefe haue lyfe And in the second of his fyrst Epistle he sayth these I write because of them that deceaue you And Paule and Peter therto warne vs in many places Wherfore it is manifest that the same loue compelled them to leaue nothyng vnwritten that should be necessarily required and that if it were left out should hurt the soule And in the last chapter to make all fast he bringeth in the kynges grace how he confuted Martin Luther with this conclusion y e Church can not erre where vnto I will make none aunswere for feare to displease his grace neuerthelesse because Martin could not soyle it if his grace looke well vpoÌ„ the matter he shall finde that God hath assoyled it for him in a case of his own And vppon that M. More concludeth his first booke that what soeuer the Church that is to were the pope his broode say it is Gods worde though it be not written nor confirmed with miracle nor yet good liuing yea and though they say to day this and to morow the contrary all is good inough and Gods word yea and though one Pope condemne an other ix or x. Popes arow with all their workes for he retickes as it is to see in the stories yet all is right and none errour And thus good night and good rest Christ is brought a slepe layde in his graue and the doore sealed to and the men of armes about the graue to keepe hym downe with polaxes For that is the siâ— rest argument to helpe at nede and to be rid of these babblyng heretikes that so barke at the holy spiritualtie with y t Scripture beyng thereto wretches of no repuration neither Cardinals nor Bishops nor yet great beneficed men yea and without torquottes and pluralities hauyng no hold but the very Scripture whereunto they cleaue as burres so fast that they can not bee pulied away saue with very syngyng them of ¶ A sure token that the Pope is Antichrist ANd though vnto all the argumeÌ„ts and persuasions whiche he would blind vs with to beleue that the Pope with his sect were the right Churche and that God for the multitude will not suffer them erre we were so simple that we saw not the suttiltie of the Argumentes nor had wordes to solâ—e theÌ„ with but our bare fayth in our hartes yet we be sure and so sure that we can therein not be decâ—aued and do both seele and see that the conclusion is false and the contrary true For first Peter sayth ij Pet. ij there shall be false teachers amoÌ„g you which shal secretly bring in damnable sectes denying the Lord that bought them and many shall folow their damnable wayes by whom the way of truth shal be euill spoken of and with fayned wordes they shall make marchaundise ouer you Now saith Paule Rom. iij. the law speaketh vnto theÌ„ that are vnder the law And euen so this is spokeÌ„ of theÌ„ that professe the name of Christ Now the Pope hath x. thousand sectes â—ropen in as pied in their consciences as in their coates settyng vp a thousand maner of workes to be saued by which is the denying of Christ And we see many and all most all together folow their damnable wayes And in that Peter sayd that they shall rayle blaspheme the truth it foloweth that there shal be a litle flocke reserued by the haÌ„d of God to testifie the truth vnto them or els how could they rayle on it And it foloweth that those raylers shal be the mightier part in the world or els they durst not do it Now what truth in Christ doth not the Pope rebuke and in settyng vp false woorkes denie all together And as for their fayued wordes where findest thou in all the Scripture Purgatory shrift penaunce pardon poena culpa hyperdoulia and a thousand fayned termes mo And as for their marchaundise looke whether they sell not all Gods lawes and also their owne and all sinne and all Christes merites and all that a maÌ„ can thinke To one he selleth the faulte onely and to an other the fault and the payne to and purgeth his purse of his money and his braynes of his wittes and maketh him so beastly that he can vnderstand no godly thyng And Christ sayth Math. xxiiij there shall false annoynted arise and shew signes and wonders that is they shall shew miracles so preuayle that if it were possible the elect should be brought out of the true way And these false annoynted by the same rule of Paule and in that Christ sayth also that they shall come in his name must be in the Church of Christ and of them that shal call theÌ„ selues Christen and shall shew their wonders before the elect and be a sore temptation vnto them to bryng theÌ„ out of the way And y e elect whiche 〈◊〉 few in comparison of them that be called and come faynedly shall among that great multitude bee kepte by the mighty hand of God agaynst all naturall possibilitie So that the Church very elert shall neuer be such
Gospell declare And when he sayth he neuer founde nor heard of any of vs but that he would forsweare to saue his lyfe Aunswere the more wrath of God wil light on them that so cruelly delite to torment them and so craftely to beguile the weake Neuerthelesse yet it is vntrue For he hath heard of Sir Thomas Hitton whō the Byshops of Rochester and Caunterbury slew at Maydstone and of many y t suffered in Braband Holand at Colen and in all quarters of Dutchland and do dayly And when he sayth that their Church hath many Martyrs let hym shewe me one that dyed for pardons and Purgatory that the Pope hath fayned and let him take the mastrie And what a do maketh he that we say there is a Church that sinneth not that there is no man but that he sinneth whiche are yet both true We read i. Iohn iij. he that is borne of God sinneth not And Ephes v. men loue your wiues as the Lord doth the Churche and gaue him selfe for her to sanctifie her and to clense her in the fountaine of water through the word and to make her a glorious Church vnto hym selfe without spot or wrincle And i. Iohn i. If we say we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues and make him a lyer and hys word is not in vs. M. More also wil not vnderstand that the Church is some time taken for the elect onely whiche haue the law of God written in their hartes fayth to be saued through Christ written there also Which same for all that say with Paule that good which I would that do I not But that euill which I hate that do I so it is not I that do it but sinne that dwelleth in my flesh And Gala. v. the flesh lusteth cōtrary to y e spirit the spirit cōtrary to y ◠flesh so that these two fightyng betwene thē selues ye can not do what ye would For they neuer consent that sinne is good nor hate y ◠law nor cease to fight against the flesh but assoone as they be fallen rise and fight a fresh And that the Church is some tyme taken for the cōmō rascal of all that beleue whether with the mouth onely carnally with out spirite neither louyng the law in their harts nor feelyng the mercy that is in Christ but either runne all together at riot or keepe the law with cautels and expositions of their owne faynyng and yet not of loue but for feare of hell as the theues do for feare of the galowes make recompence to God for their sinnes with holy dedes He also will not vnderstand that there be two maner faythes one that is the fayth of the elect which purgeth them of all their sinnes for euer As ye see Iohn xv ye be cleane sayth Christ by the reason of the word that is thorough beleuyng Christs doctrine And Iohn i. he gaue them power to be the sonnes of God through beleuyng in his name And Iohn iij. he that beleueth the sonne hath euerlastyng lyfe a thousand like textes And an other of them that be called and neuer electe As the faith of Iudas of Symon Magus of the deuill and of the Pope In whose hartes the law of God is not written as it appeareth by their workes And therfore when they beleue many thynges of Christ yet whē they come vnto the saluation that is in his bloud they be but Iewes and Turkes forsake Christ and runne vnto the iustifying of ceremonies with the Iewes Turkes And therefore they remayne euer in sinne within in their hartes Where the elect hauing the law written in their brestes leuyng it in theyr spirites sinne there neuer but without in the flesh Agaynst whiche sinne they fight continually and minishe it dayly with the helpe of the spirite thorough prayer fasting and seruing their neighbours louyngly with all maner seruice out of the law that is writtē in their harts And their hope of forgeuenesse is in Christ onely through his bloud and not in ceremonies The v. Chapter ANd vnto hys v. Chapter I answere by the Pope the scripture is hid and brought into ignoraunce the true sence corrupt And by thē that ye call heretickes we know the scripture and the true sence thereof And I say that the Pope keepeth the scripture as did y e Phariseis to make marchaundise of it And agayne that the heretickes become out of you as out of the Scribes and Phariseis came the Apostles and Christ himselfe Iohn Baptist and that they be plucked out of you and graffed in Christ and built vppon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophetes And in the end when he sayth that the heretickes be fallen out of Christes misticall body which is the Pope and hys I aunswere that ye be a misticall body and walke in the mist and wyll not come at the light and the heretikes be departed out of your mist and walke in the cleare light of Gods worde The vj. Chapter IN the vj. he sayth that the heretikes be all nought for they all periure and abiure He yet saith vntrue Many abyde vnto the death Many for theyr weakenesse are kept out of your hāds Many for their ouer much boldnesse in their owne strength be deliuered into your handes and fall in the fleshe their hartes abiding still in the truth as Peter and thousandes did after repent and be no lesse Christen thē before though ye haue them in derision vnto your owne damnation And many because they come to Christ for fleshly liberty and not for loue of the truth fall as it becommeth them vnder your handes as Iudas and Balam which at the beginning take Christes parte but afterward when they fynde eyther losse or no vauntage they get them vnto the contrary part and are by profession the most cruell enemyes and subtellest persecuters of the truth Looke Maister More and reade and marke well The vij Chapter IN the vij he sayth that he hath holy Saintes and holy counsels on hys side Name the Saintes proue it Name the counselles and the holy Prelates thereof Thou shalt shew me none other Popes or Cardinals then such as we haue now that will obey neyther God nor mā or any law made by God or man but compell all men to follow them strengthning their kyngdome wyth the multitude of all misdoers He sayth also that good and bad worship Saintes the good well and the bad euill How cōmeth it then that ye shew not the difference and teach to do it well I see but one fashion among all the popishe And finally he sayth he is not boun◠to answere vnto the reasons and scriptures that are layde agaynst them It is inough to proue their part that it is a common custome and that such a multitude do it and so by his doctrine the Turkes are in the right way The viij Chapter
desperation and partly that he fall not into hate of his father and of his commaundement thereto and thinke that his father is a tyraunt and his law but tyranny M. More seleth with his good endeuour inspiration together that a man may haue the best fayth coupled with the worst lyfe and with consentyng to sinne And I feele that it is impossible to beleue truly except a maÌ„ repent and that it is impossible to trust in y â— mercy y â— is in Christ or to fele it but y â— a man must immediatly loue God his commaundementes and therfore disagree disconsent vnto the fleshe and be at bate therewith and fight agaynst it And I feele that euery soule that loueth y â— law and hateth his fleshe and beleueth in Christes bloud hath his sinnes which he committed and payne which he deserued in haryng the law and consentyng vnto his flesh forgeuen him by that fayth And I feele that the frailtie of the flesh agaynst whiche a beleuyng soule lighteth to subdue it is also forgeuen and not rekened or imputed for sinne all the tyme of our curyng as a kynde father and mother reken not or impute the imposuÌ„bilitie of their youÌ„g children to consent vnto their law and as when the children be of age and consent theÌ„ they reken not nor impute the impossibilitie of the flesh to folow it immediatly but take al a worth and loue them no lesse but rather more tenderly then their old and perfect children that do their commaundemeÌ„tes so long as they go to schole learne such thynges as their fathers mothers set theÌ„ to And I beleue that euery soule that repeÌ„teth beleueth and loueth the law is thorough that fayth a member of Christes Churche and pure without spot or wrincle as Paule affirmeth Ephe. v. And it is an Article of my beleffe that Christes elect Church is holy and pure without sinne and euery meÌ„ber of the same thorow faith in Christ and that they be in the full fauour of God And I feele that the vncleanesse of the soule is but the consent vnto sin and vnto the fleshe And therefore I feele that euery soule that beleueth and consenteth vnto the lawe and here in this life hateth his flesh and the lustes therof and doth his best to driue sinne out of his flesh and for hate of the sinne gladly departeth from his flesh when he is dead and the lustes of the fleshe slaine with death needeth not as it were bodely tormenting to be purged of that wherof he is quit already And therfore if ought remaine it is out to be taught and not to be beaten And I feele that euery soule that beareth fruit in Christ shal be purged of the father to beare more fruit day by day as it is written Ioh. xv not in the Popes Purgatory where no man feeleth it but here in this life such fruit as is vnto his neighbours profite so that he which hath his hope in Christ purgeth himselfe here as Christ is pure 1. Ioh. 3. and that euer yet the bloud of Iesus onely doth purge vs of all our â—…s for the imperfectnes of our woorkes And I feele that the forgeuenes of sinnes is to remitte mercifully the payne that I haue deserued And I do beleue that the payne that I here suffer in my fleshe is to keepe the body vnder and to serue my neighbour and not to make satsfaction vnto god for the sore sinses And therfore when the Pope describeth God after his couetous complexion and when M. More feleth by inspiration and captiuating his wittes vnto the Pope that God forgeueth the euerlasting payne and will yet punish me a thousand yeares in the Popes purgatory that leauen sauoreth not in my mouth I vnderstand my fathers wordes as they sound and after the most mercifull maner and not after the Popes leauen and M. Mores captining his wittes to beleue that euery Poetes fable is a true story There is no father here that punisheth his sonne to purge hym when he is purged already and hath vtterly forsaken sinne and euâ—â—l and hath submitted himselfe vnto his fathers doctrine For to punishe a man that hath forsaken sinne of his owne accorde is not to purge him but to satisfie the lust of a tyrant Neyther ought it to be called Purgatory but a Iayle oftormenting and a satisfactory And when the Pope sayth it is done to satisfie the righteousnes as a iudge I say we that beleue haue no iudge of him but a father neither shal we come into iudgemeÌ„t as Christ hath promised vs but are receaued vnder grace mercy and forgeuenes Shew the Pope a litle money and God is so mercifull that there is no Purgatory And why is not the fire out as well if I offer for me the bloud of Christ If Christ hath deserued all for me who gaue the Pope might to keepe part of his deseruinges from me and to buy sell Christes merites to make marchaundise ouer vs wyth fayned wordes And thus as M. More feleth that y â— Pope is holy church I feele that he is Antichrist And as my feeling can be no proofe to him no more caÌ„ his wyth all his captiuating his wittes to beleue phantasies be vnto me wherefore if he haue no other probation to proue that the Pope is holy church then that his hart so agreeth vnto hys learning he ought of no right to coÌ„pell with sword vnto his sect How be it there are euer two maner people that will cleaue vnto God a fleshly and a spirituall The spirituall which be of God shall heare Gods woorde and the children of the truth shall consent vnto the truth And contrary the fleshly and children of falshead and of the deuill whose harts be full of lyes shall naturally consent vnto lyes as young children though they haue eate themselues as good as dead with fruit yet will not nor caÌ„ beleue him that telleth them that such fruit is nought but him that prayseth them wyll they heare and eate themselues starcke dead because their harts be full of lyes and they iudge all thinges as they appeare vnto the eyes And the fleshly mynded assoone as he beleueth of God as much as the deuill doth he hath inough and goeth to and serueth God with bodely seruice as he before serued his Idoles and after his owne imaginacion and not in the spirite in louing his lawes and beleuing his promises or longing for them no if he myght euer liue in the fleshe he would neuer desire them And God must do for him againe not what he hath promised but what he lusteth And his brother y â— serueth God in y e spirit according to Gods word hym will the carnall beast persecute So that he which will godly liue must suffer persecution vnto the worldes end according vnto the doctrine of Christ and of his Apostles and according vnto the
loueth the lawes of God and vseth y e power that he hath of god well and referreth hys will and his deedes vnto the honour of God commeth of the mercy of God which hath opened his wittes and shewed him light to see the goodnes and righteousnes of the lawe of God and the way that is in Christ to fulfill it wherby he loueth it naturally and trusteth to do it Why doth God open one mans eyes not an others Paule Rom. ix forbiddeth to aske why For it is to deepe for mās capacitie God we see is honoured therby and his mercy set out and the more seene in the vessels of mercy But the popishe can suffer God to haue no secret hid to himselfe They haue searched to come to the botome of hys botomlesse wisdome and because they cā not attayne to that secrete and be to proude to let it alone and to graunt themselues ignoraūt with the Apostle that knew no other then Gods glory in the elect they go and set vp freewill with the heathen philosophers and say that a mans freewill is the cause why God chuseth one and not an other cōtrary vnto all the scripture Paul saith it commeth not of the will nor of the deede but of the mercy of God And they say that euery man hath at y e least way power in his freewill to deserue that power shoulde be geuen hym of god to kepe the law But the scripture testifieth that Christ hath deserued for y ◠elect euen thē whē they hated God that their eyes should be opened to see the goodnes of the lawe of God and the way to fulfill it and forgeuenes of all that is passed wherby they be drawen to loue it and to hate sinne I aske the popishe one question whether the will can preuent a mans witte and make the witte see the righteousnesse of the lawe and the way to fulfill it in Christ If I must first see the reason why yer I can loue how shall I with my will do that good thing that I know not of how shall I thanke God for the mercy that is layde vp for me in Christ yer I beleue it For I must beleue the mercy yer I can loue the worke Now fayth commeth not of our frewill but is the grace of God geuen vs by grace yer there be any will in our hartes to do the lawe of God And why God geueth it not euery man I can geue no reckoning of his iudgementes But well I wot I neuer deserued it nor prepared my self vnto it but ranne an other way cleane contrary in my blyndnesse and sought not that way but he sought me and found me out and shewed it me and therwith drew me to him And I bow the knees of mine hart vnto god night and day that he will shew it all other men And I suffer all that I can to be a seruaunt to open their eyes For well I wot they can not see of themselues before God haue preuēted them wyth hys grace For Paule saith Phil. i. he that began a good worke in you shall continue or bring it vnto a full ende so that God must beginue to worke in vs. And Phil. ij God it is that worketh both the willing and also bringing to passe And it must needes be for God must open mine eyes and shew me somewhat and make me see the goodnesse of it to draw me to hym yer I can loue consent or haue any actuall will to come And when I am willing he must assiste me and helpe to tame my fleshe and to ouercome the occasions of the worlde and the power of the fendes God therfore hath a special care for his elect in so much that he will shorten y e wicked dayes for their sakes in which no man if they should continue might endure And Paule suffereth all for the electe ij Timothy ij And Gods sure foundation standeth sayth Paule God knoweth hys So that refuse the truth who shall God will keepe a nūber of his mercy and call them out of blindnesse to testifie the truth vnto the rest that their damnation may be with out excuse The Turke the Iew and the Popish build vpon frewill ascribe theyr iustifying vnto their woorkes The Turke when he hath synned runneth to the purifyinges or ceremonies of Mahomet and the Iew to the ceremonies of Moses and the Pope vnto his owne ceremonies to fet forgeuenesse of their sinnes And the Christen goeth thorough repentaunce towarde the law vnto the fayth that is in Christes bloud And the Pope saith that the ceremonies of Moyses iustified not compelled with the woordes of Paule And how then should his iustifie Moyses Sacramentes were but signes of promises of fayth by which fayth the beleuers are iustified and euen so be Christes also And now because the Iewes haue put out the significations of their Sacraments and put their trust in the workes of them therfore they be Idolaters and so is the Pope for like purpose The Pope sayth that Christ dyed not for vs but for the Sacramentes to geue them power to iustifie O Antichrist The xj Chapter HIs xj chapter is as true as his story of Vtopia all his other Poetrie He meaneth Doctour Ferman person of Hony lane Whō after they had hādled after their secret maner and disputed with secretly and had made him sweare that he should not vtter how he was dealt with as they haue made many other then they contriued a maner of disputatiōs had with him with such oppositions aunswearynges and argumentes as should serue onely to set forth their purpose As M. More thoroughout all his booke maketh quoth he to dispute and moue questions after such a maner as he can soyle them or make them appeare soyled and maketh him graunt where he lysteth and at the last to be concluded and lad whether M. More will haue him Wherfore I wil not rehearse all the arguments for it were to long and is also not to be beleued that he so made them or so disputed with them but that they added and pulled away fayned as they liste as their guise is But I will declare in light that which M. More ruffeleth vp in darkenesse that ye may see their falshead First if ye were not false hypocrites why had ye not disputed openly with him that the world might haue heard and borne recorde that that whiche ye now say of him were true what cause is there that the lay people might not as well haue heard his wordes of hys own mouth as read them of your writyng except ye were iugglyng spirites that walke in darknesse When M. More sayth the Church teacheth that men should not trust in theyr workes it is false if he meane y e Popes Church For they teach a man to trust in domme ceremonies Sacramētes in penaūce and all maner workes that come them to profite whiche yet helpe
all thyng for vauntage leadeth in the darkenesse of death M. Tyndall doth knowe how that S. Augustine and S. Hierome do proue with holy Scripture that confessioÌ„ is of necessitie vnto saluation Tyndall That is false if ye meane eareconfession Why alledge ye not the places where But ye know by S. Hierome and other stories and by the conuersation with Erasmus how it came vp and that the vse was once farre other then now M. I meruell that Tyndal denieth Purgatory except he entend to go to hell Tyndall He entendeth to purge here vnto the vttermost of his power hopeth that death will end and finish hys purgation And if there be any other purgyng he will commit it to God take it as he findeth it when he coÌ„meth at it and in the meane tyme take no thought therefore but for this that is present wherewith all Saintes were purged and were taught so to be And Tyndall marueleth what secret pilles they take to purge them selues whiche not onely will not purge here with the crosse of Christ but also bye out theyr Purgatory therof the pope for a groat or vj. pence The xviij Chapter M. The Clergie doth nothyng vnto the heretikes but as the holy Doctours dyd Tyndall Yes ye put them in your prisons and diote them and handle them after your fashion as temporall tyrauÌ„tes and dispute with them secretly and will not come at light And ye slea theÌ„ for rebukyng you with Gods worde and so did not the old holy Doctours If a man slea his father ye care not But if any man touche one of you though he haue neuer so great an occasion geuen him ye curse him and if he will not submitte him selfe vnto your punishmeÌ„t ye leaue him vnto the temporall power whome ye haue hyred with y e spoyle of his goodes to be your hangman so that he must lose his life for geuyng one of you but a blowe on the cheke M. Saint Paule gaue two heretickes vnto the deuill whiche tormented theyr fleshe whiche was no small punishement and haply he slew them Tyndall O expounder of the Scripture like Hugo Charensis which exposideth haereticum hominem deuita take the hereticke out of his lyfe We read of no payne that he had whom the Corinthians excommunicated and gaue to Sathan to slea his fleshe saue that hee was ashamed of hym selfe and repented when he saw his offence so earnestly taken and so abhorred But ye because ye haue no power to deliuer them to Sathan to blynde theyr myndes ye deliuer theÌ„ to the fire to destroy their flesh that no more is seene of them after then the ashes ¶ FINIS ¶ The practise of papisticall Prelates made by Wylliam Tyndall ¶ In the yeare of our Lorde 1530. ¶ William Tyndall to the Christian Reader WHen the olde Scribes and Phariseis had darckned the Scripture wyth their traditions and false interpretacions and wicked perswasions of fleshly wisdome and shut vp the kingdome of heauen which is Gods word that the people coulde not enter in vnto the knowledge of the true way as Christ complayneth in the Gospell Math. x. iij. Then they sat in the hartes of men with their false doctrine in the stead of God and hys word slew the soules of the people to deuoure their bodyes and to robbe them of their worldly substaunce But when Christ and Iohn the Baptiste had restored the Scripture agayne vnto the true vnderstanding and had vttered their falsehead and improued their tradicions and confounded their false interpretations with the cleare and euident textes and with power of the holy Ghost had brought all their iuggling and hypocrisie to light theÌ„ they gat them vnto the elders of the people perswaded them saying this man is surely of the deuill and hys myracles be of the deuill no doubt And these good workes which he doth in healing the people yea and his preaching against our couetousnes are but a cloke to bring hym vnto hys purpose that when he hath gotteÌ„ him disciples ynow he may rise against the Emperour and make hymselfe kyng And then shall the Romaynes come take our land from vs and cary away our people and put other naâ—ions in our realme and so shall we lose all that we haue and the most part of our liues therto Take heede therefore betimes while there is remedy yer he go so far that ye be not able to resiste hym The elders of the people which were rich and welthy though before they in a maner fauoured Christ or at y â— least way were indifferent nor greatly caryng whether God or the deuil raigned so that they might bide in their authoritie feared immediatly as Herode did of the losse of his kingdome when the wise men asked where the new borne king of Iewed was and conspired with the Scribes and Phariseis against Christ and tooke him and braught him vnto Pilate saying We haue â—ounde this fellow peruerting the people and forbidding to pay tribute vnto Cesar and saying that he is king and mouyng the people from Galile vnto this place The Pilate though he likewise was before indifferent put now in feare of the losse of his office thorow such perswasions slew innocent Christ And in very deede as the Scribes Phariseis were all their liues before blynde guides vnto the destruction of their soules euen so were they at their last ende blinde Prophetes vnto the destruction of their bodyes For after that they had slayne Christ and diuers of his Apostles and persecuted those poore wretches that beleued on hym God to aduenge the poore innocent bloude that bare witnes vnto the truth poured hys wrath among them that they theÌ„selues rose against the Emperour And the Romaynes came according as they blyndly prophesied and slew the most part of them and caryed y e rest captiue into all nacions and put other nacions in the Realme But whose fault was that insurrection against the Emperour and mischiefe that followed Christes and his Apostles whom they falsely accused before hand Nay Christ taught that they shoulde geue Cesar that pertayned vnto Cesar and God that which belonged to God EueÌ„ that they should geue Cesar lawfull their bodely seruice God the hart and that they should loue Gods law repent of their euill come and receaue mercy and let the wrath of god be taken from of them And the Apostles taught that all soules should obey the hyer powers or temporall rulers but their obstinate malice that so hardened their harâ—s that they coulde not repent and their raylyng vppon the open and manifest with which they coulde not improue and resisting the holy Ghost and sleying of the preachers of righteousnes brought the wrath of God vpoÌ„ theÌ„ and was cause of their vtter destruction Euen so our Scribes and Pharises now that their hypocrisie is disclosed and there falshead so brought
neuer so perfect done with all loue then satisfie the law for the presente time and do our dutie vnto our neighbours and tame our owne flesh but not to make satisfaction to God for sinne that is once past The sinne that is once committed must God forgeue freely of a fatherly loue for Christes sake When God visiteth vs with sicknes pouertie or whatsoeuer aduersitie it be he doth it not of a tyrannous minde to satisfy his lust in our suffering of euyll to make satisfaction for the sinne that is past of which we repent and be sory But of a fatherly loue to make vs know our selues and feele his mercy and to tame our flesh and to keepe vs from sinning againe As no naturall father punisheth his child because he delighteth in tormenting of him to take satisfactioÌ„ for the sinne that is past but first teacheth kindly and suffreth and forgeueth once or twise and then at the last when he seeth the body so wanton that the childe can not continue in the right way for the rage of wild lustes he beateth to subdue the fleshe onely and to tame it that the doctrine of y â— father may haue her due course in the hart of the childe and shoulde not be choked with lustes Euen so is it of God if any of his children that haue professed his law and theÌ„ faith of our Sauiour bee negligent to tame hys flesh with prayer fasting and good dedes after the doctrine of Christ he wil surely scourge him to bring him into the right way agayne and to keepe him that the doctrine of his soules health perish not in him But he taketh not his mercy from vs nor thinketh on the sinne that is past after that we repent and be full conuerted but ablolueth vs both a poena culpa for Christes sake and is as mighty as mercyfull to do it for Christes sake as the Pope for money besides that he hath promised mercyfully so to do ¶ The knowledge of our baptisme is the key and the light of the Scripture ANd againe as he which knoweth his letters well and can spell perfectly can not but read if he be diligent and as hee whiche hath cleare eyes without impediment or let and walketh therto in the light and open day can not but see if he attende and take heede euen so who so euer hath the profession of baptisme written in his hart can not but vnderstand the scripture if he exercise him selfe therein and compare one place to an other and marke the maner of speach and aske here and there the meaning of a sentence of them that be better exercised For as the doctrine which we should be taught before we were baptized and for lack of age is deferred vnto the yeares of discretion is the key that bindeth and looseth locketh and vnlocketh the conscience of all sinners euen so that lesson where it is vnderstaÌ„d is onely the key that openeth all y e scripture and euen the whole scripture in it selfe gathered together in a narrow compasse and brought into a compendiousnes And til thou be taught that lesson that thine hart feele the sweetnesse of it the Scripture is locked and shut vp from thee and so darke that thou couldest not vnderstande it though Peter Paule or Christ himselfe did expound it vnto thee no more then a blinde man can see though thou set a candle before him or shewedst him the Sunne or poyntedst with thy finger vnto that thou wouldest haue him looke vppon Now we be all baptized But alas not one from the hyest to the lowest euer taught the profession or meaning thereof And therfore we remayne all blinde generally as well our great Rabines for all their hye learning which they seeme to haue as the lay people yea and so much the more blind are our great clerkes that where the lay people for a great number of them are caught naught at al they be all wrong taught and the doctrine of their baptisme is all corrupt vnto them with the lâ—uen of false gloses ere they come to read the scripture So that the light which they bring with them to vnderstand the scripture withall is vtter darknesse as contrary vnto the scripture as the deuill vnto Christ By reason wherof the Scripture is locked vp and become so darke vnto them that they grope for the dore and can finde no way in and is become a maze vnto them in which they wander as in a nust or as we say led by Robin Goodfellow that they can not come to the right way no though they turne their cappes and the brightnes thereof hath blinded their eyes with malice so that though they beleue not the Scripture to be false yet they persecute the right vnderstanding therof and can not beleeue it true in the playne sense which it speaketh to them in It is becomme a tuâ—nagaine lane vnto them which they can not goe thorough nor make iij. lines agree together And finally the sentences of the Scripture are nothing but very riddles vnto theÌ„ â—s the which they cast as the blind man doth at the Crow and expound by gesse an hundred Doctoures an hundred wayes and one man in xx sermons alleadging one texte after xx fashions hauing no sure doctrine to cleaue vnto and all for lacke of the righte knowledge of the profession of oure Baptisme ¶ He that hath the profession of his Baptisme written in his hart can be no hereticke AN other conclusion is this As he which euer creepeth a long by the grounde and neuer clymeth can not fall from an hygh Euen so no man that hath the profession of his Baptisme written in his hart can stomble in the Scripture and fall vnto heresies or become a maker of diuision and settes and a defender of wilde and vayne opinions For the whole and onely cause of heresies and sectes is pride Now the law of God truly interpreted robbeth all them in whose hartes it is written and maketh them as bare as Iob of all thyngs wherof a man can be moued to pride And on the other side they haue vtterly forsaken them selues with all their hyghe learnyng and wisedome and are become the seruauntes of Christ onely whiche hath bought theÌ„ with his bloud haue promised in their hartes vnfaynedly to folow hym and to take him onely for the author of their religioÌ„ his doctrine onely for their wisedome learning and to mainteine it in word and deede and to keepe it pure and to builde no straunge doctrine therupon and to be at the hyghest neuer but felow with their brethren and in that felowshyp to waxe euer lawer and lower and euery day more seruaunt then other vnto his weaker brethren after the example and Image of Christ and after his commaundemeÌ„t and ordinaunce and not in fayned wordes of the Pope This hee sayd because of them that say that the Scripture maketh men
And whome he prophecyed to be saued was saued Euen so whomesoeuer a true preacher of Gods word saith shall be damned for his sinne because he will not repent and beleue in Christ the same is damned And whomesoeuer a true preacher of Gods worde sayth shall be saued because he repenteth and beleeueth in Christes bloud the same is saued And this is the binding and losing that Christment Notwithstanding ye must vnderstand that when we haue sinned though our hartes were not to sinne and though we repeÌ„t ere the deed be done yet the body in sinning hath ouercome the spirite and hath got the maistrye So that the spirite is now weaker and feebler to vertue and to folow the law of God and doctrine of Christ and the flesh stronger to folow vice and sinne Wherfore as when an olde sore is broken forth againe we begin as it were a new cure with greater diligence and more care then before euen so here we must renue our old battayl against the flesh and more strongly goe to worke to subdue it and to quench the lustes therof which are waxen so ranke that they bnd out openly according to the profession of our baptisme which is y â— very sacrament or signe of repentance or if they wil so haue it called penance by the interpretation of Paul Rom. 6. For the plunging into the water as it betokeneth on the one part that Christ hath wasshed our soules w t his bloud euen so on the other parte it signifyeth that we haue promised to quentch and â—lay the lustes of the flesh with prayer fasting and holy meditation after the doctrine of Christ and with all godlye exercise that tame the fleshe and kyll not the man Wherupon the Bisshops that succeded the Apostles when men had done any open sinnes enioyned them penaunce as they call it by the authoritie of the congregation and gouernoures therof and aduise of the most wise and discrete and with the willing cousent of the trespassers to tame the flesh as to go woolward to weare shurtes of heire to goe barefoote and bare head to pray to fast bread and water some once in the weeke some twise or al the weeke an whole yeare ij yeares iij. yeares vij yeares xx yeares some all their liues long And to goe in pilgrimage to visite y â— memoriall of saintes to strength them the better to follow the ensample and such like and all to slay the worldly minde of the flesh Which maner when it was once receiued of y t people by custome it became a law And the bishops by little little gat it whole into their own handes When the Bishops sawe that how they had got the simple people vnder them in such humble obedience they beganne to set vp their crestes and to raigne ouer them as princes and to enioyne sore penaunce for small trifles namely if ought were done agaynste their pleasure and beate some sore and spared other and solde their penaunce to the ritch and ouerladed the poore vntill the tyranny was waxed so grenous that the people woulde beare it no longer For by this time what w t the multitude of ceremonies and heap of mens constitutions whose right vse was thereto cleane forgotten partly because our shepheardes were busyed to seeke themselues and their hye authority exalted euery maÌ„ his throne and were become wolues vnto y t flock the cause why the people were disobedient vnto holesome counsel the word of God was sore darckened and no where purely preached And therefore the Prelates loth to lose their hye authoritie and to let the people goe free of their yoke began to turne their tale and sing a new song how that this penaunce was enioyned to make satisfaction to God for the sinne that was committed robbing our soules of the fruite of Christes bloud and making vs imageseruauntes referring oure deedes vnto the persoÌ„ of God worshipping him as an image of our own imagination with bodely worke saying moreouer if we would not do such penaunce here at their iniunctions we must do it in an other worlde and so fayned purgatory where we must suffer vij yeares for euery sinne And when the kingdome of Antichrist was so enlarged that it must haue an head they set vp our holy father of Rome or rather vsurped that Rome with violence and to him was geuen this prerogatiue to sell whome he would from purgatorye And the sacrament of penaunce they thus describe Contrition Confession and Satisfaction Contrition sorow for thy sinnes Confession not to God and them whome thou hast offended but tell thy sinnes in the priestes eare Satisfaction to do certaine deedes enioyned of them to buy out thy sinnes And in theyr description they haue cleane excluded the fayth in the satisfaction of Christes bloud which onely bringeth life and the spirite of life and righteousnes and without the which it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. In whose stead they haue put in the presumption of our owne works And for lacke of trust in Christes bloud our contrition is but a fruitlesse sorrow in y t respect of hell which maketh vs hate the law still consequently God that made it where true contrition annexed with fayth is sorrow in respect of the law vnto which we consent that it is good loue it and therfore mourne partly because we haue offended it and partly because we lacke power to fulfill it as we would These thynges to be true our Prelates know by open hystories as well as wheÌ„ it is Noone the Sunne is flat South but it deliteth them to resist the holy ghost and to persecute the preachers of the thynges whiche if they as well loued as they knowe to be true they would preache the same them selues and lyue therafter Hereof ye may see our woorkes are but to tame the flesh onely and can be no satisfactioÌ„ to God except we make him an image our selues image seruaunts And hereof ye may see how out of this open penaunce came the eare coÌ„fession satisfaction of workes Purgatorie and pardons For when they had put the satisfaction of Christes bloud out of y t way then as they compelled to coÌ„fesse open sinnes and to take open penaunce eueÌ„ so they compelled to confesse secrete sinnes and to take secret penauÌ„ce And as they made marchauÌ„dise of open penauÌ„ce so did they of secret And for theÌ„ that would not receaue such pardon fayned they Purgatory and for them that receaued them fayned they pardoÌ„ turnyng bindyng and losing with preaching Gods word vnto byeng and sellyng sinne for money And since that tyme hetherto the worse the people were the better were the Prelates coÌ„tent euer resistyng that they should be made better through their blessed couetousnes proude desire of honour And out of this false presumption of workes spranke the wicked vowes of Religion which they vow to make satisfaction for sinne and to
vs that we be not ouercome of euill c. Now if they which beleue in Christ are bold with God that he heareth them sure that he graunteth their petitions it foloweth that they whiche are not bold that he heareth them nor sure that hee graunteth their petitions do not beleue in Christ They that go to dead Saints with which they neuer speake nor wotte where they be be not bold that God wil heare them nor sure that he will graunt their petitions therfore they beleue not in Christ That they be neither bold nor sure appeareth first by their deedes and secondarely by their owne confession for they say what should God heare them or graūt them ought seing they be vnworthy yea and they confirme it with a similitude of worldly wisedome that they should be put backe for their malapertnes and fare the worse as if a rude felow shuld breake vp into the kyngs priuie chamber and presse vnto his owne person without knockyng or speakyng to any other officer so that they beleue it an augmentyng of sinne to go to God thēselues in the cōfidēce of Christes bloud as he bad them If a man see his brother sinne a sinne not vnto death let him aske and he shall giue hym life for them that sinne not vnto death There is a sinne vnto death and for it say I not that thou shouldest pray All vnrighteousnes is sinne And there is a sinne not to death Whatsoeuer sinne we see in y t world let vs pray and not dispayre For God is the God of mercy But for the sinne to death whiche is resistyng grace and fightyng against mercy and open blasphemyng of the holy ghost affirmyng that Christs miracles are doue in Beel sabub and his doctrine to be of the deuill I thinke that no Christen man if he perceaue it can otherwise pray then as Paule prayed for Alexander the Copersmith the. ij Timo. the last that God would reward hym accordyng vnto his workes They that go backe agayne after they know the truth and giue them selues willingly to sinne for to folow it and persecute the doctrine of truth by profession to maynteine falshead for their glorie and vaūtage are remedylesse as ye may see Hebr. vj. and. x. Bala◅ so sinned the false Prophetes in the old Testament so sinned the Phariseis so sinned Alexander so sinned now many so sinne folowyng their pride couetousnes We know that all that are borne of God sinne not But he that is borne of God kepeth him self and the wicked touche hym not As thou readest in the third chapter they that are borne of God can not sinne for the sede of God kepeth them They cannot cast of the yocke of Christ and consent to cōtinue in sinne nor defie his doctrine nor persecute it for to quench it or to maynteine any thyng contrary vnto it But in whatsoeuer captiuitie they be in y t flesh their harts yeld not but imagine to breake lowse and to escape and flye away vnto the partie standart of their Lord Christ And as men of warre they euer keepe watche and prepare them selues vnto warre and put on the armure of God the which is Gods word the shield of fayth the helmet of hope and harnesse thē selues with the meditation of those thynges which Christ suffred for vs with the examples of all the Saintes that folowed him and thinke earnestly that it is their part to lyue as purely as the best come after as fast as they can And yet in all their workes they knowledge them selues sinners vnsay nedly as long as one iote of the perfectnes that was in y t deedes of Christ is lackyng in theirs So that the deuill can not touch the hartes of them neither with pride or vayne glorie of pure lyuing neither to make them consentyng vnto the flesh in grosse sinnes if at a tyme they be taken tardy ketche a fall Whatsoeuer chaunce them the deuill can ketch no hold of them to keepe them still in captiuitie but they will breake lose agayne and repent and do penaunce to chast theyr flesh that they come no more vnder y t deuils clawes We know that we be of God and that the whole world is set on mischief They that beleue that is to say put their trust in Christ see both their owne glorious state in God and also the wretched estate of y t world in their wickednes But the worlde as they knowe not God nor the glory of the sonnes of God Euen so they see not their owne miserable estate in wickednes and damnation vnder the law of God but the worse they are the bolder they be and the surer of themselues the further from repentaūce and the more standyng in their owne conceites for the darkenes that is in them And therfore say our Doctours a man can not knowe whether hee be in the state of grace or no nor needeth to care therfore And they be therefore the blynd leaders of the blynd We know that the sonne of God is come and hath giuen vs vnderstandyng to know him that is true and we be in the truth thorough Iesus Christ He is very God and eternall lyfe Christ is all and the fountaine of all and of his fulnesse receaue we all And as hee powreth the giftes of his grace vpon them that beleue in hym so he giueth them vnderstanding to know the very God and that they be in the very God and that they haue obtained that through his purchasing and leaueth not his sheepe in darkenes And the same Iesu Christ is very God and eternall life God and eternall lyfe was he from the begynnyng and became man for the great loue he had to vs for to bryng vs vnto his eternall life And he that hath any other way thether whether his own workes or other mēs or workes of ceremonies or sacraments or merites of Saintes or of ought saue Iesu Christ onely shall neuer come thether The world seith the Pope and seith that they which be in the Pope be Lordes in this world and therfore they care to be in the Pope but whether they be in God or not they say it is not necessarie to know Litle children beware of Images Serue none Image in your harts Idolatrie is Greeke and the English is imageseruice And an Idolater is also Greke and the English an imageseruaunt Be not Idolaters nor committe Idolatrie that is be none imageseruauntes nor do any imageseruice but beware of seruyng all maner images And thinke it not inough to haue put all the Images of false Gods out of the way if ye now set vp the Image of very God and of his true Saints in their rowmes to doe the same seruice vnto thē which ye dyd vnto the other For ye may do as strong imageseruice vnto the Image of GOD and of hys Saintes as vnto the Images of false Gods yea thou maist commit as great
more when the Sacrament is sene with the eyes the bread broken the wine poured out or looked on and yet more when I tast it and smell it As ye see when a man maketh promise to an other with light wordes betwene them selues and as they departed hee to whom the promise is made beginneth to doubt whether the other spake earnestly or mocked and doubteth whether he will remember his promise to bide by it or not But when any man speaketh with aduisement and deliberation the wordes are thē more credible but yet if he sweare it confirmeth the thyng more and yet the more if he strake handes if he geue earnest if he call record if he geue his hād writing and seale it so is the promise more and more beleued for the hart gathereth Lo he spake with aduisement deliberation and good sadnes he clapped hands called recordes and put to his hand and seale the man cannot be so faynt without the feare of God as to deny all this Shame shall make him bide by his promise though he were such a man that I could not compell him if he would deny it If a young mā breake a ryng betwene him and a mayde doth not the fact testifie make a presumption to all men that his hart meant as his wordes spake Manoha Sampsones father when he had sene an aungell Iud. 13. he sayd to his wife we shal surely dye because we haue sene the Lord. But his wife gathered other comfort of the circumstaunces and sayd if the Lord would kill vs he would not haue receaued such offerings of our hands nor shewed vs such thynges as he hath nor told vs of thynges to come Euen so our harts gather of the circūstaunces protestatiōs and other miracles of God good argumentes and reasons to stablish our weake fayth with all such as we could not gather at bare woordes onely And this we dispute God sent his sonne in our nature made him feele all our infirmities that moue vs to sinne and named him Iesus that is to say Sauiour because he should saue his people from their sinnes Math. 1. And after his death he sent his Apostles to preach the thynges or tydynges and to thrust it in at the eares of vs set vp a Sacrament of it to testifie it to be a seale of it to thrust it in not at the eares onely by the rehearsing of the promises and Testament ouer it neither at our eyes onely in beholdynge it but beate it in through our feelyng tastyng and smelling also and to be repeated dayly to be ministred to vs. He would not thinke we make halfe so much a do with vs if he loued vs not or if he would not haue vs fayne come and be as mercyfull to vs as he was to his frēdes in the old tyme that fell and rose agayne God so then vsed the Iewes to whom all ceremonyes were first giuen and from whom they came to vs euen such fashions as they vsed among them selues in all his promises and couenauntes not for his necessitie but for ours that such thynges should be a witnes and testimonie betwene him and vs to cōfirme the fayth of his promise that we should not wauer nor doubt in them when we looke on the seales of his obligations wherwith he hath bound him selfe And to keepe the promises and couenauntes better in mynde and to make them the more deepe sinke in our hartes and to be more earnestly regarded and that we should aske what such thynges ment and why God cōmaunded them to be obserued that ignoraunce should not excuse if we know not what we ought to do beleue for naturall reason ought to teach vs that y t outward corporall bodily thyng can not helpe the spirituall soule and that GOD hath not delectation in such fantasie Now if we were diligent to search for the good will of God and would aske what such ceremonies meant It were impossible but then God which hath promised Math. 7. If we seeke we shal finde would send vs true interpreters of his signes or Sacramentes And he that beyng of a lawfull age obserueth a ceremonie and knoweth not the entent to him is the ceremonie not onely vnprofitable but also hurtfull and cause of sinne In that he is not carefull and diligent to search for it and he there obserueth them with a false fayth of his owne imagination thinking as all Idolaters do and euer haue done that the outward woorke is a sacrifice and seruice to God The same therfore sinneth yet more deeper and more damnable Neither is Idolatrie any other thyng then to beleue that a visible ceremonie is a seruice to the inuisible God whose seruice is spirituall as he is a spirite and is none other thyng then to know that all is of hym and to trust in hym onely for all thynges and to loue him for his great goodnes and mercy aboue all and our neighbours as our selues for his sake vnto which spirituall seruyng of God and to leade vs to the same the old ceremonies were ordeined These be now sufficient concernyng the entent and vse of the ceremonies how they came vp Now let vs consider the wordes of this Testament and promises as they be rehearsed of the three Euangelistes Mathew Marke and Luke of the Apostle Paule For Iohn whiche wrote last touched nothyng that was sufficiently declared of other Math in the 26. thus sayth when they were eatyng Iesus tooke bread gaue thankes and brake and gaue hys Disciples and sayd take eate this is my body And he tooke the cup and thanked and gaue it them saying Drinke ye all of this for this is my bloud whiche is of the new Testament that is shed for many for the remission of sinnes First ye see by these wordes that the body was giuen to death and the bloud shed for the remiūiō of sinnes and that for many But who are these many Verely they that turne to GOD to beleue in hym onely and to endeuour them selues to keepe his law from hence forth Which many yet in respect of thē that loue not the law are but very few and euen that little flocke that gaue them selues wholy to follow Christ wherfore if any man thinke hee beleue in Christ and haue not the law written in his hart to consent that his dutie is to loue hys brother for Christ sake as Christ loued him and to endeuour him selfe so to do The fayth of that same man is vayne and built vppon sand of of his own imagination and not vpon the rocke of Gods word for his worde vnto which he hath bound himselfe is that they onely which turne to God to keepe his lawes shall haue mercy for Christes sake Drinke of it all for it is my bloud of the new Testament for it is that is to say the drinke that is in the cup or if ye list the cup
or 40. yeares haue not receiued the Sacramēt Notwithstanding this Oration is nothing to the purpose For Christ spake to the blinde and vnbeleuyng Iewes testifieng to them that they could haue no lyfe excepte they should first eate his flesh and drinke his bloud Ergo this eatyng and drinkyng is meant onely of that thyng that first bryngeth lyfe into the soule and that is faith by your owne confession And therfore must it be vnderstand of fayth onely and not of the Sacrament And Mathew the last I am with you alwayes euen vnto the end of the world which may well be vnderstand and so was it of old Doctours that by his spirituall beyng with vs by fayth and in his spirite and so may that text of Mathew 18. be vnderstand where two or thre are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them There is many tymes ij or three good men that mete together in Christes name where the Sacramēt is not And Paule Ephes 3. boweth his knees for the Ephesians to God that he would geue thē his riches to be strenghthened with his spirite that Christ may dwell in their hartes thorough fayth Where the hart then beleueth in Christ there dwelleth Christ in the hart though there be no bread in the hart neither yet in the maw The two first partes takyng the old Doctours to be on their side I aunswere many of the old doctours spake so mystically that they sente sometimes to affirme playnly that it is but bread and wyne onely concernyng the substaunce And that it is a figure of the body and bloud of Christ onely some tyme that it is his very body bloud therfore it were nedelesse to wade any further herein And vnto them of the second opiniō that the bread is his very body I aunswere ye must remember that the old Doctours as earnestly call it a sacrifice as they do Christes body But that ye denye And say with the Epistle to the Hebrues that he was but once sacrificed for altogether whē he offered sacrificed him selfe to the father for our sinnes and can now no more be sacriced Christ dieth no more now and therfore is no more sacrificed Neither do we properly offer him to God But he in his mortall flesh offered him selfe for vs to GOD the father and purchased therewith a generall pardon for euer And now doth God the father profer him and giueth him to vs. And the Priestes in Gods stede proferre hym and giue hym vnto the people for a remission and absolution of their sinnes dayly if they by the mouyng and styrryng of the Sacramēt beleue in the body and bloud of Christ Wherfore ye ought of no right to be angry with them of the thyrd opinion though they denie the Doctors where they seme to say that the Sacrament is the very body of Christ As they be not angrie with you when ye deny them where they as earnestly affirme that it is a sacrifice Neuerthelesse they aunswere that Doctours call it a sacrifice onely because it is the memoriall the earnest and seale of that euerlasting sacrifice offered once for all And euen so say they that the Doctours called the Sacrament the body bloud of Christ after the same maner onely because it is the memoriall the earnest and seale of body and bloud as the vse of Scriptures is to call signes by the names of thynges signified therby And vnto them of the first opinion I aunswere with the same reason that it is impossible that the Sacrament should be a very sacrifice For neither the sacrifices of the old law which prophecied the sacrifising of Christ neither yet our redemption was fulfilled at night For if the Scriptures and prophecies were then fulfilled and we thē redemed Christ dyed on the morow in vayne and false are the Apostles and Euangelistes that preache hys body breakyng and bloud sheddyng vnder Pontius Pylate by the persecution of Cayphas and Annas to bee our redemption Moreouer for all the breakyng and deuidyng of the Sacrament of his body among his Apostles His body abode still alyue and for all the pouryng out of the Sacrament of his bloud of the pot into the cup and out of the cup into the mouthes and belyes of his Disciples hee blede as fresh on the morow as though he had blede then nothyng at all He was verely much more easely sacrificed that night in the breakyng diuidyng of the bread and pouring out of wyne then he was on the morow The Sacrament was that night no doubt but a description of his passiō to come And it is now a memorial of his passiō past He instituted the maner of the Sacrament then and taught hys Disciples also that they after vnderstode when he was risen agayne and not then as they neuer had capacitie to vnderstand hym when he spake of his death For they then imagined carnally of Christ as the Iewes yet do that Christ should neuer dye as he dyd not concernyng his Godhead but should lyue euer bodily as he now doth concernyng his resurrection Wherfore seyng that all the Doctors with one accorde cal the Sacrament so earnestly a sacrifice they cannot otherwise vnderstand them that they so say after the vse of the Scripture onely but because it is the memoriall of the sacrifice of his death blousheddyng Why should they then of right be offēded if we vnderstand the Doctours after the same maner whē they call it his body and bloud And that they so call it after the vse of the Scripture because that it is onely a memoriall of his body and bloud As concernyng the transubstantiation I thinke that such a speech was among the old Doctours though they that came after vnderstode thē amisse Their hartes were grosse through busiyng thē selues to much with worldly busines for the bread and wyne are but onely bread wine till the wordes of the Testament bee rehearsed ouer them then they ceasse to be any more bread wyne in the hartes of the true beleuers for the hart after these words once spoken thinketh onely vppon the couenaunt made in the body and bloud of Christ and through fayth eateth hys body and drinketh his bloud though the eyes and other sences perceaue nothyng but bread and wyne As when a man sometyme seeketh for a text in the Bible he seeth paper and iuke and the figure of letters yet his hart not once thinketh of any other thyng thē on the wordes and sence of his text And therof no doubt came vp this transubstantiation through false vnderstandyng Another thyng is this none of those wicked heretickes which denied Christ to be very God or any of them that denyed Christ to bee man or to haue a very body saue a phātasticall body dyd cast the true beleuers in the teth at any time of the fayth of Christes body present
when we were not his childreÌ„ but his enemyes Christes disciples sayd to the man where is this gest chamber where I might eate the passing by with my disciples they prepared the passeouer And yet Christ eate not the passeouer but the lambe with his disciples where it is plaine y e signe to do on the name of the thyng At last consider vnto what eude all things tended in that last supper how the figure teached the veritie the shadow the body and how the veritie abolished the figure and the shadow gaue place to the body Loke also with what congruence proportion and similitude both in the action the spech al things were consummate and finished and all to lead vs by such seusible signes from the figure vnto the veritie froÌ„ the flesh vnto the spirite And take thou here this infallible assured saying of Christ neuer to fall fro thy mynde in this last supper do ye this into the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of me And also of Paul saying So oft as ye shal eate this bread lo this heretike calleth it bread eueÌ„ after the words of the Popes coÌ„secratioÌ„ and drinke of this cup praise declare geue thankes for the death of the Lord vntill he shall come agayne to iudgement RemeÌ„ber thou also what Christ sayd to the carnall Iewes takyng the eatyng of hys flesh and drinkyng of his bloud so carnally aunsweryng them My flesh profiteth not meanyng to eate it bodely but the spirite maketh lyfe And to this set the Prophet Abacukes senteÌ„ce The iust lyueth of his fayth And now Christen reader to put thee cleane out of doubt that Christes body is not here present vnder the forme of bread as the papistes haue mocked vs many a day but in heauen euen as he rose and asceÌ„ded Thou shalt know that he told hys Disciples almost twenty tymes betwene the xiij and xviij chap. of Iohn that he should and would goe hence and leaue this world Where to comfort them agayne for that they were so heauy for his bodely absence he promised to send them hys holy Ghost to be their comforter defender and teacher in whom and by whom he would be present with them and all faithfull vnto the worldes end Hee sayd vnto hys Disciples I goe hence I goe the father I leaue the world and now shall I no more be in the world but ye shall abyde still in the world Father I come to thee Poore men haue ye euer with you but me shall ye not alwayes haue with you And wheÌ„ he ascended vnto heaueÌ„ they did behold hym saw the cloude take hys body out of theyr syght and they fastnyng their eyes after him the two men clothed in white sayd vnto them ye men of Galile wherefore stand ye thus lookyng vp into heauen This is Iesus that is taken vp from you into heauen whiche shall so come agayne euen as ye haue sene him going hence Here I would not More to flitte froÌ„ hys litterall playne sense All these so playne wordes be sufficient I trow to a Christen man to certifie hys conscience that Christ went his way bodely ascendyng into heauen For wheÌ„ he had told his disciples so oft of his bodely departyng from them they were maruelous heauy and sad Vnto whoÌ„ Christ sayd Because I told you that I go hence your hartes are full of heauines If they had not beleued hym to haue spokeÌ„ of his very bodely absence they would neuer haue so mourned for his goyng away And for because they so vnderstode him and he so meane as his wordes sowned He added as he should haue sayd be ye neuer so heauy or how heauely so euer ye take my goyng hence yet do I tell you truth For it is expedient for you that I goe hence For if I should not go hence that comforter should not come vnto you But and if I go hence I shall send him vnto you And agayne in the same chap. I am come from the father and am come into the world and shall leaue the world agayne and go to my father What mistery thinke ye should be in these so manifest woordes Did he speake them in any darke parables Dyd he meane otherwise theÌ„ he spake Dyd he vnderstand by goyng hence so ofteÌ„ repeted to tary here still or dyd he meane by forsakyng and leauyng the world to be but inuisible beyng still in the world with his body No surely For he meant as faithfully as playnly as his wordes sowned and euen so dyd hys Disciples without any more maruelyng vnderstand him For they aunswered him saying Lo now speakest thou apertly neither speakest thou any prouerbe But what a darke prouerbe and subtile ridle had it bene if he had meant by his goyng hence to haue â—aryed here still and by forsakyng the world to abyde still in the world and by his going hence to his father by his very bodely Ascention to be but inuisible Who would intrepret this plaine sentence thus I go hence that is to saye I tary here still I forsake the world and goe to the father that is to say I will be but inuisible and yet here abyde still in the world bodely For as concernyng his Godhead which was euer with the father and in all places at once he neuer spake such woordes of it When Christ sayd his death now was at hand vnto his Disciples now agayneÌ„ I forsake the world and go to my father but ye shall tary still in the world If they will expound by his for sakyng the world to tary here still bodely and to be but inuisible why do they not by lyke exposition interprete the tarying here still of the Disciples at that tyme to be gone hence bodely and to be here visible For Christ dyd set these contraryes one agaynst an other to declare ech other As if to tary here still dyd signifie to the Disciples that they should abyde in the world as it doth in deede then must needes his goyng hence and forsakyng the world signifie his bodely absence as both the wordes playnly lowne Christ meant and they vnderstoode them But in so plaine a matter what neede these wordes Be thou therefore sure Christen reader that Christes glorified body is not in this world but in heauen as he thether ascended in which body he shal come euen as he went gloriously with power and great maiestie to iudge all the world in the last day Be thou therfore assured that he neuer thus iuggled nor mocked hys so dearely beloued Disciples so full of heauynes now for his bodely departyng For if he had so meant as our Papistes haue peruerted hys saying hys Disciples would haue wondered at so straunge maner of spech and he would haue expressed his mynde playnly sith at this tyme hee was so full set to leaue them in no doubt but to comforte them with hys playne and comfortable wordes And if he would haue ben
money Notwithstanding God hath left vs two Purgatories One to purge the hart and clense it from the filth whiche we haue partly receaued of Adam for we are by nature the children of wrath Ephe. ij and partly added thereto by consentyng vnto our natural infirmitie This Purgatory is the word of God as Christ sayth Iohn xv Now are ye cleane for the worde whiche I haue spoken vnto you This purgation obtayneth no man but thorough fayth for the vnfaythfull are not purged by the word of God as the Scribes and Phariseis were nothyng the the better for hearing his word but rather the worsse for it was a testimony against them vnto their condemnatioÌ„ And because we receaue this purgatioÌ„ onely through beleuyng the word therfore is the vertue of this purgyng applied also vnto fayth for Peter sayth Act. xv that the Gentiles hartes were purged thorough fayth that is to say through beleuing the word And what word is that verely the preaching that Christes death hath fully satisfied for our sinnes and pacified for euer the fathers wrath towardes vs. c. This fayth purifieth the hart and geueth vs a will and gladnes to do what soeuer our most mercyfull father commaundeth vs. Neuerthelesse because our infirmitie is so great and our meÌ„bers so weake and fraile that we caÌ„ not eschew sinne as our hart would and as our wil desireth therfore hath God left vs an other Purgatorye whiche is Christes crosse I meane not his materiall crosse that he him selfe dyed on but a spirituall crosse which is aduersitie tribulation worldly depression c. And this is called the rodde or scourge of God wherewith he scourgeth euery sonne that he receaueth that we may remember his law and mortifie the old Adam and fleshly lust which els would waxe so rebellious that it would subdue vs raigne in vs and hold vs thraull vnder sinne When soeuer we haue committed a crime theÌ„ is God preseÌ„t with this rod as he saith Psal lxxxix If they defile my ceremonies and not obserue my coÌ„maundementes then with a rod shall I punish their sinnes and with beatyngs shall I reward their iniquities but yet my mercy shall I not take from him neither will I deceaue hym of my promise This crosse must we â—eceaue with a glad hart and thanke our louing father for it for it is but a medicine to heale our infirmitie and to subdue our rebellions members But when our members are fully mortified that is when death hath subdued our corruptible body and our flesh coÌ„mitted to rest in the earth then cease the Purgatories that God hath ordeined then are we fully purged in his sight If our Clergy could haue found in their hartes to haue taken these Purgatories vppon them they had neuer neded to imagine any other but sith their lyfe begaÌ„ to waxe so dissolute specially sith they should be the salt of the earth and lanternes of light It was necessary for them to imagine Purgatory after this lyfe for els they might be sure that the most part of them were neuer like to come in heauen Iudge Christen reader whiche hast the spirite to discerne and knowest the voyce of Christe what reasons Rastell hath brought and how he hath soluted them for in my mynde both his reasoÌ„s and solutions are so childish and vnsauery so vnlearned and baren so full of faultes and phantasies that I rather pitie the mans deepe ignoraunce and blindnesse which hath so deceaued him selfe through Philosophie and naturall reason theÌ„ I feare that he by his vaine probations should allure any man to consent vnto hym Iudge and conferre the Scriptures which Sir Thomas More and my Lord of Rochester alledge for theyr opinion and I doubt not but that God shall open thine eyes to espy that thing which hath blinded them Iudge and compare the Scriptures together which I haue brought to confirme my purpose ponder their reasoÌ„s and my solutioÌ„s vnto them and I am sure thou shalt perceaue that my small learnyng hath condemned theyr hyghe eloquence that my foly hath brought to nought their wisedome and that my youth hath disclosed their old and festred ignoraunce And this is euen the old practise of God to chose the folish thynges of the world to confound the wise to chose the weake to confounde the mightye And to chose the vyle thynges whiche are of no reputation to confound them of high degree that no flesh might bost it selfe in his sight to whom onely be prayse and thankes for euer Amen ¶ A Prologe whereby a man may the better perceaue the occasion and whole cause of this Booke THere was a brother of ours named Simon Fishe whiche nowe I trust resteth in Gods handes whose eyes God had opened not onely to espy the wily walkyng of hipocrites and ruyne of the realme whiche through their meanes was nye at hand but also to marke and ponder the peril of meÌ„s soules and how that the ignoraunt people by their seduction was fallen into that franticke imagination that they more feared the Pope and hys Decrees whiche are but vanitie then God him selfe and his law whiche are most righteous and eternall This man therfore of a feruent and burnyng zeale that hee bare to the wealth of the comminaltie brake out and touched these hypocrites in a litle treatise whiche hee called The Supplication of Beggers willyng that wee shoulde geue the aboundaunce of our richesse vnto the poore to whom it is due by the law of God and that we should no lenger suffer our selues to bee dispoyled and robbed of a sight of sturdy lubbars whiche vnder a false cloke of vertue and prayer deceiue the poore of their liuyng and both the poore and the riche of their soules health if credence be geuen vnto them And where these wilye Foxes would haue preteÌ„ded the cloke of Purgatory affirmyng that it were due vnto them because they praye for their frendes soules that they might come to rest he aunswered vnto that poynt preuentyng theyr obiection and proued that either there could be no such Purgatory or els that the Pope were a mercylesse tyraunt which as he saith him selfe may deliuer them from theÌ„ce and will not except hee haue money At this point began M. More to fume and tooke vpon hym selfe to bee Proctour for Purgatory I will not say that he was hyred ther to of our spiritualtie although many men dare sweare it and to confirme his purpose hee wrested sore the Scriptures and triumpheth also that the very miscreantes and Idolaters beleue that there is a Purgatory He addeth thereto to stablish his matter with all that there is no man whiche beleueth that there is a God and that the soule of man is immortall but hee must nedes graunt that there is a Purgatory There tooke Rastell his hold whiche is a Printer dwellyng at Paules gate in London and of Master Mores alliaunce which
ready fully purged in their hart and their rebellious meÌ„bers through death are wholly subdued These men shall geue no reckoning neyther of idle woorde nor euill déed for all theyr sinnes are couered of Christ and hys bloud shall geue the whole accomptes for them The vnfaythfull to theyr vtter confusion shall haue the booke of theyr conscience opened and there shall be presented before them all theyr euill deades woordes and thoughtes And these are they that Christ speaketh of which shall geue thys great accompt Note also that in the text they are called men which woord in Scripture is euer for the most part taken in the worste sense and signifieth wicked men fleshly men and men that folow their own lustes and appetites THen confirmeth he purgatory out of the 66. Psalme which sayth we haue gone through fire and water and thou hast brought vs into colenesse I am sure you haue not forgotten that M. More alledgeth the Prophet Zachary in the ix and affirmeth that thâ—re is no water in Purgatory It were hard to make these two agrée for when meÌ„ ground them on a lye then for the most part theyr tales and probations are coÌ„trary and will not well stand together Neuerthelesse in one poynte they agrée full well that is both of them say vntruly for neither nother text serueth any whit for Purgatory And as concernyng the place of Zachary it is sufficieÌ„tly declared what it meaneth And now wil I also declare you the vnder standyng of this text and first that it can not serue for purgatory I besech you that haue the psalter once to read the Psalme I thinke you shal wonder at their doâ—yng dreames and ignoraunce which allege this text for Purgatory The text of y e Psalme is this Thou hast brought vs into a straite laden our backes with trouble or heuynesse Thou hast set men vpon our heades we haue gone through fire water and thou hast led vs out agayn into a place of refreshyng The textes before and after in the same Psalme will not suffer that this place should be vnderstand of Purgatory For the text immediately before sayth thou hast set men vpon our heades But the chiefest defenders of Purgatory and eueÌ„ M. More hym selfe say that they are not men but deuils which torment the soules in Purgatory notwithstandyng my Lord of Rochester good man affirmeth that they are aungels whiche torment the soules there but neuer man doted so farre as to say that men torment the soules in Purgatory wherefore I may conclude that this text is not ment of purgatory but that the Prophet meÌ„t that men ranne ouer the childreÌ„ of Israell subdued them and wrapped theÌ„ in extreme troubles which in the Scripture are signified by fire and water Besides that the textes folowyng wil not admit that this should be vnderstaÌ„d of Purgatory for it foloweth immediatly I will enter into thy house with â—urt offrynges I shall offer vnto thée fat sacrifices with the reke of wethers I shall burne to the Oxen Goates Now is there no maÌ„ so mad as to thinke that the soules of Purgatory should offer vnto God any such sacrifices So that the text is playnly vnderstand of the children of Israell which through the Lord were deliuered from their afflictioÌ„s and enemies then offred theyr loyall sacrifices of prayse and thankes to the Lord theyr shield and protection NOwe flyeth my Lorde vnto the Church sayth that because the Churche hath affirmed it we must needes beleue it for the Church caÌ„ not erre As touchyng this poynte I will referre you vnto a woorke that William Tyndal hath writteÌ„ agaynst M. More wherin ye shal wel perceiue what the Church of Christ is that hys Churche neuer determined any such thyng But that it is the Sinagoge of Sathan that maketh articles of the fayth bindeth meÌ„s conscieÌ„ces further then the Scripture will THen waxeth his Lordshyp somewhat hote agaynst Martine Luther because he would that no man should be compelled to beleue Purgatory For my Lord sayth that it is profitable and wel done to compel men to beleue such thynges whether they will or will not And to stablishe his opinion hée plucketh out a word of the parable of Luke xiiij that a certayne man made a great supper and sayd vnto his seruauÌ„tes go forth quickly into the wayes and compell them to enter in Verely there Christ ment no other thyng but that his Apostles should go forth into all the world and preach his word vnto all nations openyng vnto them the miserable state and conditioÌ„ that they be in and agayne what mercy God hath shewed theÌ„ in his sonne Christ This would Christ that his Apostles should expound and lay out so euidently by reasons Scriptures and miracles vnto the Gentils that they should eueÌ„ by their manifest persuasions be compelled to graunt vnto them that he was Christ and to take vpon them the fayth that is in Christ On this maner did Christ compel the Saduces to graunt the resurrection Math. xxij And by these meanes compelled hee the Phariseis to graunt in theyr consciences that he dyd his miracles with the power of God yet afterward of very hate knowyng in theyr hartes the contrary they sayd y e he dyd them by the power of the deuill Math. xij But to say that Christ would haue his Disciples to compell men with prisonment fetters scourgyng sword and fire is very false and farre from the mildenesse of a ChristeÌ„ spirite although my Lord approue it neuer so much For Christ dyd forbyd his Disciples such tyraÌ„ny yea and rebuked them because they would haue desired that fire should descende from heauen to consume the Samaritanes which wold not receiue Christ Luke ix But he commaunded them that if meÌ„ would not receiue their doctrine they should departe from thence and spryncle of the dust of their féete to be a testimony agaynst the vnfaythfull that they had bene there preached vnto them the word of life But with violence will God haue no man compelled vnto his law Paule also testifieth 2. Cor. 1. that he had not rule ouer the CorinthiaÌ„s as touchyng theyr fayth By our fayth we stand in the Lord by our infidelitie we fall from hym As no man can search the hart but onely God so can no man iudge or order our fayth but onely God thorough his holy spirite Furthermore fayth is a gifte of God which he distributeth at hys owne pleasure 1. Cor. 12. If he geue it not this day he may geue it to morow And if thou perceaue by any exterior worke that thy neighbour haue it not enstruct him with Gods word and pray God to geue hym grace to beleue that is rather a poynte of a christen man then to compell a man by death or exterior violence Finally what doth thy compulsion and violence
resisted theyr obdurate ignoraunce If thou make this diuisioÌ„ thou shalt know how to behaue thy selfe towardes all men but now it is méete that we shewe thée whiche are the ceremonies of Baptisme The ceremonies of Baptisme are easly expressed if thou know what the substaunce of it is and how the Apostles ministred it and where may we haue that better expressed then Actes viij where Philip baptised the Eunuch chamberlaine to the Quéene of CaÌ„dace this Eunuch did knowledge that Iesus was the sonne of GOD which is the signe of our fayth and desired Baptisme and Phillip at the next water they came to washed hym in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost There will no man deny but that that Baptisme was as full as good as ours yet was there neither fonte nor holy water candle creame oyle salt godfather or godmothers or any other popatrie Wherfore we may coÌ„clude that all these thinges are but ceremonyes that is to say exterior thynges whiche make Baptisme neither the better nor worse of a myte thus say I not to haue these ceremonies that want iudgemeÌ„t disanulled which are not noysome to our fayth for feare of offending the weake but onely that thou mayest know how to vse them as indifferent and to put no confideÌ„ce in them For then should they hurte and vnquiet our conscience if thorowe negligence or otherwise any thinge were vndone and so shoulde they be an occasion to plucke vs from Christe which were institute for a meane to bring vs vnto him Therfore the Seniours and ministers of the congregations ought to instructe their flockes to take these thinges indifferent which neyther saue nor damne whether they be done or vndone And if they perceyue the people cleaue to sore to them then ought they to séeke out a tyme conuenient and to abrogate or alter those ceremonies or elles they can not escape the wrath of God For they that séeke health in such ceremonies are fallen from grace and treade vnder theyr â—â—te the bloude of Christ vnto their condemnation But theyr bloude shal be required at your haÌ„des which better should haue instructed them And as concerning the abrogation or alteration of ceremonies we haue a godly ensample of the Sabaoth The Sabaoth was instituted and coÌ„mauÌ„ded of God to be kept of the chyldren of Israel Notwithstanding because it was a signe or a ceremony and did signifie vnto them that it was God which sanctified them with his spirit and not themselues wyth theyr holy workes And because also that all ceremonies and shadowes ceased wheÌ„ Christ came So that they might be done or left vndone indiffereÌ„tly Our forefathers which were in the beginning of the church did abrogate thys Sabaoth to the entent that meÌ„ might haue an ensample of ChristeÌ„ libertie and that they might know that neyther the kéepyng of the Saboth nor of any other day is necessary according to Paule Ye obserue dayes tymes and monethes I am afrayde of you that I haue laboured in vayne towardes you Howbeit because it was necessary that a day should be reserued in the which the people might come together to heare the worde of God they ordayned in the stede of y e Sabbaoth which was Saterday the next day folowing which is Sonday And although they myght haue kept the Saterday wyth the Iewes as a thyng indifferent yet did they much better to ouerset the day to be a perpetuall memory that we are frée and not bounde to any day but that we may do all lawful workes to the pleasure of God and profite of our neighbour We are in maner as supersticious in the Soâ—…s they were in the Saterday yeâ—… we are much madder For the Iewes haue y â— word of God for theyr Saterdaye sithe it is the seuenth daye and they were commaunded to kéepe the seueÌ„th day solempne And we haue not the word of God for vs but rather agaynst vs for we kéepe not the seuenth day as y e Iewes do But the first which is not commaunded by Gods lawe but Paule byddeth that no man iudge vs as concernyng holy day meates and such other exteryour thyngs yea and in no wise will he that we obserue them countyng them more holy then other dayes For they were institute that the people should come together to heare Gods worde receyue the sacramentes and geue God thankes That done they may returne vnto their houses and do their businesse aswell as any other day He that thinketh that a man sinneth which worketh on the holy daye if he be weake or ignoraunt ought better to be instruct and so to leaue his holde But if he be obstinate and perseuer in hys sentence he is not of God but of the deuill for he maketh sinne in such as God leaueth frée Accordyng to thys ensample would I that our ceremonies were altered because as I haue sayd the people séeke health in them And what vilany can they do more to Christes bloude And as concerning Godfathers Godmothers they promise for theyr Godchildren that they shall mortifie the roote of sinne which springeth in the bodies and subdue theyr lustes vnder the lawe of God They promise also that they will instructe and bryng vp theyr Godchildren in the fayth of Christ which office pertayneth vnto theyr parentes for they are coÌ„maunded of God to teach their children So that the parentes should be either alone or at the least y e chiefest Godfather But now a dayes the fathers may not be suffered to know any thing themselues How shoulde they theÌ„ instruct their children They kéepe the scripture and word of God from you and beare you in hand that it is heresie Alas how long wyll you lacke vnderstanding perceyue you not yet that they would kéepe you in darcknes because you shoulde not espye theyr priuy practise and sleightly conueyaunce Are you so mad that this blessed worde which made the euill good will make the good euyll thynke you that thys holsome medicine which healeth all infirmities is now chauÌ„ged into such a nature that it will poyson you Are ye so simple and childishe to surmise that this godly doctrine which discloseth all hipocrisie and confoundeth all heresies should make you to erre and fall into heresies I pray God geue you eyes to sée eares to heare and open your hartes that you may perceyue what his pleasure is For surely ignorauncie shall not excuse you as Ezechiell speakyng in the person of God sayth vnto y e curates Thou sonne of maÌ„ I haue made thee an ouersear vnto y e house of Israel thou shalt heare the worde of my mouth and shalt shewe it them from me If I say vnto the wicked thou shalt surely die and thou shew hym not nor exhort him to turn froÌ„ his wicked way that he may lyue then he shall dye in his wickednes but I will require his bloude at thy hande Yea
euē it that I sayd before that it was not possible to stand with the processe of the Scripture which we haue receaued And now hys mastership hath graunted it hym selfe which you may be sure he would not haue done if hee coulde otherwyse auoyde it And here you may see how sore I haue ouerséene my selfe God forbid that any man should be the more prone ready to beleue this yong man in this greate matter because he sayth in the beginning that he will bring all men to a concord a quietnes of conscience for he bringeth men to the worst kinde of quietnes that may be deuised when he telleth vs as he doth that euery man in this matter may without perell beleue which way he list Euery man may in euery matter without any counsell sone set hym self at rest if he list to take that way and to beleue as he list him selfe care not how But and if that way had bene sure S. Paule would neuer haue shewed that many were in perill of sicknes and death to For lacke of discerning reuerently the body of our Lord in that sacrament when they came to receiue hym When Christ should depart this world and go to his Father he gaue his desciples a commaundement that they should loue ech other saying by this shall all men knowe that ye are my disciples if you loue ech other as I haue loued you This rule of charitie wolde I not haue broken which notwithstanding is often in Ieopardie among faythfull folke for this sacrament of vnitie This thing considered I thought necessarie to aduertise both parties to saue this rule of charitie and proued in y e first chapter of my treatise that it was no article of the fayth necessary to be beleued vnder payne of damnatiō and therfore that they were to blame that would be contencious for the matter For sith it is no article of the fayth that may lawfully dissent without all Ieoperdye néede not to breake the rule of charitye but rather to receiue the other like pore brethren As by example Some thinke that the mariage betwéene our most redoubted prince Quéene Katerine is lawfull may stand with y ◠lawes of God some thinke that it is vnlawfull and ought to be disanulled now if we should for this matter breake the rule of charitie and euery man hate his neighbour that would not thinke as he doth then were we greatly to blame and in Ieoperdie of condemnation This I say I proued in y e first chapter against which More maketh no busines and improueth it not whereby you may soone gather that it is very true For els sith his mastership so laboureth in these other pointes he would not haue left y ◠vntouched you may be sure This is the concorde that I woulde bring them vnto And as touching quietnes of conscience I haue knowne manye that haue sore bene combred with it And among all A certaine master of arte which died in Oxford confessed vpon his death bed that he had wept lying in his bed an hundreth nyghtes within one yeares space because he coulde not beleue it Now if he had knowne it had bene no necessarye article what comfort quietnes should it haue bene vnto hym Furthermore euery man can not so quiet him selfe as M. More Imagineth For there are many that thinke them selues no small fooles which when they haue receiued some foolish superstition eyther by their owne Imagination or by beleuing their gossepes gospel and olde wiues tales by and by thinke the contrary to be deadly sinne and vtterly forbidden by Christes Gospell As by example I know an house of Religion wherein is a person that thinketh it deadly sinne to go ouer a strawe if it lye a crosse And if their be on the pauement any paynted picture or any Image grauen on a dead mans graue he will not tread vpon it although he should goe a forelong about What is this but vayne superstition wherewith the conscience is combred and corrupted May not this be wéeded out with the word of God shewing hym that it is none article of the fayth so to thinke then to tell hym that it is not forbidden by the scripture and that it is no sinne Now albeit his conscience be so cankerd that the rust will not be rubbed out yet with Gods grace some other whom he hath enfecte with the same may come agayne to Gods word and be cured full well which shoulde neuer haue bene able to quiet thēselues And likewise there are some which beleue as your superstitious hartes haue informed them and these can not quiet thēselues because they beleue y e you haue fet your doctrine out of scripture But when it is proued to them and they them selues perceiue that scripture sayth not so then can they not be content to thinke the contrary and iudge it no sinne at all And as touching S. Paule suerely ye take hym wrong for I will shew you what processe he taketh and how he is to be vnderstode but because it is not possible to finishe it in fewe words I shall deferre it vnto y e bokes ende and then I shall declare hym at large And what a facion is this to say that we may beleue if we list that there is the very body of our Lord in dede and then to tell vs for a truth that such a fayth is impossible to be true For God him selfe can neuer bring it about to make his body be there Yf a man take the bare wordes of Christ and of simplicitie be deceiued and thinke that his very body be in y e sacrament present to their téeth that eate it I dare not say that he sinneth therein but will referre the matter vnto Gods iudgement and yet without doubt I dare say he is deceaued As by example If a man deceaued by the literall sense would think that men should preach to fishes as Saint Fraunces did because Christ bad his disciples goe preach to all creatures yet would not I thinke y t he sinned therein but will referre hym vnto Gods Iudgment But yet I wene euery woman that hath any wit will say that he was deceiued I am very sure that the olde holy doctours which beleued Christes body and bloud to be there and so taught other to beleue as by there bookes playnly doth apere if they had thought eyther that it could not be there or that it was not ther in dede they would not for all the good in this world haue written as they haue done For would those holy men wene you haue taught that men be bound to beleue that the very body and bloud of Christ is there if thē selues thought they were not bound there to woulde they make men honoure and worship that thing as the very body bloud of Christ which them selues thought were not it this geare is to childish to
of the worlde to enioye these worldly thinges Not withstandyng they are not ashamed thus falsly to laye it to the preachers charge and all because they would make your grace to mayntayne their maliciousnes So that vnder the pretence of treason they myght execute the tyranny of their harts For who is hée that would bee a traytour or mayntaine a traytour agaynst your most excellent and noble grace I thinke no mā yea I know surely that no man can doe it without the great displeasure of the eternall God For S. Paule cōmaundeth straightly vnto all christians to bee obedient in all thinges on this manner Let euery man submyt himselfe to the auctoryte of the higher power For whosoeuer resisteth the power resisteth y t ordinaunce of God And they that resist shall receiue to them selues damnation Also S. Peter confirmeth this saying Submit your selues vnto all manner of ordinaunce of mā for y t Lords sake whether it be vnto the king as vnto their chiefe head eyther vnto Dukes as vnto them that are sent of hym for the punishment of euell doers but to the prayse of them y e doe well wherfore if euery man had the scriptures as I would to god they had to iudge euery mans doctrine then were it out of question that the preachers therof eyther would or could make or cause to bée made any insurrection against there Prince séeyng the selfe same scriptures straytely commaundeth all subiectes to bée obedient vnto their Princes as Paule witnesseth saying warne them sayth hée that they submit them selues to Prynces and to powers to obey the officers Now how cā they that preach and exhort all men to thys doctrine cause any insurrection or disobedience against their prince But let vs goe further and consider the preachers which onely haue preached the word of God and marke if euer they were occasion of disobedience or rebellion agaynst princes First call to mind y e old Prophets and with a single eye iudge if any of thē eyther priuely or apertly sturred vp the people agaynst their Princes Looke on Christ if hée submitted not hym self to y e hye powers Payde hée not tribute for all hée was frée and caused Peter likewyse to pay Suffered not hée with all pacience the punishmentes of the princes yea death most cruell although they did hym open wrong and could finde him gilty in no cause Looke also of the Apostles which both taught and wrote the doctrine of Christ and in their liuing followed hys steppes and if euer they sturred by any occasion the people agaynst their princes yea if they themselues obeyed not to all princes although the most part of them were tyrauntes and infidels Consider likewyse those Doctors which purely and sincerely hath hādled the worde of God either in preaching or writing if euer by theyr meanes any insurrection or disobedience rise among the people agaynst their princes But you shall rather finde that they haue béen ready to lay downe their owne heades to suffer with all pacience whatsoeuer tyranny any power woulde minister vnto them geuing all people example to doe the same Now to conclude if neither the Scriptures neither the practise of the preachers thereof teacheth or affyrmeth that y e people may disobey their princes or their ordinaūces but contrarywyse teacheth all obedience to bée done vnto them it is playne that those Byshops or rather Papistes doe falsely accuse those true preachers and subiectes which thyng woulde appeare in euery mans sight if by their violence the word of God were not kept vnder Now is this y e doctrine that I doe preach and teach and none other as concerning thys matter God I take to recorde and all my bookes writinges that euer I wrote or made And onely I allow and fauour them whiche furthereth thys doctrine of Christ and of thys I am sure myne aduersaries or rather aduersaryes to Christes doctrine must beare mée witnesse But now as wée haue bréefly touched the doctrine that the true preachers preach to the people both by worde writing and practise of them So let vs somewhat touch y e doctrine and practise of the Pope and the Papisticall Bishops and then let euery man séeke out y e heretickes and traytors to their princes First where the preachers onely of the worde of God preacheth and teacheth all men to obey their princes and their ordinaunces according to the wordes of S. Peter There the Pope and the Papisticall Bishops contrary vnto the minde and facte of Saint Peter expoundeth S. Peters wordes saying that S. Peter meaned not hym selfe nor his successors but hys subiectes And by this false interpretatiō excludeth him selfe with hys frō all obedience to princes And yet not so content but craftely drawing all other subiectes from the obedience of their princes sayth to them also that y e wordes of S. Peter were not spoken as a cōmaundement but as a counsell And by this crafte if any prince espye hys falsehode and of conscience goe about to reproue him then by his false preachers and maintainers of hym he lightly withdraweth y e hartes of the commons from their prince affirming the cōmaundement of God to bée but a counsell and at the least wyse his authoritie to bée sufficient to dispence with all y e cōmaundementes of God And thus the people being ignoraunt because they lacke y e word of God to iudge euery doctrine by they delude their wittes And if any man that perceaueth their crafte of very loue that hée hath to God and hys commaundementes exhorteth the people to iudge the doctrine of those Papistes by the worde of God Anone they lay heresie vnto hys charge laying for thē there Gods lawe saying No man may iudge the Pope no mā also may géeue sentence aboue hys iudgement but hée shall iudge all men vpon earth Item the seate of Rome géeueth strength and might to all lawes but it is subiecte to none Item that the subiectes may bée disobedient to their own Lordes and that hee may depose kinges Item that hée hath authoritie to breake all othes bondes and obligations made betwéene any man of hye or lowe degrée Item that the Pope hath power to interprete declare and to lay forth the holy scripture after hys own will and to suffer no man to expound it contrary to hys pleasure Item that the Pope is a God vpon earth ouer all heauenly earthly ghostly and worldly and hée is all hys owne and no man may say to hym what doost thou Item though the Pope were so euill that hée lead innumerable mē by great heapes to hell yet shall no man reproue him therefore ¶ Now after that they had sytten in the consciences of men with these such like abhominable doctrines and had excluded mē frō y e scriptures as an vnlawfull thing to haue in their mother tonge lest they should espye their
agaynst hym and when hée might saye and doe what he would And as your lawe commaundeth no man so hardye to aske hym why hée doth so Then began decrées ordinances depocytions disposycyons reseruations prouysions with like shamefulnes sor to spring and there is no remedy but they must contynue And why Because you are sworne to kéepe them your selfe and to compel other men also to kéepe them And out of the kéepinge of this part of your othe springeth out an other sentence that foloweth which is this All heretykes sysmatikes and rebelles towardes our sayd Lorde y e Pope to my power I shall persecute and withstand This is the cause that hath made vs poore men so great heretykes For it can neuer bée proued that euer we spake agaynst God or our king and yet bée we heretikes And why Forsooth because the Byshops are sworne to the Popes decrées the which condemneth all them for heretikes that speaketh against his holynes though hée bée as holy as my horse For hée sayth hym selfe in his lawe that hée nedeth not to bée holy hym selfe but it is sufficient that hée sytteth in an holy seat These be his wordes who doubteth but hée is holy y e which is exalted to so great a dignitie In whō though good workes of his owne merites be wantinge yet are those good workes sufficyent the which were done by his predecessours Vpon the which texte their glose sayth that if it bée openly knowen that the Pope bée an aduoulterer or a murderer yet ought hée not to bée accused c. Now we poore men can not suffre such myscheuous vyces wherefore we must bée heretikes But why because my lords y e byshops are sworne to persecute vs. But neuertheles I trust to Gods grace and the Kinges that my Lordes the Byshops wyll not bée so hard in this poynt of their othe as they haue béene And why Because mē may nowe come to their aunswere Surely there bée many clauses in his last othe added that bée cleare iniury vnto princes against Gods lawe and mans lawe And yet our Byshops will swere them yea that which is worst of all they will accuse other men of treason rebelliō And there is no mā sworne to treason nor rebellion but they onely ¶ Wherfore most gracious prince with all mekenes and lowlynes that is due to soe noble a prince and also that doth béecome a true subiecte to doe I lowly and méekely require and desire your grace to Iudge betwéene the Byshops and me whiche of vs is trewest and faythfullest to God and to your grace I speake all onelye of those that hath and also would nowe if they durste defende the Pope and his lawes Agaynst them I make this supplication and agaynst them haue I declared the learning and doctrine that I haue both taught and wrytten And as for my factes déedes what I haue done agaynst God and your grace I require them to say their vttermost that they can proue or elles by your gracious fauour I am bere presente and offer my selfe to proue thē lyars And that vnder any maner of payne that your grace shal assigne And agaynst them I haue declared the learnyng and doctrine of theyr Churche and also brought examples of their factes and déedes with the whiche they haue put theyr doctrine in exercise Nowe if they bée gréeued or thinke thē selues wrongfully handled of mée then I require no more of your grace but indifferētly and graciously to here both them and me the which thing no doubt as your grace doth knowe our heauēly father doth require of you who preserue your highnes in all honor dignite Amen The cause of my condemnation MOste gracious Prince y e your grace shoulde knowe what cause of heresye the Byshops had agaynst me for y e which they so vncharitablye and so cruelly hath cast me away Therefore haue I set out y e articles y e were layde agaynst me And as they were layd agaynst me as I will bée reported by their owne actes and bookes The which articles doubtles were vncharitably falsly gathered agaynst me in a sermon y e I made in Cābridge in S. Edwardes Churrh Wherfore I will beséech your grace with all méekenes lowlynes to bée my gracious Lord Prince And not to suffer me thus shamefully cruelly agaynst all law conscience vtterly to bée vndone cast away But of your most highe goodnes to suffer me to come to mine aunswere and then if I can not iustifie my cause I will be at your gracious commaundement to bée punished after right and conscience IF thou beléeue that thou art more boūd to serue God to morow which is Christmas day or of easter day or of whitsonday for an holynes that is in one day more then in an other then art thou no faythfull christean man but supersticious And S. Paule is against thée saying You doe obserue dayes yeares monthes and tydes For vnto a faythfull christean man euery day ought to bée Christmas day Easter day and whitsonday The which thinge the fathers considering that thou diddest not obserue yea that thou wouldest neuer obserue if it were lefte to thy iudgmēt because thou art geuen so much to worldly businesses For that cause they haue assigned thee certaine dayes to come to the certayn dayes to come to y e church to pray togither to heare the worde of God togither and to receaue the blessed sacramēt togither what faulte fynde you in this article because I say that one daye is not holyer then an other I pray you what is y e cause or what nature is in one day that is not in an other wherby that it should bée holyer then the other Because you will say that we halowe the remembraunce of Christes birthe and of Christes resurrection in one day and not in an other This thing I say must you doe euery daye for Christe is euery day borne euery day rysen euery day ascended vp And this must you beléeue euery day stedfastly This must you sanctifie in your hartes dayly and not one day ¶ Now vary we but in this thing You say that we are bound to sanctifie but one Christmas day in the yeare and that is supersticiousnes heresy say I not that I condemne your one day but that you set it to one daye all onely that we are bound to do euery daye Briefely my Lord of Rochester alowed this article saying he would not condemne it for heresy for an C. li. this was a great sūme of money but it was folishely sayde quod hée to preach this afore the butchers of Cambryge As who say they were all butchers that were at the sermon And not y e most parte of y e vniuersity But the byshop of Bathe asked me whether we mighte labour on the holy dayes or not séeing it is written Thou shalt obserue thy holy day I aunswered
iustification Is not this open lyeng on fayth to geue all to him yet as you say hée is not worthy of all for workes bée worthy of parte If fayth bée not worthy alone confesse it openly and gene workes his prayse and faith her prayse say not one thyng with your mouth and thinke an other in your hart For God searcheth the priuities of hartes Who hath required of you such a méekenes But I praye you how can workes helpe to iustification lesse or more when they bée neyther done nor yet thought of Who is iustified but a wicked mā which thinketh nothing of good works But these méeke lyes deserue none aunswere Wherefore let vs heare what holy Doctours say on this texte To hym that worketh not c. Saint Ambrose sayth on this maner It was so decréed of God that after y e lawe the grace of God should require vnto saluation alonely fayth Which thyng hée prooueth by the example of the prophet saying Blessed is that man to whom God doth impute iustification without workes Hée sayth that they bée blessed of whom God hath determined without labour without all maner of obseruation alonely by faith that they shal bée iustified before God Blessed are they whose sinnes bée forgeuē Clearly they are blessed vnto whom without labour or without any worke their iniquitios be remitted and their sinnes bée couered and no maner of workes required of them but alonely that they should beleeue c. Bée not these wordes playne God hath decréed that hée shall require nothyng to iustification but fayth And hée is blessed to whom God imputeth iustification without all manner of works without all maner of obseruations Also their sinnes bée couered no maner of works of penaūcered of them but alonely to beléeue Here haue you Sola fides and Tantum fides and here can you not say that S. Ambrose speaketh alonely of workes of the law but of all maner of works of all maner of obseruations yea and also of penaunce Peraduēture it will bee sayd as a great doctour sayd once to me that S. Ambrose dyd vnderstād it of young children that were newly baptised them their fayth should saue alonely without workes How thinke you is not this a likely aunswere for a great Doctour of Diuinitie for a great Duns man for so great a preacher Are not S. Paule and S. Ambrose wel auoyded and clerkely But I made him this aunswere that this Epistle was written of S. Paule to the Romanes which were men and not children and also the wordes of Scripture speake of the man and not of the childe And S. Ambrose sayth blessed is that man But at this aunswere hée was not a litle moued and sware by the blessed God let Ambrose Augustine say what they will hée would neuer beléeue but that workes dyd helpe to iustificatiō This was a Lordly word of a Prelate of a pyller of Christes Churche But what medlyng is with such mad men But yet peraduenture you will say how that I take a péece of the Doctour as much as maketh for my purpose Notwithstandyng hée sayth otherwise in an other place which I doe not bryng What is that to me yet is not my Doctour thus auoyded For you cā not deny but this is his saying and vppon this place of Scripture and this doth agrée with Scripture or els hée doth expounde Scripture euill Wherfore you must aunswere to the saying of the Doctour in this place for this is the place that is layd agaynst you and this is y e place whereby other places must bée expounded And if you dare deny him in this place then will I deny him in all other places by that same authoritie then bée the holy doctours clearely gone Neuertheles holy Scripture standeth openly agaynst you which if you deny then haue I a cause to suspect you Wherefore take héede what you doe But yet peraduenture will ye say that I vnderstand not S. Ambrose nor holy Doctours as my Lord of Rochester sayd howe I vnderstode not Tertullian hée had none other euasion to saue his honour with But this is not inough so to say but you must proue it other mē must iudge it betwéene you and me Here haue I translated a great many of their sayinges into English let other men iudge whether I vnderstand them or not Go ye to the Latin and let vs sée what other sense you cā take out But my Lordes remember that our God is alyue whose cause we defende afore whom I dare well say you are already confounded in your conscience wherfore doubt you not but that terrible vengeaunce han geth ouer you if you repēt not which whē it cōmeth cōmeth sharpely How are ye able to defend a thing that you cā not proue opēly by holy scripture Say what you will your conscience will murmour and grudge and will neuer bée satisfied with mēs dreames nor yet with tyranny Thinke you that your lawes and your inuentiōs can bée a sufficient rule for Christen men to liue by and to saue their conscience therby Thinke you that your cause is sufficiently proued when you haue compelled poore men by violēce to graūt it Then may we destroy all Scriptures and receiue alonely your tyranny But my Lordes this matter is not righted by your iudgemēt but by our master Christ and his blessed worde afore whose strayte iudgement you shall bée iudged and that straytly For when all your grace all your honour all your dignitie all your pompe and pride briefly all that your hartes doe nowe reioyse in shall lye in the dust then shall you bée called to a strayte rekening It is no light game nor no childes playe Marke it well for it lieth on your necke But what nedeth me to loose many wordes for if you be halfe so full of grace as you say you bée of good workes then will you recken it better then I can moue you But againe to our purpose S. Paule proueth the iustification of faith onely in these wordes No man is iustified by the workes of the law but by the faith of Iesus Christ and we doe beléeue in Iesus Christ that we may bée iustified by the fayth of Christ not by the workes of the law Marke how hée sayth that no man is iustified by the workes of the law no not S. Peter Howe thinke you doth not S. Paule exclude workes bringeth in alonely faith yea and that the workes of the law whiche were the best workes in the world and hée beleeueth to bée iustified onely by the fayth of Iesus Christ and not by workes and that proueth hée in these wordes of the Prophet A righteous man lyueth by fayth Here you not how a righteous man liueth by faith What call you liuing by fayth If hée liue any part by workes then lyueth hée not by fayth but partly by workes Thē is S. Paules probation vnperfite But let vs sée how your Doctours doe
very head of the Church this is the Church that can not erre c. Here it is open that the counsell may erre and that a priuate person hauing scriptures for hym is to bée heard before the Pope and also y e coūsell hauing no scriptures for them you haue also what is the very trew Church which can not erre which thing can not bée veryfyed of your counsels for they bée neyther without errour nor yet the holy Church but that they doe represēt the Church as a legate representeth a kings person but of that followeth not that hée is y e king or hath as much power as the king or is aboue The king or that he may rule the king this may also bée proued by S. Augustine whose words bée these those counselles that bée gathered in euery Prouince must without doubt geue place to the auctoritie of the ful counsels which bée gathered of all Christendom and also those full counsels oft tymes must bée amended by the full counsels that come after if any thyng bée opened by any experience that was a fore shut and if any thing bée knowen that was hydden And this may bee done without any shadowe of supersticious pride without any boasted Arrogancy with out any contentiō of malicious enuy but with holy méekenes with holy peace and with Christen charitye c. Here it is playne that your full coūsels may bée amended and reformed y e which thing néede not if they could not erre yea and if they did not erre in déede Moreouer you must néedes graunt that there is a rule where by your counsels must bée exammined where by sentence must bée geuen which of your councels bée true and which false by the which rule if your counsels bée not ordered they must néedes erre and bée false and of the deuill Wherfore gather all your coūsels togither and yet of them can you not make holy church But peraduenture there may bée many in your coūsels good and perfite men and of holy Churche but they and you togither make not the vnyuersall holy church that can not erre neither haue you any anctoritie ouer holy Church further then the holy scripture of God but as soone as you forsake Christ and his holy worde so soone are you the congregation of the deuyll and théeues and murtherers and yet for all this there must néedes bée an holy church of Christ in earth that is neyther bounde to Ierusalem nor to Constantinople nor yet to Rome as though shée were lyke vnto the Asse and the fole But now wyll there bée obiected that our Mayster Christ commaundeth if my brother offende mée that I shoulde complayne to the church Now is this church that I haue set out spirituall and no man knoweth her but God onely shée is also scattered thorow out the worlde wherfore how can a man complayne to that church I aunswere our M. Christ doth playnely speake of a man that hath wronge the which must néedes bée a perticuler and a certayne man and therefore likewyse hée biddeth hym complayne not to the vniuersall church but to the perticular church Now this particular church if shée bée of God and a true member of the vniuersal church shée will iudge righteously after Christes worde and after the probations brought afore her Neuerthelesse oftētymes cōmeth it to passe y ◠this particular church doth fully and wholy erre and iudgeth vnryght and excommunicateth him that is blessed of god as it is open in your owne lawe whose wordes bée these oftētymes hée that is cast out is within and hée that is within is kept without c. Here haue you playnely y e the particular church may erre Wherefore that church that can not erre is all only the vniuersall church which is caulled the communion and the felowship of Saintes the which addition was made by holy fathers for in Ciprians time was there no mention of it by all likelyhode to declare the presumption of certayne men and of certayne congregations that reckened themselues to bée holy church Wherfore my Lordes sée well to it least the holy Ghost haue pricked you wyth thys addition for you haue alwayes made your selfe holy church yea and that wythout any holines Now haue I declared vnto you what is holy church that is the congregation of faithfull men thorowout all y e world and whereby shée is holy that is by Christes holynesse and by Christes bloud and also what is the cause that shée can not erre because that shée kepeth her selfe so fast to the worde of God whiche is a perfite a true rule Nowe must we declare by what signes and tokēs that we may know that in this place or in that place there bée certeine members of this holye church For though shée bée in her self spirituall ▪ and can not bée perfitely knowen by our exteriour senses yet neuerthelesse we may haue certeine tokens of her spirituall presence whereby we may recken that in this place and in that place bee certeine of her members As by a naturall example though the soule of man in her selfe bée spirituall inuisible yet may we haue sure tokens of her presence as hearyng mouyng speakyng smellyng with such other So likewise where the word of God is truely and perfitely preached without the damnable dreames of men and where it is well of the hearers receiued also where we sée good woorkes that doe openly agrée with the doctrine of the Gospell these bée good and sure tokēs whereby we may iudge that there bée some men of holy Church As to the first whereas the Gospell is truely preached it must néedes light in some mens hartes as the prophete witnesseth my word shall not returne agayne to me frustrate but it shall doe all thyng that I will and it shall prosper in those thynges vnto the which I did send it Also S. Paule sayth fayth cōmeth by hearyng and hearyng commeth by the word of God and therfore it is open in holy Scripture that when Peter spake the wordes of God the holy ghost fell downe on them all Wherfore it is open that Gods worde can neuer bée preached in vayne but some men must néedes receiue it and thereby bée made of holy Churche though that men doe not know them neither by their names nor yet by their faces for this word is receiued into their hartes The second token is that the receiuers of this woord doe worke well thereafter as S. Paule declareth of his hearers when you receiued of vs the word wherewith God was preached you receiued it not as the word of men but euen as it was in déede the word of God whiche worketh in you that beléeue So that if men doe worke after the worde of God it is a good token that there bée men of the Churche though that we hypocrisie is so subtile and so secret may bée oftentymes deceiued by these
the Church bee and to whom they were geuen TO declare this matter our Schoolemen haue wrapped them selues in suche doubtes that they were neuer able to come out of theÌ„ nor yet to satisfie theÌ„ selues nor any good Christen mans conscience For all y e they write is but dreames of theyr own inuention and as Paule calleth them the doctrines of y e deuill agaynst the holy word of God and wringyng wrestyng the blessed worde of God to their purpose alonely consideryng how they might by right or by wrong stablishe the authoritie of miserable men not coÌ„sideryng the intent of the holy ghost whiche intended nothyng els in all places of Scripture but to opeÌ„ vnto vs Christ the loosing from our sinne by hym alonely The which thyng our dreamers and inuenters of all subtile lyes dyd neuer preserue nor neuer sought for but by despising the holy worde of God and stickyng so fast to their owne corrupted reasons dyd they fall into innumerable heresies dissentions and contentions and brawlynges of wordes and scoldyng lyke harlots so that none of theÌ„ could agrée with an other Wherfore that saying of the holy Prophete may well bée verified of them My people haue not heard my voice and Israell hath taken no héede vnto me and therfore haue I let theÌ„ passe after the desires of their own harts and therefore they shall folow their own inuentioÌ„s This is alwayes the sore vengeaunce of God when we will not beléeue and receiue alonely hys worde then doth hée let vs passe so that we can doe nothyng but erre Notwithstandyng we are so blynded that we thinke darkenes light and errours veritie This is openly proued by all our greate clarkly schoolemen and that it may bée open to all men I will recite what they learne of the keyes Duns all his scholers say that these keyes bée nothyng els but an authoritie geuen to Priestes whereby they geue sentence that heauen must bée opened to this man and shyt vnto the other so that heauen is opened shyt at the sentence of y e priest This is his learnyng Who could haue inuented such a doctrine but y â— deuill him selfe who can speake greater heresie then this is who can speake more openly agaynst Christe and hys holy Scripture If the authoritie of the Priest bée the keyes of heauen and can open open and shyt heauen then néede we no other thyng to our saluation but the authoritie of the Priest then can no man bée saued without the authoritie of the Priest then can there no Priestes bée damned For they haue the keyes of heaueÌ„ I thinke they wil not bée so mad as by their authoritie to shyt them selues with the deuill Briefely what néede haue we of Christ and of hys holy word For the authoritie of the Priest is the keye of heauen but let me bryng their owne words y e the matter may bée playner The keye in this purpose is taken after the similitude of a materiall key whiche is the next instrument to shyt and to open a doore whereby we enter into the house So lykewise the authoritie to geue sentence that heauen must bée opened vnto this man is called the keye c. To vse many wordes in refellyng this damnable opinion it néedeth not But agaynste them all I will set the authoritie of S. Hierome whose words bée these I shal geue thée y e keyes of heaueÌ„ This place the Byshops and the Priestes not vnderstandyng haue vsuâ—ped vnto them somewhat of the Phariseis pryde so y e they thinke that they may condemne innocentes and loose them that bée giltie when afore God not y e sentence of the Priest but the lyfe of the giltie is regarded c. Here you haue playnly that the sentence of the Priest is not looked on nor able to loose a sinner afore God Marke also that S. Hierome sayth you vnderstaÌ„d not this place Moreouer I would know of you all where you caÌ„ bryng me one example in Scripture that the sentence of a Priest hath loosed a sinner or bound a righteous man and if it can not doe this then is there an other thyng aboue the sentence of a Priest Furthermore that your auctoritie should bée the keyes of heauen it is a gaynst reason agaynst your owne learning For Duns and also Lyra of the same text Qnodcunque ligaueris doe playnely declare that your key of auctoritie may erre Now if it may erre then is it not the right key to the locke of heauen for the right key can neuer erre in his owne locke Wherfore at the most you can make it but a picklocke which belongeth to robbers and théeues onely Moreouer if this were the key theÌ„ should we neuer bée in suretye whether heaueÌ„ were opened or not First we haue no promise nor no worde of God made vnto this key And againe we can not know when it openeth heauen and wheÌ„ not for it may erre after your owne doctours And if it chauÌ„ce for to erre then are not heaueÌ„ gates opened So y e by this meanes we shall bée alwayes in doubt whether we bée losed froÌ„ our sinne or not Wherefore we must séeke out an other key that is the very trew key to the locke the which can not erre of the which we shall bée in surety and without all doubt But ere wee declare what this key is we will first shew the nature and the propertye of this key S. Augustine sayth That must be called a key where by the hardnes of our harts are opened vnto fayth and whereby the secretnes of mindes are made manyfest A key it is sayth hée the which doth both open the concieÌ„ce to y t knowledge of synne and also includeth grace vnto the wholesomnes of euerlasting mistery c. This is the diffynition of this key that we speake of after S. Augustine Now compare your power vnto this diffinitioÌ„ and sée how they doe agrée Fyrst what can your power doe which you call your key to remoue away the hardenes of the harte and to bring in fayth Agayne what can your key Iudge of the secreatnes of mans mynde Thirdly what can your power doe to mens consciences to make theÌ„ to knowledge their sinne yea where by doe you know your awne synne by your power then haue all priestes a like knowledge Fynally what grace doth your power include in hym y e may bring vs to euerlasting Ioye Wherefore you sée that this deffinition agréeth as well with your key as Chalke and Chéese Therfore must we séeke an other key y e hath all these properties This is nothing els but the holy worde of God whereby that we receaue fayth into our hartes as S. Paule sayth Fayth is by hearing and hearing is by the wordes of God And for this cause the holy Prophet calleth it a lanterne saying Thy word is a lanterne vnto my féete it is a lyght vnto my pathes
Lorde of Rochester and all his scholers glory vnto this same day But let vs sée how S. Augustine aunswereth them The Pelagians sayth hée thinke that they know a wōderous thing when they say God will not commaunde that thyng the whiche hée knoweth is impossible for man to doe Euery mā knoweth this but therfore doth hée commaunde certeine thyngs that we can not doe because we might know what thyng we ought to aske of him Fayth is shée which by prayer obtaineth that thyng that the law commaundeth Briefely hée that sayeth If thou wilt thou mayest kéepe my commaūdementes In the same booke a litle after sayth Hée shall geue me kéeping in my mouth Playne it is that we may kéepe the commaundementes if we will but because our will is prepared of God of him it must bée asked that we may so much wil as wil suffice vs to doe thē Truth it is that we will whē we will but hée maketh vs to will that thyng that is good c. Here haue you playne that my Lord of Rochesters opinion and the Pelagiās is all one for they both doe agrée that the commaundementes of God bée not impossible to our natural strength But S. Augustine sayth they bée impossible And therefore bée they geuen that we should know our weakednes also aske strēgth to fulfill them For faith by prayer doth obteine strength to fulfil the impossible commaundementes of the law Here haue you also that God moueth vs and causeth vs to bée good willers geueth vs a good will for els we wold neuer will but euill Here is also to bée noted that y t Pelagians our Duns mē agrée all in one for they both say that y e grace of God doth helpe mās good purpose so that man doth first intende purpose well And as Duns sayth disposeth hym selfe by attriciō to receiue grace thē God doth helpeth hym But the truth is contrary for there is no good purpose in man no good disposition nor good intent but all is agaynst goodnes cleane cōtrary against all thing that agréeth with grace vntill that God of hys méere mercy commeth geueth grace chaungeth a mās will vnto grace and geueth hym will to will goodnes yea and that when hée thought nothing of goodnes but doth clearely resist all goodnes This doth S. Augustine proue in these wordes The Pelagians say y t they graunt how that grace doth help euery mans good purpose but not y ◠hée geueth the loue of vertue to hym that striueth agaynst it This thyng doe they say as though man of hym selfe without the helpe of God hath a good purpose and a good mynde vnto vertue by the whiche merite procedyng afore hée is worthy to bée holpen of the grace of God that foloweth after Doubtles that grace that foloweth doth helpe the good purpose of man but the good purpose should neuer haue beene if grace had not preceded And though that y t good study of man when it begynneth is holpen of grace yet dyd it neuer begyn without grace c. Here it is open that the Pelagiās graunt as much of grace as my Lord of Rochester doth and all his Duns men whiche learneth that man may haue a good purpose bonum studium and a good mynde a loue to grace of his owne naturall strēgth The Pelagians graunt euen the same But here you sée how Saint Augustine is cleare agaynst them But now let vs here M. Duns wordes A sinner may by the naturall and by the commō influence of God consider his sinnes as a thyng that hath offended God as a thing cōtrary to the law of God and letteth hym from reward bringeth hym to payne by this meanes may hée hate and abhore his sinne this calleth hée attriciō wherby there is a disposition sayth hée or a merite in a man of congruence to take away mortal sinne and this attrition is sufficient for a man that shall receiue the Sacramentes quod non ponat obicem that is that hée haue no mortall sinne actually in his will this is sufficient and also a necessary way to receiue grace c. This is ten tymes worse then the Pelagians sayinges for they graunt that man must néedes haue a speciall grace to performe his good purpose And M. Duns sayth that man may performe his attrition of his naturall power yea and this attrition of congruence is a disposition to take away mortall sinne without any speciall grace I pray you M. Duns of what congruence is it ▪ What hath attrition deserued that mortall sinne should bée taken awaye for his pleasure what hath hée deserued that grace must folow hym Infidels may haue this attrition for you graunt that it cōmeth of naturall strength and yet shall it not folowe of congruence that they inust receiue grace and also remissiō of their sinnes Also had not Iudas this attrition when hée sayd I haue sinned and was sory for his sinne also repēted him and knew well that hée had offended God and also deserued payne and was no more willyng I thinke so to doe and had all y t properties that belongeth to your attrition and yet sée how hée dyd deserue of congruence grace and remission of his sinnes Yea dyd not this attritiō bryng hym to extreme desperation Howe can a man without a speciall grace abhorre his sinne It is not possible but hée must loue sinne so longe as hée is the enemy of God yea hée woulde there were no God to punishe sinne such a pleasure hath hée vnto sinne This is the nature of our hartes and that doth euery one of vs féele though these men teacheth the contrary but I say to them the words of the Prophete redite ad cor preuaricatores grope in your bosomes there finde you the mortal enemy of God which neither careth for Gods displeasure nor yet for his sinne And you say that hée may haue a good attritiō of his naturall strēgth and if this attrition bée good then may hée doe good before grace so that we shall gather grapes of thornes and figges of briers But what sayth S. Paule to your good attrition He sayth that all thing without fayth is nothyng Is not this man a fleshly man and hath nothyng of the spirit of God for by your own learnyng hée hath but the commō influence and yet shall hée bée sory that hée hath offended God Shall hée abhorre his sinne Shall hée depose hym selfe of congruence to grace S. Paul sayth The flesh lusteth cōtrary to the spirite and the workes of the fleshe bée aduoultry fornication vnclennes idolatry witchcraft hatred wrath zeale sedition enuying with such other I pray you how doe these workes agrée with your attrition Call you this abhorryng of sinne Call you this heauines for offēdyng God Bée these good dispositions Bee these our good preparatiōs vnto God Thinke you that these workes doe deserue of congruence
looke of S. Augustine aboue recited and there shall shall you fynde how man commeth by this will Also the wordes of y e text bée not if thou wilt thou mayst kéepe them or intende to kéepe them Nor they bée not Man may kéepe them or intende if hée will But if thou wilte kéepe them then they shall kéepe thée Wherefore of these wordes can you not conclude any power in man For it foloweth not when God sayth doe this heare this heare that kéepe this kéepe that if thou wilte doe this if y u wilt doe that That we can doe these thinges or can intende to doe them For God commaundeth vs to doe all good thinges Ergo we bée able of our naturall strength to doe them Then were the spirite of God frustrate for the spirite of God is not geuen vs to geue commaundementes but for to geue vs strength to fulfill and righteously to vnderstand those thinges y t bée commaunded vs. By the commaundementes is declared that thynge that we ought to doe and also they shew our weakenesse and imbecilitie that we might learne to séeke for a greater strength and greater helpe then is in vs. As Sainte Augustine sayeth in these woordes The lawe was geuen that man myght fynde hym selfe and not to make hys sickenes whole but by his preaching the sicknes increased y â— the phisicion might bée sought Wherfore the lawe threatning and not fullfilling that thing that hée commaundeth maketh a man to be vnderneath hym but the law is good if a man doe vse it well What is that vse the law well By the law to know our sinnes and to séeke Gods helpe to helpe our health c. Heare is it playne that the commaundementes of God geue vs no strength nor yet declare any strength to bée in vs but sheweth vs our dutye and also our weakenes and also mooueth vs and causeth vs to séeke further for strength So that these wordes si voluris si feceris si audieris si emundaueris si vis with all other such that bée wordes of commaundementes or wordes vnder a condition doe nothing declare but what we are bounde to doe and what shall folowe if we doe them And as the wordes of the lawe doe threaten an euyll ende for synne all onelye for to feare euel doers and wicked persons from euell so doe the wordes of promyse styre vp and quicken good meÌ„s hartes for to doe well and also comfort theÌ„ that they should not dispayre in adâ—ersities But neither these nor those geue vs any streÌ„gth to doe that that is commaunded but alonely they doe declare what paines and what reward shall folow to the breakers and the kéepers of them An other scripture haue you where as our Maister Christ sayth How often woulde I haue gathered thy children and you woulde not Here cry you liberum arbitrium lib. arb For if they had no fréewyll what néede our Maister Christ to say thou wouldest not First must wee consider y t there are two maner of wils in God One is called hys godly wyll or hys secrete or vnscrutable will whereby that all thinges bée made and ordered and all things bée done Of this will no creature hath knowledge what hée ought thereby to doe or not to doe for as S. Paule sayth it is inscrutable therefore it is sufficient for vs to knowe therof alonely that there is an inscrutable will The other will in God is called a declared and a manifest will the which is declared and geuen to vs in holy Scriptures This will was shewed vnto the vttermost by our M. Christ the sonne of God and therefore is it lawfull And also men are bound to search to know thys wyll and for that consideration was it manifested vnto vs. This wyll doth declare what â–ª euery man is bounde to doe and what euery man is bounde to flie And by thys wyll is offered vnto euery man those thynges that bée of saluation And by this will GOD will haue no man damned for hée letteth his worde to bée preached indifferently to all men Nowe hée that wyll knowe this wyll must goe to our Maister Christ in whome as S. Paule sayth is all treasures of wisedome and science So that hée will shew vs as much as is necessarye for vs to knowe and as much as the father of heauen woulde wée shoulde know Now to the texte here speaketh God that is incarnated that was sent to will to speake to doe to preach to bée familiar with vs to doe myracles yea and also to suffer death for our saluation Now sayth hée I woulde haue gathered thy children that is to say I dyd preach I did labour wyth all diligence to conuerte thee I did myracles afore thée yea I wepte I wailed for thy sake all these thynges did I with all other thinges that myght bee to thy conuersion and that beloÌ„ged to God incarnate to doe But all these things did not profite them And why Because they woulde not In hym was there no faulte For there was nothyng vndone that belonged to hym to doe so that hée was wyllyng and yet did it not profite Ierusalem And why Because they woulde not But now why woulde they not Because it was in theyr power to wyll to consent and to wyll not to consent Nay truely but because as Iohn saythe They coulde not beléeue for hée had blinded their eyes hardened their hartes that they shoulde not sée with theyr eyes nor vnderstand with their hartes So that they must néedes alonely will not to consent and coulde no otherwyse doe but not consent and yet were they neyther constrayned nor compelled nor wrunge to it wyth violence but fréely they woulde not conseÌ„t and yet had they the libertie of their fréewill that was to bée agaynst Christe and not to bée wyth hym For the libertie of fréewill standeth not in this that he may wil this thing and also will the contrary therof But it standeth in that that all thyng that hée wyll or wyll not is at his owne wyll and is not therto constrayned but wylleth it fréely wythout compulsion and yet hée can not choose no nor wil not choose buâ— so to wyll or so not to wyll So that there is a necessitie immutable but not a necessitie of compulsion or coaction Nowe is it open that this place maketh not for you for there was no power nor none entente in their fréewyll to consent vnto Christ but to wyll the contrary and not to wyl vnto hym and all was because they were blynded and their hartes were hardened And therefore of their naturall streÌ„gth coulde they none otherwyse doe but vary from Christ no they would nor destred no otherwise but to swarue from hym that was all their will and delyte But wherefore they were blynded and wherefore they were hardened that must you inquire of the inscrutable wyll that pleased hym so to leaue theÌ„ The
bée thou content with their expositions serch thou no further it doth not become thée to know it But now if hée wyll laye to your charge that this thyng is opeÌ„ly writin scripture and the wordes of Moyses and of Paule bée playne therfore you must aunswere to them And it shall bée as lawful and as necessary for hym to know the minde of holy scripture as the expositioÌ„ of S. Hierome or of M. Duns Scripture saith plainly that God doth indurate Pharaos hart and not Pharao his owne hart It is a new exposition to say I will indurate Pharaos hart that shall bée as much as Pharao shall indurate himselfe thorough my softnes and patience By this rule shal Anaragoras Philosophy come in place that shall make of euery thing what hée wyll And where as scripture sayth Saul Saul why dooste thou persecute mée Shall bée as much to say as why sufferest thou mée to bée persecuted Also the father of heauen sent hys onely sonne into the worlde shall bée as much to say as hée suffered his sonne to bée sent So that wée shal expounde all places of Scripture to our owne purpose and not to looke what is the sentence of holy Scripture nor yet what the mynde of the holy ghost is but what expositioÌ„ will please vs best and what will best serue to our carnall minde Furthermore if God doe harden mens hartes when hée suffereth and when hée is softe and sheweth mercy then did hée harden the hartes of the Iewes wheÌ„ he brought them out of Egypt into wildernesse then did hée harden them when hée brought them out of the captiuitie of Babylon then hardeneth hée all the worlde whom hée suffereth in great softnes and mercy Also after your exposition hée was mercifull to Israell when hée sent them into BabyloÌ„ For there dyd hée chasten them and by afflictions prouoked them to repentaunce Likewise the father of heauen had no mercy on the worlde wheÌ„ hée sent his sonne for of that hée gaue mâ—n an occasion of induratioÌ„ But when hée hée damneth the sinners then by your rule hath he mercy on them for he chasteneth and punisheth them for their sinnes This is your rule of induration and no maÌ„ may say against it Miserere may not signifie to geeue grace nor to remitte sinne but to chastice and to scourge and by paines prouoke to repentaunce And indurare shall not signifie to harden but to suffer and to bée patient and to bée merâ—â—ull and not to chastice But maisters how was God mercifull vnto Pharao by softenes by sufferaunce whome hée chastened so sore with ten plagues and wyth such plagues as Moyses marueyled of Call you that softnes was that suffering of Pharao was that an occasion of induratioÌ„ by patience easines by sufferauÌ„ce God send his aduersaries of that patience and of that sufferaunce I pray you how coulde God chastice hym more and yet at euery plague he sayth I will indurate Pharaos hart Wherefore Pharao had none occasion of induration by sufferaunce and patience of God but rather by his scourging Wherfore there must bée an other sence in these wordes then you doe make and wee must séeke out an other waye to know how God doth worke induration in mens hartes such wordes doth the holy ghost vse therfore dare wée speake them And how hée is y â— doer both of good and euil and yet all thynges that hee doth is well done Fyrst you must néedes graunt that after the fall of Adam the pure nature of man was corrupted by sinne whereby wée bee all wicked and borne as S. Paule sayth by nature the children of wrath and as Dauid sayth wee are all conceiued in sinne Notwithstanding of this corrupt nature doth God make all meÌ„ both good and bad Those that bee good be good by hys grace Those that bée badde bee badde of corrupted nature and yet God hath made them Neuerthelesse by nature they are of the same goodnes and no better theÌ„ nature is that is to say euill but yet the creation of God and his workemanship is good thouth the thyng bee euill in it selfe yet is Gods worke before hymselfe good though all the worlde say naye Nowe God of hys infinite power doth rule and guide all maner of men both good and badde and all meÌ„ by his infinite power are moued vnto operations but euery man after his nature As after your owne philosophy Primum mobile by the reasoÌ„ of his swifte motioÌ„ caryeth all the inferiour thinges with him suffereth nothing to bee vnmoued notwithstaÌ„ding hee moueth all thynges after their owne naturall course So likewise God of his infinite power letteth nothyng to bée exemted from hym bâ—t all thynges to bee subiecte vnto his action and nothing can be done by them but by his principall motion so that hee worketh in all maner of thynges that bee eyther good or bad not chaunging their nature but mouinge them alonely to worke after their nature so that god worketh good and euill worketh euil and God vseth them both as instrumentes and yet doth hee nothynge euill but euill is done alonely thorowe the euill man God working by hym but not euill as by an instrument Take an example A man doth sawe a blocke with an euil sawe The which is nothyng apte for to cut wel and yet must it néedes cut at the mouing of the man though it bée neuer so euill for the man in mouing doth not chaunge the nature of the sawe Neuerthelesse the action of y e man is good and cunningly done but the cutting of the sawe is after his nature So likewise God moueth these euyll instrumentes to working and by his common influence geuen to all creatures suffereth them not to bee idle but he chaungeth not their nature Wherfore their operation is a fruite conuenient for their corrupted nature but yet there is no faulte in Gods mouinge Here haue you now howe God workes all thynges in all men both good and bad But now let vs goe to the induration of them that bée euill Thus is it First they bée euill by nature and can abyde nothyng that is good nor yet suffer any good to bée done Wherefore when God the author of goodnesse doth any thyng or sayth any thyng vnto them then are they more and more sorer and sorer contrary vnto God and to all hys workes for of their nature they are so corrupted and can not agrée to the will of God nor to any thynge that is good but when it is offered them either in word or déede theÌ„ blaspheme they then withstaÌ„d they with all theyr might with all their power then are they prouoked of their corrupted nature to more mischief and more and alwayes harder and harder As for an example when the blessed word of God is preached vnto them that bée wicked to whom God hath geuen no grace to receiue it then are they nothyng amended but more indurated and alwayes harder
but also his blessed worde all that longeth to hym Take awaye Christes word and what remayneth béehynde of Christ nothing at all I pray you my Lorde to whome was this worde fyrst preached to whome was this written all onely to priestes and not vnto lay men yea was it not written to all the worlde yes truely Wherby will you conuerte a Turke or an Infidell not by holy Scripture When they bée conuerted what wil you learne them what wyll you géeue them to reade any other thing then holy Scripture I thinke nay Now will you make your owne countreymen your owne citizens your owne subiectes yea your owne brethren redéemed with Christes blessed bloud worsse then Iewes and Infidels But there is no reason nor no brotherhod nor no Christen charitie that can mooue you or that can helpe you for you are so blynded and so obstinate against Christ that you had rather all the worlde shoulde perishe then his doctrine shoulde bee brought to light but I doe promyse you if God doe spare mée lyfe and géeue mée grace I shall so set it out if you doe not reuoke it that it shall bée to your vtter shame and confusion finde the best remedye that you can I doe beléeue stedfastly that god is mightier then you and I doe recken and faythfully beléeue that you are ten tymes worsse then the greate Turke for hée regardeth no more but rule and dominiō in this worlde and you are not therewyth content but you will also rule ouer mēs consconsciences yea and oppresse Christ and his holy worde and blaspheme and condemne his worde Was it not a holy connsell of the Chaunceler of London to counsell a certaine marchaunt to buye Robyn hoode for his seruauntes to read What should they doe wyth vitas patrum and with bookes of holy Scripture Also the same Chauncelour sayde to an other man what findest thou in the Gospell but a story what good canst thou take there out O Lord God where art thou why sléepest thou why sufferest thou this blasphemy Thou hast defended thy Prophetes with wild fire from heauen and wilt thou suffer thy onely fonne and thy heauenly word thus to bée despised and to bée reckened but as a story of Robin hoode Rise vp good Lorde Rise vp thy enemyes doe preuayle Thy enemyes doe multiplye shew thy power defend thy glory It is thy contumely and not ours what haue we to doe with it but alonely to thy glory Reuenge this cause or thy enemyes shall recken it not to bée thy cause O thou eternall God thoughe our sinnes haue deserued this yet looke on thy name yet looke on thy veritie Sée howe thou art mocked Sée how thou art blasphemed yea that by them that haue taken on them to defend thy glory But now heauenly father séeyng that thou hast so suffered it yet for the glory of thy name geue some man strength to defend it or els shalt thou bée clearely taken out of the hartes of all men Wherefore most gracious Lord of thy mercy and grace I beséech thée that I may haue the strength to defend thy godly word to thy glory and honour and to the vtter confusion of thy mortall enemyes Helpe good Lorde helpe and I shall not feare a thousande of thyne enemyes In thy name will I begyn to defend this cause First commeth thy faythfull seruaunt Moses true and iust in all thy workes and hée commaundeth faithfully truely with great threatnings that man woman and child should diligently read thy holy word saying Set your harts on all my wordes the which that I doe testifie vnto you this day that you may commaunde them vnto your children to kéepe to doe to fulfill all thynges that bée written in the booke of this law Marke how hée commaūded them to learne their children all thynges that bée written in this booke and so to learne thē that they might kéepe and fulfill all things that were written in y t booke Moses made nothing of secretnes will you make secretes therin how shall men fulfill those wordes that they knowe not How can men knowe the very true way of God haue not the word of God is not all our knowledge therin The Prophet sayth thy word is a lanterne vnto my féete and a light vnto my pathes Hée calleth it a lanterne and light yea and that vnto all men and you call it but a story darkenes and a thyng of secretnes yea and occasion of heresie how can the occasion of darknes geue light how can a lanterne bée a thing of secretnes how can the veritie of God bée occasion of heresie The holy Prophet sayth blessed is the man that setteth his delectation in the will of God and his meditation in Gods law night and day Here sayeth the spirite of God that men bee blessed that study the word of God and you say that men bée heretickes for studying of it How doth the spirite of God and you agrée Also S. Paule commaundeth vs to receiue the helmet of health and the sword of the spirite the whiche is the worde of God I pray you to whom doth hée here speake to Priestes onely How many of your Priestes dyd hée knowe yea was not this Epistle written to the whole Churche of the Ephesians And dyd not they read it were not they lay men and why shall not our lay men read that they red Moreouer doth not Paule call it the sword of the spirite is it not lawfull for lay men to haue the spirit of God Or is the spirite of God not frée but bound alonely to you Also S. Iohn sayth if any man come to you bring not this doctrine receiue him not into your house nor yet salute hym Here the holy ghost would we should haue no other doctrine but holy scripture and you will take it alonely from vs. Furthermore this was written vnto a woman and to her children and you will y t no other man wyfe nor childe shall reade it But if we should receiue your Priestes into our houses after this rule I thinke we should not bée greatly cōbered with them for their are few of them that haue this word Also our M. Christ saith vnto the pharesies search you scriptures for in them you thinke to haue eternall life Our Maister sent the Pharisies to scriptures and you forbyd Christen men to reade them who had a worse sprite then they and yet they iudged better of holy scriptures thē you doe For they iudged to haue lyfe in thē you iudge to haue heresyes in thē so that you bée ten tymes worse to scriptures thē euer were they Also Paule saith all scripture geuen by insperation of God is profitable to teach to improoue to enforme io enstruct in righteousnes that the man of God may bée perfect and prepared vnto all good workes You will not denye but but scripture is geuē vs of God Ergo
when you are at home the godly Bibles and receaue the thyng therein with great studye for thereby shall you haue great aduantage c. These wordes bée so plaine that I can adde nothyng to them woulde you that wée shoulde take you for byshops and for holy fathers that bée so openly agaynst Scripture and so centrary to holy doctours That will I neuer doe while I liue I will neuer looke to sée other Antichristes then you and so will I take you till I sée almighty God conuerte you Also the same doctour saith Which of you all that bée here if it were required coulde say one Psalme without the booke or any other part of holy scripture not one doubtles But this is not alonely the worste but that you bée so slow and so remisse vnto spirituall thinges and vnto deuillishnesse you are hotter then any fier but men will defende this mischief with this excuse I am no religious mā I haue a wife and children and a house to care for This is y e excuse wherewith you doe as it were with a pestilence corrupt all thinges for you doe recken that the studye of holy Scripture béelongeth alonely vnto religious men when they bée much more necessary vnto you then vnto them c. Here may you sée that your damnable institution was in the hartes of men in Chrisostomes dayes howe they woulde reade no scriptures but you sée hée condemneth it and calleth it a pestilēce and will you now bring it in agayne If you had but a lousie statute of your owne against mée or an other man you woulde call vs hetikes But you neither regarde Christes holy worde nor holy Doctours nor yet any other thinge y e is agaynst you But let vs sée what your owne lawe saith to this If Christ as Paul sayth bée the power and the wisdome of God thē to bée ignoraunt in scriptures is as much as to bée ignoraunt of Christ c. Here haue you playnely that to take away scriptures from lay men is as much as to take away Christ frō them the which no doubt but that you doe intēde in your harts to doe and that thing God knoweth and your workes doe declare it the which God shall aduenge full straitly ouer you Also in an other place I will set my meditation in thy iustifications and I will not forgette thy wordes the which thing is excéeding good for all Christen men to obserue and kéepe c. Here is a counsell of your owne that hath admitted that all Christen men shall study Scripture And will you now condemne it Is there neither Scripture of God nor practise of Christē men nor exposition of Doctours nor your owne law nor yet any statute of counsels that will hold agaynst you You bée marueilous giantes how shal a mā behaue him selfe to handle with you it is not possible to ouercome you for you wil admitte nothyng that is against you But yet will I not so leue you but I will first declare it manifestly y e you bée cōtrary to Christ and to all holy doctours S. Hierome reprooueth you very sore in these wordes O Paula and Eustochium if there bée any thyng in this life that doth preserue a wise mā and doth persuade him to abide with a good will in the oppressions and the thraldomes of the world I doe reckē that specially it is the meditations and the study of holy scripture séeyng that we doe differre from other creatures specially in that that we bée reasonable in that that we can speake now is reason and all maner of wordes cōteined in godly Scripture whereby that we may learne to knowe God also the cause wherefore we bée created Wherfore I doe sore marueile y ◠there bée certein men the which geue thē selues to slouthfulnes sluggishnes and will not learne those things that bée good but recken those men worthy to bée reprooued that haue that good mynde c. Marke how that this was written to two women that were learned Also hée reckeneth nothyng better then to study holy scriptures hée also marueileth that certaine will neither study Scriptures them selues nor yet let other mē study thē It is well knowē that these wordes pricke no men but you and ye bée so slouthfull so geuen to voluptuousnes that you your selues will not study Scriptures nor yet suffer other mē to study them but if you doe study them it is to deceiue your simple and poore brother there by and to maintaine your abhominable liuing with wrostyng and wryngyng of them other profite commeth there none of your study as all the worlde knoweth For you may not preach but when you haue damnably condemned Christes blessed word or els by violence made some of your poore brethren heretickes then come you with all your gorgious estate pompe and pride to out face Christ and your simple brother with your outward dānable pride afore the face of the world But my Lordes leue of your fasing and your brasing for our Lord whose cause we defend agaynst you will at length not bée out faced Remēber how the holy ghost prayeth against you saying iudge them Lord that they may fall from their cogitations expell them Lord for they haue prouoked thée doubte you not but this holy spirite will preuaile agaynst you though God suffer you for a season yet hath hée till this day defended him selfe his godly wordes agaynst all the proude crakyngs of the world and thinke you that hée wil now take a fall at your hand nay nay hée shall first thrust you out headlonge that all the world shall take example by you this is my beléeue For that word that you haue cōdemned doth thus learne me Wherfore if you doe not reuoke the condemnation of the new Testament and ordeine that all Christen men may read holy Scripture you shal haue the greatest shame that euer men had in this world for you are neuer able to defend it by any meanes nor by any power y e is in earth And if all power in earth wil withstand it hée shall rather bryng them all to dust and raise vp of stones newe rulers You wormes meate you stinking car rion you nourishmēt of hell fire how dare you thus presume against your God omnipotent whether will you flie to auoyde his daunger Heauen earth water and fire sunne moone and starres saintes and angels man and child bée against you and holde you accursed What though the deuill laugh on you for a season Remember the ende but God geue you hys grace that I lose not my labour about you But now let mée assoyle your carnall reasons that you bring for you The fyrst is this euyll men doe take an occasion of heresy out of scriptures Wherfore it is best they haue it not I aunswere lykewise good men doe take an occasion of goodnes there of Ergo the people ought to haue
Wherfore we wil now speake of the other power which men call spirituall Fyrst here is to be noted that this is no power nor none auctoritie worldly but all onely a ministration of the word of God and a spirituall regiment preaching the gouerning of the soule and the mynistration of y e spirit hauing nothing to doe with the erterior Iustice or righteousnes of the worlde and therfore hath it no power by right and law to make any statutes or lawes to order the worlde by but all onely faithfully truely to preach and to minister the word of God ther by instructing the conscience of man nothing addyng thereto nor taking there from but as S. Paule sayth to abyde in those thinges that they haue learned and that bée commytted vnto them for S. Paule as hée hym selfe sayth â—urst speake no other thing but those things which christ had wroght by him For hée curseth him bée he maÌ„ or Angel that preacheth any other gospell then hée had preached Therefore the Prophet commaundeth vs that we should not heare the wordes of those prophetes which disceaue vs for they speake visions of their owne hartes and not out of y â— mouth of god and yet speake they in the name of God Wherefore these men so long as they speake onely y â— worde of God so long are they to be heard as Christ himself after y e saying hée y e heareth you hereth mée also whatsoeuer they say vnto you sytting in the chayre of Moses do it On y e which text speketh S. Augustine By syttyng in y e chayre is to vnderstand the learning of the lawe of God and therefore God doth teach by them but if they will teache their owne doctrine heare it not doe it not for such men séeke that is theirs and not Christes c. These wordes bée playne agaynst all them that preach any thing but the law of God onely Wherfore if these mynysters will of tyranny aboue the worde of God make any lawe or statute it must bee consydered after two maner of wayes fyrst whether it bée openly and derectly agaynst the word of God and to y e destructioÌ„ of y e faith as that statute is whereby they haue condemned the new testament also forbydden certayne men to preach the worde of God hauing no trew cause aganst them but all onely their malicious suspectioÌ„ also y e learning wherby they learne that workes doe iustifye moreouer that statute whereby they bynde men vnder the payne of damnation to bée assoyled of them These statutes I say with other lyke men are not bouÌ„d for to obey neither of charite for here is faith hurt which geueth no place to charitie nor yet for auoyding of sclaunder for the worde of God may not bée auoyded nor yet géeue place vnto sclauÌ„der for then shoulde it neuer bée preached but it must bée faâ—â—e stucke vnto and the more that men bée offended withall and the stiffer that they hée against it the more openly and playnely yea and that to their faces that make such statutes mâ—st wée resiste them wyth these wordes wée are more bounde to obey God then man This is well proued by Hilarius wordes All maner of plantes that hée not planted of the father of heauen must bée plucked vp by the rootes that is to say the traditions of men by whose meanes the coÌ„maundementes of the lawe hée broken must bée destroyed and therefore caulleth hée theÌ„ blynde guides of the waye to euerlasting life béecause they sée not that thyng they promise and for that cause hée sayth that both the blynde guides and they that bee led shall fall into the dyke c. Marke that all traditions of men which are agaynst Gods lawe must be destroyed Therfore let euery man take héede for it longeth to their charge for both the blynde guides and also they that bée led shall fall in the dyke It shall bée none excuse for hym that is led to say that hys guyde was blynde but let them heare the worde of God by his holy prophetes walke not in the preceptes of your fathers nor kéepe not their iudgemeÌ„ts but walke in my preceptes and kéepe my iudgementes The other maner of statutes bée when certaine thinges that bée caulled indifferent bée commaunded as thinges to bée done of necessitie and vnder the paynes of deadly sinne As for an example To eate fleshe or fishe this day or that day is indifferent and frée also to goe in this rayment of this colour or that colour to shaue our heades or not a priest to wear a loÌ„g gowne or a short a gray Fryer to weare a gray coate or a russet a whyte Fryer to weare a white or a blacke a Priest to marry or not to marry an Heremyt to haue a bearde or not These with all other such outwarde workes bée thinges indifferent and may bée vsed and also left Now if the Byshoppes will make any lawe or statute that these thynges shall bée determinately vsed so that it shall not bée lawful for vs to leaue it vndone but that wée must precisely doe them and not the contrary vnder the payne of deadly sinne here must they bée withstanded and in no wise obeyed â—or in this is hurt our fayth and libertie of Christendome whereby wée are frée and not bounde to any exteriour worke but frée in all things and vnto all men at all tymes and in all maner except it bee in such a cause where as brotherly charitie or the common peace should bée offended Therefore in all these thynges bée wée frée and wée must withstand them that will take this libertie from vs with thys texte of Scripture Wée are bought with the price of Christes bloud wée will not bée the seruauntes of men This texte is open against them that will bynde mennes conscience vnto sinne in those things that Christ hath lefte them frée in Of this wée haue an euident example of Saint Paule the whiche would not circumcise Titus when the false brethren woulde haue compelled hym thereunto as a thynge of necessitie vnto whom S. Paule gaue no romthe as coÌ„cernyng to bée brought into subiectioÌ„ S. Paul dyd not withstand them bycause that CircumcisioÌ„ was vnlawfull or might not bée vsed of Christen men but bycause that they would haue compelled hym vnto it as vnto a thyng of necessitie that thyng woulde not Saint Paule suffer for that was agaynst the libertie that we haue in Christ Iesus as hée sayth here playnely Wherfore we bée not alonely by Christe made frée from sinne but also made frée in vsing all maner of thynges that bée in different and vnto them we can not bée bounde as vnto thynges of necessitie as on the Friday to eate fish and thereunto bée bounde in conscience vnder the payne of deadly sinne In this we may not obey for it is against the word of God not béecause it is euill to
and specially when they bée against the open woorde of God This may bée prooued by the woordes of Moyses If there arise in the midst of thee a Prophet or a man that saith I haue seene a vision and tell thee afore a signe and a woÌ„der and that thing that hee tolde thee doe also come to passe Now if this man say vnto thee let vs goe and follow strainge Gods which thou knowest not and let vs serue them thou shalt not heare the Prophet nor the dreamers wordes for God doth prooue you that it may bee open whether you loue hym in all your harte and in all your soule or not Bée not these woords open against all manner of myracles yea against Prophetes whose prophecie is true and yet béecause hée will drawe the hartes of y â— people vnto other things béeside God therefore shall hée not bée heard your Images bée not here excepted Farthermore what signifieth this that God will haue all our hartes and all our soules If God haue all then can your Images haue no part But marke how God doth prooue our faith with such myracles so that hée woulde that neyther heaueÌ„ nor hell Sainte nor myracles Prophet true nor false shoulde draw our harts froÌ„ him or froÌ„ his word but alonely to sticke fast to him Wherfore lay for your Idols what you caÌ„ first they bée no Gods secoÌ„darily they can no more doe if they doe so much but doe miracles tel you before of those thynges that bée to come And yet all this can not helpe for it is openly agaynst the woord of God and we may not heare them Farthermore agaynst your Idols will I set the brasen Serpent of whoÌ„ it is written that it did miracles so openly that no man caÌ„ deny it yea and that by the worde of God which did also stand many hundred yeares till the people did to it so much as they now doe to your Gods that is they did offer inseÌ„ce other oblations therto and therfore was it destroyed Not withstaÌ„ding it was instituted of God and so bée none of your idolles wherfore miracles can not helpe And among the Turkes bée miracles done as they thinke and yet that prooueth not their sect to bée lawfull I will tell you of a miracle that is writteÌ„ in their law On a certeine tyme there was a controuersie betwéene the Priestes and the religious men which of them should haue the oblations of the people The Priests layd that they were best worthy béecause they were ministers in the temple and seruauntes to the Gods and night and day tooke payne for the people The Friers laid for them that they were the successioÌ„ of all their holy fathers and by their prayers and meritâ—… was the kyng all the people kept 〈◊〉 â—he land defeÌ„ded from all euill with many other thinges more Briefly this matter was deferred of both partes to the sentence of the kyng the whiche had thought to haue geuen senteÌ„ce with the Priestes But when the Friers knew it they came to the kyng and desired him that hée would deferre the senteÌ„ce vij dayes and sée what the Gods would shewe for them The night béefore that the kyng should geue sentence was hée compelled by nature to goe to the preuy which wheÌ„ hée came there y e preeuy brake and hée fel in there was hée crying by the space of an houre til hée was so wery that hée coulde cry no more no man could come to him for the pallace was locked TheÌ„ sodeÌ„ly appeared vnto hym a religious maÌ„ w t a glorious light saying vnto hym Now where bée they y â— thou woldest haue geuen sentence with all are not they wel worthy of the oblations that can not helpe thée out of dauÌ„ger but now mayst thou sée what we may doe with the Gods for thée and all thy land and with this the kyng without paine or hurt was taken out of y e préeuy and layd agayne in his bed or hée wist it and the day folowyng gaue hée sentence that the religious men should haue the oblations How thinke you was not here an open miracle and was it not done on the kyng the which had vnderstaÌ„dyng and reason It was an open matter when hée was in the préeuy and the préeuy broken and hée layd agayne in his bed without any hurt this passed maÌ„s power But what wil you prooue of this miracle all your Gods togither can not doe a more open miracle then this is But let vs sée what the Doctours say agaynst your Gods ClemeÌ„s writeth these woordes We doe honour visible Images to the honour of the inuisible God the whiche is a false thyng but if you will honour the image of God in doing well to man in hym shall you honour the true image of God Wherfore if you will truely honour the image of God we will open that thynge vnto you that is of trueth so that you muste doe well vnto man the whiche is made vnto the Image of God geue hym honour and reuerence geeue hym meate when hee is hungrye geeue him drinke when hee is thyrsty Clothe him when hee is naked serue hym when hee is sicke geeue hym lodgyng when hee is a straunger and when hee is in prison minister to hym necessaries This is the thing that shall bee counted to bee geeueÌ„ God truely What honour is this of god to ruÌ„ne about foolishly to stony wooddy Images and to honour as Godes idle and dead figures and to despise man in whoÌ„ is the very true Image of God Wherfore vnderstaÌ„de you that this is the suggestion of the Serpent that lurketh within the whiche doth make you beleeue that you bee deuoute when you doe honour in sensible thyngs And maketh you to beleue that you bee not wicked when you hurt sensible and reasonable men c. How thinke you doth not this damme the worshyppyng of Images yea though it bée in y t honour of God Hée sheweth you also that there is no other true Image but maÌ„ Which of you all goe a pilgrimage to y t Image whiche of you all doe offer to that Image which of you all doe honour that Image You land lepers you inuenters of new gods you Idolaters what say you to this how can you auoyde this is not this agreable with Scriptures And yet this Image doe you despise This image cast you in prison this Image doe you stocke chayne and whippe from towne to towne wtout any cause This image dyeth in the streates béefore your doores for hunger and colde and you runne to Walsingam to Ipsewiche with great pompe pride to honour your dead shadowes It were better for you to burne those Idolles and to warme this true image of God there by for this Image was made vnto God onely and all your dumme gods were made for this Images sake Wherfore it commeth of the deuill that you forsake this very true