thing or such a thing in the scriptures is also in your church seruice It were too great a disgrace for you to say or sing in plaine English praise yée the Lord. Apoc. 19. 7. The text Let vs be glad and reioice and giue glorie to him bicause ⸫ the marriage of the Lambe is come and his wife hath prepared hir selfe The note At this day shall the whole church of the elect be finally and perfectly ioined vnto Christ in marriage inseparable The answer In the meane space we had néed to take great héed of being seduced by your perswasions and so of forsaking Christ and coupling our selues to another man that is to the pope which is both the popes and yours whole endeuors Apoc. 19 9. The text And he said to me write Blessed be they that are called to the ⸫ supper of the marriage of the Lambe The note That is the feast of eternall life prepared for his spouse the church The answer And not for you which imbrace another head and spouse in his stéede to whom you haue giuen greater preheminence then to Christ himselfe Apoc. 19. 13. The text And he was clothed with a garment sprinckled with blood and his name is called the word of God The note The second person in Trinitie the Sonne or the word of God which was made flesh Io. 1. The answer Who shall confound antichrist and all the power of the earth which taketh his part euen with the sword that procéedeth out of his mouth Apoc. 19. 16. The text And he hath in his garment and in his thigh written king of kings and lord of lords The note Euen according to his humanitie also The answer Our Lord and Sauior Christ God and man after his resurrection is aduanced aboue all principalities and powers and euery name that is named in heauen and in earth Apoc. 20. 1. The text And I sawe an angell descending from heauen hauing the key of the bottomlesse depth and a great chaine in his hand The note See in S. Augustine lib. 20. de ciuit ca. 7. 8. seq the exposition of this chapter The answer Your referring men to the doctors sheweth that your care is not for ignorant men to profite them for they are not the better for this reference and the learned néedeth it not Apoc. 20. ◠The text And I sawe seates and they sate vpon them and iudgement was giuen them and the soules of the beheaded for the testimonie of Iesus and for the word of God and that adored not the beast nor his image nor receiued his character in their foreheads or in their hands and haue liued and reigned with Christ a thousand yeeres The note Quid in millenario numero nisi ad proferendam nouam sobolem perfecta vniuersitas praestitae generationis exprimitur hinc per Iohannem dicitur Et regnabunt cum illo mille annis quia regnum sanctae ecclesiae vniuersitatis perfectione solidatur D. Gregorius libro 9. moral cap. 1. The answer Your poore countrimen are greatlie beholding to you they are much the better for your note they vnderstand it as well and are edified as much by it as by your church seruice And for my part bicause you haue not vouchsafed to turne it into English your selues and bicause it toucheth no matter of controuersie betwixt vs I will also take mine ease and leaue it as I finde it Apoc. 20. 7. The text And when the thousand yeeres shall be consummate Satan shalbe loosed out of his prison and shall go foorth and seduce ⸫ the nations that are vpon the foure corners of the earth Gog and Magog and shall gather them into battell the number of whom is as the sand of the sea The note Saint Augustine thinketh that these do not signifie anie certaine nations but all that shall then be ioyned with the diuell and Antichrist against the church lib. 20. de ciuitate cap. 11. See Saint Hierome in Ezechielem lib. 11. The answer We agrée with Augustine that all enemies of the church are signified open as Turkes and such like priuie as the Pope papists and such like who vnder the name and title of Christ persecute the members of Christ which the text it selfe doeth plainlie insinuate which saith that they are the nations which are vpon the foure corners of the earth Apoc. 20. 11. The text And I sawe a great white throne and one sitting vpon it from whose sight ⸫ earth and heauen fled and there was no place found for them The note They shall then be new not the substance but the shape changed 2. Peter 3. See Saint Augustine lib. 20. de ciuit cap. 14. The answer That this is to be expounded of the innouation of heauen and earth we consent but I muse for whome you gathered your notes The learned without you know whither to repaire for resolution in their doubts The vnlearned can not consult with Augustine though they would These references to sée the iudgement of Doctors haue no profit but to make a shew of your reading Apoc. 20. 12. The text And I sawe the dead great and little standing in the sight of the throne and ⸫ bookes were opened and another booke was opened which is of life the dead were iudged of those things which were written in the bookes according to their works The note The bookes of mens consciences where it shalbe plainlie read what euerie mans life hath bene The answer Our owne consciences and thoughts at that day shall either accuse or excuse vs. Looke therefore well into your consciences and take héede that you trust not too much and to farre to your Pope of Rome for it is well knowen that he is but a mortall man and not God Apoc. 20. 15. The text And ⸫ he that was not found written in the booke of life was cast into the poole of fire The note Such as do no good workes if they haue age and time to do them are not found in the booke of life The answer Your note is neither gathered out of this place neither warranted by anie other He that liueth to mans state hath age and he that liueth long hath time to do good workes but suppose they haue done none shal we cut frō them hope of mercie afore the last gaspe may not the like grace be shewed them that was graunted to the penitent theefe The time therefore of working must begin at their conuersion and true turning to God whether it be earlie or late otherwise this place sheweth nothing but that onlie the elect shalbe saued Others though in shew they haue led a painfull religious life though they shalbe able to say Lord haue not we done thus and thus in thy name yet shall haue answere depart from me ye workers of iniquitie I neuer knew you Apoc. 21. 2. The text And I Iohn sawe ⸫ the holie citie Hierusalem new descending from heauen prepared of God as a bride adorned for hir husband The note The Church
to shift of the reasons that the Arrians gathered out of this place against the diuinitie of Christ. Mark 14. 7. The text For the poore you haue alwaies with you and when you wil you may do them good But ⸫ me you haue not alwaies The note We haue not Christ here needing our almes as when he conuersed vpon the earth The answer And why haue we héere no doctors Bicause this shift to expound this text so that it should not make against the bodilie presence of Christ in the Sacrament is a late deuise It is true that if he be not here in bodie then it is not possible for him to néede reléefe But let vs see how your faith in this point agréeth with the ancient Christian Catholike faith Augustine willeth Dardanus to hold this Christian confession That Christ rose from the dead ascended into heauen sitteth at the right hande of the Father shall come from none other place but from thence to iudge the quicke and the dead and that he shall so come as the angels voice testified euen as he was séene go into heauen that is in the same forme and substance of flesh to the which he truly gaue immortalitie and tooke not away nature According to this forme he is not to be thought diffused euery where Fulgentius affirmeth that Christ according to the humane nature is comprehended in a place absent from heauen when he was vpon the earth and forsaking the earth when he ascended into heauen Uigilius writing against the heretike Eutiches saith that Christ is with vs and not with vs. For those whom he left and from whom he departed in his humanitie he did not leaue nor forsake in his diuinitie By forme of a seruant which he took from vs into heauen he is absent from c. And in another place when he hath prooued him to be euerie where according to his diuinitie and but in one place at once according to his humanitie he concludeth thus This is the faith and confession Catholike which the Apostles deliuered Martyres did confirme and the faithfull hitherto haue held And concerning these very words Me you shal not haue alwaies Augustine expoundeth them simplie to be ment of his bodily absence from the earth Now let our papists tell vs how their faith can be Christian and Catholike being directly against that which in these fathers daies was Christian and Catholike Mark 14. 23. The text And taking the chalice giuing thanks he gaue to them and they ⸫ all dranke of it The note All dranke to wit all the twelue for more were not present Wherebie it is euident that the words in Saint Matthew 26 27 Drinke ye al of this were spoken to all the apostles onely which here are said that they all did drinke And so it is no generall commandement to all men The answer And why haue we not here one doctor to say for you that Drinke yée all is not so general a commandement as Take and eate Can that be a catholike exposition which is contrarie to all expositions of catholike expositors for many hundred yéeres after Christ Take and eate stretcheth to laie men as the practise of your church doth shew And Drinke yée all that must be restreined to priests bicause no more but y e Apostles were present And if that cause be of force why shall it not restraine the other commandement also Take and eate to priests onely But the holy Ghost foreséeing what popish corruptions the diuell would bring into the Church did afore hand the more fully to preuent the diuels fraud héerein direct the pens of the Euangelists in the giuing of the cup to expresse the vniuersall signe all where in deliuerie of the bread he is content with an indefinite spéech take and eate Heere all antiquitie is vtterly against poperie Their doctrine of concomitance was not in the fathers daies hatched neither had they wit ynough to foresée the danger of spilling and hanging in lay mens beards and such other déepe considerations as the pope picked out long after out of his night cap. Mark 14. 25. The text Amen I saie to you that now I will not drinke of the fruits ⸫ of the vine vntill that daie when I shall drinke it new in the kingdome of God The note See annotations vpon Matthew chap. 26. vers 29. The answer Your annotations are not woorth the looking on yet such as they are they shall receiue answer by themselues Mark 14. 64. The text Who all ⸫ condemned him to be guiltie of death The note Here we may see that they were worthily reprobated and forsaken according to our sauiours prediction by the parable Mark. 12. The kingdome of God shall be taken from you c. The answer Their successors in impietie blasphemie and crueltie Annas and Caiphas of Rome and their adherents cannot be in better estate for they with no lesse consent and vnitie haue condemned Christ in his members and his truth for heresie and blasphemie Mark 14. 66. The text And when Peter was in the courte beneath there commeth one of the ⸫ woman seruants of the high priest The note He feareth not afterward Rome the ladie of the worlde that in the house of Caiphas was afraid of the high priests wench Leo in natiuitate Petri Pauli sermone 1. The answer In this weake fearefulnes of Peter we may sée our owne frailtie and in the change that God after made in him when he had indued him and others with vertue from aboue the power by which God can and doeth worke in weake and fraile vessels Rome was the ladie of the worlde therefore not the head of the church a place fearfull to the godlie or els Peters valure in not fearing of it had not béene commendable Marke 1◠29. The text And they that passed by blasphemed him wagging their heades and saying Vah he that destroyeth the temple and in three dayes buildeth it ⸫ saue thy selfe comming downe from the crosse The note So say heretikes of the blessed Sacrament if it be Christ let him saue him selfe from all iniuries The answer We whome it pleaseth you to call heretikes learne not from the scornefull Iewes but from good Ioash the father of Gedeon that your bread is not God bicause it can not plead for it selfe nor reuenge it selfe But you haue a god and a religion alike both of your owne creation Marke 15. 34. The text My God my God why hast thou ⸫ forsaken me The note See Matth. cap. 27. 46. the blasphemous exposition of Caluine and his followers and take heede thereof The answer Sée the exposition reape comfort thereof and learne with hart and minde to detest and abhorre the impudent and shamelesse pennes of lying papistes Marke 16. 7. The text But go tell his disciples ⸫ Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee The note Peter is named in speciall as often els where for prerogatiue The answer A poore prerogatiue it
things which must be done quickly after these The note The second vision in which is represented vnto vs the glorie and maiestie of God in heauen and the incessant honor and praises of all angels and saints assisting him Which is resembled in the daily honor done to him by all orders and sorts of holy men in the church militant also The answer If all orders in heauen giue all honor glorie and power to God alone and his Christ how dare you then miserable caitifes part the glorie of mans saluation betwéene God and your selues Is that thinke you a resemblance of the incessant honor and praises of his angels and saints in heauen Apoc. 4. 6. The text And in the sight of the seate as it were a sea of glasse like to Christall and in the midst of the seat round about the seat ⸫ fower beasts full of eies before and behind The note These fower beasts and the like described in the first of Ezechiel by the iudgement of the holy doctors signifie the fower Euangelists and in them all true preachers The man Matthew the lion Marke the calfe Luke the eagle Iohn See the causes heereof in the summe of the fower Euangelists pag. 1. S. Gregorie in Ezechiel The answer The causes alledged why by the fower beasts fower Euangelists should be signified are in my iudgement very slender and friuolous But whether they be signified or els whether as other interpreters affirme they do represent Gods wisedome might diligence spéedinesse or facilitie in bringing all things to passe I will not contend neither with Gregorie nor you Apoc. 5. 1. The text And I sawe in the right hand of him that sate vpon the throne ⸫ a booke written within and without sealed with seuen seales The note The third vision Saint Gregorie taketh it to be the booke of holie scriptures libr. 4. dialog 6. 42. The answer Saint Gregories interpretation doeth verie well please vs and I hope bicause you alledge it it can not dislike you we will therefore adde some thing which the text it selfe doth manifestly offer vnto vs to be obserued First in that it is written within and without it manifestlie appéereth that there is no roome left for your additions called traditions Secondlie it is fast and safe sealed that with seuen seales by which so diligent and so close sealing vp it is manifest that it is vtterlie vnlawfull to adde to diminish to alter anie thing for that to do in a sealed euidence is no better then méere forgerie Apoc. 5. 3. The text And no man was able neither in heauen nor in earth nor ⸫ vnder the earth to open the booke nor to looke on it The note He speaketh not of the damned in hell of whom there could be no question but of the faithfull in Abrahams bosome and in purgatorie The answer Surelie you can spie daie at a very little hole that can picke purgatorie out of this place he speaketh of men vnder the earth but he can not meane of hel and therefore he must néedes meane of purgatorie First graues are vnder the earth and therefore it may be he meaneth neither hell nor purgatorie But I pray you tell vs how do you know he meaneth not hell bicause it was out of al doubt and past question that among the damned there could be none found worthie to open the booke And doeth not the same reason prooue that he could meane purgatorie or Limbus patrum or may it be like to finde some worthier there then could be found in earth or in heauen You knowe well inough that your fond followers will not séeke to examine the truth of anie thing you set downe and therefore you dare deale thus looselie that euerie bodie that will not wilfullie be blinde may sée your absurdities But to leaue your follies I sée that you are amongst those to whom this booke is yet shut and not opened and therefore no maruell though you want vnderstanding Apoc. 5. 5. The text And one of the seniors said to me weepe not behold the ⸫ Lion of the tribe of Iudah the roote of Dauid hath wonne to open the booke and to loose the seuen seales thereof The note So did Iacob Genesis 49. call Christ for his kinglie fortitude in subduing the world vnto him The answer That Christ is called héere the Lion of the tribe of Iudah it is apparant but whether by allusion to that place of Genesis which you cite may be doubted but thereof I will not mooue anie contention Apoc. 5. 6. The text And I sawe and behold in the middest of the throne and of the foure beastes and in the middest of the seniors ⸫ a lambe standing as it were slaine hauing seuen hornes and seuen eies which are the seuen spirits of God sent into all the earth The note So Christ is called for that he is the immaculate host or sacrifice for our sinnes The answer By allusion vnto Moises law bicause the lambe appointed for sacrifice must haue neither maime nor spot Apoc. 5. 9. The text Thou art worthie ô Lord to take the booke and to open the seales thereof ⸫ bicause thou wast slaine and hast redeemed vs to God in thy blood out of euery tribe and tongue and people and nation and hast made vs to our God a kingdome and priestes and we shall reigne vpon the earth The note This maketh against the Caluinistes who are not content to say that we merite not but that Christ merited not for him selfe Caluin philip 2. verse 9. The answer Let vs then sée how this prooueth that Christ merited for him selfe Thou art worthie O Lord c. bicause thou wast slaine Ergo his death and passion was the cause of his worthinesse and made him worthie I pray you you I say that thinke this so inuincible a proofe and so necessarie a consequence tell me whether Christ being the eternall sonne of the Father were vnworthie this honor afore his incarnation and consequentlie afore his death and passion I suppose you dare not say that he was vnworthie before especiallie séeing he durst not aske of his Father greater glory then he was afore possessed of with the father If he were worthie before and so continued then could not his merits which came after be the cause of his worthinesse and so consequentlie he him selfe in our nature did not merit for him selfe this worthinesse which he had before But his honor and glorie to the which he hath aduanced our nature was a consequent of his abasing and the coniunctions in those places note rather an order and consequence then a cause Apoc. 5. 13. The text And euerie creature that is in heauen and vpon the earth and vnder the earth and that are in the sea and that are therein all did I heare saieng To him that sitteth in the throne ⸫ and to the lambe benediction and honor glorie and power for euer and euer The note All the said creatures are bound to giue honor
good things to them that aske him The note These good things are graces and all spiritual giftes and whatsoeuer pertaineth to the health of the soule The answer If al these things be giuen vs of God and so are of his franke and free liberalitie then with what face teach you that your own merites must get vs heauen and gaine vs the saluation of our soules Matth. 9. 2. The text And Iesus ⸫ seeing their faith said to the sicke of the palsey c. The note We see that the faith of one helpeth to obtaine for another The answer It is very true that there is mutuall helpe giuen by the faithfull whiles they liue one to another both by prayer to obtaine good things at Gods hand and also to comfort and confirme one another mutually in faith and all goodnesse but what maketh this for that which you teach fooles to looke for that is helpe by them which are dead and gone Matth 9. 15. The text But the dayes will come when the bridegrome shall be taken away from them and ⸫ then they shall fast The note Christ signifieth that the Church shall vse fasting dayes after his Ascension Epiphanius in Compend fid Cath. August epist. 80. The answer Christ doeth not prescribe any certaine day or dayes euery wéeke to fast in howsoeuer occasions doe fall out neither doeth he appoint men when they fast to abstaine from one kinde of meate to fill their bellie with another your fathers you might haue spared The fasting dayes there set downe by Epiphanius vnder the name of Apostolicall tradition for verifying and fulfilling this place your church obserueth not As for Augustine he knewe of no such tradition that is of any daies appointed by Christ or his Apostles to fast in Matth. 9. 32. The text But Iesus turning and seeing her said haue a good heart daughter ⸫ thy faith hath made thee safe The note Loe her deuotion to the hemme of his garment was not superstition but a token of greater faith so is the deuout touching of holy relikes The answer It is true that her deuotion was not superstition but a token of faith mixt with many infirmities which infirmities it pleased Christ for such is his mercie toward his not to impute but to forgiue And where you draw from this example an approbation of your superstitious touching holy relikes you doe amisse For her acte is not set downe for a common rule for others to follow and though it were yet it could not serue but where the principall things to be considered of are alike which wil farre disagrée in any relike that you can name vsed in Poperie Matth. 9. 34. The text But the Pharisees said ⸫ in the prince of diuels he casteth out diuels The note In like maner say the heretikes calling all miracles done in the Church the lying signes of Antichrist The answer It is but vaine to quarell with you for giuing vs the odious names of heretikes and vsurping to your synagogue of Satan the glorious name of the Catholique church We doe not call all miracles done in your synagogue lying signes for God diuers times by miracles hath disclosed the impietie and hipocrisie of your Antichristian captaines of Rome as the miraculous discouerie of sixe thousand infants heades afore murdered by adulterous priestes constrained to single life in the dayes of Gregorie the great and the appearing of an owle in a councell holden at Rome by pope Iohn the xxiiii after the masse of the holy Ghost solemnly song at the beginning of the councel and such like But those which either by the illusion of the diuell haue bene done or by your auncestors fained to be done to vphold popish corruptions contrary to the manifest trueth of the word whereof some are babish some ridiculous some so foule and filthie as that they would loathe any honest eare to heare we do and may well call lying signes of Antichrist Of these whosoeuer vouchsafeth to waste some time in your legenda aurea or in promptuario exemplorum or in mille miraculis beat Mart. or such like bookes shall find store to your shame Matth. 10. 5. The text Into the way of the ⸫ Gentiles go ye not and into the cities of the Samaritans enter ye not The note They haue here commission to preach onely in Israel the time being not yet come to call the Gentiles The answer Whereby we sée the depth of the counsell and wisedome of God to be such as no man can render a reason of and that in his wisedome he sometime withdraweth the light of his Gospel and communicateth it in comparison but to a â—ewe and sometime againe he causeth it to shine foorth brightly and the knowledge of it to spread farre abroad Matth. 10. 16. The text Be ye therefore ⸫ wise as serpents and simple as doues The note Wisedome and simplicitie both necessarie in preachers Bishops and priestes The answer But you ioyne wisedom and double dealing together hold it for a principle that you are not bound to deale simply and truely with your aduersaries as both that conclusion of the councell of Constance that faith giuen to heretikes is not to be kept and also the continuall practise of your church doeth very well testifie And you doe well in reckening bishops and priestes beside preachers because skant the tenth or tithe of your bishops and priests were wont to preach Mat. 10. 28. The text And ⸫ feare yee not them that kill the bodie and are not able to kill the soule The note A goodly comfort for christians and catholikes and all good men in the persecutions of Turke of heretikes of all wicked men The answer Which comfort did animate and encourage all those whom you haue burnt and killed for religion to testifie the truth against you with losse of their liues and shedding of their blood Mat. 10. 41. The text And he that receiueth a ⸫ iust man in the name of a iust man shall receiue the reward of a iust man The note The reward for harboring and helping any blessed iust person suffering for his iustice and conscience The answer To this we agrée but your meaning we are far from For your meaning is that wheresoeuer reward is expressed there also merit of worke should be vnderstood As if it were not possible for God to be more bountiful in rewarding than we are meritorious in deseruing Otherwise it were a simple sillie rewarde that a cup of colde water could deserue Mat. 12. 7. The text And if you did know what it is I will mercy and not ⸫ sacrifice you would neuer haue condemned the innocents The note See the annotation chap. 9. vers 13. The answer You are loth your note should passe vnuiewed and therefore you make this reference Well we haue séene it and finde that which any yoong schooler with verie small studie would haue set downe The best commendation it deserueth is that it sauoreth not so
bicause you reason from Peter and also bicause you grant that any particular bishop may erre Now if your consequence be true then tel me how Christ vphold your pope Iohn against the councel of Constance who deposed him And if he were not afore that Councell the chéefe gouernor of your Church tell me who was And if Christ did not vphold him and by him your church tell me when you gat againe restitution of your supposed priuilege once broken This example therefore serueth more aptly to encourage men to follow Christ to do whatsoeuer he commandeth with whatsoeuer dangers it be accompanied bicause Christ will not â—aile them that walke in holy obedience to his will how weake fraile and full of infirmities soeuer they be but as at the pinch he aided Peter so will he them Matth. 14. 36. The text And they besought him that they might touch but the ⸫ hemme of his garment whosoeuer did touch it were made whole The note See before cap. 9. v. 20. The answer You trouble vs with your references your note hath béene already considered of and receiued answer in his due place Matth. 15. 28 The text Then Iesus answering said to hir o woman ⸫ great is thy faith be it done to thee as thou wilt and hir daughter was made whole from that hower The note It were a strange case that Christ should commend in this woman a sole faith without good works that is to say a dead faith such as could not worke by loue and which Saint Iames doubted not to call the faith not of Christians but of diuels August de fide operibus cap. 16. The answer It were a very strange case if papists should leaue lying fraud and deceit For who séeth not that the end and purpose of your note is to make men thinke that your aduersaries attribute much to a dead faith that cannot worke by loue And if there be any that doth so name him And if in truth you cannot name any then what are ye Bicause we say that faith onely iustifieth must it néedes therefore be a dead faith Bicause the eie onelie séeth must it néedes be pulled out of the head and be without all other organs and instruments of the bodie Who séeth not the folly of this We with Augustine affirme that Christ sawe in this woman whose faith he praised a woonderfull worke of loue Matth. 15. 36. The text And taking the seauen loaues and the fishes and giuing thanks he brake and gaue to his disciples and the ⸫ disciples gaue to the people The note Heere we see againe that the people must not be their owne caruers nor receiue the sacraments or other spirituall sustenance immediately of Christ or at their owne hands but of their spirituall gouernors The answer This collection is very loosely gathered The disciples gaue bread and fish to the peole ergo it is not lawfull for the people to receiue any spirituall sustenance immediately from Christ but onely from them that are their gouernors vnder Christ. I thinke if we make a consequence from bodily sustenance to the sustenance of our soules that then it followeth better thus That as this people when they were at home prouided themselues for their bodily sustenance and héere being abrode they receiue it prouided for them at the hands of the Apostles so also it is lawfull for men at home to receiue spirituall sustenance by their diligent reading and abroad to receiue it at the hands of their ordinarie pastors and teachers in their open méetings by hearing the word preached and taught Matth. 16. 18. The text And I say vnto thee that thou art ⸫ Peter c. The note That is a rocke The answer Your reasons drawen from this place to stablish the tyrannie of Antichrist haue often béene answered And bicause héere no reason is framed we say with the holy Apostle Paul that we know none other rocke or foundation to build Christs Church vpon but Christ himselfe Matth. 16. 23. The text Who turning said to Peter goe after me ⸫ Satan thou art a scandall vnto me The note This word in Hebrew signifieth an aduersary as 3. Regum 5. v. 4. and so it is taken heere The answer We will not impugne your qualification of the word and lessen Saint Peters rebuke as much as you can yet this we may sée euidently that men are but vnstaied and vnstable rockes to build the Church vpon and except the Pope be better priuiledged than Peter was sometime he may be an aduersarie and a 〈◊〉 I will not â—ay a deuill Matth. 17. 24. The text And when they were come to Capernaum there came they that receiued the Didrachmes vnto Peter and said vnto him your master doth he not pay the ⸫ Didrachmes The note These didrachmes were peeces of mony which they paied for tribute Matth. 1â— 27. The text And that fish which shall first come vp take and when thou hast opened his mouth thou shalt find a ⸫ stater take that and giue it for me and thee The note This stater was a double didrachme and therefore was paied for two The answer To these two notes I giue but one answer for they reserued these strange words in the text bicause English eares are not acquainted with them and other matter there is not in these notes worth the obseruing Matth. 18. 4. The text Whosoeuer therfore shal humble him selfe as this litle ⸫ child he is the greater in the kingdome of heauen The note Humilitie innocencie simplicitie commended to vs in the state and person of a child The answer But none of them embraced by you as appeareth Your Pope can abide no péere he must be aboue all you puffe vp your selues with the proud pharisie in confidence of mens merits what innocents you are a number of you executed for confessed treason doo declare simplicitie cannot stand with the continual practise of your Church which of long time hath loued nothing lesse then plaine dealing as both our eies haue séene and all stories doo testifie Matth. 18. 17. The text And if he will not heare them ⸫ tell the Church The note That is as Saint Chrysostome heere expoundeth it tell the prelats and chiefe pastors of the Church for they haue iurisdiction to bind and loose such offenders by the words folowing vers 18. The answer We agrée with Chrysostome bicause the circumstances of the place and matter doo require it so to be expounded that héere by the Church the gouernors thereof are meant and that they haue power to bind and loose and therefore is a good warrant for our Church discipline against Papists and all other scornefull contemners and despisers of the same Matth. 18. 19 The text Againe I say to you that if two of you ⸫ consent vpon earth concerning euery thing whatsoeuer they shall aske it shalbe done to them of my father which is in heauen The note All ioyning togither in the vnitie of Christs Church in Councels
ought thereby to haue espied their owne error in imagining that Christ was no more but a méere man Such remission as Christ gaue his church power to vse is in daily practise amongst vs and for my part I know no professor of the Gospel that findeth fault with it but your proud presumption beyond any authority giuen to the church of God in binding whom you list and loosing whom please you with your gainfull marchandize made therof that with all our harts we abhorre and detest Luke 8. 10. The text To you it is giuen to know the mysterie of the kingdome of God but to the rest in parables ⸫ that seeing they may not see and hearing they may not vnderstand The note See the annotations vpon Saint Matthew cap. 13. 14. The answer We haue alreadie giuen answer to that annotation Luke 8. 13. The text For they vpon the rocke such as when they heare with ioy receiue the word and these haue no roots bicause ⸫ for a time they beleeue and in the time of tentation they reuolt The note Against the heretikes that say faith once had cannot be lost and that he which now hath not faith neuer had The answer If either you had the feare of God before your eies or els regarded your owne estimation afore men you would not thus without all cause cauill We say that those whom God by his owne wil hath begotten by the word of truth which is an incorruptible séed to beléeue in the name of his sonne and so to become the children of God it is impossible that their faith should bée quite lost and that he which hath not this faith neuer yet had it what is this to the faith here spoken of which is for a time a ioyfull and readie accepting of the doctrine preached and is therefore improperlie called beléeuing because it hath some similitude with true beléeuing But you make of the Scriptures an exercise to whet your wits to wrangle and cauill for such is your reuerence towards them Luke 8. 21. The text Who answering said to them My ⸫ mother my brethren are they that heare the word of God and doe it The note He did not heere speake disdainfullie of his mother but teacheth that our spiritual kinred is to be preferred before carnall cognation Hilar. in 12. Mat. The answer This néedlesse citing of the fathers you vse to deceiue the simple withall and to make them imagine that your aduersaries hold that Christ spake disdainfully of his mother For they do not thinke that you vse this and other authorities but onlie where you néed by that meanes to winne some credit to that which you write which in this matter was altogether néedlesse Luke 8. 24. The text And ⸫ they came and raised him saying Master we perish The note See the annotations vpon Saint Matthew cap. 8 24. The answer We haue for your pleasure lost so much labour as to looke into the place and there finde no such matter Luke 8. 43. The text And there was ⸫ a certaine woman in a fluxe of blood for twelue yeeres past c. The note See the annotations vpon Saint Matthew cap. 9. 19. The answer Your annotation is séene and shall be considered of in the answer to the rest Luke 8. 45. The text And all denying ⸫ Peter said and they that were with him Master the multitudes throng and presse thee and doest thou say Who touched me The note It is an euident signe of prerogatiue that Peter onlie is named so often as chiefe of the companie Marke 1. 36. Actes 5. 29. Luke 9. 32. Marke 16. 7. 1. Cor. 15. 5. The answer It is a very sillie argument Peter onlie is named ergo he is named as chiefe of the companie It is a poore prerogatiue that can be wonne for Peter by such kinde of reasoning The Apostles amongst whom he was conuersant knewe nothing of this his prerogatiue and superioritie as appeareth by their reasoning of the case diuerse times which of them should be greatest or chiefe And therefore it is plaine and euident that you want better helpes when you are faine to staie vp Peters authoritie with such weake proppes Luke 8. 50. The text And Iesus hearing this woord answered the father of the maide Feare not ⸫ beleeue onlie and she shalbe safe The note See the annotations vpon Saint Marke cap. 5. 36. The answer We haue looked and sée there a great péece of learning Forsooth that is an vsual spéech to saie onely do this when we meane chéefely To which we replie that it is most vsuall to saie onely do this when we require onely that which we speake of and no more And againe it is a verie sillie shift for you to flâ—e to chéefely in stéede of onely when in other places you will haue charitie chéefely required and preferre if greatly afore faith Luk. 9. â— The text And calling togither the twelue apostles he gaue them ⸫ vertue and power ouer all diuels and to cure maladies The note To command diuels and diseases either of bodie or soule is by nature proper to God onely but by gods gift men also may haue the same euen so to forgiue sinne The answer And why do you not saie euen so to create heauen and earth men and angels God doth impart to men whatsoeuer pleaseth him to giue and to bestowe and not what it pleaseth proud men to chalenge Shew to vs that God hath giuen any man authoritie to sell remission of sins Otherwise I haue alreadie answered that we vse this authoritie of remitting sins so farre foorth as God hath giuen it Luk. 9. 5. The text And whosoeuer shall not receiue you going foorth out of that citie shake of the dust also of your feete ⸫ for a testimonie vpon them The note A great fault to reiect the true preachers or not to admit them into house for needfull harbour and sustenance The answer But no fault to reiect traiterous and vndermining papists who secretlie stir vp subiects to murther their soueraignes the Lords annointed and to séeke the subuersion and destruction of their owne countrie Luk. 9. 16. The text And taking the fiue loaues and the two fishes he looked vp to heauen and ⸫ blessed them and brake and distributed to his disciples for to set before the multitude The note Here you see that he blessed the things and not onely gaue thanks to God See annot Mark cap. 8. 7. The answer Who can better tell what is ment by blessing then the holie Ghost himselfe who in the fiftéenth of Matthew in the sixt of Iohn expresseth the same by giuing of thanks Neither is there any cause or reason in this place why any farther matter should be thought or imagined to be ment by blessing And as for the seuerall blessing of the bread first and then the fishes afterward is but your dreame without warrant Your annotation shall be considered of with the residue of the same sort Luk. 9.
doctrine no example in the whole doctrine of Christ and of his Apostles therefore no man ought to go after you Your annotation is alreadie answered Luke 18. 1. The text And he spake a parable to them that it behooued ⸫ alwaies to praie and not to be wearie The note We should alwaies pray by faith hope and charitie and by working the things that be acceptable to God though speciall times of vocall praiers in the canonical howers be assigned for the stirring vs vp to God through externall signes of deuotion The answer That those which pray ought to be furnished with all things that may beautifie a Christian we denie not and that the praiers of Christians ought to be continual without ceasing we affirme bicause their néedes and necessities are continuall But the speciall thing required that their praiers may be heard and petitions granted is faith That in the great dulnes and negligence of Christians times of praier be appointed for the better stirring vp of men thereto we thinke it very necessarie What you mean by externall signes of deuotion I know not you haue so many superstitious toies as crossings beades and such like Luke 18. 11. The text The pharisie standing praied thus with himselfe God I giue thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men extortioners vniust adulterers as also this publican ⸫ I fast twise a weeke I giue tithes of all that I possesse The note To take pride of fasting tithing or any goodworke is naught though the works themselues be very good The answer And how can men auoid pride and carrie an humble mind that are instructed by you or that beléeue your doctrine will it not thinke you puffe vp a man in pride to be persuaded that his works deserue heauen and life euerlasting This praier of the pharisie doth plainly shew that the opinion of the pharisies and of the papists touching grace and works were all one and the very same And how then shall it not worke the same effect in you that it did in the pharisie And héere by the way is to be noted whence you papists learned to kéepe two fasting daies euery wéeke Luke 18. 13. The text And the publican standing a far of would not so much as lift his eies toward heauen but he ⸫ knocked his brest saieng God be mercifull to me a sinner The note So do the priests and people at the holy altar knocke their brests and say with the humble publican Deus propitius Aug. psal 31. concione 3. The answer To what purpose do you cite Augustine To prooue what your priests do now adaies he cannot tell Or to prooue the antiquitie of your altars Therein you do but delude men with the name whereas in the things there are great differences Or to prooue that Deus propitius was then in the church seruice If you had now nothing therein that then was it were hard That doth neither prooue your masse nor your mattens in a strange toong As for the people they come not néere the altar but som poore boy for the most part is faine to be spokesman for them Luke 18. 17. The text Amen I say to you Whosoeuer receiueth not the kingdome of God ⸫ as a child shall not enter into it The note In matters of faith and religion we must be as humble and obedient to the catholike church as yoong children to their parents The answer By the catholike church you vnderstand the pope and his colledge of cardinals to whom you would haue men so childishly obedient as to beléeue whatsoeuer they shal tel them though they call chalke chéese But how agréeth this with S. Paul which wil not haue vs children in vnderstanding but of ripe age to the end we may be constant and not wauering in the faith and knowledge of Christ neither caried about with euery puffe of doctrine Luk. 18. 20. The text Thou knowest ⸫ the commandement thou shalt not kil c. The note Not faith onely but also keeping the commandements purchase life euerlasting See annotations Matthew 19. 16. The answer You loue to repeat one thing often Your notes vpon this haue twise béene answered alreadie And now the third time I praie you tell vs how yée gather this or what necessitie there is of any such consequence vpon this place You know it is of all hands granted that he which fulfilleth the Law shall liue by the Law Also you know that the Apostle concludeth that therefore none liue by the Law bicause no man performeth all things that are written in the Law This man would know by what doing a man should possesse life Christ answereth his question aptlie and fitly by kéeping the commandements Doth it follow therefore that a man can kéepe the commandements and so haue life But it appéereth that the Iewish teachers had besotted this yoong man as they had done a multitude of others to make them séeke righteousnes and life where it could not be found that is in themselues and in their owne obedience Euen as you popish pharisies do now a daies bewitch men with an opinion of inherent iustice whereby they may deserue heauen Luk 18. 22. The text Yet one thing thou lackest ⸫ Sell al that euer thou hast and giue to the poore c. The note This is not a commandement or precept but counsell which the religious do follow See annot Matth. 19. The answer Now haue we the works of Supererogation of religious papists which obserue not onely cōmandements but counsels But to let you to assume that which no mā néedeth to grant you that is that this is no commandement I pray you why doth not the pope his cardinals archbishops bishops abbots priors moonks priests obey this counsell and sell their possessions and giue the money raised thereof to the poore Be not these amongst your religious men But this would gréeue them woorse then it gréeued this rich man As for your other orders which liue by the spoile of the poore and maintaine themselues in idlenes by begging they haue nothing to sell for the possesse nothing And so it falleth out that your note is a thrasonicall bragge and that none of you set store by Christs counsell which none of you do follow or séeke to obserue Luk. 18. 29. The text Amen I saie to you there is no man that hath left house or parents or brethren or ⸫ wife or children for the kingdome of God c. The note The Apostles amongst other things left their wiues also as Saint Hierome noteth out of this place Libro 1. adu Iouinianum The answer I maruell you haue no more copie of fathers for this matter Your note and the authority of Hierome hath béene alreadie answered Yet for farther answere we say that in that sence in which you take it it was vtterly vnlawful against the commandement of God doctrine of the holy scriptures for the apostles to leaue their wiues Also if we may
beléeue Hierom none of the Apostles had wiues but onely Peter and then how could they leaue that which they neuer had Reconcile I pray you Hierome to himselfe Luk. 18. 30. The text And shall not receiue much more in this time and in the world to come ⸫ life euerlasting The note Life euerlasting the reward for leauing or loosing willingly our goods for Christs sake The answer Whereby it more then manifestly appéereth that the reward is the méere liberalitie of God the giuer and not the merit of the receiuer Luk. 19. 1â— The text And he said to him Wel fare thee good seruant bicause thou hast been faithfull in a little thou shalt haue power ouer ⸫ ten cities And the second came saieng Lord thy pound hath made fiue pounds And he said to him And be thou ouer fiue cities The note Marke heere against the aduersaries that the reward of these two good seruants be diuers and vnaequall according to the diuersitie or inaequalitie of their gains that is their merits And yet one receiueth the penie Mat. 20. 9. as well as the other that is heauen or life euerlasting The answer Well marked without a considering cap. First you loue to wring that out of parables which you can not prooue by plaine and euident testimonies of the scripture Next it is not in question betwéene vs whether there be any inequality of rewards according to the inequalitie of mens doing but whether we may for our déeds or as you call them merits chalenge iustice life heauen and such like as due debts to vs for them or for the deserts of them Thirdly if your owne note were true that though the one deserued scant halfe so wel as the other yet he is rewarded with heauen and life euerlasting as well as the other it plainely declareth that whatsoeuer difference there was in other blessings yet heauen and life are not merited but procéed from the liberalitie of the giuer otherwise both could not in so great inequalitie of merit be equally partakers of it And how the peny which enuious men which grudged against the mercy and liberality of God were partakers of must néeds be the kingdome of heauen Let them tell that can for I can not Luk. 19. 23. The text And why didst thou not giue my money to the banke and I comming might certes with vsurie haue exacted it The note See Matth. 27 29 c The answer I do not know what you meane by these references but to make vs trouble our selues with séeking that which is not to be found Luk. 19. â—3 The text For ⸫ the daies shal come vpon thee and thine enimies shal compasse thee with a trench and enclose thee about and straiten thee on euerie side c. The note This was fulfilled 40. yeeres after the death of Christ by Titus and Vespasianus when besides incredible miseries of famine and other distresses there perished eleuen hundred thousand and were taken captiues 97000. the siege beginning in the very same feast and greatest solemnitie of Easter when they put Christ to death Euseb. lib. 3. hist. cap. 6 7 8. Ioseph lib. 7. cap. 17. The answer It can not be chosen but men of such great reading haue read the destruction of Hierusalem but I maruell that you giue Rome no warning to take héede of the like plague Luk. 20. â— The text ⸫ Tell vs in what power thou dost these things or who hath giuen thee this power The note See annotations Matth. cap. 21. 23. The answer We haue séene it and answer that God of his goodnes hath furnished vs with gifts his church hath called vs to the ministery of the word and God hath giuen testimonie thereunto by blessing our labours Luke â—0 9. The text A certaine man planted a vineyard let it out to husbandmen and he was from home a long time The note See the marginall annotations Mark 12. The answer They are alreadie answered Luke 20. 25. The text And he said to them Render therefore the things that are Caesars to Caesar and the things that are Gods to God The note So duties must be done to princes that our dutie to God be not neglected See annotations Matth. cap. 22. 15. The answer Still you trouble vs with reference to places where you haue said iust nothing Upon the 21. verse you haue noted somewhat though to small purpose as shall appéere when your large annotations are answered In the meane space you giue dutie neither to God nor your prince but to him to whom you owe none that is to the proud prelate of Rome Luke 20. 〈◊〉 The text But they that shall be ⸫ counted woorthy of that world and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are married c. The note The Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 importeth also this much they that are made woorthy to wit by the grace of God and so they are in deed woorthy as also in the next chapter verse 36 and 2. Thessalonians 1. 5. The answer Why do yée not expressely say that they are made woorthie by their own demerits For that I know you wil haue ioined with the grace of God neither do you account any indéed woorthy but by their owne inherent iustice And if it were not for these foolish imaginations of yours your note were tolerable But of these you kéepe silence bicause you know not how to wrest the text to them Luke 21. â— The text These things which you see the daies will come wherein ⸫ there shall not be left a stone vpon a stone that shall not be destroied The note This was fulfilled 40. yeeres after the death of Christ the 19. of August being the very moneth and day wherin the Babylonians burnt it from the first building thereof by Salomon 1130. yeeres from the reedifieng of it vnder Cyrus 639. Ioseph de bello Iudaico lib. 7. cap. 10. The answer This is a matter of Chronographie and therefore I will not bestow paines to examine your diligence therein Luk. 21. 8. The text Who said See you be not seduced for many will come in my name saieng that I am he And the time is at hand go not therefore after them The note Manie false prophets and heretikes See annot Mat. 24. Mark 13. The answer As many as go about to tie the Church of Christ to Rome and to perswade all men to be partakers of the cup of fornications of the whoore of Babylon Your notes as I take it are alreadie answered Luk. 21. 12. The text But before all these things they will ⸫ laie hands vpon you and persecute you c. The note Great persecution of catholike men The answer These catholikes neuer knew what the supremacie of the bishop of Rome ment Luke 21. 37. The text And the daies he was teaching in the temple but the nights going foorth he abode in the ⸫ mount that is called Oliuet The note Solitarines or eremitage as S. Gregorie Nazian saith is a
and graces offered And further wée learne that as the authoritie and credit of this woman by whom the Samaritans were first conuerted was not greater therefore then the credit and authoritie of our Sauiour Christ by whome the Samaritans were now confirmed so the authoritie of the church first drawing men to beleeue is not greater then the authoritie of the scriptures by which men be after confirmed in the truth of their beléefe As for your addition of other instructions if you meane thereby your vnwritten verities or some such like stuffe you might haue kept it for your owne stoore Iohn 5. 6. The text And there is at Hierusalem vpon ⸫ probatica a pond which in Hebrew is surnamed Bethsaida hauing fiue porches The note By our Latine text and the Greeke this miraculous pond was in or vpon probatica that is a place where sheepe to be sacrificed were kept but by other Latin copies Saint Hierome and some Greeke fathers probatica is the very pond it selfe so called bicause the sheepe of sacrifice were there washed The answer Whether the pond were probatica or in or vpon probatica whether shéepe were sold there washed there or kept there it is not materiall nor woorth the contending for Iohn 5. 29. The text Maruaile not at this bicause the houre commeth wherein all that are in the graues shall heare his voice and they that haue ⸫ done good things shal come forth into the resurrection of life The note Not faith onlie but good and ill deeds shalbe counted and accordinglie rewarded at the day of iudgement The answer And who denieth this and yet then the onlie instrument of vniting vs to Christ our righteousnesse shalbe faith onlie alone Iohn 5. 39. The text Search the ⸫ scriptures for you thinke in them to haue life euerlasting and the same are they that giue testimonie of me The note Catholikes search the scriptures and finde there Peters and his successors primacie the reall presence the priests power to forgiue sinnes iustification by faith and good workes virginitie preferred before matrimonie breach of the vow of continencie damnable voluntarie pouertie penance almes and good deeds meritorious diuers rewards in heauen according to diuerse merits and such like The answer Whom haue we héere Thraso or Gnato For this can not procéed but either from a vainglorious vaunter or from a filthie flatterer You catholikes may as eâ—silie wring water out of a flint as find in the scriptures that which is not in them as in the particulars which you haue reckoned in their particular places are or shalbe shewed And to the end your credulous followers may be the lesse able to espie your fraud herein you haue hitherto kept them safe from searching the scriptures and now when by Gods good benefit you can no longer kéep them from the scriptures you haue sent them the scriptures in their mother tongue not to the end they should search but corrupted and of purpose obscured and darkened to the end to terrifie and feare men from searching for if with humilitie and hartie desire of truth they would diligently search the scriptures the testimonies of them would driue them to leaue you and to flie to Christ for life Iohn 5. 43. The text I am come in the name of my father and you receiue me not if ⸫ another shall come in his owne name him will you receiue The note He meaneth specially Antichrist then how can the pope be he seeing the Iewes receiue him not The answer He meaneth anie false and forged Christ and not Antichrist of which sort it is well knowen there were diuers both before and after Christ whom the Iewes were very readie to embrace And it is manifest that they were not onlie readie to receiue such impostors seducers as vaunted them selues to be Christ but also by a solemne embassage the prouoked and procured as much as in them lay Iohn Baptist to haue and take that honor vpon him Further you forget that which some of you haue much contended for namely the force of the Gréeke article by addition whereof in other places you will inforce Antichrist to be meant of some particular man but héere that must be meant of Antichrist which neither hath article added nor yet can possibly with anie probabilitie bée restrained to any one particular person Thus may your holie father be Antichrist still for any let that is in this place Ioh. 6. 23. The text But other boates came in from Tyberias beside the place where they had eaten the bread our Lord ⸫ giuing thanks The note These words do plainly import that the giuing thanks was an effectuall blessing of the bread and working the multiplication thereof The answer These words do plainly import that the blessing which the other Euangelists speake of was nothing else but praier and thankesgiuing by the which the creatures of God are sanctified to the vse and behoofe of men Ioh. 6. 32. The text ⸫ Amen Amen I say to you Moyses gaue you not the bread from heauen but my father giueth you the true bread from heauen The note Why we keepe the Hebrewâ—word Amen and translate it not See the annot cap. 8. vers 34. The answer This is a cloake for the raine if you had only abstained from translating such words as vse hath vpon occasion made common to other toongs we would not greatly blame you but your hunting and séeking vnder that and the like pretences to leaue things as darke as you can is that which men do iustlie condemne in you Ioh. 7. â— The text And the festiual day of the Iewes ⸫ Scenopegia was at hand The note Scenopegia Leuit. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the feast of Tabernacles which the Iewes kept from the seauenth of October for eight daies togither by Gods commandement for a memorie that their fathers dwelt by Gods protection fortie yeeres in tabernacles or tents and not in houses comming out of Egypt See Leuit. 23. 34. The answer You might haue kept your margent vnblotted if it had stoode with your pleasure to haue translated Scenopegia The place in Leuiticus would sufficiently haue shewed the cause of the institution Ioh. 7. 17 The text If any man ⸫ will do the will of him he shall vnderstand of the doctrine whether it be of God or I speake of my selfe The note The way to come to know the truth is to liue well The answer The way to come to know and vnderstand the truth is wholie to renounce resigne our owne will and to giue our selues ouer wholie to the obedience of God For the Lord himselfe wil teach the humble and méeke euen them that feare him Ioh. 7. 18. The text ⸫ He that speaketh of himselfe seeketh his owne glorie The note It is spoken of Antichrist specially and it is true in all heretikes Augustin tract 29. in Euangelium Io. The answer If euer it was verified of any it is most true of the bishop of
euident successe make as much for Turkish religion as for poperie for their continuance haue béene much alike But we know that whatsoeuer is of God that men can not dissolue Hell gates cannot preuaile against the church of God Experience hath taught and the attempts of enimies of all sorts frustrated sheweth that it is a vaine thing to assaile the people of God Of all other heretikes the papists haue béene and are the most dangerous enimies of the church which notwithstanding hath at all times béene miraculouâ—lie vpholden by the almightie power of God euen then when the might power princes and authoritie of the world were against it And we do not doubt but as popery by the truth of God hath alreadie receiued a great wound so it shall when his good wil and pleasure is be killed destroied and take an end Leaue therefore your kicking against the pricke Act. 6. 3. The text Consider therfore brethren seauen men of you of good testimonie ful of the holie Ghost and wisedome whom we may appoint ouer this busines The note The election of the seauen first deacons The answer With whom and your deacons there is almost nothing common but the bare name Act. 6 7. The text And the word of God increased and the number of the disciples was multiplied in Hierusalem exceedingly a great multitude also of the ⸫ priests obeied the faith The note Now also the priests and they of greater knowledge and estimation began to beleeue The answer That the priests beléeued we sée if it necessarily follow that they were of great knowledge and estimation then they were vnlike your ignorant sir Iohns of which sort ten for one of the priests of your church were But I thinke the time and common condition of the leuiticall priests then considered that it is likely enough that most of these were men of small knowledge and estimation And this the rather confirmeth me in that opinion that we do not read of any one of these priests here mentioned to be coÌ„uerted that prooued a famous teacher in that first church which could not haue béene if many of them had béene of great knowledge and estimation Act. 6. 15. The text And all that sat in the councell beholding him saw his face as it were ⸫ the face of an angell The note Such is the face of all constant and cheerefull Martyrs to their persecutors and iudges The answer Then burne your Martyrolog for in the traitors that haue béene executed in England there hath not appéered any chéereful face as I haue béene credibly aduertised by them that haue béene present at their deaths Act. 7. 16. The text And they were ⸫ translated into Sichem and were laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a price of siluer of the sonnes of Haemor the sonne of Sichem The note Translation of saints bodies agreeable to nature and scripture And the desire to be buried in one place more then in another which the holie patriarches also had Gen. 49 29. 50 24. Hebr. 11. 22. hath somtime great causes Augustine de cura pro mortuis cap. 1. vlt. The answer The translation of the bodies of the 〈◊〉 being in them commanding it and in others executing 〈…〉 and euident testimonie of their faith in the 〈…〉 for the inheritance of the lande of Canaan is no 〈◊〉 for you to â—ake the 〈◊〉 children and saints of God out of their graues and for lucre and couetousnes to abuse the world with their bones whereas to rest in their sepulchres is more agréeable to nature and Scriptures Saint Augustine speaketh not of translation of bodies but of the desire that men had for themselues or their friends to be buried by this or that martyr and holie man which he thinketh a very good motion But the reasons wherby he séeketh to prooue it to be good are friuolous and the obiection which Paulinus brought out of Paul to the contrarie standeth firme and vntaken away 〈…〉 The text This Moyses whom they denied saieng who hath appointed thee prince and captaine him God sent prince and ⸫ redeemer with the hand of the angell that appeered to him in the bush The note Christ is our redeemer and yet Moyses is here called a redeemer so Christ is our mediator and aduocate and yet we may haue saints our inferiour mediators and aduocates also See Annot. 1. Io. 2. 1. The answer You would faine finde some what to excuse and hide your intolerable sacriledge and robbing Christ of his honor Moyses is called a redéemer in two respects One in that he was a figure of Christ and bare therefore the name of him whom he figured Secondly bicause he was Gods minister and instrument raised to redéeme and deliuer the people of Israell from the seruitude of Pharao and thraldome of Egypt What is this to those that neither are figures of Christ neither yet haue deliuered vs from any temporall bondage But if you could you would leaue Christ nothing proper or peculiar to himselfe Your annotation shall elsewhere be considered of Act. 7. â—2 The text And God turned and ⸫ deliuered them vp to serue the host of heauen c. The note For a iust punishment of their former offences God gaue them vp to worke what wickednes they would themselues as it is said of the Gentiles Rom. 1. The answer If neither Iew nor Gentile in abhominable filthines haue surpassed or excéeded your holie fathers of Rome especially in those things against nature which euerie honest eare can not abide to heare once named then it is manifest that God also hath giuen them ouer also into reprobate minds You know who hath set out a booke in praise and commendation of Sodomitrie is it not an argument that where that is suffered they are past all shame Act. 7. 45. The text Which our fathers with ⸫ Iesus receiuing brought it also into the possession of Gentils which God expelled from the face of our fathers till in the daies of Dauid The note This is Iosue so called in Greeke in type of our Sauiour The answer And was Iosue a tipe and Moises none You might as well by this example communicate the name of a sauiour to Saints as afore the name of a redéemer sith in respect of sauing and redéeming from sinnes they are both proper peculiar to Christ. Actes 7. 55. The text But he being full of the holie Ghost looking stedfastlie into heauen saw the ⸫ glorie of God and Iesus standing on the right hand of God The note The comfort of all martyrs The answer And of all other true faithful men Wherefore we pray to God most hartilie to graunt vs that casting of all things that hang heauilie on vs wée may haue our eies onlie fixed on the glorie that is set before vs. Actes 7. 60. The text And falling on his knees he cryed with a loud voice saying ⸫ Lord laie not this sinne vnto them The note Eusebius Emissenus saith when he praieth for his
deuotions The answer Héere is a blind quarrell to vphold blind deuotion of blind papists Why may not that which is deuoutly worshipped be called his deuotion that worshippeth Except you can prooue that the word deuotion ought not to be vsed but in good part which will be hard for you to do But this fond quarrell hath béene afore broched by Martinius and learnedly answered by master doctor Fulke Acts. 17. 24. The text The God that made the world and all things that are in it he being Lord of heauen and earth dwelleth ⸫ not in temples made with hands c. The note God is not concluded in temples nor needeth them for his necessitie of dwelling or other vses of indigence See annot c. 7. Acts. ver 48. The answer If God cannot be concluded in temples much lesse can he be shut vp in pixes or expressed by the art of your painters and caruers Your babish annotation I passe ouer to the general answer of the annotations Act. 19. 3. The text But he said in what then were you baptized Who said ⸫ in Iohns baptisme The note Iohns baptisme not sufficient The answer Conclude this out of the text if you can You thinke that these were baptized againe by Paule And we thinke that Paule onely instructed them in the doctrine that Iohn did teach them whom he did baptise Your error groweth in referring the participle that signifieth they hearing to these to whom Paule speaketh to where as it ought to be referred to them that heard the doctrine of Iohn and were baptized by him Which reference maketh the text plaine and taketh away a number of scruples and doubts which rise vpon the other reference Acts. 19. 4. The text Hearing these things they were baptized in the name of our Lord Iesus The note Christs baptisme necessarie The answer And who doubeth of that Acts. 19. 6. The text And when Paule had imposed ⸫ hands on them the holie Ghost came vpon them and they spake with toongs and prophesied The note Saint Paul ministred the sacrament of confirmation See ann c. 8. 17. The answer Saint Paule laide his hands on them the holie Ghost came vpon them and they were myraculouslie endued with the gift of toongs That this was the ministration of a sacrament we deny and you haue nothing to prooue it with all Your annot we refer as we haue done the rest Acts. 19. 18. The text And manie of them that beleeued came confessing and declaring ⸫ of their deeds The note They made not onely a geuerall confession wherin all men shew themselues alike to be sinners as our protestants do but euerie one confessed his proper deeds and faults The answer There was then no auricular confession or shrift Otherwise you slander the protestants when you make this difference betwéene them and these beléeuers For we hold that confession of sins in particular is also necessarie as appéereth in all enioined penances But the numbring vp of all a mans sins in particular as it is impossible so I holde also vnnecessarie Acts. 19. 21. The text And when these things were ended Paule purposed in the spirit when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia to go to Hierusalem saieng After I shall haue beene there I must see ⸫ Rome also The note Of taking awaie the Gospell from Hierusalem the head citie of the Iewes and giuing it to Rome the head citie of the Gentiles The answer This note is printed in a letter by it selfe that it may be noted aboue all the rest Therefore a man would thinke that it should be soundlie and substancially collected and gathered out of this place And yet here is nothing in this text once sounding towards the taking away of the Gospel from one and giuing it to another But we may sée that you can stretch the text on the tenters and make it stretch to what please you Acts. 19. 〈◊〉 The text For one named Demetrius a siluer smith that made siluer ⸫ temples of Diana procured to the artificers no small gaine The note The protestants translate shrines anno 1577. to make the people thinke that it toucheth the holie shrines of saints most corruptly in the Greeke signifieng plainly temples and that of heathen Gods The answer What name soeuer it had by reason of some similitude or portraiture that it was framed vnto yet the circumstances of the place are plaine that temple it was not But as your shrines and such superstitious toyes were gainfull to your workemen so these brought in dailie profit to Demetrius and his companie Acts. 19. 35. The text And when the Scribe had appeased the multitudes he saith Yee men of Ephesus for what man is there that knoweth not the citie of the Ephesians to be a worshipper of great Diana and ⸫ Iupiters childe The note Here heretikes adde to the text this word image more then is in the Greeke to put a scruple into the peoples minde concerning holy images The answer Small quarrels must serue where better want The addition of a substantiue vnderstood to an adiectiue expressed is when you you list an heinous fault I praie you tell me was it not the image or idole of Diana that was there spoken of And may we not now call an image an image We néede not put scruples into the heads of the people against your holie images for they detest and abhorre them And good cause why For sacrifices excepted what madnes did the Gentiles about their images which you did not about yours Acts. 20. 7. The text And in the first of the sabaoth when we were assembled to ⸫ breake bread Paule disputed with them being to depart on the morow and he continued the sermon vntill minight The note Saint Paul did heere breake bread on the sunday as it is broken in the sacrament of the bodie of Christ and had both before and after the celebrating a sermon to the people August ep 86. ad Casulalum Vener Bed in 20. Act. The answer To what purpose do you cite héere Augustine and Bede To prooue that the sacrament was héere ministred by the Apostle Paul We confesse it your proofe is superfluous Or to prooue that the sacrament then and there was ministred vnder one kind and no more That is a matter that neither of them euer thought of Paul brake bread doth it follow thereof that he did not minister the cup also Your maner of breaking bread was in their daies vtterly vnknowen and vnheard of Acts. 20. 17. The text And sending from Miletum to Ephesus he called the ⸫ ancients of the church The note That is priests as Act. 15. 4. See the marginall annot there The answer The word or name of priest being deliuered from your abusiue signification we abhorre not Your marginall annotat hath béene alreadie answered Acts. 20. 21. The text Testifieng to the Iewes and Gentils ⸫ penance toward God and faith in our Lord Iesus Christ. The note Apostolike preaching commendeth not faith onely
spirit c. The note All these gifts be those which the learned call gratias gratis daâ—as which be bestowed often vpon euill liuers which haue not the other graces of God whereby their persons should be gratefull iust and holie in his sight The answer That these graces which are here recited are fréely giuen many times to the wicked is manifest and confessed of all But that which you would secretly insinuate that the other graces wherby men are made gratefull iust and holie in Gods sight are not fréely giuen but to those that procure them by works preparatorie or to them that deserue them by inherent iustice is manifestlie and directly opposite to the Scriptures Romaines 3. 24. Ephes. 2. 8. 1. Cor. 12. 1â— The text For as the bodie is one and hath manie members and all the members of the bodie wheras they be manie yet are ⸫ one bodie so also Christ. The note A maruellous vnion betwixt Christ and his church and a great comfort to all catholikes being members thereof that the church and he the head and the bodie make and be called one Christ. Aug. de vnita Eccl. The answer A maruellous good note wherin onely this héed is to be taken that men be not deceiued by ioining themselues to those that are catholikes in name and not in déede Which it is impossible otherwise to auoide then by holding fast the societie of them that imbrace and keepe that forme of doctrine which was deliuered to the church by the apostles whom all parts confesse to be true catholikes 1. Cor. 12. 28. The text Are all apostles are all prophets are all doctors ⸫ are all myracles haue all the grace of doing cures c. The note Saint Augustine ep 137. giueth the same reason why myracles and cures be done at the memories or bodies of some saints more then at others and by the same saints in one place of their memories rather then at other places The answer Augustine was a man sometimes as well as others deceiued by illusions For why should not the same saints memories bée honored with myracles in Affrica as well as in Italie For it was not to places but to persons that the gift of doing myracles was granted How much trulier wrote Augustine that myracles were not suffered to endure to his time least men should alwaies séeke visible confirmations and least men should waxe cold by the commonnes of those things by the strangenes wherof they were first enflamed 1. Cor. 13. 2. The text And if I should haue prophecie and knew all mysteries and all knowledge and if I should ⸫ haue all faith so that I could remooue mountaines and haue not charitie I am nothing The note This prooueth that faith is nothing woorth to saluation without works and that there may be true faith without charitie The answer It is strange that when in the former chapter you haue set faith among the gifts that are giuen often vnto the wicked now the same faith being spoken of you would haue it to be taken for the faith we speake of in the cause of iustification and so consequently that it might be without charitie Whereas there is as much difference betwéene that faith and this as is betwixt the beléefe of the omnipotent power of God and affiance in his goodnes But admit that that were granted you which you so much desire that a true faith were here ment how followeth your reason Is euerie supposition a proofe Saint Paule saith if an angell from heauen teach an other gospell c. doth it follow that an angell from heauen may teach an other Gospell do you not sée the vanitie of your proofe 1. Cor. 13. 10. The text But ⸫ when that shall come that is perfect that shal be made voide that is in part The note By this text Saint Augustine lib. 22. Ciu. cap. 29. prooueth that the saints in heauen haue more perfect knowledge of our affaires here then they had whiles they liued here The answer Saint Augustine there entreateth of the knowledge and sight of God which the godly shall haue after the resurrection of their bodies And he speaketh in that place no word of the knowledge that dead men haue touching the affaires of men liuing here whiles this world endureth But touching that matter his mind is as he expresseth it else where that the saints in heauen know no more what we do here then we know what they do there But you care not how you lie so you may turne men from God to put confidence in creatures 1. Cor. 13. 13. The text And now there remaine faith hope and charitie these three But the ⸫ greater of these is charitie The note Charitie is of all three the greatest How then doth onely faith being inferior to it saue and iustifie and not charitie The answer I will not at all touch that charitie is not simply the greatest but in some certaine respects But I will come to your reason If faith iustified by the vertue and merite of it self then your reason were somewhat for then charitie being the greater vertue should rather iustifie But now when it is but an instrument to lay hold vpon Christ our righteousnes your reason holdeth not Our hands are inferior to some other parts of man yet our hands are the onely instruments whereby we lay holde on and vse such weapons as serue for our defence And therefore men are called men of their hands 1. Cor. 4. 14. The text But if thou blesse in the spirit he that supplieth the place of the ⸫ vulgar how shall he say Amen vpon thy blessing bicause he knoweth not what thou saiest The note By this word are ment all rude vnlearned men but specially the simple which were yet vnchristened as the Catechumens which came into those spirituall exercises as also infidels did at their pleasures The answer By this word are ment all priuate men for it is euident that except they vnderstoode the publike praier and thankesgiuing they could not shew foorth their assent by saieng Amen 1. Cor. 15. 3. The text For ⸫ I deliuered vnto you first of all which I also receiued That Christ died for our sinnes according to the Scriptures The note This deliuerie in the Latine and Greeke importeth tradition and so by tradition did the Apostles plant the church in all truth before they wrote any thing The answer The controuersie is not whether tradition or writing was first but whether the apostles did not write as much as is necessarie for vs to know and kéepe and whether traditions which vnder their name you obtrude be to be iudged by their writings or not As for that tradition he speaketh of here he specifieth most plainly in writing and therefore this can not make for your vnwritten verities to the which you would faine impropriate the name of traditions 1. Cor. 15. 10. The text But by the grace of God I am that which I am and his grace in
that meaning procéedeth out of diuellish pride and hath no ground nor warrant out of this place For the Apostle héere doth nothing else but commend the liberalitie of the Macedonians in contributing to the reléefe of Gods afflicted saints Whereby they gaue good testimonie that they had wholy addicted themselues to God to be ruled and aduised by the Apostle and other ministers of Gods word All which the Apostle doth to that end to stirre vp them of Achaia to the like liberalitie 2. Cor. 9. 4. The text Least when the Macedonians shall come with me and find you vnreadie we that may not ye may be ashamed in this substance The note That is in this matter of almes Chrysost. Theophilact The answer This is well noted you might haue spared your fathers 2. Cor. 9. 9. The text As it is written he distributed he gaue to the poore his iustice remaineth for euer The note The fruit of almes is the increase of grace in all iustice and good works to life euerlasting God giuing these things for reward and recompence of charitable works which therefore be called the seed or meritorious causes of these spirituall fruits The answer I pray you tell vs how you collect this What necessarie consequence out of this place you can make thereof Otherwise wée must estéeme it as we estéeme of the most part of your other notes as of collections tied to your texts with poynts that will scant hold the tieng 2. Cor. 11. 2. The text For I haue ⸫ despoused you to one man to present you a chaste virgin vnto Christ. The note The Apostles and their successors did despouse the people whom they conuerted to Christ in all puritie and chastitie of truth and wholy vndefiled and void of error and heresie The answer The pope and his cleargie do despouse the people whom they seduce to the purpled whoore of Babylon in all spirituall impuritie and fornication and vntruth full of error and lies 2. Cor. 11. 4. The text For if he that ⸫ commeth preach another Christ whom we haue not preached or you receiue another spirit whom you haue not receiued or another Gospel which you haue not receiued you might well suffer it The note The note of a false teacher to come that is without lawfull calling or sending to thrust and intrude him selfe in another mans charge The answer This note is true but not well collected out of this text For I suppose you do not thinke that false teachers may well be suffered But howsoeuer you haue gathered it your note doth most liuely describe your wandering Iesuits and seminarie priests which without all lawfull calling or sending do secretly thrust themselues into other mens charges preach a new Christ and a new Gospell vnheard of in the daies of Paul 2. Cor. 11. 13. The text For such Apostles are ⸫ craftie workers transfiguring themselues into Apostles of Christ. The note A proper terme for heretikes that shape themselues into the habit of true teachers specially by often allegation and commendation of the scriptures Read the notable admonition of the ancient writer Vincentius Lirinensis in his golden booke against the prophane nouelties of all heresies The answer It is indéed a proper terme and no heretike euer did beare a more glorious shew than the papist Uincentius Lirinensis was carefull both to auoid all heresies himselfe and also to admonish others to take héed thereof His lessons be good such as we practise and you refuse For first he alloweth the canonical scriptures as perfect and sufficient to determine al controuersies which you refuse Secondly to auoid the wrangling of heretikes about the true interpretation of them he adioineth tradition which he doth not take to be vnwritten verities not spoken of in the scriptures as you do but for the sense and interpretation of them which was held and beléeued in the first churches planted by the Apostles by the Apostles I say and their coadiutors direction Thirdly he thinketh that not only the men of greatest fame and estimation in the church might erre but also that the whole or greatest part of the visible church might erre contrarie to your assertion which hold that the church cannot erre and that in that case he that will not be caried into error with multitude and companie must repaire vnto antiquitie which is far from suspition of prophane noueltie euen as we at this day appeale to the scriptures and primitiue church Now then if you will be iudged by his rules it will appéere that papists are craftie workers and so consequently heretikes and bringers in of profane nouelties 2. Cor. 11. 28. The text My daily ⸫ instance the earefulnes of all churches The note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Chrysostom and Theophilact interpret it of daily conspiracie against him Others of the multitude of cares instant and vrgent vpon him The answer Your latter exposition whereof you kéepe close the authors is the better and to be preferred bicause it is Paules owne who so interpreteth his owne meaning in the next words following 2. Cor. 12. 2. The text I know a man in Christ aboue fourteene yeeres ago whether in bodie I know not or out of the bodie I know not God doth know such a one ⸫ rapt euen into the third heauen The note By this we may prooue that it is neither impossible incredible nor indecent that is reported by ancient fathers of some that haue beene rauished or rapt whether in bodie or out of the bodie God knoweth and brought to see the state of the next life as well of the saued as of the damned The answer Bicause that which hath béene done may be done and it is neither impossible nor incredible must we therefore beléeue all fabulous narrations whereof great number are forged vnder the names of fathers others too readilie receiued and beléeued of men not espieng at that time the subtiltie of the diuell in working those illusions If this foundation faile you your purgatory goeth to the ground Paul vttereth nothing of that he heard and saw there bicause they were secrets vnlawful to be vttered Shal not that condemne the rash boldnesse of others that take vpon them to vtter and tell all and more then all 2. Cor. 12. 21. The text Least againe when I come God humble me amongst you and I mourne manie of them that sinned before and ⸫ haue not done penance for the vncleannes fornication and incontinencie that they haue committed The note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Saint Augustine epist. 108. is spoken heere of doing great penance for hainous sinnes as paenitents did in the Primitiue church So that it is not onlie to repent or amend their liues as protestants translate it The answer You haue béene often inough answered for our translations in this case If amendment of life true repentance could be without anie tokens or testimonies of heartie griefe and sorrow for sinnes passed then your quarrell might haue some probable shew in it
vs also that God may open to vs also the doore of speech to speake the mysterie of Christ for the which also I am bound that I may manifest it so as I ought to speak The note Saint Paul euer much desireth the praiers of the faithfull whereby we learne the great efficacie of them The answer The praiers of the faithfull preuaile much with God for his eares be euer open to them and therefore as they are very néedfull so are they excéedingly desired of all Gods saints But I pray you tell me one thing why Paul neuer willed them to take héed of being ouer bold or saucy with God but to make some dead saint or other their meanes to offer their praiers to God For in so often repetition of this exhortation I thinke he would not alwaies haue forgotten this point if it had béene necessarie or expedient Col. ◠13. The text For I giue him testimonie that he hath much ⸫ labour for you and for them that be at Laodicea and that are at Hierapolis The note He did not onely praie but tooke other great paines to procure Gods grace for the Colossians perhaps by watchings fasting and doing other penance of body that God would not suffer them to fall from their receiued faith to the sect of Simon Magus or the Iudaizing christians The answer No doubt Epaphras omitted nothing that became a painfull and a carefull minister of the worde to vse for the procuring of Gods graces and the aduancement and setting forwarde the knowledge of Christ and his holie Gospell amongst those congregations or churches héere named What your meaning is by penance of bodie whether to satisfie for other mens sins as well as for his owne I know not And for such imaginations of yours Epaphras had nought to do with them 1. Thessalonians 1. Thes. 1. 9. The text For they themselues report of vs what maner of entering we had to you and how you are turned to God ⸫ from idols to serue the liuing and true God The note In this and the like places the heretikes maliciously and most falsely translate construe and apply all things ment of the heathen idols to the memories and images of Christ and his saints namely the English Bibles of the yeeres 1562. 1577. See the annot 1. Io. 5. 21. The answer We translate truely when in stéede of idols we say images Our construction and application also is true bicause both your hauing of images in churches and also all maner worship you vsed about them procéeded and came from Gentilisme so that the spéeches and reasons which the apostles prophets vsed against them are aptly applied against your images and the follies you commit about them Your annotation you referre vs to is like your selues matter whereof you might be ashamed if you had any shame in you For it hath béene often answered and it is enough for you barely to repeate it againe Your councel of Nice were impudent shamelesse asses beasts giuing that to images which you your selues dare not defend Eusebius in the place you cite though he aloweth of that image yet sheweth that that the like grew out of the corrupt customes of the Gentils wherof he saith that is no maruell that some did sticke in new conuerted Christians And you can not shewe for fower hundred yéeres after Christ the hauing of images in the churches for laie mens books But I refer your annotation to farther answer wherein it will be better displaied 1. Thes. 2. 1. The text For you your selues know brethren our entrance vnto you that it was not in vaine but ⸫ hauing suffered before and been abused with contumuelies as you know at Philippi we had confidence in our God to speak vnto you the Gospel of God in much carefulnes The note Anotable example for catholike preachers and passing comfortable when in the midst of persecutions and reproches they preach sincerely to please God and not men The answer Your note is good And God grant that you at length may cast away your desire of contending and man pleasing and séeke the truth in sinceritie so should we cease from offending God and troubling the worlde and our controuersies and contentions should quickly be at an end 1. Thes. 2. 18. The text For what is our hope or ioy or crowne of glorie ⸫ Are not you before our Lord Iesus in his comming The note If the Apostle without iniurie to God in right good sence called his schoolers the Thessalonians his hope ioy and glorie why blaspheme the protestants the catholike church and her children for terming our blessed ladie and other saints their hope for the speciall confidence they haue in their praiers The answer The prosperous successe that God gaue to his Apostle Paule amongst the Thessalonians did much comfort and encourage the said Apostle in his hope and expectation not onlie of their saluation but also of the crowne of righteousnes laid vp for himselfe in which respect as he might well bicause it was grounded vpon the promises of God he calleth the Thessalonians his hope How can this excuse you when the ground of your dealing is voide of all warrant of the worde For what warrant can you shew for your confidence in the praiers of saints But let vs go a little farther with you what haue you left to God his Christ that you haue not giuen our ladie and other saints what said I to saints nay to knaues and traitors who taught men to séeke to come to heauen by the blood of Thomas you can tell well enough It is not the catholike church and her children whom we charge with this it is the Romish Babylon and her vpholders the sinke of sinne and the mother of all abominations that séeketh to rob and spoile God of his honor and glory and to giue it to creatures But our God is in heauen he doth whatsoeuer pleaseth him he will not giue his glorie to an other 1. Thes. 3. 10. The text Night and day more abundantly praieng that we may ⸫ see your face and may accomplish those things which want of your faith The note Though letters and epistles in absence giue great comfort and confirmation in faith yet it is preaching in presence by which the faith of Christ and true religion is alwaies both begun and accomplished The answer Why did you then both take quite away from the people the cōfort which they might haue reaped by the Epistles of Paul being absent if you would haue suffered them in a toong which the people vnderstoode and also in the daies wherein your heresie raigned amongst vs both slenderly and corruptly giue the other But thanks be to God who hath remooued you and giuen great encrease to his truth and religion by the industrie and diligence of true and sincere preachers amongst his people of England 1. Thes. 4. 9. The text As for the charitie of the ⸫ fraternitie we haue no neede to write
to you for your selues haue learned of God to loue one another The note All catholike christians make one fraternitie The answer Howsoeuer they differ in time or place whether they be dead or aliue and wheresoeuer they be scattered vpon the face of the earth 1. Thes. 4. 11 The text But we desire you brethren that you ⸫ abound more c. The note Christian men ought to proceed and profite continually in good works and iustification The answer If you had said sanctitie or sanctification your note had béene right but you are so gréedie and egerly bent vpon your inherent iustice that you care not what you confound for in the text there is no word of iustification 1. Thes. 4. 15. The text For this we saie to you in the word of our Lord that ⸫ we which liue which are remaining in the aduent of our Lord shal not preuent them that haue slept The note He speaketh in the person those which shal be aliue when our Sauiour returneth to iudgement The answer It is verie true and the cause why he so speaketh is to teach all men so to liue as if they were continually in present expectation of the comming of our Lord Sauior Christ to iudgement 1. Thes. 5. 8. The text But we that are of the day are sober hauing on the breast-plate of faith and ⸫ charitie an helmet the hop of saluation The note A Christian mans whole armour is not faith onely but all the three vertues heere named The answer And who but papists teach otherwise As for crosse and holiwater and such like there is no mention of them and yet these be the chéefe armour and weapons which our papists teach 1. Thes. 5. 17. The text ◠Praie without intermission The note To desire eternall life of him that onlie can giue it is to praie without intermission but bicause that desire is often by worldly cares cooled certaine houres and times of vocall praier were appointed See S. August e p. 121. ad Probam The answer You are not long in one minde One time to praie continually is to praie certaine times euerie daie an other time to pray continually is to aske life euerlasting at his hand that can onlie giue it And so it is what please you to make of it but this later enterpretation as I thinke dropped out of your pen ere you were aware For if God onlie can giue eternall life why do you request it of others As for appointed times to praie being a good meanes to stir vp our coldnes and negligence therein we both vse and like of 2. Thessalonians 2. Thes. 1. 5. The text So that we our selues also glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations which you sustaine for an example of the iust iudgement of God that ⸫ you may be counted worthy of the kingdome of God for the which also you suffer The note Note that by constant and patient suffering of afflictions for Christ men are worthy so the Greeke signifieth as the aduersaries them selues translate verse 11. of the croune of the kingdome of heauen and so doe merite and deserue the same See annot Luke 20. 35. And the Apostle heeresaieth that it is Gods iustice no lesse to repaie glory to the afflicted then to render punishment to them that afflict bicause of their contrarie desertes or merits The answer If you did not racke making worthie in English beyond the meaning of the spirit of God then to be made worthie of God to be counted worthie were all one for they whom God accounteth worthie are worthie indéed But yet it followeth not that they which are made worthie do deserue or merit the kingdome of God and the crowne of glorie by their inherent righteousnes which is the thing which both you would should prooue Your reason from the iustice of God followeth not Gods iustice indéede requireth that glorie be giuen or as you say repaied to the afflicted for his sake aswell as punishment to their afflicters not for the cause which you assigne but chieflie for his word and promise sake hauing promised that they which suffer with Christ shall also reigne with him and then also bicause it is iust that he put a difference betwéene the estates of those whome hée hath made so farre to differ your annotation or rather marginal note is answered before 2. Thess. 1. 10. The text When he shall come to be ⸫ glorified in his saints and to be made maruellous in all them that haue beleeued bicause our testimonie concerning you was credited in that day The note Christ shall be glorified in his Saints that is by the great and vnspeakeable honour and exaltation of them he shalbe honoured as now he is the honour which the Church doeth to them not diminishing Christs glorie as the aduersaries foolishlie pretend but exceedinglie augmenting the same The answer Bicause it is a glorie to Christ to aduance and exalt his saints in glorie doeth it follow therefore that it is lawfull for your church to giue to saints that which Christ giueth them not or that it is not sacriledge to rob Christ of al things due to him and to giue them to men be they neuer so holie We are not against anie lawfull aduancement of saints but against such as neither they can haue nor yet can stand with the glorie of our Christ. 2. Thess. 2. 3. The text Let no man seduce you by anie meanes for vnlesse there come a reuolt first and the man of sinne be reueiled the sonne of perdition which is an aduersarie and is ⸫ extolled aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he sitteth in the temple of God shewing him selfe as though he were God The note How then can the Pope by Antichrist as the heretikes fondlie blaspheme who is farre from being exalted aboue God that he praieth most humblie not onelie to Christ but also to his blessed mother and all his saints The answer The proud presumptuous prerogatiues giuen to the Pope and accepted of him doeth verie well declare this exalting of him selfe which particularlie héere to recite were too long Other men as the most Reuerend father in God Master Iuel Bishop of Salisburie and master Fore in our mother tongue for the benefit of the poore people of England haue in this matter taken great paines to whom also I referre my reader But if there were no more but that which you note as an argument proofe of his humilitie it is sufficient and inough to conuince him of Antichristian pride he that taketh vpon him to be wiser then God exalteth him selfe aboue God he that will make his praiers to anie other then God taketh vpon him to be wiser then God Ergo he that maketh his praiers to anie other but God exalteth him selfe aboue God The maior as I take it is cleare and manifest and néede no proofe The minor is
of the small obedience now and the sauing of Noe and his familie in the arke then a figure of sauing vs now by baptisme and so consequently giueth light to that true and cléere interpretation which we now follow and for which we are in part beholding to him as Gods good iâ—strument 1. Pet. 5. 2. The text Feede the flocke of God which is amongst you prouiding not by constraint but willingly according to God ⸫ neither for filthy lucre sake but voluntarilie The note Desire of lucre or to exercise holie functions for gaine is a filthie fault in the cleargie and therefore much to be auoided The answer And what is it not a filthy fault also in the pope You know of whom it was written that he sold all holie things altars keyes and Christ himselfe You know what outcry hath béene made against the popes actions both in this Realme and in others by them which you will not allow to be protestants Besides your whole religion is framed for gaine and to make marchandize of mens soules So that from the highest to the lowest none of you can excuse your selues to bée cléere from the desire of filthie lucre 2. PETER â— Pet. 1. 16. The text For not hauing followed vnlearned fables haue we made the power and presence of our Lord Iesus Christ knowne to you but ⸫ made beholders of his greatnes The note By this it is plaine that either Iohn Iames or Peter must be the author of the Epistle for these three were onlie present at the transfiguration Matth. 17. 1. The answer We do not intend to striue with you for the author of the epistle but you might haue told vs that you borrowed this of master Beza and that Iames being killed by Herode it must be either Iohns or Peters and that the phrase being Peters peculiar phrase doth shew it to be Peters But you can borrow of vs and not giue againe that which is due to vs. â— Pet. 1. 18. The text And this voice we heard brought from heauen when we were with him in the ⸫ holie mount The note You see that places are made holie by Christs presence and that all places be not alike holie See annot Acts. 7. 33. The answer That all places by nature and creation are alike good and of like holines this place hindereth not though by some special occasion or vse that a place for a time is put to it may be more estéemed or regarded then an other â— Pet. 2. 2. The text And many shal follow their riotousnes by whom the way of truth shall be blasphemed The note Heretikes of whom he prophesieth here do gaine scholers by preaching libertie and by their owne licentious life which is specially ioined to the heresie of these daies The answer The first and most speciall note giuen to know those heretikes by whom Saint Peter here speaketh of is that they be lieng masters Which how it is and alwaies hath béene annexed to your religion and the teachers thereof may appéere to the indifferent Reader by the answers to these your notes and by your bookes of beastly fained myracles Your other note of preaching libertie and licentious life cannot in all the worlde be so fitly sought and so surely founde as amongst your selues For by your doctrine our ladie is so good a gentlewoman that so men serue her be they whoores be they théeues be they what they will be it is no matter she will entreat and obtaine pardon for them And her seruice is neither painfull nor costly for it consisteth in sayeng of a few Aue Maries and now and then praieng to our ladie and somtimes offering of a taper As for licentious life who haue béene able to match your most holie fathers of Rome 2. Pet. 2. 3. The text And in auarice shall they with ⸫ feigned words make marchandize of you Vnto whom the iudgement now long since ceaseth not and their perdition slumbereth not The note All the sweete words of heretikes speaking much of the word of the Lord the Gospell Iesus Christ c. are but tearms of art to buy and sell poore mens soules The answer This accusation of those whom you are woont to call heretikes is one of your accustomed slanders But your marchandise is so manifest that your own writers haue cried out of it It was an abbot that acknowledged the church of Rome for his mother that willed her to reioice bicause brookes and riuers of monie flowed to her in woonderful plentie no man came to her with emptie hand The old prouerbe no penie no Pater noster did witnes that the pretended good which you chalenged and vaunted that you could do to soules would not come from you without being déerely bought and well paied for As for your pretensed accusation beareth no shew For if we had sought our owne profite we would neuer haue sought the ouerthrow of your religion For if we had held that still we had béene sure of the first bequest in euerie mans will 2. Pet. 2. 10. The text And especiallie them which walke after the flesh in concupiscence of vncleannes and contemne dominion bold selfe pleasers they feare not to bring in sectes blaspheming The note The speciall properties of heretikes The answer Though your restraint of these properties to heretikes be neither in it selfe true neither agréeable with the truth of the text which speaketh more generallie yet bicause it can not be but that such teachers be heretikes as be so grosselie wicked we will examine the case how you can cléere your most holie fathers and the pillars of your church from being heretikes the properties here mentioned be in nuÌ„ber six The first walking after the flesh in concupiscence of vncleannes what the testimonies of al stories are concerning not the dregs but the highest and holiest amongst you I néede not tell you Pope Iohn the eight otherwise called pope Ioan deliuered of a childe in solemne procession whose picture remaineth in Rome as a monument of the truth of her being pope bewraieth sufficientlie their vncleannes and filthines Pope Iohn the thirtéenth was slaine being taken in the age of adulterie It were too long to rip vp the licentious liues of other popes I know your selues are ashamed of them The second is coÌ„tempt of dominion your popes haue not only vsurped the place seat of their soueraigne lords but haue also troden vpon them deposed Emperors and kings from their roial estate made them his pages to lead his horse and hold his stirrop and to thinke it a great curtesie that they might be admitted to kisse his foot If this be not contempt of dominion then what cal you it For boldnes what dare not they do to meÌ„ that dare cast their god into the fire that dare poison the holie host as they terme it What selfe pleasers they be in this it appeareth that they both flatter them selues and go about to perswade others that
not onely to God but also to Christ as man and our redeemer and so they here do The answer That the same honor glory and praise which is giuen to him that sitteth in the throne is also giuen to the lambe and that of all creatures both here and in other places manifestly prooueth that Christ as he was our priest and redéemer was both God and man For otherwise it had not béene lawfull to giue him the same honor and glorie which we giue to God Apoc. 6. 11. The text And white stooles were giuen to euerie one of them ⸫ one and it was said to them that they should rest yet a little time til their fellow seruants be compleate and their brethren that are to be slaine euen as they The note This one stoole signifieth the glorie and blisse of the soules onely but at the day of iudgement they shall haue it doubled by adding the glorie of their bodie also The answer We allow of this note as of our owne But is there nothing to be noted in the opening of the former fower seales and the horses and that this vision of the soules of the martyrs was deferred to the opening of the fift seale Is it not a declaration that persecution for religion for the testimonie of the truth should then haue his full force and swaie when the fourth monarchie grew to or toward an ende But if you would open your eies to espie this you woulde not so please your selues and delight in your persecuting church here shadowed or prophesied of 〈…〉 The text And I saw when he had opened the sixt seale and ⸫ behold there was made a great earthquake and the sunne became blacke as it were sackecloth of haire and the whole moone became as blood The note The tribulation that shall fall in the time of antichrist The answer As there be that enterpret this of the tribulation that hath or shall fall vpon the earth for the contempt of the word so comprehending the calamities that haue befalne since antichrist inuaded the papal seate so there be also that enterpret this of the end of the world and Christs comming to iudgement To whom I assent rather for these two causes One for that the signes here are the same which the Euangelists set downe to be signes of the end of the world The other bicause nothing but the sight of so great and excellent maiestie as our Lord and Sauior shall come withall to iudgement can daunt and in such order terrifie the great potentates and princes of the earth that they know not whether to turne them how to escape or where to hide themselues Apoc. 7. 3. The text Hurt not the earth and the sea nor the trees ⸫ till we signe the seruants of our God in their foreheads The note It is an allusion to the signe of the crosse which the faithfull beare in their foreheads to shew they be not ashamed of Christ. Saint August tract 43. in Io. The answer Christians in the primitiue church when the confession of Christ was ioined with worldly ignominie did to shew how little they were ashamed of Christ crucified signe themselues with the signe of the crosse But since you papists haue brought in so many foule abuses about the crosse that where papists are it is very dangerous to haue any vse of it Howbeit in this place what is meant by the signe or seale of God I thinke it safest to learne of Saint Paule who telleth vs that the foundation of God remaineth sure and hath this seale that the Lord knoweth who are his Which knowledge of God causeth his to be safe at the last day when he executeth vengeance vpon the whole worlde besides Apoc. 7. 4. The text And I heard the number of them which were signed an hundred fortie foure thousand were signed ⸫ of euerie tribe of the children of Israel The note Of all the tribes put togither so many 144000. The answer To this I can say nothing but this your note is true your text is vntrue Apoc. 7. 5. The text Of the tribe of Iuda twelue thousand signed c. vnto the ninth verse The note He signifieth by these thousands and the multitude following all the elect of the Iewes to be in certaine number the elect of the Gentiles to be innumerable The answer Your collection for the number of the elect shall stand for me Apoc. 7. 11. The text And after this I sawe ⸫ a great multitude which no man could number of all nations and tribes and people toongs The note The elect of the Gentiles The answer This note might haue béene syared for they are starke blinde that cannot sée it without your direction Apoc. 7. 9. The text Standing befor the throne and in the sight of the lambe clothed in white robes and ⸫ palmes in their hands The note Boughes of the palme tree be tokens of triumph and victorie The answer These notes may be put amongst your works of supererogation Apoc. 7. 14. The text These are they which are come out of great tribulation and haue washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lambe c. to the end of the chapter The note The glory of martyrs The answer Which is more and greater than is possible for man to merit Apoc. 8. 3. The text And another Angell came and stood ⸫ before the altar The note The priest standing at the altar praieng and offering for the people in the time of the high mysteries Christ himselfe also being present vpon the altar is a figure of this thing and thereunto he alludeth The answer Now the masse is a figure of this vision the priest is a figure of the Angell and we must imagine Christ either hanging ouer the altar or lieng vpon the altar and to this saint Iohn alludeth héere And all this must néedes be true our Rhemists who cannot forge faine lie nor erre haue set it downe and we must receiue it on their credit And so their masse came from heauen as sure as they are honest men or as sure as if it were sealed with butter Apoc. 8. 4. The text And the smoke of the incenses ⸫ of the praiers of the saints ascended from the hand of the Angell before God The note If this be saint Michaell or any Angell and not Christ himselfe as some take it Angels offer vp the praiers of the faithfull as the 24. elders did chap. 5. For this word Saints is taken heere for holy persons on earth as often in the scriptures Though it be not against the scriptures that the inferior saint or Angell in heauen should offer their praiers to God by their superiors there but heerby we conclude against the protestants that it derogateth not from Christ that Angels or saints offer vp our praiers to God As also it is plaine of Raphael Tab. 12. 12. The answer Such premisses such conclusion You must haue that which you dare not certainly set
downe granted you or else your conclusion carieth not so much as anie shew or likelihood of following That diuers take this Angell to be Christ you your selues confesse and that Christ is many times in scriptures called an Angell I am sure you will not denie That one Angell offereth and not many what can it signifie but that we haue one mediator not many and if we haue but one then why may not Christ be he That of the 24. elders in the fift chapter is a vision of the saints vpon the earth offering their owne praiers For Iohn in that chapter doth not describe the state of the church as it shall be in heauen but as it is héere vpon the earth and therefore setteth it downe magnifieng and praising the lambe by whom the booke was opened that is Gods will in his word reuealed and made knowen But you did well to tell vs that saints héere are taken for holy persons vpon earth for your blind schollers do not imagine that there be any saints but those which are dead and gone and which the pope hath canonized and are to be found in his calendar If the superior saints offer the praiers of the inferior then we néed to learne the orders of saints and Angels in heauen that we go not to them that themselues néed the helpe and intercession of others But who can so tell vs that we may beléeue him You say it is not against the scriptures If it be scripture that telleth vs that we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ who is the propitiation for our sinnes and that we haue one mediator then multitude of mediators and aduocates is against scripture We dare not beléeue your dreames which are no where warranted in the word And we maruell not that you thinke it no derogation to Christ to take away his mediatorship of intercession when you make him but halfe a redéemer and halfe a sauiour As for that of Raphaell it may serue to deceiue your simple followers withall but not to confirme any matter of controuersie against your learned aduersaries who know it not to be canonicall scriptures Apoc. 9◠1. The text And the fift Angell sounded with the trumpet and I saw ⸫ a star to haue fallen from heauen vpon the earth and there was giuen to him the key of the pit of bottomlesse depth The note Most vnderstand all this of heretikes The fall of an archheretike as Arius Luther and Caluin out of the Church of God which haue the key of hell to open and bring foorth all the old condemned heresies buried before in the depth The answer And we also vnderstand this of archheretikes But as you erre in your iudgement of heresie so you set them downe for archheretikes who were not but principall and woorthie ministers of God in his church Your odious coupling of Luther and Caluin with Arius is ridiculous when neither they had nor held any of Arius heresies It is true and signified by the star that heretikes rise of those that haue béen of great account amongst Christians and therfore haue the more opportunitie to deceiue with and become sectmasters as the bishops of Rome who were sometimes most highly and woorthily estéemed and now are become apostataes These as they rightfully challenge to themselues the keies of hell so haue they let abroad in a maner al condemned heresies Ebions heresie in denieng that faith alone sufficeth for iustification Montanus heresie in making lawes for fasting daies The Manichées heresie in forbidding priests to marrie and so consequently of most heresies one péece or other Apoc. 9. 3. The text And from the smoke of the pit there issued foorth ⸫ locusts into the earth and power was giuen to them as the scorpions of the earth haue power And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grasse of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree but onely men which haue not the signe of God in their foreheads The note Innumerable petie heretikes following their maisters after the opening and smoke of the bottomlesse pit The answer The innumerable locusts that deuour the wealth of the earth and with their vaine speculatious sting and poison those which loue not the truth are by the pope let out of hell and haue sparsed ouer the christian world in infinite multitudes as both his schoolemen and the sundry and diuers orders of his religious do testifie For what estimate may be made of the whole number when only one order namely the Franciscane friers were able to spare to the pope thirtie thousand able men to beare armour at one time Apoc. 9. 11. The text And they had ouer them a king the angell of the bottomlesse depth whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon The note The cheefe master of heretikes The answer You say that in English his name is destroyer We sée then the diuell who was an homicide and a destroier from the beginning is this king and captaine ouer the archheretike and his locustes and that they vnder him worke the great and mightie destruction of men which here is prophesied And this agréeth with the prediction of the apostle Paule That antichrist should come by the working of sathan with all power and signes and lieng woonders The pope therefore and his cleargie haue both a mightie and a cunning king and captaine to conduct them to destroy and to be destroied Apoc. 9. 20. The text ⸫ And the rest of men which were not slaine with these plagues neither ⸫ haue done penance from the works of their hands not to adore deuils and idols of gold siuer and brasse and stone and wood which neither can see nor heare nor walke and haue not done penance from their murders nor from their sorceries nor from their fornication nor from their thefts The note Pagans infidels and sinfull impenitent catholikes must be condemned also This phrase being the like both in Greeke and Latin signifieth such sorrowfull and penall repentance as causeth a man to forsake his former sinnes and to depart from them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 See the same phrase cap. 2. 21. 22. Acts. 8. 22. The answer Your two notes being both out of one sentence which could not well be deuided I haue coupled togither And bicause I am sure that by catholikes you meane none other but papists therefore you do well to couple them with pagans infidels For touching saluation and damnation they stand all in one state case that is in the state of damnation except they repent As for your phrase which you make so much a doo about it hath alreadie béen diuers tunes examined prooued that your imagined satisfactorie penance can not be gathered out of it Otherwise we do think that repentance to be but counterfet which wanteth the testimonies of true repentance doth not cause men to forsake their former sins and to depart from them But I pray you tell me your images of gold siluer
brasse stone and wood can they see heare or walke haue you done penance from the works of your hands or will you wilfully go to the diuell Apoc. 10. ◠The text And I saw an other angell strong descending from heauen clothed with a cloud and a rainbowe on his head and his face was as the sunne and his feet as a pillar of fier The note Christ the valiant angell is heere described The answer I maruell that you followed not your Liranus to expounde this of the bishop of Rome but that flatterie you are ashamed of though in other things you excéede him But the circumstances make it plaine his dignitie power strength his decking from top to toe the greatnes of his voice the brightnes of his countenance his vnused steps comprehending lande and sea togither can not well agrée to any other Apoc. 10. ◠The text And when the seauen thunders had spoken their voices I was about to write And I heard a voice from heauen saieng vnto me Signe the things which the seauen thunders haue spoken and ⸫ write them not The note Manie great mysteries and truths are to be preserued in the church which for causes knowen to Gods prouidence are not to be written in the booke of holie Scripture The answer Farre fetched and déere bought is good for ladies Iohn was forbidden to write Ergo they are kept in the church When you can prooue that your church knoweth those things which Saint Iohn was forbidden to write and those things which Saint Paule heard and sawe in heauen and might not vtter then will I beléeue all your vnwritten verities Apoc. 10. ◠The text And the angell which I saw standing vpon the sea and vpon the land ⸫ lifted vp his hand to heauen and he sware by him that liueth for euer and euer c. The note This was the maner of taking an othe by the true God as Deut. 32. The answer There were diuers and sundrie maners of taking othes by the true God which I do not thinke so necessarie here to be noted as that you haue taught men to forsake God and to sweare by those which are not Gods and as the thing which is héere sworne that is that time shalbe no more which is most necessarie for men to consider that they flatter not them selues with the eternall continuance of the world Apoc. 10. ◠The text And he said to me Take the booke and ⸫ deuoure it The note By earnest studie and meditation The answer You say well adde this I pray you that it is not onlie to be read studied and thought vpon but also in as large measure as we are able to attaine to vnderstood and laied vp in our harts Apoc. 10. 9. The text And it shall make thy bellie to be bitter but in thy mouth it shalbe ⸫ sweete as it were honie The note Sweete in the reading but in the fulfilling somewhat bitter bicause it commandeth works of penance and suffring of tribulations The answer The promises of the most gratious fauour of God and good life to beleeuers are swéete and delectable but that we must passe through manie and bitter tribulations to come to life to flesh and blood can not be but bitter As for your satisfactorie workes of penance which your mind runneth on are not to be found any where in this booke but your hart is alwaies on your half penie Apoc. 11. 2. The text But the court which is without the temple cast foorth and measure not that bicause it is giuen to the Gentiles and they shall tread vnder foot the holie citie ⸫ two fourtie moneths The note Three yeeres and an halfe which is the time of Antichrists raigne and persecution The answer But that these moneths are to be measured here by our ordinarie moneths that resteth to be prooued The onlie thing that we can learne by this is that Antichrists raigne shall not endure alwaies but in comparison of Christes raigne which shalbe eternall if shalbe verie short But how long or how short so euer the time is this is certaine and plaine against the papists that during Antichrists raigne the holie citie that is the church shall be troden vnder foote Apoc. 11. 7. The text And when they shall haue finished their testimonie the ⸫ beast which ascended from the depth shall make warre against them and shall ouercome them and kill them The note The great Antichrist The answer The bishop of Rome who though in the eies of the world séeme to preuaile and to kill the witnesses of Gods truth yet he can not do it till they haue finished their testimonie that is the time that God hath appointed them for the execution of their office Apoc. 11. 8. The text And their bodies shall lie in the streets of the ⸫ great citie which is called spiritually Sodom and Egypt where the Lorde also was crucified The note He meaneth Hierusalem named Sodome and Egypt for imitation of them in wickednes so that we see his chiefe raigne shalbe there though his tirannie may extend to all places of the world The answer How faine you would turne mens eies from Rome to looke for the great Antichrist els where Séeing the names and other attributes are spirituall descriptions of this citie and that Rome resembleth Hierusalem in killing Christ in his members is like Sodom in beastlie filthinesse and like Egypt both in ambition and superstition and in indeuor to hold the people of God in seruitude and thraldom I sée not why we should still thinke that to be the great citie here spoken of Apoc. 11. 10. The text And the inhabitants of the earth ⸫ shall be glad vpon them and make merrie The note The wicked reioice when holie men are executed by the tirants of the world bicause their life and doctrine are burdenous vnto them The answer This is verie true and taught by dailie experience vnder the Pope and such tirannous princes as bend their might force and authoritie to aduance his dignitie Apoc. 11. 15. The text And the seuenth Angel sounded with a trumpet and there were made loud voices in heauen saieng ⸫ The kingdome of this world is made our Lordes and his Christes and he shall raigne for euer and euer Amen The note The kingdome of this world vsurped before by Satan and Antichrist shall afterward be Christs for euer The answer This last trumpet summoneth all the dead to rise againe and so to come to iudgement at which time all enemies shalbe destroied and God sole seazed in quiet possession for euer and euer of the whole world Apoc. 11. 18 The text And the Gentiles were angrie and thy wrath is come and the time of the dead to be iudged and ⸫ to render reward to thy seruants the prophets and saints and to them that feare thy name little and great c. The note To repaie the hire or wages for so both the Greeke word and the Latin signifie due to holie men proueth against
thankesgiuing that the saints of God vse for his benefits It is called the song of Moyses and Christ bicause the benefits of all times of the lawe and of the Gospell are therein considered the deliuerie of the children of Israel and the redemption of all nations vnder heauen It consisteth of thrée parts namely in considering the woonderfulnes and gloriousnes of Gods works the iustice and truth of God in his waies and the terriblenes and fearefulnes of his iudgements Apoc. 1◠6. The text ⸫ Bicause they haue shed the blood of the saints and prophets and thou hast giuen them blood to drinke for they are woorthie The note The great reuenge that God will do at the later daie vpon the persecutors of his saints The answer The great reuenge that God hath done and shewed vpon all the persecuting tyrants of the primitiue church And this withal is to be diligently remembred that Gods arme is not shortened and his hand is stretched out still And therefore still blood must be the drinke of them that delight in blood and they that loue darknes shall haue their rewarde in the kingdome of darknes and they that loue not the truth must be giuen ouer to beléeue lies Apoc. 16. 9. The text And men boiled with great heate and ⸫ blasphemed the name of God hauing power ouer these plagues The note The desperate and damned persons shall blaspheme God perpetuallie which shall be such onely as do not repent in this life The answer If I did not perceiue that these plagues are referred to former times I would referre this to you whome I sée blinded with hipocrisie and drunken with the confidence of your owne merits so that when you intend and purpose to serue God you commit idolatrie and bicause you sée not your sinnes you can not abide anie admonition or reproouing and when God striketh and punisheth you bicause you vnderstand not the cause you are neuer the better but grudge and blaspheme and runne headlong to the diuell without repentance But when I looke vnto those former times which are here spoken of I finde the same rootes of euill in them which are in you although not so déepe rooted in them as in you that is the philosophicall doctrine of frée will and confidence in them selues and their workes which made them suppose that they pleased God when they killed his saints enemies to those opinions and bicause they did not imagine that they did amisse therefore no maruell though they repented not but grudged and blasphemed at the plagues which God powred vpon them For the same causes must néedes in euerie one haue like effectes Apoc. 16. 11. The text And they blasphemed the God of heauen bicause of their paines and woundes and ⸫ did not penance from their works The note See chapter 9. verse 2. in the margent The answer The foole will not giue his bable for the tower of London for then he should misse a great deale of good sport Your marginall annotation hath bene viewed and answered the substance wherof being friuolous and foolish you haue repeated I knowe not howe oft in these annotations Apoc. 16. 13. The text And I sawe from the mouth ⸫ of the dragon and from the mouth of the beast and from the mouth of the false prophet three vncleane spirits in maner of frogges The note The dragon is the diuell the beast Antichrist or the societie whereof he is the head the false prophet either Antichrist him selfe or the companie of heretikes and seducers that follow him The answer That by the dragon the diuell is signified and by the beast the Pope or the societie whereof he is the head we easilie consent with you but the false prophet here we suppose to be Mahomet that hath seduced the whole empires of the Turkes and Persians And al these by euill wicked and seducing spirits bend them selues and all their force against the Church and kingdome of Christ. Apoc. 16. 16. The text And he shall gather them into a place which in Hebrewe is called Arina-gedon The note The hill of theeues by Saint Hieroms interpretation The answer The coniectures of interpreters is very diuers vpon this word but this is plaine that being in the time of the sixt Angels powring foorth his viall it is a matter to be accomplished néere about our times and it is therefore the diligentlier to be considered and weighed of vs with the issue of it The summe of it is that the diuell and Antichrist shall by their false prophets perswade the Kings of the earth to bend all their whole force against the church and against the Gospel of God to extinguish and destroy it By all likelihoode the time of accomplishing this is nowe at hand for I suppose there was neuer afore anie such conspiracie of princes for that purpose But God who drewe Iabin and Sisera to Magiddo which bicause it was placed by a mountaine is called héere Arma-gedon to giue them and all their great armie into the hand of a woman to destruction hath promised to doe the like héere to the great comfort and consolation of his church and people especiallie of those which are now gouerned by Deborah Apoc. 16. 19. The text And ⸫ the great citie was made into three parts and the cities of the Gentiles fell The note The citie or common welth of the wicked diuided into three partes into infidels heretikes and euill Catholikes The citie is here called Babylon whereof see the next chapter verse 5. The answer The citie still I take for Rome called héere Babilon The diuision of it I take to be into Epicurean Atheists close hipocrites and cruell superstitious and yet openlie wicked ignorant people Apoc. 17. ◠The text And there came to me one of the seuen Angels which had the seuen vials and spake with me saieng Come I will shewe thee the damnation of the great harlot The note The small damnation of the whole companie of the reprobate called heere the great whore The answer The finall damnation of the popes of Rome and their church there so euidentlie described by their maners nature properties conuersation of life apparell power ouer the kings of the earth that neither man nor place vpon the earth can be found to which euerie part of this description can so aptlie agrée to as to these Open therefore your eies and espie her whom the holie Ghost laieth out so openlie before you and flie from her betimes least you be partaker of her plagues and damnation Apoc. 17. 1. The text Which sitteth vpon ⸫ many waters The note These many waters are many peoples verse 15. The answer Héere you haue found scripture for your vniuersalitie The whoore hath a large dominion and many people vnder hir euen as many as without all iudgement receiue whatsoeuer it pleaseth the bishops of Rome to obtrude to them Apoc. 17. 8. The text The beast which thou sawest ⸫ was and is not and shal come vp out of
the bottomlesse depth and go into destruction The note It signifieth the short raigne of Antichrist who is the chiefe horne or head of the beast The answer I would it had pleased God to make it so short as you imagin it it had saued the blood of a great number of saints and bred quietnes in our daies but sith it hath pleased God otherwise God open our eies that we may sée know and take héed in time Apoc. 17. 12. The text And the ten horns which thou sawest are ⸫ ten kings which haue not yet receiued kingdome but shall receiue power as kings one hower after the beast The note Some expound it of ten small kingdoms into which the Roman empire shall be diuided which all shall serue Antichrist both in his life and a little after The answer I consent to them that interpret this of our kingdoms in Europe England France Spaine Scotland Nauar Denmarke Sweueland Beame Poland Hungarie which all haue serued Rome But the continuance of their seruice the beasts whole life and a little after is one of your dreames Apoc. 17. 1◠The text And the ten hornes which thou sawest in the beast these shal hate the harlot and shal make hir desolate and naked and shal eate hir flesh and hir they shal burne with fire For ⸫ God hath giuen into their harts to doo that which pleaseth him that they giue their kingdom to the beast till the words of God be consummate The note Not forcing or moouing any to follow Antichrist but by his iust iudgement and for punishment of their sinne permitting them to beleeue and consent to him The answer Of Gods working in the minds of men and of your foolish friuolous flieng to permission we haue spoken diuers times afore I cannot learne of you to speake otherwise than the holy Ghost hath taught me but héere it is manifest that those kings shall not serue the whoore so long as you dreamed of but that though by the iust iudgement of God they for a time gaue their crowns and dignities vnto Antichrist yet God hath alreadie altered the minds and wils of some of these and will when his good pleasure is alter the rest that they shall hate the harlot and make hir desolate and naked according to the words of this prophesie Apoc. 18. 7. The text As much as she hath glorified hir selfe and hath been in delicacies ⸫ so much giue hir torment and moorning bicause she saith in hir hart I sit a Queene and widow I am not and moorning I shall not see The note The measure of paines and damnation according to the wicked pleasures and vnlawfull delights of this life which is a sore sentence for such people as turne their whole life to lust and riot The answer Though this be properly spoken and meant of the paines and damnation of the whoore of Babylon yet it may be well extended to all those that after hir example excell in pride and ambition and other impieties For as they haue folowed hir in sinning so no doubt they shall follow hir in the punishment of sinne Apoc. 18. 9. The text And ⸫ the kings of the earth that haue fornicated with hir and haue liued in delicacies shall weepe and bewaile themselues vpon hir when they shall see the smoke of hir burning The note Kings and marchants are most encumbred endangered and drowned in the pleasures of this world whose whole life and traffike is if they be not exceeding vertuous to find varietie of earthly pleasures Who seeing once the extreme end of their ioies and of all that made their heauen heere to be turned into paines and damnation eternall then shall howle and weepe too late The answer Kings and marchants and all other that haue had hir in reuerence shal be astonied at the iudgements of God vpon hir and shall moorne especially all maner of shauen marchants bicause by hir decay they lose their corporall commodities For thereby their Romish marchandise wherein consisted their whole traffike becommeth dead ware and hangeth on their hands For that they haue no vent for it Apoc. 18. 20. The text ⸫ Reioice ouer her heauen and ye holie Apostles and prophets bicause God hath iudged your iudgement of her The note The angels and all saints shall reioice and laude God to see the wicked confounded and Gods iustice executed vpon their oppressors and persecutors and this is that which the martyrs praied for chapter 6. The answer All celesticall creatures togither with the saints of God are called to celebrate and shew foorth their spirituall ioie and gladnes for the destruction of the enimies of Gods church and for the notable reuenge that God hath made for the blood of his saints that hath béene spilled Apoc. 18. 21. The text And one strong angell tooke vp as it were a great milstone and threw it into the sea saieng with this violence shall ⸫ Babylon that great citie be throwen and shall now be founde no more The note By this it seemeth cleere that the apostle meaneth not any one citie but the vniuersal companie of the reprobate which shal perish in the day of iudgement the old prophets also naming the whole number of Gods enimies mistically Babylon as Ierem. cap. 52. The answer How cléere can any thing here make it that by Babylon one citie is not ment The whole number of the reprobate shall perish at the day of iudgement What then Doth that hinder that the head and principall citie of the diuels kingdome is not ment here by Babylon Babylon is taken in the scriptures mystically for the whole number of Gods enimies Ieremie 52. Babylon in that chapter is not named and though it be by circumstance desciphered I sée nothing why there also it should not be taken for the citie it selfe But howsoeuer it be taken there it is most manifest that here it must be taken for Rome For what other citie is situate on seauen hils what other citie hath had kingdome ouer the kings of the earth what other city hath made the nations to erre in her inchauntments and in what citie else may a man finde the blood of the prophets and saints that haue béene slaine vpon the earth So that the reasons that lead vs to vnderstand it of Rome are so many and so plaine that except a man would shut his eies against the light he cannot choose but sée it Yet this is farther to be gathered that the head and principall citie of the diuels kingdome can not fall without the ruine and fall of the whole kingdome Apoc. 19. ◠The text And againe they said Allelu-ia The note This often repeating of Allelu-ia in times of reioising the church doth follow in her seruice The answer And where all things in the church ought to be done to edifieng the people who vnderstand neuer a word are neuer the better neither for your Latine Gréeke nor Hebrew And yet you thinke it sufficient to tell vs that such a
sée that he that maketh a lie can not enter considering it appéereth in all your workes and especiallie in these notes that you thinke it not dishonestie or shame commonlie to lie And another thing I would haue you to consider of why this celestiall citie is called rather by the name of Ierusalem then of Rome séeing that if your doctrine be true Rome hath greater priuiledges vpon earth then euer had Hierusalem and therefore were méeter to shadow that celestiall citie Apoc. 22. â— The text In the middest of the streete thereof and on both sides of the riuer ⸫ the tree of life yeelding twelue fruits rendring his fruit euerie moneth and the leaues of the tree for the curing of the Gentiles The note Christ is our tree of life in the Church by the blessed Sacrament and in heauen by his visible presence and influence of life euerlasting both to our bodies and soules of whom Salomon saith The tree of life to all that apprehend him Prouerb 3. The answer It is true that Christ is this trée of life and that he worketh life and health by the ministerie of his worde and sacraments to beléeuers And that the knowledge of the benefits which we haue by Christ is the leaues wherebie the Gentiles receiue health and are cured and that Christes bodilie presence not in the Sacrament but in heauen preserueth eternallie the bodies soules of them that shalbe saued Apoc. 22. 8. The text And I Iohn which haue heard and seene these things and after I had heard and seene I fell downe ⸫ to adore before the feete of the angell which shewed me these things and he said to me Stand vp for I am thy fellow seruant The note You see it is all one to adore before the feete of the Angell and to adore the Angell though to adore him be not expressed as in the 19. chapter See the annotation there verse 10. The answer If your note be true then how can you adore before images and not adore images For if to adore before an Angel to adore an angell be all one then how is it not also al one to adore before an image and to adore an image Your annotation shall receiue answer amongst the rest Apoc. 22. 11. The text And he that is iust ⸫ let him be iustified yet and let the holie be sanctified yet The note Man by Gods grace and doing goodworkes doth increase his iustice The answer This is according to your accustomed maner dallieng and deluding with words ambiguous It is manifest that the Apostle reiterating one and the same thing in diuerse wordes doeth by the latter expresse the meaning of the former Our iustice therefore but not our iustification before God may be increased by the meanes you speake of for it is properlie Gods iustice and not ours whereby we are iustified before him Gods iustice I call the obedience of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ which God imputeth to those whose sinnes he pardoneth and which can onlie abide the rigour of Gods examination according to his perfect rule of iustice that is the lawe Mans iustice I call the fruits and effects of the spirit of regeneration which do more and more dailie abound and increase in the godlie as knowledge and faith doeth more and more encrease The text Behold I come quickelie and my reward is with me to render to euerie man ⸫ according to his workes Apoc. 22. 12. The note Heauen is the reward hire and repaiment for goodworkes in all the Scriptures and yet the aduersaries will not see it The answer That our good workes deserue or merite heauen is the thing which we can not sée nor you shew through all the Scriptures And yet you cease not to make lame and halting arguments that followe not for if alwaies vpon reward deseruing necessarilie followeth then it must follow that your fellowes which haue bene rewarded with the gallowes haue also deserued the gallowes which if you graunt then you ouerthrowe the concertation of your Catholike church the chéefe purpose whereof was to iustifie traitors FINIS Deut. 6. vers 7. 8 9. Psal. 1. vers â— Psal. 78. v. â—â— Psal. 19. veâ— 7. Iohn 5. v 39. Rom. v. 1â— v. â— Clemeâ— l. b. 1. cap. â— Epistla ad Marcellam In the homilie quoted in their epistle In the fift part of his answere to the apologie Chap. 16. 〈◊〉 Iib. 14. cap. 8. Lib. 15. cap. 13. Iohn 2. v. 4. Iohn 21. vers 22. Rom. 5. vers 18. Vers. 23. Vers. 16. Vers. 8. Vers. 2. Vers. 21. Vers. 13. Vers. 〈◊〉 Vers. 〈◊〉 Actes 2. vers â—7 1. Peter 3. ver 19. Mat. 2. ver 16. Mat. 3. ver 10. Mat. 3. vers 8. Mat. 5. ver 10. Mat. 18. vers 17. Mat. 18. vers 18. August epist. 19. Hos. de side symbolo ca. 19. Retract lib. 1. cap. 23. Hieronimuâ— Euagrâ—o Nicenum concilium canone 6. August nus ad Epistola Parmemam libro prâ—mo cap 5. contra literas Petiliam lib. 3. cap. 25. In quest ex nouo veteri testamento cap. 70. De salutaribus documentis cap. 64. Eusebius de preparatione Euangelica lib. 11. cap. 20. â—am 5. 15 16. Rom. 1. 1â— As Thursdayes August epist. â—6 Huldericus Augusta episcopus in epist. ad papam Nicholaum Nicholaus Clemangis Concilium Constantiense sessione 19. Iohn 10. 29. Iohn 15. 16. Retract primo cap. 23. De natura gratia cap. 67. Retract lib. 1. cap. 9. Session 12. 1. Cor â— 11. Hebr. 11 9. Matth. 9. 10. Iohn 11. 1. Matth. 27. 57. Matth. 8. 14. Canon 6. Urbanus sextus drowned fiue Cardinals Sergius tertius digged pope Formosus out of his graue Mille miracula beatae Mariae Ephes. 14. â— Luk. 23. 43. Ezec. 18. 22. Prouerb 10. 7 Psalm 112. 7. Matth. 21. 25. Luke 7. 30. Iohn 1. 33. Iohn 1. 26. Matth. 3. 11. August de vnico baptismo cap. 7. August Retraâ—â—ationum 1. cap. 13. Act. 3. 12. 16 Mark 5. 30. Iohn 13. slâ—ine being taken in adulterie 1. Cor. 6. 16. Psal. 19. 7. 2. Cor. 8. 12. 2. Cor. 9. 7. Rom. 8. 38. â—pistol 57. Ad ThrasimunduÌ„ regem lib. 2. cap. 5. Libro 1. cap. 3. â—ib 4. cap. 4. Tract in 8. 〈◊〉 Io. 50. â—udg 6. 31. Iohn 1. 29. Ecclesiastica historia lib. 5. cap. 18. Epistola 86. Ecclesiastica historia lib. 5. cap. 24. Epiphanius in compend fideâ— Lib. 9. cap. 38. Rom. 8. 7. Hieronima Eâ—agrio Rom. 11. 32. Ad Paulam super obitu Blâ—sillâ—e Epistola 57. Epistola 99. Hipognosticon 〈◊〉 5. Hebr. 12. 6. 1. Cor. 12. 14. Ephes. 4. 14. Galaâ— 3. 1â— 1. Cor. 3. 11. 1. Peter 2. 3. Iohn 1. 37. Iohn 1. 19. Psal. 25. 9. 12. Mille miracula beatae Mariae Deut. 12. 5. Ierem. 7. 4. Harding against the Apologie 6. part c. 5. diuision 1. Rom. 8. â—6 Augustine â—pist 5â— For the pope can dispence against the new and the old Testament Rom. 12. 1. Heb. 10. 10. Iohn 20. 31. Matth. 10. 6. Actes 1. 15. Actes 2. 24. Iohn 20. 19. Acts. 1. 15. Stapleton de â—â—tente Ecclesia capâ—te 2. Acts. 14. 9. Rom. 8. 28. Deut. 16. 16. Platina in viâ—ta Pauli secundi Hebr. 11. 6. As appeereth in the report of the death of doctor Parrie Rom. 1. 20. Ieronimus Eâ—uagrio Platinâ—sâ—â—â— that Liberâ—â— was an Arrian Sessione 34. August de peccato originali cap. 1. 〈…〉 Rom. 5. 1â— 1. Ioh. 4. 18. Pope Paul the second esteemed all that were learned for heretiks dâ—dwish the Romanes to set their children no longer to schoole but till they could write reade Platina â—â—emeus Eusebius lib. 4. cap. 6. Ecclesiasticae historiae Ecclesiastica historia lib. 20. cap. 1. De simplicitate praelatorum sermone 66. Antoninus de Dominico Augustin de â—â—mtate Ecclesie capite 4. 1. Cor. 3. 5. 1. Cor. 3. 7 Esai 44. 18 19. Smith de votis caeâ—batu Galat. 2 9. 2. Cor. 11. 5. August 1. râ—tract cap. 13. Despiritu â—â—â—ma cap. 29. Luk. 18. 14. Rom. 4. 5. Psal. 33. 1. Ephes 2. 8. 2. Cor. 5. 2. 〈…〉 6. 〈…〉 Clemens lib. 7. cap. 16. Ecclesiast hâ—st lib. 3. cap. 34. Tomo 3. cap. â— In catalogâ— scriptorum Libro 3. contra haereses cap. 3. Lib. 2. aduersus Donatistas 〈…〉 Ecclesiast hist. l. b. 7. cap. 14. Psal. 113. 3. Esaic 42. 8. Lib. de â—id c. 13 Hosias saith that we haue no other shield but the signe of the crosse De gratia libero arbitrio cap. 21. Libr. 2. cap. 2. Libr. 1. cap. 6. Libr. 3. cap. 9. Lib. 7. cap. 24. Libr. 8. cap. 2. As the charter house moonks 1. King 12. 31. 1. Tim. 4. 16. 2. Tim. 3. 14. 15. Rom. 8. 7. verse 15. Deut. 4. 2. Deut. 28. 14. 1. Iohn 5. 16. Matth. 12. 32. Exod. 14. 8. Leuit. 14. 4. Rom. 5. 1â— Iosua 24. â—â— Galat. 2. In the beginning of this chapter Pope Alexander Mille 〈◊〉 la beatâ— Mars Abbas vrspergensis Platâ—na Pope Hildebrand called Gregorie the 9. Pope Victor the third was poisoned in the chalice The Emperor Henrie of Lucemburgh was poâ—soned in the consecrate bread Leo the tenth Master Camâ—pion in the 3. dais conference in the Tower Innocentius de maioritate obedientia cap. Solita 2. Cor. 10. veâ— 4. 5. 6. Rom. 5. 23. Psal. 51. 10. Iohn 17. 5. 2. Tim 2. 19. 〈…〉 lib. 3. cap. 27. Idem lib. 5. cap. 18. Sabâ—licâ—â— 2. Thes. 2. 9. Ierem. 5. ◠〈◊〉 de 〈◊〉 ecclesia cap. 2. The consessor to Henrie the sixt Emperor Hildebrand Leo the tenth â— Cor. 11. 2. De ciuitate dei lib. 15. ca. 5 Iudges 4. the whole chap. and 5. ver 19. Mat. 7. 22. 23. Rom. 6. 23. 1. Cor. 6. 19. 1. Cor. 13. 9.