creatures / they do teache the same myscheffe for to be the cause of all infelicite But yf the same thing do fortune sometymes vnto men / that they haue required of sayntes creatures we are tawght in the ChristeÌ„ doctrine that soche maner of prayers are not the cause wherfore they obtayned any maner of good thinge but an accident or a chaunce euen as it fortuned in one tyme that the Christen men whyche were hyred to playe the souldyoures vnder Marcus Aurelius in Germanye dyd Rayne gyuen by prayer vnto the souldyoures of Marcus Aurelius aske rayne of the lyuynge God by Iesus Christ / the heatheÌ„ men of warre dyd lykewyse aske the same of their false gods Now were it both a wycked a very folysh thinge to saye that the prayers of the heathen had obtayned rayne / wherby the hole armye of the RomaÌ„s was delyuered faythfull vnfaythful / not rather to attribute it to the godly supplicatioÌ„s of the Christianes and to the greate goodnes of god whiche doth euermore fullfyll the desyre of them that feare hym / heareth theyr Psal cxlv payer wyll saue them Moreouer those prayers are not effectual which al though they be powred forth in the syght of the lorde of hostes yet are they so folysshely dispersed that the wynde as it were carryeth He that wyll optayne by prayers may not Wauer them away / whiche thinge the Apostle Iames doth witues spekynge of the celestiall wysedome But that the precept of God myght haue hys full strengthe in all other thinges let hym sayeth he that lacketh wisdom aske it of god whyche gyueth it to all men abundantly and casteth no man in the tethe and it shall be Iames .i. gyuen hym But let hym aske in fayth wauer not / for he that dowteth is lyke a waue of the see whiche is toste of the windes and caryed abowte / therfor let not that man thinke that he shall receyue any thinge of the Lorde Furthermore the prayers of those meÌ„ be frayle of none effect God wyl not heare vs when we praye for vayne thinges whiche aske vayne thinges and also hurtfull or soche thinges as be contrarye to the wyll and glory of God / whyche beynge beste can not but wyll the best thinges / and therfor they be not herde wheÌ„ they praye for those thinges which be not worthy ether to be asked or ells to be receyued of ower moste holy father that is in heaueÌ„ Wherfore Christ the Lorde sayde to his Apostles desyrynge that Luke â—â— fyer fallynge downe from heauen myght burne vp the towne that had shytt them owte yow know not what sprite yow are of yower selffe / the sonne of man did not come to destroy sowles but to saue them Also saynte Augustine wryteth very eycellently vpon the fourtye Psalme Augustyne sayynge Call vpon god wyth prayse and thankes gyuynge / and not with repreheÌ„tion / for mhy when thow callest vpon hym to destroye thyne enemye / when thow wylt reioyse of an other mans hurte / and callest god vnto that euyle thow makest hym partetaker of thy malyce For why thow supposest god for to be as thow arte / wherfore it is sayde vnto the Psalm .l. in an other place these thiÌ„ges haste thow done and I helde my peace O thow wycked creature thow doste coniecture that I wolde be lyke the. Kyther to speaketh Augustyne Now therfore ower prayers owght to be made after the rule of the lordes wyll and we muste euermore pray with these exceptions Thy wyll be full fylled and not owers / Thy name be sanctifyed / as Matth. vâ— ower Sauioure dyd go before in his wordes and the vnyuersall congregation of good men dyd followe after for why the lorde knoweth what thiÌ„ges we haue nede of and what thinges be profytable or noysome vnto vs before we begynne to pray Nether will he reche a scorpion Luke .ix. vnto his children requyrynge breade / nether will he suffre vs to haue ower desyer when with owte knowlege we aske that is euyll And we receyue that is good when we be not herde Moreouer loche as be cowardely and slowthefull synners are suffred of god to departe from hym in vayne and voyde of theyer purpose and that worthely / whiche tempâ—e Sluggardes maye well babâ—e / but all theâ—â— prayer is of none effecte god and wyll not walke in the waye of health whiche god doth showe theÌ„ / nor wyll not vse those meanes / facultyes and instrumentes whiche god hath sett in the myddeste of them or elles rather gyuen in to theyer handes to remedie the euylles hangynge ouer theyr heades or elles to dryue awaye those thinges that now opresseth them and to conserue theyer healthe Agaynste whome the moste wyse aÌ„d noble man of moste famous memorye The notable senteÌ„ce of Marcus Cato Marcus Cato hath gyuen a memorable and playnely a diuine sentence / that the helpe of God is not procured with folysshe vayne tryfelynge vowes and prayers but all thinges cometh luckely to passe by diligent takynge hede / by laboryng lustâ—lye â—d by good councell When thow gyueste ouer thy self fe to slowthefullnes and cowardenes call not vpon god / for he is vtterly angry and sore displeased with the. Therfor if we will haue ower desyers to be confirmed / If we couet to fele the helpe and socure of god we muste applye ower selues withe all ower harte vnto the common health / we muste watche / be circumspecte and labore very sore and strongly and as the common prouerbe dothe monyshe vs / wyth god we muste put to ower haÌ„de / whyche vnto noble actes requireth soche as be diligeÌ„t labourers studious and actyue / and not Idle and slepye lookers on The Esopus fabâ—e oâ— the carter praying vnto Hercules / whoÌ„ the poeâ—es do rayne to be the God of strength fable also of the carter reprehendyth very wysely the cowardenes / and slowthefullnes of sluggysshe bableynge oratoures / whiche desyred of Hercules to haue his carte styckiÌ„ge faste in the myre to be draweÌ„ owte / but answer was made hym that he muste laye his shoulders vnto the wheles / aÌ„d prouoke his horses to drawe / and so by that meanes it sholde easelye begotteÌ„ owt of the swalowing goulffe last of al the eares mynde of god doth abhorre from the prayers of them the which are wrapped in deadely crimes doth nather from theyer harte desyer that theyer synnes Repentaâ—â—ce must be ioyned with ower prayers for the lorde stoppâ—â—â— his â—aâ—â—s from â—â—styâ—ate offenders myght be forgyuen them / nether do they ernestly studye to amend theyer lyuynge whyche thynge the lorde god hymselffe hath wytnesed wyth many diuyne senteÌ„ces in the holy scriptures of the whiche we wyll onely towche a fewe In the fyrst chapter of Salomons Prouerbes wysdome and the worde of god speaketh to hir dispisers because I haue called and ye refused it
/ as PoÌ„ponius who sayeth that Pomponius they do inhabyte greate wyldernes sharpe with contynuall rockes also the same Pliniuâ— sayeth Plinie And I am easaly perswaded to beleue the Thuscanes to be named in Ptolomye for the Turkes / the letter â—â—beinge chaunged that S. myght be written in the stede therof And the moste experte men in the Hebrew tonge do iudge the Turkes to be named of Thogorma / Gene. x â— Chron. 1 the sonne of Gomer / Neuye to Iapheth The whiche kynred wyth Gog Magog folowynge Antiochus that moste cruell tyrante called Epiphanes / that is to saye illustryous dyd scourge the Iewes accordinge to the prophecie of Ezechiel wrytten in the .xxxviij. and .xxxix. Chapters / aboute the houndreth and fourtye yeres before the byrth of owre Lorde At whych tyme the warre of Antichrist was greatly fygured by the stryuynges of Antiochus Kynge of Syria and of the Machabees Where vpoÌ„ iÌ„ the .xx. Chapter of the Reuelation / Gog and Magog be put as Gog and Magog for the aydes of Antichriste / whom the Iewes by vayne expectation do looke for to come in the ende of the Romane Empyre to kyl Messias the sonne of Ioseph And that incontyneÌ„tly they sholde be oppressed and ouercoÌ„ne by Messias the sonne of Dauid before the walles of Ierusalem And the same opinion of the Iewes sprongne owte of the holye scriptures sayinges of the oulde fathers / but not wellvnderstaÌ„ded / hath not a lytle busied the myndes euen of the Christen men And saynte Augustyne wryteth agaynst it in the .xx. boke intiteled and named De ciuitate Dei / that is to saye / of the cyttye Methodius of God Methodius Bysshop martyr who florysshed aboute the thre hondreth yere of the Lordes byrth dyd iudge more truly of Gog and Magog of the other people of Scythia He prophecyed that these borderers of the mouÌ„taynes of Caucasus sholde inuade the Christen domynyons not as wholy Antichriste / but as parte of hym / A foxe openynge to theÌ„ the gates and stronge inclosed howldes / the whiche hitherto did kepe them backe from anoyance of the ChristeÌ„ people And there be whiche interprete Mahumet to be the same foxe / and Gog and Magog to be the Turkes But hereafter I wyll showe yow that a longe tyme before Mahumet was borne the ChristeÌ„ men were greatly plaged by the Turkes / and that for sinne / yf that firste I shall haue fownde owte the significatioÌ„ of the foxe / the whiche Methodius not with owte the prophecye of the spyrite dyd make to be captayne to the Caucasiane armye For it is well knowne that the witte of a foxe is craftye and moche spoken of in the prouerbes of the common people for preparynge of his dennes and lyuinge / for disceyuinge the howndes / for eschuynge of snares soche other thinges Where vpon for the declaration of a suttle disceyuinge or false maÌ„ a foxe is mencioned both in holy scripture aÌ„d also amoÌ„gest prophane wryters And therfore the lorde casteth of the disguysed or counterfet dyscyple the whyche for the loue of the present commodite Mat. viii had purposed to folow hym sayinge The foxes haue dennes and the byrdes of heauen nestes / but the sonne of man hath not where he may laye his heade Also he Luke xiii calleth Herod the tyraÌ„te instructed with manye disceytes a foxe And Ezethiel Ezee. xiii doth compare the false Prophetes of the Israelytes the whiche regarded not the glorie of god nor the helth of the people but theyr owne priuate welth vnto foxes The spowse also requyreth the foxes â—ant ij to gether with theyr welpes for to be taken whiche deuower the byne of the lorde hir husband / that is to saye those whyche be false towardes god and man / as bene heretykes and they whiche exercyse the administration of hygh offices / not for any common wealthe / but referre all thinges vnto pryuate proffyt / that they maye gather to gether / Ryches / ExcelleÌ„cie / voluptuous pleasuers / not regardynge the losse of other men / nether yet the hynderance rf the glorie of god Therfor the Turkes beynge prouoked or called owte of the rockes of Caucasus as by a token gyuen them by the rulars of the ChristaÌ„ people whiche had a foxisshe witt craftes / falsehed / and maners compounded for to deceuye And beynge led forthe as it were by certen grees / steppes and pases they haue clymmed vp to a moste greate dominion / and now they drawe nere vnto vs / by the sufferance of god whiche suffereth Hypocrytes to reygne Iob. 34 for the synnes of the people as we rede written in the boke of Iob. The worlde dryuynge forth thre hondereth fowre score the nynetenth yeare Theod oâ—â— us tathes to Arcadâ— us and â—â—â—ortus froÌ„ the lordes byrth Arcadius Honorius dyd receyue theyr fathers dominioÌ„ / Theodosius beynge deade then whom amonge Christen prynces there was neuer none more godly And the same man for his wysedome / strength and all kynde of vertues is worthy to be conferred or compared vnto beste princes For he considerynge that he sholde leaue his kinged ome beynge very greate vnto so yonge meÌ„ / of so careles vntowarde dispositioÌ„ dyd thincke that it sholde be beste for the coÌ„mon wealthe to appoynte men whom he had enryched with many benyfytes annourned with greate honoures / beynge mete also for those thynges both for councell and streÌ„gthe / to be moste faythfull tutors vnto his sonnes and iuste administers of the empyre But the benignitye of the ryght liberall prynce coulde not correcte theyer euyll dispositioÌ„s Nether coulde his wytty forecaste / beholde the blynde corners of theyer vnfaythfull myndes Nor his godly prouidence dryue awaye the plage cominge to the Christen dominions for contempt of the worde of god and all maner theyr mischeues For anon as Theodosius the valyante mayne taynour of religion and iustitie was traÌ„slated to immortalytye and heauenly glorie the thre men to whome the right holy prynce had deliuered his children and comon wealth both to be f 〈…〉 fully vsed and defended greatly deceyued by the dissimulation of the foxes / they beynge kyndeled with the fyerbrandes of ambytyon and couetousnes / by theyr false councells fraude / deceytes / and manifeste violence did enflame the easte partye / Tracye Grece / Italye / Germanye / Fraunce and Affryk with deadely warres / and as in tymes passed the foxes hauynge the fyer brondes tayed vnto them the whiche SaÌ„son dyd put into the feldes or landes of Iud. v. the Palestines did burne vp the corne bothe far and brode eueÌ„ so these traiterous rulars not so moche sent forthe by Theodosius as by the wrath of God / whyles they go abowte to vsurpe the kyngedome vnto them selues / by the space of fyftene yeares / do destroye pyllethe Christen dominions bothe with inwarde and owtewarde warres / eueÌ„ vntyll
the scripture or prechinge of any man / as of Enoch or Moses Whether by the conteÌ„platioÌ„ of gods meruelus handyworke in any parte of the worlde declaring hym to be the moste wise and cheyfe workemaÌ„ and maker of the worlde beste and moste myghtye Whether it was showed theÌ„ by the reuelation of Angels or by the onely fynger and worke of god withoute the helpe of any creature coÌ„mynge from the lorde / that is to saye by the holy and coessenciall sprite of god / so that they obtaynynge by the worde of god necessarye wysdome vnto saluation dyd possesse and declare them selues in dede to be the chylderne of god cittizynnes of the newe Ierusalem Reue. xxi which descendeth froÌ„ aboue / so that they were members of the true and primatiue church / whose names are wrytten in heauen / whiche church truly is nether ended in the spaces of tymes nor yet interrupted or cut asondre with the lymytes of places / natioÌ„s / tonges dominioÌ„s Ca. iij BVt for because maÌ„ is coÌ„posed or made of soule body / it ought to be iudged both most profitable also moste iuste that the inwarde religioÌ„ / fayth / or godlynes be represented and excercysed in the outwarde comely gesture and ceremonyes euen as it were in a glasse and in an obscure thinge Aknowlegynge god The vse or abuse of Christes sacramentes / declare whither thou louâ—ste ordesâ—i saste Christes religion with mouthe and handes and with all thy holebodye / and as I myght so speake with all thy faculties / power and goodes preachinge and praysynge hym / whom with in thy harte thou reuereÌ„tly aknowledgest to be the euerlastyng fountayne of all goodnes And as the outewarde comely gesture or honourynge of god is like or agreable to the inwarde religion so that it ought not to differ from it no not an heare bredeth / And as all godly meÌ„do reuerently exercyse and with all diligence defende the ceremonye or sacrameÌ„t instytuted of god / and as it is a cleare tokeÌ„ of a mynde chaced awaye and forsakeÌ„ of the true religion to neglecte the outewarde comely gesture action and fayer vse of the sacramentes of god / eyther to corrupte them / or when they be corrupted to wyll to defende the abuse of them Euen so for the tyme / or as the diuersite of tyme dyd requyer there hath bene variacion made in the cerimonyes / and yet in the meane season godlines and religion as adpertaynynge vnto the very substance of the thinge it self fe was saued and preserued whole sounde For why wother were the sacrameÌ„tes instituted of god deliuered vnto owre firste parentes in paradyse Diuerse were the sacramentes aâ— diuerss tymes as the tree of lyfe and the tree of knowlege of good and euyll where they myght exercyse religioÌ„ Whother were the sacryfyces permitted vnto the sayntes or holy men after the fall of Adam and Eue / and the reparatioÌ„ promysed by the blyssed seede vnto the tyme of Moses Wother ceremonyes were delyuered by the same Moses vnto the Israelytes / the olde libertye in the meane tyme beynge lefte or reserued vnto wother nations where in the patriarchs with playne or single sacrifices did celebrate the misteries of Christe An other maner fourme of holy ordinaunces or sacrameÌ„tes was instituted after the sonne of god beynge incarnate had perfourmed all his promisses / and by his deathe the synne of all the worlde beynge redemed and saluation repared by an euerlastynge sacrifice ascendynge in to heauen / he had fullfilled all thinges that were promissed to the fathers prefigured in the rites of the holy ceremonyes For why Christe deliuered vnto the churche a fewe sacramentes in nombre / as saynte Augustine sayeth / and they were of most Saynte Augustyne noble signification and holyeste obseruatâ—or For Iesus christe owre lorde and sauioure did institute and ordeÌ„ the glory / the prayse or commendation of grace the doctryne of repentaunce when he commaÌ„ded his Apostles that they goynge in to Mar. xvi Math. x. al the world sholde teache in his name repentance and fre forgyuenes of synnes not the choppyng chaungyng of superâ— stytyous tradytyons of men mixed with his pure worde And he commaunded the same thinge to be obserued vnto the ende of the worlde / bydding theÌ„ also to baptise in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy goste vnto the remission of synnes and newnes of lyffe He also coÌ„maunded his worshippers to breake the breade of his holy supper and to distrybute it amonge the bretherne and to drynke the wyne of the holy cuppe in the remembrance of euerlastynge healthe purchased by his deathe with moste large and Mat. xxvâ— Luc. xxii hartye gyuynge of thankes Fynally he wylled holy congregations to come together in his name to make supplication Ioen xvi vnto god the father by the name of hym what so euer good thinges we desyer to optayne or what so euer euyll thinges we wolde haue dryuen awaye / and to gyue thankes vnto the prayse of the Creator and Gouernoure of all thynges Vnto the whyche relygyon whiche the sonne of God dyd make moste goodly / and delyuered to his people to be conserued Thinges necessarie to be required for the â—onseruâ— of the christen religion and reuerently exercysed / there is diuerse thinges very necessary to be required / as apte and mete ministers to preache the worde / and to celebrate the sacramentes There muste an honest place be appoynted where in the ministration of soche holye thinges maye iustly be executed A tyme also is to be prescribed in the whiche the people beynge voyde of the care of erthly thinges may congregate or come together aboute soche godly and necessarye busynes Riches and ornamentes mete and conueuient / may not be wantyng / with the whyche the temples dedicate to the lordes name maye be buylded and repared when they are in dekaye / the pore people maye be socoured / the ministers of the Christen doctryne the true worship of god may be kepte and norysshed All whiche thinges for as moche as they pertayne vnto the vse of diuine administration are worthely taken for holy and halowed thinges / in them to put / to hyde or to coloure gyle dysceyte / is a very wicked and a theuissre thinge But how many so euer there be / whiche haue the outewarde relygion â–ª of Christe common amonge them / whyther they do it from their harte or faynedly for some temporall proffyt / in what part of the erthe and vnder what Prynce so euer they be / they are nombred for souldiours partaynynge to the churche and the ChristeÌ„ people / whose heade is Christ And of this moste Christe aloue is the heade of the churche ample and large Kingedome / none other man can holde the ceptre / that is to saye rule and gouuerne it / then Christe the onely kynge
conuement / whyche sholde be ordyned heade of the batayle / a busye seditious Mahumet is chosen to be chefe Captayne of the Saracâ—nes rebellion felowe and a bolde and endued wyth a witte to rule the roste and mete to take soche a matter in hande â–ª Whyche desyrously embracynge the occasion longe sought for the multitude of the armed men beynge called to gyther dyd preache vehemently of the wronges done vnto them by the presydeÌ„tes or cheyffe captaynes of the emperoure of Constantinople of the pryde of the Kyng of the Persyaues whyche wolde take diuine honours And so aboute the yere of mannes saluation syxe hondereth thre and tweÌ„ty / He raclyus now ledinge the twelfte yere of his reygne in the Empyre The Saratenes hauynge Mahumet vnto theyr captayne whiche was then .xxx. yeres oulde dyd plucke theyr neckes owte of the collare of subiection and set them selues at lybertye the souldiares of rome partely beynge slayne and partely put to flyght â—ow by what meanes Mahumet did first procure the name of a prophete Whiche victorie dyd procure and brynge forth vnto hym the moste greate prayso bothe of a moste noble captayne and of a moste excellent Prophet whiche beynge promised a longe tyme before to the seruantes of god / that he sholde make fre blyssed the children of Abraham / dyd now with dedes fulfill the diuyne promyses But the moste suttle man Mahumet as he receyued wyllyngly the prayse and tytle of Messias / eueÌ„ so considering with hym self fe the fauor of the people to be but frayle / and as lyghtas a fether / oneles it be retayned and kepte faste with some religion / he determined with hymself to bynde the people wyth some newe superstition That he myght afterwarde or in tyme to come haue them obedient vnto hym / that they sholde not be dryuen with euery lyght moment hyther or The thyrâ—e boke of the kynges the xiâ— Chapter thyther whiche thynge he dyd after the example of Ieroboam whyche dyd so bynde vnto hym the .x. tribes of the people of Israel abstracte and taken awaye from the kyngedome of Iuda / with the superstitious worshippinge of goulden calues and with wother ceremonyes that by the space of CC. lx yeres they coulde not be brought agayne vnto the Kingedome of the howse of Dauyd with any preachynge of the prophetes No nor yet with any misfortunes comynge vnto them / vntyll the tyme of theyr laste destruction After a lyke maner Mahumet also diuyiÌ„ynge to make the people of Arabye faythfull The people of â—râ—bye in the tyme oâ— Mahumet were myxte toâ—yther of Iewes oâ— Christianes aÌ„d the worshyppers of Idols and subiecte vnto hym / whiche were then mixte together of Iues and Christianes / and they also depraued by the hereticall doctrynes of Arrius / Sabellius / Iacobus Nestorius / and soche other lyke And of the worshippers of Idoles namely of Nenus the ladye of corrupte and fylthy pleasure / dyd suppose it to be beste to brynge them all in to one secte Vnto the whiche then afterwarde all whother natyons myght come aâ—lso Wherefore thorowe the helpe of the heretykes Sergius and Mathue and of these two Iues Andias Mathueâ— Sergins Andias â— Cabalachabar helpeth Mahumet to make hys laws and Cabalachabar whome he had vsed for his scolemasters before tyme he dyd begynne to make bothe a ciuile and apopishe lawe temperinge the composition and the makinge thereof with a wonderfull crafte that he myght seme to be an aduersarye vnto no seete But to make them all frendes and to reduce and brynge them in to a moste holy concorde / that he myght the more easaly be receyued of all men and retayned the more constantly There were also many thinges added pleÌ„teously whych pleaseth the desires and corrupte iudgement of the vulgare people / as the hope of greate rychesse / lordeship / and largenes of dominion / the vse and perfâ—â—â—tion of carnall pleasures / and soche a meanes to optayne perfeyt felycyte and beatytude / as euery man maye easely perfourme wyth hys owne strength / so that he wyll enforce hym self fe there vnto A daye and a tyme of conuocation or metynge Prefyxed appoynted before â—ande together beynge prefyxed in the whyche thys newe relygyon sholde be publysshed / it is sayde that Mahumet had bewytched the myndes of the symple people wyth craftes / whyche be not abhorrynge from a moste suttle wytt / neyther are they wythowte examples / for why he had prepared and caused vesselles off goolde and syluer fyllyd with moste dilicate meates and drynke for to be hyd vndernethe the grownde in the place of theyr assembles / whiche of the diggers beynge brawen owte in the syghte of the people sholde portende the tokens Portende is to signifie before hande of a moste welthye kyngedome There was also a doue / whyche descendynge vpon his sholders and flyinge vnto the eares of the author of these newe lawes / dyd testyfye the presens of the holy gooste / declarynge vnto hym some pryuye suborneâ— is as moche to saye as prepared to begyâ—e â–ª deuyne and secrete mysterye / as suborned interpreters dyd openly declare But she was before brought vp by hande of a yonge pygeone made tame / and taughte to gather peason many tymes out of Mahumetes cares / so that knowinge the mannes voyce / and beynge kepte hongrye she wolde flye vnto hym very famylyarly And by the same crafte a bull beinge customablelye vsed and put or sente owte of the bullhye feldes dyd brynge the boke of his holy lawes tayed vnto hys hornes / that the folysshe multitude of the people assembled myght beleue it to be brought out of heauen / and The secte of heretykes called Helcesaytes not to haue bene wrytteÌ„ by manes wytt Euen as dyd a certen secte of heretykes / called Helcesaites / whych dyd boste the boke of their doctryne to haue falleÌ„ downe vnto them owte of the heauens by dynyne reuelation The volume therfore was receyued of the Prophet preachynge wyth moste greate reuereÌ„ce It was opened / recyted and alowed of all men A solemne othe was rakeÌ„ and they were all sworne vnto Mahumets lawes and that the decrees for euer after myght be howlden as ratyfyed / holy and halowed / a worthy couer for suche a cuppe was added / and a capitall punysshement was set or appoynted as vnto men conuycte of hygh treason whosoeuer dare detracte but wyth one worde the dedes and dygnyte of Mahumet / eyther yet cal backe his doctryne confyrmed with moste suffycyent wytnesses into doute and the controuersye of dysputatyon And so this fayned Messias whyche dyd boaste hym selfe for to be sent with the power of weapons / not with the vertu of miracles / perceyuynge the myndes of the people to be sufficiently bownde and obedyent to all thynges After or accordynge to the lawe The lawe of Mahumet commauÌ„deth his folowers wyth warres to encreaâ—e their
owte crye O vnworthy dede and most vngracyous worlde the decrees of holy fathers of councelles / of so many lerned men / obserued and kepte so many worldes muste now be called backe agayne to scoles and altercatioÌ„ Owte vpon heauen and erthe / what a wycked a cursed thynge is thys Owre moste holy father of Rome Goddes awne â—icare in erth / and hys blessed college of Cardynales are vtterly contemned by a sorte of bag aboundes and brayneles gallowclappers Theyr holy lawes and ordinaunces made wyth good iudgemet / and receyued by the consent of the churche a great whyle a go shall they now be retracted We wyll not suffer it to be rent in peces with wylde horses we wyll rather fight as obedyeÌ„t childreÌ„ ought to do / not with argumentes and dysputatioâ—â— But wyth sworde and with all maner of boucherly instrumentes for the statutes / Actes / libertye / dignite and amplytude of ower moste holy mother and Apostolyâ—â— church of Rome agaynste the runagateâ—â— agaynste the reperypes / agaynst the herâ—tykes / and agaynste the seditious / busye and manifeste enemyes of peace and relyâ—gion both of god and all good men So 〈◊〉 I pray yow / what will yow do Remembre youre selfe well / and be not so hastyâ— for it is sayde that soche men want no woo where are yow become whyther are you gone what iustyce do yow vse wher is the lawe of owre Lorde and Sauyoure Christ / whyche Petre doth expresse the Prynce of the Apostles and the buylder as it is sayde of the church of Rome some fyme the flower of syncere fayth / and yet as I truste hathe now in store some relyques of the same / though many do counte it to be but a cage of vnclene byrdes â–ª Apo. xviii what doth the Apostle saynt Peter commaunde I praye you in hys fyrste epistle vnto the Christianes Sanctyfye sayeth â— Petr. iij he the Lorde Iesus in yowre hartes beinge readye all wayes to gyus aâ— answere to euery man that asketh a 〈…〉 son of the hope that is in yow / and that wyth mekenes and feare hauyng a good conscyence That lawe beinge gyuene by the holye goste as it owght not to be corrupted with any cursed and craftye interpretation euen so is it confirmed by the examples of moste godlye men and of the sonne of god for whye Christe by the authorite of the holy scryptures / of Moses and of the wother prophetes and with the dedes of moste holye men agreable to the scrypture dyd proue and confirme his doctryne whiche he had browght owte of heauen froÌ„ the father / and dyd declare it by myracles not onely to hys dyscyples / but also to the enemyes of the truthe the Scrybes and Pharyses How dylygeÌ„tly / how holylye / and wyth what moderatioÌ„ doth Origene dyspute agaynst Celâ—us one of the sophysters of the secte of the Epycures Tertulliane agaynste the Iewes / the gentyles and the heretykes / Augustyne agaynst Pelagius / Donatus Manicheus and whother Those olde hys-shopes of Christes churche whych ioyned to gyther the greateste lernynge wyth The mâ—â—uer conâ—dâ—tyon of the olde bysshops of Chrisâ—tes church moste holy lyuyng / men neuer suffyciently praysed / callynge a congregation for newe heresies ether waxing rype or elles spryngynge vp as of Arrius / Macedonius / Donatus / Pelagius / Nestorius and soch other were accustomed euermore syâ—fie to behowlde soche peruerse doctrynes very inwardely and to trye them by the rule of diuine scripture and then afterward with good aduisement they dyd denye them wyth sufficient testymonyes and euident demonstration and dyd cut theyr throtes in sondre wyth most weyghtye senteÌ„ces by the sworde of the spryte / whiche is the worde of god But the Authors and folowers of those euyll opinyons 〈◊〉 vi they dyd sludye to reduce bryng agayne to the knowledge of the truthe and felowshyppe of the churche Laste of all they dyd orden punysshementes by the lawes / concluded those venymous dyseases to be cut of thorowe the prouydence of the polytyke and cyuyle magistrates / leste they shholde crepe any farther vnto the destructyon of the people of God How lyke are yower maners and yower dedes agaynst the reueÌ„gerâ— proctours and attourneyes of the catholyke fayth / which make promyse that they wil To depraue is wheÌ„ a senteÌ„ce â—ell spoken is otherwyse alterâ—â— aÌ„d â—ade 〈◊〉 playnely proue the doctryne of Christ tâ— be depraued in many partes / the maners of the churche to be degenerate and fallen owt of kynde / superstityoÌ„s to be brought in wyth intollerable bourdens not to be borne / and those men to be oppressâ—â— whom Christ made fre / so that a place â—ayâ— be assygned / Audience maye be gyuen / and a tyme prescrybed fyt and conuenient / and that shortelye Truly â— yow Christen men I am greatly moued and I shake euery ioynte of me as often as I do behoulde the state and condytyon of thys tyme / into the whyche yet neuerthelesse the holy good prouydence of God hath preserued and kepte vs moste myserable wretches They knowlege their awne selffe / whych are no frendes but fenâ—es / not the pastors / but the wasters of the holy church / that there be many thinges in the rytes / the Sacramentes / the ceremonyes and maners as well of the common The 〈…〉 of the truths 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be 〈◊〉 of ordrâ— people as of their heades clene out of frame and wrasted far awaye from theyr first institution / and their conscience heareth them recorde that there be diuerse abuses aboute soche thynges / whiche alsâ— many tymes doth bewraye them self in the face of all the worlde / and yet for all that a conuenient place and a mete tyme can not be appoyntyd that they myght â—nâ—â—ake councell / and caste theyr heades togyther / whych waye at the last the churche myght be refourmed How longe hath the churche now beinge afflycted owre gentle and louyng mother worthy to be honoured of all good men ten 〈…〉 requyred and made supplication in moste lamentable wyse by Maximiliane the emperowre of most noble memorye and other prynces before hym and after / that she might be delyuered from the greuous The godly petytion of oure mother the church vnnto hyr chyldren and importable burthen of to moche oppressed and sore trobled consciencys / that she myght be losed from the bandes of symonye / that she myght put awaye those fowle pockes and scoâ—â—es where wyth they haue defyled hir and made hir euyll fauored warse then with a leprosye / that she myght receyue agayne hyr former bewâ—ye hir oulde simplycite / integrite dygnyte / that she myght be gouuerned withe the lawes of Christe hir sauioure lorde and husbande But what dyd ower mother bosted and crackte of some men with greate and goodly wordes / whych how moche they regarde hir / they declare by theyr dedes many maner of wayes What dyd