THE APPELLATION OF IOHN KNOXE FROM the cruell and most iniust sentence pronounced against him by the false bishoppes and clergie of Scotland with his supplication and exhortation to the nobilitie estates and cōmunaltie of the same realme Printed at GENEVA M.D.LVIII TO THE NOBILITIE AND ESTAtes of Scotlād Iohn Knoxe wisheth grace mercie and peace from God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ with the spirit of righteous iudgement IT is not only the loue of life temporall right honorable neither yet the fear of corporall death that moueth me at this present to expone vnto you the iniuries done against me and to craue of you as of laufull powers by God appointed redresse of the same but partly it procedeth from that reuerence whiche euerie man oweth to Godds eternal trueth and partly from a loue which I beare to your saluation and to the saluation of my brethren abused in that realme by such as haue no fear of God before their eyes It hath pleased God of his infinite mercie not onlie so to illuminate the eyes of my minde and so to tuche my dull hart that clearly I se and by his grace vnfeanedly beleue that their is no other name geuen to men vnder the heauen in whiche saluation consisteth saue the name of Iesus alone Who by that sacrifice which he did once offer vpon the crosse hath sanctified for euer those that shall enherite the kingdom promised but also it hath pleased him of his superaboundant grace to make and appointe me most wretched of many thousandes a witnes minister and preacher of the same doctrine the somme whereof I did not spare to communicate withe my brethren being with them in the realme of Scotland in the yeare 1556 because I know my selfe to be a steward and that accompts of the talēt cōmitted to my charge shalbe required by him who will admit no vaine excuse which fearfull men pretend I did therefore as God did minister during the tyme I was conuersant with them God is record and witnesse truely and syncerly according to the gift grāted vnto me deuide the worde of saluation teachinge all men to hate Syn whiche before God was and is so odious that none other sacrifice coulde satisfie his iustice except the death of his onlie sonne and to magnifie the greate mercies of our heuenlie Father who did not spare the substāce of his own glorie but did giue hym to the world to suffer the ignominious and cruell death of the crosse by that meanes to reconcile his chosen children to hym selfe teaching further what is the duetie of such as do beleue them selues purged by such a price from their former filthines To wit that they are bound to walke in the newnes of life fighting against the lustes of the fleshe and studyinge at all tymes to glorifie God by such good woorkes as he hath prepared his children to walke in In doctrine I did further affirme so taught by my master Christ Iesus that whosoeuer denieth hym yea or is ashamed of hym before this wicked generation hym shall Christ Iesus denie and of hym shall he be ashame whē he shall appeare in his maiestie And therefore I feared not to affirme that of necessitie it is that suche as hope for life euerlasting auoide all superstition vaine religion and idolatrie Vaine religion and idolatrie I call what soeuer is done in Goddes seruice or honour without the expresse commaundement of his own worde This doctrine did I beleue to be so cōformable to Goddes holie scriptures that I thoght no creature could haue bene so impudent as to haue dāned any point or article of the same Yet neuerthelesse me as an heritike and this doctrine as heriticall haue your fals bishoppes and vngodlie clergie damned pronouncing against me a sentence of death in testification wherof they haue burned a picture From which fals and cruell sentence and from all iudgement of that wicked generation I make it knowen to your honours that I appeal to a laufull and generall counsil to suche I mean as the most auncient lawes and canones do approue to be holden by suche as whose manifest impietie is not to be reformed in the same most humbly requiring of your honours that as God hath appointed you princes in that people and by reason therof requireth of your handes the defence of innocētes troubled in your dominion in the meane tyme and till the controuersies that this day be in religion be laufully decided ye receaue me and suche others as most vniustlie by those cruell beastes are persecuted in your defence and protection Your honours are not ignorāt that it is not I alone who doth sustain this cause against the pestilēt generation of Papistes but that the most part of Germanie the countrie of Heluetia the kinge of Denmarke the nobilitie of Polonia togither with many other Cities and Churches refromed appeall from the tyrannie of that Antichrist and most earnestly do call for a laufull and general coūsil wherin may all cōtrouersies in religion be decided by the auctoritie of Goddes most sacred worde And vnto this same as said is do I appeal yet once againe requirīg of your honours to hold my simple and playn appellation of no lesse value nor effect then if it had bene made with greater circunstāce solemnitie and ceremonie and that ye receaue me calinge vnto you as to the powers of God ordained in your protection and defence against the rage of tyrantes not to mentaine me in any iniquitie errour or fals opinion but to let me haue such equitie as God by his worde auncient lawes and determinations of most Godlie counsils graunte to men accused or infamed The word of God will that no man shall die except he be found criminall and worthie of death for offence committed of the whiche he must be manifestly conuicted by two or three witnesses Ancient lawes do permitt iust defences to such as be accused be their crimes neuer so horrible and godlie counsilles will that nether Byshopp nor Person ecclesiasticall whatsoeuer accused of any crime shall sit in iudgement consultation or counsil where the cause of such men as do accuse them is to be tried These thinges require I of your honours to be graunted vnto me to wit That the doctrine which our aduersaries condemn for haeresie may be tried by the simple and playn word of God that iust defenses be admitted to vs that sustain the battaile against this pestilent generation of Antichrist and that they be remoued from iudgement in our cause seinge that our accusation is not intended against any one particular persō but against that hole kingdome whiche we doubt not to proue to be a power vsurped against God against his cōmaundement and against the ordenance of Christ Iesus established in his Church by his chefe Apostles Yea we doubt not to proue the kingdome of the Pope to be the king dome and
synceritie do interprise to purge the Lordes temple and sanctuarie what God required of them it is before declared to wit that most diligently they should obserue his Law statutes and ceremonies And how acceptable were theyre factes to God doth he him selfe witnesse For to somme he gaue most notable victories without the hande of man and in theyre most desperat daungers did declare his especiall fauours towerdes them by signes supernaturall to other he so established the kingdome that theyre ennemies were compelled to stoupe vnder theyre feete And the names of all he hath regestred not only in the boke of life but also in the blessed remembrance of all posterities sence theyre daies which also shall continue till the commyng of the Lord Iesus who shall rewarde with the crowne of immortalitie not only theÌ„ but also such as vnfaynedly studie to do the will and to promote the glorie of his heuenlie father in the middest of this corrupted generation In coÌ„sideration whereof ought you my Lordes all delay set apart to prouide for the reformation of religion in your dominions and boundes which now is so corrupt that no part of Christes institution remaineth in the original puritie and therefore of necessitie it is that spedely ye prouide for reformatione or els ye declare your selues not only voyde of loue to werdes your subiectes but also to liue without care of your owne saluation yea without all feare and true reuerence of God Two thinges perchance may moue you to esteme these histories before briuely tuched to appertaine nothing to you Fyrst because you are no Iewes but Gentiles and secondarely because you are no kinges but nobiles in your realm But be not deceaued For neither of both can excuse you in goddes presence from doing your duetie for it is a thing more then certein that whatso euer God required of the ciuile Magistrate in Israel or Iuda concernyng the obseruation of true religion during the tyme of the Law the same doth he require of lawfull Magistrates professing Christ Iesus in the tyme of the Gospell as the holie Ghost hath taught vs by the mouth of Dauid saying Psal. 2. Be learned you that iudge the earth kysse the sonne lest that the Lord waxe angrie aÌ„d that yee perish from the way This admonition did not extend to the iudges vnder the law only but doth also include all such as be promoted to honours in the tyme of the Gospell when Christ Iesus doth reigne aÌ„d feight in his spirituall kyngdome whose ennemies in that psalme be fyrst most sharply taxed theyr furie expressed and vanitie mocked then are kings and iudges who think them selues free from all law and obedieÌ„ce commaunded to repent theyre former blynd rage and iudges are charged to be learned and last are all coÌ„maunded to serue the eternall in feare to reioyce before hym in tremblyng to kysse the sonne that is to geue vnto hym most humble obedience whereof it is euident that the rulers Magistrats and iudges now in Christes kingdome are no lesse bound to obedieÌ„ce vnto God theÌ„ were those vnder the Law And how is it possible that any shall be obedieÌ„t who dispise his religion in which standeth the chefe glorie that man can geue to God and is a seruice which God especially requireth of kings and rulers Which thing saint Augustine plainely did note writing to one Bonifacius a man of warr according to the same argument and purpose which I labour to persuade your Honours For after that he hath in that his epistle declared the difference betwixt the heresie of the Donatists and Arrians and hath somwhat spoken of theyr crueltie he sheweth the way how theyr furie should and oght to be repressed and that it is lawfull for the iniustly afflicted to seke support and defence at godlie Magistrates For thus he writeth Either must the veritie be kept close or els must theyr crueltie be susteaned But if the veritie should be concealed not only should none be saued nor delyuered by suchsileÌ„ce but also shoulde many be lost through theyr decept But if by preaching of the veritie theyr furie should be prouoked more to rage and by that meanes yet somme were delyuered and made stronge yet should feare hinder many weakliÌ„gs to folowe the veritie if theyr rage be not stayed In these fyrst wordes Augustine sheweth three reasons why the afflicted Church in those daies called for the help of the Emperour and of godlie Magistrates against the furie of the persecuters The fyrst The veritie must be spoken or ells mankind shall perish in errour The second the veritie being plainlie spoken prouoketh the aduersaries to rage And because that soÌ„me did alledge that rather we oght to suffer all iniurie then to seke support by man he addeth the third reason to witt that many weakones be not able to suffer persecution and death for the truethes sake to whome not the lesse respect oght to be had that they may be won from errour and so be brought to grater strength O that the rulers of this age should ponder and wey the reasons of this godly writer and prouid the remedie which he requyreth in these wordes foloiÌ„g Now when the Church was thus afflicted yf any think that rather they should haue sustayned all calamitie then that the helpe of God should haue bene asked by Christian Emperours he doth not well aduert that of such negligence no good coÌ„ptes or reason could be geuen For where such as would that no iust lawes should be made against theyre impietie alledge that the Apostles soght no such thiÌ„ges of the kinges of the earth they do not consider that then the tyme was other then it is now and that all thinges are done in theyr owne tyme. What Emperour then beleued in Christ that should serue hym in making lawes for godlines against impietie whill yet that saying of the ê“phet was coÌ„plete why hath nations raged and people haue imagined vanitie The kinges of the earth haue stand vp princes haue conuented together against the Lord and against his annoynted That which is after said in the same psalme was not yet comme to passe And now vnderstand o you kinges be learned you that iudge the earth serue the Lord â–ª in fear and reioyce to hym with tremlinge How do kings serue the Lord in fear but in punishing and by a godlie seueritie forbidding those thinges which are done against the commaundement of the Lord. For otherwise doth he serue in so far as he is man other wise in so far as he is king In so far as he is man he serueth hym by liuing faithfully but because he is also king he serueth establishing lawes that commaund the thinges that be iust and that with a conuenient rigour forbyd thinges contrarie As Ezechias serued distroying the groues the temples of idols and the places which were buylded against goddes commaundement So serued also Iosias doing the same so serued the king of Niniuites compelling
and disdainefully cōtemne the meanes which he hath appointed to obtaine the same to witt his blessed Euangile which now he offereth vnto you to the end that ye may be saued For the Ghospell and gladtidinges of the kīgdome truelie preached is the power of God to the saluation of euerie beleuer which to credit and receaue you the communaltie are no lesse addetted then be your rulers and princes For albeit God hath put and ordened distinction ād differēce betwixt the king and subiectes betwixt the rulers and the commune people in the regiment and administration of ciuile policies yet in the hope of the life to comme he hath made all equall For as in Christ Iesus the Iew hath no greater prerogatiue then hath the Gentile the man then hath the woman the learned then the vnlearned the Lord then the seruante but all are one in him so is there but one way and meanes to attaine to the participation of his benefites and spirituall graces which is a liuelie faith wurking by charitie And therefore I say that it doth no lesse appertaine to you beloued Brethren to be assured that your faith and religion be grounded and established vpon the true and vndoubted worde of God then to your princes or rulers For as your bodies can not escape corporal death if with your princes ye eat or drink deadlie poison althoghe it be by ignorance or negligence so shall ye not escape the death euerlasting if with them ye professe a corrupt religion Yea except in heart ye beleue and with mouth ye confesse the Lord Iesus to be the onlie Saluiour of the world which ye can not do except ye embrace his Euangile offered ye can not escape death and damnatiō For as the iust liueth by his own faith so doth the vnfaithfull perishe by his infidelitie And as true faith is engendred norished and mentained in the heartes of goddes elect by Christes Euāgile truelie preached so is infidelitie and vnbelefe fostered by concealing and repressing the same And thus if ye loke for the life euerlasting ye must trie if ye stand in faith and if ye would be assured of a true ād liuelie faith ye must nedes haue Christ Iesus truely preached vnto you And this is the cause dear Brethren that so oft I repeat and so constantly I affirm that to you it doth no lesse appertaine then to your kinge or princes ▪ to prouide that Christ Iesus be truely preached amongest you seing that without his true knolledge can neither of you both attaine to saluation And this is the poynt wherein I say al man is a equal That as all be descended from Adam by whose syn and inobedience did death enter into the world so it behoued all that shall obtaine life to be ingrafted in one that is in the Lord Iesus who being the iust seruant doth by his knolledge iustifie many to wit all that vnfeanedly beleue in hym Of this equalitie and that God requireth no lesse of the subiect be he neuer so poore then of the prince and riche man in matters of religion he hath geuen an euident declaration in the law of Moses For when the tabernacle was buy lded erected and set in order God did prouide how it and the thinges appertaining to the same should be sustained so that they should not fall in decay And this prouision albeit heauē ād earth obey his empire would he not take from the secrete and hid treasures which lie dispersed ī the vaines of the earthe neither yet would he take it frō the riche and potent of his people but he did commaund that euerie man of the sonnes of Israel were he rich or were he poore that came in compt from twentie yeares and vpward should yearely pay half a sicle for an oblation to the Lorde in the remembrance of their redemption and for an expiation or clensing to their soules which money God cōmaunded should be bestowed vpon the ornamentes and necessaries of the tabernacle of testimonie He furthermore added a precept that the riche should giue no more for that vse and in that behalf then should the poore neither yet that the poore should giue any lesse then should the riche in that consideration This law to mannes reason and iudgement may appear verie vnreasonable For somme riche man might haue geuen a thousand sicles with lesse hurt of his substāce then sōme poore man might haue payed the half sicle And yet God maketh all equall and will that the one shall pay no more then the other neither yet the poore any lesse then the riche This law I say may appeare verie vnequall But if the cause which God addeth be obserued we shall fynde in the same the great mercie and inestimable wisdome of God to appear which cause is expressed in these wordes This money receaued from the children of Israel thou shalt geue in the seruice of the tabernacle that it may be to the children of Israel for a remembrance before the Lord that he may be mercifull to your soules This cause I say doth euidently declare that as the hole multitude was deliuered from the bondage of Egypt by the mightie power of God alone so was euerie mēbre of the same without respect of person sāctified by his grace the riche in that behalf nothing preferred to the poorest For by no merit nor worthynes of mā was he moued to chose ād to establishe his habitation and dwellinge amongest them But their felicitie prerogatiue ād honour which they had aboue all other natiōs proceded only frō the fontaine of his eternal goodnes who loued thē freely as that he freely had chosen them to be his preestlie kingdome ād holie people from all natiōs of the earth Thus to honour them that he would dwell in the middest of them he neither was moued I say by the wisdome of the wise by the riches of the potent neither yet by the vertue and holynes of any estate amongest them but of mere goodnes did he loue them and with his presence did he honour that hole people ād therefore to paynt owt the same his cōmune loue to the hole multitude and to cutt of occasions of contention and doubtes of conscience he would receaue no more from the riche then from the poore for the maintenāce of that his tabernacle by the which was represented his presence and habitation amongest them Yf the riche had bene preferred to the poore then as the one should haue bene puffed vp with pride as that he had bene more acceptable to God by reason of his greater gift so should the cōscience of the other haue bene troubled and woūded thinking that his pouertie was an impedimēt that he could not stand in so perfecte fauour with God as did the other because he was not able to geue somuch as did the rich to the mentenance of his tabernacle But he who of mercie as said is did
Prophetes with the sayinges of Dauid or of this holy sainct of God Iohn the Baptist but with our sauiour Christs two most swete parables of the two sonnes and of the tilme to whome he set his vineyard I will labour to set before your eyes your rebellion hypocrisie and crueltie if so I caÌ„ bring any of you to repentance Our sauiour Christe putteth furth this parable A certaine man had two sonnes aÌ„d he came to the first and said soÌ„ne go aÌ„d worke to day in my vineyard Who answered I will not but afterward repeÌ„ted and went Then came he to the second and said likewise and he answered I will syr but went not Wherein a wonderful comforte first is to be coÌ„sidered how the Lord our God maker of heaueÌ„ aÌ„d earth doth huÌ„ble him selfe not only to be called a maÌ„ a husbaÌ„d man a housholder aÌ„d such like but he abaseth hiÌ„selfe of mercie to vs vile earth and asshes that his sonne becometh maÌ„ to make mankynd glorious in his sight to make all those that do not refuse his grace offred of the slaues of Satan his sonnes by adoption You are his sonnes you are his vineyard you are as dear vnto hym as the apple of his eye as Moses speaketh if you can beleue it he sweareth that you shall be his inheritaÌ„ce and he will be yours if ye will only receiue his grace and beleue hym when he sweareth Will ye call his trueth into doubt his glorie into shame by your misbelefe Better it were that all creatures should perish heauen man and angels then that God should not haue credit or that his glorie in the least iote should be diminished He hath called you by his worde now many a tyme to worke in his vineyard I aske what you haue answered your conscience can witnesse and all the world seeth it SoÌ„me of you haue said plaine lyke rebellious childreÌ„ that ye would not do it that ye would not worke in your fathers vineyarde Shall I applie this part to Scotland I may right well do it and also to a greate parte in England But Scotland in dede called most plainely and euidently through the mercies of God both by their own faithfull countrie men and also by earnest trauail of our English nation to comme to the Lords vineyard in the tyme of king Edward hath to the domage of both coÌ„tinually refused as the coÌ„science of many this day beareth witnesse That tyme as ye know the vineyarde in EnglaÌ„d by the children of God was not all togither neglected and theÌ„ most earnestly were ye O Brethren of Scotland required to ioyne haÌ„des with vs iÌ„ the Lords worke but Satan alas would not suffer it His old fostred malice and Antichrist his sonne could not abyde that Christ should grow so strong by ioynynge that ile togither in perfect religioÌ„ whome God hath so many waies coupled aÌ„d streÌ„gthended by his worke in nature the papistes practised all theyr fyne craftes in England Scotland and in France that the Ghospellers should not with so strong walles be defensed lest this one iland should becoÌ„me a safe sanctuarie as it began to be to all the persecuted in all places They moue sturdie stomackes they dispens with periuries they worke by theyr craftie coÌ„fessions they raise vp warre in the end whereby ye deare Brethren of Scotland were sore plaged Of all these traiterouse sleghtes ye can not be ignorant For yet it is not passed the memorie of man that your king made promisse to haue mett king HeÌ„rie the eght att Yorke â–ª whose purpose albeit in other things I do not alow him in that case was most godlie and praise worthie For it was to make an end of that vngodlie warre and cruell murther which loÌ„ge had coÌ„tinued betwixt the two realms Your king I say made promisse to mete him the breche whereof as it was the occasion of much trouble so is it euidently knowen that your Cardinal and his clergie laboured and procured the same For it is not vnknowen to somme amongest you how many thousand crownes the churchmen did promisse for maintenance of the warre which king Henrie did denouÌ„ce by the reason of that breche Superfluous it were to me to recite all the causes mouing your pestilent preestes to solicitat your king to that infidelitie But this is moste euident that they feared nothing but the fall of their glorie and the trouble of their kingdome which then in England beganne to be shaken by suppressing of the abbaies This moued your preestes ernestly to labour that your kinge should falsly breake his promisse But what affliction ye sustained by that and other their practises your selues can witnesse For your borderrs were destroyed your nobilitie for the most parte were takeÌ„ prisoners and your king for sorowe sodenly died But these your miseries did nothing moue your preestes to repentance but rather did inflame them against God and against the ê“pfit of their natiue realme For when againe after the death of your kiÌ„ge your freÌ„dship and fauours were soght first by king HeÌ„rie and after his death by king Edward his sonne aÌ„d by him who theÌ„ was chosen Protectour how craftely I say did theÌ„ your preestes vndermine all ye are not ignoraÌ„t When your Gouernoure with the consent of the most part of the nobilitie had soleÌ„nely sworne iÌ„ the abbay of Haliroode house syr Raphe Sadler theÌ„ being embassadour for EnglaÌ„d to perfurm the mariage coÌ„tracted betwixt king Edward and your yonge quene and faithfully to stand to euerie point coÌ„cluded and agreed 〈◊〉 perfurmaÌ„ce of that vnioÌ„ when seales were interchanged and the embassadour dimissed what sturr tumult and sedition raised your Cardinal in that your realme it is not vnknowen To witt how that by his craft and malice the realme was deuided the Gouernour compelled to seke his fauour to violate his oth and so to becomme iÌ„famous for euer And finally by the pride of the papistes was that leage broken But what did thereof ensue Edinburgh Leith DuÌ„die yea the most part of the realme did fele Your shippes were stayed your gooddes were lost your chefe townes were burned and at the end the beautie of your real me did fall in the edge of the sworde the hand of God manifestly feghting against you because against your solemne oth ye did feght against them who soght your fauours by that godlie coÌ„iunction which before was promised But still proceaded your ennemies the clergie and theire adhereÌ„tes in theyr purposed malice WoÌ„der not that I terme them your ennemies For albeit they be your countrie men yet because they seke nothing more then the maiÌ„tainaÌ„ce of their owne kiÌ„gdome which is the power of darckns aÌ„d the king dome of Antichrist they are becomme coÌ„iured ennemies to euerie citie nation or man that labour to comme to the knolledge of the trueth That pestilent generation I say did not cease till they obteined their purpose by deliueringe your yonge quene to the handes of the French king assuredly
planted a faire vineyard he hedged it round about and buylded a toure c. And when the tyme of the frute drew nere he sent his seruants to the tilmen to receyue the frutes thereof but they caught his seruantes they bett one they killed an other and stoned others Againe he sent other seruantes mo and they serued them like wise What nede any exposition to applie this vnto England All is fulfilled that is spoken in that parable onles they do waite for the sonne hym selfe for to comme that they may handle hym lykewise as they haue done his seruantes But all is one saieth our Sauiour Christ. That which ye do to one of these litle ons the same ye do to me be it good or bad Why doest thou persecute me saieth Christ to Saul when he was as he now is at the right hand of God his father in the heauens Therefore they persecute they banishe they burne Christ the sonne of God in his membres The iudgement therefore now remaineth which the wicked then gaue against them selues That the Lord of the vineyarde will cruelly destroy those euill persons and will let furth his vineyarde vnto other husbandes And the confirmation of the same by the sentence of the chefe iudge that The kingdome of God shall be taken from such and geuen to a people that shall bringe furth the frutes thereof The which iudgement is begonne in Englande and shortly alas will be fully executed and finished without right spedie repentance Somme hope is in Scotland which hath not shewed furth any such crueltie and hath not contemned the knowen treasures but lyke wanton children haue contemned the commaundement of theyr father partely of frailtie partely of ignorance But Englād the seruante that knew the will of his Lord and maister which was once lightened with most clere beames which hath tasted of the swetenes of the worde of God and of the ioyes of the worlde to comme which hath abiured Antichrist and all idolatrie which hath boasted to professe Christ with greate boldnes before all the worlde must be beaten with many stripes it can not be auoided But to be shorte this only remaineth for bothe these nations that they repent and returne into the vineyarde with the fyrst sonne For neither shall ignorance excuse any land or nation as is playn in the fyrst to the Romanes neither can any people be receyued without the frutes of repentance as Iohn Baptist proclaimeth The frutes of repentance I call not only to know your synnes and to lament them but to amend your liues and to make streght the Lordes pathes by resisting Satan and synne and obeying God in doing the workes of righteousnes and executing goddes praecepts and iudgementes so longe amongest you contemned For euen now is the axe put to the roote of the tree so that euerie tree that bringeth not furthe goode frute shalbe hewē downe and cast into the fier The Lord hath now his fanne in his hande and will purge his flore ād gather the wheate into his garner but will burne the chaffe with vnquēchable fier Repent therefore whiles ye haue tyme before ye be fanned hewē downe and fiered When I do behold both your two realmes I see the fanne I see the axe But this I am suer is the begynnyng of your ruine that ye do mary with strangers and giue your power to forraine nations such as feare not God but are open idolaters blasphemers persecuters of the saincts of God that careth neither for heauen nor hell God nor deuill so that they may wynne landes townes and countries God shall hew you downe by thē therefore as he hath done other nations by like meanes and causes and they shall fanne you furthe of your own huskes and homes to make you vagaboundes and beggars and after possesse your landes and goods as God threatned by Moses as was before alledged Trust not to thy strengthe afterwarde when thy ennemy is setled if thou haue no strengthe to resist his begynnynges no more thē thou canst ouercome a canker that hath ouerrunne many membres That God would not haue you to truste to your force of men townes or castels there is enough exāples that you bothe haue felt to your grefe And I can not write without murnyng For how litle auayled the multitude and stowt courrage of you dear Brethrē of Scotlād att Musselburgh or Pinkefield the carcases alas of many thousands who that day fell in the edge of the sworde may teach you And how vaine be all strengthes be they iudged neuer so stronge or inexpugnable lett Calice lately taken admonish you But I do leaue such exāples to your considerations to teache you to call to the liuinge Lord who offereth hym selfe as a mercifull father vnto you still calling you to repentance by wordes by writinges and most gentle corrections if ye will not be harde harted Yet here haue we to lamēt the miserable state of mākynde which is so seduced by the subtile serpēt that he can not know his miserie when he is admonished nor perceaue his perdition when it draweth so nere When the seruantes of God set furthe his trueth they are charged to trouble realmes and countries as was Elias when they warne men not to ioyne handes with wicked kinges and princes they are counted traitours as was Esaias and Ieremias Such is mannes malice But if there be a God that is fyrst of all to be soght and without whome nothing can be profitable vnto vs but without hym all thinges are vnhappie and accursed if the kingdome of God and the righteousnes thereof must fyrst be soght and then all thinges shall be ministred if our heauenlie kinge must before man be obeyed then all such doctrine as calleth vs from man to God is easie to be perceaued and oght not to be resisted Wherefore I do admonish and exhorte you bothe in the name of the liuinge God that how so euer you haue hitherto shewed your selues the seruants of men to beare and to flatter with the worlde that now ye learne in goddes cause to despise the faces of men to bend your selues against this wicked world neither regarding the visars of honours vaine titles nor dignities any further then they seke God his onelie glorie For his glorie will he not suffer to be contemned for any cause No he will powre contempt on those princes that striue against his trueth but those that glorifie hym will he glorifie And what king dome realme or nation so euer it be that will not seke to sanctifie his name they shall in the day of goddes greuous visitation which is now at hand be vtterly cōfounded theyr strēgth shalbe straw theyr honours shall be shame and all their idolatrous preestes in whose lies they delyte togither with their idols with whome they are bewitched shall be stubble and brymstone to burne togither whē the wrathe of the Lorde of hostes shall set them on fier The preestes shall not saue theyr goddes nor the
goddes their worshippers but both alike accursed shall thē perish for euer And thoghe our mercifull father hathe longe suffred heretofore in the tyme of ignorāce yet now in the ende of the world he calleth all people so plainely by his worde to repentance that he must nedes take spedie vengeance if his callinge be contemned especially because the day can not longe be delayed wherein he hath determined to iudge all people and nations of the whole world and to put an end to wickednes Wherefore to conclude behold your onlie remedie remaineth to repent your tyme of ignorāce of stubburnnes of crueltie of idolatrie wherein ye haue so long continued And now with all diligence to seke for knolledge of the worde of God and opēly to professe the Ghospell which is the power of God whereof ye oght not to be ashamed Cease at the last from your olde stubburnnes wherbie ye haue deserued vengeance and labour in the vineyarde with all mekenes that ye may receaue mercie and grace cease from your crueltie against Christes membres and learne to suffer for Christes sake if ye will be true Christians banishe all idolatrie and popishe superstition from amongest you els can ye haue no parte in Christes kingdome no more then Christ can be partaker with Antichrist Pray to the Lorde of hostes and armies to giue you the courrage strengthe and meanes The Lords arme is not shortened now no more then of olde Be stronge therefore in the Lord for the defence of the trueth thogh all the worlde ryse agaīst itt Now when the battaile is fierce against the liuinge God for dead idols euen for the vile wafercake the most vaine idol that euer was against the Ghospel of Christe for the inuentions of Antichrist against Christes mēbres for Popishe ceremonies can any of you that wilbe compted gods children styll halt of bothe handes If that cake baked in yron tonges not able to abyde a blast of winde be the aeternal God folow it but if he only be God that hath created the heauens abhorre suche vile idols that haue no force to saue thē selues if Christes Ghospel and doctrine be sufficient to saluation and by receauing of it ye are called Christians away with all Antichristes inuentions broght into your Romish churches if you hope to haue any parte with Christ cherishe his mēbres and maintaine thē against theire ennemies the papistes ād the bishoppe of Rome the verie Antichriste What strengthe what force what power what coūsil so euer ye haue of God bende all to this ende and purpose as ye wyll make answere to your heauēly kīg for the talent receaued If you haue no regarde of those prīcipal pointes which only or chiefly should be before your eyes go to with your forraine mariages ioyne Frāce to Scotlād and Spayne to England if it be possible yet shall ye all be confounded The Lord shall plage you one with an other vntill you be consumed your strēgth wherein ye trust shall be shakē to naught your courrage shalbe cowardise your wisdom shall be folie ād the Lord of hostes by your ruine ād destructiō will be renowmed ād praised ād his iust iudgemēts through owt the earth shalbe honoured ād feared Where of the contrarie if you will maintaine Gods trueth in the earthe he will receaue you as his children into the heauens if you confesse his Christe before this wicked generation Christ shall confesse you before his father in the heauens in the presēce of his angels But if you persiste stubburnly to banishe goddes worde and his sonne Christ in his membres furth of your earthlie kyngdomes how cā ye loke for any parte in his heauēlie king dome muche more if ye continue to murther his messīgers what cā ye loke for emōgst your selues but that ye shoulde digge one ī anothers bellie to be your own murtherers So that if ye wil stil remaine after all these admonitiōs in your murthers and idolatries be suer that in this worlde ye shall haue enoghe of your idolatries and you shalbe filled with blooddy murthers aud in the end ye shall be iudged without the gates of the heuenlie Ierusalem amongest the dogges enchaunters hooremōgers and murtherers and idolaters with all those that loueth lies But he that ouercommeth all these shall inherit all thinges and I will be his God saieth the Lord and he shall be my sonne Where as the fearefull in gods cause the vnbeleuing the abominable the murtherers hooremongers sorcerers and idolaters shall haue their parte in the lake that burneth with fier and brymstone Lo here is the choise of life and deathe of miserie and welthe offred vnto you by gods mercies and the meanes how yow may winne goddes fauour opened wherebie onely ye may preuaile against your ennemies God graūte you heartes to answer as the people did to Iosua offering the lyke choyse God forbyd say they that we shoulde forsake God we will serue the Lorde our God and obey his voice for he his our God And we your banished brethren by the power of God to prouoke you forward will thus pronounce with Iosua That we and our families will serue the Lorde God thoghe all natiōs runne to Idols thoghe all people do persecute vs. We knowe that Satan hathe but a shorte tyme to rage and that Christe our captaine right spedely will crowne his souldiours to whome as he is the eternal God with his father be all honour and glorie for euer and euer So be it IOHN KNOXE TO THE READER BEcause many are offended at the first blast of the trompett in whiche I affirme that to promote a woman to beare rule or empire aboue any realme nation or citie is repugnant to nature contumelie to God and a thing moste contrariouse to his reuealed and approued ordenāce and because also that somme hath pomised as I vnderstād a confutation of the same I haue delayed the second blast till suche tyme as their reasons appere by the which I either may be reformed in opinion or els shall haue further occasion more simply and plainly to vtter my iudgement Yet in the meane tyme for the discharge of my conscience and for auoyding suspitiō whiche might be ingendred by reason of my silence I could not cease to notifie these subsequent propositiōs which by Gods grace I purpose to entreate in the secōd blast promised 1 It is not birth onely nor propin quitie of blood that maketh a kīge lawfully to reign aboue a people professing Christe Iesus and his eternall veritie but in his election must the ordenance which God hath established in the election of inferiour iudges be obserued 2 No manifest idolater nor notoriouse transgressor of gods holie preceptes oght to be promoted to any publike regimēt honour or dignitie in any realme prouince or citie that hath subiected the self to Christe Iesus and to his blessed Euāgil 3 Neither can othe nor promesse bynd any such people to obey and maintein tyrantes against God and against his trueth
power of Antichrist And therefore my Lordes I can not cease in the name of Christ Iesus to require of you that the matter may coÌ„me in examination and that ye the estates of the realme by your auctoritie compell such as will be called bishoppes not only to desist from their cruell murthering of such as do studie to promote goddes glorie in detecting and disclosing the damnable impietie of that man of syn the Romane Antechrist but also that ye coÌ„pell them to answer to suche crimes as shall be laid to their charge for not righteously instructing the flock committed to their cares But here I know two thinges shalbe doubted The former whether that my appellation is lawfull and to be admitted seing that I am damned as an heritike and secondarely whether your honours be bound to defeÌ„d such as call for your support in that case seing that your bishoppes who in matters of religion claime all auctoritie to appertaine to them haue by their sentence allredy condemned me The one and the other I nothing doubt most clerely to proue Fyrst that my appellation is most Lawfull and iust and secondarely that your honours can not refuse to defend me thus calling for your aid but that in so doing ye declare your selues rebellious to God mentainers of murtherers and shedders of innocent blood How iust cause I haue by the ciuile law as for their canon it is accursed of God to appeale from their vniust sentence my purpose is not to make long discourse Onlie I will touche the poyntes which all men confesse to be iust causes of appellation Fyrst laufully could I not be sommoned by them being for that tyme absent from their iurisdiction charged with the preachiÌ„g of Christes EuaÌ„gill in a free citie not subiect to their tyrannie Secondarely to me was no intimation made of their sommondes but so secrete was their surmised malice that the copie of the sommondes being required was denyed Thirdlie to the realme of Scotland could I haue had no free nor sure accesse being before exiled froÌ„ the same by their vniust tyrannie And last to me they nether could nor can be competent and indifferent iudges for that before any sommondes were raised against me I had accused them by my lreÌ„s published to the quene dowagier and had intended against them all crimes offring my selfe with hasard of life to proue the same for the which they are not onlie vnworthie of ecclesiasticall auctoritie but also of any sufferance within a commune welthe professing Christ. This my accusatioÌ„ preceding their soÌ„moÌ„des neither by the law of God neither yet by the law of man can they be to me competent iudges till place be graÌ„ted vnto me opeÌ„lie to proue my accusatioÌ„ intended against them and they be compelled to make answer as criminalls For I will plainelie proue that not onlie bishoppes but also Popes haue bene remoued froÌ„ all auctoritie and pronouncing of iudgement till they haue purged them selues of accusations layd against them Yea further I will proue that bishoppes and Popes most iustly haue bene depriued froÌ„ all honours and administration for smaller crimes then I haue to charge the hole rable of your bishoppes But because this is not my chefe grounde I wil stand coÌ„tent for this present to shew that lawfull it is to Goddes Prophetes and to preachers of Christ Iesus to appeall froÌ„ the sentence and iudgement of the visible churche to the knolledge of the temporall Magistrate who by Goddes law is bound to hear their causes and to defend them from tyrannie The Prophete Ieremie was coÌ„mmaÌ„ded by God to stand in the courte of the house of the Lord and to preach this sermon in effect That Ierusalem should be distroyed and be exponed in opprobrie to all nations of the earth and that also that famous teÌ„ple of God should be made desolate like vnto Sylo because the preestes the Prophetes and the people did not walk in the Law which God had ê“posed vnto theÌ„ neither wold they obey the voyces of the Prophetes whome God sent to call them to repentance For this sermon was Ieremie apprehended and a sentence of death was pronounced against hym and that by the preestes by the Prophetes and by the people which thinges being bruted in the eares of the Princes of Iuda they passed vp froÌ„ the kinges house to the teÌ„ple of the Lord and sat down in iudgement for further knowledge of the cause But the preestes and Prophetes continued in theyre cruell senteÌ„ce which before they had pronouÌ„ced saying This man is worthie of the death for he hath prophesied against this citie as your eares haue hard But Ieremy so moued by the holie Ghost began his defence against that their tyrannous sentence in these wordes The Lord saieth he hath sent me to prophetie against this house and against this citie all the wordes which you haue hard Now therefore make good your wayes aÌ„d hear the voyce of the Lord your God and then shall he repent of the euill whiche he hath spoken against you As for me behold I am in your handes so doth he speak to the Princes do to me as you think good and righteous Neuertheles know you this most assuredly that if ye murther or sley me ye shall make your selues this citie and the inhabitants of the same criminall and gyltie of innocent blood For of a trueth the Lord hath sent me to speak in your eares all those wordes Then the princes and the people saieth the text said this man is not worthie of death for he hath spoken to vs in the name of the Lord our God And so after somme coÌ„tention was the Prophete deliuered froÌ„ that daÌ„ger This fact and historie manefestly proueth whatsoeuer before I haue affirmed To wit that it is Laufull for the seruantes of God to call for the help of the ciuile magistrate agaiÌ„st the seÌ„teÌ„ce of death if it be vniust by whome soeuer it be ê“nounced aÌ„d also that the ciuile sword hath power to represse the furie of the preests and to absolue whome thei haue coÌ„deÌ„ned For the prophete of God was damned by those who then only in earthe were knoweÌ„ to be the visible churche to wit preestes prophetes who theÌ„ were in IerusaleÌ„ the successours of AaroÌ„ to whome was geueÌ„ a charge to speak to the people in the name of God aÌ„d a precept geueÌ„ to the people to heare the lawe froÌ„ their mouthes to the which if any should be rebellious or iÌ„obedieÌ„t he should die the death without mercie These men I say thus auctorised by God first did excoÌ„municat Ierimie for that he did preache other wise then did the coÌ„mune sort of prophetes in Ierusalem and last apprehended him as you haue hard ê“nouncing against hym this seÌ„teÌ„ce afore writen froÌ„ the which neuertheles the prophete appealed that is sought help and defence against the same and that most earnestly did he craue of the princes For albeit he