to England And thus I trow I haue proued that you are English enimies Mark again Christ sayth who is to be beléeued No maÌ„ can serue two masters for either he shal hate the one loue the other or else leane to the one and despise the other By these words of Christ who caÌ„not ly though the Pope may erre al English persons that loue the Pope and his religion must néeds hate the Quéen hir religioÌ„ or if they leane to the Pope and his religion then they despise the Quéene and hir religion Therfore if it be construed to the best all you that are Papists for that you do leane to the Pope and his religion do dispise the Quéene and hir religion And I thinke you owe no great loue where yée dispise And so if you hate or despise the Quéen whose life as I saide is the prosperitie of England then you caÌ„ not be friends to EnglaÌ„d but enimies to England And thus by Christs own words you must néeds whether you wil or no be english enimies I grant there are many other English enimies yet al that may properly be called English enimies are not enimies to England for al they that are born in England that hate the diuell wickednes sin that are enimies to them that are enimies to England may in a right sense be called English enimies of whom I neither mean neither haue I any iust cause to write for though they may be called English Enimies yet they are friends to England But I meane y t they are English enimies y t are hurtful to England wherof there are many besides you but not such as you Our théeues are English Enimies whereof many steale for necessitie Unthrifts are english enimies both to themselues to other for that they spend wastefully on theÌ„selues that other haue néede of Drunkards are english enimies but are most of al their owne foes vnlesse they kil or hurte anye in theyr drunkennesse besides many other such like enimies yet al these with many other are not suche english enimies vnlesse they be Papists withall but y t they loue their Prince obey and followe hir godly procéedings wish hir a prosperous raigne and would fight if néede were for hir grace and helpe to defend this their countrey from hir foes which may be counted as friendes in comparison of you that are such papisticall enimies For though there are many Englishe enimies as théeues murtherers pyrates coyners clyppers of mony and counterfayters of the Quéens seale with diuers other yet you that are obstinate disobedient and determined Papists are the most earnest enimies to England of al other for if the Quéenes Maiestie shoulde enrich set in authoritie or promote the said théeues murtherers pyrats coyners clippers of mony counterfaiters of hir highnesse seale vnlesse they be Papistes withall they would thanke hir loue hir obey hir obserue hir lawes so of English enimies become English friends whiche you that are peruerse and determined Papistes woulde neuer do though hir Grace should do so to you For as Harlots that loue other better thaÌ„ they loue their husbaÌ„ds though their husbands loue them neuer so well set al their whole mind deuises and studies how to be rid of their husbaÌ„ds Euen so you that are obstinate and determined Papistes that are spirituall fornicators though the Quéenes Maiestie should giue you great liuings set you in aucthoritie or highly promote you yet for all that youre chiefe minde and studie would be how to be rid of hir Grace howe to displace hir and how to haue a Papist to rule in hir roome whereby you might at your owne libertie commit spiritual whordom with Idols Images the Masse which you loue better than youre owne louing husbande Christe the sonne of God And thus let the Quéenes Maiestie doe for you neuer so much yet you wil not be Englishe friendes but vtter enimies to hir Grace and to England youre â—wne natiue country vntil of peruerse Papists you become perfect Protestants whiche is altogither my drifte Yet I beséeche you marke this and consider it well thoughe verye néed compel the aforesaid for the most part to be théeues murtherers pyrats coyners of money and such like to bée English enimies which may and do dayly become english friends yet there are such lawes for them as therfore they are put to death But for you that are obstinate disobedieÌ„t papists that are so great enimies to England without néed and that nothing can reclame to be friends to England our most milde and merciful Quéene as yet hath made no such law to put you to deth nor gréeuosly to punish you though you deserue deth a gret deale more al things wel weighed considered than any of the other english enimies do For if one that clippeth or diminisheth y e Quéenes coyne wheron hir Image or picture is but printed or stampte is worthily called a Traytor by law therfore is hanged drawn quartred Then are not you worthy to be called Traytors deserue death which procure wish or desire by any meane the displacing of your Prince the destruction of hir person the alteration of our most quiet happy state the calamitie of your countrey men the confusion of the common wealth and the ruine of this oure worthy reaime of England If he that counterfeteth the Quéenes Maiesties seale for some priuate profit breaking thereby but one parte of hir laws is a traytor is therefore put to death then are not you that are obstinate and disobedient Papists traytors deserue death that hate your Prince without any cause that withstand disobey al hir godâ—y laws procéedings in the louing and obeying of whom the kéeping obseruing of whose laws orders hir Graces safetie the preseruation of hir person the conseruation of the common wealth and the prosperous state of this realme doth chiefly depend If hereby you wil not willingly sée what you are I feare againste youre willes you will féele hereafter what you are Open youre eyes therefore and sée what a mercifull Quéene you haue that euer since she began to raigne hath rather mercifully without law sought to winne you than cruellie by law to enforce or wound you Thinke not bycause she suffereth you that therfore she cannot punish nor execute you which if some of you sticke not to say openly many of you I beléeue thinke the same priuily Thinke not bycause she hath made no lawe for you that therefore she can make no law for you for the Quéens Maiestie hath as great power to punishe the Idolatrous Papistes in hir Realme as King Iosia had to burne the Priests of Baal in his realme King Asa and his people made a couenant and swore not onely to séeke the Lorde to cleaue vnto hym and to hearken vnto his voice but also that who soeuer didde not so shoulde be slaine whether he were small or great man or woman which couenant
this therefore from henceforth thou shalt haue warres Thus we may sée that King Asas peace and quietnesse was turned into warres and trouble bicause he slidde from the Lorde and hearkned not to his voyce euen so if your Idolatrous Masse shoulde be planted and vsed here as you desire then our prosperitie and peace would be turned into aduersitie and warres And then King Asa to mend the matter withall did imprison the Prophet for telling him so and did not repent and turne to the Lorde as King Dauid did when the Prophet Nathan reproued him which encreased the Lordes displeasure the more against him Here it is manifest as before and as it is throughe the whole Scriptures that God doth blesse his people with victorie quietnesse and peace so long as they stay vpon him and obey his worde and no longer Marke how God did blesse that good and vertuous King Iehosaphat the sonne of King Asa with victories peace and great riches bycause he walked rightly in the sight of God and abolished Idolatry which godly vertuous King in the third yéere of his raigne sent his Princes and Rulers and learned men with them to set forth Gods lawe and to teach it in the Cities of Iudah And they did teache it in Iudah and had the Booke of the lawe of the Lord with them and went about throughout al the cities of Iudah his kingdome and taught the people And the feare of the Lorde fell vpon all the kingdomes of the landes that were rounde about Iudah And they fought not against Iehosaphat Nowe weigh the comparison and consider the like or more Hath not the Lorde likewyse blessed our gratious Quéene Elizabeth with an vnfoughten victorie without any bloudshed against hir rebellious subiects the Papists and hath not he besides blessed hir with such a plenty quietnesse and peace al the rest of hir raigne as before was neuer séene in England bicause she hath hearkned to the voice of y e Lord as Iehoshaphat did who staid not vntill the third yéere of hir raigne but in the first yéere and in the beginning therof abolished Idolatrie and did set forth the worde of God the holy Bible in the Englishe tongue throughout all England not onely in Cities but also in all townes villages and other places and commaunded and gaue commission to all hir Bishops Doctours Preachers Curates and Ministers to preache teache and vse the same purelye and rightly and all other hir Magistrates to defende it And accordingly al the time of hir worthy raigne it hath béene and is dayly preached and taught throughout all England And as the feare of the Lord fell vpon al the kingdomes of the landes that were round about Iudah and they fought not against King Iehoshaphat euen so the Lorde our God hath feared all the Countries and Kingdomes round about Englande and therefore they haue not fought against our Quéene Elizabeth Thus you cannot choose but graūt that if Iehoshaphat was blessed and prospered of God then our Quéene Elizabeth is blessed and prospered of God if Iehoshaphat was a good King and did please God then our Elizabeth is a good Quéene and pleaseth God and if that were Idolatrie that Iehoshaphat did abolish out of Iudah then papistrie was Idolatrous that our Quéene hath abolished out of England and if that were y e law of God that Iehoshaphat proclaymed published and caused to be taught throughout Iudah then this is the very lawe and word of God that our Quéene Elizabeth hath set forth throughout al hir Realme of Englande If this and all the rest that I haue written can not persuade you that this our religion is the verye true religion and that God doth both like and allowe it then I thinke you are determined not to be persuaded But yet to winne you if it wil be marke what followed of wicked Iehoram thoughe he was the sonne of godlye King Iehoshaphat This king Iehoram when he was placed in the kingdome of Iudah after his father slew and killed his brethren and y e princes of Israel he walked not according as Iehoshaphat his father did but wrought euil in gods sight And he caused the inhabitaunts of Ierusalem to commit spiritual fornication that is Idolatry and compelled his people of Iudah thereto whervpon the Prophet Eliah spake to him by writing saying Thus sayth the Lord God of Dauid thy father bycause thou haste not walked in the wayes of Iehoshaphat thy father nor in the ways of Asa king of Iudah but haste walked in the wayes of the Kings of Israel and haste made Iudah and the inhabitaunts of Ierusalem to go a whoring as the house of Ahab wente a whoring and haste also slaine thy brethren of thy fathers house which were better than thou Beholde with a great plague wil the Lord smite thy people and thy children and thy wyues and all thy substaunce And thou shalt be in great diseases in the disease of thy bowels vntil thy bowels fall out for the disease daye by day Then the Lord stirred vp against Iehoram the Philistines and the Arabians and they came vp into Iudah and brake into it and carryed away al the substance that was in the Kings house and his sons also and his wiues so that there was not a son left him saue Iehoahaz the yōgest of his sons And after al this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an vncurable disease and in processe of time euen after the end of two yeares his guts fel out with his disease so he died of sore diseases c. And againe you may sée vnlesse you do wilfully winke that the abolishing of Idolatrie setting forth of the lawe of God was the cause that God did blesse and prosper good King Iehoshaphat and contrary the committing of Idolatrie and the compelling of the people of Iudah to sin therein and the forsaking of the law of God was the cause that God did thus plague and punish wicked Iehoram his son with wars with the taking awaye of his sons and wiues and spoyling his house and with y e falling out of his guts wherof he dyed Here you may easily perceiue that God spared not wicked Iehoram though he were the sonne of godlye Kyng Iehoshaphat whom God loued so wel for it is not the person or place but the truth and the godlinesse of the person whatsoeuer he be and whersoeuer he be that God doeth respect Therfore as God doeth nowe blesse vs and thys realme with prosperitie quietnesse plentie and peace aboue all other kingdomes that are rounde aboute vs as he did Iehoshaphat for abolishing Idolatrous Papistrie for setting forth obeying and preaching his holy worde Euen so assure your selues and loke for none other but that God wil cursse vs and plague this Realm of England with troubles warres with comming in of straungers spoyling of vs and our goods with the losse of wiues and childrē and with vncurable diseases or such like as he did Iehoram and
Iudah if we forsake the word of God commit Idolatrie receiue againe Papistry worship Images sette vp aulters crouche and knéele to an Idol in the Masse and force and coÌ„pel with threatning punishing emprisoning racking famishing killing and burning the people of England so to do Also what a mightie king did king Iotham become and howe did God blesse him make him victorious ouer his enimies bicause he walked vprightly according to y e lawe of God What good successe and prosperous raigne had that godly king Hezekiah and what a wonderful victorie did God giue him against the blasphemous king Sanneherib hys huge mightie host by sending his angel to fight for him bycause he hearkened to the voyce of God and did walke rightly in his sight But nowe if GOD did blesse and giue victorie plentie quietnesse peace and prosperitie to these godly kings Rulers before mentioned besids many other for hearkning and cleauing to his word and for setting forth and obeying his law that was deliuered by Moses the prophet then it is not to be doubted but that he wil and doth giue victorie plentie prosperity quietnesse and peace to al godly kings and rulers that shal put down idolatrie superstition and al heretical religions and shal plant in steade thereof the pure word of God and the Gospel which was preached and deliuered to vs by our sauiour Iesus Christ the only and very son of God And if God did sende troubles wars huÌ„ger vncurable diseases thraldome and captiuity with many other curses and plagues aswel to these kings before mentioned as also to king Saule king Salomon Rehoboam Ieroboam Baasha Elah Omri Ahab Ahaziah Ioash and Ahaz with diuers other and to them that they gouerned being the chosen people of God for committing of idolatrie reiecting y e law of God deliuered to them by Moses the Prophet Then we must néeds thinke that God wil send troubles wars hunger vncurable diseases thraldome and captiuitie with other plagues and curses vpon al those kings and their people that were not his chosen people but once gentiles and heatheÌ„ that commit idolatrie worship Images and embrace Papisticall superstition and despise and obstinatly and wilfully withstand the very true and pure word of God the gospel that at the first was taught deliuered by our sauiour Christ y e very soÌ„ of God which is more thaÌ„ ether apostle or prophet Therfore if you be not blind dumb deafe altogither senselesse you will with all spéed flée from your Papistrie superstition and idolatrie on the professors and followers wherof the aforsaid curses and plagues do dayly light and embrace the true word of God and the comfortable Gospel of Christe whiche bring the greate blessings of God as quietnesse peace plentie prosperity and victorie in this world and endlesse ioy in heauen after this life to the professors and followers therof I hope you are not foolishe but that you haue some vnderstaÌ„ding not so blind but y t you haue some glimmering and not so senselesse but that you haue some reason Shut not therfore your eyes purposely bycause you will not sée If you knew how swéete our law the Gospel is as I know how sowre your papistical law is if you knew what certaintie of saluation is in our lawe the Gospell of Christe as I know what certaintie of damnation is in your law of Papistrie the doctrine of Antichrist and if you knewe and felt how this our law the Gospel of Christ doth make the wicked to be godly and to be the children of God as I know that your law of Papistrie makes the godly to be wicked and to be the children of the Diuell you woulde then I thinke embrace our Gospel and forsake your Papistrie vnlesse you loue darknesse better than light the diuel better than God hel better than Heauen which I truste you do not Perhaps some wil saye if they that get the victorie ouer their enimies are blessed of God so they are the people of God Then y e Heathen Idolaters are blessed of God are Gods people for they haue had haue dayly good successe victory ouer their enimies yea haue many times ouercome the people of God y t had his law his word I graÌ„t it as before it appeareth but therfore they were not Gods people and blessed For the heathen and Idolatrous people bicause they haue good successe doe ouercome are not blessed and godly but the children of God are scourged and ouercome by them bycause they are euill and wicked and forsake the law of God The rodde is not good bycause it doth beate the childe but the rodde doth beate the child bycause the childe is euil It is manifest before that the children of Israel were ouercome and carried away Captiue of King Aram an Heathen Idolatour yet King Aram his people was not blessed of God nor yet wer the people of God neyther their law was the law of God althoughe they got the victorie But God deliuered the people of Iudah into their hands and suffred them to be carried awaye Captiues by them bycause they did forsake the Lord disobeyed his worde and committed Idolatrie for so God did promisse The scriptures are ful of the like examples It is most manifest throughout the whole Scriptures that God hathe chieflye blessed those Kings and countries with wealth prosperitie and victorie which mightily and spéedily pluckte down Images and false Gods and did extirpe and destroy Idolatrie and set forth earnestly and zealously the worde and lawe of God though they in some other particular things somtimes offended as King Dauid did â—n numbring of his people and committing aduoutrye and murther as King Asa for putting confidence in the King of Syria and leand not wholy vpon the Lord and as King Iehoshaphat did in going to fight with King Ahab diuers other committing such like whose faultes thoughe God punished yet he neuer therefore deliuered them into their enimies hands nor to be caryed away captiues But those Kings that cast away Gods word and hearkned not to his voice but fel to Idolatrie and worshipped Idolles and strange Gods thoughe they were neuer so godly before immediatly the Lords wrath kindled against them and stirred vp enimies to fight with them and sold and delyuered them into their enimies hands suffred them either to be killed woÌ„derfully to be plagued or to be caryed awaye prisoners and captiues So that hereby it plainely appeareth that the most safetie quietnesse prosperitie and victorie of a Prince and his people and to be moste assured to haue God on their side and to defende them is to sette forth and maintaine the true lawe of God and the Gospell of Christe and to plucke vp put away deteste and abhorre all Idolatrie superstition and all religions whatsoeuer that are contrary to Gods word But as al the Kings and people that did set forth and obey Moses lawe and
why do you wish and are content that we shoulde be spoyled burned or killed for our religioÌ„ Therfore you that are of the Popes religion are not of Christs religion bycause you haue rackt vs spoyled vs tormented vs burned vs and murthred vs which you would not haue vs do vnto you Now if your religion be not Christes religion as these words and your workes haue sufficiently proued then I know not whose religion it is vnlesse it be the diuels religion whose religion must néedes be wicked and euil for that Christes religion is most holy and good And thus I haue sufficiently proued vnto you that the Gospel that we haue is the true law of Christ And the Pops law that you followe is the false law of the Diuell or Antichrist But if your harts be so obdurate that no trueth can enter into the same Then mark this that followeth and deny it if you can or confute it if you are able If god bestowed these his blessings before mentioned onely vppon that people that hearken to his voyce and obey his worde as he hath promised and if our gracious Quéene we hir subiectes and hir realme haue had these gods blessings moste plentifully poured vpoÌ„ vs euer since she hath set forth this our religion the worde of God put away the Masse and Idolatrie then it is most euident that this our religion is the true religion of Christ and lawe of God bycause of the wonderfull blessings that we haue enioyed withall And if God send these plagues and curses before rehearsed only vpon that people that doth not harken to his voice but disobeyes his lawes and commandementes commit Idolatrie as he hath promysed if these Kings and Princes their people that obey the Pope and his lawes that are enimies and suppressors of the word of God haue dayly these plagues curses light vppon them then it is most apparant that the Popes religion is false abhominable and wicked and that God therewith is highly displeased bicause of the manifolde plagues and curses that he dayly sendes among them And thus for that God doth blesse vs with his foresayde blessings and that with such a plentie quietnesse peace and prosperitie as Englande neuer tasted before And bycause diuerse Countreys that obey the Pope and embrace Papistrie haue bene and are yet still compassed and enuironed with the saide plagues and curses of God that is warres troubles scarcitie and such like both we striuing and taking our selues for Christians as did the Israelites and the people of Iuda that were all Iewes and called the people of God whereof the Kings of Iuda and their people for cleauing to Gods lawe were blessed and prospered of God and the Kings of Israel and their people bycause they committed Idolatrie and disobeyed the lawe of God were plagued and cursed of God Therefore it cannot be denyed by any vnlesse they be as senselesse as brute beastes but that this that we haue is the true Religion of Christ whereby wée haue our name of Christians and that Papisticall doctrine which you haue is a most false and erroneous religion the professors whereof cannot iustly be called Christians but rather Antichristians Yet perhaps al this wil not persuade some of you though it be neuer so plaine and true But if this and the rest will not allure you to â—lye from Papistrie and to sticke to Gods word Surely surely you are then fully bent to resist the open manifest truth And though therby you willingly cast of God and his word yet I beséech God that he do not cast you of for euer It may be that some of you wil graunt that Gods word is true but that we do mistake it and that we haue not the true meaning and vnderstanding thereof so that we misuse it certainely this I will saye to you if we do misuse it and mistake it then God takes his markes amisse and is maruellously ouerséene that blesses vs so aboundantly that mistake and misuse his word and sendes his plagues and curses on those Countries and people that vse it well take it rightly and so by this it should séeme that God doth directly against his promise But assure your selues thoughe your presumptuous Pope and his obedient Prelates may be deceiued ouerséene as no doubt they are God and his déere sonne Christ can neyther be deceyued nor yet ouerséene marrye God ouersées them all looke they neuer so high Therefore turne to the Lord and to his holy worde that therefore will blesse and prosper you and forsake the Pope and his doctrine whereby God doth plague and cursse you and loue obey and thinke well of your most louing naturall and mercifull Quéene that mercifully and myldely doth protect you If you would marke but hir Maiesties power and knew what she may do weighe your owne doyngs what you ought to do truely you would say then that she is the most myldest and mercyfullest Quéene one of them that euer raigned You thinke not amisse in hir grace and count hir not vnmercifull though she put Théeues to death for stealing which God hath not commaunded to bée punished wyth death and can not you sée that hir maiestie is maruellous mercifull in that she suffers you to liue for disobeyng of Gods word and committing of Idolatrie which God by his law hath commaunded to be punished with death King Iosias burned the Idolatrous Priests vpon the Altars that committed Idolatrie and yet he is reckned for a godly King but our mercifull Quéene Elizabeth hath not burned the Popish Priests on the Altars where they committed Idolatry in saying of masse and worshipped a piece of bread for the body of Christ which she might haue done if she would and yet you count not hir for a godly and mercifull Quéene You prayse and extoll Quéene Mary to the Heauens for vsing crueltie and for burning hir humble and faultlesse subiects but if our Quéene Elizabeth should vse lawful seueritie on hir stubborne and disobedient people Gods foes and hir enemies that desire hir death and destruction the confusion of their countrie and the ruine of this Realme you would dispraise and slaunder hir and saie she were a cruell tirant Nay for all hir highnesse hath vsed you so mildely mercifully as she hath done yet some of you would darken hir deserts if you could in saying most spitefully falsely that this is the time of Tirannie these are the daies of persecution this I grauÌ„t but not in England though you meane in England truly such as do say so must néeds I thinke speake against their coÌ„science their knowledge vnlesse they take mercie for crueltie crueltie for mercie then I may say vnto them as Esay saide to the Iewes Wo be to you that call euill good and good euill c. If this be the time of tirannie and persecution when you that are manifest enimies to your Quéene and Countrey before wel proued are
he performed and broke not And is not our Princesse Quéene of England as wel as Asa was King of Iuda And hath not she as great power in hir kingdome as he had in his And if God was well pleased wyth King Asa for making and performing that couenant as hée was indéede woulde he then be angrye thinke you with Quéene Elizabeth if she made the like and performed it I thinke not But our merciful Quéene though she hathe set forth the very true law of God as spéedily as earnestly and as zealously as eyther king Asa or anye other Ruler hathe done to be followed and obserued throughoute hir whole Realme hath not made any such couenaunt or lawe to slea or kil them that do not followe and obey the same But consider this well if the Pope not appointed by Gods law to raigne and rule as he hath done and doth may murther and kill as many of you thinke he may the professors and folowers of Gods word being not his subiects for disobeying his law deuised inuented by man on earth and procured by the Diuel Then may not we thinke that our Quéene appoyâ—ted by God and allowed by his word to raigne ouer vs may lawfully kil and put to death the Idolatrous Papistes hir subiectes for wilfully disobeying and withstanding the law of God that came from heauen béeing long sinâ—e taught vs by the Prophets by Iesus Christ the sonne of God and by his Apostles moued and procured thereto by God the holy ghost Therfore I beséeche you weigh the milde nature of our gratious Quéene the mother of Mercie that doth not vse the iustice she may and marke your holy father the Pope the Captain of Crueltie that vseth â—he iniusticie he ought not I pray you is not our Elizabeth Quéene of England aswel as Quéen Mary was what power what iurisdiction what auctoritie what superioritie what excellencie and what else hadde Quéene Mary that this our Quéene Elizabeth hath not Quéen Mary was King Henry the eights daughter so was our Quéen Elizabeth Quéene Mary was King Edw. sister so is Quéene Elizabeth Q. Mary succéeded hir brother King Edward so dydde Quéene Elizabeth succéede hir sister Quéene Mary Quéene Mary was lawful Quéene of England Quéene Elizabeth is as lawful Quéene of England I wil not say more Quéene Mary put downe Gods worde planted by hir brother and set vp Papistrie and Idolatrie and obeyed the Pope Quéene Elizabeth putte downe Papistrie and Idolatrie planted by hir sister and obeys God Quéene Mary vsed hir harmlesse and obedient Subiectes cruelly and putte them to death that professed Gods word Quéene Elizabeth vseth hir wicked and disobedient Subiectes mercifullye and suffereth them to liue that professe and stiffely defende Papistrie and Idolatrie the doctrine of the Diuel These comparisons duly considered your Quéene Mary did not muche excell oure Quéene Elizabeth vnlesse in crueltie and burning hir harmlesse subiects Nowe if Quéene Mary might put to death hir humble and harmelesse subiects for professing of Gods worde then I can not sée but that our Quéene Elizabeth maye as wel execute hir stubborne and disobedient subiectes whiche she as yet neuer did that withstande Gods worde and wil néedes followe Papistrie and Idolatrie And further if Quéene Mary hadde a lawe to burne the seruauntes of God that were obedient to hir concernyng their worldly duty and neuer meant hir harm Then why may not our Quéene Elizabeth make a law to execute the Popes seruants that are bound to be hir louing subiects which are disobedient vnto hir and that séeke procure desire and wish hir death and destruction Therfore be thankfull to God that hath giuen you and vs such a merciful Prince to raigne ouer vs loue obâ—y hir that gyueth you for Iustice mercy and for extremitie lenitie And now as hir Grace doth refraine fcom that she may do so prouoke not hir highnesse to that she can doe And as I saide thinke not that hir Grace can not vse the sworde againste you bycause she hathe not vsed it for if you thinke so you do not only deceiue youre selues but also do much abuse hir Maiestie in that you séeme thereby to make hir a Prince without power whereby you are vnworthy of the great mercy she shewes vnto you What seruant is so foolishe to thinke much more to say that bycause his Maister doth not beate him for his faulte therefore he can not beate him Bycause the mercifull father doth not beate his sonne for his offence that maketh not that he can not beate him for the same Shall hir clemencie and mercie make you thinke in hir disabilitie Therefore if anye of you thinke so as I beléeue some of you haue said so you are not worthy of suche a mercifull Maistresse that vseth you so And I am sure that it is the spirite of vnthankfulnesse the spirite of blindnesse the spirite of errour or rather the spirite of the diuel that makes you say so Thinke not I beséech you that I haue written this for that I woulde haue the Quéenes Maiestie to withdrawe hir mercie from you and to vse you with crueltie whiche is contrary to hir milde and merciful nature if anye other way would serue for I do it as the Lord knows my hart to make you to sée and vnderstand hir great mercy lenitie and gentlenesse towards you thereby to win and allure you froÌ„ obstinacie to obediencie from ingratitude to thaÌ„kfulnesse from ignorance to knowlege froÌ„ error to truth It may be that some of you wil saye that you loue the Quéene as wel as we and wishe the commoditie of youre country as wel as we If you do so then you wil not procure nor wishe anye forraine foes to come into anye of hir Graces dominions to help aide or succor any rebelles or traytors against our Quéen neither wil you be glad when you heare that any such are aryued or come into anye of hir highnesse dominions to fight against hir neither will you reioice if they and the rebels shoulde prosper againste oure Quéene and country But if you hearken for their comming in to fight against hir Maiesty and hir louing subiects or to aide rebelles againste hir or if you reioyce that they aide or helpe traitors against our Quéene or if you desire that they the rebels may get the victorie of hir and hir louing subiects as I feare many of you haue done and yet doe then whatsoeuer you say you are I am sure you are not true subiects but traitors to your prince no friendes but enimies to England Did none of you reioice that the forraine foes ariued in Ireland of late were none of you glad that they aided the rebels there against our Quéene and hir louing subiects And were none of you sory for their euil successe and ouerthrow you in your consciences know whether you do thus or not whether you are such or not whether you reioyced that the forraine foes ayded the
sides and thornes in your eyes vntill you perish out of this good land which the Lorde your God hath giuen you c. Therefore as all good things are come vppon you whiche the Lorde your God promised you so shall the Lorde bring vpon you euery euil thing vntil he hath destroyed you out of this good lande which the Lorde your God hath giuen you when ye shall trangresse the couuenant of the Lord your God which he commauÌ„ded you and shall go and serue other Gods and bow your selues to them then shall the wrath of the Lorde wax hot against you and ye shall quickly perishe out of the good land which he hath giuen you This was the lesson that Iosua a little before his death gaue vnto the Israelites his people And thus may you sée that al the charge that God and the godly giueth is to harken to the voyce of the Lord and obey his law which is his word and he wyl defend prosper and fight for vs no longer than we abide in the same So that the prosperous successe victories and other great blessings of Kings and Rulers that knowe Gods worde and professe the same is a manifest Argument that they walke rightly in his wayes and that he is wel pleased with them And such Kings Princes and Rulers as haue troubles warres euill successe and are ouercome in battell of their enemies thoughe they say they haue the true doctrine of God and that they follow it and obserue it most truely of all other yet it is an infallible token that they do offend their Lord God that they doe not walke rightly nor obserue his lawes and word as they ought and that he is not wel pleased with them And thus as God did blesse prosper Iosua and all other before him that hearkned to his voyce obeyed his worde euen so he did to other that did likewise after him For God gaue such wonderfull successe to Iudah the Captaine of the Israelites who feared God obeyed his worde against Adoni-Bezek the Cananites as he gaue to Iosua And Iudah did cut off the thumbes off his handes and off his féete according to the iust iudgement of God for his great tyrannie vsed to other for the sayde tyrant Adoni-Bezek confessed that he had vsed seauentie Kings before in like manner and they gathered bread vnder his table And then hée was compelled to say thus As I haue done God hath rewarded me God also blessed the sayde Iudah and the Israelites and gaue them many wonderfull victories after that againste their enimies the Cananites and heathen Idolators But when the Israelites hearkened not to the voyce of the Lorde and disobeyed his worde and worshipped the Gods of the Cananites and did wickedly in the sight of the Lorde then the Lordes furie and wrath kindled and waxed hote against them so that he suffered them to be ouercome and he deliuered them into their enemies handes that spoyled them and he solde them into their enemies handes so that they coulde stande no longer before their enemies and whether soeuer they went out the Lord was against them according as before he had promised And God suffered the king of Aram to preuaile against them and to carry them away wiâ—â— him And so serued him were captiues vnder him eight yéeres Consider also howe wonderfully Gedeon the Capitaine of the Israelites that hearkened to the voyce of the Lorde with thrée hundreth men through Gods power and might did ouercome the huge armie of the Madianites that were as Grassehoppers in number What a victorie did God giue to little Dauid his seruant against the mightie Giant Goliah his enemie howe did he prosper him blesse him and fight for him against the Philistines whose Images he burnt which pleased God And as God hath and doeth daylye giue victorie to such Princes Kings and Rulers that hearkened to his voyce and obeyed his worde so he hath giuen and doth giue maruellous quietnesse and peace to such Kings Princes and Rulers as do the same For God did prosper and blesse king Asa King of Iudah which hearkned to his voice and obserued his law making him raigne in a maruelous quietnesse and peace the space of fiue and thirtie yéeres bicause he tooke away the Sodomites out of the lande and put away all the Idols that his father had made and tooke away the Aultars of strange Gods and the high places and brake downe the Images cut down the Groues and commaunded Iuda to séeke the Lorde God of their fathers and to doe according to the lawe and the commaundement And he tooke awaye out of all the Cities of Iudah the high places the Images therfore the kingdome was quiet before him and the Lord gaue him rest on euery side And as the Lorde did prosper and blesse King Asa wyth suche a quietnesse and peace for breaking downe the Aultars of the straunge Gods and destroying the Images set vp by Abija his father euen so he hath blessed and prospered our most gratious Quéene with a most plentifull peace al the time of hir raigne which is thrée and twentie yéeres beséeching God to triple it with the quiet raigne of King Asa for plucking downe the Aultars for breaking and destroying the Images for abolishing the most Idolatrous Masse the Popes inuented sacrifice committed and done on these Aultars for the extirping and rooting vp the abhominable law religion of the Pope erected planted by hir sister Quéene Marie to the great dishonor of God the derogation of the passion of our sauior Iesus Christ setting forth in steade thereof not onely in euery Citie but also in euerie towne and village throughout hir whole Realme of England the pure and perfect word and lawe of God And thus it is plaine that the cause of the quiet raigne of King Asa and the peaceable and quiet raigne of our Quéene Elizabeth is all one Which is for the putting away of Idolatrie which God doth most abhorre for the setting forth of his law word which he doth chiefly desire But thoughe King Asa had peace al this while bicause he abolished Idolatrie and hearkned vnto the voice of God yet after wheÌ„ he did slide froÌ„ God put not his whole trust in him the case was then cleane altred for the Lorde tooke his peace awaye and God sent to him the Prophet Hanani who spake vnto King Asa as followeth Bycause thou hast rested vpon the King of Aram and not rested in the Lorde thy God therefore is the hoste of the King of Aram escaped out of thine hande The Aethiopians and Lybyanes were they not a great host with Chariots and horsmen exceeding many yet bycause thou didst rest vppon the Lorde he deliuered them into thine hande For the eyes of the Lorde beheld al the earth to shewe himselfe strong with them that are of perfect heart toward him Thou hast then done foolishly in
suppressed and put downe Idolatrie before Christ were then the people of God and so blessed prospered and defended of him Euen so al the Kings Princes and Rulers and their people that since Christe haue and do professe and set forth the Gospell were and are the people of God and Christes flocke and are likewise blessed prospered and defended of God For howe did God blesse and loue that worthye and godly Emperour of the Weast partes called Constantine that vanquished the army of Mâ—xentius the Tyraunt that horribly persecuted the Christians who flying oute of the battel was drowned in the riuer of Tiber. And also he ouercame Licinius the Emperor that persecuted the Christians And also God did maruellously blesse and prosper Frederike the godly and Christian Emperour thoughe the Popâ— did cursse him neuer so muche for he subdued almoste al Italie except a fewe Cities that fauoured his enimies whereby you may plainely sée that God blessed this Christian Emperour with victorie and contrary curssed the Pope with ouerthrowe they both professing to be Christians But séeing God stoode with the Emperour and gaue him the victorie and ouerthrew the Pope and gaue him the foile Therfore it is manifest according to Gods promisses before declared that the Emperour was of a true religion that God was wel pleased with him and that he was the better christian and that the Pope was of a wrong religion walkt not rightly according to Gods lawe and so no good Christian and therefore displeased God Thus you maye perfectely vnderstande that as God béefore the commyng of Christe did blesse and giue victorie to the Kings and Rulers that set forth and folowed Moses law plaguing and destroying their enimies Euen so now God dothe blesse and prosper the Christian Princes and Rulers that sette forth fauour defend the gospell of Christ and dothe plague and destroy the enimies of the true Chrystians that embrace and followe the same And as God before Christe was borne didde prosper and defende none but the Iewes that followed Moses lawe and called them onelye hys people Euen so since the time of Christ he doth prosper and defend none but onely them that professe and followe Christs gospel named Christians And as the often reading hearing and perusing of the same lawe of Moses was the chief way for the Iewes to knowe it and to knowe it perfectlye the nexte waye to followe it and to follow it truely the chiefe meane for God to blesse and defend them Euen so oure often reading perusing and hearing of the Gospell is the chiefe waye for vs to knowe Gods will and pleasure and to knowe it perfectelye is the nexte waye for vs to followe it and to followe it truely is the chiefe meane for God to blesse prosper and defend vs in this worlde and through Christe to saue vs euerlastingly in the worlde to come Nowe if there be none other waye for vs to bée blessed and defended of God than by hearing reading and perusing the Scriptures as moste certainelye there is not then they muste néedes bée vnhappy haue euil successe and be subiect to all mischiefs that wil not reade it peruse it heare it nor knowe it Therefore these Papists are vnhappy accurssed that will not reade peruse heare nor know the Scriptures the knowledge and following whereof is the fountaine of all blessednesse and happinesse Perhappes some of you will saye Were all oure fore-elders vnhappy curssed or damned that didde not heare reade and beléeue thys lawe that you now teach whome I aunsweare thus Are all the Apostles and Martyres that dyed for professyng thys oure Lawe or Gospell and all the holye olde Fathers that neuer hearde of the Pope nor of hys Lawe and also all oure and youre Fathers bréethren sisters and kinsfolkes besides manye thousandes that haue refused the Pope and his lawe vnhappy curssed or damned What particular persons or people are saued or damned I referre that to God but thus much I dare be bold to say for Christ himselfe saide it He that beleeueth and is baptized shall be saued but he that beleeueth not shall be damned not meaning that he that beléeueth in the Pope and his doctrine but he that according to the Gospel doth beleue in Christ and that he is the onely sauiour of the world shal be saued Wherefore whatsoeuer the Pope teacheth there is no saluation without beléeuing in Christ. Therefore all you that cleaue to the Pope and his law and refuse the gospel which is Christs law do highly displease God If the Iewes that follow Moses law that was deliuered and commaunded by God do maruellously displease God then doe you thinke that you that followe the Popes lawe that God neuer commaunded can please God It can not be so Therefore how vnwise are you that would be thus curssed plagued be vnhappy to haue youre Idolatrous Masse here againe whiche God doth deteste and hate I beséeche you consider that the worde of God whiche we haue and the Masse which you woulde haue are so contrary the one to the other and are such Enimies that they can no more dwel togither quietly than the Arke of God could with Dagon So that the Quéenes Maiestie as a most prudent Princesse hath with al hir power and might kepte oute that Idolatrous Masse and all other the Popes trumperie thereby to obtaine Gods fauoure and his saide greate blessyngs and to kéepe hir Realme in concorde and quietnesse And as hir Grace dothe kéepe the same oute by force so if you haue it againe in hir life time it muste bée brought in by force And as the Quéene is the champion of Gods word to kéepe out Idolatrie so must some Papistes be champions to bring in Idolatrie And who woulde they be I pray you Forsooth your procured or wished souldiors of the Pope enimies to our Quéene and countrey yea and perhaps some of them disobedient to their owne Prince comming without their leaue or licence that woulde not come to maintaine or defend you as you thinke but would come to destroy you as we knowe that woulde not succour you but spoile you and woulde make you rather slaues than subiects Perhaps some of you may thinke that the straungers you wish to come hither though they be foes to the Quéen and come to fight against hir Maiestie vs will not misuse you for that you and they are of one religion Uerye wel trust you to that and we will truste to God But if they be hir foes and fight againste hir me thinkes they shoulde not be your friendes that oughte to fight with hir yet do you not sée euery day that the son being of the same religion that his father is of doth poyson destroy and kil his owne father to haue his liuing after his death Do not many kill their very friendes for their goodes and money though they be of their religion Doe not many robbe and spoile their owne countrey men though they
was created or made and hath bene allowed approued and vsed by many great Emperoures Kings yea and Popes Cardinals and Byshops and many other too long to be put in daying in these daies at the latter ende of the world But whereas the murther of Caine the Idolatrie of the Heathen and the pryde of the Diuell began long before Christe yet the Pope and his Religion began long and many a day after Christ as plainly appeares Therefore seing the murther of Caine the Idolatrie of the Heathen and the pryde of the Diuell that are so ancient and so long before Christ may be put to daying then the Popes authoritie his new Romishe religion that began so long after Christ wherein murther Idolatrie pride beares such a sway may aswel be put to daying be brought to accōpt Therfore regard not the church of Rome for hir anciētnes who though you beléeued she was so old so ancient yet in cōparison of y e gospel she is very yōg but sticke to the worde of God and the Gospell which is both auncient and true wherevpon the right true Churche is buylded and be not angrie with vs for forsaking that false late vpstart Church of Rome and in following Christ and his Gospell which makes vs the true Churche neyther say that we boast our selues to much in saying so which is no proude boasting but a godly reioysing For if it be a proude parte to followe Christe in religion and liuing who is the best patterne to followe of all that euer dwelled on the earth what is the Pope then that claymeth Christes authoritie to him selfe and to be as Christ For one saluted the Pope in this maner as followeth Touching prymacie thou arte Abel Touching gouernment thou arte Noe touching the Patriarkeship thou art Abraham touching order thou arte Melchisedech touching dignitie thou art Aaron touching Authoritie thou art Moses touching Iudgement thou art Samuel touching power thou arte Peter touching annoynting thou art Christe All this I trowe is sufficient for a Pope and I may say further touching thy takyng of all this vppon thée thou art Antichrist That Churche that hath such a head and chiefe Captaine as claymes and takes all these Titles and yet for all that is a very limme of the Diuell muste néedes be a true and holy Churche such a Churche is that Churche of Rome that you haue so much estéemed therefore if you meane to be of the Churche of Christe then flie away with spéede from this Churche of Antichrist For how can that be the Churche of Christ that will not suffer the Gospell which is the Statutes and Lawes of Christ to be red and taught in it As all earthly Emperours Kinges haue their statutes lawes for the obeying of them the maintenance of the countrey Cōmonwealth so hath Christ the sonne of God his statutes lawes for them that be his people the Christians thereby to obey their Captaine Christe to do these things that may conserue them all togither here in a holye congregation and that maye leade them the waye to the kingdome where their head King Captaine in Christ is But as they that wil not suffer the lawes of their Kings or Emperours to be read published to their people but will hyde them destroy them and burne them bycause they should not obey their Emperours and kings and that they should not do their things that should be for the prosperitie concord and continuaunce of their Countrey and common wealth are no true subiectes of those Kings or Emperours but rather rebels and traytors Euen so the Pope and the Churche of Rome are not the true children nor Churche of Christe but rebels and Traytors to him that hydes destroyes and burnes the Scripture Gospell Gods worde bycause we shoulde not knowe our duetie to oure Christe and that we shoulde not kéepe his commaundements Perhappes some of you wil saye if the Popes be so wicked their doctrine so detestable and the Churche of Rome so contrary to Christe as is here alleadged then why doth the Emperour and diuers Kings and so manye Rulers in Christendome followe him and do not espie his diuelish doings Mary I wil tel you why they do not forsooth bicause they looke not in the worde of God whych is the only Candle that woulde make them to sée and so without it they are blinde therefore the Pope doth suppresse it burnes it and hydes it and falsely expoundes it and makes them beléeue it is Heresie to be in their vulgare and knowne tongue and all bycause he woulde not haue them to sée that he maye leade them by the noses whiche waye he liste for the Pope is assured that if the Kings and Rulers that are the defenders of his religion did once know the Scriptures and had them in their vulgare tongue as oure gracious Quéene of England the King of Denmarke the King of Scots and other Dukes and Rulers of Germany and of diuers other Countries haue then they woulde spye his iugling and forsake him as hir Grace and the other Kings Rulers haue done The Lion or wilde Bull saieth M. Iewell bee they neueruer so cruell or great of courage yet if you may once closely couer their eyes ye may easily leade them whether you lyst without resisting Euen so doth the Pope hoodwinke and blindfolde the Princes of the worlde and holde them in ignoraunce for want of looking in Gods worde which done he maketh them to holde his Styrrop to leade his horse to kneele downe and to kysse his shoe and to attende and wayte vppon him at his pleasure but if they eyther knewe him or them selues they woulde not doe it which they will neuer knowe well before they know Gods word better than they doe And thus the blynde Popes leade the blinde Kyngs Princes and Rulers whereby they are all lyke to fall in the ditche and the Pope learnes the blinde Kings and Princes méekenesse and humilitie and the Diuell teaches him to bée presumptuous and proude for humilitie it can not wel be called vnlesse the Pope hath one humilitie and Christ an other For Christ sayth learne of me for I am méeke lowly in hart Nowe if Christ which is the chiefe teacher of humilitie and méekenesse had thought it had bene a point of humilitie to haue troden in the Emperours necke that an Emperour with his wife and childe shoulde haue come in the colde frost and to stande thrée dayes without at his gate for his absolution and pardon that an Emperour shoulde holde his Styrrop whiles he got vp on his horse y e Kings shoulde holde his horse leade his horse by the brydle and go on foote whyles he did ride to set the Emperours Crowne on his head with his foote and to strik it off againe with his foote to suffer a Duke to lie in chaynes vnder his Table whiles he was at dinner and that Kings and Emperours shoulde
for the loue of my Countrey and for the â—are I haue of the the carelesse case of many and as one more willing than méete haue writteÌ„ vnto al you that are such English enimies as wel in England as elsewhere this earnest perswasioÌ„ which if you wil as aduisedly read as I haue willingly written I doubt not but that you will or manye of you at the least y t God hath not cleane giuen ouer or whoÌ„ the diuel hath not vtterly blinded or bewitched of english enimies become English friends and of disobedient people true and obedient subiectes Besides y t you shal plainly anâ— perfectly sée the wrong way you walke in how you wishe your owne woe séeke your owne sorrowe and desire your destruction Al which if you auoide therby I hope you wil not be vnkinde and vnthankeful to him that is so zealous and careful for you Yet for al that I loke for none other but that some of you more wilful than wise more churlish than curteous wil hate me spitefully for that you ought to loue me faithfully But suche shal haue no more cause to do so than the théefe to hate him y t perswades him from stealing If any be angry bycause I name English emies it is a great presumption such are not of them whoÌ„ we count to be English friends As I haue written to many of you and yet doe not know you so I wish you maye know your selues when I touch or iustly reproue you They that are English friends friends to England wyl not be angry bycause I name English enimies for that I do not touch them but they y t are Englishe enimies are such enimies to England wil stur bicause I do pinch them But be not angry for if we haue such English enimies as I am sure we haue then I must néedes cal them Englishe enimies if I cal them by their right name for if I shoulde cal a théefe a true maÌ„ or a harlot an honest womaÌ„ I shold misname theÌ„ Therfore I know no fitter name for a traytour than a traytour for a drunkarde than a drunkard for a Pyrate than a Pyrate and so for an English enimie thaÌ„ an English enimie But if it grieue you to be called thus then let it grieue you to deserue to be called thus And wheÌ„ you do chaunge your conditions we wil then change your name For if you wil obey louingly and willingly your merciful and peaceable prince then you shal be called true and louing subiects And if you wil vnfaynedly wish procure the quietnesse and commoditie of England we wil then cal you English friends But being now cleane contrarie we caÌ„not choose y t with grief of hart but cal you English enimies English for y t you were born nourished in England enimies for y t you enuy the peaceable and quiet gouernment therof wishing séeking an alteratioÌ„ of y e same How proue you y t may some of you say as some haue sayd alredy y t we do so howsoâ—uer I proue it your own words proues y t do say so that you take your selues to be of y e same nuÌ„ber for as your stinging doth cause you to kicke so doth your kicking make you be known And that there are such English enimies y t do enuy this our peaceable quiet gouernmeÌ„t of EnglaÌ„d wish an alteration of y e same it is not hard to proue vnlesse it be hard to proue y t the sun is vp at noone Therfore mark me wel for I wil now proue it We haue thanks be to God a most wise merciful Princes vnder whose gouernmeÌ„t through Gods goodnesse we haue had such a plentie peace as neuer hath bin y e like in this realme And yet there are a great sort I feare within this Realme that loue not hyr maiestie as they oughte feare hir not as they should nor obey hir according to their duty For how can they loue hir that despise hir godly procéedings how can they fear hir that contemne hir decrées how can they obey hir y t obstinately break hir good orders Now it is wel known y t there are many born bred within England y t despise obstinately refuse to follow hir godly procéedings set forth according to gods worde they y t despise refuse these hir procéedings are sory they coÌ„tinue so long they y t are sory therfore would gladly haue other orders much worse in their place and they y t would haue other wish y t hyr graces procéedings were displast they y t wold haue theÌ„ taken away which they know wil not be so loÌ„g as hir grace doth raign do wish hir being our head to be cut off or els hopes of hir short life But al their heads y t wold haue it so how many soeuer they be I wish stood on one necke y t they al might be cut of at one stroke Now you may sée y t I haue proued y t there are such English enimies w tin this realm for if these be not English enimies y t loue not their princesse y t ar sory she liues so loÌ„g y t wish hir deth or short raign y t wold haue an alteratioÌ„ or rather subuertioÌ„ of this our most happy quiet state if these I say be not English Enimies yea and great enimies to England then I know not what to name them vnlesse I should call theÌ„ English Rebels for English friends or good subiects I am sure they are not Therefore to you Englishe enimies that are wilful obstinate and determined Papists I chiefelye do write for no other English enimies haue al these aforesayde markes or conditions but only you I doubt not but that some of you wil be offeÌ„ded with me for calling you English enimies for y t you would séeme to be as good English friends as y e best bicause you are great enimies to England therfore I caÌ„not wel cal you Englishe friends or friends to Eng. Which I am most sure to proue hereafter if that be not sufficient y t I haue proued before It is wel known y t the Pope is enimie to our Quéene his lawes are repugnant to hir lawes and his religion is contrarie to hir religion which is the Gospell and Gods word now if any that is borne within England doeth earnestly loue the Pope then they cannot faithfully loue the Quéene if anye of them obey the Popes laws and decrées they must néedes disobey the Quéenes lawes and orders And if they imbrace and loue the Popes religion then they must néedes forsake and deâ—pise Gods worde the Quéenes religioÌ„ Now for that you y t are Papists are such then you are rather the Popes louing seruaunts than the Quéenes true subiects And if you be not true and louing subiects to our Quéene who vnder God is the chief staffe stay of the peaceable prosperous state of England then you cannot be friendes but enimies
to the left hand to goe after other Gods or to serue them which blessings most plentifully he hath poured on this Realme of England euer since our gracious Quéene put downe Idolatrie and Papistrie and set forth the Gospell and word of God And also here you may plainely perceiue and vnderstand the maruellous curses and plagues promised and threatned to them that will not obey the voyce of the Lord our God and kéepe his commaundementes and ordinaunces which plagues and cursses haue aboundantlye lyghted on those Countreys and Kingdomes that embrace and maintayne Idolatrous Papistrie reiecting the Gospell and persecuting the Professours thereof Which is a manifest argument that this Religion that we haue is the true Religion wherewith God is well pleased and your Papisticall doctrine is a false and wicked religion wherewith God is highlye displeased For as God did prosper and blesse the Iewes his people to whome Moyses pronounced the sayde blessings so long as they hearkened to his voyce and obeyed and followed his word and commaundements and as hys sayde plagues and cursses fell vpon them when they harkened not to the voyce of the Lord but committed Idotrie euen so euer since he hath and doeth blesse and prosper the professors and followers of his worde and poures his sayde plagues and cursses on them that despise his worde that are enimies to the Gospell and persecute the professors of the same Marke well and you shall sée that in all ages God guided protected and blessed the Kings and Rulers that clensed their Countreys of Idolatrie and that did set forth and obeyed his law What famous victories did he giue to Iosua the Duke and Captaine of the Israelites which obeyed God and harkened to his voyce to whom God spake as followeth Moyses my seruant is deade nowe therefore arise goe ouer this Iorden thou and all thy people vnto the lande whiche I giue them that is to the children of Israell euerye place that the sole of your foote shall treade vppon haue I giuen you as I sayd vnto Moyses from the Wildernesse this Libanon vnto the greate riuer Perath all the lande of the Hettites euen vnto the great Sea towarde the going downe of the Sunne shal be your coaste There shall not a man bee able to withstand thee all the dayes of thy life As I was with Moyses so will I be with thee I will not leaue thee nor forsake thee Be strong of a good courage for vnto this people shalt thou deuide the land for an inheritaunce which I sware vnto their Fathers to giue them onely be thou strong and of a most valiant courage that thou mayest obserue doe according to all the law which Moyses my seruant hath cōmaunded thee Thou shalt not turne awaye from it to the right hand nor to the lefte that thou mayest prosper whersoeuer thou goest let not this booke of the law depart out of thy mouth but meditate therein day night that thou mayest obserue and do according to all that is written therin for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous and then shalt thou haue good successe These were the wordes that God spake to Iosua Therfore marke y e promises of God to him if he follow do according to the law of God then his way shold be prosperous he should haue good successe none should withstand him al the dayes of his life God would be with him which in déede God performed wonderfully and kept promise with him for that he hearkned to y e voyce of the Lord and directed al his wayes according to the law of God For was not God with Iosua when miraculously he departed the water of Iorden and the children of Israel went drie ouer the same straight towardes Iericho did not God wonderfully deliuer Iericho to Iosua and his people when after the sounding of the Trumpettes the walles thereof fell downe through his power and so Iosua and all his people went into it and tooke the Citie and so they destroyed all the Idolatrous people the enimies of God that were in the same But sée howe sodainely the Lorde went from them and suffered the men of Ai to kill .xxxvj. of the Israelites and made the rest of thrée thousande of them fearefully to flée away bicause Achan in the spoyle of Iericho tooke that for a praye which the Lorde directly commaunded to the contrarie Thus you may easily perceiue that the harkening to the voyce of God following of his worde is the cause of good successe and victorie and the disobeying of his worde and following of their owne fansies was the cause of euil successe and ouerthrowe But God blessed Iosua still bicause he was not cōsenting to Achans fact who stoned him therfore to death for after y t the Lord made Iosua to vanquish and ouercome the fiue Kings of the Amorits in which conflict the Lord threw stones from heauen vpon his enimies and at Iosuas bydding the Sunne and Moone did stand still a whole day togither that he might haue time to ouercome his enimies These wonders did the Lord for his seruant Iosua and his people that harkened to his voyce and obeyed his worde Many other kings did Iosua ouercome through the strength of the Lord that fought for him and his people And when Iosua waxed olde then he called all Israel their elders their heades their Iudges and their officers before him giuing them then the same warning that Moyses and God gaue him to hearken to the voyce of the Lorde saying I am old and stricken in age also you haue séene all that the Lorde you God hath done vnto all these nations before you howe the Lorde hath fought for you Behold I haue diuided vnto you by lot these nations that remaine that as yet were not ouercome to bée an inheritaunce accordyng to your Tribes from Iorden with all the nations that I haue destroyed euen vnto the great sea Westward And the Lord your God shal expell them before you and cast them out of your sight And ye shall possesse their lande as the Lorde your God hath sayde vnto you Bée ye therefore of a valiant courage to obserue and doe all that is written in the Booke of the lawe of Moyses that ye turne not ther from to the right hande nor to the lefte c. But sticke faste vnto the Lorde your God as yée haue done vnto this daye for the Lorde hath cast out before you great nations and mightie and no man hath stande before your face hitherto One man of you shall chase a thousande for your Lorde your God hée fyghteth for you as he hath promysed you Take good héede therefore vnto your selues that yée loue the Lorde your GOD Else if yée goe backe c knowe yée for certayne that the Lorde your God will cast out no more of these nations from before you but they shall bée a snare and destruction to you and a whippe on your
suffred to liue peaceably to enioy your goods quietly to go at your libertie or imprisoned to fare daintilie and there to liue merily or to be releast vpon suerty then what was Quéene Maries time when hir simple humble and faultelesse subiectes were cruelly imprisoned in stockes and chaynes and other Engines tormented most tyrannously racked their friendes to come to them not suffered on the bare boordes and ground lodged to haue pen and Inke and Candle light not permitted for want of meate to be famished in prisons priuily to be murthered and abrode in euerie mans eyes to be burned That time of Quéene Mary to all wise men may rather séeme to be the time of crueltie tyrannie and persecution than this milde mercifull time of our Quéene Elizabeth You that thus drownde the mercifull doings of our most mercifull Mistresse call it the time of persecution I pray God for your vnthankefulnesse and peruersnesse that hereafter you féele not a time of confusion I beséeche God to open your eyes to sée howe hir Grace doth persecute you for if you did sée yet I feare some are blind for the nonce you would then say that she persecutes you none otherwise than the louing father doth his childe and as the good Scholemaister doth persecute his Scholler that he would faine haue to learne Therefore your peruerse detracting of this most blessed time of the Quéenes happie and merciful gouernment doth shew that you doe not reioyce therin but wishe the contrarie And as Donald once king of Scots did neuer laugh but when he heard of the discord and slaughter of his nobles so I feare you that are Englishe enimies before mentioned are most sorrowfull at this most blessed and happie state of our Quéene and this our Countrey Wherefore consider what I of verye zeale before haue written and bée no longer English enimyes to haue Gods plagues and curses but become English friends to obtaine thereby Gods blessings and fauour But if the trueth of Gods word can not moue you the prosperitie of our godly Princes can procure you nor all that is sayd before by forreine foes can persuade you then learne at the heathen that knewe not God to loue your Prince and to be friendes to your Countrey Zopirus an Heathen that knew not God did cutte off his owne nose eares and lippes disfiguring himself to come in credite with the Babilonians whereby he deliuered the Citie of Babilon to Darius his Lorde and maister but you as it séemes that néedes will be Christians doe wish and goe about to deliuer the whole Realme of England your natiue Countrey into your enimies hands to y e confusion of your louing and mercifull Prince and the cutting off the heades of thousands of your Countrey men Mutius Sceuola an Heathen and a Senator of Rome for the loue and friendship he bare to his Citie and Countrey went into the Campe of King Porcenna purposely to slaye the King but missing his purpose of the King he was apprehended and threatned therefore to be put to death who then looking aside espying a great fire most couragiously therein he put his arme and there did hold it stil vntill it was burned saying then verie stoutlye to feare the King withall that thrée hundreth in Rome had likewise sworne to slay the King whereby the said King Porcenna made peace with the Romaynes But you that take your selues to bée the chiefest Christians and of the best Religion of all other are suche enimies to this your Countrey that you woulde haue our forraine foes enimies to come into this realme whom you woulde ayde and helpe to make warres vppon vs to displace your Prince to get our Countrey from vs not onely to spoyle vs but also to burne our armes bodies and all Marcus Curtius a worthy Knight of Rome an Heathen was such a speciall friende to his Countreymen and the Citizens of Rome that whereas there was a pit or gulfe in Rome out of which came such a stinking and horrible smell that a great sort died daily by y e infectiō therof which could be ceased by no meanes vnlesse the best Iewell or thing in Rome were cast into it which Curtius whē nothing could be found to cease it thoughe many Iewels pretious things was thrown into it taking himself to be the chiefest thing that the Romaines estéemed armed himselfe at al points and riding on a goodly courser richly trapped leapt into y e gulfe for the safegarde of the people then incontinent the earth closed which place was called Curtius lake but you that are obstinate and determined Papistes taking your selues for pure Christians woulde haue straunge Romanistes the Popes souldiors and our Princes enemies to come into hir Cities with great horses and coursers to make most stinking fumes smokes and smels where there is none to displace hir and to destroy vs and smulder vs that are your Countreymen and Citizens Zeleucus that famous Duke of the Locrenses an Heathen made a lawe that whosoeuer did commit whordome fornication or adultrie if he were known should therefore haue both his eyes put out the first offender wherof after the said law was made was his owne Sonne which worthie Prince by no meanes woulde bée entreated but the same lawe shoulde be kept and the offender to bée executed accordingly whereby his subiects might well thinke that if his owne Sonne coulde not be pardoned it was not for them then to looke for any pardon if they shoulde offende and so by the seuere execution thereof he was assured that the same necessarie law would be kept yet the sayde Duke at length by earnest motion and perswasion mitigated the rigour of the Lawe towardes his sonne but in such sorte that the same lawe shoulde not bée broken so that he commaunded that one of his sonnes eyes should be put out and an other of his owne but you that are the sayde Englishe enemyes inferiour Papistes not superiour Princes that take your selues to bée good Christians yea and woulde be angry with them that shoulde call you otherwise desire and wishe the Popes souldiors our foes to enter here into Englande to fight against our Prince and not onely to put out our eyes but also to plucke out our hartes and to destroy and abolish our good lawes the lawe of God which is against whoredome and fornication and thereby to bring in the Popes Lawe that maintaineth and allowes fornication and whordome Now séeing these Heathen with diuers others such that knew not God were such faithfull friendes to their Cities and Countries that for the safegard and commoditie therof did cutte off their noses eares lyppes dyd burne their owne arme dyd loose their liues and pluck out their eyes will you then that count your selues Christians wyshe or séeke the sorrow of your soueraigne the annoyance of your neighbours and the confusion of your Countrie Duke Dandalus was content to be tyed in Iron chaines and
and liued in the lawes of marriage Yet Saint Paule saith They were not in the fleshe but in the spirite Saint Aug. saith The bodies of marryed people keeping faith both to themselues and to the Lorde are cleane and holy Chrisost. saith It is the honest chastitie temperance that is betwene man and wife S. Paule calleth Holynesse And againe Marriage is voide of faulte and is no hindraunce to Vertue If S. Paule these holy Doctors writers were aliue now they would say there were more holinesse in mens marriage than in Priests chastity Chriso saith Abundance of riches doth hardly bring a man into the kingdome of heauen yet often times manye ryche men haue entred into it so also dothe Marriage As Marriage hindreth so doth Riches and no more the one thaÌ„ the other Christ calleth riches Thornes and Brambles I doe not remember that euer of marriage he saide the like yet the Pope restrayneth his Priestes onelye from marriage and alloweth them benefices Prebends Abbeys Bishopprickes vpon Bishopprickes with money and treasure as muche as they liste and thinks it no hinderance to perfecte life Christe forbade the Apostles mony in their purses but not Marriage but the Pope forbids his Prelates marriage but not money Thus whatsoeuer we can saye or doe the Pope wil néedes be contrary to Christe And now for y e Priests marriage is aucthorized by God allowed by Christ vsed of the Apostles commended of the Doctors and confirmed by the Popes then why should you so muche discommend it or speake against it Perhaps you wil say that Priests haue made a vowe to liue vnmarryed if they did liue chastely by being vnmarryed I would saye they did wel but if they commit fornication by their being vnmarryed I must say they doe euill But I pray you who required this vow at their hand where did euer God commaunde them or Christe procure them or the Apostles persuade them Now séeing they make this their vowe without Gods wâ—rrant therefore their vowe is bothe vaine wicked so ought not to be kept Iephtha the Iudge of the Israelites made a vowe that if he got the victorie he woulde kil and sacrifice the first thing that mette him after he came home whereby he killed his owne daughter who did méete him firste of all other Herode vowed vnaduisedly that hée would giue his daughter whatsoeuer he asked whereby S. Iohn Baptist loste his head And the Iewes made a vow to kil Saint Paule It is noted by Gratian in the Decrées that Hubaldus made a vowe That hee woulde neuer helpe hys owne mother or brethren were their neede neuer so greate but as they that make euill vowes oughte not to kéepe them so they that make godlye vowes aduisedly ought not to breake them but if the vowe séeme neuer so godly and the maker thereof is not fully able to performe it let him then rather breake it to goodnesse than to kéepe it in euilnesse All Priestes that made this vowe to lyue vnmarryed did make it for a shewe to liue chaste But howe chastely did they liue or howe were many of them able to liue chaste forsoothe they liued as chastely as their Popes that caused them to make it the Popes pond found ful of childrens sculles shewes how chastely they and their Chaplaines liued Therefore for one to make a vowe that knowes he is not able to kéepe it is méere follie or else to commit sinne by the kéeping it is abhominable and wicked What a fonde thing is it that a lame man that is not able to go a mile a day should make a vow to go to Ierusalem in a moneth and to come home in an other euen so what a madnesse is it for Priestes and ministers of the Church to make a vowe to liue vnmarryed al their liues that can not be without a woman a moneth therfore it is a wicked thing for Priests to vowe Chastitie and can not liue chastely A vowe of Chastitie without kéeping of Chastitie pleaseth God as wel as the Pope doth in naming himselfe Christes Uicar béeing notwithstanding the Diuels Deputie Saint Hierome saith Quid prodest pudicitia corporis animo constuprato What profiteth the chastitie of the body if the minde be vnchaste Nowe if they bée vnchaste before God as they are indéede that haue vnchaste mindes thoughe they touche not a woman then howe chaste are the Popishe Priestes that vowe to liue chaste and yet are common fornicators for they make theyr vowe of custome not for chastitie And as they make the vowe commonly so they breake the vowe commonly But truly it stands with reason that if a Priest may breake his vowe in taking a whore then he may breake his vowe in taking a wife Saint Cypryan saith Peius est quam mechari continentiam ducere criminosam To lyue vnchastely vnder the coulour of chaste life as the spirituall Chaplaines of the Popes doe is worse than aduoutrie And thoughe you woulde thinke that the forbidding of Priestes marriages was established to make the Priestes liue more godly and religiously and the Priestes vowes to be made only to make them liue chastely you shal sée now by this that followeth whether they were appointed and dayly performed for that purpose or not After that moste pestilent Pope Hyldebrande hadde by crueltie tyranny quite abolished the mariage of Priests Auentin wrote That theÌ„ many godly lerned men forsooke the ministerie and also that false Prophets false Apostles and false Priestes sprang vppe whiche vnder a counterfaite religion deceiued the people The moste part of them vnder the honest name of Chastitie commit whoredome aduoutry incest and that commonly and without punishment The Popes chaste liuing maye shewe vs their Chaplaines chastitie for such Maister suche man suche Soueraigne such subiects such schoolemaister such Scholler One Robert Holcote doth set out the Priests in his time in theyr colours for their chastitie saying The Priests of our tyme by their lecherie are like the sprites called Incubi the Priests of Priapus or Belphegor and the Angels of the pit of Hel. The Priests wicked liuings for want of wiues made Pope Pius say thus Perhappes it were not worst that many Priestes were marryed for many might be saued in marryed Priesthoode whyche nowe in bare Priesthoode are condemned If the Popes themselues speake againste the single life of Priests and spy the mischiefe that commeth of it and thinke it good for Priestes to haue wiues then you that fauor the Popes me thinke oughte not to maintayne their single life or thinke it necessary that oure Spiritualtie shoulde putte awaye their wiues Thus you maye perceiue their lacke of wiues and their holy vowe made them rather liue vitiously than vertuously If I shoulde write al the sayings of godlye and learned men that haue thus writteÌ„ against their vowed chastitie vnchast liues I shold rather make a great bible than a little
home wherwith his hart was so sore and his body so distempered that through extreme sicknesse he got him to bed and so lying he was not able for the stinke in his stomacke and painefull vomiting to receiue any reliefe of meate or drinke but cried out still sorrowfully complayning of that stinke and with no small othes for belike he made an accompt that the Pope woulde dispence with him for them cursing y e crowe that had poysoned him To make short he continued but a fewe dayes but with extreme paine of vomiting and crying he desperately died without any token of repentance of his former life You shall hardly finde a perfect Protestant and a faythfull follower of the Gospell die in this sorte as this Masse-monger did Truly if the Masse be so auaileable and of such force as you take it to be and the Pope of such a power as many of you thinkes him to be for it is written in his law as is beforesayde that he hath all power in heauen and in earth and that is enough for a Pope then eyther by the vertue of the Masse which this Burton so maintained and busily set vp or else by the Popes mightie power me thinkes this his Champion of the Masse shoulde haue bene preserued from dying thus strangely and desperately But if the Pope and his holy Masse doe suffer them that put such trust in him and confidence in the Masse to die sodainely without repentance to die desperately and to cal on the Diuell and to lie in such extreame paines and torments as a great sort of them doe and haue done surely if I were as you the Pope and his Masse shoulde goe to the Diuell ere I would trust any more to him or to it Also one Richard Denton hauing wordes of commendations sent to him from one William Wolsey that was after burned for professing the Gospell which were that he maruelled that the said Denton tarried so long behind him seeing he was the first that deliuered him the Booke of the Scriptures into his hand and told him that it was the truth desiring him to make hast after as fast as he coulde Which Denton said when the said message was done to him I confesse it is true but alas I can not burne But after though he coulde not burne willingly in Christes cause he was burned agaynst his will not in so good a cause for after that his house being on fire he went in to saue his goods therby was burned lost his life And thus he was burned for earthly goods y t refused to burne for heauenly treasure Marke this ende of a Papist and an enemie of the Gospell One Clarke an open enemie to the Gospell and all godly Preachers in King Edwardes dayes hanged himself in the Tower of London The great and notable Papist called Troling Smith fell downe sodenly in the stréete and died Dale the Promoter of the professors of Gods worde was eaten into his body with lyse so dyed as it was well knowne of many Cox an earnest Protestant in King Edwardes dayes in Quéene Maries time a Papist and promoter or accuser of the Gospellers going wel and in health to his bed as it séemed was dead before the morning Alexander the kéeper of Newgate a cruel enimie to them that lay there for Religion died verye miserably being so swolne that he was more lyke a monster than a man and was so rotten within that no man coulde abide the smell of him This cruel mā to hasten the poore lambes to y e slaughter woulde goe to Bonner Storie and other crying oute Ridde my prison ridde my prison I am too much pestred with these Heretikes It séemes that this cruell wretch was better content to haue the companie of Théeues and murtherers great offenders against the lawe that were in his prison than Gods people that professed his word that were no offenders against the lawe Beholde the great and terrible iudgement of God on the parson of Croundall in Kent who vppon Shroue Sondaye hauing receyued the Popes pardon from Cardinall Poole came to his Parishe Churche and exhorted the people ro receyue the same as he had done himselfe saying That he stoode nowe so cleare in conscience as when he was first borne and cared not nowe if he shoulde dye the same houre in that clearenesse of conscience Where vppon he beyng striken sodainely by the hande of God and leaning a little on the one syde immediately shronke downe in the Pulpet and so was founde deade speaking not one worde more Truely if they haue no better lucke with the Popes Pardons and blessings than I sée they haue they were better a great deale to haue a foole blesse them with his Bable than to haue the Pope to Pardon them or blesse them with his handes if I were desyrous to die sodainely or to breake my necke from which the Lorde blesse me and euery bodie I woulde eyther get the Popes Pardons or else haue eyther hys or one of his Cardinals blessings for other good they doe none that I can heare or sée One Iohn Peter sonne in lawe to the said Alexander the kéeper of Newgate being an horrible blasphemer of God no lesse cruell to the said prisoners that professed the word of God rotted awaye and so most miserably dyed who cōmonly when he would affirme any thing were it true or false vsed to say If it be not true I pray God I rot ere I die Also one Robert Bawlding a Papisticall persecutor was stricken with lightning at the taking of William Seaman wherevpon he pyned away and dyed One Rockwood the chiefe procurer of the great trouble of certaine Callys men for religion who at the point of death staring and raging cryed he was vtterly damned and being wylled to aske God mercie who was readie to forgiue all that asked mercie of him he brayed and cryed out all to late for I haue sought malitiously the deathes of a number of the honest men in the Towne And though I so thought them in my heart yet I dyd that laye in me to bring them to an euill death All to late therefore all to late The which same wordes the sayde Rockwood answeared to one that said I neuer saw men of such honesty so sharpely corrected and taking it so paciently and ioyfully At which time the said Rockwood fetching a friske or two scoffingly answeared all to late But whereas he sayde and ment that it was all to late for these godly prisoners to haue pardon of their Prince in this world nowe God iustly turned these words to himselfe it was all to late for hym to haue pardon at Gods hand in the worlde to come For he saide he was vtterly damned and when he was counselled to aske God mercie he said it was all to late Also one Pauier towne Clarke of the Citie of Londō a notorious enemie to y e word of