her gouernment But an vnderserued curse hurteth not About Midsōmer last was twelue-month they renued these bulles of excommunication graūted by this Pope Gregory vnder the color name of Pius Quintus published There were fiue hundreth copies printed at Rome as two of you my brethrē can verifie the same and how they were published as I heard at Rome in the Englishe Seminarie at Rheames and were put fast to pillars in the citie These Bulles of excommunication were scattered throughout all Italie Spaine parte of Germanie In these buls of excōmunicatiō forsooth they haue discharged if their discharge shoulde bee credited her highnesse Subiects from their loyaltie obedience to her Maiestie their natural Prince Haue not their Bulles pronounced her Maiestie to be no lawful Queen whom God hath placed ouer vs Haue not their attemptes bene the seede of rebellion and haue they not caused and doe cause to this day many to practise secretly her graces destruction The loyaltie of Papists One of your Readers in Diuinitie positiue I am certayne before two hundreth scholers and not so fewe as one of you may testifie the same most impudently and deuilishly spake that it was lawfull for any man of worship in Englande to giue authoritie to the vilest wretch that is to seeke the death of our soueraigne Queene But God who hath defended her still preserue her And then let K. P. who threatneth and Antichrist Pope Gregory an Italian borne in the citie of Bolonia who prouoketh ioyne their powers together yet shee shall preuayle to their shame to her honour Father Pais a Spaniard borne reader in scholastical diuinity in the Romane colledge at Rome said in the presence of three hundreth scholers at least these were his woordes Bona Papae voluntas trita manifesta est eius crumena parata sed R. P. aut metus subtrahit aut potestatis defectus vetat vt suū in Angliam exercitum ducere non audeat That is the Popes good will is tried and knowne and his purse ready but K. P. either feare withdraweth or power forbiddeth him that hee dare not venter to bring his Army of Souldiers into Englande But least that I be too tedious to my hearers of this first part I wil make an end beseeching you my brethren to become loyall and faythfull to your naturall Prince forsaking your superstitious Idolatrie and cursed religion your pompous glorie and prowde hierarchie and thus much for the first part The second part Qui veniunt ad vos vestitu ouium c. Which come vnto you in sheepes clothing c. In this place being the secōd part of my diuision whē the holy Ghost biddeth vs Beware of false prophets he addeth also a note or marke to know them by in these words Which come vnto you in sheepes clothing In the first words which come vnto you there is also giuen vs one mark of a false prophet that is to go before he be sent in the last words In sheepes clothing is shewed that when false prophetes come it is but with flatterie dissimulation For to come in sheepes clothing is nothing else but to feine himselfe a sheepe that is to make thy selfe holy whereas thou art nothing lesse to name thy selfe a follower of Christes holy worde wheras thou art obedient to the traditiōs of mē to name thy selfe a Prophet whereas thou art not to name thy selfe a teacher of the trueth wheras thou art a maintainer of lies to resemble a sheepe in outward shew but in wardly to be a Foxe What a false prophet is you may know if ye reade these places of scripture that follow to witte Esa 56. Ierem. 6.23 Ezech. 22.34 Philip. 3.4 and the 2. to Timoth. 3. Titus 1.2 Pet. 2. Luk. 16. Rom. 16. For whiles they giue themselues vnto couetousnesse and that vnder a colour of godlinesse what can otherwise fall out then that which S. Peter sayth With fained wordes they shoulde make marchandize of Gods people 2. Pet. 2.3 So did the false Prophetes amongst the Iewes so did their sacrificers Matt. 15.5 with them as our massemōgers haue done with vs. What maner worshipping of God haue they feyned what snares haue they laide namely Indulgences purgatorie watchings masses for the dead workes of supererogation in fine to that passe they brought it that obscured the grace of our redemption wherewith al such as beleue by Iesus Christ are freely redeemed and get eternall life No man thinketh amongst the Papistes but they either deserue eternall life by reason of their owne workes or els if their outward workes fayle to be damned for euer This is that same diabolicall perdition with the sway whereof a great part of Christendome is caried headlōg And the cause hereof is that men haue ytching eares and therfore procure vnto themselues heapes of teachers 2. Tim. 4.5 to feede their fonde humors men are highminded self willed louers of themselues beyng wedded to their owne wayes and marryed vnto their owne deuices they leaue the law of God and follow after the traditions of men What I praye you is the cause that there be so many papistes in England is it not because the true preachers are not beleeued The trueth offendeth them the Scriptures mislike them they are delighted with falsehoode and content to staye themselues vpon mens inuentions Preceptes are giuen yet the precepts of God are not regarded ensamples abounde and yet the ensamples of the constant faithfull martyrs of God are derided and scoffed at the wholsome counsels of the godly eyther are lightly contemned or else heard with so small profite that they enter in at the one eare and goe out at the other Is it then to be maruayled if Christ suffer these pretensed prophetes the Papists I meane to seduce them from his trueth reade 1. of the kings 22.22 In Achab the like hath bene done before and in Ezech. 13.10 22.28 we reade of them that buylded with vntempered morter Seeing then that they will not giue credite vnto Gods worde and therewith be contented God is not to be blamed if that these false prophetes deceyuing them with an outward shewe of holinesse he giue them vp to strong delusions 2. Thess 2.11 that they fall from the trueth to error from light vnto darkenes from heauen to hell Such as teach them the trueth are despised and others that instruct them in the dregges of idolatrie are esteemed and had in great reputation These false prophets that they may bring these carnal men vnto perfection they tell them how their forefathers liued whē they embraced papistrie howe that in comming to Churches they were very diligent in worshipping of images they were deuoute howe paynefull in visiting holy places howe liberall vnto the poore howe mercifull to the afflicted and lastly howe carefull they were to keepe Gods commandements Where be all these good workes saye they what is become of them Nowe one man seeketh to beguile another
Therefore Saul Caiaphas haue prophecied but as Saynt Augustine sayeth as Balaams asse once spake August lib. 2 ad simpli quaest 1. yet for all that they might haue once spoken the trueth for the deuill himself to colour his lying sometimes speaketh the trueth Howe weake my brethren your reuelations be and howe small credit ought to be giuen therunto there is no man but shoulde know At Rome you haue them that receiue reuelations daily as for example A poore man there is in the citie of Rome of whome I doubt not but you haue heard who maketh men beleeue that our blessed Lady with her garde of heauenly mayds saluteth him and hath conference with him dayly This man is no otherwise then a Saynt counted among the Iesuits The Pope hath him to pray for him the people regard him as a holy holy man This man helpeth the citizens to bring the wood from Tyber syde to their houses of his gaine hee reserueth nothing else but that which is sufficiēt for meat drink cloth the rest he giueth to the poore Father Hieronimus Iesuite repetitour of the Logiciās in the English Seminarie at Rome reported that there was there dwelling an old woman I wil not otherwise cal her for I deale gently mildely with you which would as he sayd tell him euery thing that hee had done in his life time and when he came to her house at any time she would tell one of her maydes not hauing seen him that there was such a felowe comming vnto her house She also foretolde him that he shoulde become a Iesuite Hee reported in like wise how the Pope in diuers matters cōsulted with her He praised this womā out of measure sayd how she was greatly in fauor with God who reuealed such hiddē secret mysteries vnto her He cōmended thereby the happie state of Rome that there shoulde be such in that city as were worthy to receiue these reuelatiōs visions he counted her a Saint No dout if one that I knew at Cowbridge in Wales in the Towne where I was borne had bene there they would haue taken him as a Saint and familiar felowe with Christ For whē he was aliue as he wandred the countrey he made men beleeue that he woulde tell them their fortune what thinges had before chaunced in their time thinges that shoulde happen afterwardes euen vnto their dying day But this man as he was wont to saye tooke his reuelations frō the Pharies But the Romanists affirme that their reuelations come from God or from some Angell or Saint of heauen where as in very deede if a man had the straight examination of them I am perswaded they would confesse that they haue their reuelations from the Phairies or frō the deuill as the other had whereof mention is made Moreouer there was a rich man in Lombardy that had the like reuelations but farre more excellent then the other vpon consideration whereof hee solde all that he had and gaue it to the poore frankly For it was reuealed vnto him in a vision by Christ his Apostles and the same also confirmed with the bodyly presence of our blessed Lady that he should be Pope of Rome and should trāslate the See of Rome into the citie of Hierusalem This man not able to reade presumed to preach and gathered vnto him twelue Apostles who at his cōmandement preached in likewise They had many folowers and such as beleeued him so much the sooner for that he told them that hee had receiued a reuelation He was presented before Cardinall Bromeo Cardinal of Milaine who examined him and when he had tolde this vision he was dismist and sette at libertie They counted not this man an heretique for crediting such false reuelations making himselfe Christ choosing to him self twelue Apostles Oh my brethren deceyue not your selues seeke not to deceyue others that meane you no hurt It is but in vaine to swim against the streame It is not wisdome to mainteyne an error knowē I am sure your consciences are burnt with hoate yrons speaking and maynteyning lyes in hypocrisie Oh giue not your selues ouer into reprobate wilful mindes despise not the wisdome of God within your selues Seeke not to be offensiue and grieuous to any which bee of the Church of Christe Doe what you can Gods trueth is mightie shall preuayle Dagon shal fal down headlōg before the Arke the darknes shal flee before the light the more fiercely mās wisedome shall withstande the more glorious shal God be in his victorie the more you doe falsely slaunder the faithfull and true meaning ministers of God the greater shal their reward bee in the heauenly kingdom of Christ If you take my conuersion to the true church to be outwardly and not inwardly and the same to be spotted with hypocrisie I may bee sorye not for my selfe as though I were such a one as you take mee to be for GOD knoweth it is nothing so his name be praised therefore but for your rashnesse in iudging that which you knowe not It is God that is the searcher of mens heartes and none other If I recanted eyther for feare of punishment or for prefermentes sake you mought count me then if it were so as it is not to be farre worse then a Turke or Pagan who neuer receiued the trueth Howe can I be a Protestant outwardly and a Papist in heart with a minde to be saued You knowe that according to your owne papisticall lawes no man dare in cōmon assembly deny the Popes authoritie and afterwardes to name himself the member of that church of Rome I am sure that no man is a true christian which with his lippes doeth professe Christ and with his heart doeth flatly denye him As I doe acknowledge that there is a God a Trinitie in vnitie to be woorshipped who hath most gloriously beautified the heauens most plentifully enriched the earth most Angelically created man who hath ordeyned the heauen to mayntaine life and light the earth to succour and sustaine nature all creatures liuing in land and water to supply his wants nothing to be reckened named which he hath not most liberally giuen vnto man as appointing him lord and soueraigne but them his vessels and seruants Against hunger lest we shoulde famish he hath prouided nourishment against thirst lest we shoulde perish he hath ordayned sauoury liquors Against colde lest we should die in our nakednesse he hath giuen vs clothing As I acknowledge the omnipotencie of God and confesse the vnmeasurable greatnesse of his goodnes loue towardes man so do I verily from the very bottome of my heart detest your Popish religion embrace the vndefiled trueth of Christes Gospell I cal God to witnesse that what I haue already spoken with my lippes that doe I establish in my minde I beseech you all such as haue forsaken the Pope sometimes to praye for mee that it would please God to make me a profitable
father to kill his sonne Exod. 11.2 and he willeth the Hebrues to take with thē the goods of the Egyptians which thinges if men should doe or commaund they could not cleare themselues of a great offence committed against God The Lorde hath deliuered a law to men and to himselfe hath hee giuen no lawe for seeing that hee is the Authour of the lawe hee may thereof except what he lyst Wherefore it is to be graunted that hee hath done nothing without consideration and infinite iudgement I woulde gladly bee briefe therefore I refer you to the chapters which speake against Images Reade Exod. 20.4 Leui. 9.4 Num. 33.52 Deut. 4.15 Psal 115.4 Psal 135. Esa 40.18 Ierem. 10.5 Ezech. 6.6 Heb. 2.18 Wis 13.10 Baruc. 6. Act. 17.42 Rom. 14.3 1. Cor. 5.11 1. Cor. 6.6 Gal. 5.19 Iohn 4.5 21. You see my brethren in howe many places the scripture doeth forbid vs to haue images yet you will haue them though God say nay if your holy father the Pope doth allow them Let vs see now what the auncient Doctors and graue fathers haue sayd by your images Tertul. in lib. de Idololatria Tertulliā in his booke of Idolatrie sayeth God hath forbidden an image as well to bee made as to be worshipped As far as making goeth before worshipping so farre is it before that the thing be not made that may not be worshipped Some man will saye I make it but I worship it not as though hee durst not worshippe it for any other cause but onely for that same cause for which he ought not to make it I meane both wayes procure Gods displeasure Nay rather thou worshippest the image thou giuest the cause to other to worshippe it Some one or other that maintaine idolatrie wil say And why then did Moses make the image of the brasen Serpent in the wildernesse Num. 21.8 The olde idolaters founde out and vsed the same aboue fourteene hundreth yeres agoe One the same God hath by his generall Lawe both forbidden any image to be made and also by his extraordinarie speciall commandement he hath bidden an image of the serpent to be made If thou be obedient to the same God thou hast his Lawe Make thou no image but if thou haue a regard to the image of the Serpent that was made afterwarde by Moses then doe thou as Moses did Make not any image against the law vnlesse God commaunde thee as hee did Moses Origen libr. 7. contra Celsum Origen sayth We make no image of God as knowing him to be inuisible wtout bodie Againe he sayeth Ibid. lib. 4. contra Celsum The minde of the Lawe was this that they shoulde in all thinges so behaue themselues as the trueth required and that they shoulde beside the trueth counterfeite nothing representing the shape of a man or woman Cyprian in lib. de Idolorum vanitate Cyprian sayth Images were first drawen thereby to keepe the countenance of the dead in remembrance vpon occasion whereof thinges grewe at length vnto holinesse that at the first were taken onely for solace Againe Ibid. tract 1. in Demetrian what doest thou bowe thy captiue bodie before foolish images earthly counterfaites God hath made thee vpright and whereas all the beasts of the earth are depressed in shape bending downe to the groundward thou hast a loftie state towardes heauen and to God thy countenance is erected Then looke vp thither thither cast vp thine eies seeke God aboue that thou maist want hell belowe lift vp thy doubtfull heart to hygh and heauenly thinges What doest thou throwe thy selfe with the deuill whome thou seruest into the pit of death Clement sayth Clement to Iames the supposed brother of our Lord. The deuill by the mouth of other is wōt to bring forth such words We to the worship of the inuisible God worship the visible images And this is most certeinly false For if you will truely worship Gods Image you should by being beneficial vnto man worship the true image of God in him What honour of God is this to runne about the counterfeites of timber and of stone and to worship the shapes that are without soule despise man in whom is the true shape of God Arnobius in his eight bookes against the Gētiles We neither worship nor wish for crosses you that consecrate wodden gods peraduenture worship your wodden crosses as partes of your gods If you had not this image should Christ be ignorant that he were serued of you Will you thinke that there is no honor done him Then doeth he receyue your seruings and worshippines by certaine traynes by other put in trust before he to whome the worship is due haue any feeling of the matter you doe your sacrifice vnto the image and send him but the scrappes from another mans boorde And what can be deuised more iniurious slaunderous vncourteous then to acknowledge one God and make thy sute to any other thing to hope for helpe of God and powre out thy prayers to a senselesse image Is not this as the Prouerbe sayth to haue a quarrell to Alfonsus fight with Ferdinando and where thou seekest for aduise of men to aske the sentence first of porkelings and of asses Is not this an errour Is it not properly a madnes in trembling wise to make thy humble sute to a thing that thou madest thy self And whereas thou doest knowe and art assured that it is thine owne workemanship the fruites of thine owne fingers to fall groueling vpon thy face before it Very children knowe that your images haue eyes and see not mouthes and speake not Wherefore then doeth the holy Ghost so often teach vs and admonish vs the same thing in the Scriptures as if we knewe it not For that the very shape and proportion of a man set aloft after it once beginneth to bee adored and honoured of the multitude it breedeth in euery man that most vile affection of error that although he find there no naturall mouing or token of life yet he thinketh some god or godly thing is within it and so being deceyued partly by the forme that he seeth and partly by the waye of authoritie and credite of the authors makers of it whome they take to be wise and partly also by the example and deuotion of the people whome they see obedient to the same he thinketh that the image being so like a liuing bodie cā not be without some liuing thing vnderneath it Lact. sayeth in plaine wordes Non est dubium quin religio nulla sit vbicunque simulachrū est Out of all doubt there is no religion wheresoeuer there is an Image S. Aug. speaking of the image of God the Father sayeth thus Tale simulachrum Deo fingere nefarium est To deuise such an Image of God it is abominable Theodorus the Bishop of Ancyra saith Sanctorum imagines species ex materialibus coloribus formari minimè decorū putamus manifestum
equus mula quibus non est intellectus Psal 32.9 They are like horse mule who haue no vnderstanding If I should recite all those Idolatrous practises which I haue seene at Rome a whole day were not sufficient to tell them but by these few things layd downe you may gather the rest to be as bad or rather worse Now I will speake a litle of the wickednesse of Rome which you count holinesse and make our Englishmen that were neuer there beleeue so First I wil begin with your Cardinals the pillars of your Church Haue they not beautifull boyes with whom they commit the sinne of Sodom Gen. 19.5 as I haue heard by the Romanes and by a Gentleman who serued to Cardinal Sforsie who trauayled by land with me from the citie Ancona to Venice Haue not these yong Cardinalles pretie wenches in their palaces whom in the day time they cal either their sisters or cousins in the night time make them either their bedfelowes or cōcubines And do you not knowe howe that there was a yong Cardinall a Prince burnt at Rome not long since by a common queane of the stewes toke from her the french disease wherwith he dyed miserably Do not your priests at Rome without shame punishment openly in the sight of all men goe to the stewes I haue seene them with mine eies as I walked the streets embracing the Queanes O if a minister heere in England should commit such abomination and scape vnpunished howe woulde you cry out against him and against the Magistrates Yet to see your owne priests so to doe your Magistrates to suffer it you holde your peace you seeme to allowe it What shall I speake of your Monkes Was there not at Rome a whole monastery of such as beare a siluer crosse in their hands are apparelled in blewe full of women that went in habit of those monkes and were they not spied at the last and escaped vnpunished Be these the holy mē that haue renounced the world and haue vowed chastitie Now of the lay men because I will not stand to discourse vpon euery thing that I recite How doe the citizens liue Was there not lately a great rich citizen that had a place to the which resorted many yong Romane Gentlemen who committed the sinne of Sodom one with another and were they not spyed out at the last and did not they all scape punishment except one poore man which dyed for all And did not the Romanes saye that he dyed wrongfully for that the sinne of Sodom was but a tricke of youth Count you me that a light offēce Gen. 18.20 19.13 that cryeth vp to heauen to God for vengeance Moreouer haue not the Romanes sixe streetes full of Curtizants and harlots who pay a yeerely tribute to the Pope And be there not throughout al Rome Queanes who lay out of their windowes carpets and their gownes which is a signe to them that passe by that there they may haue a woman for money At Shrouetide what horrible abuses are there practised at Rome without punishment Doe not men go in womens apparell and women in mens apparell The Gentlewomen out of their windowes throwe rosewater which is a token to them that passe by that there they may defile their bodyes one with another What murther is there insomuch that no mā can sit in his wagon without daunger of his life These words of Petrus Bembus are true Roma est sentina pessimorum hominum Rome is the sinke of pestilent varlets I would not for a great deale of money but that I had seene Rome otherwise I should haue stood in doubt lest I had misreported ought of them but what I sawe that speake I and testifie and cry with Mantuan Viuere qui sancte cupitis discedite Roma Omnia cum liceant non licet esse bonum Ye that desire to liue godly depart frō Rome for when al things are lawful there it is not lawful to be honest Peraduenture nowe you wil say that the Pope is a holy man Although I am indebted vnto him 50. or 60. li. in money yet wil I not neither can I but speake the trueth of him vnlesse I should sinne which God forbid Hath not this Pope at his hauen citie Ancona prised taken away the marchandize of the Turkes marchants for that one of the Turks had offended one of his seruants The Pope perceiuing the marchandize to bee of great valewe tooke an occasion thereby to depriue the marchants of their marchandize The emperour of the Turks wrote a letter to the Pope desiring him to restore the goods againe to his marchants the Pope refused so to doe Wherefore the Christian marchants were in like sort dealt withal at Constantinople At Macerata the Pope put a County out of his possession and gaue it to his own sonne Iames whom of a begger he hath made a Marques able to spend by the yeere thirty thousande crownes and is richly maried to a Dukes daughter He gaue the countie for his possession not halfe so much as it was worth There was also a monke who came from the Indians who at Venice refused a hundred thousand crownes for two precious stones which hee brought with him who thinking to please this Pope now liuing to get a greater rewarde presented the precious stones before this Pope Gregorie who taking the gemmes or precious stones in steade of reward committed the Mōke to prisō alledging nothing against him but this that hee forsooke his cloyster or monasterie Master Alet whom you know hath reported this to bee true for he knewe this sayd Monke as he reported to two Gentlemen of the North that had byn at Hierusalem and to mee and to three other scholers Thus much touching his iniquitie Nowe I will not speake of the Popes pontificalitie howe hee is caryed on mens shoulders how the people kneele before him howe the trumpets sound how the ordināce or double canons are discharged and howe the people cry out Viuat papa Gregorius Let our dissembling Antichrist Let Pope Gregory liue and reigne ouer vs. You faine my brethren that there is a purging place for the soules after this life wherein they abide and suffer the selfe same punishment which is in hell and are in no better case to speake of the torments then they of hel But herein they are farre happier then the damned for that they of purgatory are sure to be saued and they of hell are sure neuer to finde end of their miserable condition You say that such as be in purgatorie may be released and deliuered to heauen by the praiers and dirges of such as be on earth That there is such a place named as Purgatorie you seeke to proue by the Scriptures First out of the booke of the Maccabees where it is read that good and profitable it was to pray for the dead From hence you go to Zacharie the Prophet where it is said in the
father of lights You see in these places of scripture God telleth vs playnly we cānot be saued by any other neither by this Saint nor that Saint saue onely by Iesus Christ Thus much out of the scriptures Now let vs see what the Doctors speake against your praying vnto Saints First I wil begin with Augustine in his second booke and 8. chap. against the Epist of Parmenian Saint Paul maketh not himselfe a mediatour betweene God and the people but requireth that they pray all one for another being all the members of Christ If Saint Iohn would saye This haue I written vnto you that you sinne not and if you sinne you haue me your mediatour before God and I will intreate for your sinnes as Parmenian the heretique in a certaine place made the Bishop a mediatour betweene God and the people what good and faithfull christian man could abide him Who would looke vpon him as the Apostle of Christ or rather who would not thinke him to bee Antichrist Also vpon the 108. Psal All praier that is not made vnto god by Christ not only doth not put away sin but also is turned into sinne Item in his 3. booke of freewil Wee are not cōmanded to goe to any creature that we may be made blessed but to the creator maker of al things of whom if we be perswaded otherwise then the trueth is we are deceiued with a damnable error Itē in his booke of the spirit the soule 29. cha The soules of thē that are dead are there where they do not see neither heare what thinges are done or chaunce in this life Such is their care for the liuing that they know not what we do euen as our care is for the dead that wee knowe not what they doe Item in his tenth treatise vpon Iohn My mother whome you haue called blessed therefore is blessed because she hath kept the worde of GOD and not because in her the word was made fleshe Item in his booke of the remission of sinnes the 14. chap. The Apostle said truely Bee you folowers of me as I am of Christ He neuer durst saye Bee you iustified of mee as I am iustified of Christ None is iust but Christ iustifying Therefore he sayd He that beleeueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his fayth is counted for righteousnes Who is so bolde therefore to saye I iustifie thee which may not bee said of the Saints but of the holy of holiest that said Beleeue in God Ioh. 14.7 beleeue also in me Againe in his first treatise vpon the Epistle of Iohn From hence commeth schismes when men say We are righteous we make holy the vnholy we doe iustifie the wicked we doe pray we do obtaine Item in 84. treatise vpō Iohn Though we dye brethren for brethren yet the blood of no Martyrs is shed for the forgiuenesse of sinnes which thing Christ hath done for vs. Ambrose vpon the 1. chapter of the Romanes But we obteine Gods fauour from whome nothing is secret as knowing what euery man is meete to haue wee neede no spokesman but a deuout minde for whatsoeuer such a one speaketh vnto God God wil answere him Chrysost in his 2. hom of the woman of Canaan Tell mee woman sith thou art a wicked and sinfull woman how durst thou go vnto him I know sayth shee what I do Beholde the wisedome of the woman she prayeth not vnto Iames she entreateth not Iohn she goeth not vnto Peter shee did not get her selfe to the company of the Apostles shee sought for no mediator but for all these things she tooke repentance for her companion which did fulfill the roome and place of an aduocate and so shee did goe to the high fountaine Item in his sermon of going forward of the Gospel There is no neede of a Porter of a Mediator or minister no neede of Aduocates with God nor of any running and gadding about for to speake fayre vnto other for although thou be alone and without an aduocate and praye vnto God by thy selfe thou shalt obteyne thy petitions Cyrill in his booke of right faith He was taken vp into heauen but as God he is shewed to graunt the petitions of them that worship him if they make their prayers in his name For why is it more meete to giue Saints their asking and to graunt them their petitions then for him which is onely by his owne nature truely God Leo Bishop of Rome in his 81. Epistle Although the death of many Saintes hath bene precious in the sight of the Lorde yet the killing of no Innocent hath bene the propitiation for the worlde The righteous receiued but gaue no crownes and out of the valiantnes of the faithful are grauen examples of patience not giftes of righteousnesse For their deathes were euery one singuler to himselfe and none of them did by his ende paye the debt of another forasmuch as there is our Lord Christ in whom all are crucified all dead and buryed and raised vp againe Erasmus in his booke called the Preacher If any man lacke wisedome let him aske it of God and not of the Saints So much against praying vnto Saintes Here in the first parte of my declaration I haue as you knowe declared a true report of the wickednesse of Rome I beganne with the Cardinals liues proceeded to the Priestes Monkes and citizens and ended with the Pope Seeing you know these reportes to be true for your owne saluation returne to the trueth Bee not obstinate and frowarde in your false opinion You are courteously and gently intreated yet are you neuer the better but rather the worse like Frogs that keepe a great crooking sturre against the light of the Sunne so do you against the glorious and comfortable beames of Christ his Gospell Be satisfied with trueth and abuse not the mercifull lenitie of our gracious Soueraigne lest that the Lordes discipline be restored which shall restraine your spreading poyson and auoyde the hazard whiche otherwise should happen not onely to the church of God amōg vs which might not thriue amidst such pestilent cōbersome weeds but euen to the endāgering which the Lorde of glorie turne from vs of this florishing common weale her Maiesties most royal person crowne dignitie Your malicious cursed practises as cocatrices haue brought forth hatched great dangers to the cōmon weale already If you should be set at libertie without recantatiō escape vnpunished winked at fauoured and spared greater mischiefe shal insue your treasonable practises to the ruine and desolation of this blessed lande which God of his mercie turne awaye from vs. What pestiferous bookes haue our English fugitiues thrust foorth vnto vs defacing Gods holy trueth the Queene her royall Maiestie many of her honorable counsell and sundry of her louing and faithfull Subiects Haue thei not also procured Antichrist Pope Pius Quintus to excōmunicate our Redoubted Soueraigne al thē that cōtent themselues christianly quietly to liue vnder