were afore they came to you I doe here lette passe how y t ye make it a matter of such necessite that by your own doctryne no mā can wythout it obteyne saluacyon yea sōe now a dayes are not ashamed to make it equall w t baptisme the supper which ar sactamentes instituted and ordeyned of Chryst himselfe Besids al this is it not made a snare to snarle mē w tal For the first questiō almost that y e priest vseth to aske them y t now at this present come to shrift is whether they beleue not that y e body of Chryst is in the sacramēt of the aultare fleshe bloode and bones as he was borne of y e virgin Mary if they once saye nay not only they shal not haue absolucion but also they shall straighte waies be complained of accused to y e bishop so put in ieopardye to lose both body goods What honesty goodnes ye be wont to teach fayre maidēs mēs wiues when ye haue thē behynde a cloth vnder benedicite I wil not here now at this present rehearce leste I should offend honest and shamfast eares But although I am ashamed to tel it the thynge is so vilainous so filthy yet are ye not ashamed to doe it As for that ye alleadge that youre confessyō kepeth youth vnder awe and that seruauntes wer neuer in awe sēs it was takē away y e same is plaīe false for it is rather a meane and away to make thē to stande in no awe at al of their parentes nor of their masters and mistres seyng they be perswaded that whatsoeuer they doe if they be once shryuen of it vnto the Priest it shalbe cleane forgeuen vnto thē so that if they stande in any awe it shall be of sir Iohn not of thē that they should stande in awe of But if puttyng asyde such beggerlye inuencyons of men ye woulde diligentlye oute of Gods boke teache youth their duetye towards their elders towardes their parentes towardes their masters and mystres not once or twyse in y e yeare but euery fourthnighte puttynge before their eyes the fierse vengeaunce of god that hangeth ouer y e heades of all disobedient children and of al vntrue dealig seruaūts and that there is no way to purchase the fauoure blessynge of God except they will repente takyng holde through fayth vpon our sauiour Iesu Chryst walk vp ryghtly in their vocatyon beeyng sure that god seeth both their doinges and also the verye secrete thoughtes of theyr heartes then would they in dede stande in that true awe that God wyl haue thē to stande in fearing him not w t mens doctrynes preceptes but wyth the true feare that he commaundeth in his worde Pryeste By S. Mary I wil speake to my lord byshop that ye may come into the pulpit and make a sermon to the people I pray you master doctour of the newe learnyng tel me what the same confessyon is that God hath commaunded Prētyse I canne well inoughe abyde your mockes master person saye on me what ye wyl In the meane whiles I wil not let to tel y e truth First and formest there is a confession that God wil haue too bee done vnto hym wherein we doe daylye and hourely confesse oure synnes vnto hym accusynge and condemnyng our selues before hi as vnrighteous and myserable synners that oure synnes maye through his mercye whyche we faythfully craue for be forgeuen vnto vs. And of thys confessyon doeth Dauid speake when he sayth I wyll knowledge my synne vnto the mine vnrighteousnes haue I not hid I sayed I wyl confes my synnes vnto the lord and so y t forgaueste me y e wickednes of my synne And in the .51 psalme these be his wordes haue mercy vpon me O God after thy great goodnes accordynge to the multitude of thy mercyes doe awaye myne offences I knowledge my faulte and my synne is alway before me Daniel in the 9. chap. of his prophecy maketh thys confessyon vnto god O Lord y u great and fearful God we haue sinned we haue offended we haue been disobedient gone backe yea we haue departed frō al thy precepts iudgementes And Iohn y e Euāgeliste wryteth thus if we knowledge our synnes God is faythfull and iust to forgeue vs our synnes to clense vs frō all vnryghteousnes Thys confession sayth Saint Augustine writīg ad Iulianū comitē whych is done vnto God is required by Gods law wherof sayth he Sainct Iohn speaketh sayīg if we knowledge our sines c. for wythoute it synne cannot be forgeuen And of thys doeth spryng the cōfession and acknowledging of the greate and vnspeakable mercy of God For excepte we doe truely from the botome of our hearts recognise and acknowledge our miserye wyckednes we shal neuer truly confesse set forth prayse and extoll enhaūce magnifie the great mercy of god and vnspeakable goodnes of our sauiour Iesu Chryst oure Lorde declared to vs warde And herof it doth come that they that haue a true feling of their own misery of their sinnefull corrupted nature hauing on the other side before their eyes y e exceading great bounteousnes of their heauenlye father are alwayes ready to confesse openly their synnes in the great congregacyon As whē Dauid was rebuked of Nathan he then beyng prycked in his conscyence dyd say Peccaui domino I haue synned vnto thee lord As if he should saye I dooe not excuse my self nor I refuse not to be coūted of al men a synner or to haue that to be published abroade among men whych I woulde had to bē hydden affore And for thys cause god dyd in tymes passed ordeyne emong the Israelites that the people should openly in y e tēple confesse theyr synnes For god did foresee this to be a very necessary meane wherby they should be broughte into the true knoweledge of themselues And it is also most conuenient that by acknowledging our misery we should sett forth the goodnes and mercye of God emong vs and publyshe it openly before al y e world O how Godly was this dōe in king Edwards tyme whensoeuer the people of god gathered themselues together to offer their spirituall sacrifices and to make their common prayers vnto him S. Augustyne de vera et falsa penitentia cap. 11. maketh mencyon of an opē or publike confession whyche he defineth after thys maner Opē or publike confession is wherby in tymes passed they that were dead in open synnes declared thēselues to be dead publishing openly theyr death shewyng opēly y e fruites of repētaūce y e the people myght bewayle him y t was lost Thys was in dede the wont and custom of the old aūcient church when any man had cōmytted any notorious cryme or fault that he should be excōmunicated and put out of the cōgregacion til he had earnestly repented in toke therof cōfessed his synne
ye saye if I can proue by the sayinges and authorities of the most auncient fathers that no man can forgeue synne but God onely Prieste Let me heare what ye cā saye Prentyse Cyrillus writing vpon Ihon speaketh these woordes Truely it lyeth onely in the power of God to louse men from their synnes For who can deliuer the transgressors of the law from synne but onely the autour of the lawe And by and by it foloweth in the same place For when they meaninge the Apostles other ministers forgeue and retayne synnes it is not they that do it but the holy Ghost that dwelleth in them he it is that forgeueth retayneth by them Whereunto agreeth sainct Augustin writing contra epistolam Petiliani For hauing touched this place of S. Ihons gospell Receyue the holy Ghoste whose synnes soeuer ye forgeue thei shalbe forgeuen and whose synnes soeuer ye retayne thei shalbe retayned he doth ende the matter with these wordes It is sufficientlye shewed that they do it not but that the holy Ghost doeth it by them As it is sayed in an other place for it is not you y t speake but the holye Ghoste that is in you In lyke maner Ambrose vpon the .2 Corin. 12. wryteth on this manner It is only in the power of God too remitte synnes to geue the holye Ghoste And agayne He alone doeth forgeue synne that alone dyed for oure synnes Lykewise Chrisostome vpon Matthewe The seruitude and boundage of synne sayeth he is very greuous and heauye frome the whiche no manne can deliuer but God onely For no man besydes God hathe power to remitte or forgeue synne Cyprian in hys sermones De lapsis saieth plainly thus The Lord alone can shew mercy and geue pardon of those synnes that are committed againste hym he alone can graunt forgeuenesse of our synnes that did beare our synnes y t sorowed for vs whome God did deliuer vp to deathe for our synnes Is it not than a blasphemy intollerable and in nowise to be suffered in y e church of Christ that suche vyle persons that haue neither godlinesse nor learninge shoulde take vpon thē that thing that apperteineth only to god If it were onely for this your confession is to be abhorred of all true Christian men Prieste Doeth not Christe saye these wordes when ye stande to praye forgeue if ye haue aughte againste any man Agayne ▪ if ye will not forgeue men their offences my father that is in heauen shall not forgeue you It appereth by these textes that men haue power to forgeue synnes Prentyse Here doeth oure sauioure Iesu Christ speake of that mutual forgeuenesse of synnes and offences that ought to be emōg Christiās without the whiche we oughte to loke for no forgeuenesse at all of our own synnes at the handes of God For as the wyse mā sayeth He that seketh vengeaunce shall fynde vengeaunce of the Lorde whiche shall surely kepe hym hys synnes Hereto maye be applyed all that whole parable y t Christe doeth set fourth at large in the .18 chapiter of Mathew But it foloweth not because wee maye forgeue oure Christian brethren the offences and trespasses that they haue done against vs that we can therfore forgeue those offences synnes that are cōmitted against God Prieste Is not this to geue power vnto the laye peopell too binde and to louse Who can abyde this doctrine Prentyse Sainct Augustyn De verbis Domini geueth power vntoo the laye peopel to bynde and to louse and also Theophilactus whose woordes be these Verely I saye vntoo you Whatsoeuer ye shall bynde vpon the earthe If thou sayeth he being offended doest counte him that hath wronged thee as a Publican and Heathen he shalbe suche a one in heauen But if thou lousest him that is to saye if thou forgeuest hym it shall also be forgeuen hym in heauen For not onely those thinges that y e priests do louse are loused but whatsoeuer also wee beinge wronged do eyther louse or bynde is boūd or loused What saye ye to thys maister personne Prieste Well I will bringe an other texte of the scripture whiche I truste will stoppe your mouth When Christe did rayse Lazarus frome deathe did not he commaunde his disciples to louse and vnbynde hym So when Christe hathe raised any synner frome the deathe of synne who shal louse and vnbynd hym but the priestes Prentyse Fyrste I aunswere that allegories are nothing worth for the confirmatiō and establishment of any doctrine Secondely where ye saye that Christe commaunded his Apostles too louse and vnbynde Lazarus ye cā not proue it by the scriptures For it is rather to be thoughte that he willed the Iewes that stode by to doe it lest they shoulde thinke that there was anye feininge in the myracle and that his power myghte the better bee knowen in this that he did without touchinge with his worde and voice onely rayse the dead It is rather too be expounded after this manner Christe to take awaye all euell suspition from the Iewes commaunded that they should fyrst take awaie the stone that they should smel the stynche haue sure tokens of hys death see hym beinge raysed agayne by the onelye power and vertue of hys worde and touche or handle hym first after he was reliued But what if we should graūt that this was spoken vntoo the Apostles What shoulde ye get by it Prieste That the Lorde hath geuen power to his Apostles too louse Prentyse No no mayster person not so for if ye wil groūd your selfs vpon allegoryes as yt can do none other here this doctrine is rather to be gathered vpō thys historie that Christ by thys facte wolde admonish vs that we shoulde louse theym whome he had raysed that is to say that we should not beare in remembraūce those synnes that he hym self had forgotten or that we shoulde not condēne them as synners whom he had quyted assoyled agayn that wee shoulde not vpbraye the synnes which he him selfe hadde forgeuen or where he is merciful hym self and reddy too forgeue we shoulde not be cruell and bent to vengeaunce Go now maister Personne make boaste of your allegoryes Priest It was neuer mery with vs sythens such ionge boyes presumed to reade the scriptures What say ye to this seing ye are suche a doctour Did not thei that came to the baptisme of Ihon cōfesse their synnes Why should not thei likewise y t come to receyue their housel be shryuen Prentyse Ye muste marke mayster Personne that Ihon preached the baptisme of repentaūce and did baptise with water vnto repentaunce And therfore it is no merueylle that they whiche came to be baptised acknowledged or confessed themselfs too be synners For baptisme is a Sacramēt or mysticall signe of forgeuenesse of synnes whome then shoulde they receyue too it but them that acknowledge them selfs to be sinners They therefore confessed theyr synnes that they mighte be baptised But how or after
not require y t as a thynge necessary whiche he knewe was not prescrybed commaunded in Gods woorde 〈◊〉 〈…〉 wyl I proue y t 〈…〉 commâ—â—ded of god Prentys I woulde be glad to heare 〈…〉 dooe it Pryest Dooth not Chryst say vnto y e 〈…〉 thy self vnto the pryest Prentyse Why master person did he sende hym to shrifte Who euer knewe that the priestes of the Leuiticall lawe wer appointed to shriue men But nowe good master person waigh wyth youre selfe how well thys place serueth for your purpose When dyd euer Christ send lepers to the priestes afore or after they weere made clene Priest What question is that No doubte he healed them afore he sent them to the priestes Prentyse Very wel if ye wil then haue this place to serue for your purpose it shoulde folow that we must be healed of our leprosye y t is to saye that we must haue clen remission of our sinnes afore we shoulde come to you Wherefore then will ye haue vs too tell you our sinnes with all the circuÌ„strauÌ„ces thai may be perswadinge the simple and ignoraunt people that onles they tel you all theyr sinnes one by one receaue absolution at your hande they shall neuer be forgeuen Thys is altogether agaynst your own lawes For in y e booke de penitentia distinc 1 Canon Cum ergo these wordes are founde it doeth plainly appeare that synne is forgeuen throughe the contrition of the heart wythout y e coÌ„fessioÌ„ of y e mouth And theÌ„ a litel after it foloweth synne is not forgeuen in confession for it is manifestly proued that it is already forgeuen Therfore confessyon is made for a declaracion of repentaunce not for obtayninge of forgeuenes And agaynste the tellyng out of synnes after youre sorte one by one wyth the circumstaunces and all we haue these wordes of S. Augustine what haue I to doe therfore w t men y t they should heare my confessyoÌ„s althogh thei wer able to heale al my diseases infirmites A curiouse busye kynde of people to know an other mannes lyfe but slouthful to correct their owne And why seke they to heare of me what I am that will not haue thee to heare what they be And when they heare me speak of my selfe howe can they tell whether I say truth or not For no maÌ„ knoweth what is in maÌ„ but y e spirite of maÌ„ that is in him It is also alleaged in y e decres out of S. Chrisostome y e such enumeratioÌ„ or tellyng out of synnes is nothyng necessary Priest Ye brynge many thynges to draw me awaye from my purpose But I wil not suffer you to escape Thys was Moses lawe that the Priestes shoulde iudge of Leprosye synne is spyrytuall Leprosye ergo Priestes ought to geue sentence or iudgement of it PreÌ„tyse If this place doeth make you iudges of y e spirituall leprosye why do ye not also take vpon you the handelinge of the naturall and carnall leprosye Is not this to play with the scriptures The law hath put the tryal of leprosye in to the priestes handes let vs take the same vpon vs. Synne is spirituall leprosy therfore let vs also be the iudges and tryers of synnes But ye shall vnderstande that the priesthode beinge traÌ„slated the lawe also must necessarely be translated All the whole priestehode is translated vnto Christ fulfilled and fynished in hym therfore to hym onely apperteyneth the whole right honoure of the priesthoode If ye haue suche a delighte too folowe Allegoryes appoynte Christ too be the onely priest geuynge hym the whole authoritie and then caÌ„ we abyde your allegoryes But we can not awaye with those allegories that make of a mere politike lawe a ceremonie Prieste But why did God coÌ„maunde in the olde lawe y t the priestes shuld haue the handeling trial of the leprosye Or why did Christ seÌ„d the leapers after they were cured and healed vnto the priests biddinge them to offer that whiche Moyses commaunded for a witnesse vnto them Prentyse The holy Ghost willed the priestes of the olde testament to haue y e trial of leprosye that when men shulde see the priestes of God to haue y e handeling of leprosye they might by that sight be admonished that God looketh vpon oure infirmyties and is carefull for them Secondely because the leuiticall priesthod was a shadow figure not of these Popishe sacrificers that most vntruly take vpon theÌ„ the names of Pryestes but of y e most pure and holy Pryest oure sauyoure Iesu Chryst the holye gost by thys institution doeth certifie vs that as the Leuiticall priestes had not onelye the handlyng and tryall of Leprosye but also offered expiatorye sacrifices for it so our sauiour Chryst alone knoweth truely our filthines and seeyng it worthy of euerlastynge damnacion hath taken vpon him to make satisfaction for it that we beeyng through hym reconcyled to God may obteine true clenelynes Priest But this y t Chryst dyd when he sent the lepers vnto the Priestes is in the newe testameÌ„t Therfore it can be no figure PreÌ„tise It was for two causes that Chryst dyd sende the lepers to y e Priestes First ye shal vnderstaÌ„d that the Priestes beeyng vtter enemyes of Chryst of his most holy doctryne dyd alwayes slaÌ„der hys doynges goyng about to perswade the people that he did not woorke true miracles but throughe legerdemayne deceaued them If then the priestes sholde receaue agayne those lepers into the congregacyon of the cleane those lepers I say that Christ seÌ„te vnto them takyng at theyr hande the gyfte whyche Moses commaunded to be offered vnto them for their clensyng that must haue been an other day a plain witnes agaynst them if they shoulde goe aboute to caluÌ„niate Christes miracles SecoÌ„dly Christ because he woulde not seme to be a breaker of Moses lawe whych was inful strength vntil his death passioÌ„ dyd alwayes sende those lepers that he dyd heale to the same Leuiticall Priestes commaundyng them strayghtly to offer y e gyfte whyche Moses willed theÌ„ to offer that so he myght on euery syde stope their mouthes Reade Chrysostome in the .12 Homili de muliere Can. What nede we too tary any longer about this mater Doeth not the blessed Sainct Ambrose in hys 3. sermon vpon the 119. Psalme write on this maner goe shew thy self vnto the pryest What is thys true Pryest sayeth he but he who is priest for euer Priest Yet can ye not denye that synne is signified by the leprosie And that the lepers dyd represeÌ„t synners Prentyse Putte the case I graunte the same vnto you what haue ye wonne by it Euen that synners oughte to repayre to the ministers of gods worde there to learne by their wholsome prechiÌ„g instruction and teachynge out of gods boke how to repente truely and how to take holde throughe fayth vpon the mercye of God beeynge offered vnto all true repentaunt synners in the gospell
of our sauioure Iesu Chryste but ye shall neuer be able to proue y t they are bonde to tell oute theyr synnes vnto them or to receaue suche beggerly absolutyō at their handes as is nowe vsed in Antychristes churche Priest What can ye say to this place of S. Mathewe I wil geue the sayth Chryst to Peter y e keyes of the kyngdome of heauen and whatsoeuer thou bindest in earth shall be bounde in heauen what soeuer thou loosest on earth shal be loosed in heauen And in the. 18 chap. of the same gospel these be our sauiours wordes to all his Apostles Verely I saye vnto you whatsoeuer ye bide on earth shal be boūde in heauē And whatsoeuer ye loose on earth shalbe loosed in heauen And also in the .19 chap of Iohns gospel he sayeth receaue y e holy gost Whose soeuer synnes ye doe forgeue they are forgeuen vnto thē And whose soeuers synnes ye retayne they are retayned The places doe sufficiently declare that Pryestes haue receued of Chryst the autorite and power to forgeue synnes Prentise I wil cirst master person vnder youre correction and leaue shewe what the scripture vnderstandeth by y e keyes and than shal any man easely perceaue and see how shamfully these places haue hertofore beē wrasted and wrighed The keyes sayeth that worthy Chrysostome are the worde of God and y e knowledge of the scriptures whereby y e gate of trueth is opened vnto mē And the kepers of them are the Priestes to whom the offyce of preachyng the worde and expoūdyng the scriptures is commytted Thys is to be called the keye wryteth saynte Augustyne wher wyth the harde hartes are resolued to receaue fayth the secretes of the myndes opened and what soeuer lurketh wythin is by a reasonable way broughte to lyghte That I say is the true keye that openeth the conscyence to true cōfessyon of synne and includeth or shutteth in grace to the eternite of an wholsome mysterie To this a greeth that holy father Ambrose saying verbum dei The woorde of God remytteth synnes the Priest is the iudge in deede the Priest doth his duety and office but he exerciseth no maner power nor iurisdiction And in an other place these be hys wordes Peccata per verbū dimittuntur Sinnes are forgeuen by the worde y e interpreter wherof is the Leuite Now is it playne and euydent enoughe what we oughte to vnderstāde by the keyes euen the true worde of God and the righte vnderstandynge of the scryptures wherby the conscyences of true repentaunte synners are loosed and set at liberte from synne and euerlastyng damnacion and y e cōsciences of them that be hardened in their wicked maliciousnes and wyll in no wyse repente boūd w t the dolefull chaynes of sinne and of helly destructyon And y t thys is the true meanynge and vnderstandyng of the keies Chryst him selfe doeth sufficientlye declare when he sendeth his apostles abrode into the worlde to preach y e gospell o penyng the misterye of byndynge and loosynge on thys wyse goe ye throughoute all the whole worlde and preache y e gospel to all lyuyng creatures here bee the keyes delyuered vnto thē he that beleueth and is baptysed shalbe saued but he that beleueth not shalbe condemned And in the 24 chap. of Luke Christ sayth on thys maner thus it is wrytten thus it behoued Chryst to suffer and to ryse agayne from death y e thirde daye and that repentaūce and remission of synnes shoulde be preached in hys name amonge all nacions The woorde of God then and the preachyng of the gospell are the keyes y t Chryste doeth speake of And when the faythfull ministers of Gods worde doe by due mynistryng and preachyng of y e gospel certifie the repentaunt sinners of the remission and forgeuenesse of their synnes in y e bloud of our sauiour Iesu Christ they louse them so that they are also loused in heauen but when on y e contrarie they do a certayne them because of their vnrepentaunte hartes of the wrath and indignation of God and of euerlastinge damnation excepte they forsake their wicked wayes and turne vnfeynedly vnto the Lorde theyr God they binde them so y t doubt lesse they ar also bound in heauē And by thys byndyng and loosing Christ our sauiour vnderstādeth none other thyng but remitting and retaining of synnes And it is saied that the minister doth forgeue sinnes because that he as a man myght saye sitting in commission vnder hys mayster Chryst doth out of hys mouthe certifie y e cōsciences of true repentaūt sinners of the free remissiō forgeuenes of their sinnes in th blood of y e sōe of god apprehēded takē hold vpō by faith For to sai y t mē cā forgeue sines it is a mere blasphemy agaīst god which thīg the very Pharises Scribs their sels do testifie saying whi doth he speake these blasphemies who cā forgeue synnes but god onely These Pharises Scribes shall rise at y e day of iudgement condēne our Pharisaical hipocrites y t so arragaūtly take vpō thē to forgeue mē their sinnes Priest And haue we not power to forgeue other mē their sinnes but by y e way of cōmissiō Prētyse No forsoth And yet this cōmissiō must be duly executed accordyng to y e wyll pleasure of him y t hath geuē it els it wil be worth 〈…〉 thogh it hath neuer so gloriouse a face in y e site of y e world pri I wil beleue touchynge thys matter as the holy fathers haue beleued taught afore vs. But they haue both beeleued and taught that y e Pryestes haue power and authorite to forgeue synnes Therfore ye maye prate what ye lyst as a sorte of newe fangled heades that ye bee I wyll stycke to the olde catholyke churche as long as I haue any breath in my bodye Prentyse I wyll not haue you to take the matter so hotte master person but let vs rather wyth all lenite and gentylnes reason the matter together that there maye come some edifying of it I doubt not but that ye remember the saying of Ciprian full well where he sayeth and that Chryst oughte only to be heard the father also dyd testifie from heauen saying This is my welbeloued sonne in whō I am pleased heare him Wherefore if Christ oughte to be hearde onely we must not regarde what any man hath afore vs thoughte good to be done but what Christ who is afore all dyd fyrst For we ought in nowise to folow mās custome but the trueth of God And doeth not the Lord our god crye out in the prophete Ezechiell saying Walke not in the statutes of your forfathers kepe not their ordenaunces and defyle not your selfes with their Idols for I am the Lord your God But walke in my statutes kepe my lawes do them Verely maister Person the religion of oure forefathers shall not excuse vs. But what will