at Paules for their opinioÌ„s against the Sacrament of the altar .iiii. Sussex men the one of thâ— was a duche man dwelled besydes Lewes who being demaunded amonge others what baptisme was the one aunswered it was a Sacrament then he was demaunded whether a man myght be a christian without it yea doutles qv he For it is but an externe signe and worketh litle grace For said he lyke as a man doeth washe his handes in a basen of water signifying that the handes are cleane so the chylde is wasshed at baptisme to accomplyshe the exterior figure Then was obiected vnto him the saying of christ vnles a maÌ„ be borne agayn with water the holy ghoste he could not be saued Tushe sayth he the water profiteth nothyng it is the holy ghoste that woorketh Who with the rest moste worthely were condempned and burned in Sussex Fynally there be many other opinions not worthy the rehersall deuysed by the protestantes and for the mayntenance therof how many do we se for lacke of grace wylfully without anye feare of God or man precipitate themselfes into the temporall fyer without any respecte or due consideracion of the life to come And God wâ—te some of them demaunded questions of their beliefe they cannot tel what to say Suche is the iniquitie of oute tyme. It is before declared the sondry opinioÌ„s of many who altogether boaste themselues too be of the true Churche Whose opinions partely I haue noted to set before mennes eies the exâ— crable factions of their malignaunt churche to thintent they may consider that the catholique churche is of one faith of one spirite of one iudgemeÌ„t not lacerated deuided or torne but whole and intier From the whiche who soeuer departeth procureth vnto himselfe dampnacion For without the churche is no saluacion Nowe touchyng the vnitie and concorde of the churche it contynueth in the very same state as it dyd in the primatiue churche as we rede howe the Apostles were all of one coÌ„sent and one mynde Which vnitie as they theÌ„ did imbrace placing the same as a sure tokeÌ„ or badge to know y â— church so loke what churche let it haue neuer so glorious titles beyng without that it is euident that it is no churche but rather a denne of theues Christ leuing y â— world and asceÌ„ding vp to his father be sides his seuerall admonicioÌ„s to his Apostles during the tyme of his coÌ„uersacion vpon earth preached peace saying haue peace among you c. Paule in all his epistles perswadeth vnitie Which may perswade any good harte to acknowlege the catholike church to be that churche where all men may learne the truthe of the gospel religioÌ„ fayth SacrameÌ„tes al other kindes of rites or ceremonies Whiche churche coÌ„tempneth all sortes of Heretikes and other miscreantes and standeth vnremouable notwithstanding theyr wycked dartes fethered with mischiefe dayly throwen against her But it behoueth saith s Paule that there shuld be heresies amoÌ„ges you to trye make manifest those that be constante Therfore no maruayll thoughe now thei beare such swinge For in the latter daies saith he there shal be perilous tymes wherein some shal departe from the faith and shall geue hede to spirites of error and deuelyshe doctrine of them which speake false through hypocrisie hauynge their consciences marked with an hote yron forbidding menne to marry and commaunding to absteyne from meates whiche God hathe created to bee receiued with thankes geuyng c. But the Protestantes tournynge thys place from theimselfes they woulde proue the Papisticall Churche for so thei terme it to be those heretikes whiche sainte Paule here gyueth warning of Doe not the papistes saye they euen as saint Paule saieth forbid matrimony which he saith is holy in al mene And yet they prohibite priestes nuÌ„nes other religious to marry prouing themselfes therby to be those of whom Paule did propherye And doo they not lykewyse forbid meates to be eaten whiche God hath created too be receyued with thaÌ„kesgeuyng c. In this sorte these credible gentelmen handled this place to discredite the catholyke church and to allure all men with their pleasante outcries to cast of libertie to offende God to offeÌ„de the magistrates to breake all lawes to vndoe commen welthes to make dearthe and scarcitie finallye â–ª to doe what they lyste But what ment they hereby Euen to handle the matter as the Sirenes dyd whereof Homere speaketh whose voyces were so pleasant that with their songes they allured all passengers whiche sayled by the seas where they haunted to approche vnto theim and beyng within their thraldome their custome was to drowne both them and their shyppes Euen so oure late pleasant Sirenes in all pulpetes vsed such pleasant songes and alluremeÌ„tes enteÌ„ding therby not onely to nosell the bodye with al kyndes of bellychere but also to make them to forget both God and man so procure Hell mouth to opeÌ„ swallow vp both bodie and soule Nowe I would gladly learne of theim whether the heretikes of whome s Paule prophecied did vtterly forbidde marriage to all men women or not If they answere yea as thei cannot chose then they cannot proue that the catholyke churche forbideth marriage to al meÌ„ For who is it priest religious man or womaÌ„ but that once in their life tyme they were at libertie either to marrie or lyue chast So that the choice of either state is free to doe as the grace of GOD shall worke in them Nowe agayne if they affirme the papistes to forbid marriage to some as to prietes nonnes and other votaries therin shewing themselfes to be those wherof sainte Paule affirmeth truthe it is the Churche forbiddeth all such to marrie not discommending matrimonÌ„ie tóo suche as maye laufullye take it But forasmuche as they haue bounde themselfes by vowe and promesse to the contrarie therfore because they mighte not incurre into the lapse of daÌ„pnation as Paule reporteth it is the charitee of the churche to forbid theÌ„ marrye as S. Paules rule prescribeth who knew howe straitly the scripture chargeth suche as haue made vowes to kepe them And for that cause he saieth the wydowe hath dampnation if she marrye after she is receiued into the Churche to bee founde of the goodes therof bycause she vnloseth chastite and therfore he calleth it her fyrst faieth in respecte of the seconde made too man by marriage Whereby it is playne that S. Paule cannot meane by his prophecie that the churche is hereticall in forbiddyng the professed and vowed to marrye as they teache For then they muste nedes proue Paule to bee an heretike O cancred stomakes festred througheoute with malice But wyll you see theyr shyftes Paule saith receiue no widowes into the churche vnder .lx. yeare olde c. and after he sayeth the yonger widowes refuse c. Here saye they takynge anye into the church vnder .lx. yere old Paules precepte is broken Wherby they
were before you c. O good father Browne qv his mother howe haue you been persecuted for the wordes sake what persecution haue you suffered froÌ„ time to tyme But the Lorde be praysed for your deliuerie and coÌ„stancie in quiet suffering thereof The prophetes christ saith hath been so handled Therefore be of good chere maÌ„ take no thought â–ª For one daie I truste we shall all be mery in the lord and shal haue the dewe of the worde once more be sprinckled vpon our faces at what tyme I trust we shal be eueÌ„ with these shauelyng priestes shaue their crownes a litle deper Yes mother qv Browne I am of good chere for I haue good cause so to be for I am cheryshed of suche good women as yeare that I lacke nothyng And howe then can I be sorrowfull hauing such cause to be mery in the lorde In the meane tyme certen other Sisterwiues I thinke thei wer for their apparayle were freese roabes and certen marchantmen tarried in the courte withoute one asking another wheÌ„ the preaching time was And we hearing of some sermon towardes leauing Brownes communication with â—is mother walked vp and doune in the courte Not long after Browne coÌ„meth forth with his mother and sister and Iacke prentise also with his testament â–ª Browne wente into the Stable where tarrying a while belyke in doing his busynes anone he called in the coÌ„gregacion amoÌ„ges them thrust we Where Browne leanynge vpon hys horsebacke whiche was a iade scarse worth syxe pence sitting vpoÌ„ the maunger he beganne to alledge certen places of Ecclesiastes withoute booke one vpon another in heapes Then beganne he to talke of thre Religions The one he termed my lorde Chauncelors religion the other Cranmers Latymers and Ridleys religion And the thirde he called goddes Religion My lorde Chauncelors he sayde was nought Cranmers the others religion not good but Goddes religion was best With suche other vayne woordes not worthy the tyme in rehersal And hearing this beastly talke we departed lamenting the great folly of the people whiche in this sorte dyd dayly spende their tyme too heare suche lying spirites And goyng homewardes we met dyuers companies both of meÌ„ and women of purpose going to Islyngton to heare the sermon of this peltig prophet But within a whyle after I heard saye thys father Browne his brood with the congregacion were remoued from that place and were dispersed into corners Truly pitie it is he is suffred in this sort to range the countreis without restrainte not only for corrupting the people with ill opinions but also for disseminating his vaine Prophecies to excite rumors But this opinion I haue of Browne that he had rather liue a proude confessor then burne a stinking martyr With many such similitudes of Godlines manye of the protestantes in our tyme be inspired Here myght also be rehersed the zeale that the lame maÌ„ that was burnt of late at Stratford had when he called for his croche too haue the same likewise to be burned with him thinking without the same he could not meritie the crown of martirdome And thus they haue certen resemblances of godlines and deny the power thereof And in vsing these their counterfait zeales they doo not onely mocke with God but they deceyue his poore people with inceÌ„sing their frayle natures with a thousand mo of these their practises whiche here I omytte And these their folyshe deuyses are so folyshe if they be duely marked that nothing can be more folishe And if it be well consydered any IndiffereÌ„t man may sone discerne to what ende their purpose is to directe the same for th ende is either to bringe their conceyued opinioÌ„s in credite with the world or els to sturre vp wicked brutes and lies vpon the magistrates suche as please not their fancies to make vproares and comocions within the realme Therby to reedefie their coÌ„fused churche or els to seke the destructioÌ„ of this said noble realme and vs all the people thereof And coÌ„cerning the other vices whiche are of these sortes of meÌ„ wherof saint Paule prophecied because they be partly described before I purpose nowe to conclude exhorting all men that entende to aspire to saluacion to waye diligently the premisses Firste to consider the vnitie of Christes churche whiche in all thinges touching our faith vniformely doth agree and to consider the sundrie factions of y â— protestantes vpon the fayth wherin they do not agree Waye their falshode in alleging the places of the scriptures onely to say euil of the churche and to misreport the same Ponder the wordes whiche S. Paule prophesieth vpon sondrye heretikes whiche should come denying marriage and eatyng of meates to bee vtterly nought and howe maliciously they applye the same vpon the Churche whiche with honourable wordes doth commend them bothe Perceiue aduisedly with your selues what cause the Protestantes haue to shorten their lyues by fyer and what cause they haue to call their iuste punishementes persecutions And consider with youre selues the state of Christes Churche in the beginnyng and the state thereof at this present which in one vnitie of doctrine is all one thoughe not then so firme as it is nowe Waye also the folly of the vngodly whiche presumptuously chalenge to them selues the tytle of Martyrs and more fondly offer themselues to y e fier not coÌ„pelled thervnto as the true Martyrs were but obstinately as who would saye in the despite of the Churche Examine with your selues also what faith the church of Christ teacheth whether it denieth God refuseth the sonne or contempneth the holy ghost as Infideles and other miscreantes do Emonges whiche infideles if these menne suffered then more truely they might name themselues Martyrs But the churche professeth with more sinceritie that God whiche they do that Christe that holy ghost that they do The Churche dothe teache the sacramentes to be in numbre vii as the scripture leadeth and as the Apostles tradicions and holy doctours do prescribe The Churche in nothing concernyng the substaÌ„ce of religioÌ„ doth varie or altar The churche teacheth that the inuisible bodye of Christ sytting at the right hand of God the father is here in the visible formes of breade wyne inuisibly contained in the sacrament of the Altare the dearest iewel whiche Christe lefte vpon earth and offered of the Preist in a lyuely and pure sacrifice at Masse to God the father for the comfort of the whole churche accordyng to the prophecie of Malachie the prophete speaking in the name of God the father these wordes I haue no wyll and pleasure in you and I wyll receiue no offering or rewarde at your hande From the rising of the sunne to the setting my name is great emonges the GeÌ„tiles and in euery place there shal be sacrifice done and a pure and cleane oblatioÌ„ shal be offered to my name The churche also teacheth the adoration of this moste pure sacrifice
corrupt nature But vsing themselues cleane contrary that is to saie neyther vsinge gods truth as it ought to be but rather abusyng the same neither in their attemptes established an vniforme religion nor yet perswaded correction of lyfe They haue brought this publike state of Englande into great detriment and mysery as lamentable experience to our great smarte declareth And because moste frendly reader thou maiest perceiue partely with what vile doctrine a great parte of this realme hath been allured and with what pestilent perswasions men haue bene ledde and partely with what detestable vices and horrible abuses the scholemaisters theÌ„selues haue bene infected This presente volume entituled The displaying of the protestantes is compiled not for any malice or enuie meÌ„t to any of y â— parties but for good will to the Reader for a naturall pietie to this our countrey the naturall nourice and mother of vs all Whiche protestantes may aâ—tely be coÌ„pared to Plato his Gyges y e tale of whom Tidly reciâ—eth in his third boke of his offices At the falling downe from aboue of certen stormes of wether the earthe opened in diuers places by reason of the drought before Gyges being a Kynges Shepeherde entred in to the earthe at a great hoole and founde a brasen horse as the fables declare in whose sydes wer dores which being opened he espied the corse of a dead man of a wonderfull hugenes and a golde ringe vpon his finger which as sone as he pulled of he put it vpon his own The nature of the ring was this that when he had turned the head towardes the palme of his hande he was inuisible and sene of nobody yet sawe euery thynge and turnyng the rynge from him agayne he was sene of euery body And so vsing this aduauntage of the rynge he laye with the quene wife to Candaules kyng of Lydia So the protestaÌ„tes wheÌ„ it pleased god to plague this our countrey for the synne of the people with the vnquiet stormes of heresie got them out of the company of other shepehardes dispersed themselfes into the earth and at length entred into brasen horses the houses of the cheif gouernours then abusyng the same with false interpretacion of Gods worde makyng theÌ„ beleue by their craftie suggestions that all thinges which had coÌ„tinued in the churche of God to that tyme was of no veritie but deuised by man calling the same toyes and ceremonies of Rome who hauing a zeale to Gods truth and credityng the merye conceiptes of these yonglinges trusting their talk had been the vndoubted veritie pelded to their practises Then these shepeherdes perceiuing y e cheif magistrates prone to sondrie alteracions nouelties beganne by litle and litle also to corrupt the consciences of the vulgare people infecting the same with the poyson of heretical doctrin that at length they became altogethers dead corpses of woÌ„derfull hugenes Then framed they rynges to seme inuisible to the worlde then played they Gyges part then ruled they the rooste then began they to swarme in routes then clustered they like humble bees to deuoure the honye combes from the hiues of the poore bees then like coÌ„mon souldiors after the battell began they to fall to spoyle then defaced thei Churches then made they hauoke of the ornamentes of the same And in this sorte with heresie and spoile feding the common peoples simplicitee with a counterfait zeale they murdred mens consciences distroied the realme and the common welth thereof After whiche their practises yet gaue they not ouer like fainte hearted souldiors but with stiffe standing stomakes continued to th ende And as Gyges by vertue of his ringe coÌ„mitted adulterie with Candaules wyfe who was then kinge of Lydia and within shorte time after by her vngracious counsaile dispatched him of his life euen soo these adulterate protestantes thought it not sufficient to effeminat the mindes of the simple with their false doctrine and to contaminate the same with the venime of their viperous tongues but alsoo therewith haue so slaine the consciences of many that like desperate men they make haste to their owne destruction Whoo beinge puffed vp with presumption seeke to clime vppe to the chariote of the sonne But as Phaeton was serued for goyng about to aspire to his fathers secretes with a flashe of lightening was set al on fyer So are these presumptuous and ignorauÌ„t people plagued with the lyke as a due rewarde of presumption This it is to followe the hyssinges of the viperouse broode who neuer departe their haunt til they haue infected whole couÌ„treis For this cause welbeloued reader this present treatise is publyshed to set before mennes eyes the edible practises of these protestantes who in their owne conceiptes presume they haue the vndoubted truth Whome if you marke intus et in cute you shall well vnderstande the contrary But peraduenture some man will muse of this woorde Protestante because it is no vsuall terme But because it is a worde greatly pleasyng theÌ„selues a woorde inuented after they hartes desyre a worde deuysed of themselues a woorde wherein they greatly triumphe such a worde which serueth moste aptlye for the purpose therefore it is here most frequented And it is the participle of the verbe Protestor which is to declare what should be eschewed A very apt worde and mete for suche who in very dede were al togethers Protestantes That is to saye disswaders of holsome lawes whiche touched the reformacion of mannes nature and reformers of suche good orders as were constituted for the bridlinge thereof Therfore to conclude this proeine I moste hartely beseche the to reache hether thy diligent and indiffereÌ„t eares and iudge well of myne entente and do not imploye thy iudgement lyke vnto hym who alredy is maried to his owne fancie Letting the to wyt that of mans malicious iudgement I force not for I knowe the passions of maliciouse stomakes In this doyng I do not doubte â–ª but thou for thy parte shalt haue a iust cause to praye vnto God for vnitie the sure bande of all common welthes and to graunte vnto all men grace to withstande heresies assaultes And I finally for my parte shall haue the like to thynke my paynes well implayed And thus I commytte the to God ⸫ Mense Iuniâ— 1556. ¶ The displaying of the protestantes THE remembrance of the present state of this oure myserable tyme and the reuolution of the happy tyme past dothe inculcate a merueilous sorowe and greife to him whiche diligently dothe compare them both together For as Herodiane sayth It is the common parte of a maÌ„ to be wayle and lament the cases humaine especially suche as are in present experience For considering the pitifull plight of these our wretched dayes wherevnto not onely the staye of oure coÌ„mon wealthe politike but also the chiefest state of the ecclesiasticall and heauenly publique welth religion is fallen besides the decaye of vertue breache of charitie It must nedes cause