thinke that this word high mai not be born in the dignitie of a bishop why do you not in like maÌ„ner detest the name of highnes in the Maiestie of a king No say you it was very wisely prouided that al the magistrats and Princes in EnglaÌ„d shuld haue one supreme Prince whom they shuld al reuereÌ„ce and by whose power aÌ„d autority they shuld be al restrained for otherwise it cannot be chosen but that there would be stirred vp muche trouble and discord to the great peril of the whole realme I thinke you say truly And therefore I affirme in like manner that in the Churche whiche ought to be alwaies one it is necessarie that there be one supreme power of a high bishop whose authoritie all other Bishops should reuerence For otherwise it must needes be that there arise much debate and manie pestilent sectes to the great ruine and decaie of the Churche and that the Church be brought therby into verie great daunger For if within the space of fourtie yeares sence a great peece of Germanie and afterwardes England fel from the Bishop of Rome so many sâ—ditions haue risen emongest the Princes of your Religion that they caÌ„ not possibly agree neither with other meÌ„ neither yet within them selues what ende thinke you wil ensew in case al Christendome the which God forbid being thereunto procured and moued by your diligence and vnreasonable meanes should rebel with the like outrage and madnes It remaineth therefore that as in England there is one supreme power whiche comprehendâ—th al other Princes vnderneth it so there be also in the Churche one supreme authoritie the whiche al other inferiour powers must willingly and diligently obeie For otherwise it is not possible that the crewel tempestes risen in the Churche should euer be slaked or the flames of discord quenched or the ciuile warres ended Now for so much as Christ is the authour of peace Whosoeuer wil saie that they wil haue but one only bishop which is our Lord Iesus Christe and by the religious preteÌ„ce of this worde wil open a gap to so manie opinions and to so much pestilent dissensioÌ„ thei are lyers No they doe rather fight against Christ and worshippe Satan the authour of debate and discorde But contrarie wise such as honour and reuerence the bishoppe of Rome as the Vicare of Christ for that respect only bicause he is the lieutenant of Christ in the earth they doe in deede acknowledge only Christ to be the high Priest And yet you saie that by this your rebellion and contempte you doe not cut and maÌ„gle the coate of Christ but only geue a touch at the Bishop of Romes cloke And by and by after you bring in these wordes Neither doe we laie open the waie as you saie to sedition but we doe daÌ„me vp the path the â–ª which goeth downe through his licâ—ntious lead to the great decaie of good manners Of this lead and of your notable reproch I haue spokeÌ„ before with as much modestie as the matter would suffer me But of this your base vile and shamelesse boldnes when you say that you haue not rent and torne the coate of Christ but rather that you haue by this your most wicked rebellion made a goodlie prouision that good manners should not decaie I can not wel tel what to say to you Dare you seing euerie where as you doe that there are so many diuisions of pestileÌ„t sectes with so much debate and discord that there is no certaine faith emoÌ„gest you no agreemeÌ„t in ReligioÌ„ that your confessioÌ„s are changed almost euerie day your beleefes and Creedes corrected that the olde places of doctrine are disanulled and new set vp that manifold sectes ariseth daily and the old Church is diuided in many parts how dare you I say report that this your falling from the Church hath not maÌ„gled the coate of Christe When you see with your eyes that pride arrogancie disobedience stubbernes saucie talke slaunderous report fleshlie pleasure naughtines dishonesty tumult and sedition goeth vp and downe freely and vncoÌ„trolled wheresouer your maisters put their foote with what face dare you say that you haue after this rebellion set the manners of men in good and seemelie ordre The thing it selfe speaketh dailie examples declare neither doe the open assises no neither secret parlars hold their peace But let vs now see howe worshipfully you confute that my discourse as touching the Monarchie of the holie Church You say In the best time of the Church there was one God and one faith That is true But now neither is there one God nor one faith emongest the ministers of your gospel For one offereth vp diuine honour to pleasure an other to madnes some to the bealie and some to railing Luther hath one faith Bucer an other Zwinglius hath one and Caluin an other And yet you say Peter had his Prouince Paule had his and Iames his and other had other Prouinces And yet did not this separation of their persons disioine the vnitie of their saith What conclude you then maie it be gathered by these things that you saye that Peter when he was resident in one Prouince had no preeminence ouer the rest of the Apostles That is not wel coÌ„cluded of these things that you haue spoken For now euery Bisshoppe hath his Prouince and the Bisshop of Rome hath his And yet are we all subiect vnto him by the lawe of God It foloweth In processe of time many of the Bishops of Rome were Martyrs and were sacrificed vnto God by prophane and vngodlie Princes but Crownes had they none vnlesse it were the Crownes of Martyrdome This extraordinarie soueraintie of Popedome they knew not Yes M. Haddon it is wel knowen that the most blessed Princes and soueraignes of the Church of Rome them selues to witte Clement and Euaristus and Lucius and Marcellus and Pius the which atteyned the Croune of Martyrdome with very great glory whom neither ambition nor any other vnlauful desire moued to seke for that supreme honoure do beare witnes against you For their writinges declare plainely that their iudgement was that the soueraintie of the vniuersal Churche was euer in the Church of Rome What should I here reherse Ireneus Augustine and al other holy Fathers What shoulde I here vnfolde the memorie of al the antiquitie Of the new writers reade if it please you Eckius the B. of Rochester Cocleus Pighius and such other most excelleÌ„t men both for vertue and learning and you shall see how ignorant you are in this mater of the supremacie They dispute and contend not with reprochful wordes not with lies not with impudeÌ„cy but with testimonies of the holie Scriptures but with the authorities of the holy Fathers but with examples of the vnspotted antiquitie and they presse their aduersaries and proue them to be not onely wicked felowes but also very mad and frantike meÌ„ But how is it possible that you should vnderstand these thinges What time could
see But for so much as this holinesse which you speake of must be declared in workes not craked of in woordes for so doth Christe teache vs to discerne the true prophetes from the false by the iruâ—cte of workes not by the bragge or vaunt of wordes I looke you shoulde she we me the miracles that these holie men haue wrought the which being declared you shall be the better able to put backe the hornes of my disputation For of the woordes I am nothing affraid the whiche in apparence are merueilous goodly and gate And this I warrant you is the first lewde point in al Heretiques to cloke their wilie trappes with most holie wordes For by what other meanes might they allure the mindes of the simple people but only by a feined shew of holinesse and innocencie For vertue naturally inuiteth and draweth al men vnto her The whiche thing these subtile and craftie fellowes knowing wel inough they do on the habit of vertue the soner therby to creepe into the bosomes and hearts of vnlearned folkes For as the fowlers deceiue the birdes either with some bait or els with instrumeÌ„ts resembling the voice and tune of the birds eueÌ„ so do your doctors by setting out the gase of couÌ„ter feit holines they bring vnto their snares the simple people where vnwares and suspecting no deceit thei are takeÌ„ For open dishonesty could do litle harme being of her self very foul and deformed to behold except she did beare the couÌ„tenaÌ„ce or face of honesty and innoceÌ„cy But feel pray you what pollicy these plausible and good felowes haue fouÌ„d out to stir vp the coÌ„mon people We were al sory to see the maners of meÌ„ corrupted the streightnes of old disciplin releÌ„ted the Priests wallowing in vnclean life and abusing their dignity immoderatly to gaine and luker Nowe as it happened sometimes in the Citie of Rome the furious Tribunes of the peple wheÌ„ the like occasioÌ„ was offred theÌ„ to stirr vp the coÌ„mons against the nobility did not let it passe but the enuy which was already to much kendled thei made to burn putting vnderneth the fierbraÌ„ds of their troblesom aÌ„d seditious oratioÌ„s in like maner these most holy persons whom you coÌ„mend so highly wheÌ„ thei saw into how great hatred the church men were come thei thought to vse al meanes possible in the world to bring them into farder hatred and displesure And so what by finding fault with theÌ„ and what by putting the peple in hope of a better world they shewed themselues as ringleaders in this seditioÌ„ and falliÌ„g froÌ„ the church And the better to bring their purpose to passe they vsed many goodly and holy words bearing men in haÌ„d that thei wold expresse the holy life not of the Sainctes that came neere after the Apostles rule for of theÌ„ they made none accompte but of the Apostles them selues And so they had alwaies in their mowthes Christian pietie the puritie of the Gospell the holines of most chast Religion a heauenlie discipline the which to disteine with any deuises or superstitions as they terme it of man they tooke it to be a most heinouse offence After that they brought all men into great hope and expectation that the very perfection of the Primitiue Churche should by their diligence be restored and that the wonderful gifts of the holy Ghost â–ª which now were thought to be starke deade shoulde be reuiued 〈◊〉 This goodly beginning how plausible it was to the worlde euery man may iudge But naughtines can neuer stay long in one degree but when it hath once begonne to slide it russheth forewarde and falleth downe headlong To gette therefore the greater fauour emongest the people what so euer seemed to them any thing rough or vnpleasant they tooke it quite awaie To confesse their sinnes was very troblesome to punish their bodie with fasting was painful to be tyed with the bande of Excommunication was a vexation of minde to be shaken with the threatninges of Gods iudgement was bitter They did therfore most earnestly endeuour themselues to take al such cares out of mens hartes Wherfore it is no wonder if the simple people being partlie offended with the misliuing of the Church men whiche all the worlde talked of and partlie brought into great hope of a golden worlde and most pleasant libertie did willingly applie them selues to the fantasie of those men by whom thei surely trusted to be deliuered â–ª from al euils and to haue the fruition of all felicitie and pleasure But when the fury of the coÌ„mon people was nowe armed with this couÌ„terfeit shew of Religion good Christ how garishly these your holie men ranne to the spoile of the Churches What greate slaughters of men they made What a great alteratioÌ„ of thinges folowed by and by with the decaie of al â–ª Godlines And yet you Mâ— Haddon make them equal with Athâ—nasius Basile Ambrose Ierome and Augustine If they are to be tried by their workes as Christ teacheth who are rruly sent from God and on the other side who are pricked foreward of the diuel to do mischiefe if I can see no holie works that your prophetes haue done if you your selfe can not declare any excelleÌ„t vertues in them if you can bring no holie woorkes for proufe of their heauenlie vertue what cometh into your minde to compare men for chastitie of life most cleane for godly religion most holie for authoritie of sentences moste graue with them whom all the worlde knoweth to be for filthines of life infamous for their vngodlie atteÌ„ptes Churchrobbers for their vndiscret lawes and ordinaÌ„ces fraÌ„ tik aÌ„d mad meÌ„ But it is worth while to coÌ„sider how you proue it thus you sai Neither shew you any thiÌ„g why thei may not be equal with the auncient Fathers Yes surely I wil shew something and shew withal how shamelesse you are which compare vnbridled fleshlinesse with cleanesse of life impietie with godlynes raiging madnes with godly wisedome Then you saie But I wil bring you away from these odious comparisons for this is no place to reason these matters Yes M. Haddon I wil be so bold as to reason with you If this be true that in geuiÌ„g of couÌ„sel the manners and behauiour of the geuer is to be weied and that nothing induceth vs more to credit the couÌ„sel geueÌ„ then the tried honesty of the person I say plaiÌ„ly that it is a questioÌ„ worthy to be asked of what maners and coÌ„uersatioÌ„ thei are that giue vs couÌ„sel to folow their opinion You say afterward I wil vphold that our Doctours doe agree with the reuerende Fathers that they take the verie same way that they did that they teach in effecte the selfe same religion I would you were able to defende that the auncient fathers and your doctours were wel agreed Then it foloweth The whiche if it be true it booteth not to make comparison betwen such as are alone If it be not so tel vs wherein they disagree
of that opinion that to despise the Sacramentes is a moste heinouse trespasse when you vnderstoode that there was a man in the worlde so lewde and wicked that he woulde goe aboute to take awaie and abolish this most worthie pleadge of the loue of God this most sure staie of all Christian Religion conteming in it all the graces and benefittes of God could you I saie speake familiarly vnto him could you salute him gentelly could you shewe him anie token of loue Haue you neuer reade in S. Iohn that he that saieth good morrowe to wicked menne is become partaker of their wickednesse But you haue not onely spoken familiarly to this Martyr but also commended him aboue the skies and you haue saied that that same golden couple of olde men were brought into your Iland by the prouidence of God to shine ouer you which had alreadie the goodly brightnesse of the newe sonne risen emongest you with a muche cleeter light Are you so sottish M Haddon that you vnderstande not howe muche you haue disteined your estimation by that countenaunce and shewe of gentlenesse towardes him For what can be more infamous then to be familiare with a fraÌ„tike and naughtie felowe But if you like his Doctrine also then is it plaine that you keepe not the Sacramentes at al for so much as you haue vppon an vnsetled pange without al order wisedome or discretion taken awaie the greatest Sacrament and that that is of al other most wonderfull Whie then say you that you wonder if there be any kind of professours in diuinitie in the worlde that despiseth and setteth at naught the Sacramentes But let vs now consider the description of your Church the which you set before our eyes to behold that we may vnderstand by it that you haue had none other maister in Religion but only the holy Ghost You say thus First of all bicause faith is by hearing we sende downe into all partes of our realme teachers of the holie Scriptures to instructe the people in all pointes of godlines and to infourme them in the true woorshipping of God Out of what fountaine sprang these Doctours If they came out of the schoole of Luther Bucer or Caluin they can teach the people no godlines being them selues open enemies to all godlinesse It were therefore muche more tolerable to haue no doctours at all then to be infected with the most corrupt Doctrine of wicked menne If they sprang out of any other heade then is it manifest that there is not emongest you any one and simple Doctrine but diuerse opinions fondly iarring within them selues It followeth Then haue we a common order of praier out of the holie Scriptures confirmed by the authoritie of a Parlament for so doe they terme the consent of the estates of our Realme from the which we suffer no man to depart By what order lawe or authoritie is this done that a Councel or as you cal it a Parlament should so impudently vsurpe the office of the Catholike Churche to make orders for praiers prescribe how religion ought to be vsed and not suffer any man to depart from the order which it hath decreed For in holie thinges it is not lawfull for these menne to geaue lawes but to take lawes For otherwise they shall disturbe the common weale if they wil not content them selues with their owne vocation but will thrust them selues into other mens doinges and they shal marre Religion if they will in matters apperteyninge to them onely that susteine the personne of the Churche take vppon them to meddle and transpose the dignitie of Priestes to them selues You say afterwarde Prouiding both in the one and in the other so muche as we coulde that the commaundement of the holie ghost be obeied the whiche willeth that such as speake in the Churche should vse the word of God and that there should be one common and agreable Doctrine emongest them all You doe verie wel vndowbtedly But wherehence riseth this so great debate and hourlie bourly for Religion in your Churches Wherefore are the confessions and Credes so often chopped and chaunged in places where Luther hath had a great name And we prouide saie you that the Sacramentes be ministred verie neere vnto the prescribed order of the holy scriptures and according to the example of the old Church in the whiche our Lorde Iesus Christ first ordeined them himselfe with his Apostles O valiant men worthie to be commended aboue the heauens O glorious attempte O liuelie courage of lustie blouddes the which thought yt not ynoughe to approche neere vnto the holines of the olde Church but they would presse euen at the verie hard heales of them It followeth All these thinges are set out in our owne mother tongue bicause it is a great madnes for a man to babble out before God he can not tell what and it is directely againste the most wholesome doctrine of S. Paule and all the auncient examples of the Apostolike Churches It is not you only that teache such as vnderstand not the Latine to praie in their owne tongue For we also doe not suffer such as are ignorant in the Latine speach to serue God but only in their own mother tongue and there are manie bookes of praiers and holy scriptures writen not by Parlament as you call it but by holie Priestes the whiche being firste examined by the prelates of the church are sent abroad euerie where and by them are children women and simple folkestrained in the knowledge of their dewtie towardes God And the thinges that are thus written they are not taken out of euerie mans fantasie but out of the holie Scriptures and out of the writinges and examples of holie men So that there lacketh not omongest vs anie discipline of manners nor example of vertue nor good bringing vp in true religion to al such as coulde not imploie them selues to the studie of learning We haue also manie sermoÌ„s by the whiche men are stirred vp to the loue of godlines and religion But in preaching we vse much discretion and warines that none of those questions be opened emongest women and ignorant folkes which are not verie necessarie vnto saluation and yet maie quickely intangle their mindes with verie troublesome dowbtes and scruples For as S. Gregorie of Nazianzene saieth verie wisely it is not conuenient to reason and dispute of God neither to al men neither in the presence of all men neither at all times neither of all matters neither without good discretioÌ„ For there is required to the doing of this thinge a meruâ—lous cleanes of sowl and body a veri calme and wel setled mind good time coÌ„uenient oportunitie earnest zeale much fearfulnes and exceding great moderarion For ther is no man so simple that he can not vnderstand the difficultie of euery question but there are few so witty that they caÌ„rid theÌ„ selues out of the briers when they are once fallen in And this is the cause whie
Waulter Haddon did excel in the knowledge of the ciuile law â–ª we did not in so saying geaue him authoritie to expounde the holie Scriptures wherein he is altogether ignorant I woulde now demaunde of you what matter was S. Peter about when he said that the king was the more excellent personage Was he about the gouernment of Churches or thinges apperteining to religioÌ„ No doubtles but abowte ciuile gouernement the which he would not haue to be disordered by anie sedition What goeth S. Paul about when he commaundeth vs to submit our selues to all powers The selfe same thing that S. Peter doth And to confirme that he sheweth that all power is ordeined and appointed by God And to teache vs that this is our bownden dewtie by the law of God he saieth Geaue therfore to al men their dewe Tribute to whome you owne tribute custume to whom you owe custume feare to whome feare is dewe and honour to whom honour apperteineth It liketh not the Apostles to haue anie sedition or broile in the coÌ„mon weale or anie thing that maie distourbe the peace and good order And therfore although Princes were at that time verie ill affected towardes the moste holie ordinauÌ„ces of Christ yet in matters apperteining to the ciuile gouernment they coÌ„maund al Christian men not only to obey their Princes but also to make their huÌ„ble praiers vnto God for their good estate S. Peter therfore gaue not vnto the king in calling him more excellent the supreme authoritie in the Church neither did anie man euer dreame of â–ª that besides you but he graunted vnto him the supreme power in the ciuile gouernment Tel me I praie you who helde the kingdome at that time when S. Peter wrote these thinges either it was Caius or Claudius or Nero. For Tiberius which was also a naughtie and vniust man as we maie coniecture was dead before Is this your iudgement then M. Haddon that Peter and Paul did commaunde that the President of the Churche shoulde doe nothing but by order of Caius or Claudius or Nero that he should reteine such Priestes onlie as they wuld haue and put away the rest if it liked the emperour that he should if there chaunced any difficultie or hard question in the Church referre it to Cesar or that to be short he should minister all the ceremonies and sacramentes of our religion according to Nero his pleasure If these thinges be voied of al wit and reason then is that your opinion whervpon these thinges doe necessaliy folowe suche that if you would studie for it you can not deuise anie thing more foolish and vnreasonable But you will saie that this sentence of S. Peter perteineth not to suche Princes as are enemies to the faith of Christ but only to Christian Princes If you saie so then are you of this mind that S. Peter gaue this coÌ„maundement to the Christians that so long as such men reigned as were not well affected towardes the name of Christ they shoulde not acknowledge their authority they should not regard their officers and magistrates they shoulde despise their lawes they shoulde like rebelles disorder the peace and tranquillitie of the common weale The which it were a verie great madnes to speake For then to what pourpose should S. Peter bring in this sentence afterward That you maie saieth he by well doing â–ª put the ignorance of foolish men to sileÌ„ce Doutlesse if they had not obeied vngodlie Princes no man would haue ben put to silence by them but euerie man would haue set vpon them and that for their desert as vpon peace breakers and enemies to al good order If then neither the signification of the word requireth it neither wil reason beare it neither the comely diuision of the orders ecclesiasticall and temporal by anie meanes in the world suffer it that kinges should beare anie swaie in the Church what a straunge kind of flatterie was this in you to yeld vnto kinges a full power and supreme authoritie in Churches But what a shameles part is that in you to affirme by the authoritie of S. Peter and Paul that the authoritie of kinges is aboue al other authorities I graunt you that kinges are by the authoritie of S. Peter set ouer al rulers and gouerners in the ciuile gouernemeÌ„t but not ouer things apperteining to religioÌ„ not ouer the holi ordinaÌ„ces of the church not ouer the sacramentes and seruice made to appease the wrath of God And whereas you saie that we doe abuse th' authority of S. Peter and Paul to set vp the kingdome of the sea of Rome it is false For we leane to the wordes of Christ when we defend the authoritie of the bishop of Rome and who so euer doth violently wrest the most plaine woordes of Christe we iudge him to be a presumptuous felow we take him for an vnreasonable naughtie and wicked persone But before I procede vnto other matters I thinke it expedient briefely to signifie these thinges vnto you Dathan and Abiron for vsing violence towardes the Priestes of God were with a terrible noise and sodeine earthquake deuowred with all the coÌ„panie of their wicked complices Core in like manner with the rest of his conspiracie for taking vpoÌ„ them impudeÌ„tly and wickedly the office of Priestes were coÌ„sumed with sodeine fier Oza by cause he presumed a litle to staie vp with his haÌ„d the Ark of promise being like to fall was sodeinly stryken dead Ozias the king by cause he wold haue vsurped the office of a Priest was dissigured with the lepry Balsesar the king of BabiloÌ„ bicause he tooke the vessels that were appointed to holie vses and did vse them to riot aÌ„d baÌ„ket in lost in one night his kingdome his riches and his life But you neither doe you feare the euerlasting goulfe of hell neither doe you tremble at the thunder and fier of Gods wrath neither are you afraied of any punishment dewe vnto your rash presumpteousnes neither do you regard the leprie of perpetual infamie neither doe you take anie care lest ye be robbed and spoiled of the riches of the euerlasting kingdome together with the losse of your wordlie dignitie and temporal life But all these thinges not withstanding you leaue not to raile at the Popes dignitie What a mischiefe hatred is this towardes the Pope so crewell and so bitter that you repete one thing so often You say thus But you contend not only for the Popes scâ—ptre but also for his holy ordinaunces and Decrees â–ª as you esteeme them by the decaie whereof you thinke that all feare is vanished awaie out of mens heartes This is true For being once agreed that the authoritie of the Pope is good and godly it foloweth that we must obey his ordinaunces and lawes For as Kinges to whome God hath coÌ„mitted the ciuile gouernement in the common weale not contenting them selues with the holie scriptures suche as concerne the state of the coÌ„mon weale for
and loue of godlines my desire is to surueie narrowely this your wōderful gentlenes courtesie softnes patience continencie charitie holines of life and other the like vertues which maie witnesse that the Church hath ben preserued by you But this can not be saie you before all suche thinges as hinder this our great and godlie pourpose be taken quite away For it is the office and dewtie of the worde of God to pul downe the olde howse before the fowndacions of the new howse be laied I take this also to be verie well and wisely spoken For euen as a medicine pourgeth oholer or other noisome humours which do molest the body before it doth repaire nature being feeble and brought low so was it expedient for you to expell pride coueteousnes leacherie and other disseases of the sowle before the Churche coulde receiue the comfortable nourishment of vertue and godlines This deuise of yours I like verie well But now I desire to know how these hurtfull and pestilēt humours haue ben pourged by you Oh saie you ther was nothing in the world so much against godlines as superstition wherfore our principal care was to take awaie al superstition You are not to be blamed for that for in deede there is nothing so muche contrarie to true vertue as is false and counterfeicte vertue Wel now I will not demaund of you howe you haue taken awaie superstition for that is verie euident You haue defaced the authoritie of the Bishop of Rome you haue ouerthrowen the howses of Monkes and Nunnes you haue laied hand on such goods as were apointed to holie vses you haue rifled churches you haue bestowed the goods of them vpon whome you listed you haue minished the reuerence of the auncient ceremonies you haue defiled the religious vsage of Sacramentes you haue throwen downe Images monumētes Crosses and aulters you haue condēned the deuout teares and good works of holie men as naught and vngodlie you haue disanulled the holie decrees lawes and ordinances of the Church you haue cut of all hope of true vertue and honestie by a certaine tyrannical estate or inuincible kingdome of synne which you haue ful clerkely by your doctrine set vp Neither were you cōtented with this wast and spoile of thinges but you haue also taken quite away the freedome of mans wil and contrarie to nature and reason cōtrarie to the equity and iustice of gods lawe you haue tied vp all the doinges and thoughtes of men good and bad wholesome and vnwholesome with a certaine fatall necessitie These are the thinges with manie other of like sort whiche I see are by you as the lettes and staies of wholesome doctrine pulled downe defaced destroied mangled and minced in peeces I doe not now bewaile the decaie and wast of holie thinges For if the health of the church could not otherwise be recouered if the Gospel could not otherwise be brought to his olde brightnes and dignitie I could easily beare this losse and it woulde not grieue me to see those thinges that stande whole the whiche you haue not yet destroied to be vtterly rased withall Wherfore if you haue left anie thing vntowched sette vppon it also if it like you shake it pull it hourle it downe vpon the grownde so that you restore vs that auncient feruencie of godlines that loue of iustice and equitie that amplenesse of charitie that contempte of wordlie thinges that earnest desire of heauenlie life with the whiche the Churche was inflamed of old time in the Apostles daies This is the puritie of the Gospel this is the excellent worke of the worde of God in this standeth the whole perfourmaunce of your promise You can not discharge your dewtie and bande with anie meane vertue For when I see the sacke and spoile whiche you haue made to be so great howe might I thinke it to stande with right or reason that you shoulde recompence it with anie meane commoditie Wherfore I will aske you once againe although M. Haddon be offended withall I will earnestly demaunde yea I will most instantly require of you what thing is restored by you in the steede of all those thinges whiche you haue pulled downe I will repete the selfe same woordes that I vsed in those my letters whiche M. Haddon so muche reuiled What is ouerthrowen I see but what is set vp I see not what is grubbed vp by the roote I perceiue but what is planted I perceiue not Tell me I praie you what it is to repaire the doctrine of the Gospell when it tendeth to decaie What it is to bring al thinges verie neere as M. Haddon your disciple saieth to the rules of Christian godlines vnto the most holie doctrine of the Apostles what it is to driue awaie with a newe light and brightnes the darkenes of errours and mist of synne in the which men liued I think it be to bring to passe that men maie haue no wil to looke down vnto the earth that they may be desirous to looke vp to heauenward to become modeste and humble to be inflamed with the loue of holines and chastitie to be decked and beawtified with the cōmendable vertues of meekenes patience grauitie and constancie to be verie obedient to the Rulers of the Churche to yeald verie great honour and loue to the gouernours in the cōmon weale to emploie their whole life deuises and practises to a common profitte to be zelously bent to wardes godlines and Religion finally to make and prepare the way to heauē by godly vertues I demaund of you therefore whether there be anie one man amongest al those that so much esteeme and reuerence you yea that sette you vp as Goddes endewed with such a seruent loue of heauenly thinges with suche chastitie and cleannes of life that he wil not suffer him selfe to be disteined with any spot of dishonestie with such patience and gentlenes that although he be prouoked with railing and dispiteful language he wil not only not offende in worde suche as wronged him but also wish them al good things and prosperitie with suche louingnes and charitie that he wil bestowe all his substance to the common profitte with suche grauitie and constancie that he wyll neuer be disordered witn suche a burning loue of euerlasting life and glorie that he wil forsake all the light and vaine pleasures of the worlde that he will pitch downe his Crosse and dash against it all his vnlawfull lustes that he wil thinke vpon Christ only and sit downe at his feete that he wil loue God ernestly and be as it were violently caried vp to heauen in mind and thought With al these vertues did the Churche sometimes flourish with these fier brādes of godlie loue were men of olde time inflamed from this most seruent loue of godlines coulde they not possibly be brought by anie terrour or tormentes And this tooke you vppon you to pourge the gospell thoroughly to put to flight superstition vtterly and to enkendle againe the light of
the auncieÌ„t Church which was put out Be therfore as good as your word perfourme your promise discharge your debt into the whiche you are incurred Restore that puritie of mind restore that chastitie of bodie restore that feruencie of godlines restore that continencie and gentlenes that peace and concord that band of charitie and frindship bringe your countreimen againe to that state from the whiche we are al fallen that you maie by such a wonderful alteration of thinges and heauenlie example of vertue put vs to silence to whome this newfanglednes is both suspected and hateful As for vs it is no meruaile if we haue not as yet atteined this great and high perfectioÌ„ in vertue For you haue not yet set out this goodlie light to vs. I aske this question therfore of such only as take your part how holily how vprightly how religiously they liue For reason would as I saied before that we should looke for no meane matters at your handes For you haue taken vpon you a charge of so great honour magnificencie and profite to the worlde as possibly there can not be deuised a greater Wherefore vnlesse your adherentes and disciples doe so much excell in vertue and honestie al other men that are vertuous and godlie and yet be not of your schoole that they maie dymme the light of their vertue and put them out of conceite you haue not fulfilled your promise For if the selfe same degree of honestie might haue ben kept and mainteined by vs without the losse and ruine of those thinges vpon the whiche you haue laied your violent and griedie handes if the vertue of your brethren doe not verie much passe the vertue of our men shal it not appeare to the worlde that you wise men haue taken a great deale of paines in defacing of those thinges which you haue ouerthrowen to no pourpose or profite Shall it not be seene that those thinges were not the lettes or staies vnto you for the which coulde not exercise iustice and godlines What if your Disciples are not only neuer the better by defacing those thinges but rather much more disodered and outragious muche more wicked and vicious What if licentious liuing be now lesse punished if mischieuous hardines be now greater if more debate and greater broyles haue bene stirred vp sence you haue set your selues to be teachers of men What if moe robberies and shamefuller actes are now coÌ„mitted emongest you in euery parte of the realme if it be true that is reported What if there be wrought more traiterous practises against the maiestie of Princes euen by such as haue geauen them selues fully and wholly to your doctrine But I wil let your maisters goe and will vrge you M. HaddoÌ„ once againe What can you alleage What example can you bringe of that auncient vertue How can you mainteine and defend this newfanglednes And yet you will auowch that your Churche differeth nothing at al from the order and discipline of the Apostles You saie manie things in deede but no maÌ„ which is in his right wit will euer beleeue you It is not ynough to aâ—firme what so euer you list in wordes I loke for the examples of this heauenly vertue and not for vaine woordes If you see vnlawful lust set at libertie disorder flinging vppe and downe without checke the highe waies beset with theeues and murderers tumultes stirred vp coÌ„spiracies wrought and daungerous practises deuised against common weales euerie where if all these mischiefes be not only not taken away after the time that the doctrin of these felowes whom you so highly commend tooke place but rather muche more increased with what face dare you saie that this your newe doctrine differreth nothing from the doctrine of the Apostles You saie that I require a perfection which can not be had in this life It is like ynough sir that I doe speake of light offences such as continent and honest men may fal into euery houre and not of most vile filthie and infamous crimes such as haue cawsed all holie things to be wasted spoiled and coÌ„sumed with fyer without any fruict of godlines and Religion the whiche thinges these felowes promised to restore You require of me that our church as you cal it and yours maie be set together and compared that it maie appeare at the length whether of them both is more established by the authoritie and doctrine of the Apostles Your request is not reasonable For I saie not that there is no spot of vncleanes at all emongest vs. But I saie and affirme that it is verie ill done of you that those spottes are not taken awaie emongest you by the diligence of your Apostles We haue promised nothing we haue not pleadged our faith and truth that all thinges should be brought againe to the olde perfection by our diligence no man can call vs into the court and charge vs that we haue not stoode to our promise But these men who as you saie were sent from heauen haue takeÌ„ this much vpon them to restore the puritie of the Gospell to bring againe charitie holines coÌ„tinencie with that most earnest longyng after the euerlasting glorie to bring al other such vertues as ar coÌ„teined in the word ofgod to light which were before buried in darkenes and to set vp once againe a heauenly coÌ„mon weale vpoÌ„ the earth But that you maie see what courtesie and fauour I wil shew you in this conflicte I will not require of you to examine and trie your manners by the streight discipline of the Apostles and by that exacte rule of most holie and perfect religion but to compare the state of this your Church with the grauitie vertue religion and worshipful behauiour of your auncetours the which thing if I can intreat you to do you shall vnderstand that there is so great oddes betwene your gospellishe doctrine and the honorable religion of olde England as can not be expressed in wordes Why then sir what a thing is this If you were neuer able after the tyme that you gaue your selues to these newe and vngodly opinions to reach to any part of the honour of your auncetours by what meanes I praye you shall you be able to atteyne to that auncient perfection of the Churche whiche flourished in the Apostles dayes to the great wonder of the world Are you so voide of all witte and reason that you thinke it ynough to say that your Churche differreth nothing from the Apostles doctrine as though meÌ„ were bound by and by to beleeue you No sir that must be shewed and prooued not by braggyng and light behauiour not by boasting and reprochfull wordes but by wonderful examples of iustice innocencie chastitie cleanes religion and charitie by a most holy life a most vertuouse conuersation and a most feruent loue of godlinesse Yea M. Haddon I tell you once againe that it is not sufficient for them that haue promised to bring the loose manners of our tyme to that
the thinge which I commaunded him not to speake or elles shall speake in the name of other Goddes shall be put to death If so be that thou shalt thinke in thy hearte howe may I vnderstande the woorde which our Lorde hath spoken Thou shaltâ— haue this token The thing which that Prophet foretolde in the name of our Lorde if it come not so to passe our Lord spake it not but the Prophet deuised it of a pride of his own heart and therfore thou shalt not feare him What thinge can be more euident and plaine then this signe What more prouidently spoken for our saluation Being now warned and instructed by God I geue no eare to wordes but I tourne mine eye to workes I loke to see howe faithfully these Ptophetes haue fulfilled their promise It remaineth therefore that wee consider what Luther Melanchthon Bucere Caluine and the rest of your Champions haue promised and taken vppon them what hope they haue brought their adherentes into by their goodlie wordes Doubtlesse thei caused men to conceiue this hope that thei would bringe the doctrine of the Gospell to the olde perfection that they woulde set Religion vp againe as it was at the first that they woulde staiâ— vppe the Church which tended to decaie Now this puritie of the Gospel this holinesse of Religion this sure staie of the Churche by what power and strength is it mainteined By fayth gentlenes chastitie peace concord lowlinesse obedience charitie godlines and the great loue of God But they haue brought into the world for faith and religion Church robbing for gentlenes crueltie for chastity loose liuing for peace whourlibourlie for concord ciuile discord for lowlines pride for obedience contempte of lawfull authoâ—itie for charitie bitter hatred towardes all good menne for godlines wicked impietie for godlie loue the vtter decaie of all such holie thinges as stirred vs vp to the loue of God They are therefore so muche shorte of the perfourmaunce of those thinges which they haue in large and ample manner promised that they haue rather by their laboure and diligence so woorshipfullye employed lefte all thinges whiche they tooke vppon them to refourme and bringe to the olde perfection in much worse case yea muche more depraued and disordered then euer they were before Wherefore these men were not sente from God And so it is concluded by the Lawe of God him selfe that they deserue no such commendations as you geaue them but rather euerlasting damnation I demaunde of you once againe The vertue and puritie of the Gospell doth it consist in good woorkes thinke you or elles in woordes Doubtlesse if we beleeue our Lorde him selfe we must saie that it standeth rather in woorkes then in a goodlie shewe of woordes For so muche therefore as these your Maisters haue confirmed this new Gospel not by good workes not by woorking of miracles not by continencie of lyfe not by vprighte coÌ„uersation not by feruencie of mind not by burninge desire and longinge after heauenlie things but by boasting and bragging woordes is it not manifest that they are not partakers of the kingdome of heauen Is it not cleere that they were not sent from God Is it not verie euident that they were false Prophetes But let vs retourne vnto Ieremie And first of all where you saie that I would for a certaine pride which is in me intolerable be esteemed as one of Gods priuie counsel I would faine learne of you whereof you gather that Heard you euer saie that I preached anie newe Gospell that I professed anie newe doctrine the which in the olde time was neuer heard of that I withdrew the people from the olde faith and auncient order with goodlie promises that I mainteined anie opinion deuised by myne owne selfe so constantly as though it had proceeded from God him selfe No truly What reason moueth you then to saie that I take this so great a name vpon me whereas in deede you see no token of such intolerable pride in me You saie afterward You molest Ieremie againe and will not suffer the reuerende Prophete to take his breath If I haue molested the holie Prophete I haue committed no small offence against my selfe But let vs see how you will prooue it You procede thus You alleage these woordes of the Prophete If they had stoode in my cownsell and had openly declared my woordes vnto the people truly they had tourned them from their euyll waie and from their naughtie deuises The wordes of the Prophete are verie cleere I can not tell therfore how you goe about by your woordes to make them darke It foloweth Let vs take our beginning out of Ieremie whiche was a worthie Prophete You can saie none other If you could M. Haddon I doubt you would doe it You goe forewarde Did he fraie al the Iewes from vice Did he bend them al to vertue Marke wel the whole ordre and processe of his prophecie considre the watling that he maketh which is in deede very lamentable Hitherto you reason not against me but against the most godlie Prophete to prooue him a vaine man for you make him to speake contrarieties He had saied before that the word of God was of such force that it brought men from vice to vertue He lamenteth afterward that although he were stirred vp by the might and power of the word of God yet he could not possibly bring the people from their wickednes Wherefore he speaketh contrarieties and disagreeth exceedingly with him selfe As you did therefore in S. Paule euen so doe you now You improue not my saying but you make the man of God to speake contrarie to him selfe But I saie on the other side that it may most easily be prooued by this reason onely that you could not vnderstand the meaning of the Prophete bicause you thinke that he dissenteth from him selfe For it is not possible that there should be any disagreement in the worde of God of the which Ieremie was a minister And yet you to impugne more openly the meaning of the Prophete you earnestly alleage the example of S. Peter yea and of Christe him selfe by whose preaching say you not al suche as heard them were fraied from their synne vice and wickednes And at the length you goe so farre that you affirme that whereas one man yealdeth to the warning of God an other doth not it is not in the free wil of euerie man but that it was so ordeined before the beginning of the worlde and so you confirme againe that fatal violence or necessitie And whereas you heare the complaint of our Lord him selfe whiche is very lamentable wherein he bewaileth the infidelitie of the Iewes which would not be receiued vnder his winges being thereunto very mercifully moued yet do you impute their damnation not to the wickednes of the naughtie men but vnto God as the author therof The which impiety of yours is already sufficiently confuted so much as the place required But neither you neither your
before most of all to be esteemed whie haue you violētly and furiously rushed into those holy howses to abolish vtterly out of the worlde the very remēbrance of perpetual chastity Oh say you they liued not after the rule of S. Basil I graūt you for emōgest vs also somtime the Nūnes forgetting their duety waxed somwhat wanton and some Monkes also liued very disordredly howbeit the most holy order and disciplin was not for that cause vtterly taken away and ouerthrowen Neither are the members of the body which may be healed so sone as they fal into any disease forth with to be cut of What Thinke you it wel done for a smal blemish or eyesore to grubbe vp the whole order by the root Were it not better wene you to bring the mēbers that are diseased to their naturall strēgth again If you had vsed the same medicine as our Prīces did why might not the cōmendable vertues of chastity and holines haue florished emōgst you as thei do with vs But it was neuer no part of your thought Neither did reason moue you to doe well but hatred and couetousnes pricked you forward to mischiefe Nowe as touching the Pharisaicall continuance of praiers for so it liketh you to terme the continual exercise in the Diuine seruice of God this much I answere If the defence of Religion do confist in vnreasonable and reprochful woordes then are you to to muche to good for vs. For you haue had in that honest faculty an excellent scholemaster called Luther from whom proceded al these termes Pharisee hypocrit Papist and such other which I do let passe as wordes not meet to be spoken of any honest and bashfull man with the which he reuiled holy men And yet you to mainteine one mischiefe by an other to defende Sacrilege with a heape of slaunders and false witnesse you saie that the disorder of Monkes in their Celles and of Nunnes in their Cloisters was so great that they might well be compared with the reuelles of Bacchus Howe then haue you left such heinous offences vnpunished Wherefore did you not suppresse such fowle and horrible vices with moste extreme and sharpe punishmentes Wherefore did you not procede with al seueritie and rigor against such detestable conueticles for so you ful vnreuerently cal them wherfore did you not make them exāples to the worlde lest the libertie of vnbridled and filthy pleasure might ouerflow your coūtrei to the vtter ▪ vndoing of your common weale Are you so rechlesse and negligent in the gouernemēt of your realm that you thought it meete to appoint no punishmēt at al for that most detestable shop as you cal it of filthie vice Wil you in that Iland in the which a Queene whome the king loued verie well for her beawtie witte and courtelie behauiour for the onelie suspicion of a great deale lighter offence then this is was by the sentence of the iudges at the commaundement of the King him selfe her housbande openlie in the face of the world by the hand of a hangman executed and beheaded wil you I saie in that Iland suffer such heinouse offences as are not to be named to escape vnpunished yea ād that in a kind of men which are not only contemptible and abiecte but also odious and hateful It is not like Moreouer this feate of pulling downe monasteries beganne not emōgest you but you had it from other menne For Carolstadius and Luther and other the head Sectaries attempted this goodlie enterprise firste of al so that you maie not robbe them of the honour thereof and take it to your selfe It was not therefore the hatred of vncleane pleasure but the example of these noble personages set out as a rule in this your new discipline and Religion that stirred your mindes to the ouerthrowe of perpetual chastitie Besides this the greauous displeasure you had conceiued against the Bishoppe of Rome for entermedling and geauing sentence against you the casting of your eyes vpon the goods and possessions with the whiche the Mounkes liued the flatterie of certaine naughtie and desperate fellowes the fonde pleasure and appetite to make alterations and chaunges helped the matter wel forwarde In olde tyme emongest the Romaines whiche were men vtterly void of the light and knowledge of God the Virgins of Vesta were had in such estimation that euerie man did geaue them the waie the place and seate with verie great reuerence And you haue disteined the Virgins of Christe with a notorious and perpetuall infamie Those Virgins bicause they mainteined the fier of Vesta the citezins did not onely honour and attende vpon religiously but also reuerenced their iudgementes and you haue not suffered the holie virgins of Christe to keepe their virginitie solemly vowed to maintaine the euerlasting fier of heauenlie loue in their heartes enkendled It was lawful for those Virgins to marrie after thirtie yeares and yet of their owne accord they did absteine from marriage you haue maried the virgins of Christ to whome it was in al ages vnlawful to filthie ribaudes Those virgins if they were at anie tyme by intisement deflowred they were buried aliue and so ended their life with a horrible kinde of death and you haue taken them whiche were dishonested as you saie with mosto vile brothelrie and haue for punishment of so great a vice pleasauntly rewarded them with sporting and daliaunce And yet you say Wherefore God hath stirred the harts of our men that these so great bāds or cōpanies which laie lurking in blind stīking corners were through their godlie exhortations called foorth from idlenes to labour from vice to vertue from wicked brothelrie to most honest marriage You say God hath stirred the heartes of our men I would faine learne of you what God that was for there are manie as S ▪ Paule saith that are called Goddes For to some men the bellie is a God to some other monie is a God yea and to some riot and ruffling and hawtines is a God I would therefore faine knowe what God that was that put it into the heartes of your menne to abolishe and rake vp in the earth the loue of most holie and perpetuall chastitie Was it Bacchus or Cupide or Mercurie For of Christ the sonne of God who is verie muche delyted in perpetuall chastitie and cleane life I am right wel assured that he neuer moued you to any such heinouse acte The idlenes which you speake of was not a fruteles sitting stil void of al holie workes but it was a continuall exercise in the contemplation of godlie thinges As touching the most filthie brothelrie as you cal it you are in one sentence conuinced both of a lie and of impudencie withall For if there had benne anie suche offence committed of them you woulde not haue suffered it vnpounished And then howe impudent and shamelesse you be the forging of so filthie a crime doth plainelie declare It is not therefore true that you saie that your doinges stande well with the profitte of
deuised and wronght by the labour studie and diligence of Satan What rage hath so driuen you what madnes hath so stirred you that you durst set vpon so wicked an enterprise For you haue made open warres against honestie and chastitie you haue furiously brokeÌ„ into the holy Monasteries you haue ouerthrowen bashfulnes honestie and continencie you haue chased awaie that most excellent loue of perpetual virginitie you haue geuen the goods of religions personnes to whome you listed and now when you triumph at the fall of chastitie and Religion you so vaunâ— your selues in it as though you had by this noble victorie gotten euerlasting fame and honour Now foloweth the disputation of the pulling downe of Images whiche you like verie well and are offended with me bicause I should saie that when the images are takeÌ„ awaie there is nothing left wherby the mind might be stirred vppe to thinke vpon godlie thinges The which I neuer spake For there are manie other thinges whiche you haue ouerthrowen together with the ymages that moue our mindes more vehemently then they doe But this much I saied For so much as Images are verie good and effectuall to bring al men especially â–ª the vnlearned to the remembraunce of the wonderful vertue which shone sometimes in the holy Saintes and it were expedieÌ„t that the benefit of Christ should be represented vnto vs by al signes in al places it was wickedly done of them that pulled downe Crosses and Images For we doe neither praie nor offer nor sacrifice vnto them but we are by them put in remembraunce of those thinges that are of dew to be worshipped It is saie you against the expresse commaundâ—ment of God I would your doctours would instructe you better in Diuinitie that you might no more babble out such childiâ—h toyes Tell me I praie you haue you neuer read that there were in the tabernacle of God Images of Cherubines set before the Arke of promise The vele whiche diuided the inner part from the reste of the tabernacle was is not wrought betwene with manie Images of Cherubines Was there not made the Image of a Serpent in brasse by the commaundement of God in the wildernes vpon the whiche suche as were bitten of serpentes looked and were healed What Images then hath God forbidden to be made Those Images without dowbte by the whiche men blinded with synne went abowte to expresse a thinge that can neither be deuised nor painted nor engrauen nor expressed wyth woordes nor conceiued with the heare that is the infinite Maiestie of God Besides this there was greate daunger lest the people being now acqueinted with the manners of the Aegiptians being also abowt to goe into a land which was infected with the selfe same errours might through familiaritie and neighbourhood of these vngodlie nations fall into the like errour and offer vp sacrifice vnto goddes made of stockes and stones or at the least make the ymages of some naughty and vile men and set them vp in the place of God The feare of this daunger caused manie thinges to be taken quite awaie which had ben otherwise lawfull and tolerated The ymage of the brasen serpent was diligently kept as a goodlie monument of the benefite of God and singular sacrament of the saluation to come But after manie yeares when the people were come to such madnes that they thought there had benne some diuinitie in the ymage and therfore offered sacrifice vnto it it was by the holie King Ezechias broken and made into powder Shew you now that we doe goe about to expresse the nature of God by signes or that we thinke that ther is anie godhead in dome images and then may you wel conuince vs of blindnesse and folie So long as you doe not this there is no cause whie you should feare the dotage of idolatrie as you terme it or laie blindnesse to our charge with suchâ— monstruous wordes For we doe that that is by right and reason ordeined by the holie Churche approoued by sentence of holy Fathers determined The gospell say you commaundeth vs to absteine from Images That is true But what must we vnderstand to be ordeined by this commaundement For sooth this that no man should offer vp sacrifice to Images or for anie pretense of religion make as though he did follow the errour that was in other men For the faithful men were not then commaunded to ouerthrow and breake their Images but to forsake the detestable Sacrifices Moreouer what Images were those Of Iuppiter Apollo Minerua Mars and Mercurie and other the like Goddes which were thought of old time to be verie true goddes in deede But we doe neither offer vp sacrifice vnto idols neither doe we thinke the Images of vncleane and vicious men to be worthie of any reuerence in the world You say afterward But this feare being taken awaie yet must the doctrine of Christ haue ful authoritie â—mongest Christian men in the which it is plainlie said that God is a spirite and that the true order of praying to God is to worship him in spirite and â—rewth Of like we know not that M. Haddon and therefore doe we make God like a man both in bodie and maÌ„ners Would God you had learned what it is to worship God in spirite and then had you neuer falleÌ„ into such vngodly opinions You say that the true ordre of praying nedeth not these helpes of outward thinges Although you and such as you are hauing nowe waded so farre in the exercise of spiritual life neede not these outwarde helpes but may without them presse euen to the throne of God yet should you remembre that there are manie that are not yet come to so high a degree of heauenlie perfection as you be and therfore haue neede to be holpen by all meanes possible Not so saie you but raither while our owtwarde man is to muche occupied in these shadowes of holie thinges the feruencie of the minde waxeth colde within Not so M. Haddon but rather while the minde waxeth colde within it is by these outwarde representations of holie thinges to be stirred vp to remembre those thinges that were forgotten for as Dionysius teacheth vs so long as we are inclosed within the frame of this bodie and can not altogether withdrawe our minde from the acqueintance of the bodie we are to be stirred vp nowe and then by bodilie Images to the remembrance of the inuisible God This not withstanding you goe fore warde and saie Let vs put examples The old Church of the Apostles and Martyrs had none of all these monumentes and yet was their spirite moste earnestly inflamed with the loue of God In the wane of â—ure Religion pictures crope in by litle and litle and so appalled in the heartes of men that former boyling heat of Religion Not so sir but then were Images and pictures necessarie to stirre vp againe by almeanes the feruencie of religion which was as you say appalled For so long as
These thinges being thus determined I wil aske you a question what came into your braines to be so desirous to take al the volumes of the holy Scripture and without anie necessity ye with no smal daÌ„ger of the vnlerned people to coÌ„mit them to euerie iackestraw to expounde did you it to restreyne the pride of such as are base No you haue rather puffed vp their hartes incredibly causing them to coÌ„ceiue a false opinion of wisedome in them selues Was it done to cause a more feruent charitie emongest them No you haue rather forced the weake mindes to fall out within them selues through your diuers yea and contrary expositions of the law of God Was it done to set all thinges in good order No you haue rather ouerthrowen all good and auncieÌ„t order For now euery man is a prophete euerie man is a shepeheard euery maÌ„ is a doctour euerie man will prate in euerie place very vnsemely of matters of diuinitie euery maÌ„ wil babble what him listeth of the highest Mysteries the lowest pointe whereof is farre aboue his capacitie This is by like your prouidence wherby you haue taken quite awaie that silence which was vsed of olde time in the churches that bashfulnes whiche became honest matroues meruelously wel that modesty which kept the simple people verie wel in their dewtie And so it is come to passe that wheras you pretend to folow the wordes of S. Paul you bend your selues ernestly against his meaning What lacked there I praie you in the olde time that was necessarie to keepe honest heartes in a sobre discicipline Were there not lerned Priests the which were able to choose out of the holie mysteries so muche as was needful to saluation and so muche as they might declare vnto the ignorant people without daâ—nger Were there none to supplie the place of the vnlerned man and to answere Amen Was the sownd and wordes of the Latine tongue so straunge that no man vnderstoode it in all your Churches Needed there the authoritie of the Apostle to breake vp that disordered confusion of many tongues together when there was heard in the commoÌ„ praiers of the churches but one kind of speach only and that by long custome verie well knowen and commonly vsed If the vse of one common tongue ioyneth the mindes of men in one then was there nothing more agreable to the rule of Christ then that the seruice of God should be openly saied in one only tongue the which was in all churches of the west part of the world learned in scholes and practised in the dailie affaires and nothing lesse conuenient then that the seruice is now saied in so manie tongues as there are nations emongest whome men without learning without witte without religion take vpon them the office of expounding the holie Scriptures Wherfore neither was our simplicity so vnprofitable as you wise men thought it was neither is your prouident warines so wholesome as your maisters imagined it would haue ben For out of it are risen errours and disorders and a false opiuioÌ„ of wisedome whiche is the greatest madnes in the worlde with manie other discommodities Then you goe forewarde in the declaration of the doctrine of your Church saying We vse at the laying on of handes the celebration of mariage the churching of women after child bearing the visiting of the sicke and the burying of the dead solemne and publike seruice set out according to the truth of the ghospell Al the rest you comprehend verie briefely in one sentence perswading your selfe that it is sufficiently declared that you are not destitute neither of Sacramentes neither of anie other thinges apperteyning to religion You confesse plainely after that that you haue shaken of from you the yoke of the high Bishop or Pope bicause it was heauier then that either you or your fathers could beare it Your fathers and auncetours I know did beare it verie well and with great commeÌ„dation but youâ— graunt were not able to beare it For how had it ben lawful for you to breake violently into the monasteries to disanull the rules of monkes to deflower the holy and chast Virgins to deface like vngodlie and furious men al orders of religion to laie your greedy and violent handes vpon the Churche goods appointed to holie vses to pul â—owne all monumentes of vertue and godlines to ouerthrow the auncient Churche and to botch vp an other at your plesure if this yoke had not ben first taken of from your neckes You bring in a litle after Neither doe we acknowledge anie Bisshop but onlie our Lord Iesus Christe to whom the holy scriptures appoint this peculiar honour O worthie saying full of wonderful godlines and conteyning in it a most euideÌ„t proufe of heauenlie life What shal we doe to these meÌ„ which are so holie so vtterly void of al care of this present life that for the desire and loue of the presence of Christ him selfe they can not abide to see any Vicare of Christ vpoÌ„ the earth But lette vs see a litle This name of Christ doth it import the dignitie and office of a bishop only or elles doth it comprehende also the authoritie and maiestie of a King Surely it can not be denied that by the worde and meaning of Christ in this name of Christ is conteined the power both of a bishop and of a King Whie then doe you acknowledge any other king beside our Lord Iesus Christ Whie are you not so free and earnest to shake of this yoke that remaineth Whie suffer you this freedome of your gospell to be hindered through the power and authoritie of a King Whie doe you not as it hath ben already attempted in other places whiche are infected with the selfe same religioÌ„ bend your selues earnestly to make away the maiestie of a King for as you acknwolege one only high bishop so is it necessarie to obei one only King If you thinke it mete to haue an other king in th' earth as Vicare of that high and almightie king what is the câ—use whie you wold not haue an other bishop as Vicare of that most high and holy bishoppe But you wil say We haue bishops but we wil haue no high bishop Whie then it is not the name of a bishop but of a high bishoppe that offendeth you Wherefore thinke you then that the authoritie of a Kinges power whiche dowbtles is the highest is to be borne in England Are there not magistrates emongest you Is there not a publike counsel Haue you not Princes and Lordes Then take awaie the controuersie of the name and ther are in England a great many as there are also emoÌ„gest vs the which haue the authority of kinges although thei be not called by the name of Kinges Ymaginâ— therfore that they were certaine litle kinges What needed it then being so many kinges emongest you that there shuld be any one high or supreme king to restraine by his authority the other inferiour kings For if you
you spend in the studie of Diuinitie being a maÌ„ alwaies coÌ„uersant in the law court and hindered with many affaires And so me thinketh that you are not so muche to be blamed as your maisters the whiche haue nouseled you in so mani errours How be it you are also to be blamed for two points The first is lightnes for that you haue so lightly geuen credite to naughty meÌ„ The other is impudeÌ„cy for that you haue so rashly auouched thinges that you neuer read Tel me I pray you where haue you read that Gregorie did abandone this supreame dignitie of the B. of Rome And yet you put it in your oratioÌ„ affirming it ful stoutly and are neuer a whit ashamed of your lying At the length you conclude thus Wherfore if the best state of the church was without this Monarchy may also lack it ful wel yea we ought to lacke it not only bicause it is expressely forbidden by the Gospel but also bicause it standeth wel with reason What a rashnes and impudencie is this in you to conclude an Argument after this sorte without al reason You must bring in your conclusion vpon thinges that are true knowen and agreed vppon not vppon thinges that are false and not graunted If you be ignorant in this you are a very dolt if you know it and yet will goe about to conclude your argument vpon false propositioÌ„s without any proufe going before you are to be taken as a very shamelesse sophister For emongest the guyles and subtilties which the babling sophisters are wonte to vse this is accounted for one of the first to goe aboute to conclude what them listeth vppon thinges that are not true neither graunted neither agreed vppon If the best state of the Church saie you was without this Monarchie we may also lacke it full well What if the best state of the Churche was neuer without this Monarchie may you then lacke it I thinke not If it be then proued by writinges and records yea and by the ful agreement of al the holy Fathers that the best state of the Church was neuer without this Monarchie if you are able neither to coÌ„fute the authorities neither to make any good proufe for your selfe neither to bring any sure ground of antiquitie but only in bare wordes to saie what ye list doe you not see that all youâ— talke is fainte and weake and that it is pitifully shaken and battred of it selfe without gonneshotte And yet as though you had already contriued the whol matter according to your hearts desire you say moreouer Yea we ought to lâ—okd it How proue you that it is of duâ—tie What fruict can you shew of this your wicked rebellion What light haue you shewed to the worlde by this your outrage and madnesse so wonderfull that you may wel say that you haue discharged your duetie and office commendably Nowe whereas you say that the Gospel forbiddeth it expresly you declare the verie true cause of all your doinges For it seemeth that you are minded to doe that onely that the Gospell of Christe forbiddeth you to doe How be it you woulde not saie so but rather that you do by the warrant of the Gospel refuse the authority of the B. of Rome Suche is your eloquence that you are not able marlie times to vtter your owne meaning But by what testimonie of the Gospel by what authority haue you proued it Bring foorth the place presse vs with the wordes coÌ„uince vs with the commaundement shew where the Gospel hath forbidden not darkely but by expresse and plaine words that we shuld not acknowledge any one man as the high Vicare of Christ in the earth You saie moreouer that it standeth with reason whereas you neuer shewed before how reason and this your lewdnes may stande together And yet as though you had moste plainely and inuincibly proued the matter you do not only coÌ„clude veri much besides the purpose but also vauÌ„t your self beyond al modestie Some il hap come to that felow your Schoolemaister that brought you vp so il It is like he toke vpon him to make you eloquent and he made you not only a babe but also an vntoward and a 〈…〉 Wherfore I would geue you 〈◊〉 to take an action against him to make him repaie his waiges that he tooke of you For you bestowed your time very il with him the which might haue ben better spent in drawing out writes and processes in the Law But let vs see what reason you bring You saie Neither can the head so far froÌ„ the meÌ„bers disagree coÌ„ueniently What are you yet to learne to speake Latine What meane you by this What is to disagree conuenientlie For the thing that is in it selfe conuenient is nothing disagreeable Whereas you saie therfore that a thing doth disagree conueniently you speake not pure and cleane Latine but you vse a monstruouse kinde of Latine speache For this cause I am not ashamed to confesse so often that I doe not vnderstand what you saie I suspect you would saie in this place that it is not possible that the heade should 〈◊〉 be ioyned vnto the members being so farre a sunder If you say so you are much deceiued if you beleue that the coÌ„iunction of the church consisteth in the nighnes of places and not in the consent of faith and agreement in one Religion But if you doe comprise vnder this disordered kinde of speach some other more secret mysterie When you haue exponnded your self then peraduenture I wil answere you You say afterward Especially for somuch as this Monarchie or only soueraintie for the which you laboure so much we haue it at hand at home with vs in Englande so that we neede not to seeke it abroad It is not my part to rehearse al your woordes after you like a childe But I will aske you this one thing what only power or souerainty is that We haue say you the absolute authoritie of a Kinges Maiestie wherein is conteined fully and wholly the Princelie estate of our common weale What would you also that the supreme authoritie of the Church should be subiect vnto this Kingly Maiestie as you saie For no man euer said that your common weale ought to be gouerned by the authoritie of the Bishop of Rome in matters coÌ„cerning the state of your ciuile affaires but only that the Churche of Englande can not refuse by any means without great offence the authority of the Bishop of Rome For this doe we contend and as you saie labour so earnestly This is that which you saie is nothing necessarie for so much as the Kinges Maiestie hath an absolute authoritie emongest you and therefore you neede not seeke any other abroad You say therfore expressely that your Quene doth rightfully take vpon her the gouernement of Englande in spiritual matters And the more hardelie to presse me therewithal you reason with me after this forte But surely this seemeth vnto you a thing not to be borne
puritie you vsed in the doing of it For it is like that such fine and deintie felowes as you are were offended with our ceremonies the which peradueÌ„ture might seeme vnto you very stale and old and therefore you deuised other much trimmer then oures the whyche you haue brought not neere but as you terme it exceding neere to the very paterne of the gospel You say afterward that the Church matters are ordered by the bishops but when there iâ— ought to be decreed the diuines do determine it It is euident that you cal theÌ„ diuines who were brought vp vnder Bucer or Caluin Why then haue you diminished the right of bisshops for it perteineth to the bishops to determine the diuines haue no more to doe but only to assist the bishoppes with their aduise But you in geauing ouer the right of the bishops to the diuines declare that your bishops are no diuines Your bishops therfore are as the common report is not only poore scrapers and base felowes but also vtterly ignorant in the holie Scriptures And menne say that the principall cause whie they are chosen is that they muste content them selues with some scantling of their reuenewes and leaue the rest to be rifled of you vnder pretence of the Queenes escheker If this be not true you muste not blame me a man as you say your selfe vnacqueinted in the affaires of EnglaÌ„d but the false report of your il willers Yet this I warne you that you and such as you are doe susteine the great dint of this infamie For when you choose suche Bishops you make menne suspecte that you are greedie and coueteous You conclude at the length that both the administratioÌ„ of the bishops and decrees of the diuines are authorised by the confirmation of the Quenes Maiestie Whie then if there shalbe anie thing done by the bishops or els determined by the diuines that is not for the Queenes profitte that shal not be ratified Here you speake darkely I can not tel what of the Kinges of Israel as though the Priestes in olde time had done al thinges that concerned religion after the prescribed ordre of kinges the which is false You say afterward Then the gospel succeding and diuiding these powers in the first place it setteth the authoritie of Kinges and vnder it other powers by the authoritie of Peter and Paule whose names you abuse to set vp the kingdom of the sea of Rome O what a plague and destruction of common weales what a whirle wind and tempest to your most flourishing IlaÌ„d what an vtter ruine and decaie of al kingdomes and peoples is this that is comprised vnder the naughtines audacitie crueltie and coueteousnes of flatterers What wild beast can anie man deuise in the worlde more horrible and crewel then it is For what so euer the pleasure of Kinges standeth vnto be it neuer so wicked heinouse and vngodly be it not only hurtful to the common weale but also coÌ„trarie to al good and godly ordre it is made forthwith by those clawbackes whome thei cal to their counsel to be dewtiful iust commeÌ„dable religious most wholesome to the coÌ„mon weale and most acceptable to God The which thing is wel knowen to haue chaunced vnto king Henry who was vntil that time both for his vertue wit and deedes a moste noble and renowmed Prince For when as the king had coÌ„ceiued an earnest loue and also an earnest displeasure and was desirous both to satisfie his loue and also to reueÌ„ge the displeasure taken of the Pope who forbad the new mariage he was brought by the persuasion and authoritie of a certaine wicked man to beleeue that he was suprem head of al the Churches that are within the realme of England This thing was the vndoing of the bishop of Rochester and More and of other holie meÌ„ that abid extreme punishments if a most honorable death constantly suffred for the glory of Christ and establishing of religion may be called an vndoing From hence as out of a flouâ—dgate issued so many pestilent opinioÌ„s such a broile of sectes and heresies suche outrages of lewd felowes into the state of the Church of EnglaÌ„d to the great decay of the auncient custome But what was the place the which that most vile corrupter would abuse to proue it Submit your selues saith S. Peter to euery wordly wight for gods sake whether it be to the King as to the more excelleÌ„t personage or els to the rulers as sent froÌ„ God for the punishment of malefactours and coÌ„mendation of good men â–ª what other thing doth S. Peter in these words but only cut of al occasion of disordre and outrage for he would not that by the pretensed name of the libertie of the gospel the coÌ„mon weale should be disordered or the society of men by ciuil policie gathered together be dissolued And therfore doth he bind al ChristiaÌ„ men to the lawes and ordinaunces of menne so that they be not against the lawe of God He commaundeth seruantes to obey their maisters be they neuer so crewel womeÌ„ to obey their husbandes husbandes to honour their wiues children to obei their parentes â–ª parentes to loue their children and to prouide for their bringing vppe and mayntenaunce Finally the holie Apostle commaundeth that ordre both in commaunding and obeying be kept whether it be publike or priuat without any grudging or pretending of excessiue libertie The which ordre was to be kept of Christian men with so much the more diligence as it was coÌ„uenient that their vertue should shine more then the vertue of other menne The selfe same thing doth S. Paule when he warneth vs to submitte our selues to the magistrates and to obey the lawful coÌ„maundementes of Princes He teacheth maisters and seruantes parents and childreÌ„ housbands and wiues the very same lessons I demaund now of you what goodly pregnant wit is this of yours or rather of them that brought you into so great an errour that they would picke such a meaning as you speake of out of these words of S. Peter Did this word More excellent moue you to doe â–ª it Surely that were a manifest token of a verie great folie and extreme madnes For so do we saie in common spâ—ach that that man doth excell in nobilitie or is More excellent whiche is in deede verie noble although he be not of all other moste noble So doe we saie also that a man excelleth or is More excellent then other in vertue or learning or authoritie the which passeth other in these qualities although he passe not al the worlde in them The selfe same signification and meaning hath the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and such is the vse of it Moreouer when we saie that anâ—â— man excelleth in some one thing we doe not by and by in so saying yeald that he doth excel in al thinges but in that thing only whereof we spake If mention were made of the ciuile law and we would saie that M.
it was assaulted the greater and goodlier increase it yealded of godlie fruict But your doctours whiche were sent as you say from heauen into the worlde hauing the aide of great Princes being garded by the common people yealded no fruicte of honestie chastitie or meekenesse to such as folowed them I speake not of your aduersaries by whom you wil complanie peraduenture that your brethren haue benne wrongfully withstoode euen as the Martyrs were some tyme by the Decies but I speake euen of them that loue Luther Bucer Zwinglius and your Martyr that praise and reuerâ—ce them yea that esteeme them as gods I say that they them selues whiche procured to haue these wise men to be their schoolemaisters prooued neuer a whit the better whereby it is concluded that their doctrine was nothing wholesome euen to suche as did not only not disalowe it but also esteemed it very highly Now whereas you demaund of me of our Church for so you speke whether it be voide of al synne I haue alreadie lamented the synful life of our men very oft There raigneth I grauÌ„t you euen at this day emongest vs both coueteousnes and ambition in manie neither is volupteousnes grubbed vp by the rootes Why then say you the argument which I vsed may easily be tourned against our own selues How so I pray you If there should arise some great prophet emoÌ„gst vs which would take so great a charge vpon him as to purge and fine the gospel to restore the auncieÌ„t discipline to proppe vp the Churche which tendeth to ruine with heauenly doctrine to bring his disciples to liue like Apostles if we should folow hi and yet that notwithstaÌ„ding liue in vice as we did before then were this a good argument both against our prophete as also against our owne selues But the brightnesse of this so cleere light hath not yet shined vppon vs wherefore it is no wonder if we continue stil in our accustomed synnes But to you whome the sprite hath replenished with a certaine new light which might very easily haue ben instructed in heauenly thinges by suche men as were sent froÌ„ heauen for your saluation whiche are by the goodnes of God already deliuered from superstition and hypocrisie which despise al wordly thinges and wil suffer nothing to be mingled with the puritie of your Doctrine vnlesse it be drawen out of heauen to you I say it were nothing seemely to haue any daungerouse disease or cracke of vncleane vice For if you haue your doctours whome you commende aboue the skies you shame them for euer and their Doctrine you declare by your doinges to be not only vnprofitable but also hurtfull and pestilent But for so much as you desire to vnderstande the state of our Churche I will declare it vnto to you so briefly as is possible Firste of all we doe moste constantly hold and mainteyne the Gospol not of Luther Melanchthon Carolostadius Zwinglius Caluine or Bucer but of Matthew Marke Luke and Iohn and we keepe one faith not this newly deuised faith whiche is ioyned with a rash and vayne presumption but that faith which was taught by the Apostles and is not corrupted through the naughtines of outragious and mad men In lyke manner we are inclosed within one Churche whiche was sownded by Christ instructed by the Apostles fortified by the aide of the Martyrs sette out by the Doctrine of holie menne defended and kepte alwaies inuincible by the power of the holy Ghoste in spite of the maliciouse and violent attemptes of all Horeâ—iques and without this Churche we beleeue assuredlyâ— that there is no hope of saluation This Church we acknwolege to be so linked in one meaning in one spirite in the agreeable confession of one faith yea to be fast glewed together with such agreemeÌ„t in religioÌ„ that no man can possibly by deuising new opinions such as may concerne the principal points of religion rend and teare it into a numbre of sectes iarring and squaring the one with the other without al reason and ordre And bicause we know by the gospel by the testimonie of Martyrs by the faithful and agreable report of holie menne by reason and common experience of thinges that it is not possible that the Churche should be one excepte it haue one supreme Gouernour the Vicar of Christe â–ª whiche may by his inuâ—olable authoritie ioyne together thinges separated knitte vppo thinges looseâ— and keepe all meâ—ne in one faith and vnifourme order we do most willinglie obeie the Bishop of Rome which as Christes deputy exerciseth this so great office in the earth and what so euer is coÌ„maunded vs by him we do it without any refusal And the very experience of thinges maketh vs to do it the more willinglie bicause we see that where so euer this authoritie is taken awaye there breaketh out by and by many pestilent and troublesome sects That this power is builded not vppon any decree of man but vpon the ordinaunce of Christe him selfe it is moste euidently proued not only by the authoritie of the holie Scripture but also by the testimonie of all the antiquitie wherein we are not ignorant We refuse not the authoritie of any lawfull power For we beleeue as S. Paul teacheth vs that al lawful power is ondeined by God so that who so euer resisteth a lawfull power is to be taken as though he didde resistâ— not men but God him selfe For this cause we beleue that not only the decrees of Popes but also the ordinances of Kings such as are not coÌ„trary to the law of God are most diligently to be obserued and kept Emongest the ordinances of meÌ„ this choise we make Al such as cause a slackenes in the keping of the law of God we reiect as the deuises of men but al such as prouoke vs to be more earnest in the obseruation thereof we iudge to haue ben ordeined not without the instinct of the holy Ghost For Christ saied He that is not against you is for you For this cause we thinke that the rules of Basile the great of Benet Bernard Brunus Frauncis Dominike and other the like singular good and holie men suche as tende to the perfection of a Christian lyfe are not to be sette at naughte For they are all written to this ende that suche as binde them selues vnto them may the more willingly keepe the chastitie of body and cleanes of heart â–ª the which two things are conteined in the counselles of the Gospell and may with a great deale more freedome and cheerelinesse sing and prayse God daie and night and so with the more facilitie folow the lyfe of Angels here in earth If we see any decaie in their manners through loosenes or negligence we thinke it expedient to prouide out of hand that it may be streightly bouÌ„d vp by the rigour of the olde discipline and not to ouerthrow the place where men may liue so godly and so wonderfull a life And bicause we can not be
his enemies to magnifie his euerlasting kingdome and empire that we may seeme for verie ioye and gladnesse to be besides our selues His ascension also we recorde in such sort that we thinke it our part to bend our selues as much as we can to clymme vp together with Christ into those goodlie dwelling places of heauen What may be saide of that inestimable benefit wherin the holy ghost enkendled the Disciples of Christe with the loue of God and enflamed them with fyerie tongues to the end that they should go throughout al the world and wrap vp that heauenly fyer in the bowells of faithfull men With howe great ioye and gladnesse is that feast also obserued and kept in all the Church Moreouer whē we keepe the memorie of holy men in whose heartes the maiestie of Christ dwelled with dew reuerence for it is not lawful to separate them from the companie of Christ whom he him selfe taketh vnto him as felowes and comparteners of al his goods we are stirred vp to a hope of a certaine diuinitie when we cast with our selues how they that are of the selfe samè nature that we be of for the likenesse which they had with God in vertue haue most happily atteyned the state euen of Goddes And as we doe most highly prayse the holines of other as it becometh vs to do so do we especially honour reuerence and worship that singular paterne of cleanes virginitie and godlines that heauēly and meruelous tēple of the holy ghoste that most holy and immortal tabernacle of the euerlasting promise out of the which riseth the sonne of iustice to put away with the brightnes of his beames the darkenes of the whole worlde and wee doe with right good affiaunce cal for the helpe of the sayd most blessed Virgin in our distresse and necessitie and wee finde that her prayers doe vs muche good often tymes before her Sonne The seruice of the Church is so ordered that the yeare tourning about there is no benefite of God the remēbraunce whereof the holy Churche wil suffer to be forgotten And the Churche doth represent the memorie of al these benefites in such sorte that it seemeth that they are not so much declared in words as expressed in doinges For as the excellent Poete saith The thinges we heare do not so soone prouoke the mind to rise As doe the thinges that vewed are with true and faithful eyes Al these thinges which I haue here declared with manie other of lyke sorte whiche I haue omitted for I thinke it not necessarie to rehearse particularly euery point are not I graunt you matters of perfection They are certayne introductions and necessarie helpes for vs whiche haue some what to doe as yeat with this mortall condicion as we feele by experience For so often as these ordinaunces of the Churche are litle Regarded the minde waxeth dul diligence fainteth the loue of religion slaketh and so by litle there creapeth into our heartes a certayne forgetfulnes of vertue and godlinesse Agayne when we bende our mindes earnestly to sette vppe agayne those godlie ordres we feele that the loue of religion and godlinesse is stirred and enkendled in vs. And no meruaile For why the brightnesse of that light which hath so wonderfully lightened your mindes is not yet risen vnto vs neither are we so weaned from the acqueintaunce of the body that we may be without all these outward signes of heauenly thinges any tyme without greate daunger This is the ordre of the Churche which is holy simple and one this is the rule and Discipline by the whiche all wee whiche haue not yet atteyned vnto the highest degree of wisedome are instructed Now I haue declared these thinges it remayneth that I tourne my talke vnto those your heauenly felowes and men of God the which being not contented with this beaten and common discipline haue taught their disciples a newe trade and doctrine which is more wonderful then this Geue me leaue therefore to talke with them after this sort It is a great matter right woonderfull Sirs and a harde enterprise whiche you haue taken in hande a thinge of so greate importaunce in deede as none of al those holy Fathers whose vertue and witte we esteeme very much did euer attempt the lyke in all their life to cure an old forgrowen disease with a new kind of medicine When you sawe that the old discipline was fallen that manners were decaied ▪ that vnlauful lust rāged vp and downe without restraint that the Church tended to ruine you did as it became holy men sent from heauen take it verie heauily Wherein I can not blame you For it was a matter worthie of many teares and much bitter weeping But you rested not so bicause it were a token of a feint heart and weake stomake to pitie the fal and ruine and not to procure any other remedie for suche a mischiefe but onely a fewe teares You did not therefore as we are woont to doe sorowe and lament so great a mishap and powre out teares vnto God for it but you thought it good to prouide by your labour studie and wakefull diligence that the Church should not be quite ouerthrowen And who can denie but that this is a token of an honourable hart and a valiaunt cowrage But let vs see after what sort you haue perfourmed this so great so weightie and so worthie an enterprise I must therfore repete a sentence whiche I vsed in my letters for the whiche M. Haddon a man brought vp in your rules and doctrine quarelled with me verie sharply What haue you thought it expedient to heale the woundes which the Christian cōmon weale hath taken by such meanes as the most holy Fathers vsed of old time in propping vp the Churche when it was like to decaie No saie you for they were the deuises of men and so great a mischiefe coulde not be remedied by mans healpe but only by the staie and mightie power of God And therfore you determined to forsake all wordlie healpes and to sticke only to the word of God Verie wel For that is it in deede which healeth the mind fortifieth the strength geaueth light to the soule and bringeth it to euerlasting glorie Wherfore I long to see some worke of this your word of god wherin you glorie so much which maie be so notable and so vndoutedly wrought by God that it mai appere to the world by it that you did not without good cause set all other remedies at naught and lay all the hope of your saluation vpō the only staie of this your gospel But for so much as the kingdom of god that is to saie the gospel and power of the word of God cōsisteth not in the vaunt of woordes but in a meruelous vertue and this vertue standeth not in vndiscret and sawcy talke not in filthy and licentious liuing not in bitter hatred and flamboldnes but in modestie cōtinencie and charitie in the workes of iustice
from God for if they had ben sent from God doubtles they had tourned those men that honoured them as goddes from their wicked life Moreouer for so much as there is no disagreement in the spirite of God if they had ben sent from God there must needes haue ben a most perfecte cōsent and agreement emōgest them But the world knoweth that there is a most bitter dissension emongest them wherfore it foloweth necessarily that they were not moued by the instincte and inspiration of the holie ghost but driuen with burning fyer brandes of the findes of hell and that they applied them selues not to instruct men but to ouerthrow them You saie that there is a meruelous goodlie agreement emongest you I speake not of you as nowe For it maie be that you maie by feare of pounishmente staie for a lytle time the furie of raging felowes the whiche remedie when the minde is not well settled can not endure longe But of others see you not howe great dissension there is emongest them that sprange of Luther See you not howe they fall out about woordes How they alter and chaunge their opinions Howe confusely doubtfully and intricately they speake With what fond reasons they labour in vaine to prooue that thing which they are bent to mainteine in so muche that they can neither agree with other men neither yet within them selues They choppe and chaūge their Creedes they affirme now one thing and now an other they are established in no one opinion They can neuer agree within them selues to whome they maie referre the determination of dowbtes You referre the matter to your parlament as you terme it or els to your babling Bucerans as the Bishoppe of Angra not vnsittely termeth them Diuers men referre the decision of questions in religion to diuers Confessions of the faith which are wont now and then to be altered and chaunged Thinke you M ▪ Haddon if as I doe now reason with you in writing so I mighte be presente wyth you and presse you with wordes and wind you to and fro by the force of argumentes that you were able to stande to your tackelinges No without dowbt But you woulde deuise a hundred diuers shiftes of descant to face out the matter and seeke out all the starting holes and blind corners in the world in such sort that it might easily appeare that neither your tongue neither yet your wit were in perfecte good plight Howbeit one poore shifte you would finde which is a singular good helpe to you in all your distresses that is to brawle chide schold and reuile You saie afterward That you maie acknowledge the authoritie of this Churche if you dowbt of it I referre you to the Apologie I know you haue writen an Apologie wherwith you labour to set out your Churche meruelously If you haue written it more wittyly and finely then this booke which you set out against me surely you haue done me great wrōg For you made light of me and therefore did not vouchesafe to put out the vttermost strength of your eloquence when you encountered with me If you vse the like stile and the like argumentes that is to saie if you contend with the like arrogancie and reprochful language I haue not so much time to spare that I wil desire to take it once in my handes For you define nothing you speake ▪ nothing sincerelie you conclude nothing by good argument You saie at the length Confute it if you can But you can not That was verie arrogantly spoken Who hath made you so loftie and high sprited Your eloquence Or elles the loue of the truthe If you truste to your eloquence you are a very babe If you beare your selfe vppon the truth you imagine manie thinges to be true that are not You saie that one hath barked againste your Apologie I haue not reade it and yet I knowe that your Apologie whiche you saie can not possiblie be confuted is alreadie excellentlie well confuted by a manne of muche grauitie godlines and learninge which thing you denie But this lesson haue you learned of your maisters who beinge openlye conuinced fall a crying being sette a gogge kepe a raging stirre and when they are able to saie nothing to the grownde of the matter they heape together manie woordes without order and besides the pourpose and yet they vaunte them selues emongest their adherentes beyond all measure and modestie But I regard not your brauerie and Iustines I esteeme not your haughtie and prowde vauntes I weye the truthe reason and argumentes And suche is the noblenes of this your Ilād the glorie and renoum◠of your kingdome so bright that neither can anie vice lie hidden in it neither yet anie vertue vnknowen Wherfore you labour but in vaine to conceale that thing whiche is euerie where cōstantly reported What you say touching the immortality of soules I wote not I neuer saied that your maisters denied the immortalitie of sowles Howbeit I am not ignorant by what degrees or steppes men are wont to clymme vp vnto the highest point of that most detestable opinion Whereas you saie that there hath ben manie men emongest you which haue confirmed the truth of the gospel by banishment nakednes hungre yea by sheading their bloud and yealding their liues I graunt it For so did the Bishop of Rochester so did Moore so did the holy Carthusians to passe ouer a numbre of others these men died a most honourable death for the glorie of Christ So doe your holy Bishops whō you haue defeated of their goods depriued of their dignities and cast into prisons So do we see many others Bishops Priests and Monks very godlie and Religiouse persons driuen out of England and Ireland liuing like banished men and outcastes the which if they had not ben able to escape out of your clammes had peraduenture ben put to a most orewel death by the ministers of this your Gospel If you meane any other of your men heare what S. Cyprian saith that such as being without the bowndes of the Church doe suffer death for the glory of Christe they doe not receiue the Croune of Martyrdome but beare the punishment for their vnbeleefe If thei therefore that breake vp the inclosure of the Church and seperate them selues from it although they yeld their bloude and liues for the Religion of Christ which the Church holdeth are not to be accounted as Martyrs but as naughty packes and Church robbers what is to be thought of such as being without the Church are not ashamed to spil their bloud and liues in the main tenance of rebellion and vngodlines I am nowe come to that place whiche is by you who are a man naturally abhorring the sleightie occupation of flatterie and lying verie clerkely handled Your woordes are these You confesse that you haue gone further in the matter then you had thought to doe Truth it is that you haue gon a great deale further then it became you to doe especiallie in the most
learned and prudeÌ„t eares of the Quenes Maiestie whose sharpe witte and iudgement you woulde haue ben afraid of if you had wel weighed with your selfe how much pitthinesse there is in her O right excellent Syr Waulter you appeare nowe in your owne likenes Tel me I pray you doe you not see that excessiue praysingâ— doth not aduaunce the dignity of Princes but rather vtterlie peruerte their minde and iudgement oftentimes Do you not know that the most fine and sharp wit loueth truth and abhorreth excedingly all lying and flatterie For what other thing is it to praise Princes excessiuely but to set them out to the world as mocking stocks Truly if your Quene be so witty as I may wel think shee is not by your talke but by the reporte of other men she will tourne you out of her courte and companie as an open and detected flatterer and wil not suffer her selfe to be most impudently mocked of you If you set out her wit if you commende her knowledge in the Latine â—nd Greeke tongue if you praise her courtlie grace and comlines of speach iâ— is well donne But when you make her no meane Diuine when you aduaunce her witte so muche as though I ought to be terriblie afraid of it you assault her Maiestie by verie wilie and craftie meanes Is this your loialtie Is this the part of a kind hert mindefull of the benefites bestowed vppon you Is this well done that a most noble Quene a Princesse endued with most excellent wit and singular qualities should be gibed and scorned of you M. Haddon who haue as you saie your selfe ben fostred and brought vp by her Maiesty Did you so little esteeme her iudgemente that you thought her meete to make your laughing stocke To pull her downe from the setled staye of her minde by your clawing and flatterie To deceiue her for your gaine and lukers sake If when you sette for this bootie you had made your entrie more couertlye your fowle flatterie needed not to haue benne repelled with so greate inforcemente For a manne mighte haue thoughte that you had misdowbted the sharpenesse of the Queenes witte and therfore hadde deuised to vndermine secretelie that you might the better haue scaled the forte whiche you haue desired to take But now wheras you mock so opeÌ„ly ascribiÌ„g vnto her maiesty such coÌ„men dable qualities as can not possibly staÌ„d neither with her age neither with her nature as being a woman neither with her tender and delicate bodie neither yet with her estate which is otherwise employed to weightie and carefull affaires is it not manifeste that you make lighte of her witte Doe you so recoÌ„pence the benefits which you haue receiued of her bowntifulnesse If shee be so wise as you make her to be if shee haue so many excellente vertues as I desire her Maiestie to be alwayes decked and bewtified withall the moderate praises whiche I geaue her shee wil accepte with good hearte but that immoderate flatterie of yours shee will refuse and reiecte neyther will shee suffer her selfe to be mocked of suche presumptuouse felowes to the greate abatemente of her estimation and honour As towchinge the quietnesse of thinges whiche you talke of at large I saie this muche It is the parte of a madde man yea of one that is ignoraunte of the common frailtie of man to trust to much in prosperitie and not to cast long time before by causes passed such aduersities as peraduenturâ— hange ouer his heade Moreouer there canne be no quietnosse where the faithe of the holie Churche is shut out For the minde is troubled yea and oftentimes shaken quite out of the hengies by the remorse of synne the which the most presumptuous and bolde felowes in the worlde are not able to suppresse although many are able to dissemble it As for the comparison of your Church with the Primitiue Churche which you saie may be confirmed by the Histories I saie that either you haue not read the Histories or els you are past all shame You shoulde haue brought some example or testimonie out of the Histories with the whiche you might ouercharge vs. But you can neuer doe it forsomuch as all the antiquitie maketh against you Whereas you saie that your nobilitie is verie well agreed would God it were so but it is otherwise reported commonlye I passe ouer manie thinges of purpose partly bicause they are nothing to the purpose and partly because they are alreadie confuted before But wheras you saie these words Ah be not disquieted gentle Syr I acknowledge your pleasaunt manner of speach As for your heauenly kindred of the whiche you saie you are verie desirouse you doe well in it But I woulde you had some other menne of this stocke and kinred more skilful interpretours of the law of God Then how wittilie was that spoken of you Wherefore saie you that menne haue benne caried awaie by vs from that most aunciente and holie Religion whiche was grownded vppon the bloude of Iesus Christe and hathe continewed alwayes one euen vntill our daies and that they haue benne trained in an other Religion which is moste cursed and detestable Then you adde Doe you beleeue these thinges as you haue spoken them No trnely doe you not These thinges were very merrily spoken of you M. Haddon Doubtlesse your pleasant gyrdes procede of ameruelous wit especially when yon thinke your self to be cocke sure For then as though your discourse had escaped the rockes you pleasure very much to sport and dalie But whereas you saie that I doe not beleeue those thinges whiche I haue saied you are fowly deceiued For I doe bothe beleeue and confesse them neither shal the outrage and vnbrideled wilfulnesse of a sort of rascall varlets euer bring me from the coÌ„stant confession of my faith What argumentes of yours thinke you to be of such force that thei might cause a maÌ„ which is in his right wittes not to beleue that that is confirmed by the testimonie of holie Scriptures by authoritie of the holie Fathers by the recordes of al the antiquitie You saie afterward For in the olde and beste time of the Church neither was their any Popedom neither leaden redemption for synne neither the marte of Purgatorie neither woorsshippinge of Images neither runninge vppe and downe to visite Sainctes neither offering in the Masses for the liue and for the dead with other like These shamefull pointes whiche dooe disshonest Relligion at what times they crope in and by whome they were deuised you are not ignoraunie But you dissemble it to serue the eares of your companie Belke out M. Haddon streine your selfe as muche as you can ridde your stomake of this surfeicte of most barbarouse furie and rage cast vppe your poison spewe out your venime and then shall you openly triumph emongest your compagnions with this peeuish and vaine talke When you haue said nothing prooued nothing alleaged no true testimonie of the antiquiquitie when you haue broughte nothing elles
but railinge for argument madnesse for reason impudencie for true exaumples you keepe such a raginge stirre as though you hadde alreadi◠wonne the fielde with greate honour But we on the other side are wont to declare by authoritie of the holie Scriptures by testimonies of the holy Fathers by fetching the Monumentes and Recordes of al the Antiquitie finally by reason by vse by experience by a number of examples that thys kinde of gouernement hath allwaies bene in the Churche and that who so euer goeth about to appaire it is a breaker of peace an ouerthrower of Religion a woorker of sedition a puller downe of the Churche whiche is one and a fettor vp of diuers and sundrie churches diuersly sundered and diuided within them selues a bringer in of infinite most filthie vices and trowblesome errours As for the mart of Purgatorie which you speake of we answere you that there is no such thing If at any time in so many hundred yeares ther hath ben any bying and selling of holie thinges vsed the holie Churche alloweth it not but banisheth it out of the bounds of the Christian common weale as a most pestilent and pernicious abuse Likewise of Images we say that al we that liue in the holy catholik faith are able to prooue both by reasons argumentes and examples that euen frō the primitiue church especially after it might be done for tyrannes there hath ben Images set vp in churches to the euerlasting remembraunce of vertue to moue men to godlines and religion to the glorie and honour of Christe the whiche is seene in the wonderfull vertue of holie men We saie moreouer that the errour of those men that threw downe Images was condemned by manie authorities of the holy Fathers by diuers decrees of generall councels the whiche thing your maisters be they neuer so shameles can not denie vnlesse they wil first burne al the writinges of holie fathers al histories and records all the decrees of general Councels What shoulde I here reason of the reuerence and honour which was of old time geauen vnto sainctes Could you neuer spare a litle time from the fine woorkes of Accursius to bestow in the reading of Gregorie Nazianzene Basile the Greate Hierome and Ambrose If you coulde doe it you shoulde see it in their bookes howe many times godlie personnes came together in the olde time what resortes and assemblies there were made what eloquent Orations were pronounced in the commendation of Sainctes how greate multitude of the common people pressed thither to heare them But nowe if I woulde shewe you with what feruente zeale and deuotion verie many men were wont to continue all night at the Tombes of Martyrs it were a hard matter to expresse it None of al the holy Bishops in those daies did once put backe the common people from hearing the cōmendation of Martyrs no man disswaded them from that moste earnest deuotion towardes the Saintes no they did rather exhort al such as were present to visit their Monumentes to praise and honour them to obserue and keepe such woorshippe as was dew vnto them For they sawe in those assemblies when the name of Martyrs was sette out with heauenlie prayses that not the nature of the bodie but the grace of God and the almightie power of Christe him selfe was dewlie honoured in them For if the Christian menne in those daies kept the signes of the holie Crosse and the Images of Sainctes whiche were of deuotion sette vppe in Churches with such reuerence if they were oftentimes put in minde by those signes to plucke vppe their heartes and to remember the vertue whiche those domme Images did represente was it not muche more conuenient that the liuely Images of Christe shoulde be honoured with greater feruencie and that all suche as serued God truely and heartilie to doe this honour the better should visite the Tombes of Martyrs and Churches builded in the honoure of them And is it not euidently sene that the Sainctes are by the operation of the holy Ghost shapen to the likenes of God and that they beare a very true and expresse Image of Christ As touching your pastime that you make with Purgatorie for you must needes haue a snatche at euery thing can there be broughte any grauer testimonie against you then that which the manne that was sent as you saie from heauen hath geuen openlie Who is that saye you It is that Luther whome you honoure and reuerence whome you make a God whome you affirme to haue ben borne for youre saluation Hee sayed more then once or twise and abidde by it that there was a Purgatorie and that he did not weene thinke or beleue it but certainely knowe it to be so For proufe whereof he constantlie alleaged that place of S. Mathew where Christe said that the synne of suche as did wilfully resist the testimonie of the holie Ghoste shoulde neuer be forgeauen neither in this worlde neither yet in the worlde to come by the which wordes it is signified that some hope of forgeuenes is mercifully shewed by God vnto many men euen in the worlde to come He alleged also that place out of the Machabees where Iudas made oblations for the synnes of such as were departed With these and other the like argumēts and allegatiōs he was earnest to proue that there was a Purgatorie How then If Luther saied there was a Purgatorie and you will warrant it that Luther was sent from God and if he were sent from God so long as he was in that embassage he coulde not lie it is manifestly prooued by his authoritie the whiche you maie not gainsaie that there is a purgatorie If there be no purgatorie Luther lied If Luther lied he was not sent from God but from him that is the father of lying Choose therefore whether you like better For either the authoritie of Luther shal cōfirme that there is a purgatorie or els the feined tale of purgatorie as you terme it shall conuince Luther of vanitie and madnes But he afterward denied purgatorie That is no wonder For not only he but all his ofspring saie nowe one thing and now an other they correct and alter manie thinges neither can they staie them selues in anie one degree but rather when they haue once begonne an errour they heape and increase it with a numbre of other errours But I would faine learne of you M. Haddon whether of these two opinions whiche are mainteined both by Luther think you to be the truer The later saie you Well then the former he receiued not of God Then was he not as yet sent from God But after he had disteined him selfe with incestuous wedlocke after he had allured his contrei men to rebellion after he had defied chastitie and all holines after he had stirred vp such broile and sedition in the common weale that he coulde not appeace it him selfe afterward when he had railed against the state of the church with most reprochfull and
haue ben verie well alleaged of diuers godly and holy men to confirme this matter but if there had ben no such thing yet the faith of the holie Churche which hath alwaies continewed vndefiled euen from the Apostles tyme till our daies might haue suffised vs abundantly But you when you see most euident testimonies when you are not able to shift our argumentes when you are conuinced by the autoritie of the holy Fathers when you may see the agreement of the whole Churche yet wil you of an vncredible stubbornesse continewe in the wicked opinion which you haue once taken What shal I here say of prayers and vowes made in Sacrifice for the liue and the dead Is there any tyme in the which it is not lawful for ChristiaÌ„ men to vse charitie the perfection of whose Religion resteth in charitie Can there be deuised any greater deede of charitie then that wherein we praie vnto God most seruently for the saluation of our brethern Is there any tyme more meete and conuenieÌ„t to doe this holy woorke then that is when we goe about to appeace the maiestie of God not with the Sacrifice of brute beastes but with the bodie and bloude of Christe Is there any thing more agreable to the ordre of our Religion which doe beleeue that suche as departe out of this mortall bodie with true faith doe not die but lyue then to ioyne them with suche as remayne in this lyfe and to praye vnto Christe whiche was offered vppe for vs both for the lyuing as also for them that are departed out of this life Cal you this godlie point of Religion this holy worke of most feruent charitie this wholesome Sacrifice offered vppe not onely for vs but also for our brethern vnto whome wee are knit with an euerlasting bande of loue call you this I say the dishonestie of Religion Is this no outrage Is this no madnesse Is this no impudencie To refuse lawefull authoritie to breake the auncieÌ„t ordre of the Churche to deflowre holy virgins to robbe good matrones of their chastitie to cancell the verie remembraunce of of vertue ReligioÌ„ and iustice to queÌ„ch the loue of honestie and gentlenes to prophane and robbe Churches to take holy men and some to murder some to spoile and put to all the villanie in the worlde some others to bannishe out of their countrey to awrecke the malice your beare towardes godlines vpon the relikes of Sainctes to vaunt your selues like helhoundes in the waste and sacke of holy thinges shal this be accompted as honest and gloriouse shall this be esteemed as a matter worthie of immortal commendation and praise And to be bound to obeie authoritie grounded vppon the commaundement and ordinaunce of Christ to conserue the band of peace and concord to honour and reuerence the iustice and mercie of God ioyned together in one to cal to remembraÌ„ce the goodly monumentes of holines to offer vp that most holy and noble Sacrifice the vertue whereof we caÌ„ neither expresse with woordes neither yet conceyue in heart for the liuing and the dead and for the good estate of the whole Christian coÌ„mon weale shal this be such a dishonestie as may not be borne And yet you are not afraied to cal al these thinges the dishonour of Religion and to say that I am not ignorant by whome these thinges are cropen in but that I dissemble it to serue the eares of my compagnions Of lyke Sir all these thinges whiche you mislike and call the dishonestie of Religion were deuised and brought in by brothels and bawdes or elles by suche felowes as serue the bellie luste or vnstedfastnesse of the people for their commodities sake and not by the spirite of Christe and by most continent and holy menne in whome was the spirite of Christe But you are neuer able to prooue that you say For both reason and the testimonie of all antiquitie as also the authoritie of holy Fathers doe vrge and presse you yea and conuince you of impudencie but wee haue putte backe the violent pusshe of this your vngodlynesse and malice with argumentes most sure with testimonies most graue with examples most true Whereas you say that I speake otherwyse then I thinke to serue the eares of my compagnions I see well you are wel acqueinted with my behauiour I am lyke to be suche a man as would spend my tyme with all diligence to learne to flatter and to write not what I thinke but what I imagine may be best liked of my compagnions I besech Christe the iudge of the liuing and of the dead if I write not in matters concerning Religion those thinges which I thinke whiche I iudge to be true whiche I beleeue assuredly that he suffer me not to enter into that most gloriouse and euerlasting Citie of heauen and that he let me not to haue the ioyfull fruition of his owne light and brightnes for euermore For what is the Popedome els but a ministration of an authoritie which is lawefull and ordeyned by God What is our beleefe of Purgatorie but a declaration of Gods iustice and mercie together What is the honouâ— geuen vnto Sainctes but a reuerent consideration of the worke of God in the which appeereth the almighty power and bountifulnes of God muche more then in the making of heauen yea or in al the works of nature What are the praiers made in our Sacrifice for the liuing and the dead but a work of moste perfecte holinesse of moste excellent Religion of moste seruent charitie These be dishonest points which you haue takeÌ„ a way There is good cause why you should glorie in it and haue your name recorded with honor to al the posterity for you haue brought in for obeying of holy and lawful authoritie rebellion for the feare of purgatorie a rash aâ—fiaunce of licentiousnesse vnpounished for dewe woorshipping of Sainctes the contempte of holinesse and iustice for the religious obseruation of the most holie sacrifice and charitable behauiour of men a despising of religion and forgetting of charitie yea moreouer and this you haue brought in a scornfull laughter exceding al modestie together with a sawcie talke passing all ciuilitie Are these thinges comelie M. Haddon Are these thinges honourable Are these thinges to be commended Are these thinges to mabe a shewe of But you saie that the Bishoppes of Rome keepe warres that in Rome is kept a market of purgatorie that holie thinges are there set out to sale that manie men are to muche incombred with superstition in the woorshipping of Sainctes that Priestes liue not very continently and that they abuse their sacrifices now and then to their luker and gaine First of all as towching warres you must thinke that we can not of reason and equitie condemne all warres For they are some times begonne for the defence of Religion and maintenance of a iust cause As for the buying and selling of holie thinges if in so manie hundred yeares some suche matter haue ben vsed it
but to take vppon me the defence of moste holy Religion for the which it were a goodly matter for me to die Al other thinges therefore I let passe that I may come to that place in the which you drawe bloud of your owne body yea and geaue your selfe a deadly wound with your owne handes Your wordes are these What then This holy doctrine of the gospel in the which we haue continued more then thirtye yeares together the most troublesome space of six yeares excepted in the which the Queenes maiestie hath passed ouer all her life in the which she hath founde God so mercifull vnto ber in the which the states of the realm are fully agreed in the which many noble statutes and lawes haue ensewed this true and sincere worshipping of almighty God which is so diligently enuironed and fortified on euery side by the Quenes maiesty shal the voice of a seely felow of Portugal breake it downe What a deale of matter you heape vp together M. HaddoÌ„ how vnaduisedly you speake that I may not say how rashly and madly for first of al this whiche you cal the holy doctrine of the gospel is the doctrine of Luther Zwinglius Bucer Caluin and other the like brainsicke felowes which haue not only by their most pestilent decrees and ordinaunces but also by the example of their filthy and vicious liuing quite ouerthrowen al chastitie holines modestie meekenesse and obedience which haue broken and cast away true faith and in steede of it haue set vppe a rashe and presumpteouse boldnesse whiche haue taken awaie libertie although in their talke they pretende otherwyse and for that haue rewarded their adherentes with a licence to lyue in naughtinesse vncontrolled â–ª whiche haue taken awaie the gyft of iustice which is the greatest and largest grace that man maie receyue of God and for true iustice haue brought in a fevned and counterfeyte iusticeâ— which of a mad and vngodly minde haue not ben ashamed to impute the cause of al synne and wickednesse to God that most perfecte goodnes from whome no euil can proceede which whereas they tooke vppon them to scoure or purge the gospel throughly and to repaire the Churche agayne which tendeth to ruine haue not only not perfourmed so muche as they prowdly and rashly promised to doe but haue moreouer beraied the Churche the vncleanes whereof religious menne could not beare before with much filthinesse of vice and naughtines and haue brought it to be rent and riuen in peaces What should we thinke to be the cause wherefore when any man infected with the contagion of this doctrine is taken emongest vs whiche is counted here a very straunge matter although he set neuer so sad or graue countenaunce vpon it to make a colour and shewe of holinesse yet will the concealed trickes of a disordered and carnal mind shewe them selues and manie fowle vices whiche were before hidden vnder the couert of hypocrisie wil foorth with appeere For the more a man geueth him selfe to this doctrine the more is he contrarie to bashfulnes and continencie I omit to speake of your earnest talke wherein you say that this newe broched Church which is disteined with innumerable vices may be compared with the Churche of the Apostles which was most flourishing with heauenly gyftes with religion and holinesse As for that comparison of myne wherein I shewed what great difference there was betwene the twoo Churches I would not haue you vainly and without any fruicte to find fault withal For as yet you haue not confuted it neither shal you euer be able to doe it And who so euer shall attempt to do it shall doe nothing elles but only set out to the world his owne madnes and impudencie together and cause al men to laugh at his folie and abhorre his malice That I may therfore omit that foolish and shamelesse talke of yours I would you would compare this your Church but onely with the Churche of your auncetours the which thing if you doe you shall finde that there is brought in for the religious conuersation of your forefathers a presumptuouse boldnes for their grauitie and constancie a light and vnsetled harishnesse for their continencie sensualitie for their manhood nicenesse And will you call this the holy Doctrine of the gospel which hath ouerthrowen and defaced so many holie thinges and in steede of them hath brought in such a deale of naughtines and disordre Call to remembraunce I pray you the first founding of this your Churche For you maie not wel dissemble suche thinges as are commonly talked of all menne and in writing commended to the euerlasting remembraunce of all the posteritie Wantonnesse and loue were the first setters vppe of it the breache of lawe and ordre and a hatred towardes the Pope for geauing sentence agaynst the offender enlarged it the flatterie of lewde felowes with the healp of lying walled it inordinate desire and coueteousnesse fensed it the punishinge of holie and innocent personnes halowed it the putting of al menne in feare confirmed it finallye the Doctrine of suche menne as were sent into those coastes not from Godde but from Satan infected it with moste pestilent and seditious erâ—ours Dare you call this a religious â—odly and holy doctrine whose beginning proceding increase and ende you see vnlesse you be in extreme and miserable blindnesse to haue ben set vppon folowed and finished with naughtinesse incontinencie hatred coueteousnes creweltie outrage and madnes Then what a fopperie is that to say that you haue continewed in this doctrine more then thirtie yeares together O reuereÌ„t horeheaded gospel O auncient heauenly doctrine O old vnspotted religion But you thinke that you being a wittie and wilie interpretour of the law forsooth neede not recke much for the antiquitie of your doctrine For you seeme to plead prescription and therefore you content your selfe with the space of thirtie yeares within the which tyme you thinke that the ordre of your religioÌ„ may be lawfully possessed Howbeit if you take awaye from thyrtie yeares the space of six yeares whiche you call a troublesome time it is euident that this your holy Gospel is not yet fully thirtie yeares olde But admitte that the thirtie yeares were fully expired if this title of prescription be good then may the Arabians much better mainteine their sect then you can yours For you defende your heresy by the prescriptioÌ„ of thirty yeres but they wil vphold the wicked superstitioÌ„ of Mahumet by the possession of more then nine hundred yeares You saie moreouer that the Quenes Maiestie for such a pleasure haue you â—o flatter that you neuer call her the Queene as though in the name of a Quene there were litle dignitie or â—ls â—er Maiestie should decaie by and by â—f you should cal her Quene You saiâ—â—herfore that the Quenes Maiesty hath â—assed ouer al her life in this doctrine That this is true I haue none other warrant but your word But if it bâ— so
forbid me being not only a bishoppe and Prieste and long tyme exercised in the holy Scriptures with some profitte but also a man as you report your selfe both wittie and eloquent to followe this most godlie trade of learning Then by what equitie by what power by what autoritie doe you this shal it be lawful for you being a man of lawe to geaue ouer the statutes made for walles lights and eues gutters to despise and cast a side your obligations bargaines and couenantes to lay away the drawing of writes and suites in lawe and to take vppon you in Diuinitie as bold as blind baiard â–ª and to me to whom it aâ—perteyneth by office to instructe the Church committed vnto me in the holy Scriptures wil you not geue leaue to bestome much tyme and diligence in the studie of them You are iniurious two waies For you doe both violently intrude your selfe into other mens possessions and wroÌ„gfully thrust me out of myne owne by your vniust iniunctions Now those threates of yours howe weighty and graue are they What a great terrour doe they put into me You say thus If so be that you mind to vaunt your selfe to certaine men and so to assault vs any more I warne you now before that you come with farre better furniture then you haue done at this tyme. You tel me moreouer that in case you be dead before yet there shal not lacke such as shal breake the dint of my stroke Whereby I see that you could neuer so much as gesse what my meaning is I knowe that there are in that Iland many excelleÌ„t men both for wit learning and godlines which wil neuer molest me for so much as they agree with me in religion meruelously wel although you thinke it a matter not to be borne Then if any man doe write against me in case he wil coÌ„tend with reason argumeÌ„tes and examples I wil not refuse to dispute with him But if he fal to railing and reprochfull wordes I can not possibly be persuaded to make him answere For neither am I moued with any reproch neither can I looke that that victorie should tourne me to honestie where the maner of fight is so vnhonest If I shal see that there is any hope to win you and suche as you are to God I will not doubt to trie both by letters and prayers what good I am able to do Otherwise I wil not suffer my tyme wherof I haue litle to spare to be soâ—l bestowed For so doth S Paule teach vs that after one or two warnings wee should shonne the companie of suche menne as are obstinatly bent in erroneouse and wicked opinions for so much as they are condemned by their owne iudgement Wherefore I geaue you leaue to bende your selfe moste fiercely against me with tauÌ„tes and reproches Rore as much as you list crie out as lowd as you can For neither is it conuenient for my person neither yet comely for the office I beare to be moued with railing wordes or elles to make answere to euerie slaunder I neuer reuiled you whome I knewe not As for my epistle which you rend and teare with spitefull languague it hath not one reprochful word in it vnlesse perhaps you wil cal the most iust bewailing and most true declaration of errours and wicked vices a reproche And yet like a wilde bore thrust thorough with a venemous dart you raÌ„ne vpoÌ„ me as though you had ben wood But I was not only nothing disquieted with your reprochfull words but also moued to laugh at your fond talke I take my God to witnesse that if the loue which I beare to true Religion and godlines had not earnestly moued me I had neuer put pen to the paper to write against your booke But if you knew how much I pity your case and what a hartie desire I haue of your saluation for I would with all my hart as the dewty of a Christian man requireth yeald my selfe to die for the saluation of you and your countrei men you would surely be at one with me For I was not moued by anie euyl wil I beare you but it was verie charitie that prouoked me instantly to write I praie Christ our most bowntifull and almightie Lord I humbly besech him by his precious bloud shead for the saluation of al men by his woundes and most bitter passion by his death by the which he ouercame death by his victorie whiche he atchieued ouer the kingdome of Satan to deliuer that kingdom in the which hath ben sometime a dwelling place of vertue religion grauitie and iustice and is now disordered thorough the lewdnes of desperate felowes from errours and heresie to make the brightnes of his light to shine ouer them to bring them againe to the faith and vnitie of most true ReligioÌ„ to carie them backe vnto the fold of the catholike Churche to gouerne and mainteine them by the assistance of his holy spirite that al we which are now sundered in opinions maie at length agree in the vnitie of faith and loue of true Religion and so come to that euerlasting glorie to the great reioysing of al the holie companie in heauen Liber iste lectus est approbatus à viris sacrae Theologiae et Anglicani idiomatis peritissimis quibus tutò credendum esse existimo maximè cùm tantùm translatus sit ex Latino legitimè approbato Cunerus Petri Pastor Sancti Petri Louanis 3. septemb Anno. 1568. The Monarchie of the Church Mat. 16. c. Luc. 22. d. Caut 2. d. 2. Thessal 2. b. The rebellion in Fraunce Math. 7. â— The vviâ— lines of heretikes Heretiks enemies to chastitie Popular vvhat it is Clavvâ— backes of the court Heresse cause of ciuile vvarreâ— aÌ„d bloudâ— shead Heresie ouer â–ª throvve of Kings and king domes Prou. 3. d. Luthers death Mat. 7. 6 VnvvriteÌ„ truthes Mat. 5. d 10. 3. a 10. 4. c. Galat. 5. a 1. Cor. 11. â— Act. 15. e. The originall and institutioÌ„ of moÌ„kes Hâ—b 13. a. Exod. 19. c 1. Cor. 7. a Mat. 19. b Psal 72. d 1. Cor. 6. d 1. Tim. 3. b 1. Cor. 7. g 1. Tim. 5. b. 1. Cor. 7. g. 1. Cor. 7. b 1. Tim. 5. b â— Cor. 7. g Math. 1â— b. True libertie â–ª Imageâ— â—xod 25. b. Numer 2â— b. 4. Reg. 18. a. The Image of the Crosse â— Confession Num. 5. a Math. 3. b Act. 19. d. Iacob 5. d The profit of coÌ„fession Humilitie The effectes of coÌ„fession Satisfaction Math. 3. â— Esai 1â— b. The Sacrament of the Aulter Rom. 8. f. 1. Cor. 1â— 4. 1. Co. â—1 f. 1. Co. 11. g. Mat. 26. e Mar. 14. c Luc. 22. b. â— Co. 11. c. Synaxis Eucharistia The effectes of the SacrameÌ„t of the Aulter 2. IoaÌ„ 1. c. Praier in the vulgar tongue Discretiâ— in preaching Thinges requisite in a preacher â— Tim. 1. b Not necessarie tâ— haue the scriptureâ— in the vulgar tongue â— Cor. 12. b. 1. Cor. 1â— a. 1. Cor. 12. a. 1. Cor. 14. f. 1. Cor. 14. f. ConuenieÌ„ter disâ—idere are M. Haddons vvords in Latine Flatterie 1. Pet. â— c. Ro. 13. a. Rom. 13. a. 1. Tim. 2. a 1. Pet. 2. c. Laie men plagued of God for taking vpoÌ„ them the office of Priests Num. 16. a 2. Re. 6 â–ª a. 2. Paral â–ª 26. d. Daniel 5 â–ª g. Rom 8. a. Ro. 3. d Galat. 5. a Onlie faith iustifieth not Rom. 2. b. Luthers most daÌ„nable doctrine touching Workes Rom. 2. b. Mat. 7. 6. A sound and catholike doctrine touching vvorkes Gala. 5. a. Hebr. 7. c. Hebr. 9. 6. Works of the lavve do not iustifie Rom. 8. a. Gal. 5. c. Psal 61. d. Ro. 2. b. 2. Cor. 5. b Ro. 14. d. Mat. 25. d Ro. 10. c. The faith of the chuâ—che is fruâ—ful Io â–ª 15. b. Mat. 7. 6. Luthers faith fruitles Predestination Free Wil. Phil. 2. b. Apoâ— 3. d. Philip. 4. c Gala. 5. b. Rom. 9. c. 2. Tim. 2. c A learned expositioÌ„ of S. Pauls Wordes Rom. 9. b â–ª Rom. 11. c. Rom. 9. c â–ª Gen. 18. b. â—sounde and Cathâ— like conclusion Rom. 9. c. Election 1. Tim. 2. a Rom. 9. c. Rom. 9. c. Exod. 9. d. Rom. 9. â— Ibidem Rom. 9. d. Rom. 9. â— Esai 50. d Rom. 9. c. Prou. 1. a. Protag and Diag thought there vvas no God ProuideÌ„ce ProtestaÌ„ts denie Gods prouidence Vertue euer assaulted and yet preuaileth The state and belefe of the Catholike Churche Rom. 13. a Mar. 9. f. Crosses Images oâ— Saintes Gal. 2. d. The Catho like faith Heb. 5. c. Workes Free vvill Ceremonies Penance ConfessioÌ„ Mat. 10. d. Luc. 10. c. Io. 13. c. Our Lords Supper The office of bishops The times of the yere Aduent Christmas Nevvyeres daie Tvvelse daie Câ—delmas Lent The holy Weeke Easter Ascension Witsontide The feasts of Saincts The feasts of our Ladie Deut. 18. d. A mark to discerne a false Prophete by Ier. 20. a. Purgatory proued by Luther Matt. 12. c. â— Macab â—2 g. 1. Tim. 3. c. Purgatorie Marc. 9 â–ª g Esaie 66. a 2. Reg. 12. d. 1. Pet. 4. d 1. Pet. 3. d Ibideâ— â–ª 1. Cor. 15. d. Luc. 22. â— Mat. 2â— â— 1. Cor. 15. d. 2. Tim. 4. â— Often chaunging of lavves daungerous The firste founding of the protestantes Churche Gen. 7. â— Gen. 19. â— Damasipâ—us had no â—hing of a 〈…〉 but â—…ely a â—ard The â—â—ber â—…erfore â—â—ing 〈…〉 rd 〈◊〉 avvai â— Philophie Tit. 3. c.
beleâ—ueth that there was nothing apointed and ordeined of God from before the begynning of the worlde without verie great counsell iustice and reason And contrarie wise thei that saie that God hath sorted out of the common lumpe of mankind such as he woulde directe vnto euerlasting glorie and such as he would apoint vnto euerlasting daÌ„nation vpoÌ„ none other reason or coÌ„sideration but bicause him listed so to doe how so euer they maintaine the prouidence of God in word they denie it in deede For he that taketh awaie the meaning and reason taketh awaie prouidence But will you see how like a babler you prosecut the rest of your matters Your woordes are these At the length when you haue scholded your fill you begynne to conclude somewhat making a totall somme of all suche thinges as you complaine haue ben ouerthrowen by our men and you aske what thing hath succeded in their roome O M. Haddon I haue iust cause to complaine For I see none other thing set vp in the steede of them but only that woorshipfull acte of yours in the which you glorie so muche and therfore you repete it verie often For the superstitious ydleâ—es of lurking hypocrites saie you we haue set vp the necessarie busines of Christian profession for wandering pleasures most honourable marriage for the dreames of mens inuentions the holie Scriptures of God the Father and of our Lorde Iesus Christ The wast and hauoke of holie thinges I see but what you haue restored in their roome I see nothing as I told you before except it be for most godlie quietnes most wicked stirring for the loue of chast life filthie and incesteouse ribaudrie for the puritie of most holie doctrine most pestilent errours of desperate felowes Would God saie you ye had here broken of your most reprochful epistle Of like you are not ashamed of your tauntes which you haue gathered together without anie cawse in the world I assure you I am wearie of the rehersal of them To what purpose is it to repeate so often without argumeÌ„t without comely grace without any likely hod of truth those your so shameles and vnreasonable errours in the eares of the Quenes maiestie yea in the eares of al Christ endume How staÌ„deth this geare together M. Haddon Saied you not before that I was an excellent framer of wordes and sentences Confessed you not that you liked wel my kind of vtteraunce Haue you not called me often times in this your booke Cicero his scholer Wherfore then saie you now that my epistle was written without anie argument as for the comelie and pleasaunt grace I wil saie nothing By like when you commended mine eloquence you spake not in earnest and as you thought You dalied with me Sir pleasaunce you dalied and the ladie Venus in the honour of whome you haue prophaned and vnhalowed the teÌ„ples of chastitie hath besprinkled you with her comelie and pleasaunt graces Howbeit I thinke this very much to be misliked in this your pleasauntnes that it can not be well perceiued when you speake in earnest and when you sport But peraduenture you thinke it a coÌ„mendation of a sharpe witte to speake darkly and therefore you vse it in disputation also But howe often you caste me in the teeth with the name of Cicero As though I shoulde be ashamed of hym or els thought my selfe hable to expresse in my writinges anie parte of his witte vehemencie and copie as though I had studied Cicero only and had not spent verie muche time in other â–ª the highest pointes of learning But you like a foxie lawier and wilie proctour haue made a verie good prouiso that no man maie wel laie the name of Cicero to your charge For you speake nothing in cleane speach nothing plainly nothing distinctely nothing orderly nothing grauely nothing eloquently What so euer liketh you you put it in and then you prooue it not by argument and reason but by railing and shameles talke At the length as though you had wonne the field you pricke me with the bristles of your reprocheful tongue you presse me with a numbre of apish questions â–ª you triumph like a noddie before the victorie Whervpon you saie thus What saie you good sir And then S. Paul detesteth it Ierome Osorius is not afraied to auouch it As though I affirmed that thing whiche you there denied or els meaned to dispute with S. Paul and not with Luther And again What saieth Ierome Osorius And again Doe I make anie thing Doe I chaunge anie thing And with these woordes for sooth you would haue seemed to be a vehement speaker 〈◊〉 this of the M. Haddon if you can bicause your 〈◊〉 lucke was to chaunce vpon such a maister which brought you vp so foolishly and so ignoraÌ„tly that these questions are then both graâ—e and vehement in deede when the aduersarie iâ— coÌ„uinced by some firme and sure argument For otherwise they are verie â—olish and to be laughed at for so much is they haue no vehemeÌ„cie or strength in the worlde but only a declaration of a certaine pitifull pang or heat of the stomake So God healpe me as I could not sometime although your talke seemed vnto me verie much to be pitied hold my selfe froÌ„ laughing And so I am fully discharged of my promise whiche I made you that in case you could driue me either by grownded reasons or els by true exaÌ„ples to geaue my assent vnto you I would not refuse it For neither haue you brought anie argument neither alleaged any example that was to the pourpose and yâ—t as though you had borne your self like a pretie man you rage and reuel in wordes and keepe a meruâ—lous pitifull and frantique stirre I can not deuise what wicked sprite it should be that put you in mind to take this charge of writing vpon you Yet I meane not but that you maie doe as you thinke good neither wil I limite you in suche sorte that you maie not in writing shew your selfe to be as foolish as you list And to put you in good comfort take this of my worde that no man which is of anie iudgement wil find fault with you for being to much a Ciceronian THE THIRD BOOKE IT foloweth now that we make answere vnto your other complaint in the whiche you seme to take that part of myne epistle very grieuously wherin I reckened vp the impudencie the robberies poysoninges conspiracies and other detestable vices so manie that my maister Cicero as you faie neuer heaped vp moe against Verres with the whiche I shoulde saie that England was atteinted Wherin you shew verie plainly that you read those my letters with litle heede For it was neuer my meaning to condemne all Englande of suche vices For I knowe there are in that Iland verie manie godlie and religious men which neuer fel from the holy church but would gladly yeald their liues for the glorie of Christ if neede so required Yea manie haue alreadie
by their most honourable death set out their faith excedingly manie haue abiden imprisonement reprochful woordes with diuers other incōmodities manie being loth to see suche a decaie of religion wander from place to place of their owne accord like banished men and outcastes and haue liefer to keepe a continual combat with miserie and needines then to beholde with their eies so heauy a sight The which thing verie manie other men would do also if you would suffer them Moreouer and this I heare that ther are certaine places within that Ilād vnto the which the infectiō of this morreine is not yet come and it is reported that there are manie noble men also which are vntowched A frind of myne an honest and credible person which hath some doinges in England tolde me this for certaine that there are moe in the realme that continue in their faith stil then there are of such as haue forsaken it howbeit they dare not professe it openly for feare of them that are in authoritie For it is lawful for them so long as they are not required to professe their faith openly to keepe it to them selues vntill such time as they must either maintaine their religiō by suffring death if they be put vnto it or els reserue them selues to a better worlde to the ende that all good men decaie not at once And as for them whose heartes are not blinded with pride which are caried awaie not so much of malice and naughtines as of simplicity of mind of the which there are verie manie maie verie easily be brought home againe Wherefore I saied not that al the Iland was geuen to suche vices neither haue I laied downe al hope of the recouerie of the whole no I trust to see within these few daies such an alteration of things that the verie remembrance of this most pestilent plague shalbe vtterlie abolished Furthermore I meant not in those my letters as I tolde you before to make anie enditement or accusation but to aduertise your Prince that she should not suffer her self to be infected with the pestilent sectes of desperate felowes the which thing that I might doe it the better I declared certaine tokēs by the which true religiō might be discerned from false religiō and true Prophetes frō false Prophetes In the doing wherof if I lacked discretion we shal see anon Thus much haue I spokē concerning my letters the which you saie were writen without good argument and without anie comely grace Wherin I find a great lacke of grauitie in you for it is not the part of a graue mā to be moued with a talke which is void of all good argumēt And yet you as a man maie wel cōiecture by your writinges after you had read my letters fell into such a pelting chafe such a rage and madnes that you betraied your griefe by reprochfull and railing talke yea you went so farre in it that you were not ashamed to bewraie to the worlde the verie stammering and stuttering of your tongue You confesse also that my letters were caried vp and down throughout al Christendome the whiche shoulde not haue ben done if they had ben written without anie good grownd But let vs see how you which saie that I had no argument to staie vpon will answere that myne argument by the whiche I prooued that the puritie of the Gospel was not restored by your maisters for so much as emongest the disciples of your Gospel there raigneth a numbre of most detestable vices Tushe saie you it is all false that you report of the dishonestie of the men of our side Such is your impudēcy M. Haddon that you will denie the thing which is knowen and commōly bruted yea which is sealed and cōfirmed by the testimoniall of the whole worlde Doe you not cōfesse the broiles and tumultes of Germany See you not with your eyes how volupteousnes flieth to and fro auancing her selfe how licentious liuing getteth vp and down vncōtrolled how the churches of religious men are prophaned with bloudshead how al places of deuotiō are rifled and robbed how treason and wilie practises are wrought againste Princes by your sectaries how al places where so euer your maisters set vp schoole are distourbed with hurly burlies How then dare you saie that that thing was neuer done which you not only heare of other men but also see it done daily with your owne eyes Admit say you that this were true yet could it neuer com of this cause which you gather I would faine learne of you how it should not come of this cause There was alwaies say you darnel somen emongest the good corne There was alwaies seedes of diuerse kindes of the which some were choked in the thornes and some were dried vp by the heate of the sonne The false Prophettes did alwaies bende them selues against the true Prophets our Lord Iesus Christ fownde Caiphasses the Apostles found Nerons the Martyrs that folowed them founde Decies But to omit these thinges as ouer stale I wil bring you home to your owne doores In your Churche is there not synne committed openly Do not men offend in the sight of the worlde You deny it not Wel then throwe away your argument the whiche either it is of no force or els if it be it is against your owne selfe firste and against your Churche By this talke you thinke that you haue tourned the eadge of our dagger But you see not howe manie faultes there are in it Firste of all I deny not that it was euer so as I said plainely in my letters that there were manie vices in euerie common weale and that the seades of naughtines were sowen emongest the good corne But I required and that instātly to vnderstand how these menne of god had discharged their duetie which tooke vpon them to purge the corne and to plucke vppe al such weedes are were noisome to the corne The which thing when I saw they performed not yea when I saw that through their diligence vice came vp a great deale ranker then it did before I gathered by that that their doctrine was nothing wholesome That the true Prophetes susteined the enmitie of false Prophetes Christe of Caiphas the Apostles of Nerons the Martyrs of Decies I graunt you but that maketh much more for the confirmation of myne argument For vertue was euer enuied of the wicked hatesull to viciouse assaulted by the vnfaithful And yet was it alwaies of suche puyssaunce that it preuailed against al crafte and policie against all subtile practises and priuie awaites against the force of wickednesse and vice and brought to the world a goodly and wholesome ordre For they that gaue eare to the Prophetes that folowed Christ that kept the faith of the Apostles that reuerenced the cōstancie of the Martyrs were not presumpteouse wicked disordered and vicious but they were wise modest gētle courteous decked and beutified with diuerse and sundry vertues For the vertue of holy mē the more