this therefore from henceforth thou shalt haue warres Thus we may sée that King Asas peace and quietnesse was turned into warres and trouble bicause he slidde from the Lorde and hearkned not to his voyce euen so if your Idolatrous Masse shoulde be planted and vsed here as you desire then our prosperitie and peace would be turned into aduersitie and warres And then King Asa to mend the matter withall did imprison the Prophet for telling him so and did not repent and turne to the Lorde as King Dauid did when the Prophet Nathan reproued him which encreased the Lordes displeasure the more against him Here it is manifest as before and as it is throughe the whole Scriptures that God doth blesse his people with victorie quietnesse and peace so long as they stay vpon him and obey his worde and no longer Marke how God did blesse that good and vertuous King Iehosaphat the sonne of King Asa with victories peace and great riches bycause he walked rightly in the sight of God and abolished Idolatry which godly vertuous King in the third yéere of his raigne sent his Princes and Rulers and learned men with them to set forth Gods lawe and to teach it in the Cities of Iudah And they did teache it in Iudah and had the Booke of the lawe of the Lord with them and went about throughout al the cities of Iudah his kingdome and taught the people And the feare of the Lorde fell vpon all the kingdomes of the landes that were rounde about Iudah And they fought not against Iehosaphat Nowe weigh the comparison and consider the like or more Hath not the Lorde likewyse blessed our gratious Quéene Elizabeth with an vnfoughten victorie without any bloudshed against hir rebellious subiects the Papists and hath not he besides blessed hir with such a plenty quietnesse and peace al the rest of hir raigne as before was neuer séene in England bicause she hath hearkned to the voice of y e Lord as Iehoshaphat did who staid not vntill the third yéere of hir raigne but in the first yéere and in the beginning therof abolished Idolatrie and did set forth the worde of God the holy Bible in the Englishe tongue throughout all England not onely in Cities but also in all townes villages and other places and commaunded and gaue commission to all hir Bishops Doctours Preachers Curates and Ministers to preache teache and vse the same purelye and rightly and all other hir Magistrates to defende it And accordingly al the time of hir worthy raigne it hath béene and is dayly preached and taught throughout all England And as the feare of the Lord fell vpon al the kingdomes of the landes that were round about Iudah and they fought not against King Iehoshaphat euen so the Lorde our God hath feared all the Countries and Kingdomes round about Englande and therefore they haue not fought against our Quéene Elizabeth Thus you cannot choose but graūt that if Iehoshaphat was blessed and prospered of God then our Quéene Elizabeth is blessed and prospered of God if Iehoshaphat was a good King and did please God then our Elizabeth is a good Quéene and pleaseth God and if that were Idolatrie that Iehoshaphat did abolish out of Iudah then papistrie was Idolatrous that our Quéene hath abolished out of England and if that were y e law of God that Iehoshaphat proclaymed published and caused to be taught throughout Iudah then this is the very lawe and word of God that our Quéene Elizabeth hath set forth throughout al hir Realme of Englande If this and all the rest that I haue written can not persuade you that this our religion is the verye true religion and that God doth both like and allowe it then I thinke you are determined not to be persuaded But yet to winne you if it wil be marke what followed of wicked Iehoram thoughe he was the sonne of godlye King Iehoshaphat This king Iehoram when he was placed in the kingdome of Iudah after his father slew and killed his brethren and y e princes of Israel he walked not according as Iehoshaphat his father did but wrought euil in gods sight And he caused the inhabitaunts of Ierusalem to commit spiritual fornication that is Idolatry and compelled his people of Iudah thereto whervpon the Prophet Eliah spake to him by writing saying Thus sayth the Lord God of Dauid thy father bycause thou haste not walked in the wayes of Iehoshaphat thy father nor in the ways of Asa king of Iudah but haste walked in the wayes of the Kings of Israel and haste made Iudah and the inhabitaunts of Ierusalem to go a whoring as the house of Ahab wente a whoring and haste also slaine thy brethren of thy fathers house which were better than thou Beholde with a great plague wil the Lord smite thy people and thy children and thy wyues and all thy substaunce And thou shalt be in great diseases in the disease of thy bowels vntil thy bowels fall out for the disease daye by day Then the Lord stirred vp against Iehoram the Philistines and the Arabians and they came vp into Iudah and brake into it and carryed away al the substance that was in the Kings house and his sons also and his wiues so that there was not a son left him saue Iehoahaz the yōgest of his sons And after al this the Lord smote him in his bowels with an vncurable disease and in processe of time euen after the end of two yeares his guts fel out with his disease so he died of sore diseases c. And againe you may sée vnlesse you do wilfully winke that the abolishing of Idolatrie setting forth of the lawe of God was the cause that God did blesse and prosper good King Iehoshaphat and contrary the committing of Idolatrie and the compelling of the people of Iudah to sin therein and the forsaking of the law of God was the cause that God did thus plague and punish wicked Iehoram his son with wars with the taking awaye of his sons and wiues and spoyling his house and with y e falling out of his guts wherof he dyed Here you may easily perceiue that God spared not wicked Iehoram though he were the sonne of godlye Kyng Iehoshaphat whom God loued so wel for it is not the person or place but the truth and the godlinesse of the person whatsoeuer he be and whersoeuer he be that God doeth respect Therfore as God doeth nowe blesse vs and thys realme with prosperitie quietnesse plentie and peace aboue all other kingdomes that are rounde aboute vs as he did Iehoshaphat for abolishing Idolatrous Papistrie for setting forth obeying and preaching his holy worde Euen so assure your selues and loke for none other but that God wil cursse vs and plague this Realm of England with troubles warres with comming in of straungers spoyling of vs and our goods with the losse of wiues and childrē and with vncurable diseases or such like as he did Iehoram and
be of their religion If this be true as you cannot deny it then doe you thinke that the Popes cruell souldiors that shoulde come to destroy your Prince and hir louing subiects though you be of their religion woulde sticke to spoile you whereby they may haue your lands and goods and be Maisters and Rulers ouer you no I warrant you And many a souldiour and rascall of the Popes souldiors the Quéenes foes and ours woulde not be very religious nor woulde bée so spiste-conscienced in Papistrie as you thinke but would prowle about for their pray not sparing either Protestant or Papist raking rather aboute for riches than regarding religion I pray God it happen not to you for your vncontented mindes as it did to the Grecians not consideryng their happy estate after they hadde expulsed the Persians who falling at discorde among themselues didde loose at last all their greate liberties and were brought into maruellous bondage and thraldome of thyrtie tyrants Consider I pray you what happened to the Citizens of Rhegium in Cicilie being at cōtention amōg themselues the one parte of them sent for aide to Himera which strangers of Himera after they were come to Rhegium did bothe kil them againste whome they came and also most cruelly murthered them they came to aide although they were of their religion for they were all heathen and Idolators And so the strangers that they sent for had their Citie and the Citizens goodes to themselues as the Quéenes foes y t you procure or wish to come against our louing Quéene to helpe you vp with your Masse and Idolatrie would vse you Marke I beséeche you howe the cruell Danes did oppresse oure auncestoures in the tyme of King Ethelwolfe though they sent for them to helpe them as some of you haue procured and desyred the Popes Souldioures to helpe you vppe with youre Masse and to fight agaynste your gratious Prince and your Country when they were come into England they cruelly murthered oure Nobles wickedly opprest the Commons impiously persecuted the innocent Christians iniuriously possessed the lande and their habitation chasing the inhabitantes out of house and Country c. These miseries troubles and thraldomes then and at many other times didde oure auncestoures féele in this lande by the comming in of their foes whiche blessed bée God therefore neither you nor we do féele And I beséech God that we neuer do feele which both you and we should féele if so many of the Popes souldiors were here as some of you wishe to helpe and aide you against our Quéene to sette vppe youre Masse and Papistrie though you thinke they would be friendly to you for your religion For consider this wel I beséeche you what battayles what murthers what bloudshead what burning of Towns what spoyling of Countreys and what dolefull destructions haue there bin throughout al Europe at one time or other no Realme nor Countrey excepted in the space of foure or fiue hundreth yeares when euery one professed and followed the Popes religion and almost fewe or none in respect knewe any other religion And who were they that didde thus murther one an other spoile one an other and burne and consume one anothers Country were they not al of the Popes law and of his religion yes truely Now if Papistes made battailes with Papistes if Papistes murthered Papists if Papists spoyled Papists if Papists burned the Countries of Papists if Papists did winne realms and kingdoms from Papists if Papists made themselues Lordes ouer Papistes and if Papistes made bond-slaues of Papistes hauing no colour to suspecte them but that they were Papistes and of their owne religion Then doe you thinke that the Popes papisticall Souldiours that you woulde procure or wishe to fight againste our Quéene and hir louing subiectes wil spare you though you are Papists and of their religion hauing a great colour to take you for Protestants whome they vtterly enuy and hate beléeue it not Therefore neither procure nor wish for the comming in of the Romaine Souldioures against our Quéene to sette vppe your Masse and other the Popes paltrie But be true rather and louing Subiectes to hir grace and ayde and helpe hir if néede be to kepe both them and it out of the realme We in England haue bin so long broughte vp in the teaching and preaching of the gospell that these Papists that are oure forraine foes thinke we are almost al Protestants whome they call Heretikes for whiche they abhorre vs more than if we were notorious murtherers drunkardes aduouterers or fornicators for lette anye of our Papistes trauaile beyonde the Seas among them if they know once that he is an Englishe manne straightwaye they saye or iudge hym at the leaste to bée a Protestant thoughe hée bée as déepe or a déeper Papiste than themselues vnlesse they knowe him verye well to be a Papiste And thus though they thinke there are many Papists in diuers other countreys yet they thinke there are fewe or none in Englande Therfore séeing now these our forraine foes such as you wish to come and fight against our Prince and Countrey wil not be persuaded that you are Papists when they can lose nothing by trusting you thinke you then if they were here y t you could persuade them y t you are Papistes when they maye haue al your landes and goodes by mystrusting you No I warrant you Therefore you may then tel them long ynoughe that you are of their religion ere they will beléeue you or at the leaste fauour you The Angels of Heauen were and are all of one religion and hadde the verye right religion I thinke for if there were anye one religion better than an other it is very like they haue it in Heauen yet throughe Pryde Lucifer and a greate number of his fellowes were not content with their estate but meant not onelye to be aboue their fellowes but also to be equall with God Perhappes some of you will saye thoughe the Aungelles are of a pure religion they are no Protestantes wel whatsoeuer they are I am sure they loue and obey God and hys worde And therefore I dare boldelye affyrme that they are no Papistes vnlesse those Aungels that became Diuels and fel out of Heauen are Papists which is very like for both the Pope and the Diuels are quite contrarye to God Nowe if the holy Aungelles of Heauen that were of the purest religion béeyng all vnder one King the beste King of al other and in one kingdome woulde haue exalted themselues aboue their fellowe Angells though they were al of one religion disdeining y t their fellows should be equall with them Then do you thinke that the earthlye Papists y t you procure or wish to come fight against our Prince country that are of a false and wicked religion in whom there is neyther humilitie truth nor mercie for the more proude cruel false they are the perfecter and righter Papistes they are that are of a
A Persuasion from Papistrie VVrytten chiefely to the obstinate determined and dysobedient English Papists who are herein named proued English enimies and extreme Enimies to Englande ¶ Which persuasion all the Queenes Maiesties Subiectes fauoring the Pope or his religion will reade or heare aduisedlye and throughly especially such as woulde be counted friendes to ENGLANDE that wishe oure Princes prosperitie the safegarde of the Nobilitie the concorde of our Comunalty and the continuance of this our happy state and tranquillitie AT LONDON Imprinted by Henrie Bynneman dwelling in Thamis Streete neare Baynards Castel ANNO. 1581. Cum priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis To the most merciful and prudent Princesse Elyzabeth by the grace of God of Englande Fraunce and Ireland Queene Defender of the faith c. AS heretofore my moste gratious Soueraigne I troubled your Highnesse not without some trauell to my selfe in a thing that was necessarie reasonable and commodious to many and hurte to none Euen so I haue now not troublingly but louingly framed an earnest persuasion to suche of your subiects as feare not God as they ought regarde not hys worde as they shoulde nor obey your Highnesse as they are bounde naming them Englishe enimies as I maye verye well for Englishe friendes I am sure they are not whych persuasion is necessarie reasonable and very profitable for thē not hurtfull to any And as that which beefore I made to your Maiestie was by your Grace onely to be aucthorized for the greate releefe and succour of youre subiectes So this that I haue nowe written to your subiectes is to bee allowed and practised by them to the great comfort and ioy I hope of your Highnesse And though I haue penned it for them to performe yet I haue dedicated it to your Grace to peruse Beseeching youre Maiestie therein to pardon my boldenesse or rather presumption for thoughe it bee not so learnedly so cunningly and so finely framed as is requisite for your excellēcie yet it is so plainly so truly and so zealously done as is meete for your subiects Not doubting but stedfastlye trusting though al thereby be not allured from their errour that many will be wonne to the truth though it make not thē see that wincke for the nonce it wil cause thē to see that wil open their eyes And though it procure not the obstinate and determined Papistes from being Englishe Enimies yet it will enforce thousandes I hope of the simple seduced sorte to become Englishe friendes or rather friendes to England And thoughe there might seeme in mee too muche boldenesse to craue of your Maiestie to reade this presently yet I beseech your Highnesse to view and peruse it at your leysure conueniently For as the reading thereof I truste wil much profite them to whom I haue written it so your Graces reading of it woulde not a little reioyce mee to whome I dedicate it And whereas I firmely beleeue that God thereby wil be better honoured the Gospel more embraced Papistrie more contemned your Maiestie better obeyed your Highnesse of manye more loued your power more augmented treason lesse practised forraine foes more discouraged your louing subiects more comforted Englishe enimies more diminished Englishe friendes more encreased and this youre Realme of England the better strengthned yet the onely thing that I craue therefore of your Grace is well to accept it and in good parte to take it Beseeching your Maiestie not to respect the meane estate of the person but the meaning of the partie not the cunning of the contriuer but the intent of the writer neither howe it is couched but to what ende it is framed And if there be any thing therein that shall mislike your Maiestie I most humbly beseech you therefore to pardon me protesting to God and your Grace that I wrote the same not purposely but negligently and not willingly but ignorantly Hoping besides that the godly and wise will construe all things therein to the beste and not wreast them to the worst And as for other that haue an ouerweening in their owne wittes and that are rather curious carpers than profitable doers whereof there are not a few I doe not muche weigh for it is impossible to write so circumspectly to satisfie or please euery precise head And therefore I haue chosen rather to write truth and goodnesse for fooles to mislike than toyes and tryfles for the wise to deride not ignoraunte that there are moe finde-faultes than mende-faultes and moe that are ready to detract other mens doings than able to make the like of their owne whereof some thinke they deserue more to be commended so much they fancie their follie for discommending of that in a minute of an houre whyche the Writer with great study and paine for their greate profite and the continuall commoditie of many thousandes hath beene a framing and finishing twoo or three yeares And as a greate sorte for this will fauour me and not hate mee Euen so I am sure that some therefore will hate me moste spitefully that rather oughte to loue me earnestly Whose malice the better to withstande I haue chosen your Maiestie as one that is beste able vnder God to defende me Vnder whose protection this may the more safely passe abroade and thereby be the better accepted the more desired the gladlyer receyued the more willingly perused the more aduisedly scanned the lesse detracted and the better credited And thus omitting any further to trouble your Highnesse I as one of your most true and faithful subiects vnfainedly and from the bottome of my heart do beseeche God to preserue you from perils to shielde you from sorrow to confound al your foes to defend you from Traytours to reueale their conspyracies to frustrate theyr attemptes and to protecte you in peace Your Graces moste dutifull and obedient subiecte THOMAS LVPTON A persuasion from Papistrie IF this our famous realme of Englād hath manye Englishe enimies if it bréede and nourish such as lokes and hopes for y e subuersion of the good peaceable estate therof And if many that are carefully defēded therin by our most gracious merciful Princes are apparaunte enimies to hir grace and to this our countrey Then no maruel though it should haue a great sort of forraine foes Then it is vnlike that strangers borne and bredde out of it do wishe that it should prosper and thē how may it be thought that strangers not defēded by hir maiestie shold be faithful friends to hir to hir realme for if one hate his natural mother y t nourished brought him vp Thē it is not like y t one shold loue his stepmother that neuer did any thing for him And now for that it is wel known by tryal not surmised by heare say that ther are such mētioned english enimies as wel dwelling among vs as also rainging abrode in other Countreys which is no lesse griefe to hir grace than sorrow to hir louing subiects I for the zeale I owe to my prince
for the loue of my Countrey and for the â—are I haue of the the carelesse case of many and as one more willing than méete haue writteÌ„ vnto al you that are such English enimies as wel in England as elsewhere this earnest perswasioÌ„ which if you wil as aduisedly read as I haue willingly written I doubt not but that you will or manye of you at the least y t God hath not cleane giuen ouer or whoÌ„ the diuel hath not vtterly blinded or bewitched of english enimies become English friends and of disobedient people true and obedient subiectes Besides y t you shal plainly anâ— perfectly sée the wrong way you walke in how you wishe your owne woe séeke your owne sorrowe and desire your destruction Al which if you auoide therby I hope you wil not be vnkinde and vnthankeful to him that is so zealous and careful for you Yet for al that I loke for none other but that some of you more wilful than wise more churlish than curteous wil hate me spitefully for that you ought to loue me faithfully But suche shal haue no more cause to do so than the théefe to hate him y t perswades him from stealing If any be angry bycause I name English emies it is a great presumption such are not of them whoÌ„ we count to be English friends As I haue written to many of you and yet doe not know you so I wish you maye know your selues when I touch or iustly reproue you They that are English friends friends to England wyl not be angry bycause I name English enimies for that I do not touch them but they y t are Englishe enimies are such enimies to England wil stur bicause I do pinch them But be not angry for if we haue such English enimies as I am sure we haue then I must néedes cal them Englishe enimies if I cal them by their right name for if I shoulde cal a théefe a true maÌ„ or a harlot an honest womaÌ„ I shold misname theÌ„ Therfore I know no fitter name for a traytour than a traytour for a drunkarde than a drunkard for a Pyrate than a Pyrate and so for an English enimie thaÌ„ an English enimie But if it grieue you to be called thus then let it grieue you to deserue to be called thus And wheÌ„ you do chaunge your conditions we wil then change your name For if you wil obey louingly and willingly your merciful and peaceable prince then you shal be called true and louing subiects And if you wil vnfaynedly wish procure the quietnesse and commoditie of England we wil then cal you English friends But being now cleane contrarie we caÌ„not choose y t with grief of hart but cal you English enimies English for y t you were born nourished in England enimies for y t you enuy the peaceable and quiet gouernment therof wishing séeking an alteratioÌ„ of y e same How proue you y t may some of you say as some haue sayd alredy y t we do so howsoâ—uer I proue it your own words proues y t do say so that you take your selues to be of y e same nuÌ„ber for as your stinging doth cause you to kicke so doth your kicking make you be known And that there are such English enimies y t do enuy this our peaceable quiet gouernmeÌ„t of EnglaÌ„d wish an alteration of y e same it is not hard to proue vnlesse it be hard to proue y t the sun is vp at noone Therfore mark me wel for I wil now proue it We haue thanks be to God a most wise merciful Princes vnder whose gouernmeÌ„t through Gods goodnesse we haue had such a plentie peace as neuer hath bin y e like in this realme And yet there are a great sort I feare within this Realme that loue not hyr maiestie as they oughte feare hir not as they should nor obey hir according to their duty For how can they loue hir that despise hir godly procéedings how can they fear hir that contemne hir decrées how can they obey hir y t obstinately break hir good orders Now it is wel known y t there are many born bred within England y t despise obstinately refuse to follow hir godly procéedings set forth according to gods worde they y t despise refuse these hir procéedings are sory they coÌ„tinue so long they y t are sory therfore would gladly haue other orders much worse in their place and they y t would haue other wish y t hyr graces procéedings were displast they y t wold haue theÌ„ taken away which they know wil not be so loÌ„g as hir grace doth raign do wish hir being our head to be cut off or els hopes of hir short life But al their heads y t wold haue it so how many soeuer they be I wish stood on one necke y t they al might be cut of at one stroke Now you may sée y t I haue proued y t there are such English enimies w tin this realm for if these be not English enimies y t loue not their princesse y t ar sory she liues so loÌ„g y t wish hir deth or short raign y t wold haue an alteratioÌ„ or rather subuertioÌ„ of this our most happy quiet state if these I say be not English Enimies yea and great enimies to England then I know not what to name them vnlesse I should call theÌ„ English Rebels for English friends or good subiects I am sure they are not Therefore to you Englishe enimies that are wilful obstinate and determined Papists I chiefelye do write for no other English enimies haue al these aforesayde markes or conditions but only you I doubt not but that some of you wil be offeÌ„ded with me for calling you English enimies for y t you would séeme to be as good English friends as y e best bicause you are great enimies to England therfore I caÌ„not wel cal you Englishe friends or friends to Eng. Which I am most sure to proue hereafter if that be not sufficient y t I haue proued before It is wel known y t the Pope is enimie to our Quéene his lawes are repugnant to hir lawes and his religion is contrarie to hir religion which is the Gospell and Gods word now if any that is borne within England doeth earnestly loue the Pope then they cannot faithfully loue the Quéene if anye of them obey the Popes laws and decrées they must néedes disobey the Quéenes lawes and orders And if they imbrace and loue the Popes religion then they must néedes forsake and deâ—pise Gods worde the Quéenes religioÌ„ Now for that you y t are Papists are such then you are rather the Popes louing seruaunts than the Quéenes true subiects And if you be not true and louing subiects to our Quéene who vnder God is the chief staffe stay of the peaceable prosperous state of England then you cannot be friendes but enimies
rebels in Ireland or not And whether you were sorie that the Quéenes Maiestie and hir subiects did vanquishe them or not And if you be suche English enimies then why shoulde England harbour hir enimies why should Englande foster hir foes why should England maintain them that mean hir mischiefe And why should our Quéene defend them that desire hir destruction Nay rather why doth she not cutte them off that woulde be a confusion to hir and to hir countrey The fewer such were in England the happyer were Englande the sooner they were rid out of Englande the better it would be for England And if there were none suche in England then God would be wel pleased with England Therefore they that wil not be true to the Quéenes Maiestie and to England God send them short life or soone out of England for England were better haue their roume than their throÌ„g their absence than their presence their death thaÌ„ their life Therfore to you I chiefly write that the diuel hath bewitched with Papistry that fond and ridiculous Romish religion whose blindnes I bewaile and whose follie I lament Consider I beséeche you if you be suche as before I haue described are you not then English Enimies your practises haue proued it your murmurings do manifest it youre disobediencie declares it youre obstinacie doth open it and some of your treasons haue tryed it Therfore how can you thinke wel of your selues that enuy the prosperous raigne of so peaceable a Prince that wishe the sorrowe of youre Soueraigne your selues and of al hir subiects that to haue your péeuish pleasure performed would haue the quiet state of your couÌ„try subuerted and that would prefer plant papistrie and displace the pure worde of God But if you be so wilful which is incideÌ„t to your religion y t you wil not yéeld y t you are English enimies yet I trust you will not deny y t you are English Romanists which is y t you haue English bodies and Romish harts wishing rather you had Romish bodies English harts so that it appéers though youre bodies be in EnglaÌ„d your harts are at Rome Therfore we shold be in good case to trust to such fellows to fight againste oure foes if néed were that haue their harts bodies so far asunder for if a souldior be in the field his hart at home he wil fight but faintly so I thinke we should find but faint-harted souldiors of such of you if it came to fighting nay I pray God you change not then your cowardly harts into couragious stomacks become furious fighters on our enimies sides against thys your owne country Wel thoughe oure Quéenes quiet gouerning of you hir merciful vsing of you hir longsuffring of you can not allure you to loue hir yet I thinke you would like hir a great deale the better vppon condition that she woulde giue you leaue to vse the Romish religion and to haue your Masses Trentalles Dyrges and Pylgrimages and suche trumperie without controllment Yea but that were as though Pyrates and théeues should say vnto their King or Prince if your grace wil giue vs leaue to spoyle whome we wyl to xoaue where we list and to steale what we can we wyll loue you and obey you or else we wil not or as thoughe schollers shoulde say to their scholemaister sir if you wyll giue vs leaue to play when we liste then we wil take you for our scholemaister or else we wil not do you not thinke that these are reasonable conditions for Pyrats and Théeues to make to their Prince or for schollers to make to their scholemaister of trueth as reasonable and more reasonable than yours that you would in this case require of thée Quéene and more méete to be graunted For if men did know that Pyrates and théeues had such a plackard of their prince then merchauntes would purposely prepare themselues to withstand them with strong ships wel furnished with men and munition and woulde goe in greate fléetes togither And also true men would make theÌ„ strong houses hauing guns and crossebowes to withstande the théeues whereby the Pyrates and théeues might come to there cost and be killed and the most harme that Pyrates and théeues could do were but to take their worldly goods and perhaps their liues from them hauing no power to hurt their soules And the schollers that should haue suche a license of their scholemaster should themselues haue the worst which when they were men woulde bewayle that for vain vnprofitable play that lasted but a while they had lost most profitable learning which they mighte haue had all their liues But if the Quéenes maiestie should graunt your condition that is to vse Papistâ—ie and Idolatrie at your pleasure that were such a commission for the Diuell against you hir subiectes that thereby he woulde destroy you both body and soule for euer Whose guns Ingins and dartes you were neuer able to resist and all for wante of Gods word which is our chiefest armor and defence against him And so of hir grace you woâ—lde demaunde your owne destruction If hir maiestie had graunted that condition in the first beginning of hir raigne to all that would haue required it I am sure that thousandes at this day had bin blind and ignorant Papists that ar now perfit protestaÌ„ts profâ—ssors of the Gospell and hir most faithfull and louing subiects for though hir godly orders and restraint hath not brought all from Papistry yet I am certaine that of them it hath diminished a great sort For as some of you are altogither wilful and obstinate and wil not heare the word of God so some againe are more tractable and come to the Church wher they hearing the word of God are brought from their blindnesse And further if the Quéene shoulde grant you this libertie and suffer you not to haue or heare the word of God according to your desires then hir grant would be the cause that you should be vnhappy for Christe sayeth Blessed are they that heare the worde of God and keepe it nowe if all they that heare the worde of God are not happye but they that kéepe it then all they that heare not the word of God must néedes be vnhappy and so your desire of your Prince is to be vnhappye and they that are vnhappy are not the children of God then they must néeds be the children of the Diuel and thus you woulde loue or like wel of your Quéene so that she would giue you leaue to be the children of the Diuel But perhaps you wil saye that you doe not despise the word of God nor disdaine to heare it but you would heare it of such as you like of and not of our Prechers is that al you can saye verye well I am sure that our Preachers appointed by the Quéens maiestie do preach saluation only by the death of Iesus Christ to such as do beleue in him they teach that good workes are
you and suffer you vnplagued and vndestroyed that are but Bastards and as wilde Oliues whiche cruellye murther Christes members or reioice in the same whiche is as much as though you had killed Christ himselfe or reioyced in his death And if God spared not the Aungels in Heauen whyche serued hym day and night not for hurting of hym and hys members but for their Pride in that they would haue bin higher not content wyth their estate that God called them vnto doe you thinke then that he wil spare you that are vile earthly wretches whyche regarde not his lawes and burne spoile and murther the innocent members of Christ for the professing of Christs Gospell no no I warrant you Yet Lucifer and his fellowe Aungelles looked and hoped for as fayre a day as you hope for for they thought to be equall with God whyche you looke not to be thoughe you had your fayre hoped day but their hope was aslope and for their faire â—ndlesse daye they gote an euerlasting fowle darke and stormy night for the glorious and ioyful kingdome of Heauen they haue got the moste dolefull sorrowfull and paineful kingdome of Hell where the moste furious flames of fire shall neuer go out and where shal be wayling wéeping howling and gnashing of téeth for euer worlde without ende Thus you may sée what a faire day the tyrannicall Emperours that persecuted tormented and killed Christs innocent members the true Christians and the Iewes that put Christ to death and also the Aungels of Heauen haue got which they hoped and looked for Therefore if you hadde vppe your Masse and the Papisticall religion againe and thereby burnte youre brethren killed your countreymen and embrewed your armes vp to the shoulders in their bloud and drunke so much therof vntil your bellies burste what other daye could you looke for but onely for suche a day as the Iewes that killed Christe the tyrants that murthered Christes members and as the prowde Aungels of Heauen had that resisted God whyche in stead of a fayre day is turned into a darke terrible and stormy night Wherefore I beséeche you abhorre and forsake the Masse and the Popes doctrine which will not bring you a faire warme calme and bright daye as you thinke but a moste darke stormie and tempestuous night as we know and not a ioyfull day as you beléeue but a moste sorrowfull and doleful night as we are moste certaine I woulde you should not thinke that eyther the Quéens Maiestie doth feare you or that we dread you bycause so vehemently I do persuade you neyther lette this my exhorting you cause you to be more hawtie that oughte to make you more humble to encourage you to be more obstinate that teacheth you to be more obedient and procure you to rebellion that persuadeth you froÌ„ treason for the Quéenes Highnesse and hir louing and obedient Subiectes are most assured that as God hitherto hathe blessed and defended hir Grace for the setting forth and maintayning of his holy gospel so he wil hereafter blesse and defend hir against you and al hir enimies that shal goe aboute to resist or fight againste hir to suppresse the Gospel If you that are hir subiects do hope that the Pope wyll blesse you for disobeying your Prince Then hir Grace being your Quéene may be wel assured that God wil blesse hir Highnesse which is as good as the Popes blessing for obeying of him in setting forth maintayning and defeÌ„ding the doctrine of Christ the lawe of God You may perceiue if you wil perceiue by the reasons arguments examples and proofes before mentioned that if the Popes souldiours that you procure or wishe to come fight against our Prince to aide and helpe you vp with your Masse and y e rest of the Popes paltry should get the victorie whyche the Lord forbidde yet they would spoile you kil you murther you as they woulde vs though you be of their religion and woulde neyther trust you nor suffer you to beare any rule or be in aucthority for they would thinke as they might wel ynough that you that are false and rebellious to your lawfull naturall and most mercifull Princesse and Quéene that suffreth you to enioy quietly all that you haue and that dothe preserue you in suche prosperitie quietnesse peace as neuer any Subiectes enioyd before in England would not be true and obedient to them being forrain vnlawful and more straighter rulers that woulde dayly exact on you poll and pill you and your liuings to bring you vnder and in thraldome to them Whiche when you shoulde féele then their crueltie would teach you what our Quéene Elizabeth was whome nowe hir mildnesse and mercie cannot learne what our Quéene Elizabeth is And on the other side if the Quéenes Maiestie shoulde vanquishe you and them then manye of you shoulde be knowne for open Traytors that nowe are not surmysed to be hir priuie enimies and so therfore to be executed as you were well worthy This were but a verye foolishe and an vnwise matche made of you for whiche side soeuer should win you should be sure to loose and which side soeuer got the victorie you should be sure to haue the ouerthrow Therefore giue ouer your wilfulnesse and be persuaded by reason cease from your diuelish deuises your wicked attemptes and priuie conspyracies against our most milde and merciful Quéen and forsake your doctrine of the Pope and embrace the gospell which wil teach you to feare GOD to beléeue and hope in Christ to obey your Prince to loue your brethren and to be true to your countrey Thus I haue sufficiently prooued you specially you that are wilfull obstinate and determined Papistes to be not onely English enimies but also the worst enimies to England that can be and how the Pope is moste wicked and his doctrine false that you so muche loue and followe and that our religioÌ„ is most true which you abhorre and withstande that you hate your Prince enuy hir happy estate contemne our concorde desire our destrustion and therefore séeke your owne sorrow for that thereby you shal procure God to powre his plagues and cursses on you before mentioned Al which I haue done by sensible similitudes by tryed testimonies by infallible arguments by euident examples by ineuitable reasons and by the sacred Scriptures whyche if you be wise you wil wegh if you be Christians you wil consider and if you be of God you wil regarde But some of you are so addict to your holy Father the Pope that be a thing neuer so plainelye proued by arguments reasons proofes similitudes examples learning by learned Doctors and Writers yea and by the moste holy Scriptures yet you wil not beléeue it vnlesse it bée allowed or confirmed by the Pope who you think can not erre nor lye and therefore of all other to be trusted and al other besides him and his Chaplains to be mistrusted Wherfore to satisfie you withal I wil bring a Pope that
an Innocent Pope gaue to Philip the French king full remission of all his sinnes and the possession of al the realme of England to him to his heires if he eyther did kill King Iohn then King of this realme or expell him Was not this a frée and liberall Pope that would giue whole kingdomes at once this is more than euer Christe gaue that euer I heard of for he neuer gaue any remission of sinnes nor yet any Kingdomes for killing of Kings or of any other or for driuing them out of their owne kingdome or countrey Pope Boniface saide that Whoredome is no more sinne than the rubbing of the handes togither Some of you say that this our religion doth giue libertie to sinne but these wordes of the Pope doe not séeme greatly to forbid or restraine sin Saint Paule saieth that neyther whoremongers nor fornicatours shall enherite the kingdome of Heauen But I neuer heard that either he or Christ said that they that rub their hands togither shal not inherite the kingdome of heauen therfore rubbing of our hands togither is no sin but Whoredome is a great sin if the Scriptures be true therefore the Pope is a most wicked liar to saie that is no sinne that God Christ and the Apostles called sinne And as here he cals whoredome no sinne which is a great sinne so in other places the Popes call that a great sinne which Christ doth not cal sinne And thus you may sée plainly that the Pope is both in his sayings and doings cleane contrarie to Christ therfore if you followe the Pope you are then contrarie to Christe and so no true Christians Pope Sextus at the request of Petrus Ruerius a Cardinall of his owne making and of Ierom his brother permitted and graunted vnto the whole familie of the sayde Peter the Cardinal in the thrée hotte moneths of Sommer Iune Iuly and August frée leaue and libertie to vse the sinne of Sodomitrie a thing most shamefull to be vttered but most horrible and abhominable to be licenced or permitted What a wicked Pope was this that did licence and permitte that which God doth so detest that therefore he consumed Sodom and Gomora and whole countries with fire from Heauen And now as these that committed this detestable sinne were destroyed with fire from Heauen so I feare this Pope Sextus and other that licence and allowe it shall be tormented with fire in Hell Pope Clement the sixthe poysoned Lodowike that good vertuous and godly Emperour whiche shewes what hée was for euil men haue oftentimes poysoned good men but good men neuer poysoned euil men Therefore you may sée that this holy Pope was not of God but of his father the Diuell who was a murtherer from the beginning who teacheth his children to be of his owne occupation Pope Alexander did set his foote on Frederickes necke the Emperour when the said Emperour told him that he yéelded that honor not vnto him being Pope but vnto Peter yes sayd the Pope both to me to Peter so he placed himselfe before Saint Peter Be not here pretious Popes to make Emperours beléeue that Peter lookes for such honor Surely it is verie straunge that Peter should looke for that now being dead that he neuer desired when he was aliue nay when he was aliue he was most humble and willingly suffered the Emperour to put him to death now that he is dead would he so faine tread in Emperours necks or take pleasure that other shall do it for him truely I can not beléeue it nay I am most sure he doth abhorre it Therefore if pride be godly then your proude Popes are holy Pope Marcellinus was an Idolatour and Pope Siluester the seconde was a Coniurer and gaue himselfe wholy both body and soule to the Diuell by the Diuels procurement was made Pope must not these be good vertuous Popes when the Diuell muste be faine to make them Thus you may sée if you will not winke for the nonce that the Popes that name themselues Christes Uickars to bryng themselues in credite are neuerthelesse the Diuels Chaplaines for as they onely were Christes Apostles that Christ did chose and allow so they are the Deuils disciples that he doth elect and authorize And now bycause this sayd Siluester was made Pope by the Diuell therefore he was none of Christes but the Diuels deputie to determine and order things for the Diuel as no doubte but he and all other such like and of his religion haue done Pope Iohn the two and twentith was a cruell wicked Tirant he proclaymed al them for Heretikes that taught that Christ and his Apostles had here no possessions Bicause the Pope would not be poore like vnto Christ therefore he would haue Christ to be rich like vnto hym so bycause he can not resēble Christ therfore he wold haue Christ to resemble him and therfore he woulde haue it blased abrode that Christ and his Apostles were rich and had great possessions not that he would be like them in vertue but that they shoulde be like him in wealthe and thus he makes them Heretikes that tell trueth of Christe and them to be his Catholikes that shal tel lyes of Christ thus you maye sée howe the Pope Christes Uickar is vnlike to Christ for Christ would haue vs say true and the Pope would haue vs to lye Pope Clement caused certain of the electours to choose a new Emperour for he liked not the old which was Lewes Truely Christ nor all his Apostles neuer caused a new Emperour to be chosen I maruell that Peter did not cause a newe Emperour to be chosen in the steade of Nero when he was Pope for I am sure that the Emperour that the Pope did depose was not so euill as hée But whereas Peter was contente to suffer an euill Emperour to raigne our holye Father the Pope will not suffer a good Emperour to rule Pope Gregorie promised the kingdome of Heauen to all thē that fought against the Emperor thus he set Kings and the Emperour togither by the eares and encouraged his subiectes to rebell against him But I neuer read in the Scriptures that heauen should be gottē by fighting against their Prince or for one to murder kill another But I remēber well that Christ saith but it is something contrarie to the Popes wordes Blessed are the peacemakers for they shal be called the children of God Now if we may beléeue Christe who is of as good credite as the Pope the Pope will hardlye performe this his large promise For if the peace-makers shall be called the children of God then the peace-breakers who are cleane contrarie to them shall be called the children of the Diuel And I trust the Popes authoritie doth not extende so farre to giue the kingdome of Heauen to the children of the Diuell for heauen is onely appointed for the children of God as Christ doth
realme of Englande I haue also proued by the Scriptures by examples and by other infallible argumentes that wée haue the true religion and how that God therefore hath and doth prosper and blesse vs I haue proued also that the Popes whom you so much loue and leane to haue béene moste wicked Murtherers Coniurers Aduouterers Heretikes Blasphemers Idolators Sacrificers to Diuels and Derogators of Christs benefites hys death and passion and that they are the enimies of God the children of the Diuel yea and the verye Antichrist Therefore I beséeche you procure not to youre selues the cursses of God for the blessings of that wicked Antichriste enforce not youre moste mercifull Princes displeasure that doth defend you for that wicked Popes good will that will destroye you and séeke not youre Countries confusion that doeth nourishe you to haue youre Popishe religion that wil bring Gods plagues and cursses vppon you Perhappes some of you maye saye thoughe the Pope be wicked euil and thoughe he be proued to be Antichrist yet this religion that you and your fore-elders haue hadde vsed is not therefore euil nor to be despised to whome I answere if the trée be euil the fruite cannot be good can the Diuel sette forth a godly religion no it is agaynste his nature then can the Pope which is of the Diuell and the very Antichriste sette forth the pure worde of God no it is impossible for as the euil fruit doth shew the trée to be euil so the detestable doings wicked religiō of the Pope shewe him to be wicked and of the Diuell therefore make the trée good and the fruite good or the trée euill and the fruite euill But bycause I wil leaue nothing vndone that may allure you not onely from the Pope but also from his pestiferous religion I will God willing prooue the chiefest pointes of Papistrie that you stand vppon both by Scripture auncient Doctors and by naturall reason to be false most wicked and abhominable And bycause one parte of the Popes religion whiche is worshipping of Images is mentioned before among the cursses of God and therefore abhominable vnto the Lorde and directly against the second commaundement therefore I will firste beginne with it not doubting but that many of you doe not so much regarde and estéeme the worshipping or hauing of Images though some of you are déepely and superstitiously giuen thereto And first let vs heare what God said to Moses therein and in his lawe Thou shalt not saith God make to thy selfe any grauen Image of any likenesse that is in Heauen aboue nor in the Earth beneath or in the water vnder the earth thou shalt not bowe downe to them nor worshippe them This is the very commaundement of God that he gaue to Moses and enioyned the children of Israel in anye wise not to breake for if they did he promised to send vpon them his plagues and greate cursses before at large declared which diuers times he performed when they after did breake the same worshipped Images straunge Gods as I haue manifestly proued before by diuers examples Nowe bicause your Papistrie permitteth Images and your papistical Churches are al ful of Images and Idols and bicause you bowe downe vnto them knéele vnto them go on pilgrimage vnto them and pray vnto them therfore your religion is cleane contrarie to this lawe of God written in the first Table of Moses and therefore moste wicked and abhominable which deserues procures Gods great plagues cursses and vengeance And the yongest chylde that is if hée haue eyther read aught or learned aught knowes that to estéeme reuerence or worship Images is euill and wicked and against the commandement of God so that your religion of Papistrie in this poynt muste néedes be euill wicked and abhominable as is aforesayd and the Pope and his Prelates doo not onely suffer and permit them in Churches but also maintaine them defende them and make lawes that they shall be adored and worshipped as vtter enimies to God striuing with all their power to set vp Images whiche God directly dooth forbid And that this may more plainely appeare Pope Gregory the second did not onely withstand the Emperours Deputie by force of Armes which he neuer learned of Christ nor yet of his Apostles in taking downe and suppressing Images out of Churches but also wrote into all partes that neither for feare nor entreatie they shoulde obey the Emperours commaundement in taking away of Images and pictures of Saintes out of Churches for auoyding of Idolatrie but would haue Images erected set vp worshipped contrary to the holy worde of God Also the Pope and his Bishops in Nicene Counsell agréed with one consent contrarie to the counsell of God that Images in Churches are not onely to be allowed but also deuoutly and reuerently to be honored and that with the same honour that is due to God him selfe O Cerberus whelpes Sathans broode and destroyers of mens soules are they Christes Uicars can not they erre that make such lawes and decrées in their Deuilishe counsels that a péece of crooked rotten wood or a stone wrought and framed by earthly wretches is to be deuoutly honored euen with that honour that is due to God himselfe how can you that take God for your Father and Christ for your Sauiour abide either the Pope or his detestable religion any longer Also one of them saith I receyue and worship the reuerend Images and this will I teach whyle I liue An other sayth I doe perfectly adore the holy Images and I accursse all them that holde the contrarie yea but I beléeue your cursses come to late What if God haue curssed you before that worshippe Images how will you doe then I thinke his cursse will stand for a cursse before yours if you can either out cursse God or vndo his cursses make your owne curses to stande or to be of force then I will saye you haue good lucke Marke what a godly decrée was allowed in the Gréekes Counsel touching the worshipping of Images which is as expresly against the lawe of God as is possible to be And thus it is He that feareth God adoreth or worshippeth an Image as he would adore the sonne of God he that adoreth or worshippeth an Image and saieth this is Christ offendeth not he offendeth that adoreth or worshippeth not an Image he that adoreth not an Image is an Heretike wée muste adore or worshippe an Image wyth the same reuerence wherewith we adore or worshippe the holy Trinitie What varlets are these what vile wretches are these that make such contrarie decrées to Gods lawe would you haue thought it vnlesse you had read it nay will you beléeue it for that you doe heare it God sayeth Thou shalt not bowe downe to Images nor worship them The Pope sayeth he that feareth God worshippeth an Image as hée woulde worshippe the sonne of God The children of Israel worshypped a golden Calfe and
the thurstie to drinke of the well of lyfe for nothing not for his owne workes or desertes Origen sayth most truly forasmuch as all men are shut vp and closed vnder sinne now the saluation of man standeth not in mans merites but in Gods mercie And many such like haue the learned fathers written only to beate vs downe from our owne works to lay hold on Gods mercies and the merites of Christ. S. Bernard writeth excellently hereof my merite saith he is the mercie of God so long as God is not poore of mercie so long can not I be poore of merite if his mercies be great then am I great in merites This is the whole merite of man if he put his whole affiance in the Lorde This same is the Protestants Religion to trust with S. Barnarde in the merites of Christ and mercies of God But they of that wicked Romish religion do trust to their owne workes for belyke they are so holy they néede not Christes merites For they can deserue the kingdome of Heauen by their owne workes which is a most detestable and Diuelish doctrine For marke this well all the déedes and good workes that you can doe are but worldly workes and if you looke to be rewarded for doing of them yet a heauenly rewarde is to good for an earthly worke and a heauenly wages is to much for an earthly seruice It is inough if God gyue you a worldly rewarde for your worldly workes Nay is your worldly workes and seruice that you saie you doo vnto God worthie of the earthly giftes and rewardes that God dayly giues you no I warrant you if a man might aske you that saies you may deserue Heauen by your owne merits what seruice do you or can you do that God stands néede off he is a heauenly King and therefore hath heauenly seruants to wayte vpon him to do his will and to serue him who obeye him in al things offende him in nothing but you are earthly creatures both vnworthie vnable to serue such a king that obeyes him in nothing and offendes him in all things Therefore if you be his seruauntes you are but simple seruantes and serue him but slenderly and as Christ cals you vnprofitable seruants Yet for all that marke the great goodnesse of God though we neither obey him nor are able to serue him yet he vseth vs rather like Sonnes then seruants Hath he not created vs to his owne likenesse that is our soules to the Image of God and our bodies to the likenesse of Christ and doth not he giue vs meate dayly to féede vs clothes to couer vs all things on the earth to maintaine helpe vs now weigh with your selues what seruice doe wée to God or are hable to do vnto him that can deserue al these earthly benefits that he doth dayly bestowe vpon vs No the greatest seruice that wée can do to God is farre vnworthie of the least benefite that God hath done to vs therfore we can not iustly say that we serue God in any point but rather that God doth serue our turne in euery point For if we do him any seruice it is only to serue our owne turne for whē we pray vnto God wherin we say we serue God do we then serue pleasure or help him in any thing no it is to helpe our selues to pleasure our selues and to profite our selues For by our praier to God we craue of him those things that we haue néede of and do not proffer him any thing that he stands in néede of Therefore though we saie we serue God when we praie we might more truly say that we serue our selues whē we pray And thus wheras you claime heauen as a due reward for your seruing of God it séemes you claime Heauen for seruing your selues wherein I must néedes saie that you are without all reason or honestie For if I should come to my Prince pray hir humbly vpon my knées that she would giue me a farme to dwel in and then she of hir goodnesse should graunt me my request might not I be thought to be most impudent shameles and without all reason if I should then clayme for knéeling to hir for the farme which she gaue me the inheritance of all hir kingdome yes and well worthie yea and therefore to be quite thrust out of hir kingdome Euen so they that claymes the kingdome of Heauen for their praying and knéelyng to God for their owne profite and commoditie are not onely most impudent shamelesse and vnreasonable but also are well worthie to be thrust out of the kingdome of Heauen Now if our worldly seruing of God if we do serue him can not deserue the worldly benefites that hée doth dayly bestowe vpon vs then our worldly seruing of him can by no meanes deserue the kingdome of Heauen the ioyes wherof are without comparison and euerlasting If a King by chaunce let his gloue fall out of a window should he that takes it vp thinke that he hath deserued therfore that the King shoulde make him heyre of his crowne and kingdome euery one might thinke that he were to sawsie presumptuous and to déere a seruant that woulde clayme such a great gift for such a small seruice a worse rewarde might serue well inough many woulde bée content to do a great deale more for a great deale lesse Nowe if this worldly rewarde is a great deale to much for suche a seruice wherof the King stoode néede then the euerlasting kingdome of Heauen is a wonderfull deale to much for our worldly workes whereof God stands no néede nay which perhappes he mislikes Therefore reuoke this Diuelish doctrine of the Romishe Churche whiche teacheth you that you may deserue the kingdome of Heauen by your owne workes and merites for as it is sufficiently proued before our owne merites deserues the kingdome of Hell and Christes merites onely deserues for vs the kingdome of Heauen And bragge not of your vayne and sinfull workes for the better you estéeme them the worse doth God lyke them and do what you can for your life yet thinke your selues vnprofitable seruauntes For the more you thinke you deserue at Gods hande the lesse I am sure you shall haue at his hande The proude Pharisey and the humble and repentant Publicane may be a sufficient example to you for the proude presumptuous Pharisey thought he had deserued much of God for his workes but the humble Publican thought he deserued Gods wrath for his sinnes Now whiche of these two got more at Gods hands and was the better estéemed of God forsoth the Pharisey that boasted bragged of his good workes displeased God and went away vniustified And the humble Publicane that disabled his owne workes and trusted not to them pleased God and went awaie pardoned So that in any wise refuse your owne merites and trust to the mercie of God and the merites of Christ for if your workes be no better than the
pleasure to talke of their tormentes yet they had no great pleasure in féeling their torments But who I pray you did put them to death in their errour false heresie as you call it euen they y t are of your holy Romish Church who without repētance shall answer y e shedding of their guiltlesse bloud yea some haue not sticked to say that they that were burned were damned which was but a hard iudgement first to iudge their bodies to be burned here on earth and after their soules to be burned in Hell they will not stand to this iudgement they will rather appeale But if they died in errour and are damned as some of your religion saide then who was the cause of their damnation forsooth euen they that condemned them and burned them for thoughe they had bene so wilfull to burne in an euill opinion yet they shoulde not haue bene so mercilesse to haue burned them in that opinion If you should sée a mad man running into a pit to drown himself would you run after him thrust him into the pyt The children of God would rather pluck him backe saue him frō drowning Euen so if they had bene such heretikes as you would make them their opinions so damnable as you report them why did your holy religious brethren of the Churche of Rome so cruelly burne them whereby they were damned haue you no greater zeale to your brethren but so rashly and vncharitably to sende them to hell Euerlasting damnatiō is an horrible and dolefull thing for they that are there once shal be in torments vnspeakable in hell fyre for euer and euer worlde without ende And can you or any such looke to haue any mercie at Gods hande that thruste your brethren being as you say in a damnable opinion or heresie first into the fire here and burne them from thence sende them into an other fire the fire of hell where they shall burne for euer truely you may looke and hope for mercie but if you refraine not from this your heathenish crueltie and repent the same vnfaynedly you are more like to goe without it than haue it You that are such burners of your brethren herein doe condemne your selues for most cruell and mercylesse tyrants for you burne them here and after say they be damned The Franciscane Friers of Paris in Fraunce maye séeme to bée more charitable than the Popishe persecutors before mētioned for they whiles one was in a good opinion as they said hanged him vp quickly bicause he should be saued go to Heauen but these said cruell Papists haue burned their brethrē bicause they should go to hel Marke it wel for it is worth y e hearing There was a ritch marchant mā in Paris who said in 〈◊〉 to the Friers of S. Fraunces you weare a rope about your bodyes bicause S. Fraunces once shoulde haue bene hanged and the Pope redéemed 〈◊〉 vppon this condition that all his lyfe after he shoulde weare a rope Upon this saying the Franciscane Friers of Paris caused him to be apprehended and to be laid in prison also iudgement past vppon him that he shoulde be hanged But he to saue his life was content to recant and so did the Friers hearing of his recantation commended him saying if he continued so he should be saued and so the Friers calling vpon the officers caused them to make hast to the gallowes to hang him vp whiles he was yet in a good way sayd they least he fal againe And so this Marchant notwithstanding his recantation was hanged Thus though some of you do burne men to send them to hell yet these charitable Friers did hang this Marchant to sende him to heauen But as your burning of vs contrarie to your saying doth bring vs through Christ to saluation so I pray God that the Friers hanging of the Marchant contrarie to their saying did not bring him to damnation If the Popes Friers do hang men for iesting against them then it is no maruell though the Popes Champions doe burne men for speaking against them in earnest The hanging of this Marchant may well be iustice according to y e Popes lawe but it is scant iustice by Gods lawe nor by the lawe of any godly Prince These holy Friers might learne this of the Diuell for I am sure they neuer learned it of God You shall sée by Christes wordes whether you that doe this murther and persecute your brethren are of God or the Diuel Christ saith Whatsoeuer you would that men should doe to you do euen the same to them Now weigh with your selues would you be content that if you were heathen men or Iewes that other shoulde burne you and sende you thereby after to hell I thinke not Christ saith Blessed are the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercie but the Papisticall persecutors are vnmercifull tyrantes as their burning of their brethren and their saying after they be damned do euidently declare therfore you that are the Popes persecutors are vnhappie shal not obteine mercy vnlesse as I said you repent in time But we are most sure that they are not gone to Hell as some of your sect haue both boasted and bragged for they are vnder the Altar where the rest of the Saints Martirs be that haue dipt their garments in y e bloud of the Lambe But if they had bin in errour or Heresie thus you would haue serued them And though they died willingly they died not in Heresie and yet they died not so willingly as the mad man I spoke of parabolically but that they woulde haue liued if they might with a safe conscience without denying Christ. For you droue them to a mischiefe eyther to be burned here in your fire and to saue their endlesse life in Heauen or else to saue their life here and to burne for euer in Hell who remembred Christes wordes which are these Whosoeuer shall denie me afore men him also will I denie before my father in Heauen Thus you may sée what cruell Tirantes the Pope and his partakers are that without all pittie and mercie do burne and kill vs here to burne vs and kill vs euerlastingly in Hell And yet the Popes for all this call themselues the Seruants of Gods Seruants but if the Pope be such an vnderling then he vsed y e Emperour his maister but homely when he made him lie downe and trode in his necke and also if the Pope be the Seruant of Gods seruants then he is a very euill seruant that hath killed so many of his maisters And now you shall haue an other infallible rule that our Religion is the true Religion and that the true professors and followers thereof are of the kingdome of God The Popes kingdome is encreased and mainteyned with crueltie murther and persecuting but Christs kingdome increaseth by humilitie by being murthered and persecuted for though the true Christians are dayly killed and murthered yet their number is
heauen aboue encountred with them Earthquakes brake out and ouerthrewe there buildings lightnings fel downe and burnt both the tooles in their hands and the coates on their backes And then was the Gospell of Christ more bewtiful and more glorious than euer it had bene before Thus the Iewes might haue perceyued that God was bothe angrie and dispised them and their Iewish sacrifices though once he estéemed them aboue all other and the Temple that he before commaunded to be buylded and wherein he appeared to the Iewes now he from heauen ouerthrewe and the builders thereof Wherby they also might well vnderstand that he had an other people and Religion that he estéemed better and would fight for And therefore séeing God ouerthrewe the building and the builders of the Temple of Hierusalem which he commaunded to be builded and that he once so well liked then he must néedes ouerthrowe as he hath begon partly well already all the dennes buildings of the temple or church of Rome which he vtterly hates and that he neuer commaunded to be builded For as Christ sayth euery plante that my heauenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted vp Therefore flie from this your Romish Church and hir doctrine which God doth daylie ouerthrowe and let the Pope and his partakers do what they can at length he wil plucke vp by the rootes and walke in the lawe of God least God powre his plagues and cursses vpon you For if they are accurst by Gods lawe that turnes out of it either to the right hande or to the left hande then thinke not that you are blessed that wilfully walke cleane oute of it and neuer come in it And let this suffise you that Woolues deuoure and Shéepe are deuoured So that the deuouryng Woolues are of the Sinagoge of Sathan and the deuoured Shéepe are of the Church of God But some of you haue saide that God in the olde lawe shewed for the better crediting of the same many wonderfull miracles that there haue bene many strange miracles for the confirmation of the Popes religiō Then belike you looke for miracles for a religion you think without miracles is nothing worth and therfore one of your religion said where be your signes where be your miracles but as Christ called the Iewes an euill aduouterous generation bicause they required a signe from heauen that they might the better credite him his doctrine so I can not count you a godly generation that wil not beléeue the gospel of Christ without miracles yea such miracles as you your selues should like And wil you not beléeue our doctrine without miracles nay will you beléeue it with great strange miracles I would you would Wel bicause yée would so faine haue myracles you shal haue myracles that other manner of miracles than euer your Romish church could shewe for the confirming of hir doctrine therfore marke them wel for they are wonderful and maruellous miracles Our litle Bible hath driuē al your great idols out of al the churches of England Our holy Communion hath put to flight all your Masses which you thought nothing could ouerthrow They that were blind the Gospell hath made them now to sée clearly the craftie iuggling of the Pope they that before were dumbe nowe speake so plainely and vehemently preach the Gospel of Christe These are wonderfull myracles I thinke But if some of you should say that these are no myracles or else no great miracles to be counted of yet I dare boldly say they are maruellous great myracles yea and passe your miracles a great deale For marke this well if you had neuer knowne that fire would increase in burning and should haue suddenly séene a whole Cittie burned and cōsumed with one litle sparke of fire and that such a huge and mightie fire shoulde come of one little sparke would you not haue thought that the same had bin a wonderfull myracle I thinke you would then why should not you thinke that the spiritual burning and enflaming with such a little sparke of the gospell at the first of such a number of peoples hartes consuming and wasting the idolatrie false religion and Papisticall superstition of Kingdomes Dukedomes Prouinces and such a great number of countries Cities and Townes and the mightie encreasing of this spirituall fire the gospell and that within so shorte a time is a maruellous myracle although the Pope and his power did what they could to quench the same Surely it is such a miracle in all wise mens eyes considering the Pope and his power do what they could were not able to quench as there can not be a greater And there is nothing that may more better persuade you that this our Religion is the very true Religion and worde of God than that God so mightily defendeth it and so miraculously increaseth it This and the other miracles before mentioned are sufficient miracles I hope for the confirming of any Christian hart to beléeue the Gospell yet you shall heare more miracles hereafter And now for that you haue called for our miracles I trust I may likewise call for your miracles What kind of miracles were they wherby your Romish religion was cōfirmed forsooth they were such as might make the wittie to become fooles but oures are such as will make fooles to become wisemen And now marke your miracles of your Romish Churche your Roodes and Images can speake if they haue a false knaue stande behinde them your Idols can roll their eies wagge there chappes and caste their armes abroade if there be one behinde them to plucke there Engines and they will sweate in Winter and colde weather if they be well oiled with Penetratiue oyles yea your images can light their owne lāps which is as great a miracle as a iack of the clocke to strike on y e bell your holy water can chase away Mise and your Priestes giuing women good counsell and blessing them for the Pope will not haue it called kissing and dallying miraculouslie make them to be with child your Popes pardons can make men die desperately and suddenly your Cardinals blessings can make Bishops breake their neckes your Agnus deis can make menne hang themselues are not these your Romish myracles wonderfull are they not woorthie to go for myracles yes I trow our miracles of the Gospel are no such they are not lyke vnto them but this you were best to beléeue that our miracles before mentioned are of God and these your miracles nowe mentioned are of the Diuell Thus I trust I haue sufficiently proued by Gods word by auncient Fathers and learned Doctours by naturall Reason by Argumentes by Similitudes by Examples by the Popes themselues by their owne wryters and by persecuting and murtheryng that the Pope and many of his predecessors Popes was and is wicked Diuelish the Diuels deputies not Christes vickars and the verie Antichrist and that his Religion is most false erronious and detestable and cleane contrarie