chaunceloure for denyeng of the sacrament and for faulte of a better I was assygned to the examynacion of him in the galery And after longe reasonyng and disputaciō I declared and sayde that the sacrament beyng rightly vsed and accordinge to scripture doth after the word spoken by the prest chaunge the substaunce of the bred and wyne in to the body and bloud of Christ Were not these my wordes sayde he Yee sayde M. pope Thē beare me witnesse said he that I erre not in the sacramēt Standishe Allthoughe you did not denie that sacrament yet haue you et cet Couerdale Ye call it slaunderous raylinge whan a man with gods worde both ernestly rebuke such horryble abuses as Antichrist and his malignaunt church hath brought in among Christen people So lothe are ye to consent vnto gods worde or to vse anie thing according to his holy instituciō What could it then haue helped you yf he had opened his minde farther seing that in his so godly and honest request ye ascribe naughtynesse vnto him He did but shew that he wold haue the sacrament rightly vsed and acording to holy scripture and ye are not content with him Yet well worth the Corinthians for though they were fallen in to abuse aboute this holy misterie and aboute other thinges we read not that they spurned against the holy goost as you do whan they were called to refourmacion Standish Se also I praye you how he saieth et cetera Couerdale Yf you shulde saye that for lack of a better ye dyd write agaynst this protestacion of D. Barnes wolde ye therfore be iudged to thynke that there were not many better lerned men in England to take such a matter in hande then you Barnes THen sayde he haue ye anye thing els to saye There was one then asked him his opynion of prayeng to sayntes Then sayd he Now of saintes you shall heare myne opynion I haue sayd before somwhat I thynke of them how that I beleue they are in heauē and with god and that they are worthy of all the honour that scripture willeth them to haue But I saye through out al scripture we are not commaunded to pray to any sayntes therfore I can not ner will not preach to you that sayntes ought to be praied vnto For then shuld I preach you a doctryne of myne owne head Standish Ther is an olde heresie that saieth sayntes be not yet in heauen et cet Couerdale Is this your next waye to confute him that saieth we are not cōmaunded in scripture to praie to anye saintes Ye brawll with the deed man that saieth nothinge against you in this article of saintes being in heauen Standishe How can it be in scripture thou impudent heretike the prayer vnto saintes Couerdale Be good to the poore man and take not the matter so whote He goeth not aboute to proue that your prayeng to sayntes is grounded in scripture Standish As for in the tyme of the olde lawe et cet Couerdale The doctrine of god is that Christ is the lambe which hath bene slayne sens the begynnyng of the worlde that is euen he whose power and deliueraunce hath clensed and saued all thē that euer put their trust in him Christ Iesus yesterdaie and todaie and the same contynueth for euer Standish Therfore concerning praieng to saintes et cet Couerdale Must we beleue the testimony of men without it be grounded on gods worde Are ye become such an Apostle Because the church and congregacion of Christ must discerne iudge trie and examen all maner of doctryne and so to eschue the euell and kepe the good hath it therfore auctorite to make anye new article or to receaue a doctryne contrary to gods worde Because Christ hath promised his holy sprete of trueth to be allwaye in his faithfull congregacion shall they therfore make ordeyne set vp or beleue ought that is contrary to his owne teachinge Standish Doest thou set nomore by the auctorite of it then so in asmuch as S. Augustyne sayde Non crederem Euangelio nisi crederim Ecclesie et cet Couerdale Euen as ye peruerte the wordes of holy scripture so do ye with S. Augustine As ye choppe and chaunge with it so do ye with him And as ye alledge the scripture for another purpose then the plaine circumstaunce of the text meaneth so do ye here with this holy doctoure For youre purpose is with S. Augustines wordes to proue that youre church by her auctorite may make new articles and that we are bounde to beleue as she beleueth though the same be not grounded in scripture But yf men diligently marke S. Augustynes sayeng the occasion of his wryting and the circumstaunce therof it shall be euydent that ye are as like him in vnderstondinge as the moone is like a grene chese S. Augustyne perceauynge the greate hurte that was growyng thorow the doctryne of wicked Manicheus toke in hande to confute him and his secte his errours were so noisome and deuelish For he had not onely fayned a new gospell of his owne and named himselfe Christes Apostle but also mainteined the heresie which the Anabaptistes lately helde that the sonne of god toke not the nature of man of the blessed virgin and denied rulers to beare office denied mariage denied certayne kyndes of meates to be of god or to be graunted vnto Christen men Taught also that some mens soules dye with the bodyes despysed the exterior worde of god and mynistracion therof and sought other visions without it And many other fond and wicked opynions had he vnknowne to the holy church and flock of Christ Now for the refelling of such pestilent doctryne S. Augustine among other thinges wrote one speciall boke agaynst a certayne Epistle of the Manichees which was called Epistola fundamenti and whan he had shewed the occasions which moued him to abyde still within the vnyte of Christes catholike church then in the fifth chapter he shewed the cause that moued him rather to geue credence vnto Christes gospell then to Manicheus where among other he saieth these wordes Nostis n. me statuisse nihil avobis prolatū temere credere et cet For ye knowe saieth he that I am determined to geue no haistie credence to anye thing that ye speake of your awne heades I demaunde therfore Who is that Manicheus Ye answere An Apostle of Christ I beleue it not Now what canst thou saye or do thou shalt not opteine for thou dyddest promes knowlege of the trueth and now thou wilt compell me to beleue the thinge that I knowe not Peraduenture thou wilt reade me the gospell and therby wilt thou assaie to affirme the parson̄e of Manicheus Yf I shulde fynde anye man then which as yet beleueth not the gospel what shuldest thou do to him that sayeth vnto the I beleue not As for me I shulde not beleue the gospell vnlesse the auctorite of the catholike church dyd moue
can stoppe the trueth no farther ye wold beare us in hand that it is the wryters iudgment onely which ascrybeth vnto him that he paciently toke his death as though there were none els that herd him and sawe him dye but the wryter alone Couerdale Allbe it I will iudge onely of the outwarde behaueour Couerdale Iudge not after the outward appearaūce saieth our sauyour but geue a righteous iudgment Yet do ye not as ye saye for in many places of your treatise ye iudge the mans mynde and intent yee contrary to his wordes Standishe Takyng occasion by his erroneous wordes to iudge he dyed an obstinate heretike Couerdale Ye can not denye but that after the open confession of his faith and his humble requestes vnto the Kynges grace he than reconcyled himselfe to all men and at the last whan he had desyred thē to praye for him toke his death paciently and yelded vp his soule in to the handes of allmightye god For all this ye do not onely call his wordes erroneous but also geue sentence that he dyed an obstinate heretike Standish And as for the inward secretes whether he be condēned or saued whether he yelded vp his soule in to the handes of allmightie god or no et cet I remitte that to the secrete counsaill of the blessed trenite Couerdale A wonderfull thing is it that ye are so vnstable in your wordes Do ye not take vpon you afore to iudge that he dyed an obstinate heretike And now ye can not tell whether he be saued or condemned whether he yelded vp his soule in to the handes of allmightie god or no. But can an obstinate heretike yelde vp his soule whan he is deed all ready Can an obstinate heretike be saued Beholde now to what worshippe ye bring your doctryne at the last Standish Vnto whom be laude honour and glory for euermore Amen Couerdale Amen Euen to that same blessed trenyte father sonne and holy goost be honour and glory now and euermore Amen The Apostle describing the office and dewtie of a ministre or preacher of gods word wylleth him among all other qualities to shew himself such a laudable workman as nede not be ashamed handling the word of trueth iustly Wherfore seyng ye haue so vnreuerently handled gods holy word peruerted it wrested it and belyed it so oft and many tymes in your treatise Maruaill not at this myne inuectyue agaynst your false doctryne As for symple ignoraunce and such frayll weaknesse as accompanyeth the nature of man whether he will or no it may be suffred and borne But wilful spurnyng at gods holy word froward and false belieng therof must nedes be rebuked and improued Your zele for all your holy pretēce is to suppresse gods trueth to mainteine that doctrine which the catholike or vniuersal church of christ neuer receaued and to defend the church malignaūt in hir wickednesse This is manifest by your present practise But god allmightie which soweth the sede of his holy word and dayly increaceth it in the hartes of his faithfull shall though no man els will maynteyne and defende it himselfe We also whom god will not to be ydle shall do our best and be carieng stones to the makyng vp of the wal which ye haue broken downe To the intent that Christ our sauyour maye haue his owne glorye which ye haue robbed him of our prince his honoure and oure neghboure his dewtie To all true Christen readers Faynt not thou in faith deare reader nether waxe colde in loue and charite though the enemies of gods worde be gathered together and growne in to such swarmes Be thou strong in the lorde and in the power of his might And let it not discorage the that the sayd worde is so litle in the estimacion of the world so greatly despised so sore persecuted so wickedly peruerted wrested and belyed so vnthankfully receaued so shamefully denied and so slouthfully folowed Arme thy selfe therfore with the confortable ensamples of the scripture And as touchinge those ioly Nimrottes that persecute gods worde hunting it out of euery corner whetting ther swerdes and bendyng their bowes agaynst it Be thou sure that the god of oure fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob shall do with thē as he euer was wont to do with tirauntes in times past Thou seist thorow out the stories of the holy byble how that like as he turneth some of their hartes from crueltie to mekenesse Euē so with death with fyre with water and with such other his plages destroyeth he them that will nedes despise his warninge Yee breaketh their bowes in peces and killeth thē with ther own swerdes As for Iamnes and Iambres those wicked sorcerers and couetous chaplens that teach cōtrary to gods worde and dissuade the greate mē of the world frō it Their owne wrestinge and belyeng of it must nedes cōfound thē For though ther be many that resist the truth yet whan it is uttered and commeth to light their madnesse as S. Paul saieth shall be manifest vnto all men And as Moses rodd deuoured their roddes in the Kynges presence So likewise the same places of scripture that they alledge for their wicked purpose shall destroye their false doctryne in the face of the world Yee euen as litle honestie as the papistry hath gotten by wresting of Tu es Petrus et cet so small profit are they like to haue for belyeng of other textes Nether is it to be feared but god will do for one parte of his worde asmuch as for another whan he seith his tyme. Concernyng those bely beastes that for no cōmaundement ner promes of god for no example warnyng ner exhortacion will be counsayled but still blaspheme his holy worde thorow their vngodly conuersacion let not that withdrawe the from the waye of righteousnesse Loue not thou Christ the worse though Iudas be a traytoure Sett not thou the lesse by his wholsome doctrine though dogges turne to their vomite and though swine walow in their stinking mire agayne I knowe gentle reader that to all true Christē hartes it is a great tentaciō to se gods holy worde either persecuted belyed or vnthankfully receaued But first remembre thy selfe well by the practyse of all stories whan was it without persecucion Whan was there not one tyraunt or other that exercised all his power strength witte and counsaill against it Whan were the childrē of Israel without some bloudy Edomites Egiptians Assirians Babilonians Philistines or other Secōdly Whan was not gods worde belied peruerted or euell spoken of by one false Prophet or other Were there not heretikes and flatringe chaplens in all ages that withdrue men from the trueth and misreported the straight waies of the lord Thirdly whan were there not some multitudes that pretēding a loue toward Christes word did but folow him for their own belies sake whan was the sede of Christes word sowē but some parte of it fell vpō the stony ground where it withred and among the thornes
A confutacion of that treatise which one John Standish made agaynst the protestacion of D. Barnes in the yeare M. D. XL. Wherin the holy scriptures peruerted and wrested in his sayd treatise are restored to their owne true vnderstonding agayne by Myles Couerdale Iacobi iij. Nolite gloriari mendaces esse aduersus ueritatem To the Reader To all them that either reade or heare gods holy worde and geue ouer them selues to lyue vnfannedly acording to the same do I hartely wysshe the grace peace and mercy of god the father in and thorow oure lorde and onely Sauioure Iesus Christ THe seuenth daye of Decembre was delyuered vnto me a certayne treatyse composed by one Iohn Standish Felow of Whittington college in londoÌ„ so is the tytle of it and prynted by Robert Redeman Anno M. D. XL. iij. Nonas Octobris At the reading wherof I mourned sore within my selfe for certayne occasions offred vnto me in the sande treatyse First that vnder the Kynges priuilege any thing shuld be set forth which is either agaynst the worde and trueth of allmightye god or agaynst the Kynges honoure Secondlye that good wholsome and Christen wordes shulde be calumpniated and reuyled Thirdly that the sayde Iohn Standish pronouncyng Doctoure Barnes to haue taught heresye so longe is not ashamed all this whyle to haue hold his penne but now first to wryte agaynst him whan he is deed et ce As touching the first whether I haue cause to mourne or no I reporte me to all true Christen hertes for as I am credibly enfourmed and as I partly haue sene there is now a wonderful diuersite in writing bokes and balates in England one enueyenge agaynst another one reuylinge and reprouyng another one reioysinge at anothers fall and aduersite And not onely this but also at the ende of euery balate or boke in maner whether it be the better partye or worse is set the Kynges priuilege Which as it is agaynst the glorye of god that one shulde reuyle another Is it not euen so agaynst the Kynges honoure Yee the shame is it of all Englande that vnder his priuilege anye erroneous contentious or slaunderous boke or papyre shulde be prynted Men wonder in other contrees that ther is so greate negligence of this matter in a realme where so wyse and prudent a counsail is â–ª And they that are moued with godly compassioÌ„ do lament Englande sory that ther is so great discencion in it sory that blasphemous ieasting and raylinge balates or bokes agaynst the manifest worde of god shulde either be suffred or priuilegied sory that gods trueth shulde thus spitefully be intreated of so greate a nombre Now the reformacion of this and all other defaultes lyeth onely in the hande of god To whom I referre it and to the rightfull admynistracion of his holy ordinauÌ„ce and auctorite in the kynges hyghnesse who whan he knoweth of the saide inconuenience how tryflinge and raylinge bokes and rymes are prynted vnder his priuilege wyll no doubte set a redresse herein Concernyng the seconde occasion aboue rehearced Is it not cause ynough forme and all other Christen to be right sory to mourne and lamente that the wordes which are good wholsome and acordinge to the holy scripture and Chrisies faith shulde be either blasphemed or taken to the worst Yf the Kynges grace shulde put forthe an wholsome proclamacion iniunction or commaundement as he doth many what true subiecte louynge gods holy ordinaunce and auctorite in his prynce wold not be greue to se anye man either spytt at those his soueraignes wordes or to defye them Yf we now which are Christen haue so iust occsion and are bownde to be thus wise mynded in this outward regiment wherein god hath appoynted us to be obedient to the hyer powers how much more cause haue we to water our eyes with sory hertes whan the proclamacion iniunction coÌ„maundement and worde of him which is kyng of all Kynges and lord of all lordes is thus reuyled and euell spoken of That the wordes of D. Barnes spoken at tbe houre of his death and here vnder written are good wholsome acording to gods holy scripture and not worthy to be euell taken It shalbe euidently sene whan we haue layed theÌ„ to the twych stone and tryed them by gods worde To the open text wherof yf ye take good hede ye shal se the peruerse doctryne and wycked opynions of Standish clerely confuted And no doubte god wyll so haue it because that vnder the pretence of bearing a zeale toward gods worde he taketh apon him to be iudge and geuer of sentence agaynst gods worde and to condemne it that gods worde aloweth And this as I sayde is another cause of the sorynesse of my hert that he which darre auowe another man to be an opeÌ„ heretike is not ashamed thus longe nether to haue written ner openly preached agaynst him by name but now to starte vp whan he is deed Is it not a greate worshippe for him to wrestle with a shadow and to â—â—ll a deed man Is he not a worthy souldyer that all the battayll tyme thrusteth his hand in his bosome and whan meÌ„ are deed then draweth out his swerde and fighteth with them that are slayne allreadye Iudge ye gentle readers yf Standish playeth not such a parte with D. Barnes To whom also he imputeth treason and yet proueth neuer a poynte therof agaynst him Yet were it as charitable a dede to confute all treason and to geue us warnynge of it by name as either to establishe false doctryne or to enueye agaynst good sayenges Yee a Christen and charitable acte were it in reprouyng anye traytoure to tell the Kynges subiectes in what thing he committed the treason that they maye beware of the same But thus doth not Standishe here in this his treatise which because it is buylded on sande and on a false foundacioÌ„ I doubte not but with gods worde which is the swerde of the sprete and a weapen mighty to ouerthrow euery ymaginacion that exalteth it selfe agaynst the knowlege of god To geue it a fall and with holy scripture to shewe euydently that Standishe hath farre ouershott himselfe in condemnynge the sayenges which gods word doth not disalowe He that wolde wryte agaynst anye man shulde leuell his ordinaunce agaynst his euell wordes yf he had spoken or written anye and not agaynst his good wordes ffor god is the authoure of all good which as his holy scripture aloweth so will he himselfe defende the same He that is therfore an enemye to the thinge which is good or resisteth it is gods aduersary and withstondeth him Wherfore let Standish froÌ„ hensforth and all other beware that they take no parte agaynst gods worde ner defende any false matter lest god be the auenger ffor yf the lyon begynne to roare he will make all his enemies afrayed And yf D. Barnes dyed a true Christen man be ye sure his death shalbe a greater
stroke to ypocrisye then euer his life coulde haue bene Yf he was falsly accused to the Kynges highnesse and so put to death woo shall come to those accusers yf they repent not by tymes And yf D. Barnes in his hert mouth and dede committed no worse thinge towarde the Kynges highnesse then he committed agaynst god in these his wordes at his death he is like at the later daye to be a iudge ouer them that were cause of his death yf they do not amende Now indifferent reader to the intent that thou mayest the more clearly discerne light frō darknesse and knowe gods true worde from false docrine I shall whan I haue sayde somwhat to Standish preface rehearce vnto the. D. Barnes wordes Secondly though I rehearce not vnto the all Standish wordes lest I shuld make to greate a boke I shall poynte the to the begynning of his sentence requyring the yf thou wilt to reade out the rest thy selfe in his treatise Thirdly though he hath desserued to be roughly handled yet do I purpose by gods onely grace to deale more gently with him beynge alyue then he doth with the deed This interpryse now as I take in hand agaynst Standishe in this behalfe so am I ready to do the same agaynst the greate graundsire and captaine of false teachers I meane greate Goliath of Rome and his weapen-bearer That is agaynst all such as are enemies to Kynge Dauid oure lorde Iesus Christ for whose moost confortable sprete gentle reader I beseche the to praie with me vnto our moost deare father in heauen whose name be praysid whose kyngdome come whose onely wyll be fulfilled now and euer Amen Here Foloweth the Preface of Iohn Standish to the reader Standish TO se the most victoryous and noble Prynce oure soueraigne lorde the kyng labourynge and watchinge contynually wyth all diligent studye to expulse and dryue out I maye saye to pourge and clense this his catholike regyon etce Couerdale Though ye abuse youre termes in reporting that the Kyng goeth about to expell and dryue out his catholike region I will impute those youre wordes to the weaknesse of youre brayne and to the seacenesse of honest eloquence therin But yf the Kynges laboure watching and diligent studye in pourging and clensyng his realme from all heresies and scismes be occasion sufficient as it is in dede to compell euery true subiecte to helpe vnto the same why haue ye then bene so slack therin all this while Youre owne wordes bring yo in to a shrewd suspicion For ye knowe and haue sene with your eyes that the kyng hath these many yeares bene labouring and busie in abolishing out of his realme the vsurped power of the. B. of Rome his manifolde sectes of false religions his worshipping of ymages his disceatfull pardons his ydolatrye and pilgremages etc. Were not all these great heresies and scismes Or can ye excuse your selfe of ignoraunce that ye haue not sene how the Kyng hath laboured in putting downe the same Yf ye then be a writer against heresies and scismes why haue ye written agaynst none of these all this while Thus euery man which readeth your wordes maye se that ye haue bewraied your selfe to be a fauourer of such thinges Standish Wherfore maruayll not gentle reader etc. Couerdale Contrary now to your request wil euery man maruail at you not onely because ye declare your selfe to haue borne all this whyle no ryght loue toward gods word to the saluacion of mens soules ner to the dewtye that ye owe to your prynce but also because that now thorow the occasion of a poore mans deeth ye first starte vp to wryte as though the Kyng had put downe no heresies afore D. Barnes dyed Is this the zele that ye bear toward gods word and towarde his people Such a zele had they of whom the Apostle speaketh to the Galathians sayenge They haue no good zele vnto you but wolde thrust you out namely from the trueth that ye might be feruent to them ward Where as ye write the daye and yeare of D. Barnes death it increaseth your owne confusion and shall be a cleare testimonye agaynst youre selfe for resistinge those good wordes of his protestacion yf ye forsake not youre heresye in tyme. Yee euen by youre owne penne haue ye brought it to pas that it shall not be forgotten till the worldes ende what a Christen testament and last will D. Barnes made at his death and how paciently he forsoke this life Standish FOr in his protestacion is both conteyned heresye and treason Couerdale For saie ye in his protestaciō et cet Is that the cause why ye do enterpryse and take in hande to wryte agaynst it Then verely declare ye youre selfe not onely to be parcial but also a fauourer of heresye and treason knowinge so many to haue bene attaynted therof within these seuen yeares Standish ALlbeit do not thynke that I wryte this thorow anye malyce toward him that is burned etc. Couerdale He that compareth youre wordes to your dede shall soone perceaue that ye haue cast milk in youre owne face and that for all youre holy pretence some spice of Cainish stomake hath made you now do more then all the Kynges noble actes in abolishinge the saide abuses coulde make you do many yeares afore though the same yf ye were a true subiecte were by youre owne confession sufficient cause for you so to do Howbeit it is not I that go aboute to laye malice to youre charge youre awne acte is not your best frende I praye god your conscience accuse you not therof But why take ye god to recorde in a false matter Do ye not confesse yourselfe that the Kynges graces laboure watchinge and diligent studie is the thinge that causeth and compelleth you to write against D. Barnes protestacion and that thorow the loue and feruent zele ye beare towarde gods word and the saluacion of mens soules et cete And now take ye god to recorde that ye do it for feare lest the people schulde be infecte 〈◊〉 the multitude of copies of the saide protestacion Against the which feare I knowe none other comforte for you as longe as ye will not harken vnto gods worde but that wisdome it selfe geueth you in Salomons Prouerbes Namely that the thing which ye feare shal come vpon you and euen it that ye are afrayed of shall fall in sodenly amonge you This am I certified of not onely by the same place of scripture but euen by this youre present acte in putting forth youre treatise to be printed with and against the saide protestaciō For yf ye feare the great infection of the people thorow the multitude of copies therof why caused ye it to be printed or any man els for you Is the printing of the saide protestacion the nexte waie to kepe copies therof from the people Ye maie well haue witte but sure ye lacke policie Such a like wise waie was takē in England within these
Couerdale I answere By youre owne wordes then it foloweth not that he was bounde to accuse and cōdemne himselfe of the thinges that he had not offended in But by youre leue where as ye bring in this text of S. Paul Si nos ipsos et cetera ye peruerte it not alledginge it as it standeth but thus Si nos ipsos iudicaremus non vtique diiudicaremur a Domino That is to saie Yf we iudged oure selues we shulde not be iudged of the lorde But. S Pauls wordes are these Quod si nos ipsos diiudicaremus non vtique iudicaremur Dum iudicamur autem a Domino corripimur ne cum hoc mundo damnemur That is to saie Yf we wolde iudge or reproue oure selues we shulde not be iudged But whan we are iudged we are chastened of the lorde lest we shulde be damned with this worlde Wherfore the peruerting of this texte now at the first bront causeth me the more to suspecte you and to trust you the worse because the deuell himselfe is scolemaster to such chopping vp of the texte As we maie se in the gospell of Mathew and Luke Now go to Yf I finde anie moo such iugling castes with you ye are like to heare of it afore I come to the ende of your boke For weaknesse and ignoraunce can I well awaie withall so longe as it is not wilfull but the peruerting or choppinge vp of a text of holy scripture is not to be borne vnrebuked Standishe Marke here how he vseth Ironia et cetera Couerdale Ye confesse that D. Barnes in his forsaide wordes doth vse ironia and yet contrary to the significacion of the worde ye are not ashamed to affirme that he confessed herewithall both heresie and erroneous opinions Now is ironia asmuch to saie as a mockage derision or meaning of another thinge then is expressed in the wordes Which maner of speakynge is much vsed not onely thorow out the Prophetes in holy scripture but also among the Heithen Poetes And the same phrase of speche haue we in Englische As whan a man saieth to ashrewde boie Come hither good sir ye are a vertuous childe in dede et cete meaninge nothinge lesse For asmuch then as ye your selfe cōfesse that D. Barnes doth here vse ironia it is euidēt that whan he saide these wordes You shall perceaue what erroneous opynions I holde his meaninge was how that the people shulde know that he helde no erroneous opinions As it appeareth by these his wordes folowinge Barnes GOd I take to recorde I neuer to my knowlege taught any erroneous doctrine but onely those thinges which scripture led me vnto Standishe Iustly pondre by the Prophet Psal cxl how greuous offence is partinax excusatio in peccatis et cet Couerdale Like as ye can not iustly laie anie partinacite to D. Barnes for those his wordes so proue ye the greuousnesse therof full slenderly out of the cxl Psalme yf the true readinge of the text be wel and iustly pondred Where as he taketh god to recorde in the trueth of so waightye a matter the scripture is full of holy ensamples that beare him therin What partinacite is there then in that acte He durst avowe also that to his knowlege he neuer taught anie erroneous doctrine and yet are ye not ashamed to ascrybe partinacite vnto him and to call him an obstinate heretike where as S. Hierome in his fourth boke the xxiiij chapter vpon Mathew writeth thus He is an heretike that vnder Christes name teacheth the thinges which are agaynst Christ Yf. D. Barnes therfore had wittingly and willingy taught anye thing against Christ ye might haue laied great partinacite to his charge Trueth it is that he beinge in ignoraunce and disceaued somtime by a multitude as you be did both erre and teach erroneous doctrine for the preferrement of the. B. of Romes vsurped auctorite and other abuses acording as many other lerned men moo in the realme haue done which haue sens both repēted toward god and also receaued the Kynges gracious pardon many yeares agoo Againe yf ye will laie partinacite to his charge because he was somtime in such grosse ignoraunce by the same argument might ye condemne Christes disciples of whose ignoraunce mencion is made in many places of the new Testament I saie not this to excuse ignoraunce but to reprehende the rashnesse of youre iudgment which presume to condemne them whō god hath called to repentaunce But peraduenture the pertinacite that ye laye to his charge is because he saieth he taught onely those thinges which scripture led him vnto For that is no small corsie to youre sore Ye wolde not haue scripture taught onely without other doctrines Neuertheles they that loue gods commaundement will teach nothinge but his worde onely for so hath he himselfe geuen cōmission Of his promises is mencion made both in Hieremie and in the gospell of Matthew As for ensamples we haue sufficiēt both of the Prophetes and Apostles which to die for it wold teach nothinge but scripture Reade the thirtēth chapter of the seconde Epistle to the Corinthians the fiftenth to the Romaines and the moost godly protestacion that S. Peter maketh in his seconde Epistle Let us geue place and cōsente to the holy scripture saieih S. Augustine for it can nether disceaue ner be disceaued The bisshoppes also and clergie of England in the Epistle of their boke to the Kynges grace do affirme that holy scripture alone sheweth men the right path to come to god to se him to knowe him to loue him to serue him and so to serue him as he moost desireth Wherfore they are rather obstinate agaynst god which in steade of his onely worde preach and teach other doctrines But let us heare what D. Barnes saieth more Barnes And that in my sermons I neuer mayntayned any erroure nether moued ner gaue occasion of anye insurrection Standish What blyndnesse wolde he leade us in to Who hath not heard him preach agaynst all the ordinaunce of Christes church et cete Couerdale As for blindnesse ye nede no leader to bring you in to it oure lorde whan his will is bringe you out of it This man toke god to recorde that he neuer mainteined anye erroure Wherby like as he denied not but that he might erre as he did erre grosly whan he lyued in the Papistry euen so lefte he us an ensample to forsake all errours and to maynteyne none Call ye this a leadinge in to blyndnesse Then farewell all good ensamples of humilite and repentaunce To the other parte of youre cauillacion I answere It wolde be to longe a registre for you to rehearce the names of all those which neuer heard D Barnes preach agaynst the ordinaunce of Christes church I also am one of them which haue heard him as oft as euer dyd ye and yet as I hope to haue my parte of gods mercy in Christes bloude I neuer heard
euery man in his callynge to geue no occasion of fallinge vnto eny man to mortifye their erthly membres et cet acording to the wholsome doctrine of the Apostle Call ye this a preaching of a fleshly and carnall libertye Is this a doctrine that maketh men renne at ryote and to do what they list I wondre verely that ye shame not thus to belye the trueth so oft As pertayninge to youre blasphemye whiche saie that it is a damnable iustificacioÌ„ where faith is preached onely to iustifye it is damnably spoken of you yee though an aungell of heauen shuld speake it yf holy S. Paul be true which saieth he ought to be holden accursed that preacheth any other gospell then that he himselfe and the other Apostles had preached Yf ye of a cancred hatred to the trueth haue not wilfully and maliciously taken parte agaynst the holy goost so that ye are but led ignorauntly by a blind multitude to affirme the saide inconuenience I praie god lende you a clearer fight in the Kyngdone of Christ But yf ye be mynded as were the Pharises and maliciously ascribe damnacion to it wherby onely we receaue saluacion as they ascribed vnto the deuell it that was the onely workynge of the holy goost then am I sore afrayed for you and for as many as are of that mynde For yf it be damnable to teach or preach wittingly agaynst the expresse worde of god then verely is this a damnable heresye to affirme that faith onely doth not iustifye seynge that holy scripture so teacheth As Gene. xv Esa liij Abac. ij Mar. xvj Luc. j. viij.xxiiij Iohn v. xvij Acto xiij xvj· Rom. iij. iiij.v.x Gal. ij iij.iiij.v Philip. iij.j. Pet. j. ij Heb. iiij xj Of this faith that scripture speaketh of so plentifully haue I made sufficient mencion in the prologe of that litle boke which I lately put forth in Englische concernynge the true olde faith of Christ Now like as the scriptures afore alledged do testifye for us that we meane no false ner vayne faith euen so is the same article of iustificacion defended and maynteyned by the doctous in many and sondrye places specially by S. Augustine in the ccclij chapter de vera innocentia De verbis Domini sermone .xl. De verbis Apostoli ser xxvij In the boke of the fiftye sermons the xvij sermon In the first boke of the retractes the xxiij chapter In the cv Epistle vnto Sixtus the bisshoppe In the xxv treatise vpon Iohn the sixte chapter In his manualle the xxij and xxiij chapter In the exposicion of the lxvij and of the lxx Psalme In the liij sermon de tempore In the v boke of his homelis the xvij homelye In the boke of the lxxxiij questions the lxvj chapter And in the prologe of the xxxj Psalme I might alledge Cyrillus Ambrose Origen Hilarius Bernarde Athanasius with other moo but what helpeth it Yet shall all the world know that youre heresye is not onely condemned by the open and manifest scripture but also by many of the doctours As for naturall reason it fighteth clerely agaynst you also yf ye pondre well the parable of the mariage in the xxij of Matthew and in the xiiij of luke the parable of the vnthriftie sonne in the xv of Luke the parable also of the detter in the xviij oâ— Matthew and in the seuenth of Luke Where as it was laied to D. Barnes charge how that he shulde teach that god is the authour of synne verely he protested openly at S. Mary spitle the tewesdaye in easter weke that he was neuer of that mynde howbeit he confessed as the trueth is that where as in his boke he had wrytten of predestinacion and fre will ther was occasion taken of him by his writynge that he shulde so meane But verely yf he had in that matter bene as circuÌ„specte as the children of this worlde are wyse in their generacion he might the better haue auoided the capciousnesse of men afore hand Neuertheles it appeareth planely that he mistrusted no such thing and therfore dyd to moch simplicite disceaue him in that behalfe as it doth many moo which are not so wyse as serpentes Nether fynde ye in all his boke these wordes God is the authoure of synne but ye maie fynde these wordes The gouerner of al thinges is most wise moost rightous and most merciful and so wyse that nothinge that he doth can be amended so righteous that there can be no suspicion in him of vnrighteousnesse et cet â–ª Item All thing that he doth is well done Whâ—â—fore yf they that laied that heresye to D. Barnes charge had remembred their owne distinction of malum pene and malum culpe at the reading of his wordes aswell as they can note it in other places they might easely haue perceaued his meanynge and not haue mistaken him Ye saye also D. Barnes dyd preach that workes do not profit Yf ye meane workes inuented by mens owne braynes not grounded on gods worde then verely might he well saye that such workes do not profit to saluacion For what soeuer is not of faith is sinne But yf ye meane such good workes as are coÌ„prehended in the coÌ„maundementes of god and within the precyncte of his word then truly ye fayle so to reporte of him for though saluacion be gods worke onely yet D. Barnes in his boke doth not onely condemne the fleshly and damnable reason of them which saye Yf faith onely iustifieth what nede we to do anye good workes et cet But also he affirmeth planely that we must nedes do them and that they which will not do theÌ„ because they be iustified alonely by faith are not the children of god ner childrne of iustificacion et ce For yf they were the very true children of god they wolde be the gladder to do good workes et cet Therfore saieth he shulde they also be moued frely to worke yf it were for none other purpose ner profit but onely to do the will of their merciful god that hath sâ—â—â—ely iustified them and also to profit their neghboure whoÌ„ they are bounde to serue of very true charite Are these wordes now asmuch to saye as workes do not profit Lorde god what meane ye thus vntruly to reporte of the deed Where as ye make this blynde obiection and saye of workes profit not so that faith onely iustifieth and Christes death be sufficient then penÌ„aunce is voyde and superfluous I answere A goodly consequent gathered nether of wittye sophistry wyse logyek ner of good Philosophy excepte it be of Philosophy vnnatural no ner of right diuynite Workes profit not to saluation ergo they profit nothing at all Is this a praty consequent Youre consequent is naught saieth S. Peter for by good workes must ye make your vocacion certayne and sure Alike argumeÌ„t might ye make after this maner and saye Yron is not profitable to chew or
called us saieth the scripture vnto good wordes to walke in them but not to make our sauioure or satisfaction to god of them Standishe Christ Luke xj whan he had rebuked the Pharises for their vyce sayde date elemosinam et omnia munda sunt vobis Couerdale That texte yf it be not ironia proueth that we are bound to do good workes to the which though god ioyne his louing promes as he doth comonly thorow out the scripture yet calleth he not them the satisfaction to him for sinnes But like as in the lviij of Esa the holy goost rebuketh the supersticion and ypocrisie of the Iewes that had fallen to workes of their owne inuentynge and then telleth them the true fast and good workes which god requireth addynge a louinge promes to the fulfillers therof Euen so doth oure sauioure here in this chapter For whan the Pharise was so supersticious that he maruayled why he wasshed not his handes afore dyner then sayde he vnto him Now do ye Pharises make cleane the outsyde of the cuppe and platter but your inward partes are full of robbery and wickednesse et cet Neuertheles geue allmes of that ye haue and behold all thinges are cleane vnto you Lo now first he rebuketh their supersticion secondly sheweth them what good workes he aloweth cōmaunding thē to do the same And thirdly addeth a promes therto Standishe And the preacher Eccl. xxj Fili peccastic et ce Couerdale Those are not the wordes of the preacher whō the scripture calleth Ecclesiastes but they are the wordes of Iesus Syrack saienge My sonne hast thou fallen vnto synne Do nomore so but praie instantly for thy former synnes that they maie be forgeuē the. Flie from sinnes euē as thou woldest flie from a non some serpent et cet This text then proueth nomore your fained satisfactiō then it proueth the Iewes circumcision And like as your fond alledging of it declareth that ye are an hider of the scripture from the vnlerned so proueth the holy goost in the texte that yf we haue broken the profession of our baptime and be fallē vnto sinne we shall do nomore so but cōuerte and turne vnto god cōtinuing in the feare of him and in feruent praier to be at the staues end with sin̄e and to abhorre it all the daies of our life Standishe He that thinketh this insufficient et cet Couerdale Suspectinge as it apeareth that your wresting of the former scriptures will not be taken for a sufficient profe of youre fained satisfaction ye bringe in ensamples of Dauid Moses Aaron and the children of Israel as though their punishment had bene their satisfaction But where finde ye that in anie of those places of scripture Yf ye saie Why doth god thē punishe after that he hath remitted the fault I answere Like as he is the father of mercy and god of all comforte so doth he correcte and chasten his owne yee exerciseth and trieth them as the gold in the fire partly because he loueth thē and partly for the ensample of other that they maie beware of such falles The same ensamples therfore that ye bring in make clerely against you and proue manifestly that ye are but blinde and ignoraunt of the scriptures For the Apostle speakynge of the same children of Israel and of their punishment saieth planely that all such happened vnto them for ensamples but are written to warne us that we shulde not lust after euell thinges as they lusted that we shulde not be worshippers of ymages that we shulde not committe whordome that we shulde not tēpte Christ ner murmour against him as they dyd Shame ye not then so vnreuerently to handle the holy worde of the liuinge god Standishe Forthermore Daniel cap. iiij exhorteth Nabuchodonosor et cet Couerdale Yf that texte shulde proue anie satisfaction to be done by man to god as it proueth oure dewtie to oure poore neghbours it shuld rather mainteine a satisfaction for sinne then for the paine belonging to sinne for the texte speaketh of sinnes and iniquities and maketh mencion of no punishmēt Haue ye no better iudgmēt ner clearer sight in discerning of a texte Ye maie be ashamed verely The wordes of Daniel as they include in them a commaundement to do allmes dedes and shew mercy to the poore which thing euery man is bound to do so include they in them a louyng promes to all such as are mercifull in distributing to them that lack helpe And as it is an eternall worshippe for them that folowe this most wholsome counsaill of the Prophet so is it a shame and perpetuall confusion to all churlish hartes and vnkynde people specially to couetous princes rulers and riche men that will not do their best in prouidinge for the poore after the ensample of Daniel who no doubte seinge so many poore presoners and helplesse people driuen frō Iewry to Babilon had a singular respecte to their necessite and therfore spake to the Kyng in their cause Which thing wold god they that are great with princes or of their counsaill were as diligēt to do as they are to make sute in their owne priuate causes And doutlesse they wolde be the more enclined so to do yf it were not for you and such other which alledge not the scripture to such purpose as the holy goost hath caused it to be written for but frowardly wrest it for the mayntenaunce of your owne fond opinions Standish Loke also Ionas iij. what satisfaction the Niniuites made et cet Couerdale The texte declareth that god first sendeth his word which whan it is preached as it was by Ionas the Prophet then the children of saluacion beleue after the ensample of the Niniuites and ernestly turne vnto god from their olde euell waye and from that tyme forth geue ouer them selues wholy to all maner of good workes Then god approueth and aloweth their workes accepteth them hath mercy of them and poureth not vpon them the wrathe that he hath threatened to such as will not repent This is the summe of that whole thirde chapter of the Prophet Ionas But in all the texte is ther no mencion made of anie such satisfaction as you fayne Is it not an vngodly thinge then so to wrest and wringe the scripture violently The euerliuinge and mercifull god amende it It were greatly to be wisshed that like as the Kynge of the Niniuites receauinge gods worde made a proclamacion for all his subiectes to fast and praie ther were euen such restraintes made likewise in euery countre that noman shulde wrest the scripture of god ner alledge anie thing ther of which may not iustly be gathered by the wordes of the holy goost that is that no man shulde belie the text Standish This satisfaction Paul speaketh of Rom. xij Obsecro vos et cet Couerdale I besech you brethren saieth the Apostle for the mercy of god that ye will geue ouer your bodies to be a liuing holy
and acceptable sacrifice to god which is your reasonable seruinge of god And fashion not your selues like vnto this worlde but be chaunged thorow the renewinge of your minde These are S. Pauls wordes which as ye partly hide from the vnlerned so cut ye them very short lest I feare yf we heard out S. Pauls minde we shulde vnderstond him the better S. Pauls doctrine is that we must mortifie oure bodies but to what intent To make any such satisfaction as ye wolde proue Naie so saieth not the texte but to the intent that we maie serue god as we shuld serue him to forsake vanite and to be altred frō an euel minde to a good Euen so like wise saieth the other text which I must English for you in the sixte to the Romaines Like as ye haue in times past geuen ouer youre membres to serue sinne from one wickednesse to another so must ye now geue ouer youre membres to serue righteousnesse that ye maie be holy That ye maie be holy saieth he and speaketh of no such satisfaction as ye inuente Standish Yf I do not thus satisfie then I shall haue the rewarde and paine belonging to sinne et cet Couerdale To the intent that ye maye spie the better in what case ye stand by your awne wordes I praie god ye maie loke to your selfe by times as a Christen man shulde I will make you an argument or two out of the scripture To deliuer from eternall death is to satisfie for the paine due vnto sinne But Christ onely deliuereth frō eternall death Ergo Christ onely satisfieth for the payne due vnto sinne The maior is manifeste by S. Paul whom ye youre selfe alledge saienge The rewarde of sinne is death euen eternall death by youre owne confession The minor is proued by the Prophet and by the Apostle Of these two premisses gather you the conclusion Another argument By what one so euer we are deliuered from the wrath of god both past and for to come by the same is made sufficient satisfactiō for the paine due vnto oure synne But Christ onely deliuereth us from the wrath of god both past and for to come Ergo he onely satisfieth for the paine due vnto our sinne The Maior is manifest for the payne due vnto sinne is the wrath and indignacion of god The Minor is euident by the Apostle first that we are deliuered onely by Christ frō the wrath of god past for he hath made the peace betwene his heauenly father and us and by him is the father reconciled Secondly that we are deliuered by him from the wrath to come it is cleare Rom. v. and j. Tessa j. By these two premisses maie you gather the conclusion Now to youre wordes To satisfie for the payne due vnto sinne is the onely office of Christ But ye take vpon you to satisfie for the payne due vnto sinne Ergo ye take vpon you the office of Christ The Maior is proued by the scriptures alledged afore in the two first argumentes The minor is gathered of your owne playne wordes Of these two foloweth the conclusion Then thus Ye saie that yf ye do not thus satisfie ye shall haue eternall death But so ye can not do for it is the onely office of Christ Ergo ye shall haue eternall death Beholde now what a daungerous case ye be in by your awne wordes Alas man that euer ye shulde be so blind as to sit thus in iudgment and to geue sentence agaynst youre owne soule that Christ hath shed his bloude for yf ye cōforme your selfe to be partaker therof Who wolde not note me to be fiue mile fro my right witte yf I shulde make such an argument and saie thus Yf I be not Christ the sonne of god I shall haue eternall death and damnacion But so it is that I am not Christ Ergo et cete Yf I shulde thus beleue and affirme this Maior wolde not ye abhorre me Turne therfore turne for gods sake in to youre owne conscience and rebuke it ernestly betwene god and you for suffring either your hand to write or youre mouth to speake anie such inconuenience Standish And now of this satisfaction finally to conclude yf there were nede of no satisfaction after by repentaunce we be come in to the fauoure agayne with god why then did Christ saie Luke vij to them that loue much many sinnes are forgeuē and to them that loue litle fewer sinnes are forgeuen Couerdale Youre opinion vpon that place of the gospell doth utterly destroie the parable of the lender and two detters yee and Simōs answere which oure sauioure Christ aloweth For Simon saieth that to whom most is forgeuen the same loueth most And againe our sauioure sayeth Vnto whom lesse is forgeuen the same loueth lesse By the which two sentences euery man maie easely perceaue that the text speaketh of no such satisfactiō as ye ymagin But I haue spied you now at the last O very cruell enemies to gods holy worde how falsely haue ye peruerted and turned oure sauiours wordes to mainteine youre heresie withall Can not Christes wordes stand in the gospell for you as he spake them and as the Euangelist wrote thē but ye must teach him how he shulde saie Doth he saie in that place To them that loue much many sinnes are forgeuē and to them that loue litle fewer sinnes are forgeuen Naie verely these are his wordes Many synnes are forgeuen her for she hath loued much But vnto whom lesse is forgeuen the same loueth lesse Will ye still then take vpon you to controlle the holy goost Well beware that this your iugling come not to light Beware I saie that the breth of god blow not downe youre house for a rotten foundacion can not stand long Take hede by times and saie ye be warned Standish This sayenge can not be concernynge culpam et cet Couerdale Oure sauiour speaketh of sinnes and of forgeuing the sinnes And yet are ye not ashamed to affirme that his saieng can not be concerning the faulte but concerning the punishment Can not Christ speake a thinge and meane the same Can he not be true in his wordes O blaphemers of the sonne of god Yee and of that blessed woman Mary Magdalene which must nedes be yet in hir olde faultes and a sinner still yf he meant not as he saide yf his saienge were not concerning the fault whan he spake these wordes Many sinnes are forgeuen her et cet Standishe Wherby we se that post remissam culpam et cetera Couerdale Ye haue here to fore called this satisfactiō the workes of pennaunce and now saie ye but in latyn that there remaineth somtyme a dutye of punishment to be pourged or reconciled with a worthy satisfaction Which yf it be a worke of pennaunce what time can ye assigne me in the which I am not boūd to be exercised in some frute therof
vpon him The xviij of Matthew is euidēt hat who so euer conuerteth from his sinne all mightie god will not that he shall perishe Item that like as all true penitent sinners haue their det frely forgeuen them so shall they be partakers of the same forgeuenesse still yf they will hartely do vnto other as they are dealt withall them selues These places of scripture though ye tell not forth the wordes are of your owne alledging and yet are ye not ashamed to write yee euen of penitentes that none of their sinnes shalbe vnpunished Now is it manifest in the said chapter of Ezechiel that like as god will not rewarde their good dedes that forsake him and turne awaye agayne to their vomite of wickednesse So will he not thincke vpon their sinnes that truly conuerte therfrom vnto him Yet call ye them happie that punishe them selues and take vpon them to be satisfactours in that behalfe As though it were a blessed thinge for men to laie crosses vpon their owne backes Thus by your iudgment were Baals prestes happie and the ypocrites that the Prophet Esaie speaketh of O disceatfull teachers Full well might the Prophet saie vnto gods people of England in this behalfe O my people they that call the happie do but disceaue the and marre the waie that thou shuldest go in Now let us heare more of D. Barnes wordes Barnes ANd that no worke of man dyd deserue any thing of god but onely his passion as touching our iustificacion Standishe This maner of iustificacion planely appeareth to be false euen by that one place yf we had no mo of Cornelius Acto x. et cet Couerdale The wordes of the text are these There was at Cesarea a man named Cornelius a captayne of the Italianish company a deuoute man and one that feared god with all his house and gaue much allmes to the people and praied god alwaie The text saieth in ordre first that Cornelius was a deuoute man and feared god with all his house and then speaketh it of his good workes as allmes praier et cet Wherby it is manifest that he himself was first accepted of god and iustified for as S. Peter saieth afterward in the same chapter god hath no respecte of personnes but in all people he that feareth him and worketh righteousnesse is accepted vnto him And as the Prophet saieth The straungers gentiles or Heithen which cleue vnto the lorde in worshippinge him and louing his name are accepted vnto him as his owne seruauntes Againe The scripture saieth They that feare the lord geue credence to his worde And without faith it is not possible to please god Item what so euer is not of faith is sinne By this is it manifest that those good workes of Cornelius were frutes of his faith and of the feare of god and he iustified afore he dyd them Ye confessed also afore that fastinge prayer and allmes dedes are the frutes of pennaunce then must ye nedes graunt that the tre was afore them This text then proueth not that oure iustificacion deserued onely by the death of Christ is a false iustificacion ner that Cornelius workes deserued much of allmightie god afore he was iustified For as I shall rehearce afterwarde ye confesse your selfe not onely that we are iustified frely but also that god first geueth us grace without which we can do nothing that is good Standish As did the worke of Kyng Ezechie iiij Re. xx et cet Couerdale Your purpose is by the ensample of Ezechias to proue that oure workes deserue much of allmightie god afore we be iustified And that worke of Ezechias which ye alledge was done long after his iustificaciō For the texte saieth that whan he laie sore sicke the Prophet Esay came to him and tolde him the message of god And that he thē made his feruēt praier and wepte After the which god sent him word that he had heard his praier and sene his teares et cet And afore in the same boke it is euident that the same Kyng Ezechias dyd the thing that was good in the sight of the lorde acording as his father Dauid had done put his trust in the lorde god of Israel et cet cleued vnto the lord went not out of his pathes but dyd acording to all the preceptes that god had commaunded Moses and therfore saieth the texte was the lorde with him in all that he toke in hand Wherfore by the circumstaunce of the text it is manifest that Ezechias was iustified afore he laie sicke and that his praier was a worthy frute of his repētaunce long after he was iustified and no worke that deserued anye thing afore his iustificacion Nether dyd his praier ner the work of the Niniuites chaunge the sentence of god for god is nether chaungeable ner double in his wordes But like as afore the Niniuites beleued in him he first sent his word and thretened them that yf they wold not conuerte their citie shulde be destroyed after fortye daies Euen so whan Ezechias was fallen in to sinne god threatened him that yf he wold not repent he shuld dye And like as god whan we receaue his worde ernestly beleue stedfastly in him and bring forth good workes doth accepte us as he dyd the Niniuites Euen so though we haue fallen from the professiō of our faith yet yf we now do ernestly repent and conuerte he is mercifull and true to forgeue us oure sinnes and to graunt us oure peticion after the ensample of Ezechias At whom like as all kynges and princes maie take instructiō of good gouernaunce Euen so in him haue all other sinners that haue broken their couenaunt with god a very notable ensample of true repentaunce But how rimeth the ensample ether of Ezechias or of the Niniuites for the probacion of youre purpose Dyd either Ezechias after he was fallen in to sinne or the Niniuites afore they beleued deserue any thinge of god Or doth anie of both these ensamples proue that oure iustificacion deserued onely by the death of Christ is a false iustificacion Afore in the tenth leafe of your treatise ye alledge the ensample of the Niniuites to proue that after the sinne is forgeuen we must make satisfaction vnto god for the paine due ther vnto And now bring ye the same in to proue that our workes maie deserue much of allmightie god afore we be iustified Yf this be not a mockyng with gods worde let them iudge that are lerned therin Standish Scripture is full of such ensamples et cete Couerdale Scripture is full of ensamples bot to bring us vnto the faith of Christ and also to make us ryse vp by true repentaunce whan we are fallen from the same But in all the scripture finde ye no ensample that teacheth you to call oure iustificaciō deserued onely by the death of Christ a false iustificacion or to affirme that
we maye deserue much of allmightie god afore we bâ—â—â—â—tified And yet wold ye faine proue the same yee euen by the ensamples of those that were iustified afore Standish Notwithstanding I am not ignoraunt of the ordre of oure iustificacion et cet Couerdale Are ye not ignoraunt what ordre god taketh in iustifieng his people and will yet teach the contrary The more shame for you Now maie euery man that noteth your former doctrine perceaue euidently that ye are a wilfull teacher agaynst the ordre of oure iustificacioÌ„ For yf god first of his mercy onely geueth us grace without which we can do no good thing then teach ye contrary to this ordre whan ye saie that mens workes deserue much of allmighte god afore then be iustified Thus doth your awne doctrine proue you not onely to be contrary to your selfe but also a wilfull breaker of godly ordre Standishe Ille prior dilerit nos j. Iohn iiij non dilectus dilerit et cet Couerdale Here in this place of your treatise ye make aloÌ„g processe in latyn which as it is foÌ„dly printed and patched of you with litle morsels of scripture so do the same make clearly against your purpose Ye graunt that god first loued us afore we loued him And that Christ died for us whan we were yet sinÌ„ers Which yf it be true then is it manifest that god first forgaue us for Christes sake Yf he first forgaue us then is your doctrine false whan ye call it against the ordre of our sauiours praier that we must be forgeuen of god afore we can forgeue And that oure iustificacion deserued onely by the death of Christ is a false iustificacion seing ye confesse also that the mercy of god goeth both before and behinde us and that we are frely iustified Where as ye graunt also that thorow faith we opteine the grace of god how agreeth that with your former doctryne agaynst the iustificacion of faith Yee euen the same third chapter to the Romaines that ye here alledge is against you for S. Pauls wordes are these The righteousnesse of god commeth by the faith of Iesus Christ vnto all and vpon all them that beleue et cet Item Frely are they iustified euen by his grace thorow the redempcion that is in Christ Iesu whom god hath set forth to be the merciseate thorow faith in his bloude et cet Barnes FOr I knowlege the best worke that euer I did is vnpure and vnperfecte Standish Takyng this saieng as it is Iob. xxv et cet Couerdale Take D. Barnes wordes none otherwise then he spake them and let them be tried by the same place of scripture that ye alledge where Baldad the Suhite saieth thus Maie a man compared to god be iustified Or can he that is borne of a woman apeare cleane Beholde the mone is not cleare and the starres are not cleane in his sight How much more man which is corrupcion and the sonÌ„e of man a worme And in the ix chapter saieth Iob himselfe planely God is he whose wrathe no man maie resiste and vnder whom are subdued the proude of the worlde Who am I then to answere him or to talke with him in my wordes Yee and though I haue anie righteous thing I will not answere but make mine humble supplicacioÌ„ to my iudge et cet Yf equite of iudgmeÌ„t be required no man darre beare recorde on my side Yf I will iustifie miselfe myne owne mouth shall condemne me Yf I will shew my selfe innocent he shall declare me to be naught Do not these scriptures proue now that in coÌ„sideracion of gods iudgment all mens workes are vnpure and vnperfecte Standish Vnde Esay lxiiij omnes nos immundi et qua si pannus menstruate but thus to his purpos it can not be taken et cet Couerdale What meane ye man so peruersly to handle with the deed D. Barnes confessed as appeareth by his wordes that the best workes which were done by him vpoÌ„ erth in this corrupte body were not so purely and perfectly done as the equite of gods lawe requireth and therfore as appeareth afterward in coÌ„sideracioÌ„ therof he made his praier with the Prophet saieng Lord entre not with me in to iudgment Yf thou lord wilt strately marke our iniquities lord who will abyde it Notwithstonding though his wordes be manifest yet ye saie not onely that it can not be taken to his purpose as Esay wrote in that chapter but also vpon the same ye gather an intent for ye are good at that ye are well skylled in iudging mens intentes and thoughtes that he shuld meane all good workes are naught and that it is sinne to obeye the voyce of god which your collectioÌ„ is clene contrary to D. Barnes wordes And yf we conferre them to that place of Esaie whom you alledge this matter shalbe the more manifest The wordes of the Prophet are these All we are become as an vncleane man and all oure rigyteousnesses are as a clothe stayned with the floures of a woman This text as it maketh clerely for D. Barnes purpose against youre selfe euen so in alledging of it haue ye minished it and left out of it those wordes that make moost agaynst you But the abbot of lies and father of falshode euen the deuell taught you that lesson as I told you afore out of the fourth of Mathew because ye plaie such another parte with a text of S. Paul j. Cor. xj In your latyn ye reade the text thus All we are vncleane and as a cloth stained with the floures of a woman So that ye leaue out All oure righteousnesses Now yf the text maie stand still for you as the holy goost left it that all oure righteousnesses and best workes are vncleane and not without some blemishe then happlie will you haue litle thanke not onely for holding agaynst it but also for minishing the text As touching the Germaines to whom ye impute erroure in this behalfe Their doctrine is that whan the seruauÌ„tes of god haue done all that is commaunded them they must knowlege themselues to be vnprofitable to haue occasion continually to crie vnto god and to saie O forgeue us oure trespaces to knowlege that in their flesh dwelleth no good thing ye and to confesse that though they delite in the lawe of god after the inwarde man yet ther is another lawe in their membres which striueth against the lawe of their minde and taketh them presoners in the lawe of sinne which is in their membres That ther is no man but he sinneth That the whole life vpon erth is a very battaill where the flesh lusteth agaynst the sprete and the sprete against the flesh so that Christen men can not bring euery thinge to such a perfection as they faine wolde This is now the doctrine of the Germaynes and thus taught also S. Augustine writyng de verbis domini secundum Iohannem sermo
xliij where he saieth these wordes We can not do that we wold why so For we wold that ther were no concupiscences but we can not haue our will For whether we will or no we haue them whether we will or no they tickle they flatre they pricke they vexe they will vp they are kepte downe but not yet utterly extyncte as long as the flesh lusteth agaynst the sprete and the sprete agaynst the flesh The same affirmeth he in the sixtenth sermon de verbis Apostoli And in the xlix chapter de diffinitionibus orthodoxe fidei he saieth after this maner And therfore all holy men do truly in pronouncyng them selues sinners for of a trueth they haue wherof to complayne and though not thorow any reprofe of conscience yet thorow the frayltie et cet Such doctryne now though it be approued both by the holy scripture and by S Augustine yet because the Germaynes teach it it must nedes be condemned of you for an erroure I wondre ye condemne them not also for holding so litle of the popes church of his pardons of his purgatory for puttynge downe his religions his chauntrees his soule masses and diriges his trentals pilgrameges stacions et cet For ministring the sacramentes in their mother tong for setting their prestes dailie to preach the onely worde of god for bringing in no new customes in to the church for auoyding whordome and secrete abhominacion from among their clergy as well as from other for bringing vp their youth so well in the doctrine of god in the knowlege of tonges in other good lettres and honest occupacions for prouidinge so richely for their poore nedie fatherlesse and aged people et cet Now to your ensample of Abraham which obeyed the voyce of god Doth it proue that his obedience was so perfecte as the equite of gods iustice required Or that his owne wordes were false whan he saide vnto god I am but dust and asshes Standish Also it is said Iob primo In omnibus his non peccauit Iob. Couerdale The later parte of the text which declareth the whole meanyng therof leaue ye quite out The wordes of the scripture are these In all these dyd not Iob sin̄e ner spake any foolish thinge agaynst god Now is it manifest by the same chapter that whan the scripture hath tolde of the great aduersite that Iob had in the losse of his goodes and children it maketh mencion also of his notable pacience and then concludeth the chapter with those wordes The on parte wherof like as ye leaue out and tell the other in latyn from the vnlerned so make ye of a particular an vniuersall asthough Iob might not offende in other thinges though he grudged not here agaynst god For manifest is it that he did afterwarde curse the daie of his byrth as the thirde chapter declareth Now because Iob was pacient in his first aduersite and blasphemed not god doth that proue it an errour to holde with him whan he saieth Yf equite of iudgment be required no man darre beare recorde on my side Yf I will iustifie miselfe or shew miselfe innocent mine owne mouth shall condemne me Standishe And. S. Peter ij Pet. j. after he hath recyted certaine vertues et cet Couerdale S. Peter afore those wordes speakynge of the same vertues saieth thus Yf these thinges be present and plentifull in you they shall not let you be ydle ner vnfrutefull in the knowlege of oure lorde Iesus Christ Let one place of scripture now opē and expounde another Standishe Furthermore a strong argument to proue it maie be this Omnis qui in deo manet nō peccat j. Ioh. iij. Sed qui manet in charitate in deo manet j. Ioh. iiij ergo qui manet in charitate nō peccat et cet Couerdale To your argumēt I answer Like as it is true whan the scripture saieth they that are borne of god sinne not partly because god hath couered their sinne and imputeth it not vnto thē and part ly because they are at the staues end with sinne and delite not in it but kepe them selues from sin̄e as S. Iohn saieth in the same fifth chapter So is it true also that yf we saie we haue no sinne we disceaue our selues and the trueth is not in us as holy S. Iohn saieth In the declaracion of the which words S. Augustine noteth heresie in the Pelagians and Celestines for affirminge that the righteous haue utterly no sinne in this life Take you hede therfore that ye smel not of the Pelagians panne for it stinketh afarre of Standish As Dauid speakyng in the personne of euery good man said he did seruaui mandata tua domine Psal cxviij Couerdale He saieth also a litle after in the same Psalme vnto god I haue gone astraie like a shepe that is lost O seke thou thy seruaunt The circūstaunce also declareth that it is not onely a Psalme of consolaciō of doctrine and of thankesgeuing but also an ernest praier of one that is very feruēt in gods cause and in the defence of his word So that like as somtyme he mourneth and wepeth to se the actes and statutes of god despised Euen so cōplayneth he sore vnto god of them that manteyne anye doctrine contrary to his worde Thus in respect of them he darre boldly saie that he kepeth gods cōmaundementes and no mens doctrynes for he abhorreth all the false lerning of ypocrites But in consideracion of his owne infirmite he saieth to god oft times in this Psalme O teach me thy statutes geue me vnderstonding that I maie lerne thy statutes saue me helpe me deliuer me et cete Like as in another Psalme where he confesseth to haue kepte the waies of the lord he saieth a litle after in the same Psalme O my god geue thou light vnto my darknesse Standish Acording to goddes sayeng to Ieroboam ijj Reg. xiiij Couerdale Though god couered Dauids synnes and imputed them not vnto him yet made he his confession vnto god while he was in this body and said Yf you lord wilt strately marke iniquities lorde who shall abide it Lord entre not in to iudgment with thy seruaunt et cet Standish And also as it maie be proued by this that god cōmaundeth us nothinge vnpossible for us to do Couerdale One false opinion wold ye proue by another and by this present article like as by the other afore ye declare your selfe to be a very Pelagian and partaker of their heresie cōfuted by S. Augustine in the sixtenth chapter of his boke de libero arbitrio and in moo other places Standishe But he saieth not onely Matth. xix si vis ad vitam et cet Couerdale Your argument is this God that commaunded us to kepe his lawe ergo it is not vnpossible for us so to do But whether your cōsequent will be alowed in the checker or no we shall se by our Sauiours
owne words Who whan he had said to the yong man yf thou wilt entre in to life kepe the commaundementes and tolde his disciples how hard it is for the couetous to entre in to heauen They asked him and said Who can thē be saued Then answered he them saieng With men it is vnpossible but with god are all thinges possible Downe then goeth the Pelagians heresie and litle thanke are ye like to haue for holdinge with it Yf he aske Why then doth god cōmaunde us to decline from euell and to do good yf it be not in our power To the same obiectiō doth S. Augustine make a sufficiēt answere in the secōde chapter de correptione et gracia and not onely refelleth it by S.P. words saiēg It is god which worketh in you both the wil and the dede but also putteth us in minde that yf we be the children of god we are led by gods sprete to do good that whan we haue done anie good thinge we maie geue thankes to him of whom we are led et cet And in another place Therfore doth he commaunde certaine thinges that we can not do because we might knowe what thinge we ought to aske of him The same doctrine teacheth he also in the lxiij sermō de tempore This is confirmed by holy scripture for by the lawe commeth the knowlege of sinne So that euen they which are renewed in Christ fynd by the lawe that whan they wold faine do good for therin is their delite euell is present with them The wordes of oure Sauioure yf ye loue me kepe my commaundementes proue nomore your purpose then your wresting of them proueth you to be a true scolar of his For after those wordes he himself saieth thus I am the waie the trueth and life No man commeth to the father but by me Naie saieth your doctrine we maie come to god by oure selues he commaundeth us nothing vnpossible for us to do Now let me aske you this question Yf Christ whan he saide these wordes Yf ye loue me kepe my commaundementes did meane that it is not vnpossible for us so to do why then immediatly after the same wordes doth he promes us the sprete of conforte What nede haue we of him yf we be not comfortles of oure selues or yf nothing that he commaunded us be vnpossible for us to do What nede haue the whole of a phisician And. S. Augustine writing agaynst them that extolle their owne possibilite in the seconde sermon de uerbis Apostoli saieth Let us be glad to be healed whyle we are here in this church Let us not make oure boast of health beinge yet sicke lest by oure pride we do nothing els but make oure selues incurable Standishe Which to the louers of thē be but light Math. xj.j. Ioh. v and Deut. xxx Couerdale Ergo god cōmaunded us nothinge vnpossible for us to do Is that your consequent Full faintly are ye able to proue it by those thre chapters that ye do alledge First in the xj of Matth. doth our Sauioure bid all them that are laden et cet to come to him And yet saieth he in another place that no man can come vnto him excepte his father draw him Where is now oure possibilite That fifth chapter of S. Iohns first Epistle sheweth that they which are borne of god do ouer come the worlde by the victory of faith Now like as we begat not our selues in the Kyndome of god but he himselfe of his owne good will begat us with the worde of life So is it manifest also that true faith is the onely workyng of god and not oures Where is then I saie our possibilite forsoith euen fled into the yle of weaknesse Yf by the thirtieth chapter of Deuteronomiō ye will proue that god hath commaunded us nothing vnpossible for us to do because Moses saieth This precepte that I commaunde the this daie is not aboue the ner farre from the et cete Then must I require you to take the answere of S. Paul who saieth that it is the righteousnesse of faith which speaketh those wordes and that the worde which Moses there spake of is the worde of faith that Paul himself preached Yf ye thinke there to proue your purpose because Moses laieth before the people life and death good and euel blessinge and cursinge and biddeth them chose life et ce Then must I desire you not onely to remembre the office of the lawe wherfore it was geuen and wher to it serueth But also to considre that in the begynnyng of the same thirtieth chapter Moses himself saieth these wordes The lorde thy god shall circumcise thine hert and the hert of thy posterite that thou mayest loue the lorde thy god with all thy hert and in all thy soule et cet Wherby it is euident that excepte god circūcise our hertes we are not able to loue him ner to kepe his cōmaundementes So that these wordes of Moses do proue rather impossibilite in us For the circūcision of the hert saieth the Apostle is the true circumcision which is done in the sprete and not in the lettre whose prayse is not of men but of god All these thre chapters now proue that like as to be saued to kepe gods cōmaundementes to haue circūcised hartes and to ouercome the world with the lustes therof is the onely workyng of god in us Euen so to them that loue god are his cōmaundementes not greuous not thorow anye possibilite of man but partly because Christ hath takē awaie the curse of the lawe and deliuered thē frō the heuy burthens of their soules and partly because they delite in gods cōmaundementes and esteme his word sweter then hony as Dauid did For loue maketh all thinges light Standish Therfore I conclude in all our workynge we do not cōmitte sinne Couerdale Of an euell Maior and Minor foloweth a weake conclusiō Ye haue wrung and wrested the scriptures violently to make them serue for your purpose and now without anie scripture make ye youre conclusion that in all youre workyng ye do not committe sinne To the probacion wherof because ye bring no scripture your selfe I will helpe you with a text where the scripture saieth thus There is no righteous man vpon erth that doth good and sinneth not Yf ye be a man I wil not reason much with you of righteousnesse for I am a sinfull man miselfe then must ye nedes graunt this scripture to be true Yf ye be no man then am I sory that I haue disputed with you so long for angels haue no nede of my wordes and as for deuels they will not be counsailed Standish No ner our dedes and actes which be good can not be called so et cet Couerdale Of. D. Barnes secrete intent and meaning will not I presume to be iudge but what maye be gathered by the circumstaunce of his wordes I
haue reasoned with you allready Now because ye can not proue this last parte of youre conclusiō by scripture namely that your good dedes and actes are not vnpure ner vnperfecte in this life therfore the Prophet Esaie to recompence you the wrong that ye dyd him in minishing his wordes afore will yet take the paines for you to proue your purpose though it be litle to your minde Whan he saieth All we are become as an vncleane man and all oure righteousnesses are as a clothe stained with the floures of a woman And the wise man saieth also Who maie saie My hert is cleane I am pure from sinne Barnes ANd with this he cast abrode his handes and desyred god to forgeue him his trespas Standishe Extra ecclesiam nulla salus et cetera Couerdale Without the church ye saie is no saluacion Now is it manifest that beside the church made of lime and stone ther is also a congregacion church and multitude of frowarde and wicked doers which not onely gather them selues together like roaringe lyons fatt bulles wanton calues and curre dogges agaynst Christ as the xxj Psalme complaineth but also make lawes cōstitucions statutes ordinaunces and tradicions agaynst gods worde Wherby it commeth to pas that though they boast neuer so much of gods seruice yet all is to them in vaine as the Prophet and Christ himselfe doth testifie Another church is there which is the holy spouse congregacion and company of them that are of the felashippe and communion of Christ and walke not in darknes but in the trueth hauing al their sinnes clensed by his bloude This church continueth in the Apostles doctryne renneth not out from the heauenly felashippe of Christ and his membres distributeth the sacramentes duely and truly ceasseth not frō praieng and well doinge et ce are of one minde and soule are glad to helpe one another as it is manifest in the actes and Epistles of the Apostles The men of this church praie in all places liftinge vp pure handes et cet In this church whosoeuer asketh hath he that seketh findeth and to him that knocketh doth god open In this church is fre pardon and remission of sinnes for all true penitentes For god will not the death of sinners but yf they cōuerte vnto him they shall liue and who so is laden with sinne and commeth vnto Christ findeth rest and ease in his soule and shall not be cast out Forasmuch then as ye condemne D. Barnes thus doinge and iudge him to be none of the church that desireth god to forgeue him his trespace it is euident that in your church ther is no forgeuenes for poore sinners and so is it not the church of Christ Wherfore seinge ye discente frō Christes church where the dore is euer opened to them that knocke youre owne sentence condēneth you that ye can trust to haue no saluaciō by gods promes But alas what blindnesse is in you Though a sinner doth erre or hath erred from the right faith and from the true vse of the holy sacramentes that be in the church of Christ and now commeth to repentaunce desiringe god to forgeue him his trespace Is not this a damnable doctrine to teach that he can not trust to haue saluaciō by gods promes No hath god promised that sin̄ers which repēt shal not be saued The thefe that hanged on the right hand of Christ hath proued the cōtrary Agayne Yf a sin̄er maie not trust to haue saluacion by gods promes wherby thē maie he trust to haue it By himselfe by his owne workes Or by youre merites Euen by your merites as it apeareth wolde ye haue him trust to haue saluacion for ye must nedes be full of merites that in all your workyng committe no sinne as ye saye your selfe Morouer the tenoure of your wordes separateth the mercy of god from his promes as though they cōcurred not together But I pray you who can trust to haue saluacion by gods promes and trusteth not in his mercy Whan the Apostle saieth God gaue the enheritaunce vnto Abraham frely by promes was it not done by his mercy And whan he saieth in the same chapter Ye are the heires of Christ acording to the promes what meaneth he els but as he saieth to Titus that the kindnesse and loue of oure sauioure hath appeared not for the dedes of righteousnesse which we haue done but acordinge to his mercy hath he saued us et cet S. Iames wordes which ye bring in in latyn denieth no forgeuenesse to them that repent but like as he rebuketh them that are but Christen men in worde and not in good workes and dedes so yf parcialite be sinne then doth the circūstaunce of the same text cōdemne your former conclusion that saie ye sinne not in all your workes Standishe Loke the reward of finalis impenitētia et cet Couerdale D. Barnes words testifie what faith and repētaunce he had toward god and what hert he bare toward the comon welth of all Christendome and yet shame ye not to wryte that he dyed without repentaunce and in errours because he wold not denie Christ and reuoke his worde with you Standishe Which died by his wordes without signe or token of saluacion Couerdale Is it no token ner signe of saluacion to beleue in the holy and blessed trenite the incarnacion passion death and resurrectiō of our sauioure and to knowlege the same before men Is all this utterly no token of saluacion Christ and the Apostle Paul are of another iudgment Standishe And so his praier must nedes be voyde Couerdale D. Barnes cast abrode his handes and desired god forgeuenes and yet darre ye affirme that his praier must nedes be voide By the which wordes like as ye denie the article of forgeuenesse mencioned in our Crede and promised in the scripture to euery one that truly repenteth so declare ye euidently that ther is litle mercy in your mother the church of the wicked for in Christes church yf the sonne aske the father a pece of bred he will not geue him a stone but good thinges Standish Marke how he trusteth with in an houre et ce Couerdale Is it blinde arrogauncy whan a man refusing all confidence in his owne workes trusteth to haue eternall life thorow the mercy of god What blynd arrogauncy was in the Apostle whan he saide we knowe certainlie that yf oure earthy house of this dwelling were destroyed we haue a building ordeined of god an house not made with handes but euerlasting in heauen Oure sauioure also geueth this comforte to such as beleue in him that they shall not come to damnacion but passe from death vnto life Are ye not a comfortable Phisician then to mens consciences that shame not to teach other wise then Christ doth But surely these two places of scripture are not for the stablishinge of your soule masses and diriges and therfore
no maruaill that ye teach a contrary doctrine For though the name of your purgatory be out of some of your bokes Yet are not all purse pykers come to the pillary Barnes FOr allthough perchaunce you knowe nothinge by me yet do I confesse that my thoughtes and cogitaciōs be in̄umerable Wherfore I beseche the entre not in to iudgment with me acording to the sayeng of the Prophet Dauid non in tres in iudicium cum seruo tuo domine and in another place si iniquitates obseruaueris domine quis sustinebir Lord yf thou strately marke our iniquyte who is able to abyde thy iudgment Standish Se I praye you the deuell seduced him so farre that he wold not knowlege any synne but onely cogitacions et cet Couerdale D. Barnes saide not that he had no sinne but all though saide he perchaunce you knowe nothinge by me yet I confesse that my thoughtes and cogitacions are in̄umerable Is this asmuch to saie as I haue no sinne but onely cogitacions and thoughtes Or be not thoughtes and cogitacions sinnes greate ynough Dyd he not cōfesse also with the Prophet that yf god wold strately marke his iniquities he were not able to abyde it Is iniquitie no sinne Not in your iudgment as it appeareth for ye darre boldly affirme that in all your workyng ye committe no sinne Standish Se how he iudged other men perchaunce to knowe no sinne in him et cet Couerdale Yf it be an abhominable vice as it is no doubte to slaundre the scripture or to belye it then verely are ye infecte with abhominable vice that haue misreported it and belied it in so many places of this youre treatise Now yf ye be of counsaill with so many good men that knew such vices in D. Barnes I maruaill ye tell us not what those vyces are As for your mother the vnholy church he called her an harlot many tymes And sure I am that who so knoweth her thorowly and cōpareth her with her frutes to Oolla and Ooliba wil iudge her to be litle better Standish Iudge therfore your selues what auaileth him these his fained praiers et cet Couerdale The praiers that D. Barnes vseth here are the holy wordes of gods scripture and yet ye call thē fayned prayers Now yf the holy goost which is the authoure of the scripture doth abhorre faynednesse as the wise man saieth then verely is it blasphemous to cal those fained praiers that he onely hath taught Againe Yf they be fained praiers why saie ye that ye doubte not but to another man passing in the faith of Christ they shuld haue bene acceptable yee and meritoryous before god Can fained praiers be acceptable to god Can fayned prayers merite or deserue any thing of god Or can he that dyeth in the fayth of Christ vse fayned prayers at his death How agreeth faynedesse with the faith of Christ Full fained and false is your doctrine Oure lord roote it ones out frō among his people Barnes WHerfore I trust in no good worke that euer I dyd but onely in the death of Iesus Christ Standishe To trust in our workes ut in deum credimus that they of them selues et cet Couerdale What an vnstable doctryne is this that ye bring in among gods people and wold bear them in hand that Christ alowed your saieng in the xx of Matthew Where as the parable in the same chapter and the processe of the last parte of the xix chapter hard afore it do utterly cōdemne your doctrine Lord god what a derogacion vnto gods hye glory is this to teach that we maye trust in oure workes that we maie calenge our inheritaunce by our workyng that our workyng maie deserue to receaue immortalite In the later ende of the xix chapter of Matthew doth our lorde affirme that to be saued is a thing vnpossible through the power of men And in this xx chapter doth his parable testifie that like as we are first called by him receaue his promes and are set a worke by his comaundemēt so is not the rewarde geuen for anie deseruing or paynes takynge but acording to his awne promes First where finde ye in anie article of the Christen faith conteined within the holy bible ether commaundement or promes of god or example of anie good man that we maie put anie maner of trust in our workes Againe Yf oure enheritaunce come by the death of Christ and his promes how commeth it by our workyng Is our workynge the death of Christ or his promes Now yf our workyng maie deserue the inheritaunce of immortalite then maie we make satisfaction vnto god for oure offence and that ye haue denyed afore O how well agree ye with youre selfe Standish And this caused Paul boldly to saie .ij. Timo. iiij Bonum certamen certaui et cet Couerdale Whan that holy vessell of god S. Paul had exhorted Timothy to the feruent executing of his dutie in preaching gods worde and had tolde him afore of this present perlous time that men will not suffre wholsome doctrine et cete He shewed him of his owne death saiēge For I am now ready to be offred and the tyme of my departing is at hande I haue foughten a good fighte I haue fulfilled the course I haue kepte the faith From hence forth ther is layed vp for me a crowne of righteousnesse which the lord the righteous iudge shall geue me in that daie not onely vnto me but to all them that loue his commynge What caused Paul now to saie these wordes Any trust or confidence in his owne deseruyng or workes Naye verely He confesseth not onely that the crowne of righteousnesse is laied vp for him but also that god shall geue it him nether sayeth he here that it shall be geuen him for his workyng sake for then were he contrary to his owne doctrine which utterly condemneth yours Roma iij. Ephe. ij Philip. iij. ij Timoth. j. Tit. iij Note well the places your selfe Standish All be it I feare me these his wordes et cete Couerdale Yf whan he dyd anie good worke he caused no trompettes to be blowne before him ner mombled vp longe praiers in the corners of stretes ner disfigured his face to be sene of men whan he fasted then was there the lesse ypocrisie in him It is a prouerbe as true as olde A still pater noster is as good as a lowde Barnes I do not doubte but thorow him to inheret the kyngdome of heauen Standish I beseche god this false and erroneous beleue contrary allmost in euery sentence to our mother the holy church et cet Couerdale Full vnholy and vngracious is your mother and ye as vnwise to take hir parte that calleth it a false and erroneous beleue whan a man doubteth not but to inheret the Kyngdome of heauen thorow Christ Yf that beleue be contrary to your mother then is she contrary to it and so is she the sinagoge of Antichrist
glorifye our father which is in heauen Hath not our Sauioure chosen and ordeyned us to go and bringe forth frute et cet Were we not made heyres of eternall saluacion and baptised to the intent that we shulde now malke in a new life Are we not deed from the curse of the lawe and maried vnto Christ to the intent that we shulde now bringe forth frute vnto god Hath not god ordeined us to walke in good workes Are we not chosen of god to shew now his wonderful workes which hath called us out of darknesse in to his maruelous light Must we not lead an honest conuersacion in the world that they which bacbyte us as euell doers maye se our good workes and prayse god Now to do good dedes to bring forth good frutes to walke in a new life to shew gods wonderfull workes to lead an honest conuersacion in the world what is it els but to shew and set forth our profession the life that we haue promised and taken us to at the font stone euen the holy couenaunt and appoyntment that we haue made with the eternall god Do ye not considre also that the scripture appoynting maried women their estate and dewtye willeth them to be of so honest conuersacion that euen they which as yet will not beleue gods worde maye without the worde be won by theyr godly liuinge And not onely this but so to araye them selues in comly apparel with shamefastnesse and discrete bahaueour without excesse as it becommeth wemen that professe godlynesse thorow good workes What can be more planely spokeÌ„ then this How ernest is the scripture likewise in mouinge and commaunding us specially that take in hande to instructe and teach other aboue all thinges to shew example of good workes in the doctrine of god et cet that such as resiste his trueth maie be ashamed of their parte hauinge nothinge in us to reporte amysse And immediatly after in the same chapter how diligeÌ„t is the Apostle in requiring Titus to exhorte seruauntes to the doing of their dewtie to their masters and to shewe all faithfulnesse But for what intent to merite or deserue immortalâ—â—â— â–ª Naye to the intent that in all thinges they maie do worshippe to the doctrine of god oure Sauioure that the name of god and his doctrine be not euell spokeÌ„ of Thus wolde he haue Timothy also to teach and exhorte and then saieth he these wordes Yf any man teach otherwise and agreeth not vnto the wholsome wordes of oure lord Iesus Christ and to the doctryne of godlinesse he is puft vp and knoweth nothinge et cet Reade ye the text forth and remembre your selfe well considre in what case ye are and how wyde your doctryne disagreeth from the wholsome word of god Yf I shuld saye ye were puft vp ignoraunt a waist brayne et cete of a corrupte mynde or robbed of the trueth ye wolde happlie be angrie Yet be coÌ„tent to let Paul speake to you for though he rayle not yet shall ye not find him a flatrer Standish Which thing beynge true as the church confesseth et cete Couerdale The church of the wicked graunteth many moo thinges then it shall euer be able to proue excepte it be with violence and shedding oâ—â—nnoceÌ„t bloud which is in very dede a fearce sore and strong waye of probacion Nether be they heretikes that denye this your doctryne for I haue proued vnto you by open scriptures that your doctryne is false Standish Be not oure owne good workes meritorious to ourselues Couerdale Yes parde for the prophet saieth All our righteousnesses are as the cloth of a menstruous woman Standish Whether shall we rather beleue S. Hierome et cete Couerdale Yf we receaue the witnesse of men the witnesse of god is greater for this is the witnesse of god which he hath testified of his sonne et cete Euen that god hath geuen us euerlasting life and this life is in his sonne S. Augustine saieth also All my hope is in the death of my lord his death is my meryte my refuge my saluacion my life and my resurrection Standishe Which for their detestable opynions deserued iustly to be burnte as heretikes Couerdale Yf they were not burnte heretikes in dede no force And yf they were iust deseruers it is a tokeÌ„ that they medled the more with righteousnesse for no man can iustly erre ner iustly coÌ„mitte treason Standishe What a detestable heresie is it to saie the cause that we be commaunded to do good workes is to set forth oure profession Couerdale Is not oure profession the promes and couenaunt that we haue made with god to seke his glory and oure neghbours profet euen to loue him with all oure herte with all our soules and with all oure strength and oure neghbour as oure selues In the which two pointes hangeth all the lawe and the Prophetes Are not we bound then by gods commaundement to set forth the glory of god oure neghbours profit and loue to them both Remembre what places of scripture I haue pointed you to afore concernyng this matter Standish Before whom shulde we set it forth before god he knowoth oure profession before Couerdale What then Studye allwaye to haue a cleare conscience toward god and men after the Apostles ensample Standish Before man So we maie haue good workes as the pharises had et cet Couerdale Though Pharises do their workes to be sene of men will you therfore beyng a preacher not geue good ensample to other ner let your light so shyne before men that they seinge your good workes maie geue the glory vnto god What are ye so farre from the knowlege of this geer and yet a preacher a reader and a post of the church Who wolde thinke that you which are so well aquaynted with him that can compare the deare bloud of Christ to the stinckynge bloud of a swyne shuld be so farre from the vnderstondinge of such thinges O wicked hogges whom Sathan hath possessed of that sort Is the worthy prynce of oure redempcion come to that worshippe amonge you No maruaill that ye are so blinded in your vnderstondinge for ther was neuer enemie of Christes bloud that had yet anye cleare iudgment in his worde till he ernestly repented and gaue him selfe wholy to the studye and life that it teacheth Barnes I Beleue that ther is a holy church and a company of all them that do professe Christ Standish Allbe it that euery true Christian ought thus to beleue et cet Couerdale Ye saye that euery true Christian ought thus to beleue and yet ye call the same belefe erroneous and damnable Is the Christen beleue erroneous and damnable Or is it erroneous and damnable to beleue as euery Christen man ought to beleue Thus are ye not onely contrary to youre selfe but iudge Christen men also to be heretikes Standishe For you iudge as appeareth by your preaching et cet
laie to D. Barnes charge I haue talked with you afore Touchinge martirs Like as we haue cause sufficient to prayse god dailie for his worde mynistred vnto us by those martyrs that ye here haue named and for all such as be true folowers of thē So haue we no litle occasion to lamente and be sory that anie man betaking himselfe to godlines and makyng a couenaunt with god to lyue vnfaynedly after his worde shulde not professe the same in true fidelite and good workes Our lorde be praised yet which thorow the fall of other men hath warned us to beware of vnthankfulnesse For whan they that pretende to be setters vp of godlynesse are either ypocrites to god vntrue in the effaires of their prince maynteynours of pryde of ydillnesse of swearyng of excesse and of aduoutrye in them selues or in their housholde seruauntes Gods good worde must weere the papyre and be iack out of seruyce from other men Now god shew the right Barnes ANd that allwayes I haue spoken reuerently of sayntes and praised them as much as scripture wylled me to do Standishe Here he planely sheweth himselfe to be an heretike et cet Couerdale I am sure that Christes church hath made no such ordinaunce nether geuen any sentēce or iudgment that men shall not speake reuerently of saintes nether that men shall prayse them otherwyse then scripture teacheth How sheweth he himselfe thē to be an heretike in this behalfe that foloweth the example of Christes church and not of your vnholy synagoge What maketh youre diffiniciō of heresie to proue that he is an heretike which not onely speaketh reuerently of sayntes but also prayseth them acordinge to the rule of scripture Verely your diffinicion commeth out at an importunite Ye might also haue diffyned it thus and haue sayde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deducitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 j. volo decerno That is to saie I will so haue it I am at a full poynt For truly I se litle in youre writinge but wilfulnesse and obstinate resisting of the manifest trueth Well god is able to brydle you Standish Also in this his saienge that he wil do nothinge but that scripture byddeth him he planely goeth agaynst scripture et cet Couerdale Is he not a worthy Apostle legate or messaūger that hauinge commission of his prince what to saie in his message will speake thinges of his owne heade or more then his master commaundeth him Forsoith he declare manifestly whose Apostle ye be But now let us se how the scriptute will mainteine this spirituall treason euen treason verely and no better agaynst the Kyng of all Kynges and lord of all lordes Christ oure Sauyoure saieth vnto his Apostles these wordes As my liuinge father sent me so send I you How did his father send him My doctrine saieth he is not myne owne but my fathers that hath sent me Therfore saieth he go ye youre waye and teach all nacions and baptise them et cet and teach thē to kepe all thinges what so euer I haue commaunded you Ought not stewardes to be faithfull mynistres of their masters goodes to paye euery man good money as they be cōmaunded and not to geue false coyne in stead of syluer and golde Must we not contynue in the doctrine of Christ and speake that thing which is agreable to gods worde Your doctrine wold haue us to renne at ryote and not to kepe us with in the boundes that god hath appoynted us Standish So that here he proueth himselfe to haue another propertye of an heretike which is to go about with the worde of god to destroye the worde of god et cete Couerdale Like as ye proue not here with what text of scripture D. Barnes shulde go aboute to destroie the scripture so declare ye manifestly by this your opyniō and wrestinge of the texte to be one yourselfe that with the worde of god goeth aboute to destroye the worde of god Now to your thre places that ye bringe out of gods worde Where fynde ye in the fiftenth chapter of the actes that we must obeye more then holy scriptuture byddeth us First S. Peter confesseth there in that coūsail that it is a tēpting of god to laie anie yock of the ceremonies of Moses lawe vpon the neckes of Christes disciples or to trouble the weake consciences of those which lately we returned and conuerted to the faith And afore in the same place he confesseth that god appoynted and ordeyned him to preach the worde of the gospell and maketh mencion of none other doctrine Againe like as by the comē consente of the Apostles in the same coūsail ye se that they wolde not be brought in to subiection ner geue place to those false brethern that wolde haue brought in ceremonies of the law to binde mens cōsciences withal So wolde they not that the brethren which were turned to Christ shulde abuse their libertie in him but absteyne from certayne meates for offendinge of the weake which thinge also S. Paul requyreth ernestly in his Epistles In the xvj chapter of the Actes Paul and Silas preach the worde of the lorde and whan Paul sawe that to circumcise Timothye was a thing which might be done for the time and was not requyred of the Iewes as a thing necessary he was content Wherby it is manifest that like as in thinges indifferent they had allwaye respecte to the tyme in forbearinge weake conscientes for a whyle so preached they none other doctryne but gods onely worde In the second chapter of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians S. Paul whan he hath told them of the great departing from the faith doth geue thankes to god for calling thē to his trueth of the gospel in the which he requireth thē to stand stedfast and to kepe such ordinaunces as he and the other Apostles had taught thē either by mouth or by epistle Now let me demaunde of you this question In the xv of the Actes whan Peter preacheth the worde of the gospell and forbyddeth the binding of weake consciences with supersticious thinges and consenteth with the other Apostles to haue such a charitable respecte to the tyme Is that as much as to will that men shal obeie more then is grounded in scripture In the xvj of the Actes whan Paul and Silas preach the worde of the lorde and deale gently with the consciences of the weake acordinge to the tyme will they that men shall obeie more then holy scripture teacheth them ij Tessa ij Whan S. Paul requyreth them to stande stedfast in the trueth of the gospell and to kepe such ordinaūces as he and the other Apostles had taught thē either by mouth or in their Epistles willeth he them to obeye more then is conteyned in holy scripture Thus is it euydent where about ye go namely euen by your false alledginge of such places of gods worde to destroye the worde of god This is
verely as ye saie your selfe the propertye of an heretike and this propertye lerne ye of the father of all heresye euen father Satan Who by angelis suis mandauit et cete wolde proue that a man maye tempte his lord god But like as Satan wrestyng that place of scripture which made moost against him was cōmaunded by oure Sauioure to auoyde so be ye sure that your false doctryne can not stand Dawlbe your wall and spare not for Ezechiel telleth you planely that god wyll sende such a shower of rayne among all lyeng prophetes as shall ouerthrowe it Your laboure is but lost so long as ye dawlbe your wall with vntempred morter Standish Also where he saieth that he hath euer spoken reuerently of sayntes et cet Couerdale Ye graūted afore his wordes to be true whan he sayde that all such as for confessyng Christes name and for his sake do suffre death are sayntes in heauen This reuerent talkynge and praysinge of sayntes dyd ye alowe afore And now contrary to your awne wordes ye saye that ye wote not whether he euer spake reuerently of them or no Yet confesse ye that ye haue heard him fortye tymes Who will now trust you that are so double in your wordes Barnes ANd that oure lady I saye she was a virgyn immaculate and vndefyled and that she is the moost purest virgyn that euer god created and a vessell electe of god of whom Iesus Christe shulde be borne Standish Here yet ignorauntly et cete he goeth forther then the scripture speaketh et cet Couerdale Be these his wordes out of the boundes of scripture or not acording to the scripture Reade them ouer agayne Standishe He wolde neuer willingly graunt anye thynge but that is in scripture Couerdale Then like as ye proue him to haue bene a true messaunger of god in grauntinge to the holy scripture which by your owne cōfession is gods very worde so declare ye that yf he reuoked anie thing that is in it or graunted ought cōtrary vnto it It was done agaynst his will Haue ye not now a great cause to make such tryumphinge of reuocacions in your sermons Standish Albeit here with the church he doth professe that oure lady did continue a virgin still et cete Couerdale Doth not the scripture affirme this doctryne that the mother of oure Sauyoure is the purest virgin that euer god created Will not the Prophecies of Christes birth the perfourmaūce of the same and the practises of the holy goost in Christes blessed mother alowe this doctrine Haue ye noted the worke of god in her no better Yf she had anye nede of you ye shew her but a faynte frendshippe in reportynge that her most pure virginite hath none other grounde but the auctorite of your church Verely such your doting doctrine wil make both you and your church be lesse set by Standish Deus n tantam eam fecit inquit quidam et ce Couerdale Is not your doctryne now well sealed with butter Whan ye haue presumed to cōtroll gods word and to call the blessed mother of Christ with other names then the holy goost geueth her Now to ratifye and cōfirme your false matter ye bring in an heretike to helpe you Can not Christes worthy mother kepe still the gracious names that the holy trenite hath geuen her but she must now haue a sorte of hereticall Ruffyans to become new godfathers vnto her Call her as gods worde teacheth you full of grace blessed immaculate virgin et cete Praye to god that ye maye folowe the fote steppes of her constant faith her feruent charite and godly loue her moost meke and humble behaueoure her vnfained trueth et ce And whan ye talke in matters of Christes religion bring forth playne and manifest wordes of his scripture and no Romysh heretike ner a text out of frame to proue youre purpose withall Barnes THen saide M. Sheriffe You haue sayd well of her before And he beynge afrayed that M. Sheriffe had bene or shulde be agreued with any thing that he shulde saye sayd M. Sheriffe Yf I speak any thing that you will me not do nomore but beckē me with your hand and I wil straight waie holde my peace For I will not be dishobedient in anie thing but will obeye Standishe Now as he faineth he wold gyue no slaunder or offence Sed sero sapiunt Phriges Couerdale At this poynt ye are with D. Barnes that though he be out of this life yet what so euer he sayd in this protestacion or dyd at the tyme therof ye iudge him to the worst and slaunder him But your owne prouerbe that ye bring in doth admonishe you that it is to laite for though ye belye him and slaunder him neuer so much it can not hurt him Standishe Now he saieth he is afraied to displease irep◠dauerunt timore vbi non erat timor et cete Couerdale Like as ye referre to him the wordes which are not his owne so reporte ye of him that he was afrayed where no feare was But was there no feare at the fyre syde The manhode of our sauioure Christ feared death and so dyd that holy Kynge Ezechias As for you ye must nedes be of some bolde and stowte kynde that can kyll a deed man But how serueth those wordes of the Psalme to this youre purpose The holy goost speaketh of such wicked workers as eat vp gods people like bred call not vpon god are afraied to se god stande on ryghteous mens syde and mocke poore mē for putting their trust in god How maketh this scripture now to proue that ther is no feare where a man seyth death present before his eyes O wicked mockers with gods holy worde Standish Now se I praye you how obedient he saieth he will be which before tyme was euer dishobedient et cete Couerdale Ye saye much and proue litle touching this man whose present protestacion and his boke written afore declareth planely his obedience toward his prynce whose wholsome commaundement yf he haue at anye tyme disobeyed contrary to this his doctryne and example I am the more sory But yet haue ye not proued it to be so Touchinge bishoppes which are to be estemed acordinge to their estate I wote not what dishobedience ye haue to proue against him Such bishoppes as laboure in the worde of god and in the doctryne therof are to be counted worthye of double honoure therfore in herkenyng vnto such he dyd well and yf he dispysed such he despysed Christ But yf he folowed S. Iohns bydding and dyd not receaue such false Apostles as bring not the doctryne of Christ then can ye not iustly blame him Barnes AFter this ther was one that asked him what he saide of the sacrament of the altare Then sayde he vnto M. Pope which was there present M. Pope ye know and. M. Ryche yf ye be alyue that ther was one accused before my lord
teach or warne me Seing that I was obedient vnto them whan they sayde beleue the gospel why may I not obeie them whan they saye vnto me beleue not Manicheus et cet By the circumstaunce now of S. Augustines wordes it is euident first that he wolde beleue no such doctrine as men brought vp of their owne heades Secondly that he wold beleue no vncertayne doctryne ner that he knewe not to be true Thirdly that the occasion which moued him to beleue the gospell was the whole consent and auctorite of the catholike or vniuersall church Now like as he reporteth not of them that they preached anie other doctryne vnto him saue the gospell so saieth he not that he beleued anye other lernyng saue onely it And in confutinge of Manicheus erroure he bringeth none other doctryne but the scripture as it is manifest in the same fifth chapter of his boke What helpe haue ye now in S. Augustines wordes either to proue praieng to saintes or that a particular church maye by her auctorite make anye article necessary to be beleued excepte it be grounded in scripture Ye meant somwhat whan ye chopped vp S. Augustines wordes of that fashion It is not for naught that ye so haue peruerted his sayeng and reade it otherwise then it standeth in his boke For these are his wordes I shulde not beleue the gospell vnlesse the auctorite of the catholike church dyd moue me Now is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as much to saye as vniuersalis Which worde like as ye leaue out in youre lectiō so folowe ye the mynde of Franciscus Maronis such another holy father as was your inquit quidam who commynge long after S. Augustine dyd gather of these his forsaid wordes that the auctorite of the church is greater then the auctorite of holy scripture where as S. Aug. meant nothinge lesse but teacheth us that who so euer bringeth vp anye opynion or setteth forth anye doctryne we shall receaue none but that which agreeth with the manifest doctryne of the vniuersall church of Christ That is we shall holde us to that doctryne which was taught by the Prophetes by the Apostles and by such other as were true folowers of them in Christes holy congregacion and church Standish Is it not still fundamentum et columna veritatis et cet Couerdale The vniuersall congregacion and multitude of thē that beleue in Christ is still the house of god the church of the liuinge god the piler and stablishment of the trueth For there dwelleth god with his mercy grace trueth forgyuenesse et cet Nether dyd the Apostles contrary to Christes former institucion whan they to set vp his name which then was so sore spurned at dyd baptise in the same yf ye remembre well the prerogatyue of holy baptyme and the presence of the blessed trenyte therin Standishe Paul the vessel of election m. v. hundert yeres and more past desired the Romaynes cap. xv the Collo cap. iiij the Tessa j. Tessa v. to praye for him et cet Couerdale I turned not ouer two leafes of your treatise sens I red these your wordes where ye saie thus How can it be in scripture thou impudent heretike the prayer vnto saintes Lorde Iesu what meane ye man Will ye by scripture proue that thing which as ye your self confesse can not be in scripture Do ye not graūt your selfe that the holy scripture is the very worde of god Wyll ye then by gods holy worde proue that thinge which can not be therin Wyll ye belye the worde of god Saye ye not your selfe in another place afore that it is an abhominable vice to slaundre it To what poynt no to haue ye brought that worshipfull doctrine of your vnholy mother the malignaunt church Which teacheth that we must now praie vnto S. Paul and other sayntes because that he beynge here in this body dyd requyre other men to praye for him and for all saintes Now is his request such that yf we shuld fulfill it yet for him aswell as whan he was lyuyng vpō erth thē shuld we desire god to be good to his holy sayntes that are out of this life And then god saue oure lady helpe S. Paul and conforte swete S. Anthony A mocker are ye with gods holy word and a shameful slaūdrer therof therfore as vnworthy to be answered vnto euery vayne sentence of your vnstable doctryne so leaue I your long disputacion therin Desiringe all Christen readers to note wel what scriptures ye bring forth and to cōpare the same vnto the open texte and then trie which of oure two doctrynes is moost agreable to gods holy worde The doctryne of the Prophetes of Christ oure Sauioure of his holy Apostles and of such as haue and do folowe them in the catholike or vniuersall church and congregacion of god Is his holy worde and scripture which as holy S. Paul darre aduowe is able to instructe us vnto saluacion which is thorow the faith in Christ Iesu et cet Yf youre article therfore of prayenge to sayntes that be out of this life were a thing belonging to saluacion no doubte the same holy scripture of god wold haue taught it The awncient firme stable and true doctryne of Christes catholike or vniuersall church is this that like as Christ Iesus toke vpon him oure flesh and bloude without sinne and deliuered us frō eternall death and hell so is he still oure mercifull and faithfull hie prest in thinges concerning god to make agrement for oure sinnes and able to socoure such as are tempted He is the seate of grace to whom yf we resorte we maie receaue mercy and fynde grace to helpe in tyme of nede he is able also euer to saue them that come vnto god by him and lyueth euer to make intercessiō for us yee and appeareth now for us before the face of god This doctryne is confirmed by those same textes of scripture that ye bring in j. Iohn secundo Iohn xiiij j Timoth. secundo and yet without open scriptures are ye not ashamed to resiste it We are cōmaunded thorow out all holy scripture both of the olde and new Testamēt to praie vnto Allmightie god to call vpon him to make oure peticions vnto him and to aske of him what soeuer we lacke We haue his true and faithfull promes that yf we so do we shall be hearde we shall haue oure request we shall finde that we seke we shall be delyuered et cet We haue ensamples innumerable that all those faithfull people whom the scripture maketh mencion of dyd make their peticions and praier to none other but vnto god whyle they were in this life Let Cornelius whom we spake of afore and the practise of the prymityue church beare recorde Shal we now refuse gods holy cōmaundemēt thinke scorne of his louing promes despise the ensamples of his catholike and vniuersall church and defye gods holy ordinaunce as ye
do and renne at riote with your doctryne Awaye from us ye wicked the commaundementes of our god will we kepe and not yours Standish Which toke oure synnes on him penam pro peccatis j. Pet. ij et cet Couerdale Ye taught afore wresting many scriptures for your purpose that euery man must satisfie for the punishment belonginge vnto sinne and now ye graunt that Christ toke the paine vpō him therfore As much hold is there at your doctryne as at an elys tale Standish But we haue moo meanes concernyng intercession et cet Couerdale The scripture is manifest that euery one of us in this life is boūd to praie for another and dailie occasions haue we of such peticions and exhortacions as appertayne to oure estate As for praiēg to saintes that be out of this life Ye haue myne answere allready Barnes NOtwithstonding whether they praye for us or no that I referre to god Standish A good Christē man wold haue gone no further then the congregacion of Christes church that is to saie in this region the kinges maiesty with his lerned counsaill Couerdale Like as your vnreuerent handling of the holy scriptures afore rehearced and your wicked doctrine against the same declareth you to be none of Christes church vnlesse ye repent and turne so do ye here exempte youre selfe from that holy congregacion Maruaill not therfore though whan I se you folowe your vnholy mother and not Christes deare spouse I call you now and then her owne whyte sonne In this region of England ye saie the congregaciō of Christes church is the Kynges Maiestie with his lerned counsaill But is this a sufficient diffinicion what a comforte is this now for so many of the Kynges subiectes both lerned and vnlerned to heare that they are not of Christes congregacion Is it a greate consolacion for the foote to be none of the body Ye repute D. Barnes no good Christen man because he wolde not define whether sayntes praie for us or no but referred that vnto god and not to the Kynges maiestie and his lerned counsaill What will ye make of the Kynges grace A prince that had rather haue secrete thinges referred vnto him then vnto god the onely knower of all secretes Or do ye esteme the Kynges lerned counsaill to be such men as will geue iudgment in thinges that be not euident Or thinke ye them to be ignoraunt of the scripture which forbyddeth men to search out or to medle with secrete thinges that god hath not commaunded Barnes ANd yf saintes do praie for you thē I trust within this halfe hour to praie for you M. sheriffe and for euery Christē man liuing in the faith of Christ and dyenge in the same as a saynt Wherfore yf the deed maye praye for the quicke then I will surely praye for you Standishe O damnable presumpcion et cetera Couerdale Because this man trusted thorow the onely mercy of god in Christ to passe from this death vnto life ye note damnable presumpcion arrogaunt presumpcion and presumptuous arrogaūcy in him And because ye maye seme to haue scripture to proue that D. Barnes wolde temerously appoynte and determyne the tyme himselfe for his so sayeng ye bringe in quod pater posuit in sua potestate as right as a rammes horne and as nye to the purpose as Pauls steple and mount Falcon. At the tyme of the ascension of oure sauyoure whan the Apostles were come together they asked him and sayde Lord shalt thou at this tyme set vp the kyngdome of Israel agayne He sayd vnto them It belongeth not vnto you to knowe the tymes and seasons which the father hath kepte in his awne power et cetera A like answere to such another question geueth he in another place and saieth Of that daye and houre knoweth no man no not the angels of heauen but the father onely What maketh this now to proue that he which acordinge to Christes promes trusteth to pas from this death to life doth temerously appoynt and determine the same time daye or season which our Sauyoure there speaketh of Or that he is either presumptuous or arrogaunt which acording to the ensample of holy scripture is certaine and sure that after the destruction of his body he hath an euerlastinge dwelling in heauen Haue ye not now alledged the scripture well to the purpose Ye wold haue men beleue as it appeareth by you doctrine that whan they departe hence they shall go from the hall in to the kytchen or els in to the whole kylle of your purgatory Standish Loke what case he is in that thus ended his life et cet Couerdale To proue here that saintes praie for us in heauen ye make a long disputacion and with the scriptures ye do as ye were wont They haue loue yet ye saie and therfore they praye for us and are our aduocates I answere The same places of scripture that ye bringe in your selfe are moost against you for they declare manifestly that it is the office of Christ to make intercession for us and that he is with the father oure aduocate which opteineth grace for our sinnes The saintes then that be in heauen knowinge this eternall will of god loue us not so that they desyre to be nether can they be against it It is a token that your doctryne hath but a weake foundacion whan ye go aboute to proue it by a dreame yee and that out of such a boke as serueth not for the confirmacion of the doctryne of Christes church for though it be red among the stories of other bokes yet dyd not the church receaue it among the Canonical scriptures in S. Hieroms tyme. Nether can ye proue that boke laufull by anye sayeng of Christ for thorow out all the new Testament he maketh mencion of none but of the lawe the Prophetes and the Psalmes and byddeth not search anye other scriptures but such as beare recorde and testimonye of him The xv of Ieremy proueth as doth also the vij the xj the xiiij of his boke that god will not be intreated where his worde is troden vnder foote and where men will nedes spurne agaynst it And verely in all the scripture could ye not haue brought in a more manifest place to cōfute your owne doctrine if it be compared to the xiiij of Ezechiel The xvj of Luke proueth nothing for your purpose in that Abraham praied not to god whan he was desired But like as it proueth that ther is no redempcion in hell ner time of acceptable repentaunce and forgyuenesse after this life So proueth it euidently that we ought to holde us to the onely word and scripture of god and not to loke for other doctrynes visions dreames or reuelacions The place Apoca. vj. proueth that the voyce of Abels bloude and of such as are slayne for the worde of god cryeth vengeaunce from the erth and vnder the altare as S.
Iohn saieth in his vision and that all such as are malicious persecuters therof are giltie of the righteous bloude that is shed vpon erth S. Peters shadowe proueth your doctrine but weakly excepte ye can make us beleue that ther be shadowes in heauen Nomore doth S. Pauls napkyn vnlesse ye can proue that he hath not yet left wiping of his nose But where lerne ye to belye the word of god Where finde ye in the scripture that Peters shadowe or Pauls napkyng could heale the sicke doth the text saie so Because the people brought their sicke in to Peters shadow did it therfore heale them Peter confesseth him selfe that it was not his owne power which made the lame man hole S. Luke also reporteth that god wrought no small miracles by the handes of Paul And as Christ our sauioure himselfe witnesseth that it was not his vesture but the womans faith which made her whole though she touched it so saieth S. Marke that the lord wrought with the Apostles and confirmed the word with tokens folowinge Morouer where as S. Paul desired to be lowsed and to be present with Christ what proueth that the praieng to saintes He saied in the same place that it were more nedefull for them to haue him yet lyuing among them Which thinge were not so yf this your article were so necessary as ye make it But Pauls wordes shalbe true still for greate nede haue we of many such as he was yf it were for nothing els but to preach with his mouth as he hath done in his Epistles agaynst youre and all other such false doctrines Standishe Nonne confortatus est principatus eorum Psal cxxxviij Couerdale Like as that scripture maketh no mencion of anie such article as ye ymagen so doth the content of thē Psalme set forth the wonderfull care and prouision that god maketh for us and teacheth us that gods secrete counsails and thoughtes are to hie for oure capacite Standish Hinc Iero. aduersus vigilantium et cet Couerdale S. Ambrose saieth Christ is oure mouth by the which we speake vnto the father Oure eye by the which we se the father oure right hand by the which we offre vnto the father Without whose intercession nether we ner all sayntes haue any thing with god Standish Yf you saie saintes do not heare us et cete Couerdale What knowlege the saintes haue it is trulye aboue my capacite but well I wote that the scripture of the olde testament ascribeth onely vnto god the knowlege of mens hartes Wherof the gospells also beare recorde sufficient and so doth the first of the Actes Now is it manifest likewise that as the praier which commeth from the harte is most acceptable so doth our Sauyoure byd us praye vnto our father in secrete Where as ye bring in the ensample of Abraham and the worke of god shewed vnto him in this life for to serue youre present purpose It proueth that ye are an vnreuerent handler of gods worde for the texte is plaine that god dyd there shewe vnto Abraham being yet in this life the destruction of the Sodomites of his onely accustomate goodnesse and mercy because Abraham was vnder his couenaunt and did faithfully cleue to his promes and because he knew that Abraham wolde cōmaunde his childrē and housholde to kepe the waie of the lorde et ce To affirme your purpose then by this place is euen as much as to go aboute to proue that saintes in heauē haue children yet and housholdes to teach in the waie of the lorde Standish Where as the leest of them qui minor est et cetera Couerdale Like as of a comparatiue degree ye make a superlatiue and wrest the wordes to Abraham that oure Sauioure spake of Iohn the baptist Euen so to the estate that saintes be now in applye ye those wordes which S. Iohn speaketh of the estate that gods electe shall haue at the seconde appearinge of Christ euen whan they shalbe like him whan their bodies shall ryse vncorruptible as his is rysen and whan he shall chaunge their vile body that it maie be like fashioned vnto his glorious body Agayne ye sayde afore that there were no sayntes in heauen afore Christes ascension And now to proue that the leest of the sayntes in heauē is more entyerlye beloued of god then Abraham was in this life ye alledge the wordes that were spoken long afore the death of Christ Qui minor est in regno et cet Remembre your selfe wel what a clarklye parte ye plaie with that text As for sanctorum communionem it is the declaraciō of the holy catholike or vniuersall church of Christ that they are a company or felashippe of all such as be sanctified in Christes bloude and are partakers of his merites and membres one of another But no probacion is it that sayntes in heauen do praye for us yf ye note well the descripcion therof by S. Pauls doctryne Now yf ye will proue youre purpose by the angels offices then must ye proue that sayntes are mynistring spretes sent for their sakes which shal be heyres of saluacion But that will be hard for you to do Nether doth the twentieth chapter of luke helpe your matter anye thinge at al for though ye choppe vp the text at your pleasure with the shortest these are our Sauiours wordes The children of this world do mary and be maried but they that shalbe counted worthy of yonder world and the resurrection from the deed shall nether mary ner be maried for they can die nomore for they are like vnto the angels et cet This answere now of our Sauiour to the Saducees as it confuteth their heresie so doth it proue that the children of god in heauen be like the aungels in life in immortalite and in that they are as fre from the necessite of mariage as the angels be but it proueth not that they are like angels in all thinges for thē shuld they haue no bodies to be raised vp at the generall resurrection Standish But also that their merites do profit us as by example we do reade Gene. xxvj et cetera Couerdale Where as allmightie god saieth vnto Isaac Vnto thy sede will I geue all this land et cet because Abraham was obedient vnto my voyce et cet Vpon this are ye not ashamed to saye that the cause is onely thorow the merites of his father Abraham Now saieth not the text so but thus Vnto the and thy sede will I geue all this lande and wil perfourme mine ooth that I sware to thy father Abraham et cet This scripture then like as it proueth acording to S. Pauls wordes that they which are of faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham so declareth it manifestly that this same blessing commeth of gods promes in and thorow the sede of Abraham and Isaac that is euen thorow Christ But
abhominable swearers maye be punished and strately loked vpon For surely the vengeaūce of god will come on thē for their mischeuous oothes Thē desired he M. Pope which was present to haue him cōmended to M. Edgar ād to desire him for the deare bloud of Iesu Christ that he wold leaue that abhominable swearing that he vseth For surely excepte he forsake it he will come to some mischeuous ende The fourth that his grace wil set furth Christes true religiō And that seyng he hath begon̄e he go forward and make an end for many thinges haue bene done but yet much more is to do And that it wold please his grace to loke on gods word himselfe For it hath bene obscured with many tradicions inuented of our owne braynes Now sayd he how many peticions haue I spoken of And the people sayd foure Well sayd he euen these foure be sufficient which I desyre you that the kynges grace maye be certified of them And saye that I moost humbly desyre him to loke ernestly vpon them Standish It was high tyme to loke et cet Couerdale The prophet Daniel I trust was no arrogaunt wretche though he desyred his prince to make some prouision for the poore Nomore thē was holy S. Paul which taught Timothy to change the riche mē of this world with the same lesson All they also that were true messaungers of god laboured to haue aduoutry fornicacion whordome and abhominable swearinge expelled from among Christen men as all the whole scripture testifieth Nether dyd D. Barnes in these his wordes requyre anye other thing His wordes are playne ynough and yet as your maner is in your treatise ye ymagen an intent and mynde cleane contrary to the same Ye graunt that he spake ernestly for the poore and for the comons and yet call ye him an arrogaunt wretch and for his good will reporte of him that he desired to haue a great stroke in euery matter of waight et cetera D. Barnes sayd not that he and his felowes dyd refourme those thinges that were amysse for he knew that to be gods office and the Kynges and yet surmyse ye the same vntruly vpon him But he saieth that thorow the preaching of gods word in the mynistracion of him and such other the Kynges grace is now more obeyed then euer he was before And I praye you is it not so Or was it not gods holy word that gat the Kyng his owne agayne Maye he thank anye papisticall doctrine therfore No verely Concerning M. Edgar yf D. Barnes had not had a right good opynion in him no doubte he wold not haue sent him that commendacion with such an honest request But because he toke him as he might right well I trust for a gentle man that wolde suffre a Christen exhortacion as they will that perteyne vnto Christ therfore was he the bolder of him As for that swearing I thinke verely it cōmeth rather of a custome which yet might well be left then of anye set purpose Nether was D. Barnes acte here agaynst the processe requyred in the xviij of Matthew though he had not spoken with him afore seyng he might not now come at him Barnes ANd that his grace take good hede that he be not disceaued with false preachers and teachers and euell counsaill For Christ saieth that such false Prophetes shall come in lammes skynnes Standish O how great thanke be you worthy et cetera Couerdale Ye shuld haue proued these wordes to smell nothing but heresie and treason as ye saye in your preface because they haue the swete odoure of the gospell where our sauyour byddeth us beware of false Prophetes and of the leuen of pharises and telleth us that many such shall aryse and disceaue many yee euen thorow swete preachinges and flatring wordes saieth the Apostle and because the scripture byddeth us beware of such marchauntes as goyng in long garmentes et cete deuoure wedows houses vnder the pretence of long prayers This man called not the Kynges moost honoble councell euell and yet euen like a pyke thank still ye surmyse it vpon him Yf a frend of the Kynges shuld saye vnto him I besech your grace take good hede whom ye receaue in to your preuy chambre Doth he therfore call his chamberlaynes euell Or doth he therfore preferre his owne witte aboue the discrete wisdome of the Kynges noble counsaill Holy S. Peter as long as he was in this body thought it mete to put Christen men in remembraunce of their dewtie yee though they were of ripe knowlege them selues and stablished in the trueth And yet you call it obstinate pryde treason blyndnesse and rash foolishnesse so to do Such is your iudgment Yee euen whan the partye doth most humbly desyre his prynce to whō he speaketh Barnes THen desyred he all men to forgeue him and that yf he had sayd any euell at any tyme vnaduysed wherby he had offended any man or geuen any occasiō of euell that they wold forgeue it him and amend that euell they toke of him Standish Mark how he doth contynue one maner of man et cetera Couerdale Stedfastnesse in the waye of gods trueth is to be commended And an euident token is it that he is of the same doctryne which wittingly teacheth no euell reconcyleth himselfe vnto all men is sory yf he haue offended anye man or geuen any euell occasion and geueth other men at their death an ensample of true repentaunce Barnes ANd that they wold beare him witnesse that he detested and abhorred all euell opynions and doctrines against the word of god and that he dyed in the faith of Iesu Christ and the sacramentes of the church by whō he doubted not to saued Standishe I knowe that no good man et cetera Couerdale Then it appeareth that yf he had not detested and abhorred all euell and erroneous opynions but had loued your straunge doctrines which are agaynst gods word and so dyed out of Christes faith ye wold haue bene a recorde and witnesse to him rather then fayle Barnes ANd with this he desyred them all to praye for him and then he turned him aboute and put of his clothes makyng him ready to the fyre and most paciently toke his death yeldinge his soule into the handes of allmightie god Standish By this it doth appeare that the first wryter of these his wordes was very charitable et cete Couerdale What so euer he was that first wrote these his wordes verely I can not tell nether dyd I euer reade them or heare them till I sawe them in your treatise And though it may be suspected that this is not the trewest copie because it commeth out of your handes Yet truly a right charitable dede was it to wryte his wordes and to certifye us of them for els by your present practise we maye coniecture that ye wold haue discanted of his deeth as of one whom ye had ouercome with your doctryne Now also that ye
the Papistrie Gen. xviij The place Iob. j The place â—oâ— â—â— Ioh. â—ij 〈…〉 j. Ioh. iij. Roma iiij Roma vij Gala. v j. Ioh. j. The place of the psalme cxviij Psal xvij Psal cxxix Psal cxlij The place Math. xix Obiection Answere Philip. ij Rom. viij De lib. arb cap. xvj Rom. vij Ioh. xiiij S. Augustine de uerbis Apostoli Math. xj Ioh. vj j. Ioh. v Iaco. j Ephe. ij Roma x Deute xxx Roma ij j. Ioh â–ª v Gala. iij Math. xj Psal cxviij Eccle. vij Esaie lxiiij Prouer. xx Esa xxix Math. xv j. Ioh. j. Acto ij Acto iiij j. Timo. iij Matth. vij Luc. xj Math. xviij Luc. xxiiij Iohn xx Ezech. xviij Math. xj Iohn vj. Luc. xxiij Galat. Tit. iij Iacob ij Math. x. Roma x. Matth. xviij Luc. xxiiij Ioh. xx Matth. vij ij Cor. v. Ioh. v. Psal cxlij Psal cxxix Ezech. xxiij Sapi. j. Matth. xx Matth. xix Diuersite The place ij Tim. iiij S. Paul condemneth Standish doctryne Ioh. x Standish wordes rebuke himselfe This is no casting away of all honest duties Math. vij j. Timo. iiij ij Timo. â—ij Acto xx ij Pet. iij. Iude. j. Hiere xix Hiere xxiij Hiere xxvij Ezech. xiij D. Barnes set forth good workes Eccl. xxix Matth. v Ioh. xv Roma vj Roma vij Ephe. ij j. Pet. ij j. Pet. iij. j. Timo. ij j. Pet. v Timo. ij j. Timo. vj Esaie lxiiij j. Ioh. v. Acto xxliij Matth. vj j. Pet. v. Matth. v Diuersite â–ª To make vp the argumeÌ„t Iacob iij. ij Cor. vj. ij Par. xvâ—ij A pyke thanke iij. Reg. xxj Danie xiij Acto vj. Matth. xxvj The holy church Profession set forth with the mouth God warneth us by other mens fall The diffinicion of heresie Ioh. xx Iohn vij Mat. xxviij j. Cor. iiij ij Ioh. j. j. Pet. iiij Acto xv Acto xv Galat. ij Acto xv Gala. ij Roma xiiij j. Cor. viij Acto xv Acto xvâ— â–ª ij Tessa ij Matth. iiij Ezech. xiij Diuersite What a reporte Standish geueth of D. Barnes Esaie vij Matth. j Luc. ij Serv veniâ— Standish is a manlie man Standish peruerteth the wordes 〈◊〉 the xiij Psalme An ensample of obedieÌ„ce in D. Barnes j. Timo. â— Matth. x ij Iohn j Standish wold not haue the sacrament vsed acording to the holy scripture Apoc. xiij Heb. xiij j. Cor. xiiij j. Ioh. iiij j. Tessa v Ioh. xiiij and xvj Standish peruerteth S. Augustines wordes The secte of the Manichees Contra Epistolam Manichei quam vocant fundamenti S. Augustines wordes Ego vero Euangelio non crederem nisi me catholice Ecclesie commoueret auctoritas The doctrine of S. Augustine Standish choppeth vp S. Augustines wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Franciscus â–ª Maronis j. Timo. iij. Standish will proue by scripture the thing that can not be therin Vayne wordes require no answer but reprofe ij Timo. iij Holy scripture is sufficiâ— Christ is our hie prest Heb. jj Heb. v. The seate of grace Heb. vij Heb. ix Math. vij Luc. xj Psal xlix Hiere xxix Psal xc and cxliiij Math. vij Iohn xvj Esaie xxx Acto x and xij Psal cxviij Diuersite in Stanâ—isâ— doctryne Standish excludeth himselfe Prouer. xxv Eccl. iij. Acto j. Mar. xiij Mat. xxiiij 〈◊〉 v. ij Cor. v Heb. vij j. Iohn ij ij Mac. xv The dreame of Iudas Machabeus Prolog in libros Salomonis Luc. xxiiij Iohn v Gene. iiij Matth. xxiij Acto v. Acto xix Acto v. Acto iij. Acto xix Matth. ix Mar. xvj Philip. j. The Psalme cxxxviij C. de Isaac iij. Re. viij j. Para. vj Luc. v. vj xj xvj Math. ix xij Mar. ij Matth. vj Gene. xviij Luce. vij j. Iohn iij j. Cor. xv Philip. iij j. Cor. xij Heb. j. Luc. xx Gen. xxvj Galat. iij. Rom. viij Col. j. ij Iohn j Diuersite in Standish doctryne Matth. v xviij Gala. iij. ij Cor. iij Philip. ij August Rom. iij. Ephe. ij Luc. xvij Rom. viij De predest sane j. Iohn iiij ij Cor. xj Matth. xviij Iohn x Roma viij j. Ioh. iiij j. Tessa v Iohn x Iohn iij Matth. v Luc. xxiij In the cxiij leafe D. Barnes wordes in the cxv leafe of his boke In the cxvj leafe In the cxviij leafe Amos. vij j. Pet. ij Matth. x Matth. v Luc. xxiiij Prouer. xix Esaye v They saye not we are ready to resist Dani. liij j. Timo. vj Math. vij xvj xxiiij Nom. xvj Mar. xij Luc. xx ij Pet. j Iohn vij ij Timo. ij Heb. xij
there in youre wordes Fie on such doctrine Standishe And here let us note that it is not all one to bringe forth good frutes and to bring forth worthy frutes of pennaunce Couerdale No where haue ye auctorite of gods word for you Be not the good frutes of penÌ„aunce worthy frutes Or be not they good frutes that are worthy O vnworthy teachers What an vnworthy doctrine is this Standish For he that doth committe no deedly synnes et cet Couerdale Yf I shulde teach anie man whan he hath vnlaufully bahaued him selfe to vse vnlaufull thinges still I am sure that like as gods word wolde therin condeÌ„ne me so wolde the prudent rulers of the worlde acordinge to their dewtie loke sharply vpoÌ„ me and iudge me litle better then a sedicious teacher Yf the rulers therfore of the worlde will winck at such a pestilent doctryne and suffre it to be sowne among their people I beseche god to seÌ„d them his discipline to their better enfourmacion and so to lighten the eies of their vnderstonding that they maie aswell remembre what hurt commeth of sedicious doctrine as many of their subiectes yee they them selues also haue proued it by experience Well yet remembre the ende Where as ye separate the frutes of innoceÌ„cy of goodnesse et ce froÌ„ the frutes of penÌ„aunce where finde ye that in holy scripture For albeit that some man offendeth more then another who yet I praie you is not bound to confesse himselfe a synner to declare himselfe sory for the vnperfectnesse of his owne nature to mortifie his flesh and to liue in repentaunce all the daies of his life Yee be he neuer so innocent iust or righteous in the estimacioÌ„ of man Thus by your slendre diuision ye proue but slenderly that the workes of Mary Magdalene and Dauid were not frutes of goodnesse but onely frutes of pennaunce as though penÌ„aunce were not good or as though the frutes of pennaunce were not good frutes As for the carnall libertie of man it must be all waie restrained abuse of all thinges is utterly forbidden Yet must the body of man haue his worshippe at his nede at his nede I saye not at his lust Yf you now thorow anye sâ—â—â—e of wisdone or chosen spritualtie will teach the contrary then is youre doctrine condemned by S. Paul to the Collossians Standishe· Yee and acordinge to the qualite of the offence must be the satisfaction Pro mensura peccati erit plagarum modus Deute xxv Couerdale This text verely as it is slenderly alledged so proueth it youre purpose but faintly Moses wordes which you bringe in are these Acordinge to the measure of the offence shalbe also the measure of stripes But let us se the circumstaunce of the texte and so shall we trye whether ye haue played a iuglers cast or no. And forget not I praie you that ye haue alledged this texte to proue that the satisfaction must be acording to the qualite of the offence Moses wryteth thus Yf there be a matter of plee betwene anie men and they come to the law then loke whom the iudges considre to be iust him shall then declare to be in the right cause and him whom they perceaue to be vngodly shall they condemne for his vngodlynesse But yf they se him which hath offended to be worthy of stripes they shall take him downe and cause him to be beaten in their presence Acordinge to the measure of the offence shalbe also the measure of the strypes but so that they passe not the nombre of fortie et cete This lawe as it is euident was a ciuile ordinaunce made for the commodite of the people and not without mercy The text also speaketh of no such satisfaction as ye meane But here forgettinge the rules of youre logick ye wolde make a qualite of a quantite For in your article ye speake of a qualite and the texte maketh mencion of a quantite nombre or measure Agayne this lawe will that the partie which is to be beaten shal not haue aboue fortie stripes And then by youre doctrine it must folowe that though we be compelled to be punished and so to make satisfaction for the paine due vnto oure synnes yet shulde ech one of us haue but fortie stripes for the text speaketh of no moo Maie ye not be ashamed then thus to mock with the scripture Standishe Not like ner equall in the great offender and the lesse Vnde Apo. xviij Quantum quis se glorificauit et in delicijs fuit tantum illi inferendum est tormentum Couerdale Where as the voice from heauen speaketh of the whore of Babilon and saieth Come awaie from her my people that ye be not partakers of her synnes lest ye receaue of her plages et cete As much as she glorified herselfe and folowed her awne lustes so much geue ye her of punishment and sorowe et cet By the last parte of this texte wolde ye proue that satisfactioÌ„ maie not be equall in the greate offender and the lesse Now saieth the texte Asmuch as she glorified hir self et cete so much geue ye her of punishment Here is rather equalite And where as the texte speaketh of the whore of Babilon ye saie Quantum quis et ce turninge not onely the femynine gendre to the masculyne which a boie that goeth to the grammer scoole wolde not do but also prouinge an vniuersall by a perticular Agayne This texte speaketh of her that is damned to hell and the article that ye go aboute to proue speaketh of those whom ye haue affirmed allready to make satisfaction vnto god for their synnes by the frutes of pennaunce which by youre owne iudgment are not damned vnto hell Lord god whan will this blindnesse haue an ende Standish It is not ynough saieth Chrisostome et cet Couerdale The doctrine of god is that whan Christ hath made us whole for without him is no remission we shall sinne nomore he that hath stollen must steale nomore he that hath not the gift of chastite must for the auoiding of fornicacion take a laufull wife for better it is to mary then to burne On the back syde of the boke therfore is that doctryne writteÌ„ which teacheth that whan a man hath loÌ„g lyued in whordome he shall than abstaine from the laufull vse of holy wedloke for wedloke is the remedy appointed of god against all bodely fornicacion and whordome Standish Wherby we maie perceaue et cet Couerdale Yes there be worthy frutes of repentaunce to bring forth there is a new man to put on the tre hath good frutes to beare the spouse of Christ which is euery true faithfull soule hath laufull children that is laufull thoughtes laufull wordes laufull dedes to bring vp and to norishe Good workes must nedes folowe faith but not that we maye set anye of them in the rowme of Christ ner make them the satifactioÌ„ to god for our synnes God hath