backward into their former darknesse of ignorance errours For certeine men haue now begonne with no little care and cunning to set a faire glasse vpon old superstitions and with comelie wordes to cloake and couer the faultes and vices of the Papistes But now at this day seeing that our aduersaries doe shew foorth euidently and plainely without dissimulation what they goe aboute what they looke at what they ayme at what they shoote at and seeing that now wee may almost feele and groape as it were with our handes the fond counselles and wicked practises of the vngodlie Papistes I doe see there is no greate daunger and I thinke that wee neede not to feare so much any more lest they can induce and bring any man hereafter so easily into errour vnlesse hee bee starke blinde out of his right wittes For who now doth not see that the aduersaries of sounde and wholesome doctrine doe endeuour to take quite away to pluck out of all mens heartes yea after a sorte to burie wholy and altogether to ouerwhelme the very sacred and holy religion of Christe For thus they teache Ad verbum Woorde for woorde I will put nothing to of mine owne That faith say they by which a man doth stedfastly beleeue and assuredly trust to haue his sinnes forgiuen him for Christes sake and to possesse euerlasting saluation hath no testimonie or witnesse at all in the Scriptures yea it is cleane against it What else If any man shall say that the iustifying faith is nothing else but a stedfast trust in Gods mercie pardoning our sinnes for Christes sake or that that only confidence is the meane whereby wee shal be iustified let him bee accursed Item If any man shall say that to the obteining of saluation it is necessarie for euery man to beleeue assuredly and without all doubting of his owne infirmitie that his sinnes are forgiuen him let him bee accursed What is there any more of this stuffe Yea If any man shall say that a man is absolued from his sinnes and iustified for that he doth certeinly beleeue that hee is absolued or that no man is truely iustified but hee that doeth beleeue himselfe to be iustified and that our absolution and iustification is fully perfected and finished onely by this faith let him bee accursed I tremble and quake to rehearse such deuilish decrees of vngodlie men They will haue faith to bee onely a simple credulitie and a bare knowledge of the historie of Christ and not also a stedfast trust and beliefe in Christ as S. Paul in all his Epistles vnderstandeth it They woulde haue vs continually to doubte of the good will of God towardes vs They denie that a man is iustified only by trust and beliefe in the mercie of God pardoning our sinnes for Christes sake that is they denie that a man is iustified Gratis freely as S. Paul saith euen by the grace of God and that without woorkes They denie that faith is necessarie for all men to the obteining of pardon and remission of their sinnes They denie that faith is alwayes necessarie to absolution from our sinnes that is to speake more plainly they denie that wee ought necessarily to beleeue the Gospell For I pray you what other thing is absolution but the voice of the Gospell sounding by the minister of the Church by which voice that remission of sinnes promised to the penitent in the Gospell is priuately and particularly applied to euery mans conscience And seeing that our Sauiour Christ in the Gospell of S. Marke flatly commaundeth both namely to repent and to beleeue the Gospell beholde heere the intollerable boldnesse or rather impudencie of our aduersaries For they very willingly graunt the one that we ought to repent but verily they doe so stoutly denie the other namely that wee ought to beleeue the Gospell that is the preaching of forgiuenesse of sinnes that they accurse and condemne euery one that affirmeth this to bee true Christ saith Credite Euangelio that is Beleeue the Gospell but these men say quite contrary If any man say they shall affirme that in absolution of sinnes wee must beleeue the Gospell let him bee accursed Now what an absurde thing also is this their Anathema If any man shall say that if grace bee lost through sinne faith also is alwayes together lost with it or that that faith which doth remaine is not a true faith although it bee not a liuely faith or that hee which hath faith without charitie is not a Christian let him bee accursed Here to be briefe they affirme that adulterers manquellers extortioners and such like whome S. Paule denieth euer to be heires of the kingdome of God persisting still in their sinne and wickednesse may conceiue some hope and trust of their saluation and may promise vnto them selues that God for Christes sake will be mercifull â–ª and fauorable vnto them for that is it which we call To beleeue If this their assertion be true then surely the Apostle S. Paule is in an errour But if it bee impietie to graunt that the Apostle erred then they them selues doe erre and are deceiued and doe manifestly teach a falshood In the meane while such is the miserable blindenesse of those mens mindes they doe not see and perceiue how that they speake contraries They doe denie that there is any liuely faith in heinous sinners and wicked offenders Ergo it necessarily followeth that their faith is a dead faith such an one as the Diuels also may haue in them according as S. Iames witnesseth How therefore can that faith be founde true which is dead Here I doe beleeue they will coyne and bring foorth out of their owne braine as Iupiter brought forth Minerua out of his head a new definition of faith But let vs briefly haue a viewe also of other of their Diuelish decrees The Catholike Church say they doeth reteine and receiue whatsoeuer the chaire of Peter hath giuen out doeth giue out and shall giue out concerning faith and religion Hereby you may easily vnderstand how greate the credite of the Church of Rome and the authoritie of the Apostolicall seate is amongst them Let vs proceede on forward to the rest Ecclesiasticall constitutions say they concerning fastes feastes and abstinence from meates and many other thinges doe bind a man in conscience to obserue and keepe them Etiam extra casum scandali yea without the case of offence to any This is a hard saying But what followeth Christ say they doeth giue and graunt many thinges vnto vs here on earth through the merites and intercession of Saintes which otherwise he would not bestowe vppon vs Wherefore they doe verie holily and religiously which with a deuoute pietie and godlinesse doe visite those places which are dedicated to them and which by this meanes seeke for helpe at their handes Here you see that they doe allowe prayer to the deade and
of which by the way I haue saied somewhat before concerning the impure single life of Priestes concerning the superstition hypocrisie and tyrannie of the mendicant or begging Friers to be briefe of Pharasaisme in the Frieries and Monasteries of Epicurisme in the Collegies of Canons of Iudaisme in Ecclesiasticall rites of Paganisme in the life and manners of the Christians of the former age of so many snares of mens consciences of the feigned miracles of Saintes almost sixe hundred such like deuises But I hope that euerie man will by these few which we haue spoken of easily coniecture the rest which remaine which are very many For as I suppose I haue shewed sufficiently what hath bene the state of Christianitie now of late yeares and many ages past and I haue declared what superstitions what faultes what abuses haue crept into the Church I beseech God the father of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ that as he hath restored the light of his Gospell to those which heretofore were compassed with the thicke cloudes of errours so he woulde open the eyes of the aduersaries of the Gospell that they may be conuerted from darkenesse to light from the power of Sathan to God finally from the vaine superstition of their auncestours and forefathers to the worshippe of true godlinesse Amen The second parte of this Discourse Wherein is declared what hath bene amended and corrected by our men in Ecclesiasticall doctrine NOW will we come to the second part of this booke and we will briefly declare what hath bene nowe at length amended and reformed in the doctrine of the Church First therefore it is plaine and euident to all men at this day that from the beginning of the worlde till now there hath alwayes beene one and the same way to obteine saluation by namely by the sole and onely trust and confidence in Christ whome the godly did beleeue should come as the Sauiour promised to Adam and to the old fathers euen from the originall of the worlde whom we now beleeue to be come alreadie at a determinate time and to haue brought saluation vnto mankinde For our faith also at this day is the very same with the faith of the Patriarchs Prophetes and finally of the whole people of Israel in times past because they expected and wayted for that to come which we doe beleeue to be alreadie done Now though we conceiue in our mindes that the holinesse of the Patriarches was exceeding greate whiche without all doubte was singular and most notable notwithstanding they were saued by no other meanes but by faith in the Redeemer of mankinde then promised to them now exhibited to vs who is the sonne of God our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ So that the holy fathers were not as yet Christians in woorde but in deede they were Christians by reason of our common faith and beliefe in Christ whome they did hope would come whome wee doe beleeue to be come long agoe Therefore all men must looke for saluation from this one and onely Christ neither is there among men any other name giuen as S. Peter saith whereby we must be saued For to this Christ giue all the Prophetes witnesse that through his name all that beleeue in him shall receiue remission of sinnes Seeing these things are so who would not maruell much at the blindnesse of the Christians both in our memorie and in former ages which did attribute that to mans merites which is due vnto Christ alone For that can not bee denied which we haue before declared more at large to witte that mortall men did not heretofore trust so much to the goodnesse clemencie bountie mercie and grace of GOD alone nor so much to the satisfaction of Christ onely for our sinnes as they did to the dignitie and woorthinesse of their owne woorkes For whitherto tend so many rites and formes of woorshipping GOD found out and ordeined by men so many will woorshippes so many fraternities so manifold varietie of Masses moreouer Pilgrimages Pardons a Monasticall life voluntarie beatings and also whippinges of our owne bodie hungers watchinges lyinges vppon the bare ground and who can rehearse all Whereto say I doe wee beleeue that all these thinges did tend but to the obteining of forgiuenesse of sinnes to the satisfaction for offences to the deliuerance from eternall death briefly to the obteining of saluation and blessednesse So now men ascribed their saluation not to the sonne of God our Lord Redeemer Iesus Christ who by his owne bloudshed satisfied for the sinnes of the worlde and pacified the wrath of God but to the worthinesse of their owne woorkes and to their owne merites and vertues Now as the people of the Iewes in olde time were of that minde that they thought the Leuiticall ceremonies and the sacrifices of the lawe were auayleable to the remission of their sinnes the Prophets in the meane time shewing them a farre other vse of the lawe and warning them of that future sacrifice of the Messias which the Leuiticall sacrifices did shadowe so the men of the former age obserued and kept superstitious rites for that they were thoroughly persuaded that God by them was reconciled that he by them was satisfied for our sinnes our men at this day condemning this so impious a persuasion and testifying that all men obteine peace with God and pardon of their sinnes and that all receiue saluation only by faith in Christ For not mans ceremonies but that seede of the woman promised to Adam doeth breake and bruse the heade of that olde Serpent which as Iohn saith in the Reuelation is called the Diuell and Sathan that is the sonne of God our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ is he alone which doeth destroy the workes of the Diuell to witte sinne and death Not the Leuiticall sacrifices but that lambe of God whom Iohn Baptist pointeth to with his finger is he that taketh away the sinnes of the world Not by our merites and desertes but through Christ is remission of sinnes preached vnto vs as the Apostle saith Not mans satisfaction but the sonne of God him selfe as S. Iohn testifieth is the reconciliation for our sinnes We haue obteined reconciliation not by the intercession of Saintes but by our Lord Iesus Christ as S. Paule doeth witnesse For this is he alone which may reconcile vs to God being the onely Mediatour betwixt God and men as the same S. Paule saith Not he that buyeth and redeemeth the Popes bulles but he that beleeueth in the sonne as our Sauiour saith in the Gospell of S. Iohn hath eternall life Man is not iustified by his owne woorkes but by the grace of God freely through the redemption which is in Christ Iesus as saith the Apostle No man is saued by his owne good deedes but by the grace of our Lorde Iesus Christ are wee saued as saith S. Peter in the Actes I suppose that I
haue declared sufficiently how that we ought to repose all our hope and confidence of obteining saluation in the free mercie of God and reconciliation with vs for Christes sake who by his owne bloud satisfied God for the sinnes of all not in our merites and good workes and how that the whole Church hath alwayes from the beginning of the world bene iustified and saued by this faith Now as God in Paradise did first rebuke and reproue our first father Adam for sinne when as he being circumuented by the craft and subtiltie of the Serpent had neglected Gods cōmandement then afterwardes did raise him vp being afflicted with the promise of the deliuerer to come as Moses sheweth in Genesis and as Christ in Lukes Gospell teacheth his Apostles first to detect reproue sinners afterwards to comfort them by the Gospell when as he commaundeth them to preach repentance and remission of sinnes in his name wherevpon S. Paule in the Actes saith that he had preached both to the Iewes and to the Graecians the repentance towardes God and the faith towards our Lorde Iesus And Christ in Marke saith Repent by and by putting no wordes betweene hee saith And beleeue the Gospell so wee also at this day doe and see that it be done in our Churches For first we endeuour and goe aboute to bring men to the acknowledging of their sinne which thing is brought to passe by preaching the Lawe and the ten Commaundements Then we bidde them seeke for saluation by faith in Christ which thing is done by teaching the Gospell Now as hee seeketh not after the Physician who knoweth not him self to be sicke for it is truely saide Initium sanitatis esse morbi sensum That the beginning of our health is the sense and feeling of our disease so he which neither feeleth his owne sinnes nor the wrath of God against his sinnes that man hath no greate care and regarde of his owne saluation For as a certeine Ethnike writer saith Initium salutis notitia peccati that is to say The beginning of saluation is the knowledge of sinne Neither doe wee onely reprehend and condemne as they did in former times those manifest sinnes and grosse wickednesses as periurie theft rapine sacrilege whoredome adulterie incest manslaughter witchcraft and such like but also yea and much rather wee labour to vnfold and to set before the eyes of our mind that inward vncleannesse acknowledged of fewe and that impuritie of the hearte defiled with manifold affections of all sortes that prauitie and wickednesse of the minde and that pronenesse to sinne sticking fast in the verie bowelles entrailes of vs that inbred vitiousnesse from whence as from a stocke and roote all sinne and wickednesse whatsoeuer doth budde and spring Neither doe we that onely but also wee declare that euen our verie good deedes if there be any are not pure sound and sincere but that they are alwayes polluted with a certeine mixture of vice that they are not true and solide but as it were shadowed and coloured that finally they are not perfect or absolute in euerie point but vnperfect and scarse begonne and we doe make it plaine how farre off we are from the excellencie of that righteousnesse which God requireth of vs of which our righteousnesse may seeme to bee scarse a certeine image or a printe lightly stamped that I may not say a picture or shadowe of it and so at the length wee sette before sinners both the wrath and iudgement of God and the torments of Hell wee terrifie the guiltie wee accuse them wee conuince them we condemne them now they being thus brought almost to desperation and in an inward trembling for the conscience of their sinnes fearing seriously that punishment which they haue deserued and being amazed beaten downe with the feare of hell fire which thing to doe is the chiefe office of the Lawe by by we comforte them with a godlie consolation and in these distresses and anguishes of minde in this feeling of the wrath of God in this tast as it were of eternall torments wee bidde those men which are so terrified and which haue bewayled their sinnes to flee as humble suppliantes vnto the exceeding greate mercie of God through Christ to aske pardon for their offences to pray that GOD woulde forgiue them that thing is done by preaching the Gospell It is truely maruellous harde though verie necessarie which thing in former ages hath bene neglected so to lay open those hidden and inwarde sinnes so to disclose that wickednesse of mans minde and stubbornnesse of mans hearte which Hypocrites doe not see at all being couered as it were with certeine vailes of pride and selfe loue so to bring to light that malice throughly fastened in our corrupt nature that the sinner acknowledging his disease may bee carefull to seeke for a remedie may labour to flee vnto Christ in feruent desire to reconcile Gods will and may beleeue that this Christ onely hath by his death satisfied for the sinnes of all men Neither doe I make so many woordes of this matter rashly and vnaduisedly for naught For hitherto there haue bene fewe in the Popes kingdome which could either vnderstand them selues or teach others truely what was sinne Which thing the matter it selfe doth plainly shewe to be true For as they accompted those heinous and manifest offences which the lawes did publikely punish to be sinnes so they made nothing of that homebred vitiositie and of that natiue spot and corruption of ours neither did they acknowlege their owne deceitfull dealinges and to vse S. Paules woordes the counsels of their owne heartes by searching diligently all the inmost turninges secreat corners of their owne minde neither did they see sufficiently their owne vaine hypocrisie or their vices which deceiued them with a certeine shewe of a feigned vertue Yea often times they which woulde soone neglect the commaundements of God did carefully keepe and obserue the prescripts of men and they which were not greatly greeued with the neglect of them sorrowed sundrie times verie much for the violation and breach of these For what an heinous offence was it accompted yea almost a matter of life and death if a man in the Lent as they call it had bene so bold as to eate egges and flesh On the contrarie parte what a light trifle and what a small sinne was enuie debate hatred spitefulnesse auarice riot dronkennesse whoredome and such like thought to bee Which thing thou maist easily coniecture by this for that these were streight way remitted to him that confessed his faulte by any sacrificing Priest and for that there were verie light punishments appointed for them but the other were not forgiuen but by the Bishoppes or by those onely which bare the greatest sway in the Church So that which was committed against the Lawe of God was easily pardoned but that which was done
the conscience of the sinner wee exhorte him to repaire to the Minister of the Church confessing with an humble and lowlie mind his sinnes to desire of him sincerely and from his heart with grones weeping sobbing teares and with sighes absolution as our men tearme it and the comforte of the Gospell We shewe what keyes of the kingdome of heauen Christ hath left vnto his Churche that the Churche hath committed those to the Ministers of Gods worde that it so commeth to passe that Christ himselfe by the Minister of the Church doeth restore man to Gods mercie and fauour by the Minister doeth comfort with the word of God the afflicted conscience doeth raise it being fallen and cast downe doeth strengthen it staggering finally by the Minister doeth now after absolution send him away with a pacified and quiet minde For hitherto tendeth that which our Sauiour Christ saith in S. Iohns Gospell Whosoeuers sinnes ye remit they are remitted For we must not thinke that absolution is any other thing but the voyce of the Gospell sounding by the Minister of the Church by which that forgiuenesse of sinnes promised in the Gospell to the penitent is particularly applied to euerie seuerall man Therefore wee ought to heare the voyce of the Minister absoluing vs and to rest with our whole mindes contented with it no lesse than to hearken either to the voyce of Christ present who is truely our Bishop and high Priest as the authour of the Epistle to the Hebrues saith or to the voyce of God himselfe speaking from heauen For Christ in Saint Markes Gospell commaundeth vs not onely to repent but also to beleeue the Gospell that is the preaching of remission of sinnes Now to the ende that this confidence of obteining pardon of sinnes may be increased with a certeine heape as it were and that in this weakenesse of our mindes pronenesse to distrust it may be by all meanes on euerie side bolstered vp vnderpropped and strengthened we will the partie to be present at the Lordes Supper and to eate so as Christ instituted and ordeined it the bodie of Christ which was a sacrifice on the altar of the Crosse for the sinnes of men and to drinke his bloud which was shead for the purgation and satisfaction of sinnâ—â— For as faith is first conceiued by the worde of the Gospell concerning the promise of grace remission of sinnes so the same is stirred vp erected and confirmed by the Sacrament as Saint Augustine testifieth verie well Sacramentum est quasi verbum visibile A Sacrament is as it were a visible worde because that as faith is conceiued and bredde in vs by the hearing of the worde so the same faith is confirmed and ratified by this externall and visible signe By which thing it appeareth how great the loue of the eternall father towardes vs is which doeth not onely by his worde raise vp those that are afflicted and lie downe but also hath added to his worde certeine externall signes and visible tokens of grace which may stirre vs vp to the remembrance of the promise concerning pardon of sinnes and which might teache vs and put vs in minde of the fauourable and friendlie good will of God towardes vs. Now after that the penitent is mindfull of the Lords death which death was a satisfaction for the sinnes of the whole worlde we bidde him both to giue thankes from his heart to Iesus Christ for his exceeding great benefites towardes vs for that hee offering vp himselfe for vs hath appeased Gods displeasure and for that he hath suffered the punishmentes in his owne bloud which wee by the iustice of God shoulde haue felte of which thing this mysticall Supper is extant in the Churche as a perpetuall signe and monument and also wee will him to sing merily and ioyfully hymnes or songs of praise vnto the same Iesus Christ with a gratefull minde both with himselfe at home priuately and also in the Churche with the assemblie of the faithfull publikely and to giue him that worshippe and honour which worthily he oweth vnto him finally to liue godly and holily and in a certeine endeuour and labour to change as it were and to vndoe that which hath bene done which is a sure token of a minde truly repentant to amend his vices with vertues to put away after a sort by doing well the memorie of his naughtie deedes before God as it were to blot them out to be briefe to walke worthie of the Lord as the Apostle saith For to them which are iustified by faith in Christ after a true and earnest repentance for their sinnes which now verely bringeth with it another kinde of life which requireth other manners the obedience of Gods law is then necessarie to the end they may now glorifie God with honest actions and godlie workes that they may adorne the doctrine of the Gospell and that they may offer vp spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God through Iesus Christ For that is not the onely office and proper function of the lawe which thing we haue spoken of elsewhere to bring men to the acknowledging of their sinne and to the feeling of the wrath of God to shewe vnto the regenerate their wicked affections but also that it should bee vnto the iustified by faith as it were a certeine glasse wherein they may daily view and beholde themselues and by which they may knowe how farre now they haue proceeded and profited in godlines how farre they are off from that perfect righteousnesse and that it should be vnto them as a certeine candle shining in the darknes of this life and as it were a guide to tell them the nexte way to saluation in which way they ought to finishe the course of this life and to trauell streight to God least they at any time offend in any thing or least they straying from the godlie way of liuing fall and rush headlong into sinne that so at the length they perseuering constantly in the true worshippe of God may come to blessed immortalitie and may finally obteine the rewardes prepared in heauen for them And surely wicked actions doe not well agree with a true faith neither can they which liue wickedly filthily and which endeuour not as much as in them lieth to keepe the commaundements of God promise vnto themselues that God will be fauourable vnto them for Christes sake For hitherto perteineth that notable saying of S. Augustine Fides tua inquit iustitia tua quia vtique sicredis caues si autem caues conaris conatum tuum nouit Deus voluÌ„tatem tuam inspicit luctam cum carne considerat hortatur vt pugnes adiuuat vt vincas certantem spectat deficientem sublenat vincentem coronat that is Thy faith saith he is thy righteousnesse for verely if thou doest beleeue thou doest beware if
¶ A NOTABLE discourse of the happinesse of this our age and of the ingratitude of men to God for his benefites Written in Latine by that godly learned man Iohn Riuius and now newly Englished for the comfort and commoditie of the vnlearned by W. W. Student Iohn 17. 3. This is life euerlasting that men knowe thee to be the onely verie God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ Horat. Interdum vulgus rectum videt est vbi peccat Imprinted at London for Tobie Cooke and Philippe Eede 1578. To the Right Honorable M. Doctour Wilson one of the principall Secretaries to the Queenes most excellent Maiestie and of her Highnesse most honorable priuie Counsell W. W. wisheth increase of all godlinesse in this present life and in the life to come eternall happinesse in heauen THE wonderfull varietie and diuersitie of opinions and iudgements amongst the Philosophers concerning mans summum bonum or chiefest happinesse in this life is not vnknowne to your Honour and other learned men how that some said it did consist onely in vertue othersome in beautie othersome in honour othersome in wealth othersome and that no small summe in pleasure and some in a certeine mixture or medlie of all these It were needlesse to reckon vp in this place all their idle fansies fond dreames about this one point Howbeit I would certifie the simpler sort of this thing how that all of them erred and wandered in bywayes how that euerie seuerall sect and familie of Philosophers shot farre wide of the marke For as S. Paule testifieth They became vaine in their thoughtes and their foolish heart was full of darknesse When they professed themselues to be wise they beecame fooles We Christians that haue bene trained vp in Christes schole haue learned a better profession of our Maister and Sauiour Iesus Christ We know and are taught so to say that God maketh the wisedome of the world foolishnesse We are instructed and so we stedfastly beleeue that the onely true felicitie of this our life and the true happinesse of this our age standeth in the publishing and preaching of Christes Gospell which is to the Iewes a stumbling blocke to the Graecians foolishnesse and to the Papistes new learning but in deede the power of God to the saluation and the wisedome of God to the instruction of as many as are called both of the Iewes Graecians and Papistes This glorious Gospell of our God was first preached here on earth by our Redeemer and Sauiour Christ himselfe then after his ascension it was carried into all partes of the worlde by the Apostles and their successours with such successe that Christes spirituall kingdome was by the scepter of his worde enlarged farre and wide Which thing the deadly enimie of mankind Sathan greatly enuying knowing that the flourishing state of Christes kingdome would be the decaie and downefall of his laboured by all meanes possible to beare downe his scepter and scepter bearers by force and violence which thing he after a sorte brought to passe by raising vp the ten bloudie persecutions against the Christians vnder the ten Tyrantes or Emperours of Rome But the Diuell seeing that this his former policie would not preuaile seeing that the Christians the more they were tormented for their faith the more they grewe and multiplied deuised to deale no more by violence and bloudshed but chaunging himselfe into an Angel of light sought meanes how in time of peace he might withdrawe men by little and little from the true Religion of Christ to the counterfeit and hypocriticall religion of Antichrist This craftie counsell and pestilent practise pleased the subtile Serpent well which wrought this effect that it eclipsed and diminished the fulnesse beautifull light of Christes kingdome which was onely mainteined by the sworde of the spirit that is to say by the worde of god And because he might the more easily leade the people out of the way of trueth his purpose was wholy hitherto bent to ouerwhelme the candle vnder the bushell to darken the light of the Gospell which he brought accordingly to passe by corrupting and infecting the Priesthood with the glorious pompe and vanities of the worlde with the wanton delightes and vaine pleasures of this present life Then euen then he set Antichrist of Rome in his royall seate as his vicar and lieftenant generall there to rule and reigne as God of this world in the children of vnbeliefe bewitching them with strong delusions that they shoulde beleeue lies that all they might be damned which beleeued not the trueth but had pleasure in vnrighteousnesse This is that man of sinne by which is ment not one particular man but a succession of men as by the beare in Daniel is not ment onely one King of the Persians but a succession of Kinges this I say is that man of sinne and that aduersarie that exalteth himselfe aboue all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he doth sit as God in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is god This is that wicked man whose comming is by the effectuall working of Sathan with all power and signes and lying woonders and in all deceiueablenesse of vnrighteousnesse among them that perishe because they receiued not the loue of the trueth that they might be saued By this meanes Sathan lulled as it were the worlde a sleepe for the space of these seuen hundred yeeres last past Now some man will maruell much how the Pope should growe to such an vnbridled authoritie as he hath gotten Surely we can assigne no other cause but this such was the will of God and such was the depth of his secrete iudgement for the contempt of his Gospell Was it not I pray you reuealed to S. Iohn that the purple whoore of Babylon shoulde make all the Kinges and Princes of the earth and the inhabitantes thereof to drinke of the golden cuppe of wine full of the abhominations and filthinesse of her fornication The verie beginning and foundation of Antichristes kingdome was laied euen in the Apostles time For S. Paule writ to the Thessalonians that the mysterie of iniquitie began then to woorke but it was then hindered by the brightnesse and puritie of doctrine receiued in the Primatiue Church Afterwardes it grewe vp by degrees and specially by three steppes First by the great errors of the heretikes in the East Church which Chrysostome doth call the armies of Antichrist Secondly by the lamentable contention and emulation amongst the Christian Bishoppes in the Orientall partes Thirdly by the superstitious deuotion for I will not call it liberall donation of Princes and Emperours For after that the wicked parricide Phocas Emperour of Constantinople had geuen the Primasie or name of vniuersall Bishop vnto Boniface the third the Popes authoritie or rather tyrannie increased excedingly Then they sought not onely to be Lordes within themselues but also to be aboue all higher powers yea aboue the
Emperour himselfe This kingdome of Antichrist from that time forward grew mightily specially vnder the Emperours of Constantinople and namely vnder the Emperour Constantinus Pogonatus or Barbatus and vnder the Emperours of Germanie Henries and Frederikes Now in this time of darkenesse it is much to be maruelled vnto what vile slauerie and thraldome Emperours and Princes were brought by the Bishop of Rome Some of them being resolutely persuaded by the Romish Cleargie that the Pope was Christes vicar vicegerent yea halfe a God refused no Popish subiection One waited at his gate barefoote and barelegge another was tied fast with chaines vnder the Popes table there to picke vp crumbes like a dogge another suffered him to set his feete vpon his necke another held his stirrop when the Popes holinesse vauted vpon his horse another was thrust into a Monasterie and made a Monke In such slauish subiection were Princes in those dayes Then in deede the Churche of Rome the whoore of Babylon was gloriously in open rule but the true Churche of Christ was not in any visible gouernment no more than it was in the time of Elias the Prophet And this was that the Scriptures might be fulfilled and founde true which say that there should be an Apostasie or defection from the faith that is a generall reuolting from true Religion that iniquitie shoulde haue the vpper hand that no man should haue the libertie of his life but he that should take vpon him the character or mark of the beast O wofull and lamentable times O most miserable and vnhappie dayes And yet the Papistes at this day crie with open mouth most impudently The Catholike church The Catholike Church saying that it hath alwayes bene to be sene at Rome They tell vs with shame inough that the Pope can not erre that his faith is Catholike and pure without all blot or blemish and that if we beleeue iumpe as he beleeueth we shall surely be saued But we will neuer beleeue Antichrist nor run to Rome albeit sometime a faithfull citie to inquire after our faith and Religion We wote well that now it is and hath bene a great while the sinke of all sinne and iniquitie in the world the verie seate and habitation of Antichrist himselfe We will not haue that proude Italian Priest to be our Doctour and generall Scholemaister a man made of all abhominations and whoredomes We will not lay the foundation or ground-worke of our faith vpon the glorious name of any mortall man whatsoeuer We see the end of all Poperie to be ignorance We see they derogate and detract all from Christ and his Passion and attribute their saluation to Masses to mens merites to Saintes prayers to Pilgrimages to vowes of virginitie to their owne good workes and to a thousand other trifling toyes We see they preferre mens traditions inuentions before the truth of Gods word We can shewe if neede be at what time and by which Popes euerie parcell of Papistrie was deuised He that will make a true Anatomie of it and examine it from point to point shall finde that it tendeth wholy to gaine and no whit to godlinesse To be short we knowe by the Scriptures of God that their Religion which forbiddeth marriage and meates is a doctrine of Diuels This was the miserie and infelicitie of former ages in which times notwithstanding God had his Church though not alwayes subiect to mans senses in which ages God raised vp euermore some good men which inueihed bitterly against the Popes intollerable pride and tyrannie as namely Hilarie Bishop of Vienna in Fraunce Paulus Cretensis and Iohannes Lampeon both Bishoppes denied his supremasie the Church of Rauenna in Italie would not acknowledge the Pope for her head Nilus Archbishop of Thessalonica writ a learned booke against the Popes primasie Afterwardes in Italie yea euen in Rome Arnoldus Brixianus an eloquent man oppugned stoutely the Popes primasie and tyrannie Counsels and Synods condemned the Popes supremasie after whom God raised vp here in England a valiant stoute souldier Iohn Wickleffe and in Bohemia Iohn Hus Hierome of Prage with many others as histories record and witnesse But at the length when it pleased the great goodnesse and riche mercie of God to take compassion on the world then drowned in darknesse he renewed the heauenlie light of his Gospell by which Antichrist of Rome should be reuealed and by little and little vtterly destroyed Then he raised vp mightie Capteines to make warre against that spirituall Pharao whom he appointed like Moses and Aaron to safe conduct vs out of the land of Aegypt out of the house of bondage out of the sorowfull seruitude of Poperie in comparison of which that Aegyptiacall slauerie was great libertie To this end and purpose he raised vp in this most happie and blessed age sundrie learned Diuines as namely Martin Luther Zuinglius Oecolampadius Caluine Peter Martyr Bucer Bullenger Gualter Theodore Beza Chemnisius Hemingius Riuius Zanchius Daneus Cranmer Ridley Latimer Hooper Bradford M. Iewell M. Nowell M. Iohn Foxe with infinite others both Englishmen Scots Frenchmen Germanes Italians Spaniards and Danes Surely this the happie age which Chrysostome fortold speaking of the last times Ad nullam rem fugient nisi ad Scripturas alioqui incident in abhominationem desolationis Then saith he will they flee vnto nothing but vnto the Scriptures otherwise they shall fall into the abhomination of desolation To whom agreeth S. Hierome writing vpon the Prophet Nahum And Gregorie prophesieth plainely of our time thus Ecclesia post eosdem dies quibus deprimitur tamen circa finem mundi grandi praedicationis virtute roborabitur The Church saith he after those dayes wherin she is depressed and holden downe shall for all that about the end of the worlde be strengthened with the great power of preaching Which thing is come nowe to passe in these dayes as we may see how that the preaching of the Gospell hath greatly preuailed against all the raging persecution of the Papistes the Lordes name be praised for it As oft as we thinke vpon this Gospell we dare auouch that these latter times are better times that this age is a golden age For if Aristides the iust was called Graecorum foelicitas that is The happinesse of the Graecians we may more worthily call Christ our felicitie and if the age wherein he liued was called Aureaaetas that is A golden age because iustice flourished in it verelie we may more iustly call this our age a golden age because the glorious Gospell of God shineth nowe most clearely in the eyes and soundeth most shrilly in the eares of all Israel O that men would therefore praise the Lorde O that men would acknowledge before the Lorde his louing kindnesse and his wonderous woorkes before the sonnes of men Thus we haue seene the chiefest happinesse of this our age to be the preaching of the Gospell of God amongest vs A
Pilgrimages instituted for religion and deuotion sake What say they else The vse of images say they is acceptable and gratefull to God and we doe well to fall downe flat before them calling vpon the Saintes whome they represent These verely are plaine and euident inough neither neede they any larger explication Let vs therefore goe on forward to the rest We must firmely and stedfastly beleeue say they that there is after this life a Purgatorie for soules departed in which is payed the punishment as yet due for sinnes Notwithstanding they may be succoured and holpen by the sacrifice of the altar by prayer by fasting by almes deedes and by other workes of the liuing as also by indulgencies that they may the sooner by that meanes be deliuered and set free from thence Now verely that appeareth plainely which I saide in the beginning what the aduersaries and enimies of the Gospell goe about namely to take quite away at once all faith all godlinesse all holinesse all religion yea the pure and sincere seruice of God finally to burie and ouerwhelme Christ him selfe the authour of mans saluation also to thrust vpon vs their owne vaine dreames the foolish fantasticall and doting deuises of men yea doctrines of Diuels as the Apostle calleth them to the end that we should herafter direct all the actions of our life by the rule and squire of the Popes will nothing at all regarding either what God willeth and commaundeth or what he prohibiteth and forbiddeth vs to doe whome the Papistes because they are flat Epicures doe neither wishe to be mercifull vnto them nor feare him when he is displeased with them But let vs render immortall thankes vnto God the eternall father of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ which hath suffered the follie and madnesse of the Papistes to be so manifested at this day that no man now can doubt any more what opinion and persuasion all of vs ought to haue of them For they are indeed deceiuers of mens mindes as S. Paule saith vnto Titus and men that turne away from the trueth yea verely as the same Apostle saith vnto Timothie men that resist the trueth as Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses But they shall preuaile no longer For as the madnesse of those Magicians was then euident to all so the madnesse of the Papistes is now reuealed to all men For as they are indeed so they are also accounted of all men seducers and deceiuers the enimies of the crosse of Christ Epicures which haue their bellie for their God which minde earthly thinges which bewitch men that they may not beleeue the trueth Wherefore seeing that this madnesse of the Papistes is now manifested to all men no man can doubt but that no Christian ought to haue any societie and fellowshippe with such kinde of persons And if perhaps any man heretofore hath doubted of it let him now verely cease to stand in doubt any more knowing the impietie of their doctrine by which they labour to ouerthrow quite from the foundation our Christian Common wealth Fooles they are and mad men which with the Giants wage warre with God him selfe and hope to haue good successe in the matter seeing that it is moste truely spoken of the wise man There is no counsell nor wisdome against the lord But that I may come now at the length vnto that for which I haue spoken these thinges of the follie and madnesse of the Papistes we ought woorthily all of vs to giue as greate thankes to the immortall God as wee can either conceiue in minde or vtter in woordes for the renewing of Ecclesiasticall doctrine and for the disclosing of almost innumerable errours superstitions and vices commonly tearmed abuses Now what kinde of errours and how great haue beene heretofore in the Church if any man be ignorant of them he may with a litle labour coniecture what they are euen out of the bookes which the enimies of the Gospell haue written out of which wee haue brought foorth these few for a shew They doe not vnderstand at all what faith is what the Gospell is what absolution is finally what Christ is They teach that men ought onely to beleeue whatsoeuer the chaire of Rome hath deliuered out in tradition doth deliuer out and shall deliuer out They will haue men to make choyce of meates contrarie to the doctrine of the Apostle yea without the case of offence They doe allowe and wonderfully commend to all men inuocation vpon dead Saintes which thing commeth very neere to idolatrie They doe approue woorshipping of images Pilgrimages to holy places as to Rome to Treuirs to Compostella and such like They doe confidently affirme and hold that there is a Purgatorie from whence indulgencies and pardons may release deliuer vs And who can rehearse the whole rable of those doctrines which they teach all which are full fraught both with impietie and superstition Who hereafter will not maruell and wonder at the blindnesse of the Papistes in this so happie an age in which after most grosse mistie darkenesse of errours wherein we went all astray there is restored by the great bountifulnesse of God a certeine light vnto the world Indeede all Gods benefites bestowed vpon vs ought to excite and stirre vs vp to be thank full vnto him but yet that principall and singular benefite of God in instauring the doctrine of the Church than which there could no greater gifte be giuen to men on earth I say that onely benefite is it which of all other wee ought chiefly to maruell at which we ought moste to celebrate and for which before all thinges wee ought to be thank full And the greater the blindnesse of the enimies of the Gospell is so much the more verely doe they owe vnto the immortall God whose eyes of the mind God hath opened in this age to acknowledge and behold the trueth and veritie But in this felicitie and happinesse of our age great and incredible is the ingratitude of men to God at this day which I am constrained to confesse not without great sorrowe and griefe Of which argument and matter I haue within these fewe dayes last past compiled a booke being happely moued and stirred vp thervnto by the absurditie and impietie of a certeine writing which the enimies of the Gospell published abroade in Printe which booke of mine most deare friend I thought good to consecrate and dedicate vnto you though it be vnpolished and written Extempore and that for these two causes both for to declare my good will towardes you and also for your famous godlinesse towardes God and singular care of Christian religion which zeale and feruent affection I doe againe againe pray from my hearte vnto God that he woulde daily more and more augment and encrease in you The sonne of God our Lorde and Redeemer Iesus Christ keepe and preserue you with all yours safe and sounde
offered vp himselfe a sacrifice and an oblation vpon the altar of the Crosse for the sinnes of the world whose bodie was betrayed and deliuered to death for vs whose bloud was shedde for the remission of our sinnes lastly whose death it selfe was the true sacrifice for the saluation of mankinde Furthermore when as Christ had alone satisfied for the sinnes of all men these fellowes shewed vs other meanes and wayes whereby we might satisfie God more fully and amply as amongest other thinges Pilgrimages appointed for deuotion sake in which verie many consumed and spent all the time of their life whilest they ranne a gadding and madding almost from the vtmost endes of the earth sometime to Rome or Hierusalem sometime to Treuirs or Compostella whilest they goe to see and visite Saint Michaels Cathedrall Churche and caue in Gargan and that most royall and magnificent Temple of Saint Lauretan namely all to this end to satisfie and appease Gods wrath for their sinnes by this means to obteine saluation Hitherto also tend the Popes indulgencies pardons either full absolute for euer or els but for a thousand yeeres an hundred yeeres or fourtie yeeres Hitherto tendes the fraternitie or fellowship of Friers which some men forsooth at this day call the Communion of Saintes and this shewe of godlinesse they pretend to cloake that superstition withall and they labour to paint out a foolishe and feigned thing wittily with such false deceipts and as it were to adorne and beautifie it with some counterfeit colours Finally hitherto tend those egregious suffrages succours of Monkes which certeinely were wont to be more esteemed then Christes propitiatorie sacrifice for the sinnes of the world yea the greatest part of men reiecting in the meane while our Sauiour Christ nothing doubted to redeeme and purchase with a great summe of monie the communitie of Monasticall workes as though the saluation of their soules did consist onely in these For Monkes commonly were accustomed to powre vppon others the superfluitie of good workes wherewith they themselues abounded ouerflowed if there were any that would laie downe redie monie for them leauing alwayes enough for the obteining of their owne saluation they were wont to obtrude set to sale those their workes which were superfluous That these thinges are thus truely reported of them those obligations or quittances which are extant at this day made for that matter are sufficient testimonies proofes Thus are they made Concedimus inquiunt praesentium tenore omnium Missarum diuinorum officiorum orationū praedicationū studiorum ieiuniorum abstinentiarum vigiliarum laborum caeterorumque bonorum omnium quae per fratres sorores ordinis fiunt communionem participationem Et iterum Statuimus vt iniungantur pro animabus vestris sacra Missarum solennia vigiliae ac caetera suffragiorum praesidia vt multiplici sacrarum orationum ac piorum suffragiorum adiuti praesidio hic diuinae gratiae augmentum in futuro vitae aeternae praemium faciliùs ac copiosiùs mereamini adipisci We doe graunt say they by the tenour of these presentes the communion and participation of all Masses of all diuine duties of all prayers preachings studies fastes abstinencies watchings labours all other good things which are done by the Friers Nonnes of this order And againe We ordeine that for your soules there be inioyned the holy rites solemnities of Masses vigils the other helpes of suffrages that you being holpen with the manifold aide of holy prayers may deserue to obteine both here in this life the increase of Gods grace and in the life to come more easily and plentifully the rewarde of eternall life Hitherto wee haue recorded and related faithfully and truely the verie woordes of the Monasticall obligation and caution least that there should be found some froward fellowe which might gainesay vs Now the Monks commanded other men so to leane and trust to these trifles which are of no value to the obteining of saluation that amongst other thinges they would cause men that lay at the point of death to remember how many and how great good woorkes they had done by whose abundance and greatnesse the offences which they in their life time had committed might be ouerwhelmed how much merites they had to which Heauen was due Now as concerning the Popes pardons many men hertofore ascribed so much vnto them that they would not sticke to say that by them a man might obteine forgiuenesse of sinnes free releasement from all villanie and wickednesse yea although a man had lien with our Ladie the virgin Christes mother an abhominable thing to speake of and although he had slaine killed Christ himselfe For with such salt was the speach of the Papistes seasoned and poudered if at any time they ment to extrude and set out to sale their pedlarie packe of pardons as they had commission and commandement from the Pope Some of them also were not afraid to auouche that the soule which was tormented in the fire of Purgatorie did flee vp into heauen at the verie same instant and moment in which a peece of monie cast into the boxe for it did gingle To these may be added this their assertion that the red crosse with the Popes armes which heretofore was wont to be erected in the midst of the Churche had no lesse force might in it to abolishe put away sinne than the crosse of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesus Christ Moreouer that if any man had purchased the Popes pardons he needed not greatly any repentance for his sinnes onely these saide they were without all doubt sufficient to saluation Nay there haue bene men euen in our dayes which would say that they had saued more soules by the Popes pardons than euer did S. Peter by his sermons What neede many wordes All of them stoutly confidently affirmed that indulgencies pardons were of power to forgiue most fully aswell the fault as the punishment and that the superfluous merites of Saintes together with these might be cōmunicated imparted to those which would pay well and truely for them For euery man knoweth this how that the Popes bull was woont to be recited and read to those which were at the point of death in which bull there was promised both a full and absolute abolition of all crimes and also that the feare of Purgatorie should be wholy taken away These thinges verely are such that our posteritie may thinke them to be but forged fables which wee notwithstanding know very well not to be feigned but to haue bene done indeed Well seeing that there are euen now extant sundrie letters seales and monumentes of these matters there will remaine if they bee kept still and reserued an euerlasting testimonie of Popish impietie which without all doubt will be propagated and continued to all posteritie Hitherto perteines the Iubile
instituted and ordeined onely to pick money out of mens purses at which time what mortall men soeuer went to see visite the holy places of the citie of Rome obteined most full pardon and remission of all their sinnes and offences which they in all their life time had committed which thing is well knowen to all men Boniface the eight Pope of that name was the first which ordeined that this Iubile should be solemnized and celebrated euerie hundred yeare Clemens the sixt brought it to fiftie yeares at the length Xystus the fourth brought it neerer and cut it shorter reducing it to fiue and twentie yeares What shall I speake of the superstitious worshippe and inuocation of Saintes For heretofore almost all men did so runne to them for succour and reliefe did so desire craue of them their aide and assistance as though Iesus Christ had not bene at all our Aduocate and Attournie with our heauenlie father yea as though the Saintes alone keeping Christ streightlie vnder their tuition setting him to schole had taken vppon them the patronage and protection of men on earth All men were persuaded that both by their merites and intercession they should finde God fauourable to them that they should bee absolued and loosed from the bandes and fetters of their sinnes that they should bee deliuered daily from imminent perils and daungers so much was Christ forgotten and almost quite out of all mens minds That I may not adde further that those Saintes were sundrie times called vpon in prayer of whome it was not well knowne whether there euer liued any such or no. Nowe what a follie is it to attribute Diuinitie to mortall men and to request aide and helpe at their handes whome man him selfe hath numbered amongest Saintes to make of men that are departed this life Ethnicall and heathenish Gods to absteine from certeine kindes of meates in the honour and seruice of those Saintes to keepe holie dayes for their sakes that so thou maist giue them this worship to runne like cōmon Coursitours into wodds and hilles to crouch and prostrate a mans selfe before the grauen pictures Churches and Chappelles of dead men to adore their images to worship their ashes bones also to build with infinite cost and charges Temples vnto them to distribute parte vnto euerie peculiar particular Saint his proper vertue vnto euerie seuerall Saint his seuerall singular function office to hang vp vpon the pillers walles of Churches anathemaes or gifts offrings oftentimes to light candels at noone day to burne sweete franckincense to pay thy foolish vowes and who can recount all those thinges which men doe for the worshippe of Saintes contrarie to the first commaundement of the Decalogue which are not onely full of a certeine superstition but also of execrable impietie idolatrie yea which come verie neere well nigh to a certeine Paganisme Such a prayer inuocation is that which is openly soung of S. Peter in their Churches O gloriose patrone Nostrae salutis opifex Tu es nostrum refugium Tu robur potentissimum Tu salus protectio That is O glorious Patrone S. Peter The woorker of our saluation Thou art our refuge Thou art our most mightie strength Thou art our safetie and protection Here verely we may see that that which ought to be attributed onely to the sonne of God him selfe our Sauiour Christ Iesus is ascribed to a mortall man and that contrarie to the whole Scripture of the olde and newe Testament which is giuen by inspiration of God. Thus you haue hard how the sinceritie of this doctrine concerning trust and confidence in Christ hath bene heretofore contaminated corrupted with diuers and sundrie errours Therfore as many as endeuored both to be truly also to seeme to be Christians did as I saide before prouide that the sacrifice of the Masse might be offered for them as well to obteine pardon as to make an attonement for their sinnes they made long iorneis and vndertooke great trauels perigrinations to holie places they bought deerely the Popes indulgencies pardons and bulles they laboured to bee chosen and elected into the societie and fellowship of Friers they gotte for them selues both by suite and siluer the suffrages of Monkes and the communion of their good woorkes they fled as suppliantes for succour and defence to the Sanctuaries of Saintes And they verely supposed such was their blindnesse that by these thinges they had prouided excellently well for their saluation So greatly did they swarue erre from the true faith and beliefe in Christe in that darknesse of ignorance and errours and tooke what honour they ought to haue giuen onely and soly to Christ namely to haue placed all their affiance and trust of saluation in him alone that they transferred to foolish thinges thinges full of impietie notably reproching and dishonouring the sonne of God crucified for vs whose death they did beleeue not to bee of sufficient force and of strength to satisfie and to pacifie God for the sinnes of mankinde The same men of that time as often as either they entered the Church or went out of it did lightly sprinkle them selues with holie water in the Church porch which was commonly readie at hand there through the care of the Parish Clerke or Sexton to wipe wash away by that meanes the daily blottes of their offences and spottes of their mindes which thing also differeth not much from the superstition of the Ethnikes For in olde time amongst the Gentiles which were wholy giuen to the worshipping of idols if any were polluted and defiled with any heinous wickednesse they were woont to wash them selues as Virgil saith Flumine viuo that is to say with a fresh running riuer to the ende they might bee both present at the sacrifices and also that they might the more purely call vppon their Gods. Theodoret in the life of Iulian mentioneth a certeine aspersion or sprinkling which was done by the Sextons of the Heathen to purge with holy water all those which entered into the holy Temple with which thing the Emperour Valentinian being offended and greeued gaue the Minister of the Church a boxe on the eare with his fist because hee accompted him selfe to be rather defiled than purified by such a sprinkling The same our auncestours in former time entering vpon the Sunday into the Church did by and by sticke vp waxe candels in the place where the consecrated bread was woont to be reserued That seemed to be not more duetifull than honourable Moreouer they lighted candels which thing was thought very necessarie to the image of S. Erasmus praying him to giue them riches to the image of S. George praying him to saue them in battell to the image of S. Barbara praying her that they might not die before they had receiued the Eucharist then called howseling to
the image of S. Apolline that they might not be troubled with the tooth ache They fell downe flat vpon their knees before these Saintes pictures they fixed their eyes firmely and stedfastly vpon them they spake with them they kissed them they requested what they would of them Now how much this thing doeth differ from idolatrie let other men iudge For whereas they say that they doe not worship the pictures them selues but the persons after whose similitude likenesse those images are either painted or grauen and to whose names they were consecrated it is no good shift For the Gentiles which were giuen to the worshipping of idols were in the same minde that they would say that they did woorshippe pray vnto and reuerence them the likenesse of whose countenaunces those images did expresse and represent vnto vs which thing also Plato if I be not deceiued doth mention in a certeine place The same men in those dayes attributed no lesse yea rather if wee will confesse the trueth more authoritie to those feigned and forged fables of Saintes which falsly they call the golden Legend sith that as one of their owne Popishe flocke testifieth it was written Ab homine ferrei oris plumbei cordis that is to say of a fellowe that had an yron face a leaden hearte also they gaue no lesse credite to the historie of Lombardus than they did to the most certeine word of God and to the Scripture giuen by inspiration of god Yea they esteemed more the authoritie of mans traditions than of Gods precepts of the Decretals than of the Gospell of custome than of veritie The same men at those dayes if perhappes they had vowed to any Saint one dayes fast and hunger or a Pilgrimage for to recouer their health finally if they had bound them selues with the promise of any vow whatsoeuer they tooke greate care to performe it most deuoutly and holily But that which they had promised in their Baptisme to renounce the Diuell and all his pompes that I may vse the wordes of Arnobius they neuer thought to performe the faith of such a vow neither did they heere thinke that they were greatly bound by any religion to pay such a vow and promise The same men at those dayes that they might obteine pardon and remission of their sinnes vsed to runne to Rome there to walke those stations in the citie which other men did vse in visiting after the manner certeine Chappels and Oratories there they obteined with a greate summe of monie the Popes bull to the end that they both tarying at home falling downe before the altars and images of Saintes at set times and dayes of the yeare might be made partakers of such pardons as well as if they had bene present in the citie of Rome to haue walked their Romish stations The same our auncestours heeretofore thought that they did pacifie and satisfie God sufficiently for their sinnes by fastinges watchinges lying vpon the ground and such like trifles and follies which breede in mens mindes nothing but superstition when as truely when all is done there can be no other satisfaction but the onely death of the sonne of God who as S. Iohn saith is the one onely propitiation and reconciliation for our sinnes Neither doe I speake these wordes as though I did mislike dissallow euery chastening of the bodie if any man labour or goe about by this meanes that is by fasting by abstinence from meates by sobrietie by godlie studies and good exercises to represse to tame and as it were to bridle the violent rage and fiercenesse of the flesh which waxeth too lasciuious and exulteth too immoderately for I doe deeme that chiefly to be allowed of and thinke it to be verie necessarie but I doe reprehend and finde faulte with the froward and peruerse opinion of men which did beleeue that almost onely such thinges were of vertue and power to satisfie for sinnes and which imagined that the whole seruice of God and true godlinesse did consist well nigh in these alone when as in the meane time in this hardnesse streightnesse and austeritie of life they beeing touched and girded but with a worde woulde oftentimes rage furiously like madde men woulde burne in desire of reuengement woulde stirre vp tumultes and Tragoedies in a matter of nothing that I may adde nothing more greeuous So little true and sincere pietie towardes God was there in those trifles which pretended such an honest and goodlie shewe The same men in those dayes if they had bene daily present at the sacrifice of the Masse if they had bene both at morning and euening prayer chiefly if they had bene sprinkled with holy water vpon holy dayes in the solemne procession of supplicantes or if they had tasted at all in the Church as the fashion is of consecrated hallowed salt howsoeuer otherwise they did leade their life they iudged now all to be safe sure as men who hauing all the spottes of their wickednesse and iniquitie put away if they were polluted and defiled with any were now by such an aspersion of water or tast of salte beecome pure on euery part and holy as the Canon lawe teacheth The same men if peraduenture they had not so duely obserued those fastes which were proclamed at set dayes and times of the yeare did now thinke that they did offend more greeuously than if they had violated and broken the commaundements of God him selfe On the contrarie side if they had kept and obserued these fastes they were persuaded that they had now deserued and merited remission of sinnes that they honoured God with as greate an honour as might be that they had giuen to God a godlie worshippe and an acceptable duetie So greate superstition was there in these thinges which men had instituted and ordeined The same men if they had iterated and repeated to a certeine number of beades the Lordes prayer and the wordes of the Angel saluting the virgin Marie yea and that slouthfully and as it were doing an other thing onely to fill vp their number and to make a sounde without sense they did beleeue that they had now incredibly delighted Gods eares that they had pacified and appeased Gods wrath that they had truely praised God that they had duely prayed vnto him The same men of that time if they had continued all their life long to increase their wealth by any meanes whatsoeuer to heape vp goods and riches by right or by wrong to circumuent and defraud their neighbour to robbe and spoile the poorer sorte by vsurie if at the length when they laie on their death bed they had either taken order for the image of some Saint to be placed in the Church or by their last will and Testament had geuen I cannot tell what little legacie to the poore they thought that they did depart out of this life pure and
Saint Cyprian vnderstand that place in his second booke against the Iewes so doth S. Hierome likewise which we haue declared in another place so doeth the Authour of that Epistle De viro perfecto whosoeuer he was that wrote it I wote well that to this day it hath bene vsed to be read in their Bibles Ipsa conteret caput tuum that is to say She shall bruse and breake the Serpentes head as though it ought to be vnderstood of the woman and not of the seede of the woman So Prudentius may seeme to haue read and vnderstoode it when he saith Author ipse doli coluber Plectitur improbus vt mulier Colla trilinguia calce terat And a little after he saith thus Hoc erat aspidis atque hominis Digladiabile dissidium Quòd modò cernua foemineis Vipera proteritur pedibus Edere namque Deum merita Omnia virga venena domat But as I saied before all this is to be referred to the seede of the woman which is the childe of Marie to wit our Lorde and Redeemer Iesus Christ as Irenaeus interpreteth that place Yea and Saint Cyprian readeth it thus Ipse conteret caput tuum He c. hauing respect rather vnto the sense than vnto the woorde So likewise the Greekes say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say He shall bruse thy head that so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being put in the Masculine gender may be referred to the sonne of the woman who is Christ that is to say respecting rather the meaning of the place than the bare woorde And Hierome vpon Genesis hath noted that it must be read so out of the Hebrue text that it respecteth the seede to whose iudgement as many as at this day are excellent and skilfull in the knowledge of the tongues doe condescend and agree And that our aduersaries may the lesse doubt of this as all our sayinges and doings are suspected of them Picus Mirandula a man most famous in the age wherein he liued doeth also witnesse the same thing Yea and Prudentius in another hymne doeth referre this promise to Christ neither doeth he vnderstand it any otherwise than we doe at this day For amongest other things thus he writeth of the death and punishment of Christ Vidit anguis immolatam Corporis sacri hostiam Vidit fellis perusti Mox venenum perdidit Saucius dolore multo Colla fractus sibilat Quid tibi profane serpens Profuit rebus nouis Plasma primum perculisse Versipelle astutia Diluit culpam recepto Forma mortalis Deo Here verely Prudentius the Christian Poet declareth that the sonne of God taking vnto him the shape and bodie of a man whilest he voluntarily offered him selfe to die did breake the head of that Serpent which by his craftinesse and subtile sleightes had deceiued the first parentes of mankinde and that by the sacrifice of his owne bodie vppon the Crosse he made an attonement for the fault and crime which our first parentes had committed But let vs proceede and goe on forward to the rest Heretofore the common sorte of Christians knewe nothing at all of the Priesthood or Bishoppricke of Christ who hath both instructed vs in wholesome doctrine and satisfied for the sinnes of mankinde by the sacrifice of his owne bodie whilest he sacrificeth vp him selfe vppon the altar of the Crosse and who daily and perpetually prayeth vnto God for our safetie and saluation Nay they knewe not in those dayes sufficiently the difference betwixt the newe Testament and the olde betwixte the Lawe and the Gospell betwixte Moses and Christ which thing bringeth a great light to the whole Scripture Neither did they thinke aright which a man might woorthily maruell at of iustification because they did beleeue that good woorkes did almost onely auayle to the obteining of forgiuenesse of sinnes to the satisfaction for crimes committed to the obteining of righteousnesse to the deliuerance from death and hell fire briefely to the obteining of eternall blessednesse Therefore they both trusted to their owne merites and put their confidence in their good woorkes and good deedes and satisfied of themselues sufficiently for their sinnes and thought that heauen was due vnto them for their honest actions Neither wanted there Monkes and Friers who would sell their idle and superfluous woorkes of supererogation if there were any that would redeeme them with monie So much some men did attribute to their owne merites and good woorkes Yea they knewe almost no difference betwixte that righteousnesse of faith whereof Saint Paule entreateth to the Romanes and that politicall righteousnesse which conteineth the ciuil discipline of vertue manners which thing the bookes of our aduersaries doe plainely and openly testifie Neither were they sufficiently taught heretofore concerning the abrogation of the lawe neither could they once vnderstande or suspect by what meanes wee are deliuered from the execration and curse of the lawe by Christ Neither knewe they sufficiently that distinction of a feigned and deade faith which Saint Iames testifieth to bee the faith of diuelles and of the true and liuely faith which thou maist call if thou wilt both the Euangelicall and the iustifying faith ▪ and which Augustine termeth the faith of Christ and the faith of Christian grace For as often as they heard faith named they dreamed that it was either that naked bare historicall knowledge of things comprehended in the Scriptures or else the profession of religion they were vtterly ignorant of that assured trust of Gods grace and of remission of our sinnes and of the mercie promised for Christs sake which one onely faith is in deed the true Christian faith by which we both call vpon God and boldly approche and come vnto him and finally haue peace with God through our Lorde Iesus Christ as the Apostle saith Neither heretofore knewe they any difference of woorkes yea they reuerenced as much both the rites founde out by men and also that childish Paedagogie of ceremonies as they did the woorkes prescribed by Gods lawes and those woorkes which are necessarie to saluation Neither could they iudge what difference there was betwixt veniall and mortall sinne Neither knewe they in what point the kingdome of Christ differed from the Popishe common weale or the true Church from the false Church Neither knewe they what difference there was betwixt fasting and choyce of meates Finally they thought that by Gods lawe onely the outward factes and that ciuil iustice were required they sawe not that the whole and most perfect obedience of the heart towardes God was exacted and required of vs So by that meanes they stoode in great admiration at the vaine shadowes and similitudes of good woorkes they did not beholde the solide and expresse image and picture of true righteousnesse It remained now that we should bring foorth more matter concerning the abuse of ceremonies
euident that they may be easily vnderstood also proued by our men with so firme testimonies that they can by no meanes be refelled For in summe we teach this that men obteine pardon of their sinnes and are iustified by the free fauour mercie of God onely promised for Christ our Mediatours sake if so be they doe place the assured trust of their saluation onely in Christ our propitiator peace-maker and if so be they doe by faith embrace the merit of Christ who by his pretious bloud satisfied God for all mens sinnes For there is no man which can obteine saluation but he which doeth by faith receiue and apprehend free remission of sinnes offered of God for Christes sake and which holdeth fast this confidence vnto the end Therefore we are iustified not through any dignitie or worthinesse of our woorkes neither through our merites and desertes but as the Apostle saith by the bloud of Christ as the same Paule saith freely by the grace of God himselfe through the redemption which is in Christ Iesus whom God hath set forth a propitiator through faith by the meanes of his bloud c. Hitherto tendeth that of S. Peter out of the Actes By the grace saieth he of our Lorde Iesus Christ we doe beleeue that we shall be saued To make an end when as wee say that wee are iustified by faith onely wee meane no other thing but that saluation is geuen vnto vs of Christ onely and that this saluation is to be receiued and taken hold on by faith alone for otherwise it can not be applied vnto vs. For faith is as it were an instrument or hande by which that saluation which is offered is receiued and apprehended of vs They which say that wee exclude repentance Baptisme Christes merite and the grace of God when wee make mention of faith alone are verely vnworthie to whome we should giue any answer For wee are not disposed to refell those thinges whiche are manifestly false nor to reproue so impudent a lye Onely wee take away trust in our owne merits and wee signifie vnto all men that the hope of our saluation ought to be put in Gods goodnesse and clemencie promised to vs for Christes sake Hitherto perteineth that of S. Ambrose vnto Irinaeus Nemo inquit glorietur in operibus quia nemo factis suis iustificatur sed qui iustus est donatum habet quia post lauacrum iustificatus est that is Let no man glorie in his woorkes because no man is iustified by his deedes but he that is iust hath it by gift because hee is iustified after regeneration It is therfore faith alone which deliuereth and setteth vs free by the bloud of Christ because that hee is blessed saith the Psalmist who hath his sinnes remitted and whose iniquitie is pardoned Yea and S. Augustine also in a certeine place witnesseth that the beleeuing are iustified and saued by the onely grace of Christ The same S. Austine writing against the Pelagians saith thus Vna fides est quae omnes saluos facit qui ex carnali generatione in spiritualem renascendo saluantur that is There is but one faith which saueth all men which are saued by being borne againe from the carnall generation vnto the spirituall regeneration And writing vnto Bonifacius hee saith thus Quantaelibet fuisse virtutis antiquos praedices iustos non eos saluos fecit nisi fides Mediatoris qui in remissionem peccatorum sanguinem fudit that is For how great vertues soeuer thou doest praise those iust men of olde time nothing saued them but faith in the Mediatour who shead his bloud for the remission of sinnes These thinges saith S. Austine speaking of the holie fathers of the old Testament But let vs proceede on to the rest The Papistes aduersaries to the doctrine of the Gospell now renewed doe obiect vnto vs that we attribute lesse to good woorkes than indeed is meete conuenient that they being brought into contempt are now altogether neglected yea and that good woorkes are indeed taken away and that they are left onely in name Let vs briefly answere to these obiections First and formost albeit in the matter and manner of iustification wee attribute no parte or parcell vnto our woorkes whiche thing we doe lest wee shoulde make mens merites the price and satisfaction for sinne for eternall death notwithstanding otherwise we doe not at all refuse them Hence it is that our Preachers spend so much labour trauell in expounding and making plaine the Decalogue or ten cōmandements Hence it is that as much as we may wee exhort men to good woorkes because they doe ratifie and testifie our faith to be a true faith and because they declare our will to bee gratefull and thankfull to God for his benefites and because they doe adorne and set out the doctrine of the Gospel lastly for that they inuite stirre vp others to the studie of godlinesse Yet for all this wee teach that they must be done not through hope by them to satisfie for our sinnes or of a trust to obteine righteousnesse by them but either to the glorie of God or to the vse and necessitie of our neighbour Also wee shew that our faith is maimed after a sorte and vnperfect if no good deedes or dueties towards our neighbour followe For faith as S. Ambrose saith is the roote of all vertues the founteine and welspring of all good woorkes as S. Austin saith the mother of euerie good will and iust action the Author of the booke De vocatione Gentium saith the breeder and bringer foorth of all right actions as Chrysostome saith the same faith is not idle slouthfull but doing working alwayes S. Paul saith to the Galathians it woorketh effectually by loue Moreouer wee denie that faith can bee and abitle in that man which liueth wickedly and vngodly and which obeyeth his lustes and yeeldeth to his concupiscences against his owne conscience For we do iudge that neither manslayers nor theeues nor extortioners nor adulterers nor couetous misers nor proude persons nor dronkardes and such like fellowes can vnles they repent haue any faith beleefe that God the Father will be fauourable and mercifull to them through Christ And wee teache as our aduersaries doe agree with vs that these things namely the habite purpose and deliberation of offending are furthest off from a true faith For he that sinneth wittingly and willingly that man without doubt contemneth despiseth and nothing regardeth god Now such contempt can in no wise agree with a firme faith and stedfast trust in god And seeing that as S. Iohn witnesseth the beleeuers doe conquere and vanquishe the worlde and sith that they which perseuere in vice and wickednesse are thought not to beleeue truly there can bee no true faith in such but perhaps a certeine hypocrisie
are ordeined to eternall life for her fellowes and companions In this Church thou shalt finde Adam Noah Melchisedech Abraham Isaac Iacob Moses Samuel Dauid Esaie Daniel to bee short all the Patriarches Prophets Apostles Martyres virgins confessours and the holy Angels of God mixed among all these Who would not exclame and cry out with the Prophet O howe amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lorde of hostes My soule fainteth and consumeth away through the desire of thine house Blessed are they whiche dwell in thine house O Lord whiche extoll thee with perpetuall praises Blessed is hee O Lorde whiche putteth his trust in thee Howe greately I pray you doe I thinke that other men are moued with these thinges Doe I doate and am I rauished out of measure with the mention of these thinges Or are other men also throughly touched with the like feeling that I am Surely I my selfe as often as I am conuersant in the cogitation and remembraunce of these thinges conceiue in my minde an incredible pleasure and as the Poet saith Secreat ioyes doe creepe into my silent breast And truely both many other thinges doe recreate and refresh mee as that communion of Saintes and that one and the same faith euen from the last originall of the worlde of all Patriarches Prophets and of the people of Israel and of ours at this day in Christ promised indeed to them but now alreadie exhibited and giuen to vs and that most blessed companie hereafter with all the Saintes in the celestiall kingdome vnto whiche I aspire with a feruent desire whiche nowe also mee thinkes I enioy and receiue well nigh a certeine tast of the future felicitie and happinesse in Heauen and also the Capteine him selfe and heade of this Church our Lorde and Redeemer Iesus Christ doeth after a maruellous manner moue mee delight me and well nigh bring mee into a traunce besides my selfe when I thinke vppon him For streightway it comes into my mind that this specified Christ is hee in whome to come all the Saintes from the beginning haue fixed and placed all their trust and confidence that this is hee to whome all the Prophetes giue witnesse that through his name all that beleeue in him and put the hope of their saluation in him shall receiue remission of sinnes that this is hee who came into the worlde to saue sinners to seeke and to saue that whiche was lost and like to perish to giue his soule for the redemption and raunsome of manie that this is hee who was sent to preach the Gospell to the poore to heale the broken hearted to preache deliueraunce to the captiues to comforte them that mourne to sette at libertie them that are oppressed that this is he whome therefore the Father sent not that hee might condemne the worlde but that the worlde might bee saued by him that this is hee for whome the heauenlie father hath forgiuen vs all our trespasses putting out the obligation or hand writing which was against vs yea taking it quite out away and fastening it vpon his crosse that this is he who commaundeth all that labour and are heauie laden to come vnto him and which promiseth to ease and refresh them that this is he which died for our saluation who by his bloud satisfied God for the sinnes of mankind and who hath by his passion suffered the punishment which we did owe vnto the iustice of God who being persuaded therevnto through exceeding loue towardes vs gaue himselfe for vs an oblation and sacrifice to God of a sweete smelling fauour that this is he which hath deliuered vs from the Diuell from sinne and from eternall death Who by his death hath abolished and destroyed him which had the rule and imperie ouer death to witte the Diuell who hath redeemed vs from the curse of the lawe hee him selfe beeing made a curse for vs that this is hee who hath ouercome Satan by his crosse and hath triumphed ouer the conquered who hath beseeged and battered downe hell and hath made an entrie and passage into heauen who ascending vp on high hath led captiuitie captiue that this is hee who sitting at the right hande of GOD the father doeth perpetually make intercession for vs who being our Proctour and Aduocate we may easily obteine at our heauenlie fathers hands pardon forgiuenesse of sinnes that this is he in whome onely wee haue recouered that whiche wee had lost in our first father Adam namely to bee created according to the image and similitude of GOD that is as Saint Paule interpreteth it after righteousnesse and true holinesse by whome we are adopted of the heauenlie father into the number of the sonnes of God to become partakers as of his name so also of his kingdome and to become heires of eternall blessednesse Finally that he is the Mediatour Interpreter and Pacificatour betwixt God and men that he is the throne of grace our Bishop and high Priest to entreate daily for vs the propitiation for the sinnes of the world the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the worlde the Pastour sheepheard of our soules our hope our life our resurrection moreouer our wisedome our righteousnesse and our sanctification and our redemption that this is he in Esaie vpon whom the Lorde hath laid the iniquities of vs all and by whose woundes we are healed that he is that victour and conquerour of death and of hell in Oseas that he is that Lorde our iustifier in Ieremie to be short and not tedious that he is that Emmanuel father of eternall life Prince of peace that sonne of righteousnesse that light and lampe of the Gentiles in summe that this is he whom the old auncient rites and Leuiticall ceremonies shadowed prefigured to whom the whole lawe of Moses had respect and regarde whom the Prophetes and the vniuersall scripture haue proponed vnto them as the onely marke to shoote at Wherefore the remembrance of all these things being such and so great as they are doth as I said before incredibly moue me and doeth maruellously delight me yea by thinking vppon these thinges I doe tast as it were a certeine sense and feeling of the future felicitie and happinesse in heauen And certeinly seeing that these thinges are at this day inculcated and beaten continually into the eares minds of all men surely all men ought to be merrie and glad at the mention of these thinges and all men ought to giue thankes to God for this doctrine instaured and to declare the thankefulnesse of their mindes not onely by singing of Psalmes Hymnes and spirituall songes but also by leading a life after the will and imitation of God and chiefly they must endeuoure and trauell to growe in grace in the knowledge of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ as S. Peter warneth vs and that daily they profite more more in it
this our age how great it is and in what blessinges it chiefly consisteth All learning and good studies were laied to sleepe in the former age A diuision or partition of this present woorke into three principall partes and an appendix How farre the former age beleeued aright VVherein the former age did erre The chiefest point of our saluation VVho haue their sinnes remitted and for what 1. Cor. 1. 30. A Catalogue of such errours wherewith this doctrine of trusting onely in Christ hath bene corrupted In what opinion the Masse hath bene heretofore saide or soung Apaena culpa The sacrifice of the Masse doeth blasphemously derogate from the onely sacrifice and satisfaction of Christ Pilgrimages These wandering Pilgrims were as wise as waltames calfe which went nine miles to sucke a Bull. Indulgencies Fraternitie of Friers falsly thought to be the Communion of Saintes Suffrages of Monkes Monkes woorkes bought and solde for monie Syngraphae super redemptionem operum Monasticorum Obligations about bying Monasticall woorkes Monkes woulde haue other men trust to their woorkes How much heretofore men attributed to Popes pardons So did Frier Tecell preach at wittemberge Soules deliuered out of Purgatorie for monie Popish pardoners blasphemous comparisons betwixt the red Crosse and the Crosse of Christ The Popes Bull. Non ficta sed facta Popish impietie Iubile appointed as a market for monie The first deuiser and inuenter of Iubile Inuocation or prayer to dead Saintes The Papistes did imagine Christ to be a little preatie boy still whom his mother might commaund Vvhat Saintes were praied vnto A rable of rites and Ceremonies obserued in the woorshippe of Saintes contrarie to rhe first commaundement Thou shalt haue none other Gods but me A Popishe prayer to Saint Peter O abhominable blasphemie 2. Tim. 3. 16. A briefe repetition of those thinges which were thought necessarie heretofore to the obteining of saluation The superstition of holie water The maner of Ethnikes to vse holie water sprinkle Virgil. lib. 6. Aeneiad Theodoret in vita Iuliani A good deede of Valentinian The superstition of sticking vp waxe candels before the Sacrament also before the altars and images of Saintes The idolatrie of the former age how great it was How Papistes exeuse the woorshipping of Images The Ethnikes pretend the verie same for their idolatrie The blasphemous Legend of lies Ludoâ—icus viues in lib. de causis corruptarum artium The historie of Lombard Traditions Decretalles Superstitious vowes religiÌ„ously obserued The rrue vowe of Baptisme was neglected in those dayes Pardons for walking the stations of the citie of Rome Stations are certeine Churches where pardons be graunted Trifling satisfactions 1. Iohn 2. 2. How farre foorth the chastening of the bodie is not to be disallowed 〈…〉 of a 〈…〉 to hoâ—â—e water The superstitious obseruing of fasting dayes The Pater noster and Aue Maria was wont to be rolled and trolled vpon a paire of beades How rich vsurers did satisfie for their sinnes heretofore Radulph Agrico la Longolius Frederike prince of Mantua were so superstitiously besotted In time of Papistrie it was thought lawfull to keepe a Concubine 1. Cor. 11. 29. The Laie people corrupted by the priestes euill example Verres de furto de seditione Cethegus The superstition of the seale called Agnus Dei. The superstition of an Easter waxe candel and of candels consecrated vpon Candelmasse day The Iewish superstition of the name Iehouah The superstition of the name Abracadabra VVhat woorkes were heretofore in time of Poperie thought to be good woorkes Stationaries are those which wayte vpon the Pope when he celebrateth his stations All these forenamed woorkes are not grounded upon the sacred Scripture The additions which the Iewes had put to the Lawe Mat. 23. 5. Mark. 7. 3. 4 VVhat woorkes are truely to bee saide good woorkes The dueties of a Christian man. Vnto what good woorkes Saint Paule doth exhort vs. Tit. 2. 12. Rom. 12. 1. Gal. 5. 24. Eph. 4. 23. Eph. 5. 1. 1. thess. 2. 12 Eph. 4. 2. 3. 1. Cor. 10. 31. Philip. 2. 4. Coloss 3. 17. From what vices doth Saint Paule dehorte vs. VVhat manner of faith the Apostles teach Ephe. 2. 10. Galat. 5. The efficacie of good woorkes A foule and fond errour to thinke that the Pope is the head of the Church Christes Vicar and Saint Peters successour The Authoritie of the Pope how great it was thought to be Decrees and Decretalles 1. Tim. 4. 1. A proud bragge Mat. 28. 18. The arrogancie and passing pride of the Pope of Rome The negligence of the Pope in caring for the Christian common wealth Popish Edictes and prohibitions against all Scripture Baptisme wherefore it was instituted of Christ The abuse of Baptisme Belles had Godfathers The superstitious consecration of water with salt The abuse of Confirmation The abuse of penaunce and confession The manifolde abuse of the Supper of the Lorde amongst the Papistes The Superstitious reseruation and ostentation of the Lordes bread That the papistes heretofore either knew not at all or else neglected the principall partes of Christian Religion Gen. 3. 15. Irenaeus Cyprian Hieronymus A corrupt Text. Prudentius The seede of the woman How it is read in the Greeke text How it is read in the Haebrue Picus Mirandula Prudentius Verses of Christ his passion The meaning of Prudentius his verses Christ his Priesthoode hitherto vnknowen to the Papistes The difference betwixt the olde Testament and the new vnknowen True iustification heretofore vnknowen How much was ascribed to merites and good woorkes VVoorkes for to sale The iustice of faith vnknowen The abrogation of the lawe vnknowen The iustifying faith vnknowen A definition of the true Christian faith Rom. 5. 1. Difference of woorkes vnknowen Difference of sinne vnknowen heretofore The true vse of Gods lawe vnknowen A godlie prayer From the creation of the worlde there is but one way to obteine saluation by namely by onely faith in Christ Our faith and the faith of the Patriarches is all one The sanctitie of the old Patriarches The patriarches were Christians not in name but in deede Act. 4. 12. Act. 10. 43. The blindenesse of the Papistes Trust and confidence As the Israelites trusted to the Leuiticall ceremonies and sacrifices so the Papistes trusted to superstitious rites Gen. 3. 15. Apoc. 12. 9. 1. Iohn 3. 8. Iohn 1. 29. Act. 13. 38. 1. Iohn 2. 2. 1. Tim. 2. 5. Iohn 4. 16. Eph. 2. 8. 9. Act. 15. 11. The way to rebuke a sinner first and then to comforte him Gen. 3. 15. Luke 24. 47. Act. 20. 21. Mark. 1. 15. The order of our preaching at this day Seneca Epistola 29. The manner to correct sinne in preaching is to rippe vp the originall infection of mans nature Our best deedes are stained and cainted The Gospell ioyned with the lawe In our sermons we must chiefly note secrete sinnes because of Hypocrites Few Papists haue knowen what sinne is 1. Rom. Papistes carelesse to obserue Gods preceptes but carefull to keepe
Preachers doe daily perpetually beate into the eares and mindes of all men these other innumerable sentences of holie Scripture seeing that they preach the word diligently seeing that they are instant and vrge men in season and out of season seeing that they improue rebuke and exhorte as S. Paule warneth Timothie they are falsly accused to haue hitherto pampered and fostered to much the licentious liuing of the common people And yet notwithstanding that which our aduersaries doe obiect of vice and wickednesse which beareth such a sway in this age is as I saide before truer than I would it were Now albeit there haue bene men alwayes euen from the beginning of the Church which did professe Christianitie rather in name and title than in verie deede of which sorte Hilarie saith thus They pray because they feare they sinne because it is their will pleasure they call them selues Christians because they haue a good hope of eternitie they doe heathenish thinges because present thinges are flattering thinges they remaine not altogether impious because they haue the name of God in some honour they are not godlie because they followe such thinges as are farre from godlinesse notwithstanding I doe beleeue that all vices did scarse at any time beare such a sway in any age as in this our age Wee doe all of vs bragge and boast of our faith but wee doe not declare and shewe forth this our faith by godlie woorkes and by charitie towardes our neighbour Wee all glorie of the Gospell of Christ but wee studie not to liue worthie of the Gospell of Christ Wee teach and preach that wee haue receiued the pure religion of Christ but wee doe not perfourme in deede those thinges which are agreeable to it Wee will forsooth both bee and also bee accounted Christians which name verely ought to make vs somewhat ashamed to breake Gods commaundementes but wee doe not endeuour with all our mind and labour to leade a life after the imitatiō of Christ To be briefe we confesse God in woordes as the Apostle saith but in our deedes wee denie him So it comes to passe that for our sakes and for our sinnes and wickednesse the name of God is dispraised amongst the heathen that Christian doctrine is euill spoken of that religion it selfe is contemned despised For what goodnesse will the Turkes beleeue to bee in that religion whose woorshippers and Professours they see to be contaminated and defiled with all heinous wickednesse O ingratitude woorthie of eternall destruction Howe greatly am I affraid least for this one thing that happen to vs which our Sauiour Christ doth threaten to those cities which after so wholsome doctrine repented not of their horrible sinnes It shal be saith hee more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon and Sodome in the day of iudgement than for you The aduersaries of the Gospell which will not acknowledge their manifest errours and receiue the true doctrine ought not so much to feare this so greeuous and horrible a commination as those which euerie where glorie of the Gospell whome God hath called out of darkenesse into his maruellous light that I may vse the words of S. Peter At the least let those moste sweete admonitions and exhortations of S. Paule moue vs to godlinesse of life I beseech you brethren saith hee by the mercies of God that yee giue vp your bodies a liuing sacrifice holie acceptable vnto God which is your reasonable seruing of god And againe They that are Christes haue crucified the flesh with the affections and lustes thereof And againe That grace of God that bringeth saluation vnto all men hath appeared teaching vs that denying vngodlinesse and worldlie lustes wee shoulde liue soberly and righteously and godly in this present worlde Item Bee yee saith hee followers of God as deare children that ye may walke in loue euen as Christ hath loued vs and hath geuen himselfe for vs to bee an offering and a sacrifice of a sweete smelling sauour to God. And againe Wee are his woorkemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good woorkes which God hath prepared and ordeined that we should walke in them Hitherto perteineth that saying of Christ in Saint Matthaewes Gospell Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good woorkes and glorifie your father which is in heauen I doe omitte almost sixe hundred such like places in the Gospell Those places of Scripture ought verely to moue vs chiefly and before all other which haue the mention of Christes death and punishment ioyned with them Such an one is that saying of Saint Peter Christ saith he his owne selfe bare our sinnes in his bodie on the tree For what doeth he adde That we being dead to sinne should liue to righteousnesse The like place is that to Titus Christ saith he gaue himselfe for vs What doth he adde That he might redeeme vs from all iniquitie and purge vs to be a peculiar people vnto himselfe zealous of good woorkes And to the Galathians Which gaue himselfe for our sinnes But he addeth That he might deliuer and take vs out of this present euill worlde And to the Corinthians Christ died for all He addeth That they which liue should not liue hereafter to themselues but vnto him which died and rose againe for them And to the Colossians Christ hath reconciled you in the bodie of his fleshe through death He addeth To make you holie and vnblameable and without fault in his sight Now whom the diuell who as Iohn saith in the Reuelation seduceth the whole worlde feedeth with an hope of Gods mercie and goodnesse and whom he by that meanes reteineth still in their sinnes and forbiddeth them to feare Gods iustice let those men againe and againe see well what they doe The Lorde is mercifull and gentle saith Dauid in the Psalme But the same man saith The face of the Lorde is against them that doe euill I am the Lorde thy God shewing mercie vpon thousandes saith God in Exodus What is added To them which loue mee and keepe my commaundements I will not the death of a sinner saith God in Ezechiel What followeth But that he turne from his wayes and liue Hee that beleeueth in the sonne hath life euerlasting saith the forerunner of the Lorde in Iohn But Christ in the same S. Iohns Gospell saith They which haue done good shall come foorth into the resurrection of life but they that haue done euill into the resurrection of condemnation Iohn Baptist testifieth of Christ saying Behold that lambe of God which taketh away the sinne of the world But the same Iohn saith Repent yee of your former life and bring foorth fruite worthie amendment of life Peter in the Actes saith We beleeue that wee shall bee saued through the grace of our Lorde Iesus Christ But the same Peter saith Amend your liues therefore
and turne that your sinnes may bee put away Christe him selfe in Iohn saith GOD so loued the worlde that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him shoulde not perishe but haue life euerlasting But the same Christ in Matthaewe saith Not euerie one that saith vnto mee Lorde Lorde shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but hee that doeth my fathers will which is in heauen Paule saith vnto Timothie Christ Iesus came into the worlde to saue sinners But the same Paule vnto the Corinthians saith Bee not deceiued neither fornicatours nor idolatours nor adulterers nor wantons nor theeues nor couetous persons nor dronkardes nor railers nor extortioners shall inherite the kingdome of God. I would to God I woulde to God that wee would acknowledge in parte and studie to be thankefull for so notable a benefite of GOD in restoring this sacred doctrine and that after so greate ignorance and blindnesse of men in matters perteining to saluation and which are chiefly necessarie to bee knowen Which thing verely woulde come to passe first if wee thinking vpon the infelicitie and olde superstition of former times and beeing as it were astonied at Gods greate benefites would breake foorth into the praises of God into Psalmes and hymnes into spirituall songes singing and making melodie to the Lorde in our heartes giuing thankes alwayes for all thinges vnto GOD euen the father in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ as the Apostle saith Secondly if wee woulde labour to promote and set forward the ministerie of the woorde to keepe honour to defend and manteine godlie teachers if we would labour to helpe and releeue the necessarie studies of the Church Last of all if wee woulde liue godly and holily towardes God patiently in afflictions vprghtly towardes our neighbour diligently in our duetie temperately and soberly in our diet and in our clothing honorably towardes our parentes obediently towardes our magistrates masters louingly curteously with all men liberally towards the poore needy to be short if we would liue innocently chastely soberly friendly to our enimies profitably to the Church of God fauorably to the life of men agreably to Religion consonantly to Christianitie conueniently meete for the Gospell and as S. Paule saith Liue worthie of God that is to speake most plainely if we did both loue God with our whole heart and from our verie bowelles and also if wee did beare as great good will to our neighbour as we doe to our selues if we our selues would doe that to no man which we would not haue done to vs if we were such towardes others as we would other men were towardes vs finally if we did helpe and succour alwayes our neighbour either with our substance or with our helping hand or with our good aduise and counsell not regarding euerie man his owne thinges but the thinges of other men if we did studie to profite all men yea euen our enimies to hurt no man no not if we be prouoked lastly if wee would be terrified from sinne and wickednesse rather with the loue of God than for feare if we would not loose the bridle to our lustes if we would doe nothing which ought not to be done But O our execrable abhominable ingratitude we doe not measure and ponder as it is worthie the greatnesse of Gods benefits neither doe we sufficiently consider with our selues how great commodities this doctrine instaured by God hath brought a good while agoe vnto Christendome For in how many errours were we heretofore wrapped in in how great superstitions were wee nusled in to what passe was Christian pietie come vnto was it not come to this point that it was thought a better and a more excellent thing for a man to be called a Franciscane than simply a Christian that wee did attribute much more to mans rites than to Gods preceptes that in obteining saluation we did trust rather to ceremonies than to the fauour and mercie of God or to the merite of Christ that almost altogether excluding Christ whose death was a pacification of Gods wrath against sinne wee did of our selues seeke to satisfie for our owne sinnes that wee did not onely iudge that heauen was due to our merites but also that we did sell our good woorkes of supererogation Finally that leauing and refusing God euerie man did for him selfe woorshippe reuerence adore the idol of his owne hearte I doe omitte and let passe lighter matters how that we did both feare vaine apparitions and shadowes of walking spirites and also how that wee did feigne deuise Purgatorie fire out of Virgils Aeneades how that wee gaue that seruice and honour to mortall men long since departed which should haue bene giuen to God onely how that they whiche were deliuered from the plague gaue thankes to Saint Roch they whiche returned safe from battell gaue thankes to Saint George they which had escaped shipwrack gaue thankes to Saint Nicholas they which had gotte good store of riches gaue thankes to I can not tell what Saint Erasmus they whiche had a plentifull and fruitfull vineyarde gaue thankes to S. Vrban they which were eased from the torment of toothachegaue thankes to Saint Apolline they whiche had conceiued borne children without any greate paine gaue thankes to Saint Margaret For wee of these had plainely made Ethnikall and Heathenish Gods and as the Gentiles in times past were woont to pray vnto Aesculapius and Apollo for the depulsion and driuing away of diseases vnto Mars for victorie vnto Neptune for a prosperous nauigation vnto Iuno for riches vnto Bacchus for plentie of wine vnto Ceres for abundance of corne vnto Lucina for an happie childbirth so wee were woont to begge and craue the like benefites of them whom wee speake of Yea as amongest the Ethnikes in olde time euerie citie or region had their Gods whom they did peculiarly woorshippe for as the Poet saith Cecropia serues as God Minerua wise and Creete Diana dame Hipsiphile soile adores the black-smith Vulcane halt and lame But Sparta woorshippes Iunoes grace Micaena honors Pelops stock The coastes of Menalis serues that Syluan God which Faunus hight And eke Lauinia lande doth woorshippe Mars that warlik wight So at this day Venice hath her S. Marke in whose tutelship she stands Millain hath S. Ambrose Paris hath S. Denis Collin hath the three Kings or the three Magi Francia hath S. Chilian Polonia hath S. Hedeuigis finally other haue other Saintes to defend them Also euerie seuerall companie and order of craftes men hath adopted their peculiar patrons and as it were houshold gods to defend them as for example the Goldsmithes haue got them S. Eulogius the Shoomakers S. Crispin the Fullers S. Seuerus the Painters S. Luke the Physicians S. Cosma S. Damian the Lawyers S. Fuon the Students of artes and liberall sciences S. Catharine If wee would repeate call