doctours though they somtyme erred bycause we myght knowe that they were men that than they were left to themself we shal not therfore denye them generally And the couÌ„celles also thoughe some one of the last couÌ„celles whiche peraueÌ„ture was not gaderd in that mekenes charyte that was expedient though one of them whiche thyng I wyl not afferme in some artycle were permysed to goo amysse Shold we therfore damne al the resydue It were no reason And this may suffyse for the third instruccion ¶ Here foloweth the fourth instruccyon THe fourth a the fynall instruccyon taketh awaye the defence that may be layde for Martin luther by his adhereÌ„tes which defeÌ„ce also may soone ouerthrowe the weyke soules whan they shall here it Theyr defence standeth in thre poyntes Fyrst they saye that Martyn luther is a man depely lerned in scriptures grouÌ„dynge all his opinyons vpon the same a man of religious lyfe suche one that for his lernynge and vertue hath many adherentes Secondly they saye that he hathe a fast mynde in god and spareth for no mans authoryte to speke the trouthe in so moche that he hath excomunicate the pope for he thynketh in his owne coÌ„science that those that folowe not his doctryne be not of the chirche catholyke Thyrdly he hath a merueylous feruent zeale to god for the whiche he dothe labour to coÌ„uert all the world to his opinyon thynkynge assuredly to do a specyal sacrifyce pleasure to god therby This whaÌ„ a weyke soule hereth he is in peryl anone to gyue faythe vnto it to mystrust the doctrine of the chirche For who may thynke but suche a man is iÌ„ the ryght way But herfore to this the rest of the gospell that enseweth dothe answere clerly It foloweth heclocutus sum vobis vt noÌ„ scaÌ„dalizemini absque synagogis facient vos Sed venit hora vt omÌ„is q i interficit vos arbitretur obsequiuÌ„ se prestare deo That is to saye This I haue tolde you before to the enteÌ„t that ye shal not quale in your fayth for they shall deuyde you from theyr synagoges the tyme shal come that euery man that mordereth you shall thynke that he dothe therby grete seruyce vnto god These wordes maye be taught of some to ê‘teyne only vnto the tyme of the Jewes which dyd expell the apostles out of theyr synagoges or to the tyme of the tyrauÌ„tes whiche dyd slee moche christen people in the beginnyng of the chirche But yf that were a trouthe thaÌ„ these wordes shold be no generall instruccyon for the vniuersall chirche whiche thynge we gaderd agaynst luther at the begiÌ„nynge of our sermone wherfore moche rather they ê‘teyn vnto the tyme of the heretikes First bycause this ê‘secucyon lenger coÌ„tinued thaÌ„ the other twayne for the persecucyon of the Jewes was soone at a syde and the persecucyon of the tyrauntes had his course for a season but the heretykes hath persecuted the chirche from the ascensyon of christ shal do vnto the comynge of antichryst Forthermore the persecucyon of the herytykes is was euermore perylous for as for the Jewes the tyrauÌ„tes they were manyfest enemyes vnto chryst abhorred his scripturs but these heretykes pÌ„tend a specyal fauour vnto christ coloure all theyr heresyes with his scryptures The Jewes the tyrauntes whaÌ„ they had slayn the bodyes of christeÌ„ meÌ„ yet they sent theyr soules to euerlastyng glorye but the heretykes miscoÌ„struyng the scriptures of god by theyr false doctryne erronyous opinyoÌ„s pestilent heresyes dothe slee the soules of chrysten people send them to euerlastyng daÌ„nacion Wherfore these wordes must rather be vnderstaÌ„ded of the ê‘secucyoÌ„ that was made by the heretykes Now than christen man whaÌ„ thou herest that Martyn luther is a man of grete lernynge hath grete redynes in scryptures and is reputed of vertuous lyuynge and hathe many grete adherentes thynke that many suche hath ben before hym in the chirche of chryst that by theyr lernynge and mistakynge of scriptures hathe made suche tempestes in the chirche byfore this tyme. ¶ How tempested one grete heretyke Arrius with his heresye the chirche of chryst how gret a murder of soules made he was not he a man of grete lernynge of synguler eloqueÌ„ce of vertuous lyfe in outwarde apparence all his opynyons he grounded vpon scrypture and so dysceyued many a soule Saynt Hierome saythe Arrius vna scintilla in Alexandria fuit sed quia noÌ„ cito extincta est totuÌ„ orbeÌ„ populata est flaÌ„ma eius That is to saye In the cyte of Alexandre Arrius was but one sparkle but bycause this sparkle was not soone quenched the flam that rose of it raged thorugh all the world a longe tyme vexed the chirche of christ and ouerthrewe soules innumerable tyll at the length by the holy spiryte of trouthe whiche is the coÌ„forter of christes chirche spekyng as I sayd before in the mouthes of the fathers doctours of the chirch this heresye was conuynced and playnly put asyde ¶ But after this tempest rose vp an other clowde in cotynent one called Macedonius that vexed the chirche lykewyse after hyÌ„ Nestorius after hym Eutices so forthe storme after storme one vpoÌ„ other so that assone as one storme was pacifyed the wycked spyrytes raysed vp another incontynent Saynt Austyn remeÌ„breth .lvij. capital heresies that after the ascensyon of our sauiour christ at sondry tymes lyke so many clowdes stormes rosein the chirche whiche fynally were conuynced by the holy spiryt of trouthe And euery of these heretikes grounded his heresye vpon scrypture and many of them were men of fell wyttes of depe lernynge of mighty reason of pretensed vertue had the propre fayth to wrye to torcasse the scriptures to make them appareÌ„t for theyr erronyous opinyoÌ„s Fynally theyr lyfe lernynge handlyng of scriptures were suche that they had many grete adhereÌ„tes fautours aswel of the bysshoppes as of the emperours of other chrysten pryÌ„ces also which were abused by them Therfore it was necessary that our sauyour christ Jesu for the grete inestimable goodnes for the tender loue that he bereth to his chirche shold leue instruccyon warnynge to all christen people to his vniuersall chirche of this persecucyon and so dyd he sayenge Hec locutê° sum vobis vt noÌ„ scaÌ„dalizemini I haue tolde you saythe he these thinges before bycause ye shall not quale in your faythe what hath he tolde vs byfore This. that the spiryt of trouth shal remayne in the chirche for euer that in all suche stormes teÌ„pestes he shal be a coÌ„forter vntyl vs. O christen man here this gracious warnyng of our sauyour chryst marke wel what he saith I haue warned you sayth he of these thyÌ„ges before bycause that whaÌ„ they fal ye shal not be ouerthrowen in your soules by them as though he sayd whaÌ„ ye shal se the stormes aryse whaÌ„ ye shal
behold the thick black clowdes aloft that shal darken al the face of the heueÌ„ shadow froÌ„ you the clere light of the sonne shewe a false glysteryng light that yssueth out of the clowde from the spiryte of that tempest ye shal here terryble coÌ„minacyon of theyr thonderyng Be ye thaÌ„ coÌ„stant in your faythe byleue as dothe your mother holy chirche lyfely put your trust in the spiryte of trouthe whiche shall be your comforter vnto the worldes ende ¶ Ferthermore whan thou herest christen man that Martyn luther hath a fast mynde in god the letteth for no mans authoryte to speke the trouthe reputeth all them that folowe not his doctryne to be deuyded from the chirch catolyke in so moche that he hathe excomunycate the pope O woÌ„derful presumpcion O madnes intollerable knowe this for certayne that all the other heretykes thus dyd they dyd repute themselfe theyr adhereÌ„tes only to be of the chirche catholyke and rekeneth all other that folowe not theyr opinyons to be deuyded from the chirche So dyd the Nonacyanes in Rome exclude the catholyke preestes bysshoppes from theyr chriches So dyd the Arrianes in grece lykewyse So dyd the Donatystes in Affrycke Neuerthelesse the chirche of christ is but one vna sancta catholica et apostolica this chirche is one hauynge one heed the pope whiche is the vicare of christ of whome it is called vna And though there be in this chriche many synners yet for the holy sacramentes that reneweth repareth synners dayly for the holy spyryte that coÌ„tynually remayneth in it it is called sancta that is to say holy And for bycause it is not lymyt to any certayn nacyon but it is comen to all nacyons therfore it is called catholica the is to saye vniuersall And fynally bycause it is deryuyed from the apostles specyally froÌ„ the prynce of the apostles saynt Peter therfore it is called apostolica that is to saye apostolyke This onely chirche is the spouse of christ all other sembles that be not of this chirche be synagoges of sathanas coÌ„cylyables of the deuyll And therfore christen man be not astonyed thoughe they do excomunicate and deuyde the true christianes from theyr synagoges For our sauyour hath gyueÌ„ vs warnynge here of before sayenge as it foloweth in the gospell absque synagogis facient vos that is to saye they shal excomunicate you and deuyde you from theyr synagoges Thyrdly christen man whan thou herest that Martyn luther hathe so grete a zeale to god thynketh in his conscyence that he is bouÌ„den to do this that he doth weneth that in so doyng he pleaseth god dothe a specyall seruyce vnto god all the soules that by his false doctryne he sleeth and murdereth he recommytteth them vnto almyghty god yet neuerthelesse be stronge in thy faythe and se that in this poynt our sauiour hath also warned the chirche sayenge Sed venit hora qnÌ„ omÌ„is q i interficit vos arbitretÌ„ obsequiuÌ„ se prestare deo That is to saye the tyme cometh whan euery man that shall murder you shall wene that he dothe acceptable seruyce vnto god But yf thus the other heretykes dyd not before thaÌ„ thynke that Martyn luther is somwhat Dyd not thus the Arrianes dyd not they furyously rage agaynst the catholyke bisshoppes and preestes whiche dyd resyste them and not only by theyr pestilent errours they infected the soules of men but also caused grete murders of bodyes Dyd not thus the Donatystes of whome saynt Austyn saythe ad Bonifacium QuicuÌ„que dura illoruÌ„ verba coÌ„tempseraÌ„t durioribê° verberibê° qd iubebaÌ„t facere cogebaÌ„tur innocentiuÌ„ qui eos offenderant derant dontus aut deponebaÌ„tur ad soluâ—â— aut ignibus cremabantur that is to saye Whose euer set at nought theyr hard wordes they were coÌ„strayned with harder strokes to folowe theyr pleasures the houses of the good christianes eyther were throwe downe to the grounde or elles were brent with fyre And after foloweth ê™ plurimi cedibus eorum extincti sunt that is to say many was slayne by theyr murders Dyd not thus the discyples of wycclyffe all be it that for fere of the temporall lawes they durst slee no man yet put they vp a byll of artycles vnto the teÌ„porall lordes in the parliament season mouyng them to slee theyr aduersaryes that resysted agaynst them And what suppose ye Martyn luther his adhereÌ„tes wold do yf he had the popes holynes his fauourers whome he calleth so often in derisyon papistas papastors papanos papenses in his daunger I fere me that he wold vse no more curtesy with them than he hath done with theyr bookes that is to say with the decretalles which he hath brent And so lykewyse I fere me that he wold bren them or any other christen man that he thought might let his opinyons to go forwarde And yet in so doyng he wold thynke that he dyd grete seruyce vnto god Thus ye may se that these heretykes all be it they had grete redynes in scriptures were fell wytted men depely resoned and had also pretens of vertuous lyfe had a grete zeele thynkyng in theyr coÌ„scyence that they were bounden to do asmoche as they dyd yet were they disceyued by the holy couÌ„celles fathers of the chirche conuynced of theyr erronious opinyons And why maye not lykewyse Martyn luther be deceyued as all they were before hym and specyally sythen he wanteth the spyryte of trouth the whiche all they wanted For yf they had had the spyryte of trouthe they sholde not haue erred in myscoÌ„ceyuynge the scryptures I saye not but that they were redy in scryptures coude brynge the scryptures meruaylously to theyr purpose and frame them cursedly to theyr opynyons but for lacke of the spyryte of trouthe they mysconstrued these scryptures and as saynt peter sayth Deprauabant or as saynt Paule saythe Inuertebant they tourned the wronge syde of the scryptures outwarde folowynge theyr owne brayne and phantasye led by the spyryte of erroure and ignoraunce as it foloweth Hec omnia facient vobis quia non nouerunt patrem neque me that is to saye All this they shall do vnto you bycause they knowe not my father nor me yf they had hadde the spyryte of trouthe this spyryte sholde haue ledde them to the true knowlege of the father and of the sone that is to say to the true knowlege of the prophetes by almighty god the father spake and to the true knowledge also of the apostles by whome the sone our sauyour chryst Jesu spake but bycause they had not this spyrite of trouth whiche was sente from the father frome the sone therfore they were ignoraunt of them bothe and by that ignorauÌ„ce they fell to these in conuenyentes And so lykewyse hath now done Martyn luther ¶ Now than here I make an ende I haue remembred vnto you accordynge to my promesse foure instruccyons
that be offred vnto vs of this gospell gracyously Fyrst that the holy spyryte whiche is the thyrd persone in the dyuynyte was sente frome the father almyghty god frome his sone our sauyour chryst Jesu to he the spiryte of trouthe resyaunt for euer in the chirch the chryst to be as a coÌ„forter fro tyme to tyme agaynst all stormes tempestes of heresyes acertaynynge vs in the tyme of euery doutulnes the veray trouthe where vnto we shall holde kepe vs. By the occasyon of this instruccyon I shewed .iij. thynges Fyrst that this instruccyon all the hole gospell ê‘teyneth to the vnyuersal chirche of chryst whiche thynge I proued by Luthers owne wordes Second that the heed of this vnyuersall chirche was the pope vnder chryst whiche one poynt taketh away one grete grounde of MartyÌ„ luther shaketh sore many of his erronyous artycles Thyrde that Martyn luther dyuydyng hymself from that heed of this body can not haue in hyÌ„ this spiryte of trouth For the second instruccyon I shewed you that the hete of charyte spred in our hertes by the holy spryte of god gyueth euydence of the lyfely lyght of faythe shynynge vpon oure soules froÌ„ our sauyour chryst by the whiche instruccyon was vndermyned an other grete grouÌ„d of MartyÌ„ luthers whiche is that onely faythe dothe iustyfye a synÌ„er wtouten workes For the thyrde instruccyon I shewed that the erudycyons left vnto the chirch by the holy apostles bereth vnto vs testymony of the fayth of chryste and what thynge we shall beleue in his chyrche where also was losed an other grounde of Martyn luther which wyll not admyt any other testymony but onely that that is wrytten in scrypture Agaynst whome I proued that he must besydes the scryptures wrytten receyue also the tradycyons of the apostles not wrytten ouer this the couÌ„celles generall in whom the holy goost dyd speke and the interpretacyons of scryptures made by the holy bysshoppes doctours of the chyrche by whose monthes the thyrde persone in the godhede the spiryte of trouthe spake and speketh enformynge the chirche for this tyme lyke as dyd the father almyghty god by his prophetes before as dyd his sone the seconde persone by hys apostles For the fourthe instruccyon I shewed you that the defence whiche is made for Martyn luther by his adherentes wherby manye weyke soules be ouerthroweÌ„ is clerely take away by the moost louynge moost gracyous forwarnynge of our sauiour christ as ye haue herde in the ende of the gospelle And yet eftsones for his moost excellente charyte he warneth all his chrysten people saynge and repetynge Hec locutus sum vobis vt quum venerit hora eorum reminiseamini quia hec dixi vobis That is to saye These thynges I haue tolde you to th entent that whaÌ„ the dauÌ„gers shall be fall yet ye may remeÌ„bre that I byfore dyd warne you of theym Who that thus often warned wyll yet gyue faythe to Martyn luther or to any other suche heretyke rather than to christ Jesu vnto the spyryte of trouthe whiche is left in the chirche of chryst vnto the worldes ende specyally to enforme vs of the trouth this man goethe fer wyde from that streygth way is neuer lyke to entre into the port of euerlastynge rest whiche al we desyre couet to come vnto to the which he brynge vs qui cuÌ„ patre et spiritu sancto viuit et regnat deus peroiÌ„a secula seseculorum Amen ¶ Imprynted by Wynkyn de Worde wynkyn worde