veritas vita non dixit ego sum consuetudo sed veritas That is You will peraduenture set some auncient custome against me but it is to be noted what God saith It is saide by him I am the way the trueth and the life and GOD did not say I am the custome but I am the trueth Wherefore Augustine saide well Ad Casulâ—num Praesbyterum Dist 11. Can. consuetud Consuetudinem laudamus quae contra fidem catholicam nihil vsurpare dignoscitur That is We allowe and commend that custome that is not knowne to haue vsurped any thing at any time contrarie to the true and Catholique faith Therefore I aunswere you here if you can proue to me out of the Scriptures those Articles and pointes of religion which you affirme you holde by custome I will yelde and condiscend to your opinions otherwise I am of the minde these learned Fathers are of That we must beléeue the truth before all your customes and if you doe not thinke that my iudgement is sound you shall giue me leaue to offend to erre and to goe out of the way with them There is nowe remayning the last thing yet as good and necessarie a thing as any other and it is this God saith thus My words shall be in your heart what his words the words of the Lord You will heare no word at all Is it so and the Lordes wordes howe hardly are you drawne to heare them at this present Why how in what manner where shall we lay them vp where shall we repose them In your heart and in your soule they should be laid vp And I do ensure you sithence my last being in this place and from the time that I haue séene so dissolute and lewde behauiour among you and howe pyningly and howe vntowardly and howe scornfully and howe irreuerendly howe hautily and howe disdainefully you stand here before the Lorde before his Angels in his Church before vs I am not onely astonied vpon the wickednesse and sinne I sée within you as I am amazed at the heauie iudgements of the Lord that hang ouer you Contempt of his word It was neuer noted but in Castawayes Irreuerend behauiour when the word is preached It was neuer séene but in the reprobate vnséemely demeanor and disdainfull lookes vpon the Prophetes You finde it not all onely saue in the Baalites and Chemerims or Saducées or Pharisées or in some such like vnto to them Wherefore you are of that froward generation and those vntoward sprigges That claue and rent in sunder that gnashed their teeth Actes 7. and fell vpon Stephan when they heard his preaching Why 2. Pet. 1.23 Matth. 13.33 Ephe. 6.17 Mark 4.32 Iere. 5.14 Ezech. 3.33 Wherefore for what cause should this be so The worde of the Lorde is that which assureth The worde of the Lorde is the leauen that leaueneth The word of the Lord is the sword that striketh The worde of the Lorde is the graine that increaseth The worde of the Lorde is the fire that inflameth The worde of the Lorde is the honie that sweetneth Howe then shall you escape the iudgements of God the fierce wrath of the highest the furie of his countenaunce the displeasure of our God that both vnwillingly doe come to heare and so like men of Bedlam and as if you were possessed by some foul fiende rage and byte when you vnderstand the trueth Then if not for Gods cause yet for your owne safetie regarde and marke this reason taken out of the former scriptures alledged That thing which bringeth death with it and destruction and confusion for euer is neither to be done or allowed or committed by any godly man nor by you The contempt of Gods worde your irreuerend behauiour in this sacred place bringeth death with it and destruction and confusion for euer if you repent not Ergo This vnseemely dealing in you which bringeth with it all these inconueniences should be done or allowed or committed neither by any godly man nor by you Consider then weigh and regard where and before whom you stand Here is the Lord that seeth you here be his Angels that behold you 1. Cor. 11.12 For whose sakes also you should do the things that are comely And vndoubtedly a greater comfort should there be none to the godly man or to any one vnder heauen then to féede vpon the trée of life then to drinke of this spirituall drinke Deut. 32.2 Mark 4.14 Psal 119.104 Ier. 23.29 Esai 55.1 the word of God This Why It is the rayne that bedeweth It is the seede that groweth It is the rule that leadeth It is the axe that heweth It is the fountaine that springeth It is the well that draweth the water of life to all that come that heare that beléeue that will be saued Then receiue to your comfort comprehend vnto life attaine vnto saluation heare and refuse not that the Lorde may blesse you For there is a verie comfortable reason and a strong conclusion gathered out of this place thus That which bringeth life and is commaunded by God is to be doone of all to be allowed and to be obeyed without exception The worde of the Lorde doth bring in life and is that which is commaunded by God vnto all Ergo The word of the Lord and the Gospell of trueth which is preached is to be heard of al and of you without exception His worde 2. Sam. 22.31 Psal 12.7 it is pure it is immaculate it is tried in the fire it will followe all them that hope and trust in him His wordes they are chaste and milde speaches they are seuered from the earth Psal 18.33 and purged more then seuen times His wordes his wayes They are not polluted wayes but they are leaders vnto life and the Lord is a protectour of all those that trust in him As for you I sée it as for you I doe well perceiue it as for you you doe declare it That you are none of those that haue his statutes before you His lawe is not regarded by you the bright morning starre hath not shined on you You you walke according to the wayes of them of Gomorrah You you trust in Pharaoh and in his mightie power you repose all on the Popes shoulders not on GOD You you are comforted in Herode his pleasaunt Oration and swéete style hath bewitched you You you are protected vnder the shadow of the great beast in the reuelation to whom the most of the Kinges of the earth doe â—â—ll downe and giue worship you you are angrie with Caine you you are hardened as was Sehon you you are the sonnes of the fathers that haue cast stones at the Prophetes you you are bouldened with Zedechias you you are still and you will be Sacrificers stil to the Quéene of HeaueÌ„ you you are peruerted as were false Prophets you you are proude and stately as were the Scribes you you couer sinne with sin as the Iewes dyd you you
stedfastilie and not to be doubted of by any man that the Barnes of the Lord doo signifie vnto vs the Church of God and within them 〈◊〉 the ende of the world there will be Chaffe mixt with good Corneâ— that is wicked with good euill men among righteous men and Heretiqâ—â—â— among those that are faithfull It is as true and as pretie as it is plaine that Prosper sayth Prosper depromis et praed Dei Cap. 7. Nunc vero ecclesia aut Arca velut mundâ— et immunda animalia bonos malosque portare cognoscitur vsque in praedictum finem de quo Dominus et saluator noster in Euangelio 〈◊〉 est That is And nowe we are assured that the Church of God which is as was the Arke hath in it bothe fowle and cleant 〈◊〉 and is openlie knowne as well to carie the good as those that are euill euen vntyll the determined ende and tyme whereof our Sauiour Christe spake in the Gospell which is vnttyil the ende of the worâ—e So that nowe we are not to be discouraged but comforted not dismayed but stayed in as much as the Lord will alwayes fight for vs and permitte the wicked for a season that their condempnation may be greater when he commeth And it must not be vnknowen to you that there haue risen vp Heretiques from tyme to tyme but especially in the Primitiue Church and in the lyght of the Gospell as the Iesuites and the Fanulie of Looue and the Seminaries doo now in our age Euse Lib. 2. Cap. 1. After Christe 46 yéeres began Simon Magus whome the Pope is 〈◊〉 lyke as can be that selteth the holie Ghost and hell and Heauen and soules of men for money Beda After Christe 58. yéeres or thereabout 〈◊〉 by Elymas Bariesus he would haue peruerted and turned Sergius Paulus from the trueth as Champion and Howlet haue laboured of 〈◊〉 to peruert the state of England Iren. Lib. 1. Cap. 25. After Christe 73. sprang vp Corinthus as like the Papistes in this one thing as might be that he luâ—â—â— after the satissying of the â—â—â—lie and delighted in meate and drinke and maried women Euse Lib. 4. Cap. 7. After Christe 93. sprâ—ng vp Basilides before 〈◊〉 Menander whome in this one thing the Pope and his Clergie resâ—â—â— bleth in that they thinke that Faith by periurie may be renouriâ—â—â— Epiphanius Haer. 26. After Christe 100. yéeres arose vp the Gnostikes some call them Barborites all one with Papistes for they had in them a swelling pride as hath the Pope with his Cardinals thought they knowe all things and their women among them were as common as the strumpets and 〈◊〉 be at Roome for the Friars Haer. 29. After Christe 121. dyd the Nazaritâ—â— spread their Herefies abroade altogether in effect as are the Iesuites who gaue them selues to the obseruation of the Lawe euen alike as be all their Ceremonies which they vse Euse Lib. 5. Cap. 13. After Christ 163. were the Montanists verie rife in the world what they differed from the sects of Iesuites and their company I knowe not all one they were in many things For they for bad mariage as papistes doo they absteined from 〈…〉 béeing vnlaâ—â—full euen as papistes doo they vsed 〈…〉 and defiled women as the papists doo And thus from time to time since Christe there haue béene most detestable Herefies in the Church now I am of opinion that the errors of the papistes are a confused and mingled Chaos euen a trusse and Booget of Hertfies gathered togeather of all sortes of Heretiques from the beginning which when time seâ—ueth I will prooue Héere lyeth out 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 holde that God of his mercie will as wel defend vs as he hath done the other his Churches that hath béene pestered with them since the comming of Christe And as for England they can doo it no 〈◊〉 God is with vs. They cannot hurt vs God fighteth for vs theâ—r pretious bauâ—â—es shal not breake our heads for so hath the Lord 〈…〉 Their errors shall doo what God will haue done that is mough to comfort vs. For the papistes them selues what grosse and 〈◊〉 opinions they holde this short Treatise shall declare 〈◊〉 Irequire at your hands that shall reade this Booke First that 〈…〉 â—â—differerently without partiality Secondly that you way the Articles and sundrie pointes and howe and where the trueth in them is to be looked for Thirdly that you cast not your eyes vpon the writer or vpon the Aduersary that is confuted but that you iudge 〈◊〉 betwixt bothe Last of all with a perfect pure and vndefiled 〈…〉 this booke to be read of thée that thou thy selfe mayst be comâ—â—ted thy conscience assured thy minde and beare satisfied and thy adversaries mouthes that would hinder thée for euermore stopped So I leaue thée to the tuition of the Almightie and do aduertise thée to may for the conuersion of these Heret ques or for the will of the Lord to be shewed vpâ— them according â—â— that purpose and determination of 〈◊〉 which he hath decréed And so fare you most hattehe well Yours in the Lord. Iohn Keltridge ⧠To the aduersaries of the grace of God in the Tower of London or els where I Iohn Keltridge wishe amendment of life conuersion to the moste auncient and vndoubted faith with true repentaunce and contrition of hart That they may become liuely and perfect members of Iesus Christe ALbeit the rare strange comming of you into England hath kindled the harts of many men against you so them see on fire as it is very apparaÌ„t that the flaÌ„erherof is not like to be extinguished till either the godly people see your conuersion from your heresies or conceiue some hope that you will return to God speedily Yet we for our partes that haue endeuored by preaching to bring you to the Lord may not cannot cease continually either to pray with earnestnes or desire with stedfastnes or begge with feruentnes or intreat in all faithfulnes at the handes of the Lord that he would lighten you by his spirit or quicken you thorow his grace or resolue you by the trueth or confirme you by the woord which you dayly heare that the only true and perfect man Iesus Christe maye be knowen unto you which knowledge and perfect vnderstanding you cannot be ignorant of if you shut not your eyes or withdrawe your harts from the hearing of the same What you haue been hitherto we know but what heerafter you shal be that the Lord our GOD knoweth not we We may hope very hardly for you refuse the trueth willingly your conuersioÌ„ 〈◊〉 we not looke for speedily you perseuere in your errours so stouely So that for that matter we deforre and commit all to to the Lord. Notwithstanding for myne owne 〈…〉 some thing to say vnto you for your owne behalfe I haue much to charge you with For my selfe wheras I haue bothe spoken heertofore and doo
the life of all The third Letter Van and which is also a Coniunction Copulatiue dooth aptly represent The Spirite the holie Ghost who is the knitting together of bothe I am not ignoraunt that the Iewes were a superstitious and verie foolishe people therefore helde they vainely and obserued toyishly and helde ignorauntly many thinges of no moment whereof this is one That this word Iehouah was called of them Nomen inessabile 1 A name not to be spoken The things vvhich are good though in any man refuse them not such thinges as are amisse though in the highest alowe them not And in a booke of theirs which is their bookâ— Senhadrin I finde it thus written He that pronounceth the name of the fowre Letters as the Letters themselues do souÌ„d shall haue no part in the world to come I cannot tell how to think other wise of you present héere somtimes schollers to the Pope then I doo of them but it is verie like the you are drowned in this Iewish blockish opinion for howsoeuer it be that you thinke of the Trinity there is none of you all haue done it none of you that doo purpose héereafter none of you the euer I read of or haue found that durst or would in the dayes of ignorance preach openly or speake publiquelie this excellent and most heauenly Doctrine of the Trinitie The Fathers of olde were not ashamed thereof neyther halted they â—â—â—â—t good and euill but rightly and vprightly perfectly as prositably and directly as exactlie handled they euery thing to expresse the Trinitie they vsed similitudes A ugustine shewed it Per solem Currentem fulgentem et Calentem 1 By the sunne which runneth which glistreth and heateth with his beames Yet to the constitution of the body of the SuÌ„ne these thrée properties doo not come as making thrée but one body no more doo the thrée persons make thrée but one God Tertullian to Praxea describeth it thus Per fontem fluuium et riunluÌ„ 1 By the spring which deliuereth by the Flood which floweth by the Riuer which runneth And yet it is but one the same water gushing foorth into them bothe Similitudes do expresse heauenly and diuine thinges though they agree not in the comparison in all thinges The same Tertullian dooth open the same Mysterie of the Trinitie Per radicem fruticem et Truncum 1 By the Roote which gathereth by the Fruite which proceedeth and by the body of the Tree which beareth it So in like manner may we say of the Trinitie the Father giueth the SoÌ„ne saueth the holie Ghost procéedeth from them bothe yet are they not thrée but one God In common experience we may gather and collect a proper similitude to expresse this for there is the body and we stand by it there is the soule we are quickened and liue by it there is the Spirite we breathe and continew with it yet these make not thrée but one man This thing also Cyprian noted vpon the Créede for this part therefore sufficient enough it is that I haue spoken I will come to the other Particular point which is this First that I promised to speake particularlie not generallie Next is a braunche of the same to examine and trie whether any Idolatrie may be admitted and so to ponder and way equally the opinions and dealinges of you the Schollers of Roome Thirdsy shall appeare the first point required in a Christian what seruice that is that appertayneth and is duely to be giuen vnto the Lord. The thing generall to be spoken of heere is this That Idoll worship and all false adoration is condempned and forbidden in this place For this cause I haue some thing to say vnto you whome I sée before me at this present and in the same I haue to charge you déepelie in the name of the Lord how to speake vnto you and by name to all you I knowe not This I am sure of you came lately from Roome and to a good ende you could not come for you haue not come to vs in the Lord And you be they to whome I will direct my spéeche as vnto men foolorne and cast off from out the Tents of Israel for you are Leapers Tell me if you will whether in your consciences you finde not your selues guiltie of sacriledge and Idolatrie yea or no The Lord sayth Heare O Israel the Lord thy God is Lord onely Then I conclude and my force is bent against you thus They that serue any other saue the Lord their God onely are guilty of sacriledge commit spirituall whordome and be Idolaters You of late the Popes Schollers Seminaries and of his Colledge euen you woorship Images euen you haue Agnos Dei in your bosome and you serue not the Lord your God onely but Idolles Ergo. You are guiltie of sacriledge you commit spirituall whordome you be Idolaters And giue eare belooued in the Lord I request you be you Iudges of that I speake and be witnesses of those thinges I vtter I call not you that haue refused the Lord I speaks otherwise and thinke of you as of those that be without and yet for all that belooued if you will be belooued and belooued because the Lord may looue you and belooued for I burne in zeale looue towardes you as towardes them I would haue to looue and feare the Lord. To you all therefore I speake demaunding of you this Question why rather you séeke after Images then after God why rather to Idolâ—es then to the Lord why rather any other woorshippe wherein you are insnared then the Lord your God onely If you thinke I offer you iniury for I speake you may say nothing I preache you holde your peace I haue lybertie you are cut short I may holdly say what I can you may not say any thing in defence of your selues Then I will doo yet more for you and I will walke equally twixt you me and hauing hurthened you with that which I sée you are faulty in I wil 〈◊〉 all that before God and his Angels and in the presence of all these lay open the trueth and declare that sincere and true meaning which these woords this Scripture aloweth The Lord sayth héere Heare O Israel heare the Lord You heare the Pope and you feare man The Lord sayth Heare the Lord thy God you giue eare to your inuentions The Lord sayth I the Lord thy God am Lord onelie you haue other Gods worship Images Then iudge you let not me he your Iudge any otherwise then in this so plaine a matter which you your selues cannot deny And for all this sée how fauourably I will deale on your behalfe You say that beside this plaine coÌ„mauÌ„dement O Israel the Lord thy God is Lord onely That you for all that haue a liberty giuen vnto you for the worshipping of Images How shall this be tride In the deciding of the Question you will suspect me I shall not be thought to be indifferent but
lye if masse began with them then brought they it out of Persia so the geÌ„riles were the fouÌ„ders of your masse not Christ his Apostles also if it began at the birth of Christ it began not at the supper of Christ theÌ„ why do you vse it to remember his death as at his supper when you should vse it to remember Christes birth at some other time If wee did not know the you were as blasphemers so also coÌ„mon lyers your toyish fable might haue carried some shew of veritie but now there is no man can beare with you any longer for none of you al haue affirmed your masse to haue béen of any more antiquitie then was the supper of che Lord which is as falsly as it is generally supposed to be confirmed in the institution of the same Now these Ianglers will haue it of more antiquitie then Christ himselfe for the proofe of the same their is neither scripture nor good Doctour auouched but a bungerly Frier that was after that made a Bishoppe among you he is your founder to whome what credit can wee giue being a man of your owne side and one that liued not to heare them say masse For mine owne part your Petrus is so obscure as I confesse that I find not certainly what time he â—â—â—ed after Christ and as he hath belyed the spirit of God So hath he committed a twosoolde sacriledge beside For howe prooue you the wise men were Bishoppes Then where find you that they were thrée in number The scriptures affirme none of all these thinges wherefore we repell them with this aunsweare First GOD rather then they must bee credited Secondly these your assertions are but vaine collections vpon no ground Thirdly that which the scripture saith they gaue vnto Christ by way of Adoration and worship that they call masse Papistes if they could woulde take hold of anything and multiplying lyâ— vpoÌ„ lye they take hold by nothing for Mathewe saith thus of the wise men that came to Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they fell down worshipped him not as you say that they said masse to him But what is there the you haue not inuented what vntruthes that you haue not defended what falsehoods which you haue not maintained what superstitions vpon which you haue not incrotched Wherefore we haue no more to credite you but theÌ„ will we beléeue you when you speake the trueth out of the word of God For it is not vnknowne vnto vs how al your trash and baggage of Rome was drayled out of these late â—â—nkes and froÌ„ the beggerly froth of Rome many yeres since Christ This thing if it be vnknowne vnto you yet will I prooue it before your faces So that if you stand any one iott therein yet your owne Rabbyes and your owne decrées shal conuince you This I am sure of that in all the olde beste learned and autentike fathers the word masse is not found for the space of thrée hundred yeares â—lmost after Christ Loco commuâ—de Missa and so thinketh Maister D. Martyr As for your place in S. Ambrose it is concluded not to be his doing but to bee foysted in by some other so thinketh Erasmus And in your sacrifice which you cal the masse now at this time it is euident that in the former ages it had not the name of sacrifice For by tract of time althings were maruellously corrupted Platina doth affirme that before Celestinus the Epistle and Gospell were onely read which ended the sacrifice also ceased Martinus Cassina speaking of your masse affirmeth the same Read ChronicoÌ„ Sigeberti Nauclerus also is a sufficient and good witnes to prooue this Now for the generall corruption of all things in your masse how grosly how péeuishly how hardly and superstitiously euery thing came vp and was established Aeneiad lib. 1. I referre you â—o Saâ—â—llicus 〈◊〉 those that will reade further leâ— the 〈◊〉 searth out what Hoâ—mannus Gigas The auncient fathers neuer spake of priuate masse and Flores Temporum write of the same Then shall it appâ—are euâ—dently that both your masse vsed at this present is farre dissonant and nothing at all comming â—eere the olde masse that was said and that your now vsed sacrifice is no order publikely vsed then from the seuen hundreth yere of our sauiour Christ briefly this I say Your singing of Psaimes which Celestinus constituted how farre is it from the puritie Read Guilielmus Durandus and Albertus Magâ—us de Misâ—a and sincere vse of those which were song in the primitiue Church and when as Chrysostome is author that the holy and reuerende and godly singing or olde in the prunitiue Church was both commendable and vsed in his time Homil. in Math. 11. who séeth not that your corruption of chaunting was stolne from the Churches of Asia and Greece Introitus of their masse and from time to time enlarged more and more by your Popes The thiese corruption beganne in singing psalmes after Christ 426. yeares Then also Syluester beginneth his Pagiant an◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put in and huddled vp Kyrie eleison stoine from the Gréeke Churches and translated to Rome After that is brought in among you your song Gloria in excelsis glorie bee to God on high Gloriâ— in excelsis by Symmachus as you affiâ—â—â—e when as in déede Hilary Bishop of the Pâ—eks was the author of the same who in the East West Churches caused them vnder him to sing that songue in the despite of the Arrians the blasphemed Christ now you stole this also out of other churches to inrich your owne Your Collectes were brought in by Gelasius and Gregorie In Epitaph Fabriolae your Gradualls and descentes are referred to the same men w e your Halleluiah But yet it came not vp vpon your masse but it was vsed long before as I find in Ierome Your gatheringes of the scriptures together in the masse you haue takeÌ„ by your wouted dispensatioÌ„s out of the scripture Tractatus which before were neuer so vsed Your Epistles and Gospells those you inserted in like manner Epistles and Gospels by robbing the other Churches Whither Telesphorus Bishop did first appoint them who liued after Christ 135. Or whether Damasus did institute them that liued after Christ 360. it maketh no great matter The ordinaunce and certaine rules concerning them séeme tâ— me to come vpon some other occasion For this reade Albertus and the Autorâ—d veteri nouo Deo farre disagréeing from your Romish Church And Ierome in his Apologie against Vigilantius complaineth of the ceremonies and gresse abuses then in dre when the Epistles and Gospels were first read Your Offer to â—e the Masse had beginning 275. Offertorie yeres after Christe and the Institution of the same had a sarre other purpose in it then had yours For Euthytianus hauing a care to winne the Gentiles by little and a
sée how plainely I will determine this controuersie You say you may worship Images I say you ought not worship Images Then what Iudge will you make choice of The Lord our God shall be our Iudge there is no acceptioÌ„ of persons with him and the Lawe and the Prophets will we call as witnesses and the holy Scriptures shall decide this matter Then the QuestioÌ„ is mooued héere whether you may woorship Images haue them in your Churches yea or no This QuestioÌ„ is two folde Affirmatiue for some alow of Images such were the Gnostickes the Carpocratians the Pythagoreans the Maniches and with them do you holde who of you some are Iesuites some Papists some Seminaries some of one sect so me of an other Or it is Negatiue and those that deny it are the whole Senate and assembly of good men who be the learned Fathers the graue Doctors of the Churches of olde the whole number of reformed Churches in the world and our Churches of England at this day and the state thereof that deny these your whorish and Idolatrous abhominations Then it remayneth eyther to affirme this as you dâ—â— or to deny it styll which we maintaine For there is not the most grosse Heretique but hath some colour of scripture for his Heresie That the trueth may appeare and for that you are subtill and glosing persons insinuating and créeping into the mindes of men deceyueable and peruerters of the trueth alledging Scriptures for your heresies and falsifying the manifest and vndoubted Veritie I will take this order and way to aunswer you first we will examine your places of Scripture next we will trie whether they be duely and truely alleadged yea or no. answer 1 A man of your side to name Harding that Apostata that twise reuolted and denied the trueth and at last dyed in his dampnable errors That at the first in the raigne of King Henrie the eight helde with the Pope that afterwards was a Protestant professed the Trueth that in King Edwards dayes most stoutly and most couragiously at Paules Crosse in London spake against the Pope afterward was a Turne coate and denied Christe and withstoode the Trueth this Weather cocke this Bifrons Ianus that had two faces for bothe yéeres as Harding had two tongues for bothe times In his hereticall Pamphlet and in his Treatise of Images which he cast foorth vnto the people of England to peruert them there he is of this opinion Hard. Diu. 1. of Images Concerning the antiquitie and originall of Images they were not first inuented by man but commaunded by God brought into vse by tradition of the Apostles allowed by the aucthority of the holie Fathers and by custome of all ages sith Christe beeing vpon the earth c. VVhat sacriledge vvyll not these men commyt in corners that openly vvyll laye vntruethes vpon the Lord and charge him vvith contrarieties A most dampnable and sacriligious opinion Images of God why they are all forbidden by him Images of antiquitie whose originall was good the good Fathers in olde tyme the good Patriarches of auncient memorie neuer had any brought into vse by tradition of the Apostles why where in what place what booke what EuaÌ„gelist what Epistle what writing of theirs doo you finde it in If any of you all whome you thinke to be so learned and so néere the Pope be able out of any good autenticke auncient and holie Father of olde to she we vnto me that the Apostles vsed Images I will subscribe to your opinion so that eyther they or you can prooue it by their owne writinges the Apostles them selues These were the argumentes of the old hereticks the Capocratians the Gnostickes and others now they are they rai sed froÌ„ the nethermost hell againe to come helpe the Pope the Iesuites his Scholles But we will procéede Maister Harding hath reasons and the verie same which you vse therefore I will aunswere bothe him and you And albeit much hath béene spoken by the reuerend Father the L.B. of Sarisbury and most diuinely and most heauenly set downe concerning this matter Yet for that he was for his time and we liue in ours and because the Lord is tyed to no one thing and you also are to be satisfied nowe and for that those excellent men of olde haue not shut vp euerie plaine way in dooing good but that the same as yet lyeth open to those that passe by I must and will aunswer that place of Scripture which you bring for your purpose and it is this Ob. In Exod. 25. God commaunded Cherubins two of them to be made of pure golde which were before the Mercie seate c. Resp You must nowe conclude Ergo Images Ergo your Images Ergo all Images are lawfull The Schoole boye will tell you A Particulari ad Vniuersale non esse argumentandum 1 From a Particular thing and from that which is speciall to a generall there can no argument be framed Also it was lawsull then Ergo it is nowe it followeth not It was in vse Ergo it is in vse now holdeth not It was so and so in that time and at that present Ergo it may at this present also is no sequell Yet I doo request and I charge you too in the name of the Lord that you enter farther into examination of this matter then shall you finde that how socuer Maister Harding for preferment and honour which he receyued in ample manner at the Popes handes hath reuolted yet that by the Grace of God we will aunswere him most fullie and you also so that you shall not but wilfullie deny the trueth God when he pleaseth is a lawe sufficient by his word to doo all and by his word a sufficient lawe to stay all thinges commaunded I might aunswere you as Tertullian dooth in his booke De Idololatria And as the Bishop of Sarisbury that reuerend Father dooth Which is That God can dispence with any thing and is a lawe of him selfe Yet if you examine the place you shall sée how deceyueablie you deale with vs. For first these Cherubins are Cherubins they were not Images as are yours Secondly they were before the Mercie seate within the inner Vaile which is the holiest of all into which the hie Préest entered as for any other it was not lawfull for them to enter therin Those tipes and figures of thinges that were to come in the lawe are now abrogated because they be fulfilled and therefore the Vaile rent in peeces to signifie howe all things were accoÌ„plished For the first Tabernacle was made wherin was the Candelsticke and the Table and the Shew bread the other had the golden Censer and the Arke of the Testament ouerlayde with golde round about there was the golden Pot with Manna and Aarons Rod that budded and the Tables of the Testament and ouer the Arke were the glorious Cherubins shadowing the Mercie seate And these saw no man but the
world Yet for that you séeme to make a colour of some matter I will not sticke to enter into your follie and discouer it to the world An aunswer to the place of Ezechiel and the Iesuits argument You say that one appeared We knowe it was an Angell and shewed his readinesse Therefore shall you be aunswered out of Ezechiel the Prophet that will be an equall Iudge betwéene vs bothe answer 1 First that which is vttered by the Prophet is done by way of a Vision no materiall or reall thing done indéede But by a Vision is the Captiuitie and destruction of Ierusalem opened by the comming of the Babilonians from out of the North who should ouer runne them answer 2 Secondly all that which was séene was a representation and figure of those thinges were to be done As for example The sixe men seene were the Babylonians and messengers of Gods wrath Lying toward the Northâ— Declared the place from whence they came Hauing weapons in their hand Betokened destruction Wheras a man appeared in white Linnen cloathes Was shewen the looue of God to the faithfull who sent them a helper Hauing a writers Inckorne Opened that he marked such as should be saued The persons are described that should be marked namely such as mourne for Gods children crie out and mourne for the iniquities and transgressions of the wicked séeing the glorie of their God defated The marke wherewith they are marked is Signum Than as some translate which you that holde of the Popes side call the signe of the Crosse And as in other things so in this doo I wunder at you how impudentlie and boldlie how falselie and vntruelie how corruptlie and vnaduisedlie you haue affirmed this At Roome as they say there men haue great skill in the tongues but it is vnlyke For the Hebrue is so plaine they caÌ„not vvrest it the Greeke is not so intricate but they may attaine it But heere lyeth all they reade olde Idolatrous vvriters they reade vvicked superstitious meÌ„ they neuer conferre that they do with the Scripture heere it is that they fall bothe into the ditche those that haue skill in the Hebrew tâ—gue can tell And God be thanked for it how euer it be that the Hebrew tongue is eyther hidden or obscured or dimmed by you yet we knowe well enough that in shamelesse manner you falsifie bothe the Scriptures and the Hebrew bookes Maister Harding blusheth not to say that Ierome affirmeth Thau To haue had the similitude of the Crosse when as in verie déede Ierome auoucheth no such thing but repreheÌ„deth the Samaritanes that superstitiouslie doo lene vnto the same and the same thing is condempned not commended by Ierome Now therfore shewe vnto me two things which I will aske of you such as béeing present defend the Pope and hold with Images Can you prooue that this Signum Thau is the Crosse which you woo ship when as you say to a péece of wood Aue Rex noster 1 All hayle O King Or can you prooue out of this place that if Thau were the Crosse which we denie Yet that eyther the Man that was séene or the Saints which were marked or the Babilonians which were sayde to come vpon them dyd woorshippe pray vnto or adore this Signum Thau and if you can doo eyther of these I will subscribe to your opinions and become one of you If not then knowe you haue abused the Lord vnderstand you haue misconstrued his woord thinke that you haue beguiled his Saints and be you assured the Lord will require it at your handes And nowe to certifie all men in a trueth I will bothe aunswere you and satisfie the Reader It is to be vnderstoode that the Lord dyd nothing in vaine in his booke there is no lyght thing no néedlesse thing no incoÌ„modious friuolous thing set downe But euerie place euerie Vision euery Prophesse euerie woorde hath his meaning and proper sence which bringeth vnto the ignoraunt personne some knowledge So that if any one of you héere before mée shall aske this question at my handes why the Lord God commaundeâ— the Aungell to write rather the signe Thau then any other of the Letters in the foreheads of the Saintes I wyll giue to that Questionist thrée reasons reason 1 The signe Thau hovv vvas it abused by Papists First Thau is the last letter of the two and twentie Hebrew Letters therefore dooth it make vp the iust and perfect number whereby is signified that the Saints marked with this marke are such as be perfect and pure and wise and such as shall make vp and fullfill the nomber of the elect reason 2 Secondly the law with the Hebrews is Torah Therefore Thau the first letter of this worde Torah which is the lawe dooth represent that those which are marked with the same letter Thau are such as doo indeuor to kéepe the lawe of the Lorde reason 3 Thirdly I am of opinion that as the letter Thau is the last letter of the Alphabet among the Hebrews so those that are signed with the signe Thau are certified to bée such persons as are and shal be counted to bée the last and the worst the basest and the homeliest the meanest and most despised among men And now if any of you all or any of yours are able to saye any thing against this my Assertion I will not hinder you but as patiently here you as you haue hetherto harde me thus concluding that as yet you haue sayde nothing to prooue Images lawfull Against you that worship them against them that made them against all such as holde with them the Lorde God saith much in his booke Isai 40.19 Isa 46.7 Ier. 10.3 Now then shall we obay you or the Lorde Man or God Christe or the Pope or beléeue you or the Scriptures For if it be true Non habebis Deos alienos coram me 1 Thou shalt haue none other Gods before me Exo. 20.3 If it be true Per nomen externorum deorum non iurabitis c. 1 You shall not sweare by the name of any other Gods Exo. 23.13 If it be true Nolâ— adorare Deum alienum Ne ineas pactum cum bominibus earum gentium Thou shalt not worship a strainge God thou shalt not make a league or a treuse with those men and with the Nations Exo. 34.14 If it be true in Leuiticus Thou shalt not tourne thy selfe to Idols and thou shalt make thee no molton Gods Leu. 19.4 Then Images and Idolles are not lawefull If the Lorde saythe well when hee sayde Ego Deus gloriam meam non dabo alteri 1 I am the Lorde God I will giue my glorie to none other Isai 41. If the Lord saith well Confundantur omnes c. Let them be confounded that worship the worke of mens handes c. Psal 105. If the Lord saith well in this place Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and him onelie thou shalt feare
Gregorius Na. in his Philos vvylled vs to pray onely to God Lactātius sayth Lib. 2. Cap. 18. That we ought onely to pray to God Ambrose Lib. 3 de Spiritu Sancto praieth to the holy Trinitie Hyllarius in Psalm Referreth him all onely to God that vvyll pray aright But for praying to Saints for praying to the dead for making of any prayer to the Virgin Mary it is not to be found in all theyr Bookes Wherefore you fée first this was no prayer next that the Virgin Marie deserued of her selfe no more then any other Thirdly that the Lord did fréely accept her and that he tooke her vnto mercie Now if you can prooue that any woorship or seruice or honour or homage is to be giuen to Marie or that you should and ought to pray to her for my part I wyll condiscend and yéelde vnto you If not then be no more erronious returne and amende and come home and be saued Why should you yéeld to mens Traditions why should you holde with that which is found out by flesh and blood why should you stand to vaine illusions and deuises of the Popes why should you holde with foolishe constitutions and ordinaunces of your Fathers why should we beléeue you rather then God then Scripture then Trueth then the Gospell Search and sée and finde any such one thing as you maintaine then I know that my fellow brethren and I will not only cease to preach against you but we will think of you as becōmeth men to thinke of the members of Christ But knowing that we doo know we dare not we may not we can not we will not be partakers of your sinnes for sée and looke euen as other so also this abhomination springeth of your Popes and hath rysen from out of the sea of Roome Therfore when Iustinian the Emperour had made a Feast called the receyning in of our Sauiour Christe which was a remembraunce of that day when Simeon dyd receyne him in his armes in the Temple The feast of the Assumptiō of Mary Concilium Lugdunense Your Pope did transferre that was giuen to God vnto the Virgin Marie so the feast of Marie came in in the stéede of the feast and solemnized day of our Sauiour Christe as appeareth at a generall Councell in your booke of Decretals the yéere after Christe 1273. Visitation of Marie You haue a Feast called the Visitation of Marie brought in by Vrban Pope sirt of that name after Christe 1380. who lyued at that tyme when as one of your owne Order a Monster of the worlde a Monke brought in the first vse of Gunnes Annuntiation You haue a Feast of the Annuntiation of Marie which was confirmed vnder Ludouiens Pius by a generall Councell after Christe 819. Conc. Aquisgrangense Conceptio Presentatio Horae Canonicae You haue the Feast of the Conception of Marie allowed in a Councell at Basill after Christe 1439. You haue the Feast of the Presentation of Marie after Christe 1484. You haue howres Canonized in which you praye seuerallie to the Virgin which was done by Vrban the second which was scholler to Gregorie the seuenth after Christe 1090. and he troubled the whole world Salue regina Coelorum You haue Salue Regina All hayle O Queene of Heauen c. That worishh and Romishe that Deuillishe and faithlesse Song which was the worke of Gregorie the ninthe 1240. And you haue certaine times for Bels to be roong to Marie which Iohn Pope 22. dedicated after Christe 1320. Belles So that no more filthynesse no more superstition no more damnable and gréeuous enormities may possiblie be found out or inuented then your Popes haue sought out and imagined to dishonour the Lord God with all And nowe tell me if you be not ashamed of these fooleries which in gréefe I doo repeate but yet of necessitie The wickednes vvhich the Papists doo commyt is great for they pray to many they should pray but to one they pray to man they should pray to God they pray to the Saints they should pray to Christe they should pray to the lyning they pray to the dead they pray to the creatures they should pray to the Crento wherefore there is no man that wilfullie wyll not erre as they doo but he may see very plainly that theyr blasphemy is outragious theyr sacriledge is perillous and theyr dealing is most of all daungerous to the state of the soule I must rehearse that your wickednesse may be séene shewe me if these be tollerable If they be what Scripture haue you If not why defend you them If you can maintaine them then speake for them If you be sorie for them then run from them If you holde them then make proofe of them If you flie from them then denounce them It is better to retyre with modestie then be ouerthrowne desperatlie It is fitter to acknowledge your faultes willinglie then to suffer and be accused publiquelie It is more manlike to holde that is right and good constantlie then to accuse your selues and burne in Conscience inwardlie It is a more pretious thing to the Lorde more acceptable to men and more commended of all to reuolt and returne in tyme then to hope in errour to truste in euyll or defend an vntrueth that your commendation may bée renowned and your names famous among vnrighteous personnes Wherefore giue glorie to whome glorie belongeth honour to whome honour belongeth thanksgiuing to whome thanksgiuing belongeth and prayer to whome prayer belongeth and repent and beforie that you haue derogated so much from the Maiestie of God and giuen vnto Creatures that is none of theirs It may be you will replie and say Why diuers of the Fathers are of our opinion why many of the Doctors say as we say why the Schoole men the greatest number doo as we doo But what then men are men and haue alwayes erred the Trueth is the Trueth and will not lye the Fathers haue béene faithlesse and haue sinned the Scriptures are sacred and no filthinesse hath béene found in them the Doctors haue done amisse the Lord our God neuer troade his foote awrie the Schoolemen haue béene but scoffers in many thinges the schollers of the Lord and his Prophetes neuer led you but right in euerie thing Then take these refuse yours alowe of God cast off men receyue the good auoyde the euill remember the woord eschew lyes And yet though you thinke you haue all the worlde on your side you are deceyued for albeit one or two of the Fathers or more haue allowed in part the prayers to the dead and to Saints yet for all that I can and will appose others against them of more sounder indgement a great deale that doo thinke it vtterlie vnlawfull Errors of the Fathers to pray vnto the Saintes And what though Anathasius dyd thinke that it was lawfull to pray to the Virgin Marie shall we therefore subscribe I tell you no for I will neither holde with
fire Deut. 4.24 For the Lorde he is a iudge of the world 1. Sam. 2.10 he is as in Egle swift to anger Exod. 19.4 he is as a man strengthened with wine Psal 78.65 hee is as a roaring Lyon to the wicked Isay 31.4 and as a deuourer and eater vp of the impenitent The Lord he is terrible Deut. 7.21 a reuenger of vnrighteousnes he is swift to deuoure the families of the wicked and he will not spare the vngodly houses therefore out of these places of scripture I make this conclusion His wordes are to be feared and his lawes and comandements are to bee kept that is able if wee disobay him to destroy vs But The Lord our God is a consuming fire a two edged sworde as a flaming fire to the wicked that disobey him ergo The Lorde our God is to be feared and his lawes his command ementes but none other whatsoeuer coÌ„trarie to his are to be kept Now this coÌ„maundement here is taken two manner of wayes Exclusiue 1 Excluding all manner of false worship 2 Excluding all other commaundements of men contrarie to this 3 Excluding all foraine power and iurisdiction of Turke and Pope contrarie to this Inclusiue For God includeth all kinde of true worship within this coÌ„mandement of his word The second circumst was this Who they were this commandement did concerne touch They were the Israelites and the people of God hereof I may principally yeeld two reasons 1 First because the promise made so Abraham should be kept that God shoulde be mindfull of that that was spokeÌ„ namely that he and his séede should be blessed for euer which â—hing hath bene must largely and most aboundantly both séene and knowne to all the world and continued so long as Israel feared his name serued him the Lord their God Was it not so of old and doe not we knowe that it is true Israel why they were the inheritaunce of the liuing God Deut. 4.20 Deut. 9.26 Deut. 14.2 2. Sam. 21.3 Israel they were redéemed in his strength Israel was a holy people to their God Israel was as the vineyard of the Lord and he brought out the Heathen and planted them Psal 80.9 Israel was elected of God and the Lorde loued them euermore Deut. 10.15 Israel was a royall Priesthoode Exod. 19.6 and a holy nation counted of till they forsooke the Lord their God of hoste and then God forsooâ—e them 2 Secondly this lawe was giuen to Israel that it might be a witnes vnto them of the iust iudgements of God if they obeyed him not as Moses did prophecie for for this cause are they called by God Rebels and runnagates from the Lorde Deut. 9.24 Psal 106.40 Then were they castawayes from the face of GOD. Eze. 16.3 Then were they counted a wicked generation and of the posteritie of Cham Then as they sell straungely were they called ignominiously by the name of Apostataes Then Eze. 2.3 Then named hypocrites for their dissembling with their God Rom. 2.17 Then Incredulous persons for their vnbeliefe Then were they called the Slayers and murtherers of the Prophetes Iohn 7.28 for in déede they killed them Then the Persecutours of the Gospell Matth. 23.34 for they hated the way of life Then were they called the betrayers of Christ for they killed him And from that day to this Actes 13.46 haue they and their séede bene Vagabonds in strange landes they haue runnâ— from countrie to countrie Actes 3.13 and they haue had no place for why they prouoked the Lord their God to anger and nowe hath he punished them according to the wordes of his seruaunt Moses long before Nowe therefore this appertaineth vnto vs As the Ammorites Pâ—eresits and Iebusites were dâ—â—en â—ut of their owne land thâ—â—â—â—â—el might postede and eâ—â—oy the same So were the Israelites dispossessed of their inheritaÌ„ce for their sinnes that we might be heirs in their steede for séeing that this lawe was giuen vnto them to kéepe and they disobeyed it it is taken from them and giuen vnto vs that we may loue it And in as much as all the day long the Lord stretched foorth his hande vnto a disobedient and gaynesaying people we haue also to take héede that we harden not our heartes as they did in the day of temptation wherefore in many trials and in a long patience and sufferable affection did the Lords leade them from time to time that they might knowe him At the length did he cast them off for their stubbornnesse and hardnesse of heart and whereas they were accepted before GOD gaue vnto them the spirite of slumber and their table was made a snare and a net and a stumbling blocke as 〈◊〉 recompence vnto them to this day And whereas before they were braunches of the right Oliue trée nowe are they cut off and we are taken in in their steade Rom. 11.24 Israel is cast off and we the Gentiles are in their place we must therefore take héede that we also liue now according to the lawes of our God lest that the Lorde despise vs God is of long suffering and of great mercy but when as he striketh he is a consuming fire as he did them for his rigor vpon Israel and his mercy towardes vs his angrie countenaunce shewed vnto them and his louing fauour to vs warde declare both his seueritie and iustice vpon them in refusing them and his clemencie towarde vs that were straungers in that he hath chosen vs as an other Israel and an other Church vnto him selfe for we are nowe the Israel of God and so long we shall be the same as we either obey him rightly or serue him vprightly or be readie to serue him or swerue not from him but kéepe the right way which that we may doe we will examine the third circumstance The thirde circumstance What is the commaundement commaunded here It is this These wordes which I commaund thee this day shall be in thy heart c. Wherein I wold that you noted many thinges 1 First the words commaunded are the words of God not the wordes of Man Turke Pope c. 2 Secondly giuen this day noteth that as yeres doe consist of dayes so day after day making many dayes doth declare that God is to be loued and feared euery day 3 Thirdly here is to be noted the future time these words shal be in thy heart which is a precise lawe that in as much as no time is limited but the future time named it doth argue that God is to be remembred at all times 4 Fourthly I doe gather here in that God saith These wordes shall be laide vp in thy heart that therefore Rires and ceremonies are not to be required so much in the true seruice of the Lord as is the soul and spirit For God will be serued in spirit and trueth 5 In that his wordes are to be remembred is
not to be grossely taken that no more is to be followed then those named in this place But by these wordes must be vnderstoode all his lawes and ordinances written in the Lawe and in the Prophetes and I referre this place Vnto Deut. 12.32 thus written God is of heauen heauenly therefore bumane traditions must not be mingled with his seruice Quicquid tibi in mandatâ—m dedero hoc facies neque addi aliquid neque diminui patieris a verbo meo What so euer I commaund thee that shalt thou doe thou shalt neither add any thing therevnto neither shalt thou plucke any thing therefrom which euen very same commandement is written Deut. 4.2 Hearken you O Israel vnto the ordinances and lawes which I teach you to doe it followeth you shall put nothing vnto the worde which I commaund you neither shal you take ought therefrom And vnto Ioshua was the same lawe giuen in commaundement Iosh 1.7 and he was charged to obserue all things that Moses the seruant of the Lord did commaund him the restraint was set downe thus Thou shalt not turne away from it to the right hande or to the left that thou maiest prosper whither so euer thou goest The Priestes of Bâ—al the foolish Chemermâ— and the Scribes and Phariâ—ies were in the same maner blinded as be our Iesurtes Papistes and Seminaries their most principall and chiefe Ceremonies were al one the same proofâ— they vse both of them for their superstitions and the verie same customs they doe allowe of bicause their fathers of olde vsed them which lawe and most sacred and holy ordinance of the Lord when I consider of I wonder how you the aduersaries of the grace of God schollers of the Pope and Antichrist either burst not in pieces for feare or holde not downe your heades for shame or accuse not your selues in your consciences or cry not out vnto the Lorde in this extremitie when you sée all thinges in your religion and profession either to be inuented either to be founded by man either to disagrée either to be contrarie dissonant from the word of God either to be whorish either to be diuelish either to be Idolatrous either to be superstitious which is the least fault you haue of al It can not be if you had read the lawe as you flée from it If you had experience in the scriptures as you shut them vp If you had exercises of prayer as you haue none aright If you had the Commaundements of the Lorde among you as you denye them If you had true seruice as you corrupt it If you had the ordinaunces of the Lord and his wordes with you as you are farre from them But that you should sée easily and perceiue rightly and iudge perfectly and deale syncerely and after an other manner to than nowe you doe in your daily administrations and vnlawfull sacrifices Remember that cursse that is laide vpon your shoulders and vpon the shoulders of your fathers in the last of the Reuelation Reuel 22.18 for your corrupting of the word Therefore after a rewarde that is giuen to euerie one according to his workes there is a description of Christ whom we ought to acknowledge in this manner 1 First as being α and ω the beginning and the end 2 Secondly as being the first and the last There is also a blessing set downe vnto those that shall feare his Commaundements 1 Their right way shall be in the tree of life 2 They shall enter in through the gates of the citie After this there are certaine per sons named the are shut out of the kingdome of God 1 Dogges be the first sort sauage wilde vntamed and wanton persons 2 Inchaunters be next such as haue bene the most of your Romish Prelates 3 Whoremongers the third and you and the Romanistes speake against marriage and yet maintame whores in your Cloysters 4 Murtherers folow such are you and such haue your fathers bene that seeke and thirst after the bloud of the Saints 5 Idolaters also are without and more vile more ougly more monstrous and more filthie theÌ„ are you of Rome I know none vnder heauen professors of religion at this day 6 Moreouer such as loue and make lyes are in the number and these can be no other than you and as you be that maintaine false doctrine and delight therein After al this there is a message sent vnto men The messinger is the Angel of God and his message or tidings is heauenly and diuine namely 1 That the roote and generation of Dauid Iesus Christ 2 That the bright morning starre Christ the light that brought light into the world Hath of his meeremercy brought â—vs good tidings 1 How that the spirit and the bride do cry come 2 How that euery one that heareth may come 3 How that al those that are a thirst may come 4 How that euery one that will take of the water of life may come freely But there followeth a Protestation with a ComminatioÌ„ 1 First that what man so euer he be 2 Secondly that heareth 3 Thirdly the wordes 4 Fourthly of this prophecie 5 Fifthly presuming to add any thing thervnto That then God shall adde vnto that man all the plagues that are written in that booke Furthermore the Lorde inlargeth that spoken before So that if any man shall presume 1 To diminish the wordes of the booke of that prophecie 2 His part shall be taken out of the booke of life 3 His parte shall be taken out of the holie citie 4 He shall haue no part in the things are written in this booke 5 And all this is confirmed by the Lorde for hee will come quickly to see it done As they are more to be feared that can kill and destroy the soul rather than those onely that do spill the bodie so are the papistes the more to be abhorred as they doe cast away both the outward the inward man Nowe therefore looke you vnto this O you the enimies of God more then enimies vnto the Lorde for you make all other whome you can get enimies vnto him worse than common enimies for you raise vp straungers against him crueller than are the enimies for they kil but the body you destroy both bodye and soule Fiercer than are all enimies for they vse the sword you abuse the word and bring in an other contrarie to it I charge you not without cause I lay nothing vnto you but that I may iustly Your consciences bewray you and you betray your selues your comming ouer to vs presuming to teach being more fitter you should learne entring and insinuating of you into the hearts of men spreading abroad your damnable opinions are tokens sufficient I say to manifest vnto the world what men you be You you haue counterfeited the Scriptures you you haue falsified the trueth You you haue added and diminished You you haue put too and taken from the word of God You you haue inclined
little did for to get them wholy permit oblations for a season that at length their superstitions might be forgotteÌ„ Now your Gregorius after that ordained it as a lawe for euer that he that came to Masse should not come emptie but bring something with him by reason whereof your pursses and your coffers are so enlarged at this day Your Prefaces are all referred for their antiquitie to Gelasius Your Canon Read Albertus Eccle. 47. which of all other is likest the Master Gregorie that instituted it hath diuelish and idolatrous stuffe within it There is the remembrance of their Saintes or rather of their Goddes There be your wordes of Consecration rather Coniuring Ioh. Syracusanâ— Episcop parte 8 epist 7. there is the Lords prayer so oft repeated there the breaking of the hoast c. So that all good and faithfull men may sée howe grieuously you haue proudked the Lord The blindnesse where with God hath stroken these men appeareth in that they obey the institutions of these wiâ—ked Popes and will not obey the word of the Lord. in bringing in of uewfangled Ceremonies which before this were neuer knowne in the Church of God Nowe therefore what delay should there be made what stay what let should hinder you that you should not come to the Lorde and be sorie and sée your follie Is it better to serue God or to serue man to obey the Lorde or to holde with the Pope to acknowledge the trueth or to be in error to remember the ordinaunces of those that are temporall which ruled you which gouerned you being but vsurpers and Termagaunts among men or to feare the eternall and euerliuing maker of heauen and earth and to giue eare vnto his wordes I am grieued I am touched I am moued in soule and spirite to sée you so hard so peruerse so vntamed in affections so vnbrideled in your speaches so carelesse of your selues so stiffened in your errors and so impudent before this assemblie as I perceiue you are Is it for that you suspect me for the antiquitie of your religion search and find it otherwise Children and fooles and Papistes are alike for if you controll them they fight if you let them alone they are worse if you doe becken at them they will return vpon you with violence then accuse me Is it bicause you be but vpstartes and wresters of all trueth Conuince me then and condemne me Is it bicause your religion commeth of men then be ashamed professe Gods worde Is it bicause all your trumperie procéedeth of the Pope reuolt returne amende and denye him stay vpon the Lorde GOD Is it bicause the inuenters of your Masse haue bene such as was also your seruice inuented filthie vngodly wicked diuelish euill disposed naughtie persons and idolaters Why you may forsake them when you will But is it bicause that I open to you the trueth bicause I tell you of the sinnes of your fathers and of your owne bicause I tell you of your manifolde lyings Your owne men speake worse of you than I doe Martinus Meyr a Chauncellor Aeneas Syluius a Cardinall the coÌ„plaint of the whole nation of the Germanes vnder Caesar Augustus Maximilianê° sheweth it great vntruthes slaunderous reproches filthie demeanor vngodly life euill déedes erronious opinions foolish Ceremonies diuelish heresies bypocriticall deuises humane institutions Popish decrées and whorish fables which you haue brought in and would confirme in England I exhort you then in the name of the Lorde to eschewe and abhorre them all you shall neuer be tolde of them any more we will forget them If not then heauen and earth shall he witnesse that I haue told you of all your sinnes and of all your abhominations this day and yet you cease not to perseuere still in the same You that are here comming from the Pope howe can you stande so boldly and face it out so gazingly and heare vs so repiningly and spurne so yrkesomely as you doe without horrour of conscience Miscellanea Missae All the appertinaunces to the Masse We can not suffer you we maye not suffer you we will neuer suffer you to defende so horrible and erronious constitutions as your forefathers the wicked Popes inuented What sinne was not committed by them what abhominations were there not done by them what stinking and slauish Constitutions were not decréed by them Your Pope Sixtus decréed the first of that name That no Lay man or any woman should touch so much as the Cuppe or Chalice that the Prieste did sacrifice in or any else of the holie vessels Platina in descript vitae Sext. Pont. Your Pope Alexander the first brought in the oblation of Wafer cakes as he calleth it Your Telesphorus commaunded that three Masses should be saide vpon Christmas day Pla. in eius vita and thereof we retaine in our Church of England this worde Christmas which came vp of that custome vsed by that Bishoppe for it was called at the first Christmas day as hauing a Masse saide that day for Christe wherefore I doe wishe that together with the sacrifice of Masse the name of Masse may be abrogated and for that worde let the good and faithfull men say as they sayde in the Churches of the East and the West Sozam lib. 8. cap. 20. The Natiuitie and Birthday of Christe let the remembraunce and memoriall of this brought in by the Pope be abrogated For at Constantinople was celebrated Natalis Christi Maximus Taurinensis in Homilijs The birth day of Christe And so also was it in the Churches of Gallia Wherefore as your Popes haue corrupted all thinges so will we and so ought we to flée from them in all thinges Nowe those that succéeded haue bene more diuelishly deluded Alexander the first who liued in the dayes of Hadrian the Emperour Liber Cone was the first bringer in of the mixture of the Wine with Water and before his time it was neuer vsed by commaundement at Masse or otherwise This was he that brought in Wafer cakes when as before that Liber Canticorum leauened breade was vsed at the Sacrament Also he appointed holie water for the people after Masse and one Masse to be sayde in one day Your Boniface Pope Lib. Conc. diuided the Cleargie from the Laytie and then seuering them Platina set the one aboue the other beneath Your Vigilius Bishop of Rome commaunded that none should say Masse Petrus de Nar. but with his face to the East Your Iohannes Portuensis Platina in the sixt Synode helde at Constantinople gathered-together by Constantinus against the Monotholites was the first that euer celebrated the Latine Masse Volater which is religiously obserued by you at this day Valafridus an Abbas vnder Ludonicus Pius 840. after Christ doth maruellous ly complanie of these and the like abuses brought in by the Popes Sabianus appointed houres for ringing of Belles and Lampes to burne in the Temple this
is the newe Testament in my bloode This figure did the fathers we often times and the scholemen too Lactanâ—â—â—â— called the churche the temple of God Hylarie calleth it the house of Gods Ambrose calleth it the mother of al that liue Epiphanius saith it is via Regia the high kinges high waye Ierome saith it is the Arke of Noe and so doe they also speake of the supper of the Lord Nazianzen calleth it the supper of the Lorde a thankes giuing and againe a Table Ambrose calleth it a spirituall restoratiue and Dionisius calleth it a societie a communion a congregation an assembly so that if the Papistes and Iesuites did not willingly erre they might see the trueth In which wordes is a deuble Metonymie a double figure First the vessel is taken for that which was contained in the vessell as the cuppe for the wine which was within the cuppe Then the wine is called the couenant or Testament where as 〈…〉 the thing it is it can bée but the signe of the Testament 〈◊〉 rather of the bloode of Christe whereby the Testamente was made And thus doe I thinke of the body of Christ for it was spoken by the same figure representing the bodie and the bloode of Iesus Christ Nowe for that you may knowe both my faith and what I thinke hereof I will make open protestation of that certaine and vndoubted veritie which I beléeue as also so farre as in me lyeth confirme and establish the weake consciences of those that are here At the supper of the Lorde you shall consider two thinges 1. The person of God 2. The person of man In the person of God 1 The institutor which is Christ 2 The cause of his institution which is the remembrance of his death In the institution of these thinges 1 The externall signes 1 Bread for his bodie for his death 2 Wine for his blood shedding most precious sacrifice 3 The word for the remembraunce of both 2 The internal meaning And then shall you see all his spirituall graces most heauenly benefites Which are these most excellent 1 Faith if we beleeue 2 Assurance of life if we continue 3 Saluation if we receiue these mysteries truely 4 In Christes blood shedding our blood is not shedd 5 In his offering God the father is pacified 6 By his death hath hee ouercome the power of death and hee giueth the spirite which worketh vnto life to all those that receiue him worthily Secondly we haue here to coÌ„sider maÌ„ and it is to be done two waies 1 In his own person 2 In the persoÌ„ of his neighbor If in his owne person then let him consider 1 The time Hee is warned to flye sinne and though at all time hee bee put in minde thereof yet nowe aboue all times and though neuer vntimely yet it is the best time to remember it 2 The place it is holy for wee come before God 3 The persons and they are these 1 God the father 2 God the Sonne 3 God the holy Ghost These are al there these are naturally there these are in power ther they are not really there these are in grace there they are not in state there these are in gouernmeÌ„t of spirite truth there they will not be mocked at your handes 4 The vse of this the supper of the Lord. The vse is this 1 That we stand in faith conforme our selues to the death of Christ 2 That we examine our selues and come with a loathing of sinne meaning to sinne no more 3 That you be assured that whatsoeuer hath been done before time is pardoned Then here commeth in the last thing to be considered which is The person of thy neighbour for there be two sortes at the table 1 Thou thy selfe 2 And others For thy selfe call to minde 1 What thou wast 2 What thou art 3 What thou shalt be 1 Without God and borne in sinne 2 Made a newe man strengthned in Iesus Christ 3 An heir with God copartner with him if thou liue therafter For others remember 1 To laye aside all malice with hawtines 2 To laye aside all enuye with bitternesse 3 To lay aside all reuenge with greedinesse Then haue you fulfilled all Nowe for my owne parte I do protest simply before the Lord my God The Lord did foresee that these blasphemouâ— heretikes woulde rise vp therefore hath God giuen to vs many examples to approue that which here he spake so that Papists Iesuits cannot be excused for euer that if I had but any warrant at al in the scriptures to satistie me in this point I wold condescend willingly vnto your opinions But séeing the whole body of the Bible is against you and we haue the Lord wholy on our side what reason is there that I should credit you And as for you if you were not blinded if you were not deceiued if you were not most wonderfully drowned in your errours you might easily see the truth of this matter If God alone had vsed this figure in this place if it had béen founde no where else if the scripture would not haue permitted it if the lawe and the Prophets did not testifie it if reason and God him self did not condescend vnto it then you might haue perswaded vs but seeing that the Lord our God hath not bene against our opinions but hath euen by his owne mouth iustified all that we haue spoken what cause what reason what moueth you to coutende Search and sée looke into the booke of God if 〈◊〉 very same figure be not vsed in many thinges as it is in this one thing of his bodye The worde of God is compared to leauen that leaueneth the whole lumpe Matth. 13.33 Isay 49.2 Ephe. 6.17 Apoc. 19.15 Ier. 5.14 Ier. 23.29 Ezec. 3.3 Esa 55.10 Deut. 32.2 Matt. 13.19 the word is called a sworde the worde is called Musterde séede the worde of God is called fire the worde of God is a hammer the word of God is bony the worde of God is as snowe the worde of God is as raine the worde of God is the seede sowen yet for all this the worde of the Lord leaueneth not the worde of the Lorde striketh not the worde of the Lorde groweth not the worde of the Lorde burneth not the worde of the Lord killeth not the worde of the Lord sweeteneth not the worde of the Lorde snoweth not the worde of the Lorde rayneth not the worde of the Lorde powreth not downe materially grossely earthly and really as the wordes portende and so I say of the body of Christe you haue it not carnally you haue it not fleshly you haue it not verily flesh blood and bone in the sacrament The same maner of speach also in the scripture concerning Christ is found euery where Christ was the rocke that gushed out water 1. Cor. 10.1 yet Christ was not in the rocke and Augustine and Origen are of the same opinion that the rocke signified Christ
the comparison For as much as maÌ„ is not to liue here for euer he hath to learne the way to liue eternally In that Christ doth and perfourmeth that vnto the soule which the breade doth vnto the bodie by materiall breade life is preserued by the spirituall foode Christ saluation is attained by the corporall breade the bodie is nourished by the spirituall meate man is helped by the first we are strengthened bodily by the second we are raysed vp eternally by the first we are maintained to strength mightily by the second relieued by the spirite effectually The one is to kéepe vs here The other is to liue with God the one is for a season in this life the other for euer with the Lord So that this we knowe as bread is to be taken that we may continue so is not Christ to be forsaken least we perish 2 Secondly the comparison holdeth betwixt Christ and the breade For that breade profiteth vs not if it be not vnited to our owne nature if it be not as good nourishment receiued wherevpon we feede to our comfort No more is Christ vnited vnto vs if by faith we beléeue not that he is incarnate or by hope trust not that he hath giuen vs life or by assurance persuade not our selues that he can deliuer vs or by certaine and vndoubted confidence be not made his members vnto glorie 3 Thirdly as without breade man dyeth There is none that feareth god but he is rauâ—shed and taken vp to God as it were when he pondereth and coÌ„sidereth those spiritual and internall coÌ„solations which he attaineth by feeding and staying on Iesus Christ so without Christ man falleth as without bread we continue not so without Christ we prosper not It is farre a more liuely and pretious foode of the soule Iesus Christ whome we speake of then is that of the bodie to which he is compared for with this men haue dispensed withall for a season And Elias and Moses did fast a long time without the breade of the bodie notwithstanding as they could not continue but for a time no more may we be long without Christ 4 Fourthly It is an excellent admonition that we haue in that Christe is compared to breade For as breade of all other is most common and most necessarie whereon we stay So is Christ the most rediest in need the most liueliest in force the most strongest in power the most playnest in trueth the most desirous to saue the most valiaunt in death the most bent against Sathan and most readie and most prone to defend from destruction all such as call vpon him There is yet one member and parcell â—ehinde into the which we must looke also And it is this Howe this breade is receiued by vs August in Sext. cap. Ioh. Our sauiour Christ sheweth directly how Iohn the 6. He that beleeueth in me hath eternall life And againe He that commeth to me shall not hunger Therefore Augustine vpon those wordes of Christ rehearsed Spirituall eating of Christ what it is saith Quâ—d paras dentes ventrem crede manducasti That is Wherefore preparest thou thy teeth and thy bellie beleeue and thou hast eaten And who séeth not that this spoken is vnderstoode of the sillie creature the poore afflicted soule the hungrie conscience thirsting and gaping after the kingdome of heauen and therevpon it is that Paule speaketh so confidently to the Romanes Rom. â— Who shall separate vs from the loue of God shall affliction shall anguish shall persecution shall hunger shall nakednesse shall trouble shall the sworde c No saith Paul But in all these we ouercome by him which hath loued vs So that I conclude that on Christe Iesus we féede vnto life In Christe we are immouable we stande by him In Christ we liue for he liueth in vs In Christ we dwell who also dwelleth with vs In Christ we are fed with the bread of life and in Christ do we eate vnto saluation glory if we dâ— it as he willeth vs through faith Séeing we are ariued and nowe haue fully performed the was promised it is required of vs to go further to sée if we may find any other thing worthy either to be spoken of or to confute Not the a man shall thinke it so hard a thing to say any thing against you But bicause the stepping ouer the threshold and casting his eyes into the first elements entrance of your religion he shal scarse tell which way to betake him nor what to speake first all things among you are so corrupted If you looke into that order that I haue taken in speaking to you it shall appeare the this consequently followeth to be handled Whether or no you haue done well A flat alienation of Christ his institution in annibilating the word of the Lord propounding vnto vs your preposterous doctrine of the commixture and mingling the wine water together at the sacrament As for the first institution of our sauiour Christ if but a childe should looke in to it though he could not coÌ„fute you yet he wold chide w e you for your altering the which in so holy reuerend maner Christ ordained Alexander Pope as appeareth in his Decretals De Conc. dis 2. c. in sacramentoâ—um Cap. 5. inacted that bread and wine mixed with water should be offered vp at the sacrifice Your generall Councel held at Carthage saith thus Nihâ—laliud offeratur Conc. Carth. 3. De Conc dis 2. cap. c. vt in sacramentis quà m quod Dominus dicit hoc est panis vinum aqua mixtum the is Let no other thing be offered then that which God hath coÌ„maunded which is to say bread and wine mixt with water It is a wonder to sée how these men are blinded for in their decrée they goe against them selues and the written veritie In that they say they will do no more then God willed they did well if they would haue performed it in that they say that his institution was with wine water it is a manifest vntruth there is no mention made of any water at the supper that was vpon the table not in al the Euangelists In the also they cal the supper of the lord a sacrifice in that do they offend to for Christ neuer spake that word of his supper nor his Apostles who were with him but as other your vntruthes so is this brought in of your owne inuention whom we may not beléeue bicause you were many but we will beléeue a few if they speake the truth For a scripture saith Thou shalt not followe a multitude in doing the is euil I am not vnmindful of your councel of Affrike Conc. Afric tertium that decréed the self same But of al other your argument the is made by another general Councel where there is a reason giuen of this thing shal answere for it selfe how they haue ahused the supper of the Lorde
fortibus pax necessaria est nec morientibus sed viuentibus communicatio a nobis danda est c. That is At this present peace is necessarie not to the weake but to the strong and the communion is to be giuen not to the dead but to them that are aliue c. And after this Cyprian giueth Pope Cornelius a great charge concerning the soldiers that were then in armes that before they went to the battaile they should receiue the supper of the Lorde In Sophonianâ— Proph. both in breade and in wine Ierome is a sufficient witnesse for his tyme of this who both allowed of receiuing it in both kinds and commaunded all other to do it Therfore I shal néede to wade no further in confuting and gainsaying you whome both the Scriptures and the fathers Pope Leo did make a petition and in the same did commaund that none shuld digresse from the Apostles you do ergo and all good men of all times for this grieuous sacriledge haue condemned Wherfore it followeth My wordes shal be in your heart In this graue vehement yet short commaundement from the Lord from Moses and for the lawe of the Lorde and for the kéeping of the same I haue to obserue especially this That customes of men antiquitie in matters of waight Chanons of Bishops decrees of Popes opinions of fathers constitutions prouinciall and fond ceremonies obserued of olde are not to be allowed of against God And as euery good and faithfull Christian ought to beléeue this so is it not possible that your religion for you call it religion should stande if you helde not vppon the vaine customes and foolish inuentions of your auncesters I knowe right well that I haue in many your articles sayde something against this your vayne authoritie yet haue I nowe more occasion Against this vaine sacrilegious vsurped authoritie did Vrban Pope 25. Cyprian to Pompeius against Stephanus Augustine to Paulinus inueyghe much as I see you more diuelishly bent and more hautily at this present to lift vp your heades For if the pryde of your father the Pope were not in you or that it did not burst out at this present in your faces when you heare the trueth auowched and your lyes impugned wee could conceiue some good opinion of you and thinke that of ignorance you did that you doe but nowe that wée sée howe you kicke and spurne against the quicke and against the worde of the Lorde and his commandements oppose the decrees constitutions of your Popes wée plainly perceiue that of malice you withstande vs of disdaine you contemne vs of an euill heart you fight with vs and as carelesse and faithlesse persons you thrust in your selues for to controll vs. Dist 21. C. in no uo Testam What if Anacletus that presumptuous Herod in his Epistle to the Bishops of Italy vaunted of his Popedome and royall state which he set vp aboue others as mistresse and Quéene of all the worlde shall wée therefore thinke that his lawes can moue vs or his Decretals concerne vs or his counterfeit holynesse delude vs so that we also though he haue bewitched others shoulde nowe againe be inchaunted with his deadly cup of poyson I tell you no wee serue the God of heauen wee serue the Lorde of hostes and we knowe it is better to obey God than you what De maioritate obedientia folit howe where when what time did the Lorde euer saye as Innocentius 3. sayd the second Nimrod of the earth that the sacerdotall dignitie was aboue the imperiall crown and maiestie of the Lordes annoynted And because that one man sayde that as the Sunne was higher and greater then the Moone so the Pope is greater and higher then the Emperours Shall wee for him and his saying obey all that he did I tell you no but whatsoeuer the Lorde commaundeth that will we doe For that same decree of Pope Leo the fourth at the Councell holden of threescore and twelue Bishops may not preuaile with vs wee regarde not his edict nor cursse doe what he can and the thing that hee and all the other agréed vnto was a damnable thing For it was thus enacted Si quis dogmata mandata sanctiones c. If any man shall violate and breake the ordinances Ex conc 4. Leonis Papae 4. decrees appointmentes constitutions and edictes inacted by the see of Rome for reformation of any thing that same man shal be accursed Nowe I tell you that that same prowde Peacock is he that togither with his shal be vnfeathered and accursed to wee wil be safe in the name of the Lorde and dwelt in peace vnder his winges all the Hornets of Rome shall neuer sting vs. Thinke you that wee are moued at Adrian Pope Adrianus Papa Synodo apud Trecas for all his seuere lawe made Quòd nulli liceat vel addere aliquid vel demere de decretis Pontificum Howe it is lawfull for no man to adde or detract from the decrees of the Bishops of Rome You cannâ— shewe me any one Pope by the space of 400. yeares after Christ but he hath been tainted for his pride for som damnable and grosse sinne You may feare and you may feare in déede for it is a fearfull thing to you all to take awaye she reuerende maiestie from the soueraigne God and giue it to a cursed man as your predecessours and you haue done And I am assured and I knowe that no one Pope from the beginning of your Popedome within the compasse of these thousand yeares hath liued so vertuously or behaued him selfe so reuerently or done that he did so Christianly or raigned so peaceably among men but that he still incroched and mounted vp with Icarus winges a great deale higher then be ought to haue done and at length hath melted and béene tumbled downe very soudenly which assuredly hath béene the greate and heauie iudgement of God vppon your Prelates that the pryde and moste hautie looke of the whore of Rome might be detested of the worlde Hath not euery one for these your deformities abhorred you Verily at this time the gouernement of the worlde which sometimes you had is taken from you For who can suffer it and who wil tolerate your presumptuous hearts what are your decrées as antentike as allowable as sounde as good as holye as trewe as vndoubted as strong and as cerâ—eine as are the writinges of the Apostles In veritie Epistola 2. Anacleti episcopis Italie so haue all your Bishops sayde and what by armes what by force what by treacherie what by collusions and deceit and what by thretenings and manaces Dist 63. Ego Ludouicus Dist 63. Cap. Constitutum In Iob. lib. 35. Cap. 10. they haue attained to all that they haue attained It made the Emperour Ludouicus the first to stoope to the Bishops It made Henry the first and Otto the firste to subscribe vnto him and they both