Apostle Hebr. 2. 4. where he saith that God did beare witnes vnto his gospel both with signes and wonders and diuerse miracles gifts of the Highost according to his own wil. 2 These actuall testimonies of God wherof I purpose now to speak are especially two The first are the gifts of the spirit which God hath promised to these last times of the world for the commendation of the gospell the second are his other works whereby likewise he doth beare witnes thereunto Touching the first let vs first of all consider of God his promise for those gifts secondly of the performance of that promise The promises are either made in the olde testament by the Prophets or in the new by Christ himselfe The promises of the old testament are many First of all the Prophet Dauid psal 68. 18. insinuateth a promise of the gifts of the spirit in these words Thou art saith he gone vp on high thou hast led captiuitie captiue and receiued gifts for men where the Prophet by receiuing gifts for men meaneth the gifts wherewith Christ as the Mediatour was furnished without measure to bestow vpon the Church after that he should vanquish his enemies triumphing ouer them should ascende into heauen there to sit at the right hand of God in all glorie and authoritie This interpretatioÌ„ is manifest both by the words immediately following Praised be the Lord the God of our saluation which loadeth vs daily with benefits and also by the application thereof Eph. 4. 8. where although the Apostle doe name onely the callings of the Church yet doth it not therefore follow that the place in the psalme is of such gifts onely to be vnderstoode because that euery generall may be applied not onely to some but also to all particulars comprehended in the generall The second promise is Isa 44. 3. where the Lord speaking of the latter times of the church saith thus I will poure water vpon the thirstie and floods vpon the drie ground I will poure my spirit vpon thy seede and my blessing vpon thy budds c. And least any should thinke that this promise was onely made to the Iewes or Israelites according to the flesh he addeth in the 5. v. One shal say I am the Lords another shal be called by the name of Iacob and another shall subscribe with his hand vnto the Lord and name himselfe by the came of Israel which words doe testifie that the promise before made was as wel to the Gentileâ— as to the Iewes because the Iewes were alreadie of the house of Israel called by his name The promise of the same gifts of the spirit is likewise signified by leading or driuing of them to the springs of waters Esa 49. 10. He renueth also the same promise Ioel 2. 28. Afterward saith the Lord in that place will I poure out my spirit vpon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie your olde men shall dreame dreames and your young men shall see visions and also vpon the seruants and vpon the maidens in those daies will I poure my spirit so the same Prophet chap. 3. 18. expresseth the same promise in other words saying In that date shal the mountaines drop downe new wine and the hills shall flow with milke and al the riuers of Iuda shall runne vvith vvaters and a fountaine shall come forth of the house of the Lord and shall water the valley of Shithim By all these words he meaneth nothing else but the plentifull gifts of God his spirit calling them by the name of wine milke and waters both because of the varietie of them and also because of their diuers effects according to the diuers necessities of the diuers members of the Church And least this promise also should be restrained onely to the Iewes he addeth in the 21. v. this effect of the spirit that he would clense their bloode whome he had not yet clensed meaning by those whome he had not clensed the Gentiles that till the comming of Christ were without Christ aliens from the common-wealth of Israel straungers from the couenant of promise hauing no hope and being without God in the world Eph. 2. 12. Finally the Prophet Zacharie chap. 14. c. hath this promise In that daie shall the waters of life goe out of Jerusalem halfe of them toward the East and halfe of them tovvards the vtmost sea and shall be both in sommer and winter These and such like are the promises in the old testament which to belong to the new testament and to be made for the credit and commendation of the gospel appeares by the application of the promise in Joel made by Saint Peter Act. 2. 16. And although that Prophet speake of seeing visions dreaming dreames and prophesying c. yet by these are not onely to be vnderstoode the same but because these serued then the good of the church therefore by them the Prophet meaneth all such gifts as should make for the good of the church vnder the gospel the which is manifest because Saint Peter applieth this prophecie to the gift of tongues bestowed vpon the church at the feast of Pentecost 3 Touching the New Testament first our Sauiour alluding vnto and indeede plainly meaning these promises of the olde Testament before mentioned saith thus Ioh. 7. 38. He that beleeueth in me as saith the Scripture out of his bellâ—e shall flow riuers of water of life Where the Euangelist himselfe interpreteth our Sauiour to speake of the spirit which they that beleeue should afterward receiue The like promise is made so often as he speaketh of the Comforter Ioh. 14. 26. and 15. 26. 16. 7. and elswhere So also after his resurrection Act. 1. 5. Iohn indeed baptized with water but ye shal be baptised with the holy Ghost within these few dates All these promises doe teach and assure the Church that the gospel should not come forth in the latter daies poore and desolate but rich and accompanied with an honourable traine of all necessarie gifts and graces of God his spirit and that the more the gospel should flourish the more plentifull also should these gifts and graces flowe in the Church Thus much for the promises of the gifts of the spirit 4 Touching the performance thereof it is certen that it was especially accomplished in the time of the Apostles and fit it was it should be so because the gospel was then first to be coÌ„municated vnto the Gentiles who before that had neuer heard any such doctrine and because also as the Lord did then giue extraordinarie callings of the Apostles Euangelists and Prophets so it was also meere that they should haue gifts sutable to their callings Notwithstanding it is not to be doubted but that the promise should remaine and doth yet remaine in force euen vnto the ende of the world as touching the generall substance thereof and that therefore although those times are now past and those reasons now ceased when and why the
Diuines of those times can testifie that which I saie of the bookes of Diuinitie For proofe notwithstanding thereof I referre the reader to that which that reuerende father and worthie man Master Iuel answereth to a vaine boast of Master Harding touching the learning of their side First hee biddeth him remember that their prouinciall constitutions doe beginne with these wordes Ignorantia socerdotum Then hee addeth as followeth It were no great masterie to charge the chiefe doctours of your side vvith some vvant of learning Ludouicus Vives saith Vt quidque his supertoribus seculis minâ—s tritum fuit studentium manibus it a purius ad nos peruenit For the space of certaine hundred yeares the lesse any bookes came into students handes the purer and better they came to vs meaning thereby that euery thing was the worse for your learned handling Of Thomas Scotus Hugo and others of whom you seeme to make so great account your owne friend Catharinus saith Scholastics multa inerudite comminiscuntur These schoole-doctours imagine matters vnlearnedly Erasmus saith Portenta quae nunc passino legimus in commentarijs recentium interpretum tam impudentia insulta sunt vt videantur suibus ea scripsisse non hominibus The monstrous follies that we commonly read in the commentaries of late interpreters wherby he meaneth the very croppe and the worthiest of all your scholasticall doctours are so farre without shame and so peeuish as if they had beene written for swine and not for men One of your doctors saith Apostolus dicitur ab apos quod est argumentum vel praeeminentia stolon quod est missio quasi praeeminenter missus Another saith Apocrisarij dicuntur nuntij Domini papâ— Nam crisis dicitur secretum apos dicitur nuntius Another saith Cathedra est nomen Graecum componitur à Cathos quod est â—ides edra quod est sponda Another saith Eleemosyna dicitur ab eleis quod est misereri mors quod est aequâ— More followeth to the same purpose in Iuel his defence of the apologie 5. part 12. chap. 2. diuision where the learned reader may see the quotation of those writers out of whome he boroweth these things By these things we sufficiently see the profaned diuinitie of the chiefe times of poperie 9 Touching philosophie the workes of Petrus de Bruxellis Iohannes de monte de ponte Dorbella Duns Toletus Titleman and many such like doe euidently confirme that which I haue saide Yea such is the rudenesse of these bookes that many young schollers in Cambridge and Oxenford for want of good direction too much addicting themselues to the reading of them can neuer afterward attaine vnto any true eloquence or knowledge of the Latin tongue neither yet to sound philosophie So also may it be saide of such Diuines as take too much delight in reading the works of those before mentioned Many distinctions in these bookes seeme wittie and haue shewe of some depth in those things whereof they intreat but if they be thoroughly with iudgement examined and as it were sifted or rather bolted they will be found but meere trifles more curious and troublesome then sound and profitable so farre also from illustrating and making lightsome the things whereto they are applied that rather they obscure and darken them Sometime perhaps a man may hitte vpon or by the waie meete with something somewhat worthie the obseruation but it is so rare that more time will be lost whilst a man sinde it out then the benefit of the thing will counteruaile when he meeteth with it 10 As those bookes before spoken of doe witnes the learning or rather ignorance of those times when they were written so many men also now liuing can testifie as much of the later times of poperie both touching all the learned tongues and also touching diuinitie and philosophie Notwithstanding I charge not all of those times and of that religion with such ignorance but onely the most some there were more learned but very few The greatest part of those that were brought vp in learning and which professed learning were as ignorant and vnlearned as I haue saide And how could it be otherwise so long as they taught that principle before spoken of that ignorance is the mother of deuotion And albeit they meant the ignorance of God and diuinitie yet therupon followeth that the knowledge of other things is also vnnecessarie For all other knowledge is especially to be referred to diuinitie as to the chiefe and principall ende thereof This beeing taken away what neede in a manner is there of other knowledge And indeede they desired that men should haue had no good learning at al as it is among the Turks that so they might neuer discerne the wickednes of their religion For they knew and feared that the true knowledge of tongues and arts and humanitie would quickly haue detected all the wickednesses and abominations of their religion Therefore also when they could no longer keepe vnder the knowledge of these tongues and arts but did see men to growe and flourish therein in despight of them they made a solemne and common law amongst them that the vulgar corrupt translation in latine of the Bible should onely be authenticall and that also no man should in any wise appeale from thence to the Hebrewe or Greeke text By this canon they prouided that although men grew to skill and knowledge of those tongues yet this skill and knowledge should little helpe them to any further learning of the holy Scriptures then before they might haue attained vnto by the latin tongue Yea so also they cunningly endeauoured to stoppe the course of such knowledge For who could haue any great heart to those studies whereby he should haue no helpe in diuinitie the Queene of all studies Againe touching that learning that was in the chiefe time or poperie for the most part it was greatest in them that inclined to our religion and that did not a little dislike of many grosse points of poperie and of many foule corruptions amongst the other Papists 11 Now to conclude this part of the argument touching the generall ignorance that was in the pride of poperie how will it stande with the rich and ample promises of God before mentioned for the powring out of water vpon the ground and his spirit vpon all flesh If poperie were the religion that came from God would God haue so pilled it and poulled it of all the gifts and graces of his holy spirit so often promised If it had beene the same religion which the Apostles taught after the ascension of Christ and the primitiue Church receiued from them would not the Lord haue commended it with his spirit as he then did If the Church of Rome were the onely daughter of God and spouse of Christ as she boasteth her selfe would the Lord haue left her so naked of all ornaments chiefly and principally beseeming her estate and most answerable to her royall discent
he seeth thee O height of the crosse which neuer height touched and O depth which neuer depth vndermined and O breadth which neuer breadth did containe deliuer me thy seruaÌ„t from all the sleights of the deuill and from the euill things which remaine in me Auoid thou deuill from me that I may not know thee And as thou art cut off from heauen so the holy Ghost cut thee off me and as thou art farre from all felicitie so be farre from me And as thou neuer desirest God so neuer desire to come to me Auoid deuill from me the seruant of God by the signe of the holy crosse Behold the lion of the tribe of Iuda the root of Dauid hath gotteÌ„ the victorie Praise the Lord. And the blessing of God the father almightie and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost The crosse of Christ descend vpon me and abide with me for euer Amen Our Father Haile Marie 9 To this epistle let me adde a praier to the crosse out of the houres of the virgin Mariâ— according to the custome of the church of Yorke in the 165. leafe in manner and forme following Signum sancte crucis defendat â—e a mortis preteritis presentibus futuris interioribus exterioribus Signum sancte crucis a persecutione diaboli omnium inimicorum meorum liberet me hoc signaculo persternantur omnes aduersarij mei fugiant per hoc signum sancte crucis a periculis mundi liberet me dominus that is The signe of the holy crosse defende me from euills past present and to come inward and outward the O forgetfull S. Paul which intreating of christian armour didst neuer think vpon the signe of the crosse signe of the holy crosse deliuer me from persequution of the deuil and all mine enemies By this little signe let all mine aduersaries be laid prostrate and put to flight By this signe of the holy crosse the Lord saue me from the perills of the world 10 In the former houres of the virgin according to the vse of Salisburie in the 69. leafe B. there is this title ouer the head of a praier to God This prayer was shewed to S. Augustine by reuelation of the holy Ghost and Make much of this praier for it is something worth if all be true that is promised in the title who that deuoutly say this praier or hyre red or bereth about them shall not perish in fire or water neither in battell nor iudgement and he shall not die of sodden death and no venym shall poison him that day and what he asketh of God hiâ— shall obtaine if it be to the saluation of his soule and when thy soule shall depare from thy body it shall not enter to hell 11 In the same booke the 71. leafe Aâ— there is this title ouer a praier to Christ This praier made the worshipfull Sâ—Beda of the 7. last wordes which our saeuâ—our Jesus Christ spake hanging on the crosse who that saith it kneeling deuoutly neither the deuill nor wicked men shall not hurt him and he shall not die without confession 12 In the next leafe A. there is this title and praier following These 5. petitions and praiers made saint Gregorie and hath graunted to all them that deuoutly say these 5. praiers with 5. pater noster 5. aue Maria and acredo in deum 500. yeares of pardon oratio Aue manus dextra Christi perforataplaga tristi nos ad dextram iube sisti quos per crucem redemisti pater noster Aue Maria. Aue plaga Jesu leua sic confixa manu sâ—ua nos ab eo malo leuâ— quos perduxit mater Eua. pater noster Aue Maria. Aue latus lanceaium vnde fluxit flumen gratum prebe nobis conducatum ad eterne vite statum pater noster Auâ— Maria. Aue vulnus dextri pedis cellam mentis pietedis Dum adeum sepe redis esto nobis spes mercedis pater noster A. â—e Maria. Aueplaga leue plante qua virtutum crescunt plante nos ab hoste supplantante contuere post ante pater noster In all this rithme they doe nothing but salute the right and left hand as also the right and left foote of Christ pierced with nailes and likewise his side thrust through with a speare They doe onely I say salute these members of Christ thus wounded for vs with an All haile Then which what can be more ridiculous For not to speake how childish a thing it is to speake any thing vnto these members of Christ his materiall bodie thus seuerally considered and that without any the like examples of the Apostles euen when they did see Christ bodily present after his resurrection both whilst he was conuersant and also when he ascended vp into the heauens before them it is also a very toye to bidde all haile either vnto them or vnto any other thing in the heauen For what is the meaning of All haile truly either it is a phrase of wishing well vnto that whereunto it is spoken or it exhorteth to reioyce and be merrie In which therefore of the significations shall it be applied to those members of Christ or to any other thing alreadie aduanced vnto heauen 13. In the same leafe B. there is this title following ouer a praier to all the members of Christ This praier shall ye say in the worship of all the members of Christ deuoutly and ye shall haue 300. daies of pardon for euery salue Then followeth the praier it selfe in latin But because I finde it somewhat enlarged in a new manuell seruice booke pretended to be reformed by the authoritie of the late councell of Trent and published by the commandement of Pope Pius the fift anno dom 1580. I will therefore here set it downe in that ample manner in which there I finde it The inscription of the praier in that book page 318. the volume beeing in 16º is this Salutationes ad omnia membra Christi suiipsius adeum commendatio that is The salutation of all the members of Christ and the commendation of himselfe vnto him The praier it selfe in latin Salve tremendum cunctis potestatibus caput Domini Iesu Christi saluatoris nostri pro nobis spinis coronatum arundine percussum Salue speciocissima saluatoris nostri Iesu Christi facies pro nobis sputis alapis caesa Saluete benignissimi Iesu Christi saluatoris nostri oculi pro nobis lacrymis perfusi Salue mellifluum os gutturque suauissimum Domini nostri Iesu Christipro nobis felle aceto potatum saluete aures nobilissime Domine Iesu Christi saluatoris nostri pro nobis contumeliis opprobrijs affectae salue collum humile Iesu Christi pro nobis colophizatum dorsumque sanctissimum pronobis flagellatum Saluete venerabiles Domini nostri Iesu Christi manus brachia pro nobis in cruce extensa salue pectus mitissimum domini nostri Iesu Christi saluateris nostri pro nobis
note leauing the further consideration of them to the godly reader 5 First therefore sith all these things doe most liuely shew the extreame follie high abominatioÌ„ of poperie how ought all papists to be ashamed of their religion How ought all Protestants that sometimes haue bin papists to be grieued for their poperie How ought they likewise to mourne for any of their frieÌ„ds yea for any other yet remaining in that estate yet shut vp in the shadow of death How ioyfull likewise and thankfull ought we to be that God hath opened our eies to see these things that he hath not sent his angel onely into our houses as sometime he did into the house of Lot to take him guide him out of SodoÌ„ before fire came froÌ„ heauen to destroy that citie but also hath giueÌ„ vs his holy spirit in our hearts thereby deliuered vs froÌ„ so ridiculous so grosse so horrible a religioÌ„ 6 Further we see by these things how dangerous it is not to beleeue the truth and how blockish we are if we be left vnto our selues Verily there is no errour so foolish so absurd so grosse so abominable so monstrous but that if God doe forsake vs if he take his spirit from vs if he leaue vs to our selues we are readie to beleeue it as truth yea to be zealous therein yea farre more zealous then any of Gods owne children are in the truth 7 O therfore let vs not deceiue our selues late vs hate poperie as such a monster ought to be hated let vs make that account of the truth giue such credit obedieÌ„ce theruÌ„to that for our conteÌ„pt light account thereof God neither giue poperie any returne againe vnto vs. Let vs earnestly pray let vs keepe watch by night ward by day let vs alwaies with all carefulnes looke vnto our selues let vs take heede of all Iesuits seminatie priests yea of all papists and likewise of all other meanes whereby we may be entangled with this filthie sottish religion and be drawne thereunto Let vs delight in the communion fellowship of al them that loue the truth and are able to confirme strengthen helpe vs forward in this religion which now generally we professe vsing all other good means commended vnto vs for the same end Let vs take heed not onely of the maine stock of poperie but also of euery bough branch twigge yea of euery leafe for there is dâ—ungerous if not deadly poison in thâ— least patch of poperie And as the whole substance of popish doctrine was not hatched all at once but now one egge laide laide and then an other now one chicken and then an other now one opinion and then an other vntill all the whole brood was come forth and when it was throughly hatched brought forth it had not all the stature nor all the feathers nor all the strength the first day but crept and got vp by litle and litle so the deuil being stil as subtil as he was and seeing poperie now to be banished and grieuing that it is forced to liue so long in exile therefore daily laboureth as alas by too great experience we daily see by litle litle againe to winne vs thereunto Priuately indeede in many places of this land and it is to be feared in too many I pray God also that it be not in too great places and with too great persons he laboureth where the whole body of popery doth remaine there to vphold it and where it is not there also wholly to bring it in againe For we see many now to be Papists euen of both sexes yea some to be recusant papists whose fathers were little more then borne in the beginning of the raigne of her most excellent Maiestie But although Satan the olde aduersarie where he thinketh he may be bold and where he hath fitte instruments to worke by hath in some priuate places euen in this flourishing time and bright light of the gospel drawne some to the whole doctrine and religion of popeâ—ie yet he will not as yet be so bold as to attempt this publikely NotwithstaÌ„ding he goeth about it by degrees by litle litle tunning as it were and filling his vessels here there one with stroÌ„g popish drink an other with small that is one with a maine point of poperie another with a smal point yea not onely tunning filling theÌ„ ther with but also tapping broching theÌ„ so filled giuing of the drink of theÌ„ by whole kannes to other to drinke And this he doth according to his old subtiltie hoping the more easily to bring in to broach all againe so to make all drunkeÌ„ againe with the cuppe of fornications that is in the haÌ„d of the whore strumpet of Rome 8 Wherefore in the feare of God in the tender loue that I beare vnto the soules of all I doe admonish all to take heede of this euil Whatsoeuer hath bin accounted poperie by good reason shewed to be repugnaÌ„t to the truth coÌ„mon consent of all churches reformed held as erronious heretical let all diligeÌ„tly take heed they neuer coÌ„ceiue any good liking thereof again If we feare any more to embrace all poperie let vs take heede that in the mean time we neuer entertain any one opinion therof though neuer so litle If we feare to be drunken with the stroÌ„gest drink or with many cups of poperie let vs refraine from tasting therof For as with them that delight in strong drinke one cup draweth on an other so also may we feare it wil be with theÌ„ which begin to smel of any one point of poperie It is dangerous it is dangerous to drinke in any one errour of poperie though neuer so small especially to persist in the liking thereof to say when we haue tasted it This is good and most dangerous it is to coÌ„mend the same to other to make them to drinke of the same cup with vs all this is very daÌ„gerous whither we doe it for some good liking of the thing it self or in regard of our own estimatioÌ„ or in any other respect whatsoeuer For we may feare least the Lord harden our hearts euen to like of those errors which as yet our soules abhor 9 I write not this to gal or gird at any or to disgrace any one particular person my heart hateth all such hatred delighteth in loue peace as wel in the credit of other as of my selfe but in a general loue I do generally admonish all to take heede in this behalfe The Apostle speaketh in the like generall maÌ„ner not admonishing some onely but also euery one to take heed least at any time there should be in any an euill vnfaithful heart to fal away Hebr. 3. 12. froÌ„ the liuing Lord. Yea after that he had testified vnto theÌ„ that he was perswaded good things Hebr. 6. 9. of theÌ„ such as did accompanie saluation yet he speaketh as generally exhorting theÌ„ to take heede that no man did fall away froÌ„ the grace of Hebr. 12. 15. God Adding further as a special means to take heede thereof that they should not suffer any roote of bitternes so much as once to spring vp amongst theÌ„ where by the root of bitternes all men know he meaneth errours and heresies Finally he addeth these reasons fitst that such roots or root would trouble theÌ„ secoÌ„dly that it would defile theÌ„ There is none therefore so stroÌ„g in the grace of God but that he may fal though not finally as hath bin shewed in my treatise if he be secure take not great heed 〈…〉 himselfe There is none so well 〈◊〉 with the sweet precious liquor of Gods truth but that he may becom bitter by suffering such bitter rootes to spring vp in his heart There is none at such peace with men and with his owne conscience but that he may be disquieted disturbed and troubled There is none so well was washed clensed by the pure water of Gods holy spirit but that he may be polluted defiled There is none therefore that may thinke this mine admonition of taking heede vnto himselfe to be superfluous and needles for him 11 To conclude I do again in all huÌ„ble maÌ„ner beseech all whoÌ„soeuer both all the reuerend fathers gouernours of our church also all other my learned and good brethreÌ„ as well remaining vnder our mothers wings in the Vniuersities of Cambridge and Oxenford as also alreadie called forth to labour in the ministerie of the word in particular churches all these I say I doe huÌ„bly beseech earnestly exhort to be feruent in spirit in behalfe of the truth and with all zeale to vpholde defend maintaine and daily in the places where we liue and in the hearts of the people ouer whoÌ„ the holy Ghost hath made vs ouerseers to further to encrease and to enlarge that sound and wholesome doctrine which hitherto hath bin taught by vs and heard like wise and in some measure receiued by those amongst whome we haue laboured THE ENDE