false thorow hypocrisie and haue their conscience marked with an hote iron forbidding to marrie and commaunding to abstaine from meates vvhich God hath created to be receaued vvith giuing of thankes of them which beleeue and knevve the trueth Now ioyne these two prophecies together and note diligently the cause maner increase and force of Antichrists kingdome and then it shall be the better perceaued The cause why God permitteth the wicked to deceiue the people was for that they did not receaue the law of the trueth but loathed Gods word when they had it They writ it not in their heartes neither brought forth the fruits of the spirite but of the flesh To speake all in one worde They had as we haue much godly teaching and brought foorth much vngodly liuing Of verie duetie godly liuing must followe godly teaching otherwise Gods plague and vengeance followeth his word where and when soeuer it be taught But amongest all the plagues of God this is the greatest that he taketh away his word from the people and suffereth them to be fed with lies and Canterburie tales or fables After which sorte and maner the wicked haue come and entered into the Christian generation yea and haue sit in the holy place and seate of Moyses pretending to teache the holy word of God They haue set I say in the seate of Moyses not by teaching the law and the prophets but by name and place whereby the people not able to discerne the true session from presumptuous vsurpation haue bene deceiued with false myracles lying powers and wonders By the which feates they haue increased and growne into the greater number For when by the helpe of the deuill with their coniurations charmes and diuers other false fleightes they wrought myracles and wonders in diuers and sundrie places Then the people regarding not the simple word of God forsooke their faith and ranne a gadding from place to place to gaze vpon signes and wonders Manie beleeued lies because many taught lies Lying powers were on their side few durst speake the trueth and the simple lacked good instruction some therefore departed from the faith The sorce of Antichristes kingdome is well noted of Paul in that hee saith his comming shalbe with all lying power in that they shall forbid mariages command to abstaine frō meats and c. y t is to say After that the multitude hath bin well pampered and fed with their lies blinded with their coniurations and stablished with false miracles then shall they be able to make lawes in the defence of their deuilishe doctrines and openly to withstand and resist the trueth and Gospel as Iannes and Iambres Pharaoes coniurers withstoode Moyses Men they are sayth Paul of corrupt mindes and lewd as concerning faith Peter witnesseth with Paul saying They shall purely bring in damnable sects euen denieng the Lord that hath bought them bring vpon themselfes swift damnation many shal follow their damnable waies by whome the way of trueth shall be euill spoken of No maruaile for hypocrisie and outward shew of holynesse hath seemed so gay in the simple folkes eyes yea and yet doth to some so that as the trueth saith if it were possible the verie elect should be deceiued Iude also beareth record to the trueth with Paule and Peter shewing that they be deceaued with dreames defile the fleshe despise rulers and speake euill of them that be in authoritie murmurers complainers walking after their owne lustes whose mouthes speake proud thinges These saith he are makers of sectes fleshly hauing no spirite Conferre these same now together with the popish antichristian church of Rome and beholde if you can see the kingdome of Antichrist anie where so manifest and plaine Hath anie power in all the world since Christes ascention into heauen lift vp it selfe so high into the temple of God and aduanced it selfe as God like vnto this vsurped premacie and tyrannie of Rome Who hath more oppressed Gods booke resisted the Gospel and slandered the way of trueth then the pope and his rable Who hath wrought with suche deceaueable signes and myracles who hath fed vs with more lyes then that false prophet of Rome Read a leafe or two of Legenda aurea or the booke called Festinale and you shal finde good stuffe I warrant you Which bookes were woont to be read and taught vs moste principally concerning matters of religion Yea almost wee had no other in English I speake that I haue knowne heard and seene Within these xxiii yeares they were alledged in Sermons and read in the churche openly and had in more price amongest vs and better receaued then the holy Scriptures be of some Also they were then better studied and more willingly taught of curates in some places then Gods booke is now of manie of them Forget not I pray you to call to memorie how we were deceiued with images pilgrimages reliques false myracles iuglinges charmes witchcraftes coniurations iubilies stations holy water fire ashes palmes palme crosses saint Iohns Gospel images of waxe Walsinghame broches saint Iames shelles saint Priarke his staffe maister Iohn Shornes bat saint Cornelius horne pardons pardon beades beades Ladies Psalters dyrges treutals Requiem Masses c. Who denied the Lord that had bought then more manifestly then they that taught these romish dreames Whosoeuer denieth the death of Iesus Christ to be a whole perfect oblation sufficient for all sinne denyeth the Lord that hath bought them But they that taught or beleeued the aforesaid dragges and such like to be expedient for the obtaining of Gods fauour remission of sins denieth Christ and his death to be sufficient Wherefore so long as men sought remission of sinnes and Gods fauour in such phantasticall deuises of men it cannot be denyed but in so doing they denied the Lord that bought them To say trueth men little remembred the oblation of Christ by deathe vppon the crosse For not manie yeares agone euen when Masses satisfactory florished to affirme Christes oblation by death vpon the crosse once offered for all to be sufficient for remission of sinnes to all them that beleeue was so farre out of memorie that it was counted abhominable heresie because Masse and it could not stand together In time of anguishe trouble or sickenesse was Christes death sought to for quietnesse of conscience No our Lady of Wilsdon our Lady of Walsingham maister Iohn Shorne and confession to some holy fryer some holy relique Masse of Recordare or masse of the v. wounds For vnto these masses bishop Clement and Bishop Boniface had giuen great vertue through pardons and candels if the deuill transforming himselfe vnto Raphael the arch-angel be a true messenger Also if death approched then was Masse of Scala coeli Trentals Aniuersarijs and masse of Requiem with our Lady Masse ready to be sold for mony and song to send the soule to the Deuill with
Heere you see manifestly faith entereth into the strait gate which is Christ This faith is not idle for it maketh vs to stand that is to say to perseuere and walke in the narrow way by loue which is the third thing that faith worketh in vs and therfore it followeth Not that onely but also we reioyce in tribulations knowing that tribulation bringeth patience patience bringeth experience experience bringeth hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the loue of God is shedde abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is giuen vnto vs. No thanke then vnto our faith no thanke vnto our loue but all thanke and praise and glory be giuen vnto God whose holy spirit worketh fayth loue hope patience and altogether in vs. Fayth that worketh by loue is much worth before God which loue is the second note of the holy Catholike church fayth fetcheth this loue of the great loue of God which first so loued vs that hee gaue his onely begotten sonne Iesus Christ to the end that all that beleeue in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting Of this loue speaketh Paule saying Walke in loue euen as Christ loued vs and gaue himselfe for vs an offering and sacrifice of a sweete sauour to God This loue Paule learned of his master our sauiour Iesus Christ commanding and saying A newe commandement I do giue vnto you that ye loue together as I haue loued you Iesus Christ so loued vs that he gaue himselfe for vs for he was obedient vnto God the father for vs vnto death yea vnto death vpon the crosse This loue so warmeth the heart with hope and assurance of euerlasting life for we are saued by hope that it putteth away all seruile feare I say not all feare for there remaineth and abideth in the heart an holy reuerend feare or dread of displeasing God or lothnesse to loose God and his holy spirit which if a man taste is rather a reuerend ioy and a glad loue than feare therefore is it truely said Perfect loue casteth out feare that is to say Iesus Christ by his holy spirit possessing the heart of man through fayth pntteth cleane away the feare of shame losse of goodes or friends the feare of torments enemies and prisonment yea the feare of sinne death the deuill and hell So that the office of true faith setteth not onely before our eyes the vilenesse of sinne that caused Christ to die but it also bringeth vs Iesus Christ the attonement maker betweene God and vs for our sinne whereof commeth loue In the which loue is manifest the third note of the holy Catholike church for now we feare God no more as a terrible iudge but thorow his holy spirit we loue him as a most gentle louing father whereof speaketh Paule saying thus Ye haue not receiued the spirit of bondage to feare any more but you haue receiued the spirit of adoption whereby we crie Abba Father Abba is as much in English as Dad or Deare father it is the Syrian speech left vntranslated both by the Latine men also English men to the intent I suppose that it should also be English for this I know that the first word that an English Christian childe beginneth to speake is Abba commonly long before he can speake any thing else which Christian babe in his innocencie is a witnesse with Paule that God is a deare father vnto Christians through his holy spirit by his sonne Iesus Christ Thus you may easily perceiue by those scriptures that faith loue and the spirit of God doe go together and be together in euery true Christian as sure notes and seales of his saluation Faith entring the gate of saluation sticketh to the word of God and taketh it onely to be the rule of life and doctrine Loue cleaueth vnto Christ and maketh faith knowen as the fruits do the tree and putteth away feare The spirit of God quieteth the conscience and bringeth with a reuerend dread ioy and gladnesse ineffable If you know this you be a very true member of the holy Catholike church and in the strait gate and narrow way vnto eternall life If you know not this I say no more but God haue mercy vppon you For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be which go in thereat Heere me thinketh I do heare an idle braine say that these signes and notes be of mine owne inuention which do rather confoūd dim the church than make it knowen Vnto whom I doe answere If it be dim and hid it is hid vnto them that perish but vnto the children of light it is manifest enough Also these notes be not mine but rather Gods books there I do finde them Of the first Christ saith Euery tree is knowen by his fruites Which words be made plaine by these sayings of Paule To beleeue with the heart iustifieth to knowledge vvith the mouth maketh a man safe Faith then is not dead in the heart if it be dead it is not faith faith is knowen by the mouth as the tree is knowen by the fruits for of the treasure of the heart the mouth speaketh A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that vvhich is good Of the second Iohn saith God is loue and hee that dvvelleth in loue dvvelleth in God and God in him He then cannot be hid in whome God dwelleth And Hee that loueth his brother abideth in the light and there is no occasion of euill in him The light therefore must needs be seene Heere is to be noted that as faith without godly works is a dead faith and therefore no faith so loue without the same good weeks also is not loue but naturall affection For vvho so hath these vvorlds goods seeth his brother hath need and shutteth vp his compassion from him hovve dvvelleth the loue of God in him Thus is loue manifestly knowen by the good worke Our fauiour Iesu Christ appointing this to be the notable signe of the church faith vnto them By this shall all men knovv that ye are my disciples if ye haue loue one to another Of the third note which is the spirit of God Paule writing to the Romanes hath these wordes If any man haue not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his And a little after he speaking of himselfe and other of the church of Christ saith The same spirit certifieth our spirit that we are the children of God If the spirit of God certifieth a mans conscience that he is the childe of God then hee may be sure that hee is of the church of Christ Heereby you perceiue that these notes are appoynted by Gods booke not of mine inuention to be vnfallible signes of the holy Catholike church and of euery member of the same which be all of one faith
Trulie Trulie as the shadowe followeth the bodie so Christes crosse followeth the holy Catslolique church And as the greater the height of the sunne is the more is the shadow seene so the greater the height of the gospel shinneth by preaching the more manifest is the crosie of Christ who sayth He that loueth father or mother more then me is not worthie of me and hee that loueth sonne or or daughter more then me is not vvorthie of me And he that taketh not his crosse and follovveth me is not vvorthie of me Also if anie man vvill come after me let him deny himselfe and take vp his crosse dayly and follovv mee For vvhosoeuer vvill saue his lyfe shall lose it But vvhosoeuer doth lose his life sot my sake the same shall saue it For vvhosoeuer is ashamed of me and my vvords of him shall the sonne of man be ashamed vvhen he commeth in his maiestie and the maiestie of his father It is vnpossible to sticke vnto the Gospel without the cross without trouble or persecution Paul being witnesse saying All they that vvill liue godly in Christ Iesu shall suffer persecution Of the which crosse and persecution Christ prophecied saying ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake But vnto this in another place he giueth a better coÌ„fort saying If the vvorld hate you you knovve it hated me before it hated you If ye vvere of the vvorld the vvorlde vvould loue hys ovvne Hovvbeit because yee are not of the vvorlde but I haue chose you out of the vvorlde therefore the vvorlde hateth you Remember the vvord that I saide vnto you The seruaunt is not greater them his Lorde if they haue persecuted me they vvill persecute you Seeing the trueth hath spoken these thinges they must needes come to passe Wherefore it now remaineth that all louers of the Gospel and trueth doe patiently sticke vnto the trueth in all their tribulations and call to memorie their maisters first promise and blessing which is written Where he saith Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theirs is the kingdome of heauen To suffer for righteousnesse and truthes sake me thinketh must be a signe of the elect of God For they verily y t do liue immofluely in the world and charitably with their neighbours and notwithstanding be hated euill spoken of standered and persecuted of the wicked onely for speaking against sinne and iniquitie and for the Gospels sake haue great cause to ioy in their trouble and persecution as it solloweth Blessed are yee vvhen men shal speake euil of you and persecute you and shal speake all euil against you lying for my sake Reioyce yee and be glad for plenteous is your revvarde in heauen Loe this is the Churche that cannot erre Thus I haue described before your eies both the church of Antichrist which cannot but erre and also the Church of Iesus Christ that cannot erre plainly with their signes and notes Note them therefore circumspectly The church of Antichrist is not stablished vppon the veritie of Gods worde and spirite which is the sure foundation of the holy catholicke Church but vpon a sinful man quia omnis homo mendax because euerieman is a lyer Christes Churche hath one iustifiyng faith which worketh by loue for the which Antichristes Church hath manie faithes as a little faith a smale faith an vnperfect faith a deceiuing fayth a sick faith and a dead faith Dominikes faith Basils fayth Austens faith Bennets faith Bernardes faith Frances faith and Deuils faith All which may enter the wide gates and be admitted into the popes Church and pertaker of his mony sacrifices Where note they be the greater number which thing maketh them bolde to persecute the few and small flocke that entreth the straite gate of fayth and walketh the narrow way of the Gospel which small flock neuer persecuteth For it is against the nature of a lambe to sucke the bloud of a Woolfe It is the propertie of the Woolfe to sucke bloud deuour and persecute The church of Iesus Christ euer suffereth loueth and prayeth for enemies and persecutours Antichriste brood do murmure hate persecute with a filthy conscience Vnto the church of Iesus Christ onely Gods booke is a perfect rule of beliefe life and doctrine in stead whereof Antichrists generation hath many books and rules as holy decrees and decretals fathers coumels holy doctours Festiuale Legenda aurea Austens rule Benets rule Basils rule Bernards rule Dominiks rule Francis rule and now last of all Canterbury tales with a dung-cart sul also of vnwritten verites These haue beene brought in and taught by the spirits of errour the very guides stayes of Antichrists church therfore they could not but erre But the church of Iesus Chrâ—st euery member of the same is gouerned with one spirit of trueth that cannot lie therefore cannot they erre euen with the spirit of Christ the holy ghost vnto whom with the father and the some be all thanks laud praise and glorie Amen Written the eleuenth day of the moneth of Iulie Anno Domini 1550. Esay 28. Church hath diuers significations Church signifieth the place of praier Iudith 6. Church signifiyng the companie of good and bad Numb 20. Church signifiyng the elect of God onely Eccles 3. Ephes 5. Ecclesia signifiyng the mulitiude of the wicked Psalm 26. Esay 3. Math. 21. Iohn 5. Iob. 34. 2. Thess 2. Churche of Antichrist Church of Iesus Christ 2. Cor. 11. Math. 7. 2. Cor. 12. Act. 20. Iohn 14. Iohn 15 16. Luke 24. Act. 2. Iohn 15. Math. 3 17. Deut. 18. Acts. 3. 2. Cor. 6. Gospel Act. 20. Psal 18. Psal 119. Psal 11. Psal 18. Psal 119. Luke 2. Rom. 10. Rom. 1. 1. Cor. 1. Iames. 1. Psal 119. Psal 17. 1. 2. The Church that cannot Futeâ—re Psal 1. Psal 58. Psal 140. Psal 59. Psal 140. salm 81. Psal 4 Psal 6. Psal 14. Psal 26. Luke 6. Leuit. 18. Exod. 20. 2. Thess 2. The man of sinne 1. Tim. 4. The cause why God suffered error to raigne and the wicked to rule The greatest plague of God By lyes the wicked haue entered into the Church By false miracles lying powers the wicked haue increased By force the wicked haue withstood the trueth and set forth their owne doctrine 1. Tim. 4. 2. Tim. 3. 2. Pet. 2. Hipocrisie Hindeth the sillie multitude Math. 24. Sure notes of Antichristes generation Iude 1. The first note of Antichrist The second note of antichrist The third note of antichrist Antichristes badges The finall end of Antichrists iuglinges The fourth note of Antichrist 2. Pet. 2. The thing that blinded the people most The cause why Antichristes prelates will not permit the mariages of priestes If marriage be not a cleane life God is the author of vncleannesse and Christ a bawd Gen. 2. Math. 19. Iohn 2. Vnto God matrimonie is sweete But vnto Antichrist whoredome is holy 1. Cor. 7. Antichristes prelates
vnite as one by loue gouerned with one and the same spirit of trueth Finally if these signes of the holy catholicke Church be not yet euident and plaine inough vnto you to knowe the same perhappes because you your selfe be none of the Church marke yet diligently the effectes that follow First the simple and plaine setting forth of the worde of God both in writing and preaching with the administration of Christes sacramentes according to the same Secondly the murmuringes complaininges conuenticles vprores and tumultes of the wicked against the same Thirdly the persecution and patiently suffering of the verie elect of God for the same as the elect of God taketh nothing from his holy wordes but wholly sticketh vnto the same without anie of their owne additâ—ons So doe they alwaies sincerely open the same vnto the worlde and haue their whole delight in making it knowne vnto men Whereof they haue of their maister Christ a speciall commandement so earnestly giuen vnto them as though hee had required of them that alone binding them as they loued him to teache feede and preach vnto his sheepe And as he required of them this teaching and preaching of the Gospel most earnestly so did he most often put them in memory of the same This was the principall and great commission that he gaue them after his resurrection saying All power is giuen vnto me in heauen and in earth Go ye therefore and teache all nations baptising them in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holie Ghost teaching them to obserue all thinges whatsoeuer I haue commanded you Other thingee then Christ hath commanded to be taught may not bee taught by Christes commission who saith also The holy hhost shall teache you What All thinges and bring all thinges vnto your remembrance whatsoeuer I haue said vnto you Againe that they might be sure of theyr vndeceaueable rule he saith Preache the gospell to all creatures vnto theÌ„ that thus do He saith further He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me and hee that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me Because the children of perdition walking in the broad way despise the narrow way of the Gospell and teachers of the same they doe commit high treason against Christ and against God for that they doe not regard but contemne the great commission of God the Gospel of his sonne Iesus Although this Gospel should be for a time troad vnder feete and sealed vp as it was prophecied and as we haue seene it yet should it be a witnesse to all the world Christ saith This Gospel of the kingdome shalbe preached in all the worlde for a witnesse to all nations and then shall the end come The gospel is a witnesse of Christ and his Church to al nations in the world To the wicked it is a witnesse that they loue darkenesse more then light because their workes are euill To the godly it is a sure stay and witnesse that they are of the holy Catholicke Church and members of Christ This is a plaine token of the holy catholicke church that wheresoeuer this gospel is set forth in y e mother toong and countrie speache and sincerlie taught there bee the true members of Christes Church Example hereof we haue in the preaching of the same by the Apostles at Hierusalem in whome the holy Ghost so wrought that they spake to euerie man many beeing there of diuers and strange languages in their owne mother toonge and countrie speeche The true ministers of the worde in whome the holy Ghost speaketh euer teache the people in their owne language that they vnderstand and not in a strange toonge that they knowe not We may therefore be glad and ioy to haue seene and heard the same Gospel here in England set forth in our mother toonge preached according to Christes promise and sincerely taught O it is a worlde to behold the subtiltie of Sathan working in these wicked worldlinges When hee feeleth by preaching of the Gospel that his counterfeit religion is espied and that his lies and false miracles will serue to blinde and deceaue the people no longer then he bestirreth himselfe then hee seeketh out his trustie friendes and setteth them a worke to stirre the people to murmuringes tumultes and vprores to the end that by deuisions debates and discordes he may eyther face out the Gospel or els for that he looseth some in their faith hee might winne moe by their euill life Whereby albeit against their wil both the deuill and his ministers doe giue an euident testimonie of the Gospel For Iesus Christ the wisedome of God the father knowing that it would be so shewed that it should be so both by his wordes and example taking vpon him that the wicked would lay to his charge saying Thinke not that I am come to send peace into the earth I came not to send peace but a sword For I am come to set a man at a variance against his father and the daughter against her mother and the daughter in lawe against her mother in lavv and a mans foes shalbe they that be of his owne houshold And he prophecieth also saying Suppose yee that I am come to send peace on the earth I tell you nay but rather deuision For from hence forth there shalbe fiue in one house deuided three against two and two against three The father shalbe deuided against the sonne and the sonne against the father The mother against the daughter and the daughter against the mother The mother in lawe against her daughter in law and the daughter in lawe against her mother in lavv In this phrase of speache Christ shewed not himselfe to be the authour and cause of discord and diuision but hee rather declared in their owne wordes their false standers Hee knewe right well that the wicked woulde resist the gospell with lyes staunders and tumultes and when they had thorow their owne malice craftily raysed such tragedies then they would disburdening themselues lay it to Christes charge and to his holy word or ministers of the same Thus hath it bene in out time The wicked hating the Gospel haue stirred vprores and vnquietnesse amongest the people and then they haue burdened the Gospel and preacher withall Thus the Scribes and Pharisees with their Disciples moued the people against Christ whereby they made vnquietnesse and then they accused Christ of blasphemie heresie making of discention traitours and blasphemous heretickes neither true to God nor the Prince For this cause Christ knowing before vouchsafe to bewray their malice taking vpon himselfe the person of discord when in verie deedele is the berie peacemaker because he knewe they woulde so iudge him and reporte him to be as wee can witnesse they haue doon wherfore wee must needes beleue this his prophesie nowe that we haue heard it and seen it fulfilled