false glosse vnto the text and if that helpe not then fall they to a shameles boldnes and let not to deny the Scripture and all The place whiche hee reciteth is written 2. Macha 12. And to say the truth y t booke is not of sufficieÌ„t authoritie to make an article of our fayth neither is it admitted in the CanoÌ„ of the Hebrues Here he obiecteth that the Church hath allowed it and the holy Doctours as S. Hierome S. Austine and such other I aunswere S. Hieromes mynde is opened vnto vs by the Epistle which he wrote before y t Prouerbes of SalomoÌ„ his wordes are these Sicut Iudith Tobie Machabeorum libros legit quidem cos ecclesia sed inter canonicas Scripturas non recipit sic haec duo volumina legat ad aedificationem plebis non ad authoritatem ecclesiasticorum dogmatum confirmandum That is lyke as the Church doth read the bookes of Iudith Tobias the Machabées but receaueth them not amoÌ„g the canonicall Scriptures euen so let it read these twoo bookes he meaneth the booke of Sapience and Ecclesiasticus vnto the edifieng of the people and not to confirme the doctrine of the Church therby And it is nothyng lyke that S. Austen should dissent from S. Hierome for they were both in one tyme yea S. Hierome out lyued S. Austen And therfore the Church could not admit any such bookes either before S. Austens tyme or in his tyme but that S. Hierome should haue knowne of it And so may you gather that if S. Austen allow these bookes or els say that the Churche hath allowed them you may not vnderstaÌ„d that they haue allowed and receaued them as canonicall Scriptures for then you make S. Hierome a lyar But thus you must vnderstaÌ„d it that they haue receaued them to be read for the edifying of y e people and not to confirme the doctrine of the Church or articles of the fayth thereby according to S. Hieromes expositioÌ„ Now may you sée that our shote anker as he called it is so stroÌ„g that all his stormes and waues can not once moue it for we deny not but that the booke is receaued of the church to be read and we shew by S. Hierome for what entent it is receaued and read not to proue any article of our faith therby but onely to order our maner of liuyng therafter in such poyntes as are not repugnaunt vnto the canonicall Scripture But yet for this once to do the maÌ„ pleasure we will let slyppe our shote anker take the seas with him And for all their furious wyndes and frothy waues we wil neuer strike sayle so strong is our shyp and so well ballaunced Be it in case that this booke of the Machabées were of as good authority as Esay yet can he not proue this fury and paynefull Purgatorye therby For it speaketh not one word neither of fire nor payne but it speaketh of a sacrifice offred for the dead y t they might be losed froÌ„ their sinnes because there is a resurrectioÌ„ of y t ded which may wel be without any paine or fire So that this conclusion is very bare and naked It is good to offer sacrifice for the dead that they may be loosed from their sinnes Ergo there is a sensible fire which doth punishe the holy and chosen people of God I am sure there is no child but he may perceaue that this argument is naught Besides that is to bee doubted whether Iudas did wel or not in offering this sacrifice And therfore ought we not of a foolish presumption to solow his facte vntill we knowe how it was accepted Peraduenture thou wilt say that the déede is commended in the sayd text where it sayth But because he considered that they which with godlynes had entred their sléepe that is their death had good fauour layd vp in store for them therefore is the remeÌ„braunce to pray for the dead holy wholesome that they may be loosed from their sinnes I aunswere that the persons whiche were slayne in the battayl for whom this prayer sacrifice was made were founde to haue vnder their clokes oblations of idols which were at Iamniam for that cause were they slayne as it is playne in the text yea and all the host praysed the right iudgement of God Now these men that were so slayne were damned by the law Deut. vij whiche sayth The images of their Gods thou shalt burne with fire sée that thou couet not the siluer or gold y t is on them nor take it vnto thée lest thou be snared therewith for it is an abomination vnto the Lord thy God Bryng not therfore the abomination vnto thine house lest thou be a daÌ„ned thing as it is But vtterly defie it and abhorre it for it is a thyng that must be destroyed Of this may we euideÌ„tly perceaue that albeit Iudas dyd this thyng of a good mynde yet was he deceaued for his sacrifice could nothyng helpe them sith they were damned by the law and entred not their slepe with godlynesse as he supposed Furthermore it is euident that the Iewes had sacrifices for the sinnes of them that liued Leuit. 4. 5. 6. c. But how knew they that these sacrifices would extende them selues vnto the sinnes of the dead And they were coÌ„maunded vnder the payne of cursing that they should adde nothyng vnto the word of God Deut. 12. Verely it is lyke that the Priestes euen at that tyme sought their owne profite abused the sacrifices deceaued the simple people M. More also sayth that the money was seÌ„t to buy sacrifices which shoulde be offered for the sinne of the slayne Now knoweth euery Christen that all maner of sacrifices offeryngs were nothyng but figures of Christ which should be offered for the sinne of his people So that when Christ came all sacrifices oblations ceased If thou shouldest now offer a calfe to purge thy sinne thou were no doubt iniurious vnto the bloud of Christ for if thou thought his bloud sufficieÌ„t then wouldest thou not séeke an other sacrifice for thy sinne Yea I will go further with you there was not one sacrifice in the old TestameÌ„t that purged or tooke away sinne For the bloud of oxeÌ„ or goates can not take away sinne Heb. x. But all the sacrifices which were theÌ„ offered did but signifie that Christ should come and be made a sacrifice for vs which shuld purge our sinne for euer Now were their sacrifices and oblations institute of God and yet could they not take away sinne but onely signified that Christ through his blâ—d should take it away What madnes then is come into our braynes that we thinke that our oblations whiche are ordained but of our owne imagination should take away sinne What if Iudas gathered such an offeryng in the old TestameÌ„t should it then folow that we must
onely in number exceedyng but in knowledge also excellyng both by preaching and Printing doe so garnishe the Church in euery respecte that it may seeme and so peraduenture wil be thought this time of ours to stand now in little neede of such bookes and momumentes as these of former antiquitie yet notwithstandyng I am not of that mynde so to thinke For albeit increasing of learning of tonges and sciences wyth quicknes of wit in youth and other doth maruailously shut vp as is to be seene to the sufficient furnishyng of Christes Church yet so it happeneth I can not tell how the farther I looke backe into those former tymes of Tyndall Frith and others lyke more simplicitie wyth true zeale and humble modestie I see wyth lesse corruption of affections in them and yet wyth these dayes of ours I finde no fault As by reading and conferring their workes togither may eftsoones appeare In opening the Scriptures what trueth what soundnes can a man require more or what more is to be sayd then is to be founde in Tyndall In his Prologues vppon the fiue bookes of Moses vppon Ionas vppon the Gospelles and Epistles of S. Paule namely to the Romaines how perfectly doth he hit the right sence and true meaning in euery thing In his obedience how fruitfully teacheth he euery person his dutie In his expositions and vppon the parable of the wicked Mammon how pithely doth he perswade how grauely doth he exhort how louingly doth he comforte simply without ostentation vehement without contention Which two faultes as they cōmonly are wont to folow the most part of writers so how farre the same were from him and he from them his replies and aunsweres to Syr Thomas More doe well declare in doctrine sound in hart humble in life vnrebukeable in disputation modest in rebuking charitable in trueth feruent and yet no lesse prudent in dispensing with the same and bearyng with time and with weakenes of men as much as he might sauing onely where mere necessitie constrayned hym otherwise to doe for defence of trueth against wilfull blyndnes and subtile hypocrisie as in the Practise of Prelates is notorious to be seene Briefly such was his modestie zeale charitie and painefull trauaile that he neuer sought for any thing lesse then for hymselfe for nothyng more then for Christes glory and edification of other for whose cause not onely he bestowed his labours but hys life and bloud also Wherfore not vnrightly he might be then as he is yet cauled the Apostle of England as Paule cauleth Epaphroditus the Apostle of the Philippians for his singular care and affection toward them For as the Apostles in the primatiue age first planted the Church in trueth of the Gospell so the same trueth beyng agayne defaced and decayed by enemies in thys our latter tyme there was none that trauayled more earnestly in restoring of the same in this Realme of England then dyd William Tyndall With which William Tyndall no lesse may be adioyned also Iohn Frith and D. Barnes both for that they togither with him in one cause and about one tyme sustayned the first brunt in this our latter age and gaue the first onset agaynst the enemies as also for the speciall giftes of fruitfull erudition and plentifull knowledge wrought in them by God and so by them left vnto vs in their writinges Wherfore accordyng to our promise in the booke of Actes and Monumentes wee thought good herein to spend a litle diligence in collecting and setting abroad their bookes togither so many as could be founde to remaine as perpetuall Lāpes shyning in the Church of Christ to geeue lyght to all posteritie And although the Printer herein taking great paynes coulde not paraduenture come by all howbeit I trust there lacke not many yet the Lord be thanked for those which he hath gotte and here published vnto vs. And woulde God the like diligence had beene vsed of our auncient forelders in the tyme of Wickliffe Puruey Clerke Brute Thorpe Husse Hierome and such other in searching and collecting their workes and writings No doubt but many thinges had remayned in lyght which now be lefte in obliuion But by reason the Arte of Printing was not yet inuented their worthy bookes were the sooner abolyshed Such was then the wickednes of those dayes and the practise of those Prelates then so craftie that no good booke coulde appeare though it were the Scripture it selfe in Englyshe but it was restrayned and so consumed Whereby ignoraunce and blyndnes so preuayled amonge the people tyll at the last it so pleased the goodnes of our God to prouide a remedy for that mischiefe by multiplying good bookes by the Printers penne in such sort as no earthly power was able after that though they did their best to stoppe the course thereof were he neuer so myghtie and all for the fartheraunce of Christes Church Wherefore receaue gracious Reader the Bookes here collected and offered to thy hand and thanke God thou hast them and reade them whilest thou mayst while time life and memory serueth thee In reading wherof the Lord graunt thou mayst receaue no lesse fruit by them then the harty desire of the setter forth is to wishe well vnto thee And the same Lord also graunt I beseech him that this my exhortation wishe so may worke in all that not onely the good but the enemies also which be not yet wonne to the worde of trueth setting aside all partialitie and preiudice of opinion woulde with indifferent iudgementes bestow some reading and hearyng likewise of these to taste what they doe teach to vewe their reasons and to trye their spirite to marke the expositions of Tyndall the argumentes of Frith the Articles and allegations of Barnes Which if they shall finde agreable to the tyme and antiquitie of the Apostles doctrine and touchstone of Gods worde to vse them to their instruction If not then to myslike them as they finde cause after they haue first tryed them and not before And thus not to deteine thee with longer processe from the reading of better matter I referre and commende thee and thy studies gentle reader with my harty wishe and prayer to the grace of Christ Iesu and direction of hys holy spirite desiryng thee lykewyse to doe the same for mee Iohn Foxe The Martyrdome and burning of William Tyndall in Brabant by Filford Castell Lord opē the K. of Englāds eyes Here foloweth the historie and discourse of the lyfe of William Tyndall out of the booke of Actes and Monumentes Briefly extracted FOr somuch as the lyfe of W. Tyndall author of this treatise immediately folowing is sufficiently at large discoursed in the booke of Actes and Monumentes by reason whereof we shall not néede greatly to intermedle with any new repetition therof yet notwithstanding because as we haue takē in hand to collect and set forth his whole workes togither so we thought it not vnconuenient to collecte likewise some briefe notes concerning the order of his
For if there be any sparkle of grace in your breastes I trust it should bee an occasion somewhat to kyndle it that you may consider and know your selues whiche is the first poynt of wisedome And would God for his mercy sayth M. More that sith there can nothing refrayne their studie from deuising and compassyng of euill and vngracious writyng that they would and could keepe it so secretly that neuer man should see it but such as are so farre corrupted as neuer would be cured of their cāker It is not possible for hym that hath his eyen and séeth hys brother whiche lacketh sight in ieoperdie of perishing at a perillous pit but that hee must come to hym and guide hym till he be past that ieoperdye at the lest wise if he can not come to him yet will he call and crye vnto hym to cause hym chose the better way except his hart bee cankered with the contagion of such hatered that he can reioyse in his neighbours destruction And euē so is it not possible for vs whiche haue receiued the knowledge of gods word but that we must cry and cal to other that they leaue the perillous pathes of their owne foolish phantasies And doe that onely to the Lord that he cōmaundeth them neither addyng any thyng nor diminishyng And therfore vntill we sée some meanes founde by the whiche a reasonable reformation may be had on the one partio and sufficient instruction for the poore commōs I insure you I neither will nor can cease to speake for the worde of God boyleth in my body like a feruēt fire and will néedes haue an issue and breaketh out when occasion is geuē But this hath bene offered you is offered and shall be offered Graunt that the word of God I meane y e text of Scripture may go abroad in our English toung as other nations haue it in their tounges and my brother William Tyndall and I haue done will promise you to write no more If you wil not graunt this condition then will we be doing while we haue breath and shew in few wordes that the Scripture doth in many and so at the lest saue some But a lacke this will not be for as S. Paule sayth the contagion of heresie creepeth on lyke a canker For as the canker corrupteth the body further and further and turneth the whole parties into the same deadly sicknes so doth these heresies creepe forth among good simple soules till at the last it be almost past remedy This is a very true saying and maketh well agaynst his owne purpose for in déede this contagion began to spring euen in S. Paules tyme. In so much that the Galathians were in a maner wholy seduced from his doctrine And he sayd to the Thessalonians the mistery of iniquitie euē now beginneth to worke And S. Iohn testifieth that there were all ready many Antichristes risen in hys dayes And also Paul prophesied what shold folow after his tyme. Actes 20. saying take ye héede to your selues and to all the flocke ouer whiche the holy ghost hath put you ouerséers to féede the congregation of God whiche he purchased with his owne bloud For I know this wel that after my departyng shall enter in greuous Wolues among you which shall not spare the flocke And euen of your selues shall arise men speaking peruerse things to draw Disciples after thē and therfore watch c. This canker then began to spread in the congregatiō and dyd full sore noy the body in so much that within iiij C. yeare there were very many sectes scattered in euery cost Notwithstandyng there were faythfull fathers that diligently subdued them with the sworde of Gods word But surely since Siluester receiued such possessions hath the canker so créept in y e Church that it hath almost left neuer a sounde member And as Cistercensis writeth in the 8. booke that day that hee receiued reuenues was a voyce heard in y e ayre crying ouer the court whiche sayd this day is venime shed into y e church of God Before that tyme there was no Byshop gredy to take a cure For it was no honour and profite as it is now but onely a carefull charge which was lyke to cost him his lyfe at one tyme or other And therefore no man would take it but he that bare such a loue and zeale to God and his flocke that he could be content to shed his bloud for them But after that it was made so honorable and profitable they that were worst both in learnyng and lyuyng most laboured for it For they that were vertuous wold not entangle them selues with the vayne pride of this world and weare thrée crownes of gold where Christ dyd weare one of thorne And in conclusion it came so farre that who soeuer would geue most money for it or best could flatter the Prince which he knew wel all good men to abhorre had the preheminence and gote the best Byshoprike and then in stead of Gods word they published their own commaundements and made lawes to haue all vnder them and made mē beleue they could not erre what soeuer they dyd or sayd euen as in the rowmes and stede of Moses Aaron Eliazer Iosue Calib and other fayth full folke came Herode Annas Cayphas Pylate and Iudas whiche put Christ to death So now in the stede of Christ Peter Paule Iames and Iohn and the faythfull folowers of Christ we haue y e Pope Cardinals Archbyshops Byshops and proude Prelates with their Proctour the malitious ministers of their masters the deuill which notwithstandyng transforme them selues into a lykenes as though they were the ministers of righteousnes whose end shal be accordyng to their workes So that the body is cankered long agone and now are left but certaine small members whiche God of his puissaunt power hath reserued vncorrupted because they sée that they can not be cankered as their owne flesh is for pure anger they burne them lest if they cōtinued there might séeme some deformitie in their owne cankered carkase by the comparyng of these whole members to their scabed body Teacheth in a few leaues shortly al the poyson that Wickleff Oecolampadius Huskyn Tyndall and Zwynglius haue taught in all their bookes before Cōcerning the blessed Sacrament of the aulter not onely affirmyng it to very breade still as Luther doth but also as these other beastes do sayth it is nothing els And after the same Syr Thomas More saith These dregges hath he dronken of Wickleffe Oecolampadius Tyndall and Zwinglius and so hath he all that he argueth here beside which iiij what maner folke they be is metely well perceyued and knowen and God hath in part with hys open vengeaunce declared Luther is not the pricke that I run at but the scripture of God I do neither affirme nor deny any thyng because Luther so
draught But this meate y t I here receaue is spirituall meate receaued with fayth norisheth vs euerlastyngly both body soule neuer entreth into the draught And euē as before the outwarde eyen doe sée the bread yet the outward eyen doe not regarde that or thinke vpō it So likewise the outward man digesteth the bread casteth it into the draught And yet the inward man doth not regarde that nor thinke vppon it But thinketh on the thyng it selfe that is signified by that bread And therfore sayd Chrisostome euen a litle before the wordes whiche they here alleaged lift vp your minde hartes sayd hée whereby hée monisheth vs to looke vppon and consider those heauenly thinges which are represented and signified by the bread and wyne not to marke the bread and wyne in it selfe Here they will say vnto me that it is not Chrisostomes mynde for by his example hée playnly shewith that there remaneth no bread nor wyne that I deny For the example in this place proueth no more but y t ye shall not think on y t bread wine no more then if they were not there but onely on that thyng whiche is signified by them And that ye may euidently perceiue by the wordes folowyng where hée saith thinke that the misteries are cōsumed by the substance of the body Nowe whether Chrisostome thought that there remained bread or no both wayes shall our purpose bée proued First if hée thought there remained still bread and wyne then we haue our purpose Now if he thought that the bread wyne remayned not but were chaūged then are the bread and wyne neither mysteries nor Sacramentes of the body and bloud of Christ For that that is not can neither bée mystery nor Sacrament Finally if hée speake of y e outward appearaunce of bread then we know that that remaineth still is not consumed by the substaunce of the body And therfore hée must néedes bée vnderstanded as I take him I thinke many men wonder how I can dye in this article seyng that it is no necessary article of our fayth for I graunt that neyther parte is an article necessary to bée beléeued vnder payne of damnation but leaue it as a thyng indifferent to thynke therein as God shall instill in euery mans mynde and that neyther parte condemne other for this matter but receiue eche other in brotherly loue reseruing eche others infirmitie to god The cause of my death is thys because I can not in conscience abiure and sweare that our Prelates opinion of the sacrament that is that the substaunce of bread and wine is verely chaunged into the fleshe and bloud of our sauiour Iesus Christ is an vndoubted article of the fayth necessary to bée beléeued vnder payne of damnation Now though this opinion were indéede true which thing they can neither proue true by scripture nor doctours yet coulde I not in conscience graunt that it shoulde bée an article of the fayth necessary to bée beléeued c. For there are many verities which yet may bée no such articles of our fayth It is true that I lay in yrons when I wrote this howbeit I would not haue you to receaue thys truth for an article of our fayth For you may thinke the contrary without all ieopardy of damnation ¶ The cause why I can not beleeue their opinion of transmutation is this 1 FIrst because I thinke verely that it is false and can neither hée proued by scripture nor faythfull doctours if they bée well pondered 2 The second cause is thys because I will not bynde the congregation of Christ by mine example to admitte any necessarye Article beside oure Creede and specially none such as can not bée prooued true by Scripture And I say that the Church as they caule it can not compell vs to receaue any such articles to bée of necessitie vnder payne of damnation 3 The thirde cause is because I dare not bée so presumptuous in entering into Gods iudgement as to make the prelates in this pointe a necessary article of our fayth For then I should damnably condemne all the Germanes Almaines with infinite moe which in déede doe not beléeue nor thinke that the substaūce of bread and wine is chaunged into the substaūce of Christes naturall body And surely I can not bée so foolishe hardy as to condemne such an infinite number for our prelates pleasures Thus all the Germaynes and Almaynes both of Luthers side and also of Oecolampadius doe wholy approue my matter And surely I thinke there is no man that hath a pure conscience but hée will thinke that I dye righteously For that this transubstantiation should bée a necessary article of the faith I thinke no man can say it with a good conscience although it were true in déede By me Iohn Frith An exact and diligent Table wherby you may readely turne to any speciall matter that is contained in all Iohn Frithes bookes 1572. A. ABraham 20 Abrahames bosome what it signified 55 Abraham by faith dyd eate Christes bodye and drinke Christes bloud 109 Ambrose opinion of Purgatory 52 Antithesis betweene Christ and the Pope 97 Argumentes to proue that Christes naturall body is not in the Sacrament 142 Articles of our faith are to bee beleeued vpon payne of damnation 111 Articles of our fayth are as many as are necessary for our saluation 145 Augustine beyng 400. yeares after Christ doubted of Purgatory 32 Augustines opinion of purgatory 52 B. BAptisme defined what it is 92 Baptisme is the founteine of our new byrth 94 Bishopricke in the primatiue church was a charge and not a Lordshyp 116 Blasphemie to saye that Christes bloud is not the full remission of our sinnes 11 Blessyng what it is 154 Bookes of the Machabees are not Canonicall 37 Bookes agaynst Rastall 60 Boasting that is modest is commendable 64 Body of Christe eaten by our fathers and his bloud dronke 109 Body of Christ is no more in the Sacrament thē a mans face in the glasse 146 Brethren is an auncient name in the holy Scripture 114 Bread and wyne remayne in the Sacrament 117 Bread why it is called our body 160 C. CAuse of our blyndnes and grosse errours 3 Causes why the Sacramentes were first instituted 112 Ceremonies of some sortes are guydes vnto the knowledge of God 95 Christ onely hath satisfied for our sinnes 14. 15 Christes merites putteth out the fier of Purgatory 14. 17. 18 Christ is our Aduocate 17 Christes sacrifice onely taketh away sinne 17. 38 Christ onely is our head 43 Christes death hath ouercōmed our death 55 Christ was meeke and gentle 57 Christ onely is the meane to put away our sinnes 73 Christes bloud is the strength of our Baptisme 94 Christ and the Pope compared togither 97. 98. 99. 100. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106 Christ is not to bee eatē carnally but spiritually 118. 119 Christes wordes are spirituall and not carnall 124 Christe gaue
quicke witted and printe wisdome in hym and maketh it to abide where bare wordes go but in at the one eare and out at the other As this with such lyke sayings put salt to all your sacrifices in steade of this senteÌ„ce do all your dedes wyth discretion greeteth and biteth if it bee vnderstand more then plain wordes And when I say in stede of these wordes boast not your selfe of your good dedes eate not the bloud nor the fat of your sacrifice there is as greate difference betwene them as there is distance betwene heauen and earth For the lyfe and beauty of all good dedes is of God and we are but the caren lean we are onely the instrument whereby God worketh onely but the power is his As God created Paul a new poured hys wisdome into hym gaue hym might promised hym that his grace should neuer fayle him c. and al with out deseruinges except that nurtering the sayntes and making them curse rayle on Christ bee meritorious Now as it is death to eate the bloud or fatte of any sacrifice is it not thinke ye daÌ„nable to robbe God of hys honour to glorify my selfe with hys honour An exposition of certayne wordes of the fourth booke of Moses called Numeri AVims a kynde of Giauntes and the worde signifieth crooked vnright or weaked Beliall weaked or weakeuesse hee that hath cast the yoke of God of his necke and will not obey God Bruterer prophesies or southsayers Emims a kynde of gyantes so called because they were terrible and cruell for Emim signifieth terriblenes Enacke a kinde of Giauntes so called happly because they ware chaynes about their neckes Horims a kynde of Giauntes and signifieth noble because that of pride they called themselues nobles or gentles Rocke God is called a rocke because both he and hys word lasteth for euer Whet them on thy children that is exercise thy children in them and put them in vre Zamzumims a kynde of Gyauntes and signifieth mischeuous or that be alway imagining The Prologue into the fourth boke of Moses called Numeri IN the second and thirde booke they receaued the law And in this fourth they beginne to worke to practise Of whiche practising ye see manye good examples of vnbeliefe and what freewill doth when she taketh in hand to kepe y t law of her own power with out helpe of faith in y t promises of god how she leaueth her maisters carkasses by the way in the wildernesse and bringeth them not into the lande of rest Why could they not enter in Because of their vnbeliefe Hebrue 3. For had they beleued so had they bene vnder grace and their old sinnes had ben forgeueÌ„ them and power should haue bene geuen them to haue fulfilled the law thenceforth and they should haue bene kepte from all temptations that had bene to strong for them For it is writen Iohn 1. He gaue them power to be the sonnes of God thorow beleuyng in hys name Now to be y t sonne of God is to loue God and hys commaundementes and to walke in hys way after the ensample of hys sonne Christ But these people tooke vppon them to worke without fayth as thou seest in the 14. of this boke where they would fight and also did without the woorde of promise euen when they were warned that they shoulde not And in the 16. agayne they woulde please God with their holye faythlesse workes for where Gods woorde is not there can be no fayth but the fire of God consumed their holy workes as it did Nadab and Abihu Leuit. 10. And from these vnbeleuers turn thine eyes vnto the Pharises whiche before the commyng of Christ in hys fleshe had layde the foundation of freewyll after the same ensample Wheron they built holy workes after their owne imagination without fayth of y t word so feruently that for the great zeale of them they slewe the king of all holye workes and the lord of freewil which onely thorowe hys grace maketh the will free and looseth her from boÌ„dage of sinne and geueth her loue and luste vnto the lawes of God and power to fulfill them And so through their holy workes done by the power of freewil they excluded themselues out of the holy rest of forgeuenes of sinnes by fayth in the bloud of Christ And then looke on our hipocrites which in lyke manner followyng the doctrine of Aristotle and other hethen Paganes haue agaynst all the Scripture set vp freewill again vnto whose power they ascribe the kepyng of the commaundementes of God For they haue set vp wilfull pouerty of another maner then any is coÌ„maunded of god And y t chastitie of matrimony vtterly defied they haue set vp another wilful chastitie not required of God whiche they swere vowe and professe to geue God whether he wyll geue it them or no and compel all their disciples thervnto saying that it is in the power of euery mans freewill to obserue it contrary to Christ and his apostle Paul And the obedience of God and man excluded they haue vowed an other wilfull obedience condemned of all the scripture which they wil yet geue god whether he wyll or will not And what is become of their wilfull pouerty hath it not robbed the whole worlde and brought and vnder them Can there be either kyng or emperor or of whatsoeuer degree it be except he will hold of them and be sworne vnto them to be their seruaunte to goe and come at their lust and to defende â–ª their quarels bee they false or true Their wilful pouertie hath alredy eaten vp y â— who le world is yet stil gredier then euer it was in so muche that teune worldes mo were not inough to satisfie the honger thereof Moreouer besides daily corruptyng of other mens wiues and open whore dome vnto what abhominacions to filthy to be spoken of hath their voluÌ„tary chastitie brought them And as for their wilfull obedience what is it but the disobedience and the diffiaunce both of al the lawes of God and man in so much that if any Prince begyn to execute any law of man vpon them they curse him vnto the bottome of hâ—l proclayme him no right kyng and that hys Lordes ought no longer to obey hym and interdite his commoÌ„ people as they were heathen Turkes or Saracenes And if any man preach them gods law him they make an hereticke and burne him to ashes And in sieade of Gods lawe and mans they haue set vp one of their owne imagination whiche they obserue with dispensations And yet in these workes they haue so great confidence that they not onely trust to be saued therby and to be hyer in heauen then they y t be saued through Christ but also promise to all other for geuenâ—uâ— of their sinnes thorough the merites of the same Wherin they rest and teach other to rest also excludyng the whole world from the rest
Scriptures although S. Paule or Peter should preach it vnto vs as we see experience Actes xvij that whē Paule preached the audience dayly searched the Scriptures whether it were as he sayd But you haue bene of long continuance secluded from the scriptures whiche is cause of such grosse errours as ye are now fallen in so that ye could neither search them nor yet once looke on them Alas what blindnes doth occupy our eyes Are ye so childish to beleue that the same worde whiche hath made the vnfaythfull and heretickes faythfull and Christen in tymes past is nowe so farre altered that it should cause the faythfull and Christen to become heretickes I praye God open your eyes Howbeit wee may nowe well tast at our fingers endes that we haue long bene in that miserable case that Paule prophesied vppon vs. ij Thes ij that God hath sent vs strong delusions because we would not receaue y e knowledge of the truth what greater delusion can we haue then to thinke that the very woorde of God whiche was written for our comforte which is the very fode and sustenaunce of our soules whiche is the sure metyarde and perfect touchstone that iudgeth and examineth all thynges to thinke I saye that this wholesome worde should be our poyson and condemnation And all be it our forefathers haue lyued without it and receaued all for truth that our Prelates belyes haue imagined yet is not theyr fault ours a like although I can not excuse their ignoraunce but that it is sinne before the face of God for they had not the light of Gods word opened vnto thē Nowe sith we haue the light declared vnto vs and yet will procede in blynd ignorauncie and not conferre and examine these iugglyng mistes with the light of Gods word our ignoraunce is wilfull and without excuse Suffer therefore all thynges what soeuer they be to be tryed and examined by the Scripture If they be true then shall the Scripture doe them no hurt but stablish and strēgthen them for the Scripture discloseth nothyng but falsehead and cōdemneth nothyng but that is damnable And now to descend vnto our matter and disputation whiche is of Purgatory I shall shew you what occasiō I had to take it in hand I wrote a letter vnto a certaine frende in England desiryng hym instantly to send me certaine bookes which I though necessary for my vse and were not to be gotten in these parties as the Chronicles Syr Thomas Mores booke agaynst the Supplication of Beggers and certein other These bookes I receaued vpon S. Thomas day before Christmasse the yeare of our Sauiour a. M. ccccc xxx with a letter written in this forme Sir I haue sent you such bokes as you wrote for and one moe of Rastels makyng wherin he goeth about to proue Purgatory by naturall Philosophie whiche thyng quoth he I thinke be more easie to do thē to proue it by any good Scripture c. This stuffe receaued I was meruelously desirous and tickled to see what reasons he brought for his probations And in the begynnyng and Prologe of the booke he set seuen reasons which he sayd that fonde felowes alledged for thē to proue that there could be no Purgatory And in deede they are very fonde that would deny Purgatory if there were no better Argumentes to confute it then hee assigneth But by Gods grace I will propounde vij times seuen which shal haue such pith that their paineful purgatory shall not bee able to abyde the worst of them for these seuē that Rastell assigneth are not worth one Beane When I had read and well pondered these reasons I thought that hee should sharpely haue confuted thē as he might full well haue done specially sith they were but of his owne imagination Neuerthesse when I came vnto his solutions I founde not one but it had certaine poyntes repugnaūt vnto the Scripture vnto which our reason must euer be obediēt yea and also they were extremely iniurious vnto Christ and his precious bloud Then left I him read Syr Thomas Mores booke to see what Scripture might bee brought for that purpose and after that made I diligēt enquire to come by my Lord of Rochesters booke which also writeth on the same matter and when I had well examined their reasons and had sene the order and processe of the Scriptures whiche they alledged I founde that clearely verified whiche Aulus Gellius sayeth that it were a great deale better for a man to bee sharpely rebuked yea and openly to haue his faultes published of his enemy then to bee coldly and slenderly praysed of his frende For a mans enemy ensearcheth narrowly and gathereth together all that he can imagine and so accuseth a man more of a fumous heate then of any veritie and therfore the audience if they be wise consider his woordes therafter and so geue very small credence or els none vnto them But if a mans frende before audience doe prayse hym slenderly and coldly it is an argument that the person is very faultie for a frende beholdeth all qualities and circumstaunces his byrth bringyng vp what feates hee hath done all hys lyfe long yea and applieth many thynges vnto his frendes prayse whiche serue but sinally for it for he will leane nothing behynd that may be imagined to employ his frendes fame and honour Now if in all these pointes he can not colour out a glorious apparant laud but is compelled for lacke of matter to prayse his frēd slenderly then if the audiēce be wise they may soone cōiecture that he is no prayse worthy also may well doubt whether that small prayse which he gaue him be true or not Euē so when I had read these bookes of Syr Thomas More and my Lord of Rochester and saw the small probations slender reasons that those two witty and learned men had brought to confirme Purgatory considering also that they are the chiefest frendes proctours and patrones therof and that they had applied many reasons and Scriptures for their purpose for lacke of matter that rather made against them yea and not that onely but also that they dissented betwene them selues in their probations for M. More sayth that there is no water in Purgatory And my Lord of Rochester sayth that there is water Master More sayth that the ministers of the punishmēt are deuils And my Lord of Rochester sayth that the ministers of the punishment are aungels Master More sayth that both the grace and charitie of them that lye in the paynes of Purgatory are increased My Lord of Rochester saith that the soules in Purgatory obtain there neither more fayth nor grace nor charitie then they brought in with them These thynges cōsidered it made mine hart yerne and fully to cōsent that this their paynefull Purgatory was but a vayne imagination and that it hath of long time but deceaued the people and milked them from their
doe so to which know that Christ is come and that all oblations are ceased in hym shall we become Iewes and go backe agayne to the shadow and ceremonie sith we haue the body and significatiō whiche is Christ Iesue Be it that Iudas were a holy man might he not do yet amisse Be it in case that he dyd well shall we therfore straight wayes out of his worke ground an article of our fayth Dauid was an holy man yet committed he both murther and aduoutry shal we without further ensearchyng the Scriptures streightwayes folow his example Abraham was an holy man and was commaūded of God to offer his owne sonne shall we offer our children therfore Gedson and Iosue destroyed the vnfaythfull Kyngs and Princes and did well and were praysed of God Must we do so to And wherfore shall we more felow the example of Iudas thē of the other Shall I tell you why Verelye for this example of Iudas bringeth money vnto our spiritualty These xij thousād drachmas shyne so bright in their eyes y t without other cādle lanterne or spectacles they haue espyed an article of our fayth you may not consider that they haue taken this text of xij thousand drachmes for an Epistle in soule masses for then peraduēture you might fall into some shrewed suspection that they should do it of couetousnes which faulte can not be espyed in our spiritualtie as you know well inough He that holdeth any ceremony of the law as necessary is boūd to kéepe and fulfill the whole law This is euident of Paul Gal. 6. where he sayth If ye be circumcised then are ye debtours to fulfill the whole law That is if ye put any confidence in circumcision or recounte it as necessary for els it is of it selfe neither good nor euil then make you your selues boūde vnder the law which burthen neither we nor our fathers could beare and tempt God Act. xv And this sacrifice of Iudas was but a ceremony signified y t Christ should with his bloud quench our sinnes Ergo he that keepeth or coūteth this ceremony as necessary as are all the articles of the fayth doth captiue him self vnder the law and tempteth God to speake no more sharpely Yet will I go a litle nere vnto you Iudas hym selfe beleued not y t there was a Purgatory For in the tyme of the old Testament there was no purgatory as the Scholemen graūt themselues but onely a place of rest which they called Limbus patrum wherfore they are pitiously deceaued that will proue Purgatory by the textes of the old Testament sith as they say themselues there was no Purgatory at that tyme. Finally I cā not finde a place that of it selfe more properly cōfuteth this phantasticall Purgatory then doth this same texte whiche they sticke so sore to imaginyng that it stablisheth Purgatory The text saith on this maner except hee had hoped that they which were slayne should rise agayn It should séeme voyde and in vayne to pray for the dead If you fayne a Purgatory thē must this text néedes be false for be it in case that the dead should not rise agayne Now sayth the text that it were voyde in vayne to pray for the dead if they should not rise agayne But if there were a Purgatory wherein they should be purged and punished in the meane season then were it not in vayne to pray for them to deliuer them out of that payne but rather very frutefull and necessary although they should neuer ryse agayne And therfore if this text be of authoritie is it impossible that there should be any Purgatory neither is there any text that in my iudgement can better vndermine Purgatory and make it fall Peraduenture you desire to know my mynde in this place and that I should expoūd vnto you what Iudasment in his oblatiō sith he thought of no Purgatory as y t foresayd text doth well specifie Verely I thinke that Iudas beleued that there should be a resurrection as this text praysed hym saying thinkyng well and deuoutly of the resurrection For among the Iewes there were many that beleued not the resurrection of our flesh and they that beleued it were yet so rude and ignoraūt that they thought they should ryse but to obtayne a carnall kyngdome haue their enemyes subdued vnder them without rebellion And thereto sticke the Iewes vnto this day And it is most lyke that this should be his meanyng we shall all ryse agayne and possesse this land in peace and these men which are slaine are out of the fauour of God because they haue contrary to the law Deut. vij Take of the idols oblations therfore is it best that we send a sacrifice vnto Ierusalem to pacifie the wrath of God towardes them lest whē they rise againe the Lord should send some plague amongest vs for their trāsgressiō which they committed while they were here lyuyng If any mā can better gesse I am wel cōtent to admit it but this is playne inough he thought that this sacrifice could not helpe thē before they should rise agayne which doth fully destroy Purgatory For where he sayth that it were voyde in vayne to pray for the dead excepte they should ryse agayne Is euen as much to say vnto hym that hath any witte as that this prayer sacrifices can do them no good before they be risen agayne from death for els were it not in vayne to praye for them although they should neuer ryse agayn As by example if I say to a man that he shall neuer obtayne his purpose except he should sue to the kings grace it is euen as much to say to a mā that hath any wytte as he shall neuer obtaine his purpose before he hath sued to the kynges hyghnes Master More goeth about to iest them out of countenaunce which say that the booke of Machabées is not autētike because it is not receaued in y t Canon of the Hebrues and sayth that by this reason we may also denye the booke of Sapience proue our selues insipientes but verely if he admitte the booke of Sapience to be true and autentike I feare me it will go nye to proue hym an insipient for grauntyng that there is a Purgatory Read the. 45. argument agaynst Rastell then iudge whether I say true or not Hetherto haue I let slyp our shoteanker and haue runne the Seas with hym grauntyng him for his pleasure that this booke should be of as good authority as Esay Not that the Church or holy Doctours or any wise man supposeth it of so good authoritie but onely to sée what conclusion might be brought vpon it that once graūted And if any man would require my iudgement as concerning this booke I would shortly aunswere that either this booke is false and of no authoritie or els that Christ his Apostles all holy Doctours Scholemen therto are false and without
Now let vs consider your foresayd causes ponder whether your booke haue or may do any such good as you say pretended whether it haue conuerted those sortes of people or els be any thyng lykely to do such a fact And first let vs sée what it profiteth y t first sort which are infidels not beleuyng in Christ nor his scripture Our sauiour Christ sayth he that beleueth is not damned Iohn Baptist confirmeth the same saying he that beleueth in y e sonne hath euerlastyng lyfe but he that beleueth not in the sonne shal not sée life but the wrath of God abydeth vpon hym Here it is euidēt not by my exposition but by the consent of all Christen men that those infidels are damned for what entent then should Rastell teach them that there is a Purgatory without Christ ther is no way but dānation as scripture all faythfull men testifie Then would I know by what way he wold persuade that there were a Purgatory which should be away a meane to saluation and not to damnatiō for thē which beleue not in Christ This I am sure of and I thinke Rastell be leueth it also that the infideles shall neuer come in it though there were one This you may sée that his first cause is very vayne and that if they dyd beleue it they were in déede deceyued Now let vs procéede vnto the second sort of people which beleue in Christ and his scripture and yet misconstrue it expoundyng it after theyr own willes And let vs sée what frute they take of this booke what it profiteth them we shall finde that it lesse serueth these men then the first for if this men beleue in Christ and in hys Scripture then is it not possible that they should receaue or admitte that thyng which is agaynst the Scripture both by the exposition of them selues of all the world For this is both agaynst Scripture and all faithfull mē that there should be any way to health if we exclude Christ and hys Scripture And sith Purgatory is counted away to health he that would go about to proue it secludyng Christ and Scripture is agaynst Scripture and all faythfull men Besides that if they be so obstinate that they will not receaue the verye Scripture but expounde it after their own willes wrest it after the same then wil they much lesse receaue your booke which is so playne agaynst scripture therfore if you would thinke that they could bee tamed by your booke which notwithstandyng so wresteth Scripture then may I very wel lyken you to hym that hath a wilde horse to tame which when he perceiueth that hee can not hold hym with a scoktishe snafle will yet labour to breake him with a rootē twine threde So that I can espye no maner of profite that cā come of your booke if you can alledge no better causes then you yet shew but that it had bene a great deale better vnwritten And brother Rastel where you say that I auaunce boast my selfe much more then becommeth me and that I detract and slaūder my neighbours that I prouoke all men that read my booke rather to vyce then to vertue with such other thynges as ye lay to my charge I trust I shall declare my inconuenience and geue you a sufficient aunswere ¶ An aunswere to Rastels first chapter which reproueth me for boastyng my selfe IN the first chapter of this booke Rastell laboureth to proue that I am sore ouer séene in laudyng boastyng my selfe that I lyke my selfe so well that he is sure that other men do lyke me the lesse and that he feareth that God will therfore lyke me fauour me rather the worse then the better Here he iuggeleth wyth me and would make me beleue that he tossed me mine own ball agayne but when I beholde it I perceaue it to be none of mine for he hath cut out all that shoulde make for me so that he hath geuen it cleane an other shape then euer I entended that it should haue as it appeareth by hys writing which rehearseth my words in this maner I am sure there are many that maruell that I being so yong dare attempt to dispute thys matter agaynst these thrée persons But my wordes are these I am sure that there are many that will much maruell that I being so yong and of so smal learning dare dispute this matter c. Here Rastell leaueth out the wordes and of so small learning for if he had put that in he had bewrayed himselfe For I thincke no man so mad as to say that he which sayeth himselfe to be both yong and of small learning shoulde prayse and boaste hym selfe Also immediatly after the wordes of hys first allegation I say on thys maner And as touching my lerning I must needes acknowledge as the truth is that it is very small which I thinke is but a base boasting and anone after I say I would not that any man should admit my wordes or learning except they will stand wyth the scripture and be approued therby Lay them to the touchstone and trye them with Gods word if they be found false and contrary then damne them and I also shall reuoke them with all mine hart c. Finally I exhorted them to read my booke not aduertising who speaketh the wordes but rather what is spoken by which wordes you might well see that I entended not to boast my selfe and all this haue I written and be left it out euē in the first page as he calleth it wherin he reporteth that I boast my selfe Notwithstanding one thing doth sore vexe him that I should recite the Epistle of S. Paule wherby he saith I would haue men beleue that I had the spirite of God and thinke that though I be young that I sée visions and espye the truth and that myne elders haue dreamed dreames and wandered in phantasies Thys he recounteth to be a great boast and that thys one place shoulde winne him the fielde whereunto I aunswer that indéede my wordes do not proue that thing which you séeme so surely to gather of them but my wordes do argue on this maner that no man ought to condemne a thing before he read it and then to geue sentence and because you séeme ignoraunt in the matter I shall declare it vnto you and how it standeth It is a coulour of Rhetorike and is called Auantopodosis that is to saye An aunswere to an obiection that a man might haue here made on thys maner thou grauntest thy self yong and of so small learnyng doost thou then thinke that we shall once read or regard thy booke specially sith it is written against auncient mē both of great wit dignity To these two pointes I aunswer preuenting theyr obiection that they should not despise it because of my youth for as the spirite of God is bound to
no place euen so is he not addict to any age or person but enspyreth where he will when he will and bring in for an example that he enspyred yong Timothy prouing thereby that the youth of it selfe is not to be despised but according to the learning which it bringeth and that therfore they may not despise my youth but first read what doctrine I bring and therafter to iudge it No more in this I proue not that I am enspyred and haue the spirite of God as Timothie had but onely proue that God may enspyre youth as he did Tymothe and that therefore ye ought first to read before you condemne for you know not who is enspyred and who not vntill you haue read theyr workes or séene theyr factes Thus you may sée that my wordes define not that all youth is enspired although some may be but I exhort that no man despise prophesies but proue all and approue that is good And to make the matter more playne I shall bring you an example out of Paule to the Hebrues which exhorteth them to hospitalitie for by that some men vnwares haue receaued Angels to harbour be not therefore vnmindfull of it Here Paule exhorteth you to hospitalitie and shewing you that by those meanes some men haue receaued angels into their house he would not haue you thinke y t all the gestes that you shall receaue shall be angels but some shall be leud losels And likewise I in exhorting you to read my booke and not despising my youth because that sometime God enspireth the yong would not haue you thinke that the bookes made of yong men which ye shall receaue shall be holesome doctrine but some men be lewd and vnfruitfull neuerthelesse euen as if they receaued not those gests they should also put away angels if any came So if you despise to read such bookes as be written by young men you may also fortune to despise them which are written by the inspiration of Christes spirit and therefore ye ought to read But be it in case I had indéed praised my selfe as I haue not and that I had sayd that I had the Spirite of God what inconuenience should folow thereof would you therof argue that my doctrine were false If that were a good argument then were Christes Doctrine false then were Paule a false prophet and our fayth nothing for Christ said to the Iewes that he was the light of the worlde And againe he sayd It is my Father that glorified me whome ye call your God Now if it had bene a sufficient argument to condemne hys doctrine because the world calleth it boasting thē should we haue beleued no truth at all Besides that Paul séemeth not a little to boast him selfe if men looke on it with a carnall eye for he sayth that he thincketh not him selfe inferiour vnto y t hyest Apostles and sayth againe that if they glory to be the ministers of Christ though he speake vnwisely he is more copious in labours in stripes aboue measure in prison more often often at the poynt of death c. Should we for these words thinke that his doctrine were not right Nayverely that doth not improue the doctrine but that it may be good holesome for a man may boast him selfe do well so he referre y t prayse to God from whom all goodnes commeth but be it in case that I should say that God of hys mere mercy and for the loue that he oweth me in Christ and hys bloud had geuen me hys spirite that I might be to his laude prayse to whom be thankes for euer Amen would you thinke that this were so greate a boastyng that the doctrine should be impayred therby Ah blinde guides I pray God geue you the light of vnderstandyng I beseche you brother Rastell be not discōtent with me if I aske you one question be ye a Christen man or no I am sure you will aunswere yes then if I brought you the text of Paule which sayth he that hath not y t spirite of God is none of his I pray you how will you auoyde it notwithstādyng if you wold auoyde y t text yet will I lay an other blocke in the way that you shal not be able to remoue and that is the saying of Paule 2. Corin. 13. Know ye not your selues that Christ is in you except ye be reprobate persons now how soeuer you would iudge of your selues I thinke verely that I am no such therfore whereas before I dyd not so write Now I certifie you that I am Christes cōclude what ye wil the day shall come that you shall surely know that so it is albeit in meane season I be reputed a laughyng stoke in this world for I know in whom I trust and he can not deceaue me Then bryngeth he against me that I say we haue bene long secluded frō the Scripture and also that our fore fathers haue not had y t light of Gods word opened vnto them I maruell what Rastell meaneth by bryngyng this for his purpose for I thinke it no boastyng of my selfe but if ye thinke that it be vntrue I thinke he is very blynde For what Scripture hath the poore commons bene admitted vnto euen til this day It hath bene hid and locked vp in a straunge tounge and from them that haue attayned the knowledge of that toung hath it bene locked with a thousand false gloses of Antichristes makyng and innumerable lawes And where I say our forefathers haue not had the light of Gods worde opened vnto them I meane that they haue not the Scripture in their owne mother toung that they might haue conferred these iugglyng mistes with the light of Gods word as the processe of my wordes can testifie which he hath holy left out but I besech the Christē reader once to read the place for my discharge and his confusion ye shall finde it in the secōd leafe of my booke And now he alledgeth agaynst me that I should say this iudge Christen reader what reasons Rastell hath brought and how he hath soluted thē for in my minde both his reasons and solutions are so childish and vnsauery so vnlearned and baren so full of faultes and phantasies that I rather pitie the mans déepe ignoraunce and blyndnes which hath so deceiued him selfe through Philosophie and naturall reason then I feare that he by his vayne probations should allure any man to consent vnto hym I thinke Rastell layeth not this agaynst me because I boast my selfe in these wordes And verely as touchyng the truth of those woordes I will adde thus much more vnto thē that I neuer wyst man y t was coūted wise whiche hath brought so slender reasons except he entended to destroy a thing which ye séeme to haue build And finally where as I exhorte all men to iudge and conferre the Scriptures which Syr Thomas
signification and sought their health and righteousnes in the bodely worke and in the sacrifice it selfe then were they abhominable in the sight of God and then he cryed out of them both by the Prophet Dauid and Esay And likewise it is with our Sacramentes let vs therefore séeke vp the significations and go to the very thing which the sacrament is set to present vnto vs. And there shal we finde such fruitfull foode as shall neuer fayle vs but comfort our soules into life euerlastyng Now will I in order answer to M. Mores booke and as I finde occasion geuen me I shall indeuoure my selfe to supply that thyng which lacked in the first treatise and I trust I shall shewe such lyght that all men whose eyes the Prince of this worlde hath not blynded shall perceiue the truth of the scriptures and glory of Christ And where as in my first treatise the truth was set forth with all simplicitie and nothing armed against the assault of sophisters that haue I somewhat redressed in this booke haue brought bones filte for their téeth which if they be to busie may chaunce to choke them ¶ Thus beginneth the Preface of M. Mores booke IN my most harty wyse I recommende me vnto you and send you by this bringer the wryting againe which I receiued from you Whereof I haue bene offered a cople of copies mo in the mean while as late as ye wot well it was Deare brethren consider these wordes and prepare you to the crosse that Christ shall lay vppon you as ye haue oft bene counsaylled For euen as when the Wolfe howleth y e shéepe had nede to gather thēselues to their shepheard to be deliuered from the assault of the bloudy beast likewyse had you nede to slye vnto the shepheard of your soules Christ Iesus to sell your coates and buye his spirituall sworde which is the word of God to defende and deliuer you in this present necessitie for now is the tyme that Christ tolde vs of Math. x. that he was come by his worde to set variaunce betwene the sonne and his father betwene the daughter and her mother betwene the daughter in lawe and her mother in lawe that in a mans owne householde shall be his enemies But be not dismayde nor thinke it no wonder for Christe those twelue and one of them was y e Deuill and betrayed his master And we that are his disciples may loke for no better than he had himself for the scholer is not aboue his mayster Saint Paule protesteth y e he was in perill among false brethren surely I suppose that we are in no lesse ieopardye For if it be so that hys mastership receiued one copye and had a cople of copyes moe offered in the meane while then may ye be sure that there are many false brethren which pretend to haue knowledge in déede are but pykethankes prouiding for their bellye prepare ye therfore clokes for the weather waxeth cloudy and rayne is like to followe I meane not false excuses and forswearing of your selues but that ye loke substantially vpon Gods worde that you may be able to answere their subtle obiections And rather chuse manfully to dye for Christ and hys worde than cowardlye to deny hym for thys vayne and transitory lyfe cōsidering that they haue no further power but ouer this corruptible bodye which if they put it not to death must yet at y e length perish of it selfe But I trust the Lord shall not suffer you to be tēpted aboue that you may beare but according to y e sprite that he shall poure vppon you shall he also sende you the scourge and make hym that hath receiued more of the sprite to suffer more and him that receiueth lesse thereof to suffer according to his Talent I thought it necessary first to admonishe you of this matter and now I will recite more of M. Mores boke Whereby men may see how gredely these newe named brethren writeit out secretly spread it abroade The name is of great antiquitie although you liste to ieste For they were called brethrē ere our Bishops were called Lordes and had y e name geuen them by Christ saying Math. xxiij all ye are brethren And Luke y ◠xxij Confirme they brethren And the name was cōtinued by the Apostles and is a name that nourisheth loue amitie And very glad I am to heare of their gredy affection in writing out and spreading abroade the worde of God for by that I do perceiue the prophesie of Amos to haue place which sayth In the person of God I will send hunger and thyrste into the earth not hunger for meate nor thurst for drinke But for to here the word of God Now begynneth the kyngdome of heauen to suffer violence Now runne the poore Publicanes which knowledge them selues sinners to the word of God puttyng both goodes and body in ieoperdy for the soule health And though our Byshops do call it heresie and all them heretickes that hunges after it yet do we know that it is the Gospell of the lyuyng God for the health and saluation of all that beleue And as for the name doth nothing offēde vs though they call it heresie a thousand tymes For S. Paule testifieth that the Phariseis and Priestes which were counted the very Church in hys tyme dyd so call it and therefore it foreceth not though they ruling in their rowmes vse the same names Which young mā I here say hath lately made diuers other thynges that yet runne in hoker moker so close amōg the brethren that there commeth no copies abroad I aunswere that surely I can not spynne and I thinke no mā more hateth to be idle then I do Wherfore in such thynges as I am able to doe I shal be diligēt as long as God lendeth me my lyfe And if ye thinke I be to busie you may rid me the sooner for euen as the shéepe is in the butchers handes ready bound and looketh but euen for the grace of the butcher whē he shall shed his bloud Euen so am I bounde at the Byshops pleasures euer lookyng for the day of my death In so much that playne worde was sent me that the Chauncelour of Lōdon sayd it should cost me the best bloud in my body whiche I would gladly were shed to morow if so be it might open the kyngs graces eyen And verely I maruell that any thing can runne in hoker moker or be hyd from you For sith you mought haue such store of copyes concernyng the thyng whiche I most desired to haue ben kept secret how should you then lacke a copye of those thynges which I most would haue published And hereof ye may be sure I care not though you and all the Byshops with in England looke on all that euer I wrote but rather would be glad that ye so dyd
the fayth and many a sléepe and haue lost their fayth in Christes bloud for lacke of remembraunce of his body breaking bloud shedding yea not that onely but many were weake and sicke euen striken with bodelye diseases for abusing y e sacrament of his body eating the bread with their téeth and not his body with their hart and minde and peraduenture some slayne for it by the stroke of God which if they had truely iudged and examined thē selues for what intent they came thither and why it was instituted should not haue béene so iudged and chastened of the Lorde For the Lorde doth chasten to bring vs vnto repentaunce and to mortifie our rebellious mēbers that we may remember hym Here ye may shortly perceyue the mynde of Paule An Epitome and short rehearsall of all this booke shewing in what poyntes Frith dissenteth from our Prelates NOw to be short in these thrée poyntes Frith dissenteth frō our Prelates and from M. More which taketh vpon hym to be their proctor 1. Our Prelates beléeue that in the Sacrament remaineth no bread but that it is turned into the naturall body of Christ both fleshe bloud and bones Frith sayth that it is no article of our Crede and therefore let them beléeue it that will And he thinketh that there remayneth bread still and that he proueth thrée maner of wayes First by y e scripture of Paule whiche calleth it bread saying the bread which we breake is it not the fellowship of the body of Christ For we though we bee many are yet one body and one bread as many as are partakers of one bread And againe he sayth as often as ye eate of thys bread or drinke of thys cup you shall shew the Lordes death vntil he come Also Luke calleth it bread saying in the Actes they continued in the fellowship of the Apostles and in the breaking of the bread prayer Also Christ called the cup the fruite of a vyne saying I shall not from hence forward drinke of the fruite of the vyne vntill I drinke that new in the kingdome of my father Furthermore nature doth teache you that both the bread and wine cōtinue in their nature For the bread mouldeth if it be kept long yea and wormes bréede in it and the poore mouse will runne away with it and eate it ' which are euidence inough that there remayneth bread Also the wine if it were reserued would waxe sower as they confesse them selues and therefore they housell the lay people but with one kinde onely because the wine can not continue nor be reserued to haue ready at hand when néede were And surely as if there remayned no bread it could not mould nor waxe full of wormes euen so if there remayned no wine it could not waxe sower And therefore it is but false doctrine that our prelates so lōg haue taught and published Finally y e there remayneth bread might be proued by the authoritie of many Doctors which call it bread and wine euen as Christ and hys Apostles did And though some sophisters would wrest their saying and expoūd them after their owne phantasie yet shall I alleage thē one Doctor which was Pope that maketh so playne with vs that they shall neuer bee able to auoyde them For Pope Gelasius writeth on thys maner Certe sacramenta quae sumimus corporis sanguinis Christi diuinae res sunt propter quod per eadem diuinae efficimur consortes naturae Et tamen non desinit esse substantia vel natura panis vini sed permanet in suae proproprietate naturae Et certe imago similitudo corporis sanguinis Christi in actione mysteriorum celebrantur That is to say Surely the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ which we receaue are a godly thing and therefore through them are we made partakers of the godly nature And yet doth it not cease to bee the substance or nature of bread and wine but they continue in the propertie of their owne nature And surely the image and similitude of the body and bloud are celebrated in the acte of the mysteryes Thys I am sure that no man can auoyde it nor so wrest it but that all men shall soone espye hys folly and therefore I may conclude that there remayneth the substaunce and nature of bread and wine The second poynt wherin Frith dissenteth from our Prelates and their Proctor THe Prelates beléeue that hys very fleshe is present to the téeth of them that eate the sacrament and that the wicked eate hys very body Frith sayth that it is no article of our Créede and therefore hée reckoneth that hee is in no ieoperdy though hee beleeue it not And hee thinketh that his fleshe is not present vnto the téeth of them that receaue the Sacrament For hys flesh is onely in one place at once And y t hée proueth both by y t authoritie of S. Austen ad Dardanum and also by the authoritie of Fulgentius ad Thrasuuandum lib. 20. as before appeareth in y t booke And Frith sayth that the wicked eate not hys very fleshe although they receaue the sacrament And that hée proueth by the Scripture Doctors and good reason grounded vpon the scriptures The Scripture is this hée that eateth Christes body hath euerlasting life but the wicked hath not euerlasting life ergo then the wicked eate not his body Agayne the Scripture sayth hée that eateth Christes fleshe and drinketh hys bloud abydeth in Christ and Christ in hym but y t wicked abyde not in Christ nor Christ in him ergo the wicked eate not hys fleshe nor drinke hys bloud Thys may also bée confirmed by good authoritie For S. Austen sayth hée that abydeth not in Christ and in whom Christ abydeth not without doubt hée eateth not hys fleshe nor drinketh hys bloud although hée eate and drinke the sacrament of so great a thing vnto hys damnation And euen the same wordes hath Beda vpon the x. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians Agayne S. Austen sayth hée that abydeth not in me and in whom I abyde not let hym not say nor thinke that hée eateth my body or drinketh my bloud And euē the same wordes hath Beda vpon the vi chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians And euen y e same sentēce hath Ambrose and Prosper and Beda vpon the xi chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians Finally thys may bée proued by good reason grounded vpon the scripture Christ would not suffer Mary though shée loued hym well to touch hym because shée lacked one poynt of fayth and dyd not beléeue that hée was equall with his father And therfore by reason it must follow that hée will not suffer the wicked which neither haue good faith nor loue towards hym both to touch hym and eate him into their vncleane bodyes Now sith thys is proued true that the