do and renne at riote with your doctryne Awaye from us ye wicked the commaundementes of our god will we kepe and not yours Standish Which toke oure synnes on him penam pro peccatis j. Pet. ij et cet Couerdale Ye taught afore wresting many scriptures for your purpose that euery man must satisfie for the punishment belonginge vnto sinne and now ye graunt that Christ toke the paine vpō him therfore As much hold is there at your doctryne as at an elys tale Standish But we haue moo meanes concernyng intercession et cet Couerdale The scripture is manifest that euery one of us in this life is boūd to praie for another and dailie occasions haue we of such peticions and exhortacions as appertayne to oure estate As for praiēg to saintes that be out of this life Ye haue myne answere allready Barnes NOtwithstonding whether they praye for us or no that I referre to god Standish A good Christē man wold haue gone no further then the congregacion of Christes church that is to saie in this region the kinges maiesty with his lerned counsaill Couerdale Like as your vnreuerent handling of the holy scriptures afore rehearced and your wicked doctrine against the same declareth you to be none of Christes church vnlesse ye repent and turne so do ye here exempte youre selfe from that holy congregacion Maruaill not therfore though whan I se you folowe your vnholy mother and not Christes deare spouse I call you now and then her owne whyte sonne In this region of England ye saie the congregaciō of Christes church is the Kynges Maiestie with his lerned counsaill But is this a sufficient diffinicion what a comforte is this now for so many of the Kynges subiectes both lerned and vnlerned to heare that they are not of Christes congregacion Is it a greate consolacion for the foote to be none of the body Ye repute D. Barnes no good Christen man because he wolde not define whether sayntes praie for us or no but referred that vnto god and not to the Kynges maiestie and his lerned counsaill What will ye make of the Kynges grace A prince that had rather haue secrete thinges referred vnto him then vnto god the onely knower of all secretes Or do ye esteme the Kynges lerned counsaill to be such men as will geue iudgment in thinges that be not euident Or thinke ye them to be ignoraunt of the scripture which forbyddeth men to search out or to medle with secrete thinges that god hath not commaunded Barnes ANd yf saintes do praie for you thē I trust within this halfe hour to praie for you M. sheriffe and for euery Christē man liuing in the faith of Christ and dyenge in the same as a saynt Wherfore yf the deed maye praye for the quicke then I will surely praye for you Standishe O damnable presumpcion et cetera Couerdale Because this man trusted thorow the onely mercy of god in Christ to passe from this death vnto life ye note damnable presumpcion arrogaunt presumpcion and presumptuous arrogaūcy in him And because ye maye seme to haue scripture to proue that D. Barnes wolde temerously appoynte and determyne the tyme himselfe for his so sayeng ye bringe in quod pater posuit in sua potestate as right as a rammes horne and as nye to the purpose as Pauls steple and mount Falcon. At the tyme of the ascension of oure sauyoure whan the Apostles were come together they asked him and sayde Lord shalt thou at this tyme set vp the kyngdome of Israel agayne He sayd vnto them It belongeth not vnto you to knowe the tymes and seasons which the father hath kepte in his awne power et cetera A like answere to such another question geueth he in another place and saieth Of that daye and houre knoweth no man no not the angels of heauen but the father onely What maketh this now to proue that he which acordinge to Christes promes trusteth to pas from this death to life doth temerously appoynt and determine the same time daye or season which our Sauyoure there speaketh of Or that he is either presumptuous or arrogaunt which acording to the ensample of holy scripture is certaine and sure that after the destruction of his body he hath an euerlastinge dwelling in heauen Haue ye not now alledged the scripture well to the purpose Ye wold haue men beleue as it appeareth by you doctrine that whan they departe hence they shall go from the hall in to the kytchen or els in to the whole kylle of your purgatory Standish Loke what case he is in that thus ended his life et cet Couerdale To proue here that saintes praie for us in heauen ye make a long disputacion and with the scriptures ye do as ye were wont They haue loue yet ye saie and therfore they praye for us and are our aduocates I answere The same places of scripture that ye bringe in your selfe are moost against you for they declare manifestly that it is the office of Christ to make intercession for us and that he is with the father oure aduocate which opteineth grace for our sinnes The saintes then that be in heauen knowinge this eternall will of god loue us not so that they desyre to be nether can they be against it It is a token that your doctryne hath but a weake foundacion whan ye go aboute to proue it by a dreame yee and that out of such a boke as serueth not for the confirmacion of the doctryne of Christes church for though it be red among the stories of other bokes yet dyd not the church receaue it among the Canonical scriptures in S. Hieroms tyme. Nether can ye proue that boke laufull by anye sayeng of Christ for thorow out all the new Testament he maketh mencion of none but of the lawe the Prophetes and the Psalmes and byddeth not search anye other scriptures but such as beare recorde and testimonye of him The xv of Ieremy proueth as doth also the vij the xj the xiiij of his boke that god will not be intreated where his worde is troden vnder foote and where men will nedes spurne agaynst it And verely in all the scripture could ye not haue brought in a more manifest place to cōfute your owne doctrine if it be compared to the xiiij of Ezechiel The xvj of Luke proueth nothing for your purpose in that Abraham praied not to god whan he was desired But like as it proueth that ther is no redempcion in hell ner time of acceptable repentaunce and forgyuenesse after this life So proueth it euidently that we ought to holde us to the onely word and scripture of god and not to loke for other doctrynes visions dreames or reuelacions The place Apoca. vj. proueth that the voyce of Abels bloude and of such as are slayne for the worde of god cryeth vengeaunce from the erth and vnder the altare as S.
A confutacion of that treatise which one John Standish made agaynst the protestacion of D. Barnes in the yeare M. D. XL. Wherin the holy scriptures peruerted and wrested in his sayd treatise are restored to their owne true vnderstonding agayne by Myles Couerdale Iacobi iij. Nolite gloriari mendaces esse aduersus ueritatem To the Reader To all them that either reade or heare gods holy worde and geue ouer them selues to lyue vnfannedly acording to the same do I hartely wysshe the grace peace and mercy of god the father in and thorow oure lorde and onely Sauioure Iesus Christ THe seuenth daye of Decembre was delyuered vnto me a certayne treatyse composed by one Iohn Standish Felow of Whittington college in londoÌ„ so is the tytle of it and prynted by Robert Redeman Anno M. D. XL. iij. Nonas Octobris At the reading wherof I mourned sore within my selfe for certayne occasions offred vnto me in the sande treatyse First that vnder the Kynges priuilege any thing shuld be set forth which is either agaynst the worde and trueth of allmightye god or agaynst the Kynges honoure Secondlye that good wholsome and Christen wordes shulde be calumpniated and reuyled Thirdly that the sayde Iohn Standish pronouncyng Doctoure Barnes to haue taught heresye so longe is not ashamed all this whyle to haue hold his penne but now first to wryte agaynst him whan he is deed et ce As touching the first whether I haue cause to mourne or no I reporte me to all true Christen hertes for as I am credibly enfourmed and as I partly haue sene there is now a wonderful diuersite in writing bokes and balates in England one enueyenge agaynst another one reuylinge and reprouyng another one reioysinge at anothers fall and aduersite And not onely this but also at the ende of euery balate or boke in maner whether it be the better partye or worse is set the Kynges priuilege Which as it is agaynst the glorye of god that one shulde reuyle another Is it not euen so agaynst the Kynges honoure Yee the shame is it of all Englande that vnder his priuilege anye erroneous contentious or slaunderous boke or papyre shulde be prynted Men wonder in other contrees that ther is so greate negligence of this matter in a realme where so wyse and prudent a counsail is â–ª And they that are moued with godly compassioÌ„ do lament Englande sory that ther is so great discencion in it sory that blasphemous ieasting and raylinge balates or bokes agaynst the manifest worde of god shulde either be suffred or priuilegied sory that gods trueth shulde thus spitefully be intreated of so greate a nombre Now the reformacion of this and all other defaultes lyeth onely in the hande of god To whom I referre it and to the rightfull admynistracion of his holy ordinauÌ„ce and auctorite in the kynges hyghnesse who whan he knoweth of the saide inconuenience how tryflinge and raylinge bokes and rymes are prynted vnder his priuilege wyll no doubte set a redresse herein Concernyng the seconde occasion aboue rehearced Is it not cause ynough forme and all other Christen to be right sory to mourne and lamente that the wordes which are good wholsome and acordinge to the holy scripture and Chrisies faith shulde be either blasphemed or taken to the worst Yf the Kynges grace shulde put forthe an wholsome proclamacion iniunction or commaundement as he doth many what true subiecte louynge gods holy ordinaunce and auctorite in his prynce wold not be greue to se anye man either spytt at those his soueraignes wordes or to defye them Yf we now which are Christen haue so iust occsion and are bownde to be thus wise mynded in this outward regiment wherein god hath appoynted us to be obedient to the hyer powers how much more cause haue we to water our eyes with sory hertes whan the proclamacion iniunction coÌ„maundement and worde of him which is kyng of all Kynges and lord of all lordes is thus reuyled and euell spoken of That the wordes of D. Barnes spoken at tbe houre of his death and here vnder written are good wholsome acording to gods holy scripture and not worthy to be euell taken It shalbe euidently sene whan we haue layed theÌ„ to the twych stone and tryed them by gods worde To the open text wherof yf ye take good hede ye shal se the peruerse doctryne and wycked opynions of Standish clerely confuted And no doubte god wyll so haue it because that vnder the pretence of bearing a zeale toward gods worde he taketh apon him to be iudge and geuer of sentence agaynst gods worde and to condemne it that gods worde aloweth And this as I sayde is another cause of the sorynesse of my hert that he which darre auowe another man to be an opeÌ„ heretike is not ashamed thus longe nether to haue written ner openly preached agaynst him by name but now to starte vp whan he is deed Is it not a greate worshippe for him to wrestle with a shadow and to â—â—ll a deed man Is he not a worthy souldyer that all the battayll tyme thrusteth his hand in his bosome and whan meÌ„ are deed then draweth out his swerde and fighteth with them that are slayne allreadye Iudge ye gentle readers yf Standish playeth not such a parte with D. Barnes To whom also he imputeth treason and yet proueth neuer a poynte therof agaynst him Yet were it as charitable a dede to confute all treason and to geue us warnynge of it by name as either to establishe false doctryne or to enueye agaynst good sayenges Yee a Christen and charitable acte were it in reprouyng anye traytoure to tell the Kynges subiectes in what thing he committed the treason that they maye beware of the same But thus doth not Standishe here in this his treatise which because it is buylded on sande and on a false foundacioÌ„ I doubte not but with gods worde which is the swerde of the sprete and a weapen mighty to ouerthrow euery ymaginacion that exalteth it selfe agaynst the knowlege of god To geue it a fall and with holy scripture to shewe euydently that Standishe hath farre ouershott himselfe in condemnynge the sayenges which gods word doth not disalowe He that wolde wryte agaynst anye man shulde leuell his ordinaunce agaynst his euell wordes yf he had spoken or written anye and not agaynst his good wordes ffor god is the authoure of all good which as his holy scripture aloweth so will he himselfe defende the same He that is therfore an enemye to the thinge which is good or resisteth it is gods aduersary and withstondeth him Wherfore let Standish froÌ„ hensforth and all other beware that they take no parte agaynst gods worde ner defende any false matter lest god be the auenger ffor yf the lyon begynne to roare he will make all his enemies afrayed And yf D. Barnes dyed a true Christen man be ye sure his death shalbe a greater
Couerdale I answere By youre owne wordes then it foloweth not that he was bounde to accuse and cōdemne himselfe of the thinges that he had not offended in But by youre leue where as ye bring in this text of S. Paul Si nos ipsos et cetera ye peruerte it not alledginge it as it standeth but thus Si nos ipsos iudicaremus non vtique diiudicaremur a Domino That is to saie Yf we iudged oure selues we shulde not be iudged of the lorde But. S Pauls wordes are these Quod si nos ipsos diiudicaremus non vtique iudicaremur Dum iudicamur autem a Domino corripimur ne cum hoc mundo damnemur That is to saie Yf we wolde iudge or reproue oure selues we shulde not be iudged But whan we are iudged we are chastened of the lorde lest we shulde be damned with this worlde Wherfore the peruerting of this texte now at the first bront causeth me the more to suspecte you and to trust you the worse because the deuell himselfe is scolemaster to such chopping vp of the texte As we maie se in the gospell of Mathew and Luke Now go to Yf I finde anie moo such iugling castes with you ye are like to heare of it afore I come to the ende of your boke For weaknesse and ignoraunce can I well awaie withall so longe as it is not wilfull but the peruerting or choppinge vp of a text of holy scripture is not to be borne vnrebuked Standishe Marke here how he vseth Ironia et cetera Couerdale Ye confesse that D. Barnes in his forsaide wordes doth vse ironia and yet contrary to the significacion of the worde ye are not ashamed to affirme that he confessed herewithall both heresie and erroneous opinions Now is ironia asmuch to saie as a mockage derision or meaning of another thinge then is expressed in the wordes Which maner of speakynge is much vsed not onely thorow out the Prophetes in holy scripture but also among the Heithen Poetes And the same phrase of speche haue we in Englische As whan a man saieth to ashrewde boie Come hither good sir ye are a vertuous childe in dede et cete meaninge nothinge lesse For asmuch then as ye your selfe cōfesse that D. Barnes doth here vse ironia it is euidēt that whan he saide these wordes You shall perceaue what erroneous opynions I holde his meaninge was how that the people shulde know that he helde no erroneous opinions As it appeareth by these his wordes folowinge Barnes GOd I take to recorde I neuer to my knowlege taught any erroneous doctrine but onely those thinges which scripture led me vnto Standishe Iustly pondre by the Prophet Psal cxl how greuous offence is partinax excusatio in peccatis et cet Couerdale Like as ye can not iustly laie anie partinacite to D. Barnes for those his wordes so proue ye the greuousnesse therof full slenderly out of the cxl Psalme yf the true readinge of the text be wel and iustly pondred Where as he taketh god to recorde in the trueth of so waightye a matter the scripture is full of holy ensamples that beare him therin What partinacite is there then in that acte He durst avowe also that to his knowlege he neuer taught anie erroneous doctrine and yet are ye not ashamed to ascrybe partinacite vnto him and to call him an obstinate heretike where as S. Hierome in his fourth boke the xxiiij chapter vpon Mathew writeth thus He is an heretike that vnder Christes name teacheth the thinges which are agaynst Christ Yf. D. Barnes therfore had wittingly and willingy taught anye thing against Christ ye might haue laied great partinacite to his charge Trueth it is that he beinge in ignoraunce and disceaued somtime by a multitude as you be did both erre and teach erroneous doctrine for the preferrement of the. B. of Romes vsurped auctorite and other abuses acording as many other lerned men moo in the realme haue done which haue sens both repēted toward god and also receaued the Kynges gracious pardon many yeares agoo Againe yf ye will laie partinacite to his charge because he was somtime in such grosse ignoraunce by the same argument might ye condemne Christes disciples of whose ignoraunce mencion is made in many places of the new Testament I saie not this to excuse ignoraunce but to reprehende the rashnesse of youre iudgment which presume to condemne them whō god hath called to repentaunce But peraduenture the pertinacite that ye laye to his charge is because he saieth he taught onely those thinges which scripture led him vnto For that is no small corsie to youre sore Ye wolde not haue scripture taught onely without other doctrines Neuertheles they that loue gods commaundement will teach nothinge but his worde onely for so hath he himselfe geuen cōmission Of his promises is mencion made both in Hieremie and in the gospell of Matthew As for ensamples we haue sufficiēt both of the Prophetes and Apostles which to die for it wold teach nothinge but scripture Reade the thirtēth chapter of the seconde Epistle to the Corinthians the fiftenth to the Romaines and the moost godly protestacion that S. Peter maketh in his seconde Epistle Let us geue place and cōsente to the holy scripture saieih S. Augustine for it can nether disceaue ner be disceaued The bisshoppes also and clergie of England in the Epistle of their boke to the Kynges grace do affirme that holy scripture alone sheweth men the right path to come to god to se him to knowe him to loue him to serue him and so to serue him as he moost desireth Wherfore they are rather obstinate agaynst god which in steade of his onely worde preach and teach other doctrines But let us heare what D. Barnes saieth more Barnes And that in my sermons I neuer mayntayned any erroure nether moued ner gaue occasion of anye insurrection Standish What blyndnesse wolde he leade us in to Who hath not heard him preach agaynst all the ordinaunce of Christes church et cete Couerdale As for blindnesse ye nede no leader to bring you in to it oure lorde whan his will is bringe you out of it This man toke god to recorde that he neuer mainteined anye erroure Wherby like as he denied not but that he might erre as he did erre grosly whan he lyued in the Papistry euen so lefte he us an ensample to forsake all errours and to maynteyne none Call ye this a leadinge in to blyndnesse Then farewell all good ensamples of humilite and repentaunce To the other parte of youre cauillacion I answere It wolde be to longe a registre for you to rehearce the names of all those which neuer heard D Barnes preach agaynst the ordinaunce of Christes church I also am one of them which haue heard him as oft as euer dyd ye and yet as I hope to haue my parte of gods mercy in Christes bloude I neuer heard
euery man in his callynge to geue no occasion of fallinge vnto eny man to mortifye their erthly membres et cet acording to the wholsome doctrine of the Apostle Call ye this a preaching of a fleshly and carnall libertye Is this a doctrine that maketh men renne at ryote and to do what they list I wondre verely that ye shame not thus to belye the trueth so oft As pertayninge to youre blasphemye whiche saie that it is a damnable iustificacioÌ„ where faith is preached onely to iustifye it is damnably spoken of you yee though an aungell of heauen shuld speake it yf holy S. Paul be true which saieth he ought to be holden accursed that preacheth any other gospell then that he himselfe and the other Apostles had preached Yf ye of a cancred hatred to the trueth haue not wilfully and maliciously taken parte agaynst the holy goost so that ye are but led ignorauntly by a blind multitude to affirme the saide inconuenience I praie god lende you a clearer fight in the Kyngdone of Christ But yf ye be mynded as were the Pharises and maliciously ascribe damnacion to it wherby onely we receaue saluacion as they ascribed vnto the deuell it that was the onely workynge of the holy goost then am I sore afrayed for you and for as many as are of that mynde For yf it be damnable to teach or preach wittingly agaynst the expresse worde of god then verely is this a damnable heresye to affirme that faith onely doth not iustifye seynge that holy scripture so teacheth As Gene. xv Esa liij Abac. ij Mar. xvj Luc. j. viij.xxiiij Iohn v. xvij Acto xiij xvj· Rom. iij. iiij.v.x Gal. ij iij.iiij.v Philip. iij.j. Pet. j. ij Heb. iiij xj Of this faith that scripture speaketh of so plentifully haue I made sufficient mencion in the prologe of that litle boke which I lately put forth in Englische concernynge the true olde faith of Christ Now like as the scriptures afore alledged do testifye for us that we meane no false ner vayne faith euen so is the same article of iustificacion defended and maynteyned by the doctous in many and sondrye places specially by S. Augustine in the ccclij chapter de vera innocentia De verbis Domini sermone .xl. De verbis Apostoli ser xxvij In the boke of the fiftye sermons the xvij sermon In the first boke of the retractes the xxiij chapter In the cv Epistle vnto Sixtus the bisshoppe In the xxv treatise vpon Iohn the sixte chapter In his manualle the xxij and xxiij chapter In the exposicion of the lxvij and of the lxx Psalme In the liij sermon de tempore In the v boke of his homelis the xvij homelye In the boke of the lxxxiij questions the lxvj chapter And in the prologe of the xxxj Psalme I might alledge Cyrillus Ambrose Origen Hilarius Bernarde Athanasius with other moo but what helpeth it Yet shall all the world know that youre heresye is not onely condemned by the open and manifest scripture but also by many of the doctours As for naturall reason it fighteth clerely agaynst you also yf ye pondre well the parable of the mariage in the xxij of Matthew and in the xiiij of luke the parable of the vnthriftie sonne in the xv of Luke the parable also of the detter in the xviij oâ— Matthew and in the seuenth of Luke Where as it was laied to D. Barnes charge how that he shulde teach that god is the authour of synne verely he protested openly at S. Mary spitle the tewesdaye in easter weke that he was neuer of that mynde howbeit he confessed as the trueth is that where as in his boke he had wrytten of predestinacion and fre will ther was occasion taken of him by his writynge that he shulde so meane But verely yf he had in that matter bene as circuÌ„specte as the children of this worlde are wyse in their generacion he might the better haue auoided the capciousnesse of men afore hand Neuertheles it appeareth planely that he mistrusted no such thing and therfore dyd to moch simplicite disceaue him in that behalfe as it doth many moo which are not so wyse as serpentes Nether fynde ye in all his boke these wordes God is the authoure of synne but ye maie fynde these wordes The gouerner of al thinges is most wise moost rightous and most merciful and so wyse that nothinge that he doth can be amended so righteous that there can be no suspicion in him of vnrighteousnesse et cet â–ª Item All thing that he doth is well done Whâ—â—fore yf they that laied that heresye to D. Barnes charge had remembred their owne distinction of malum pene and malum culpe at the reading of his wordes aswell as they can note it in other places they might easely haue perceaued his meanynge and not haue mistaken him Ye saye also D. Barnes dyd preach that workes do not profit Yf ye meane workes inuented by mens owne braynes not grounded on gods worde then verely might he well saye that such workes do not profit to saluacion For what soeuer is not of faith is sinne But yf ye meane such good workes as are coÌ„prehended in the coÌ„maundementes of god and within the precyncte of his word then truly ye fayle so to reporte of him for though saluacion be gods worke onely yet D. Barnes in his boke doth not onely condemne the fleshly and damnable reason of them which saye Yf faith onely iustifieth what nede we to do anye good workes et cet But also he affirmeth planely that we must nedes do them and that they which will not do theÌ„ because they be iustified alonely by faith are not the children of god ner childrne of iustificacion et ce For yf they were the very true children of god they wolde be the gladder to do good workes et cet Therfore saieth he shulde they also be moued frely to worke yf it were for none other purpose ner profit but onely to do the will of their merciful god that hath sâ—â—â—ely iustified them and also to profit their neghboure whoÌ„ they are bounde to serue of very true charite Are these wordes now asmuch to saye as workes do not profit Lorde god what meane ye thus vntruly to reporte of the deed Where as ye make this blynde obiection and saye of workes profit not so that faith onely iustifieth and Christes death be sufficient then penÌ„aunce is voyde and superfluous I answere A goodly consequent gathered nether of wittye sophistry wyse logyek ner of good Philosophy excepte it be of Philosophy vnnatural no ner of right diuynite Workes profit not to saluation ergo they profit nothing at all Is this a praty consequent Youre consequent is naught saieth S. Peter for by good workes must ye make your vocacion certayne and sure Alike argumeÌ„t might ye make after this maner and saye Yron is not profitable to chew or
teach or warne me Seing that I was obedient vnto them whan they sayde beleue the gospel why may I not obeie them whan they saye vnto me beleue not Manicheus et cet By the circumstaunce now of S. Augustines wordes it is euident first that he wolde beleue no such doctrine as men brought vp of their owne heades Secondly that he wold beleue no vncertayne doctryne ner that he knewe not to be true Thirdly that the occasion which moued him to beleue the gospell was the whole consent and auctorite of the catholike or vniuersall church Now like as he reporteth not of them that they preached anie other doctryne vnto him saue the gospell so saieth he not that he beleued anye other lernyng saue onely it And in confutinge of Manicheus erroure he bringeth none other doctryne but the scripture as it is manifest in the same fifth chapter of his boke What helpe haue ye now in S. Augustines wordes either to proue praieng to saintes or that a particular church maye by her auctorite make anye article necessary to be beleued excepte it be grounded in scripture Ye meant somwhat whan ye chopped vp S. Augustines wordes of that fashion It is not for naught that ye so haue peruerted his sayeng and reade it otherwise then it standeth in his boke For these are his wordes I shulde not beleue the gospell vnlesse the auctorite of the catholike church dyd moue me Now is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as much to saye as vniuersalis Which worde like as ye leaue out in youre lectiō so folowe ye the mynde of Franciscus Maronis such another holy father as was your inquit quidam who commynge long after S. Augustine dyd gather of these his forsaid wordes that the auctorite of the church is greater then the auctorite of holy scripture where as S. Aug. meant nothinge lesse but teacheth us that who so euer bringeth vp anye opynion or setteth forth anye doctryne we shall receaue none but that which agreeth with the manifest doctryne of the vniuersall church of Christ That is we shall holde us to that doctryne which was taught by the Prophetes by the Apostles and by such other as were true folowers of them in Christes holy congregacion and church Standish Is it not still fundamentum et columna veritatis et cet Couerdale The vniuersall congregacion and multitude of thē that beleue in Christ is still the house of god the church of the liuinge god the piler and stablishment of the trueth For there dwelleth god with his mercy grace trueth forgyuenesse et cet Nether dyd the Apostles contrary to Christes former institucion whan they to set vp his name which then was so sore spurned at dyd baptise in the same yf ye remembre well the prerogatyue of holy baptyme and the presence of the blessed trenyte therin Standishe Paul the vessel of election m. v. hundert yeres and more past desired the Romaynes cap. xv the Collo cap. iiij the Tessa j. Tessa v. to praye for him et cet Couerdale I turned not ouer two leafes of your treatise sens I red these your wordes where ye saie thus How can it be in scripture thou impudent heretike the prayer vnto saintes Lorde Iesu what meane ye man Will ye by scripture proue that thing which as ye your self confesse can not be in scripture Do ye not graūt your selfe that the holy scripture is the very worde of god Wyll ye then by gods holy worde proue that thinge which can not be therin Wyll ye belye the worde of god Saye ye not your selfe in another place afore that it is an abhominable vice to slaundre it To what poynt no to haue ye brought that worshipfull doctrine of your vnholy mother the malignaunt church Which teacheth that we must now praie vnto S. Paul and other sayntes because that he beynge here in this body dyd requyre other men to praye for him and for all saintes Now is his request such that yf we shuld fulfill it yet for him aswell as whan he was lyuyng vpō erth thē shuld we desire god to be good to his holy sayntes that are out of this life And then god saue oure lady helpe S. Paul and conforte swete S. Anthony A mocker are ye with gods holy word and a shameful slaūdrer therof therfore as vnworthy to be answered vnto euery vayne sentence of your vnstable doctryne so leaue I your long disputacion therin Desiringe all Christen readers to note wel what scriptures ye bring forth and to cōpare the same vnto the open texte and then trie which of oure two doctrynes is moost agreable to gods holy worde The doctryne of the Prophetes of Christ oure Sauioure of his holy Apostles and of such as haue and do folowe them in the catholike or vniuersall church and congregacion of god Is his holy worde and scripture which as holy S. Paul darre aduowe is able to instructe us vnto saluacion which is thorow the faith in Christ Iesu et cet Yf youre article therfore of prayenge to sayntes that be out of this life were a thing belonging to saluacion no doubte the same holy scripture of god wold haue taught it The awncient firme stable and true doctryne of Christes catholike or vniuersall church is this that like as Christ Iesus toke vpon him oure flesh and bloude without sinne and deliuered us frō eternall death and hell so is he still oure mercifull and faithfull hie prest in thinges concerning god to make agrement for oure sinnes and able to socoure such as are tempted He is the seate of grace to whom yf we resorte we maie receaue mercy and fynde grace to helpe in tyme of nede he is able also euer to saue them that come vnto god by him and lyueth euer to make intercessiō for us yee and appeareth now for us before the face of god This doctryne is confirmed by those same textes of scripture that ye bring in j. Iohn secundo Iohn xiiij j Timoth. secundo and yet without open scriptures are ye not ashamed to resiste it We are cōmaunded thorow out all holy scripture both of the olde and new Testamēt to praie vnto Allmightie god to call vpon him to make oure peticions vnto him and to aske of him what soeuer we lacke We haue his true and faithfull promes that yf we so do we shall be hearde we shall haue oure request we shall finde that we seke we shall be delyuered et cet We haue ensamples innumerable that all those faithfull people whom the scripture maketh mencion of dyd make their peticions and praier to none other but vnto god whyle they were in this life Let Cornelius whom we spake of afore and the practise of the prymityue church beare recorde Shal we now refuse gods holy cōmaundemēt thinke scorne of his louing promes despise the ensamples of his catholike and vniuersall church and defye gods holy ordinaunce as ye