against the doctrynes tradicyons of men saing All flessh is euen grasse all the glory of it that is to say euen his most excellent wisdom pour is euen lyke the floure of an herbe the grasse widdereth away and the floure of the herbe falleth a way for the spyryte breath of the lord hath blowne vpon it And the peple be very grasse the grasse I say widdereth the floure falleth but the word of the lord endureth for euer c. He threatneth also euerlasting night of infidelyte or vnbylefe if we beleue eyther any newe reuelacyons withowt the word of god or els any apparicyoÌ„s of dead spretes The wordes after the true hebrue text be these Shal the peple seke councel of their god or shal thei are councel of the deade for the liuyng shal thei not rather loke serch in the lawe of the lord and tak the testimony of god vnto councel Iff thei tel you not saith he according vnto this word thei shal haue no morniÌ„g lyght Sureli this is a sore threatning vnto them which vnderstond what this voyce is what this derknes signifyeth and who is the auctor causer of it Iohn calleth christ the light that shyneth in darknes that lightneth all meÌ„ which come in to this world he saith that the true life is in the word of god that life is the light of men again that god is the light in whom is no darknes at all that who so euer walketh in darknes hath no felowship with god And christ calleth hiÌ„ self the life of the world he saith vnto us Walk in the light whyle ye haue it that no darknes compasse now c. Now the deuel is the prince of all darknes he did first steale this light from mankind thorow infidelite he did first robbe us of the true knowlege of god and brought us in to all darknes of infydelite and in to all kindes of errors But the sonne of rigtuosnes hath restored this light vnto the world agayne and his coming was vnto us the bright morniÌ„g wherof Esay speaketh in this place And it is no meruel that we haue walked in a continual darknes thus long for we haue forsaken the word of god and sought the light in the deuils doctrine in our own wisdom in mans tradicyons we haue had so gret confydence in fantasyes that we haue byleued deade spyrites made newe artycles of our fayth euen owt of the appearing of them as namely that there is a purgatory after this life out of the which soules may be redemed thorow the sacrifice of the masse which the pope and the deuyl haue ordeyned to be a sacrifice for the quick and the deade contrary to the institutyon and ordinaÌ„ce of christ But now let us heare what witnesse christ him selfe the euerlasting word of god geueth of his scripture For the same question was disputed of eueÌ„ in christes tyme among the high doctors which thought that the scripture without the tradicyons of the elders was not sufficient vnto their saluacyon and one of those doctors came to christ and saide master what may I doo to enioye euerlasting life But christ seÌ„t this curios infidele vnto the scripture sayng what is writton in the lawe How dost thow reade thereiÌ„ as though he shuld say Doist thou thinck that god is a wauerer or a changeling that wil alter his mynd euery howr as men change their lawes and imagine dayli newe opinions of god I tell the the word of god continueth for euer and do thou nothing but euen the selfe thing only that thow seyst writton in the law and so thou shalt liue he saith not now how thinkest thou or how dost thow heare the pharises the scribes preach teach but he sendeth hym to the scripture and sayth what readest thou there Do that thou shalt lyue And although the scribes pharises and doctors did euer patch their lawes and tradicyons vnto tâ—e word of god yea and preferred theÌ„ also before it as christ sheweth in the .xv. .xxiij. of Mathew yet all other among wâ—om the true church did raygne had on iudgement bylefe namely that the wil of god must be known by the scripture only that aâ—l articles must be iudged and examyned by it as christ declareth where as he saith vnto the iewes Serch the scriptures for ye beleue surely that ye shal haue euerlasting life in theÌ„ by the which wordes christ testifieth playnly that this was the opynion and iudgement of the oâ—d church that all men shuld knowe the wil of god by the scripture only and that thei shuld iudge all articles of the faith necessari vnto saluacyon by that only And where as he biddeth theÌ„ examâ—ne his preaching by the scripture he sheweth euidently euin the whole gospel to becoÌ„teyned in the old scripture And who so euer denieth the coÌ„mandment of Moyses before rehersed to perteyne vnto us because the Apostles had not yet writtoÌ„ their bokes thei be very asseheades withowt any knoulege or vnderstoÌ„ding For this rule did the Apostels folowe whan thei testified vn to the church of the gospel that no boke shuld be receyued except it consentyd with the old scripture and by this rule the church refused the bokes which confirmed their storys by the prophetes And by this rule do the Euangelistes proue their writings Paul also procureth auctorite vn to his pistle to the Roma .j. by this same rule where as he saith that his gospel was before promised by the prophetes in the holy scriptures To this purpose also serue these saings of christ If ye beleued Moyses ye wold bileue me also for he wrote of me c. and agayne this Serche the scriptures c. for euen thei beare witnesse of me Now this controuersy of the vnwritton word of mans gloses and tradicyons if we wil folow the councel of our fore fathers and stande to the iudgement of the church in christes tyme I wil lay this senteÌ„ce of the old church confirmed of christ for me against all that my aduersarys can make or say writton in the xij of Iohn The word which I haue spoken shal iudge them in the last day And if this word were not writtoÌ„ or if it were not all writton who could besure certen of his saluacyon or of the wil and pleasure of god And if our faith and the saluacyon of mankynd did depend only of mennes doctryne so that the soÌ„me rule of our religion were not writton in the scripture who durst trust bileue that one hole perfight and vnblemisshed sentence of christ were left vnto us For seing the deuel wresteth the scripture vnto eueri wicked opinyon and durst refuse the scripture thorow the Manicheis as he doth now adays cause it be burnt by the bisshops who dowteth but that he wold rather haue destroyed the whole scripture at ones more than .xv. hundreth yere agone and to haue
whan he gaue the scripture to be writton or els that he could not tell all things or els that he hidde certeÌ„ things from us of purpose that so he myght damne and destroy us where as he had sayd before euidently that we shuld be iudged at the latter day by the word which he had spoken vnto us But thei be so blynded by the deuel that thei can not perceyue the abhominacion of this blasphemy Now to confirme all godly myndes and to call them back from their dotyng I haue gathered in order certen testimonys which do euidently proue that the wrytton word of god is the fowndacion of our christen fayth and that all the articles of our christen fayth ought to be prouyd by the holy scriptures The first is in the .iiij. of Deuteronoâ—ye shal not adde vnto the worde which I speake vnto yow neyther mynissh from it And who dyd euer expownd this to be vnderstand of the vnwritton word before thes lying false prophetys and antichrystes And if it ought to be vnderstoÌ„d of the writton scripture only than do thei playnly agaynst gods word which Imagyne that there shuld be any vnwritton word But I am not ignorant how these mockers are wont to iest or scoff a way and to face owt this place sayng that there is one kynd of adding which minyssheth a nother which altereth a nother which maketh largyer and a nother which fulfilleth thei grant that this sayng refuseth all maner of addings sauyng the last maner wherby the scripture is made more manifest and open But to coÌ„fute this fansy Imaginacyon the manifest scripture is suffycyeÌ„t deute the .vj. what I command that shalt thow do only vnto the lord thou shalt neyther adde nor minyssh any thing And in the last chapt of the Apoca. Who so euer addeth any thing vnto this the lord shal seÌ„d hym the plages which be writoÌ„ in this boke which place all the duns men euen duns him self granteth that it ought to be vnderstond of the whole scripture wherfore it is manifest that those synne against the commandment of god which affirme that there is any word of god vnwriton like as thei do which expownd the scripture after their own fansis or gyue iudgement of the wil of god with owt the manifest word of god For it is a deuillyssh lye to say that the scripture can not be vnderstond with owt mens commeÌ„tarys or glosys because it is so darke dowtful that it may be applyed to coÌ„firme all maner of heresys In the .xxviij. of deuter are proffred benedyccyons of all sortys vnto them that kepe those things which are writton in the boke of the lawe And in the .xxxij. chap. of the same boke Moyses doth manifestly say thus Set and fyxe your hartes vpoÌ„ all the wordes which I testyfye vnto you this day that ye may command your childern to kepe and obserue all things which are writton in the boke of this lawe for thei be not geuen and commanded vnto yow in vayne but that euery one of you should lyue after them Marke here is euerlasting life promysed vnto them which kepe those things that are writton in the scripture And Moyses doth playnly say that this is the fynal and only cause why god wold haue his word to be writton that all men in general and euery one in sâ—eciall of what order degre or occupacyon so euer he be shuld haue the word of god where by thei might be saued wherupoÌ„ it foloweth that it is a manifest blasphemy to say that we may be saued or damned by any tradicyoÌ„s of man And here thei are conuyct to be starck idyotes which asscrybe this ignoraÌ„ce neclygence vnto god as though he either could not or els wold not coÌ„myt all articles necessary vnto our saluacyon to be writton in the holy scripture For thei declare euydently that thei knowe not the final cause why the scripture is geuen vnto us but thei Imagyne god to be lyke some ignorant poete which hath geuen us a patched and an vnperfight worke For god wold that in the scripture his will shuld shyne as it were in a glasse and that the perfight image of hys deyte which paule calleth the prynt and seale of his substance shuld appeare therin Item s. Iohn sayth that this word doth shyne in darknes and that it is the lyght which shineth in mens hartes blynded of the deuyl thorow sinne and that christ doth open vnto us the wil of god thorow his gospel which will no mortal man did euer knowe but so farre as this word which is in the fathers bosom dyd open vnto him Wherfor we may perceyue that it is not only thorow the ignorance of man that the word of god is thus blasphemed but thorow the malyce of the deuyl For the deuel neuer ceaseth to disfigure this word namely the son of god whom he despysed before the world was made and shal fight with him euen with all his pour vntyl the day of iudgement In the .xvij. of deute The king is coÌ„manded to haue alweys in his handes and in his sight the boke of the lawe and to reade owt of it all the dayes of his life for this purpose that he shuld lerne to feare his lord god And for his study diligeÌ„ce this promes is made him that he shuld lyue loÌ„g and that his kingdome shuld be geuen to many of his progeny lynage And wold to god all christen kinges and princes wold think surely the reading of the holy bokes of scripture to be a part off their offyce not to reade them in lateÌ„ which thei vnderstand not but so to reade it as thei may lerne the wil of god how he wil be feared by his word only and not by any popish lawes and mans tradicyons And if thei wold do thus I durst surely waraÌ„t them both that thei shuld lyue longer and also that thei shuld haue lesse tumult and sedicyon in their life tyme. For now seing thei play the tyraÌ„nes ouer the scripture and ouer the readers of it it is no meruel that god doth ponissh them for their cruelnes and that there be fewe of them but that dye some shameful and cruel death for such is the end of tirannes wont to be Ioachim king of Iuda sawe all his sonnes headed and he him self his eyes before put out was bownd and led presoner in to babylon and it was sayd openly vnto him because thow hast brent the boke of Iheremy there shal be none left of thy sede which shal sit vpon the throne of dauid and thy cark as shal be cast out in to the heate in the day time and in to the frost in the night tyme. Antiochus which coÌ„manded the holy bokes of scripture to be burnt perisshed miserably in desperacyon and thorow a meruelos falle Both daniel and paul do testifye that he was the figure of the last Antichrist that euer shuld be Wherfor I wil not spend my wordes in
told yow Must not Christ nedes haue suffred all these things so entre in to his glory Agayne it was impossyble that the son of god shuld be holdē down of death but that he shuld breake the paynes of hell ryse vp agayne As peter doth proue in the actes out of Dauyd and lyke wise Paul to proue his ascensyon vnto heauen alledgeth this verse out of the psalm Thou didst ascend vnto the highth And tokest captyuyte prysoner and gauest dyuers gyftes vnto men And dauyd speaketh of this son saing The lord sayd vnto my lord syt at my right hand vntyl I make thy emnys thy fotestole Which place paul expowndeth of the kingdom of christ after his resurrectiō and ascensyon .j. to the coryn .xv. Furthermore if thou byleuest Iesus to be the son of god than thou shalt grant that he hath sent the holy gost to sanctifye the congregacyon that is to say all the faythful according to his promes and that he is the god in whose name he cōmanded that we shuld be baptysed lyke as in his fathers name and his Itē all the prophetes do beare witnes of the holy gost namely that we must receyue remissyon of synnes thorow his name and he promyseth that he wil rayse us vp againe vnto euerlastīg life These thinges haue I spoken the more largely for the shameful cauellacyon and blasphemy of London which denyeth that all the articles of our faith can be proued by the scripture because s. Iohn saith that Iesus dyd many miracles which be not writton in this boke Now wil I alledge the myndes of Cirillus and. s. Austen to confute this wicked and blasphemos opinyon Cyrillus writing vpon Iohn the .xij. chap. speaketh thus Iohn saith there is a gret multitude and an infinyte nomber of the myracles which the lord did but those saith he which we haue shewed yow be sufficyent to them that reade them diligently for the stablysshing confirmacyon of a perfight fayth and I am not to be blamed though I haue not writton them all For if all were gathered one by one none left out the whole world wold not receyue the multytude of the bokes Wherfor all that he did were not writtō But all things which the writers thought sufficyent both for the fayth and bylefe and also for the life and conuersacyon of men that we myght shyne with a right and perfight fayth and with true workes vertues and so come vnto the kyngdom of heauen thorow our lord christ be wrytton wherfor it is a newelye lately inuēted in the deuels shop to say that all the articles of the christen fayth can not be proued by the scripture and that mēs tradicyōs besyde the scripture be good workes and please god Now ye may see that the church in Cyrillus tyme did not acknoulege this wicked blasphemy Austen affirmeth the same writing vp on this place of Iohn these be writton that ye shuld byliue etc. Our lord Iesus saith he did many miracles but all be not writton for those that shuld be writtō were specialy chosen pyked owt as many as wer thought necessary and sufficient for the saluacyō of the faithful By these auctorites ye may see that thei belye the old doctors which say that they maynteyne any such blasphemy But now to make an end of alledging any more testimonies I wil cyte only .ij. specyal and most faithful witnesses against this deuelyssh sophistical cauillacyon and opinyon namely Peter and Paul and so wil I make an end For euery man that hath any witt at all may plaīly perceyue that Peter wrote his second pistle against such blasphemers as do imagine a new word of god besyde that which is writton For he calleth the scripture euen a very true prophecy and he calleth them false or lyeng Prophetes which teach cōtrary to this prophetical and Apostolical prophecy or any thing which is not conteyned in it and he teacheth this rule wherby we shuld auoyde all maner of lyes that we shuld trye and examine them by this prophetical word or prophetical scripture wherunto he cōmandeth us to haue a specyal eye as vnto the candel which dryueth out and banisheth away all darknes and lyes of the deuel His wordes be these I wryte vnto yow this second pistle to prick you vp to quyckē your hartes that ye might remember the wordes which haue bene told now before by the holy prophetes and also the wordes of our message and cōmandment which be the Apostles of the lord and sauior for ye must knowe that in the latter dayes there shal come mockers Now these mockers he paynteth with specyal colors wher by thei may be known Thei shal bring in saith he pernicyos and dānable sectes or as Paul saith thei shal speake lies in hypocrisy vnder the color and pretense of holynes Forbidding to mary to absteyne from the meates which god hath created to be receyued of the faithful with thankes geuyng And thei shal denie the lord saith he which hath bought or redemed them and the way of the truth shal thei slander and reuyle as certen blasphemers do now a dayes speake blasphemosly of paul because he doth manifestly confute mans satisfaccyons rightwisnes and redempcyō by workes And therfor saythe he for couetosnes sake thei shal make marchādise of now thorow fables and false doctryne inuēted of their own braynes and he compareth thē to Sodom and Gomor and he sayth that thei haue eyes ful of adultery But their doctryne peter calleth disceitful fables and he sayth that their suttelty must be disclosed by the lantern of the prophetycal scripture And we haue the word of prophecy saith he wher unto ye do well to harken as vnto a candel geuyng lyght in the dark nyght tyl the daye lyght appeare and the mornyng sterre ryse in your hartes for as moch as ye know that no prophetycal scripture belongeth to mās interpretacyō nor it was neuer thrust vnto us by mās wil But the holy men of god were inspyred of the holy gost and moued to speake it This is a sure and a substancyal testimony to cōfute all maner of doctrines and tradicyons besyde the scripture yea and to refuse all maner of doctors and writars which speake any thing of their own brayne without scripture to confirme it For. s. Peter putteth a speciall difference betwene prophecy or prophetical scripture and an Interpretacyon which is inuented of mās own brayne and tradicyons which are made and enioyned at mans cōmandmēt and he calleth all maner of doctrines which be not conteined in the scripture of the holy goost capcyos disceyghtful fables and he ascribeth an high auctoryte vnto the old prophecy and prophetical scripture For whan he had alledged for his doctryne the diuinite of christ which he had sene and the voyce of the father which he had hard and agayn the witnes of Moyses and Elyas te in wickednes and thei shal subuert bewitch their hearers that thei shal
vayne vnto these most damnable Antichristes but I wryte only for the coÌ„fort of the faithful and for them which sinne thorow ignorance if it shal please god to put in to their hartes to knowlege the veryte and to repent and come out of the deuyls snare at whose wil and pleasure thei are now led captyue prysoners And because it were a long work to serch all the aucthorytes thorowt the scripture I wyl alledge but one place more out of the lawe and then wil I come to the prophetes and to the gospel In the .xxx. of deutero it is writton thus The coÌ„mandment which I gyue vnto the is not aboue thy pour neyther is it farre from the it is not set in heaueÌ„ that thou canst laufully say which of us all can clyme vp in to heauen to bryng it down vnto us that we may heare what it is and fulfyll it Neyther is it set beyond the see that thou canst laufully say which of us all is able to swymme ouer the see and to fetch it vnto us that we may heare what it is and fulfill that which is coÌ„manded vnto us therin But the word is nygh yea very nygh vnto the in thy mouth and in thy hart These wordes be spoken vnto the gloteÌ„s and belly goddes of this last tyme which for all the gret preteÌ„ce and outward shewe that thei make of holines and say that thei murder men for the preseruacyoÌ„ of the true fayth and of the autorycte of the church yet thei declare euydently inough that thei denye the vertu of holinesse seing thei be spotted and shamefully defiled with blode murder whordome disceyte and with all kyndes of filthinesse and of wickednesse so that it may manyfestly appeare that thei be fully persuaded that god taketh no care at all for mankynde yea that there is no god at all which will ponish these abhomynacyons Leo the .x. called a cowncel to determine whether the soule of man were iÌ„mortal or no and whan he had heard euery mans sentence and mynd he sayd that the matter was more diffycult than that he could determine or iudge which part had strongar reasons for it but whether the soule were mortal or iÌ„mortal he said he wold not defraude his sowle of the coÌ„modytes delycyosnes and pleasures which were present and if there were any life after this he wold be conteÌ„t to make good chere with other there also if he shuld see that thei wold be as good felows there as thei were here This was the voyce of the high and supreme bisshop after whose sentence all men must determine of the word of god and vp on whose arbytermeÌ„t our fayth and saluacyon must depend This I say is the iudgement of the holy see wherunto men must sayle out of Aphryca Asya and europe Denmarke InglaÌ„d and Irland and out of all other landes euen in to Italy vnto this vicar of christ and vnto his .xij. Carnals the postys of the church which succeded the apostels to these must thei come to aske councel of the wil of god of the vnderstonding of the scripture which in their owne nacyons and in the councels of their own contrys thei can in nowyse vnderstaÌ„d But moyses drawyth us from this deuelissh sentence where as he sayth The word is very nygh vnto the euen in thy mouth and in thy hart before thy eyes marke sayth he remember that I haue set it before thy eyes that thou maist reade in that boke yea and vnderstond it also For els in dede it had bene but a very madnes to haue writtoÌ„ such thiÌ„gs as no man could vnderstond It had bene moch more worship for god to haue wryton nothing at all than so to haue mocked man kynd where as he sayd he had set before hym good and euyl life and death blessyng and curse etc. He ment not good and euel after the meaning of the serpent persuading Adam that he thorow trangressyon of gods commandmeÌ„t in eating of the forbiddyn frute that he shuld haue the knoulege of good and euel that is euerlasting daÌ„nacyon for so ment the deuel But god wil not be honored after the doctrine of the serpent nor after the doctryne of the deuel nor yet he wil not be feared after the coÌ„mandmeÌ„tes tradicioÌ„s and doctrines of men coÌ„trary to his word or other wise than his word appoynteth He forbiddeth all maner of honor and condeÌ„nyth all maner of worship and seruyce done vnto him which he hath not ordeyned or commaÌ„ded For these things must be lerned out of the word of god and the wil of god both what pleaseth him and what pleaseth him noti â— known only by the holy writtoÌ„ scripture And if we byleue not this euen heauen and erth at the latter day shal witnes against us that we folow obey the serpent which is now waxen a gret Antichrist euen wetyngly of a sett purpose and obstynacy contrary to the exhortatioÌ„ and monicion of Moyses For he saith I take and call to witnes heauen and erth that I haue set before the in thy sight life death blessing curse not that curse that the puppy bloweth out vnder the name of almighty god the holy saintes Peter Paul but euen this curse which if we regard or obey the pope we shal heare of christ go your way ye cursed in to euerlasting fire which is prepared for the deuel his messengers For christ geueth us warning there as Moises did of the belly goddes of the last time of the fals lying prophetes of the fals christes which shuld imagyne a newe word and a newe Christ bownd to certen appointed places dayes meates othes vowes bandes to absteyne from the lauful creatures and ordinances of god which shuld driue christ out of the compâ—ny of men and out of the ordinary comon life in to the wâ—ldernes againe and shuâ—d shutte him vp in deanes klosters or presons rather among the captiue presoners he saith also that thei shal byld coÌ„firme their preaching doctryne lawes not by the word of god or by the holy wordes of the old Prophecyes that is to say by the scripture but by false signes lying miracles that thei shal so myghtily blinde and deceyue the vnfaithful such as haue not receyued the truth of gods word but haue suffred theÌ„ selues to be ledde a way from it to be seduced thorow miracles that eueÌ„ the elect if it were possible might be deceyued And he monissheth us of these thiÌ„gs so ernestly that he calleth vpon heaueÌ„ erth to beare him witnes that he did premonissh and declare these things vnto us before of the Antichristes that shuld come wherby he declareth what sorow and care he taketh for us how sore he lamenteth that we shuld perissh be damned thorow such blasphemy of Antichrist And euen after this same maner with like wordes doth the prophete Esay thonder for the defence of gods word