that I condemne all princes and Kynges as Ennymies of the gospell because they peaceable enyoi there kingdōes so I wishe thē allwaies so to do with harti praier to the glory god But of this one thing I will assure euery prince of the worold the more syncere he is in the cause of god the more shalbe his crosse I report me unto the Kynges maiestye that ded is whiche at the fyrst brount as sone as he toke godes cause in hand that Leopard and dragon of Rome did not only solicitat thole forene worold agaist him but also he suffryd souch an ungodly and detestable insurrection of his papyshe subiectes and other more crosses that neuer shuld haue ben mouyd had he not unquietid the best of her rest that sate aboue his maiesti and God also in this awne Realme they be flaterers of prynces that say euerything may be rulyd with ease they cō consider not what an Ennymye of godes order the deuill is that would not only the gospell of truith to be appressid but also euery prince that studithe the preferment and setting fortb of godes word the deuill neuer seasith to molest and unquiet euery Godly polytyke and commune wealthe where there no scriptur deuine to detect thart of the deuyll Aristotile in the 5. book of his politykes were sufficient to manifest the deuille ennymyte agaynst all comme wealthes farther the nature of man is infyrm and fare unable to sustayne the offyce of ony uocaciō be it polliticall Ecclesiasticall or domesticall with out à singuler ayde of god Wese be saul that noble man who in the begynning of his raygne dyd many noble actes yet the deuill gote the uictori in the end his successor Dauid was lik wyce so intanglid in the snares of the deuill that with mouche paine he could quit hym self from the wycchyd coupe that the deuill had ons browght hym god Luk of how be it god defendid booth him and his kyngdom so that not only the preachers but also he himself tawght the word of god unto the people as he had promisid Psal 6. 50. god preseruithe aboue humane reason his ministres as he dyd Iacob from the handes of Esau Dauid ffrom Saul daniell from the lyons and Paule in the shippe where as no humane hope of saluacion was at all but onli the protection of god Those examples declare that he dooth defend his people agaynst all the worold by his mighr poore Likewyce he gouernith this churche with his only lawes and would his subiectes to know hym to honor him and to obey him as he hathe cōmaundid in his lawe Paule expressith this law Roma 1. Euangelium uirtus dei est in salutem omni credendi Marci ultimo Predicate Euangelium omni creaturae The only law wherūto this congregation is bound is the gospell as Christ saith Io. 14. Spiritus sanctus docebit uos omnia rediget uobis in memoriam omnia quae ego dixi uobis Here Christ byndith the Apostelles and all the churche unto the thynges that he had tawght them This cōmune wealthe of the trew churche is knowyn by these too Markes the pure preaching of the gospell and the ringht use of the sacramētes thus prouith Paule Ephesios 2. that the churche is bound unto the word of god super fundamentum Apostolorum prophetarum extructi estis Likwyse Esa 59. Spiritus meus qui est in te uerba mea quae posui in ore tuo nō recedent ab ore tuo nec ab ore seminis tui in aeternum Of the right use of sacramentes it is tawght 1. Cor. 11. Mar. ult Luce ult Mat. ult souche as teachith people to know the churche by these signes The traditions of men and the succeffion of bishopes teache wrong Those too false opinions hathe yeuen unto the succession of bishopes pore to interpretat the scripture and pore to mak souche lawes in the church as it pleacid them There is nomā hath pore to interpretat the scripture god for the preseruacion of his churche doothe yeue unto certayne persones the giffte and knolege to opē the scripture But that yest is no pore bound to ony order succession of bishopes or title of dignite Te princes of the Erth dooth yeue allwayes souche pore of ciuile Iustice by succession as one is cheyffe iustice for the tyme of his office to do euery thing appettayning unto the same so hath allwayes his successor the like God hathe yeuē the ciuile magistrates poure and auctorite to make souche lawes for the cōmune wealthe as shalbe agreable withe reason and not agaynst godes lawe and like wyce pore to interpretat the same lawes But this is not to be admittid in the church unto whom god hathe yeuen the gospell and inter pretatyd the same by his only sonne tawght the mening and cōtentes therof himselfe To know god and his ire agaynst sinne the greatnis of sinne the iustice yeuen in Christ the fere of god The faith in his promises the persequution of his membres The ayed and helpe of god in aduersite the resurrexion of the ded Where and what the trew church is of Euerlasting lief Of the too natures in Chtist of the father the sonne and the holy gost These be contentes of the law wher unto god hath bound his churche and commandyd here to hyre his sonne conserning the interpretation of these poyntes And at the commandement of Christ the Apostelles were sent to preache these uerites in the sprit of god It is therfore necessary to retayne in the churche the doctrine yeuē unto us by the Apostelles ād to be the disciples of there doctrine and not to fayne interpretations of our awne hedes cōtrari unto there doctrine Souche as will be the mēbres of this churche must be adisciple of the gospell ād lern in fere and humblenys of sprit tharticles of our religion as they be tawght there and not stand unto the iudgēt of ony man what so euer hebe towghe he say truithe for his truithe is nothing except thauctorite of Godes worde conteyne the sayd truithe it is a great confirmacion of our faythe when we see souche as were godly persones before us interpretat the scripture and use the Sacramentes as we doo As when the heresye of semo satenus troblid the Christiāe brothers that sayd this word uerbum in Iohan In principio erat uerbum did not signifie ony person nor substaynce deuyne They were confyrmid by the te testimony of Ireneus that hard Policar pus Iohan the Euangelist Disciple interpretat uerbū in the gospell for the sane of God second person in Trinite thowghe we be bound to hire the churche to say the trew and fayhfull preachers of Godes worde as was in this case Policarpus and Ireneus Not with stōding our faithe Is not grown dyd upon the authorite of the churche But in and upon the uoyce of the gospell we pray and inuocat the son̄e of God second
preach simple without dispensation of ony part of godes most necessarie word And whether all the occatious of Idolatre be taken away as ymagy ce whom Gregori callith the bokes of the lay men thowghe this title be agaynst the second commaundement and neuer approuid bythold testameÌ„t nor the new â—y word or examplewhere as thoccacion is not remouid the word of god must nedes stand in haserd for god will not Say the wysdom of man what it list haue his churche pesteryd with ony kynd of Idolatrie and to mak god and the deuill agre in one churche it is impossible Saynct Iohn hathe wounderfull wordes in the Apocalippes cap. 3. Vnto the churche of laodicensium scio opera tua quia neque frigidus neque feruidus Vtinam frigidus esses aut feruidus itaque quoniam tepidus es nec frigidus nec feruidus incipiam te euome re de ore meo These wordes aruero necessarie to be bonr in mynd For he that is nether hote nor cold But indifferent to use the kolege of godes word and Christes churche withe the word and glosse of man that teachith the use of ymagys in te church before he can proue by tauctorite of godes word that they may besuffryd in the church doothe not well they haue byn thoccacion of greathurt and Idololatrye the church of the old testament nor the new neuer tawght the people with ymagys Therfore it shalbe the office of euery man that louithe god and his word to folow the scripture onli And to be wayle the ignorancy of souche as hathe before our tyme or now in our tyme by wordes or wryting defend the same And with all humilite and humblenys submitt hymselfe to the iudgmet and Censure of the iudge of all Iugdes the word of god that he may wysely and godly dissern what is to be belyuid and acceptyd of ony doctors wrytinges and what is not to be acceptyd What is to be perdonid and what is not to be pardonid and by the perylles and dangers of other lern to be wyse that we commit not the same fault à fyne glosse and fere interpretacion cannot make godd an ile thing if I shuld say an ymage prouokyth deuocion holy waterteachith that the blud of Christ was sprynklyd for my sinnes the holy breade teachith that Christes body was torn for my sinnes what shall thesse glosses excuse the fact nay nay Christ that died for our sakes would not his deathe to be prechid this way but out of the scripture by the tong of man and not out of the decrees of Bishopes by adrop of water or peyntyd post he that tok the paines to dy and suffre his passion for te redeÌ„tion of the worold soly and only soly and only hathe taken the paynes to teach the worold how and which wai they shuld kepe this passion in mynd and lefft it unto the worold in wryting by the handes of his holy Aposteles unto the which wreting only he hathe bound and obligatyd his churche and notto the wretings of men In this passaige I admonishe the Christiane reader that I speake not of the lawes of magistrates or princes that daili ordey ne new lawes for the preseruacion of there comune wealthe as they se the necessite of there Realmes or cites require But of souche lawes as men hathe ordeinid for the churche of Christ whiche shuld be now and for euer gouernyd by the word of God In this cause loke as eue offendid obeyng the persuacion of the deuill contrary unto the commaundement of God so doothe euery man offend obeyng ony lawes or decrees that commaundithe ony thyng contrary unto the word of God This law must preuayle Oportet Deo magis obedire quâm hominibus The exampleherof we haue in Daniel of the thre chyldren that chose reather to burn in the firie furny se then to worshipp The ymiage that Nabucadneser had made so did the Aposteles Act. 5. let all the worold coÌ„sider whether these lawes of the Bishopes the Masse whiche is â prophanation of Christes supper to bynd meÌ„nes consciens to pray unto did saynctes to say Imagis be to be suffryd in the temples and constrayne the ministres of the churche to lyue sole contrary unto there uocacion ar to be obeyd or not they do no lesse offend God in obeyng these lawes then Eue dyd in obeyng the uoyce of the serpeÌ„t the wysdom of all the wittes in the worold cannot coÌ„prehend the greatnys of this yle mak what lawes they will for the body so the leaue the consciens fre with pacience it is to be suffryd only I lament the bondayge of the conscieÌ„s cursyd be these that make souche lawes and cursyd be those that withe sophistrie defend them that parasitus and bond man of the bishope of Rome pigius in his writiÌ„ges shamith not to say it is lesse synne for â prist to kepe an other mannis wief then to haue â wiefe of his awne Conserning actes indifferent whiche of them selfes or nether good nether yle as to refrayne from eating of fleshe the fryday obseruyng of the fests kept holy in the remembrance of souche holy martires as died for the faythe of Christ or in keping holy Ester and witsonday there is too respeects most diligeÌ„tly to be obseruid thone good and to be suffrid the other yle and to be eschewyd souche as abstayne from fleshe and think they do better seruyce to god and would lik wice obtayne remission of there synnes by those workes do declare boothe them selfes and there workes to be yle But souche as abstay ne because the sprite may be more ardent and the mynd more yeuen to study and prayer doothe well and as they be bound to do and to com unto the temple to pray for them selfes and the churche of Christ and to hyre the word of god doothe well for as god commaundithe his word to be preachyd and hard so he hathe apoyntid à certayne tyme as the sabbothe whenpeople shuld hyre it And not only this order to be obseruid in the churche but also in euery familye and houshold of what degre so euer he be He shuld cause his familie and chyldren to rede some part of the Bible for there erudition to know god Likwy ce he shuld constrayne them to pray unto god for the promocion of his holy word and for the preseruacion of the gouerners of the commune wealthe so that no day shuld passe witheout prayer and augmeÌ„tacion of knolege in the religion of Christ But our new Euangelistes hathe an other opinion they dreame of faythe that iustifieth the whiche nether repentaynce presedithe nether honesty of lyffe folowithe which shalbe to there doble damnacioÌ„ if they amend not He that will conforme his knolege unto the word of god let hym likwyce conuert his Itef withe all as the word requirithe and as all the examplis of Christ and his gospelle teachithe or else what will he do withe the doctrine of Christ whiche only
to be testimonijs unto us of Godes mighty pore and to draw men unto uertew not these Idoles which the deuill causid to be set in the temple to brinig men from God thus did Christ teache the people his most blessyd death and passion and the frute of his passiō By the grayne of Corn cast into the erthe and sayde Nisi granum frumenti cadens in terra mortuum fuerit ipsum solum manet si aūtmortuū fuerit mul tūfructū affert He hankyd not the picture of his body upon the crosse to theache them his deathe as our late lernyd men hathe donne The plowghman be he neuer so unlernyd shalle better be insructyd of Christes deathe and passion by the corn that he sowithe in the fyld and likwyce of Christes resurrextion then be all the dedpostes that hang in the churche or pullyd out of the sepulchre withe Christus resurgens What resemblaynce hathe the takyng of the crosse out of the sepulchre and goying à prossession withe it withe the resurrexcion of Christ none at all the ded post is as ded when they sing iam non moritur as it was when they buryd it withe in pace factus est locus eius If ony preacher would manifest the resurrexcion of Christe unto the sences Why doothe not he teache tem by the grayne of the fyld that is rysyn out of the Erthe and commithe of the ded corn that he sawid in the winter Whidoth not the preacher preache the death ād resurrextion of Christ by souche fiqures and metaphors as the scripture teachith Paule wounderfully 1. Co. 15. Prouith with argumentes the deathe and resurrextion of Christes and ours like wyce that nothyng may be more playnly tawght â ded post caryd à prosession as mouch resemblyth the resurrextion of Christ As uery deathe resemblyth lief people shuld not be tawght nor by ymayge nor by reliques as Erasmus Rothorodam in his 3. book of Ecclesiastes well declarithe Lactanci us Firmianus usyth â wounder deuyne eloquent and playne maner in the declaring of this resurrextion which is song yerly in the church De resurrectionis dominice die with mani godli and deuine uerses The same Lactancius saythe that there can be no trew religion wher these ymagis be Augustad Mercellū reprehendithe them wounderfully in these wordes of Dauyd os habent non loquuntur seythe men may be son decreauid by imagis likwyce in the fyrst boke de consensueuangelistarū Souche as defend them haue nothing but sophisticall argumentes to blynd the people withe the scripture nor Apostelles churche usyd none as for Gregorie the great and Theodosius with other that defend them all the historis declare that mē of greater lernīg then they by the scripture condemnyd them as leo 3. themperour Constantinus 5. Who assemblyd all the lernid men of Asia and Graecia and condemnyd the use of imagis that Gregory and Martine the fyrst had stablishid but it forsith not had all Asia Affrica and Europa and Gabriel tharchangell descendyd from heauen approuid the use of imagis for asmouch as the Apostelles nether tawght nor wrote of them there authorite shuld haue no place the word of god soly and only is to be preferrid Galat. 1. whiche for byddith imagys Caput VI. The thyrd office of Christe is concerning his prysthade to offre sacrifice unto god and by the same to purge the worold from synne PAule Phillip 2. saythe that Christ humblyd hym selfe unto deathe of the crosse ad Ebre 2. he was made part taker of mannes mortall nature that by deathe he might destroy hym that had the imperie and dominion of deathe to say the deuill Iohan callith hym the lamme that do the take away the synne of the worold loan 1. all the sacrifice of the old law were figures and types of this only sacrifice whiche was appoyntid by god to dy and to suffre theire and displeasure of god for the synne of man as thowghe he hym selfe were asynner and had mery tid this displeasure the greatnis of this Ire sorow confusion ignominie and contempt nether angell ner man can expresse his paynes were so intollerable and his passion so dolorous his deite so obedient withe the fathers will that it was not only à sacrifice but also à iust recompence to satisfye for all the worold soly and only as Christ tawght Nicodemus Ioan. 3. as Paule Ebre 7. 8. 9. 10. Esa 53. and so all the prophetes and patriarches and souch â sacrifice as ons for all sufficithe Ebre 7. these too officies of Christ shuld neuer be out of remembraynce They declare the infinite mercy of god and likewyce his indifferent and egall iustice unto all creatures without respect of persones The token of his mercy may be knoyn in this that he would not that all man kynd shuld be loost thoughe in Adam all deseruyd eternall deathe he openyd his mercy unto Adam not only by word but also by the fyer that descendyd upon his sacrifices and his sonnes so to Abraam then to the worold by the incarnacion and deathe of his only sonne the promesse of grace and the promis of euer lasting lief unto souche as repent and belyue in hym The signes of his Ire and displeasure unto man is this that he would not accept man agayne into his fauour for no penence no sorow no troble no aduersite no weping no wayling no nor for the deathe of oni person Vntill his awne sonne most dere belouid by death appeced his displeasur and be cam suerty to satiffye the iustyce of God and the right that the deuyll had unto ull mankind This if man remembryd as depely and as ernestly as the mater requirithe it shuld make his hartfull sory and brig hym unto an honest and uertews trade of lyffe To consider this example of Godes iustice and equite in the appesing of his awne iust conceuyd Ire and lik wyce that he would do no wrong unto his mortall Ennymy the deuill except the sone of god had byn an aequall and iust redemption â pryce correspondent to contrepece and satisfie the culpe and gilt of mannes sinne God would not haue takē one soule from the right and iustice of the deuill Now of this infallible truithe that Christ hathe sacrifici only for sinne and his deathe accōptid only sufficient for the saluacion of man The churche of Christ is aryght iustructyd of to moost necessarie articles First of iustificacion and then of the right use of the sacrament of his holy body cōcerning iustification thus the word of God theachith Caput VII SAinct Paule whē hesaithe that we be iustifyed by faythe Rom. 3. 4. 5. he menythe that we haue remission of sinne reconciliacion and acceptation into the fauor of God so doothe this word iustifie signifie Deut. 25. hisdich where as God cōmaūdithe the iudge to iustifie quit and absolue the innocent and to cōdemne and punishe the person culpable Paule saythe we or iustied by faythe and not by workes to be