not to be grossely taken that no more is to be followed then those named in this place But by these wordes must be vnderstoode all his lawes and ordinances written in the Lawe and in the Prophetes and I referre this place Vnto Deut. 12.32 thus written God is of heauen heauenly therefore bumane traditions must not be mingled with his seruice Quicquid tibi in mandatâ—m dedero hoc facies neque addi aliquid neque diminui patieris a verbo meo What so euer I commaund thee that shalt thou doe thou shalt neither add any thing therevnto neither shalt thou plucke any thing therefrom which euen very same commandement is written Deut. 4.2 Hearken you O Israel vnto the ordinances and lawes which I teach you to doe it followeth you shall put nothing vnto the worde which I commaund you neither shal you take ought therefrom And vnto Ioshua was the same lawe giuen in commaundement Iosh 1.7 and he was charged to obserue all things that Moses the seruant of the Lord did commaund him the restraint was set downe thus Thou shalt not turne away from it to the right hande or to the left that thou maiest prosper whither so euer thou goest The Priestes of Bâ—al the foolish Chemermâ— and the Scribes and Phariâ—ies were in the same maner blinded as be our Iesurtes Papistes and Seminaries their most principall and chiefe Ceremonies were al one the same proofâ— they vse both of them for their superstitions and the verie same customs they doe allowe of bicause their fathers of olde vsed them which lawe and most sacred and holy ordinance of the Lord when I consider of I wonder how you the aduersaries of the grace of God schollers of the Pope and Antichrist either burst not in pieces for feare or holde not downe your heades for shame or accuse not your selues in your consciences or cry not out vnto the Lorde in this extremitie when you sée all thinges in your religion and profession either to be inuented either to be founded by man either to disagrée either to be contrarie dissonant from the word of God either to be whorish either to be diuelish either to be Idolatrous either to be superstitious which is the least fault you haue of al It can not be if you had read the lawe as you flée from it If you had experience in the scriptures as you shut them vp If you had exercises of prayer as you haue none aright If you had the Commaundements of the Lorde among you as you denye them If you had true seruice as you corrupt it If you had the ordinaunces of the Lord and his wordes with you as you are farre from them But that you should sée easily and perceiue rightly and iudge perfectly and deale syncerely and after an other manner to than nowe you doe in your daily administrations and vnlawfull sacrifices Remember that cursse that is laide vpon your shoulders and vpon the shoulders of your fathers in the last of the Reuelation Reuel 22.18 for your corrupting of the word Therefore after a rewarde that is giuen to euerie one according to his workes there is a description of Christ whom we ought to acknowledge in this manner 1 First as being α and ω the beginning and the end 2 Secondly as being the first and the last There is also a blessing set downe vnto those that shall feare his Commaundements 1 Their right way shall be in the tree of life 2 They shall enter in through the gates of the citie After this there are certaine per sons named the are shut out of the kingdome of God 1 Dogges be the first sort sauage wilde vntamed and wanton persons 2 Inchaunters be next such as haue bene the most of your Romish Prelates 3 Whoremongers the third and you and the Romanistes speake against marriage and yet maintame whores in your Cloysters 4 Murtherers folow such are you and such haue your fathers bene that seeke and thirst after the bloud of the Saints 5 Idolaters also are without and more vile more ougly more monstrous and more filthie theÌ„ are you of Rome I know none vnder heauen professors of religion at this day 6 Moreouer such as loue and make lyes are in the number and these can be no other than you and as you be that maintaine false doctrine and delight therein After al this there is a message sent vnto men The messinger is the Angel of God and his message or tidings is heauenly and diuine namely 1 That the roote and generation of Dauid Iesus Christ 2 That the bright morning starre Christ the light that brought light into the world Hath of his meeremercy brought â—vs good tidings 1 How that the spirit and the bride do cry come 2 How that euery one that heareth may come 3 How that al those that are a thirst may come 4 How that euery one that will take of the water of life may come freely But there followeth a Protestation with a ComminatioÌ„ 1 First that what man so euer he be 2 Secondly that heareth 3 Thirdly the wordes 4 Fourthly of this prophecie 5 Fifthly presuming to add any thing thervnto That then God shall adde vnto that man all the plagues that are written in that booke Furthermore the Lorde inlargeth that spoken before So that if any man shall presume 1 To diminish the wordes of the booke of that prophecie 2 His part shall be taken out of the booke of life 3 His parte shall be taken out of the holie citie 4 He shall haue no part in the things are written in this booke 5 And all this is confirmed by the Lorde for hee will come quickly to see it done As they are more to be feared that can kill and destroy the soul rather than those onely that do spill the bodie so are the papistes the more to be abhorred as they doe cast away both the outward the inward man Nowe therefore looke you vnto this O you the enimies of God more then enimies vnto the Lorde for you make all other whome you can get enimies vnto him worse than common enimies for you raise vp straungers against him crueller than are the enimies for they kil but the body you destroy both bodye and soule Fiercer than are all enimies for they vse the sword you abuse the word and bring in an other contrarie to it I charge you not without cause I lay nothing vnto you but that I may iustly Your consciences bewray you and you betray your selues your comming ouer to vs presuming to teach being more fitter you should learne entring and insinuating of you into the hearts of men spreading abroad your damnable opinions are tokens sufficient I say to manifest vnto the world what men you be You you haue counterfeited the Scriptures you you haue falsified the trueth You you haue added and diminished You you haue put too and taken from the word of God You you haue inclined
practised so many things against vs this many yeeres these are the wicked whome the godlie haue feared these are the disturbers haue disquieted this Realme these are the conspirators haue withholden the hearts of the wicked from their loyaltie these are they that if God had not beene on our side would long ere this haue ouerthrowne vs. VVe know that Papistes were authors of rebellion in the North. We know that as in the Shambles men sell meate so in their priuate assemblies haue these wicked ones bothe bought and solde vs of England We know that many a time the Pope hath sent secrete messeÌ„gers hether and haue stolne away many of the Subiectes hearts We know that newes hath very often ben brought ouer how the time hath been appointed that King Phillip should haue eaten bread and giuen his Souldiors drink in LeÌ„dâ—â— We know that multitudes of Papists hauing been taken examined and imprisoned for the fame they haue sayd openlie that they hoped one day to see their golden day It is seene of all men what numbers haue beene taken 〈◊〉 Masse in despite of the Gospell It is seene of all howe many haue for treason not onely beene taken but executed in London It is seene of all men that they haue vsed witchcraft sorcerie inchauÌ„tment to destroy the Lordes annointed It is seene how vnquiet her Maiesties Realme of Ireland hath been and all only thorow them It is seen what signes and Crosses the Papistes haue had brought ouer as is their Agnus Deis and other Tablets which continually they weare about their necks as tokeÌ„s to be known by if time serued And it is seene and perceiued of all openlie how that innumerable Bulles and Pardons haue are continuallie sent ouer by the Pope And can or may true and faithfull Christians see all this and not speake Naie the heauens the earth crie out against them and if both these should cast out their slaine and dead bodies which sometimes the Fathers of these men haue killed in this coÌ„men wealth vve that liue now were neuer able to abide the yelling and crying the sighing and groning of our Fathers our Mothers SoÌ„nes Daughters Kinsfolk neighbors and of all fortes of people some for the vnspeakeable tormentes wherewith these wicked and vngodlie Baalites haue tormented them And now they thinke the time to be at hand in which they may embrew their handes and a freesh againe be dronken with the blood of righteous men which hope which trust which confidence which desire which practise which sight which thirst of theirs cannot be extinguished if God either stay not their pretended purpose or that some speedy reformation and sharpe discipline be not sought after for these Heretiques And albeit we be ready to pawne bothe our liues and ourbodies in the quarell of the Lord yet haue we a care of the Familie and house of God to keepe the wilde Boare of the wood from deuowring it Vndoubtedlie as Achan troubled Israell Iosh 7.21 in taking of the excommunicate and forbidden thinges so haue these Iesuites with their companions that of late came into this Realme greeuouslie prouoked the Lord and moued vs in bringing ouer their whorishe forbidden and Babilonish garmentes with them Gen. 35.4 True it is that all the Trinckettes and rubbishe they haue is nothing else but Ceraphims and the same straunge Gods or some such beggerlie and vnmeete trashe as the Patriarke Iacob tooke from them of his household when as for very shame he buried them vnder a Terebinth Tree in Schechem Their worshippe is all one with the worshippe of Aaron when he offended in making the golden Calfe Of which sinne committed Moses was so afraide Exo. 32.20 as in the same he let fall the Tables of stone and they brake but Moses dealt with them according to their iniquitie for all that and he stamped the golde of which the Calfe was made off to powder and made the Israelites drinke thereof And this was much that Moses did but Asa the King did more then he 1. Reg. 15.12 For he put away the Sodomites and bannished the Idolaters out of the Lande and he remooued Maacha his mother and disinherited her of Crowne and dignitie for that she offered Sacrifice to Priapus Notwithstanding Iehu did more then did he 2. Re. 10.26 for he killed all the Prophets of Baall and suffered not one of them to liue he defaced the Temple of their Gods and made a Drawght house of it for euer And Iehoiada the heigh Priest 2. Reg. 11.4 together with the yonge Kinge Ioas killed the Idolatresse Athaliah as she fled for her life out of the Temple Ezechias did wonderfull thinges in his dayes and he spared not an Idolater in the Lande How Iosiah delte being but a younge Prince and how he visited and went thorowe the Realme in his owne person the booke of the Cronicles and Kings of Iuda doo declare 2. Reg. 22.8 He put the Idolatrous Priestes to death and was so zealous in the behalfe of his God that he burnt their boanes and sacrificed them vp vpon their owne Altars We are not ignoraunt right Honorable of all the Statutes Ordinaunces and decrees from age to age which the primitiue Churches haue bothe made and confirmed against the Idolaters of there time what the Emperour Constantinus did appeareth in Eusebius Euseb in vita Con. lib. 3. and how he delte in Phaenitia and in Cilitia with the Idolaters Theodosius as witnesseth Theodoretus Theod. lib. 5 cap. 20. did referre all his studie to the suppressing downe of the Idolatrous Gratians And I doo remember that Leo in his Epistle Leo. Epist 66. requireth of Licinia Eudotia Augusta that she would roote out those Heresies spread abroade by the roauing Monkes in Palestine Therefore seeing their children are sprong vp in our dayes and in their steede are risen vp as wicked and as great Idolaters as were they It is very heigh time they should be looked vnto among vs. For my owne part I doo protest that if any thing hath made me to write it is the Lords quarrell and the feare of his name that hath doone it And in the same I haue great reason moouing me therevnto which your Honour shall vnderstande and they all perceiue that shall reade this Booke But it hath greeued me moste of all and stirred me vp espetially in that I haue from time to time seene and vewed the impudent behauiour and bolde presumptions of the Papists Amonge whom some men of late time in a sound speech perfect tongue fine wit and choyse phrase as they did thinke of them selues haue rashly encroached vpon her Maiestie and vpon your Honours the Lords of her Maiesties Honourable priuie Councell with sundrie of theyr bookes Thereby making vs beleeue that because they durste doo it they did it well Of these Maister Harding was the first that reuolted and ranne away from Christe but neuer returned who by this time knoweth
now also write I haue to lead me therunto these causes First my office and calling draweth me as beeing a Dispensar of the woord of God Secondly my dutie which is to winne all but especially you which are so farre off Thirdly that care which beyond measure I haue had is a prick and a spurre within me since the firste time I was with you at the Tower And which should prouoke me I haue a commaundement giuen me from the eternall God to preach in season and out of season in time and out of time whersoeuer I see the Church to stand in need Therfore I beeing espetially mooued aboue the rest you haue no farther to enquire after me As concerning the thinges I am to charge you withall they are many great importable and such as you can neuer answere They concerne the Lord the high God whose lawes you contemne They concerne the Church from which you are fled They concerne the trueth which you denye They concerne Religion which you abhorre They concerne Christianitie which you are farre from They concerne true Woorship which you repose in your Imageâ— They concerne Faith which you lay in Worâ—â—s They concerne perfecte and Christian adoration this you claspe vp in the bosome of the Pope They coÌ„cerne prayer which in steed of God you giue to men They concerne Christe whose institutions you chaunge They concerne the perfect seruice of the Lord which you infolde in the Masse They concerne our Meditation which you make but a sacrifice Propitiatorie by the woork of a Preest They concerne our attonement and reconciler Christe and him whome the heauens containeth you infolde in a Wafer cake They concerne the Gospell which you refuse you stick to the customes of your fathers And they concerne the woord of the Lord which you heare not but compelled which you slaun der beeing hardened which you contemne beeing blinded and which you spurn throwe away euen before our faces to our great greef and your confusion if you repent not All these many things more I am to charge you with hauing this purpose in my selfe That first you are to be loked vnto and if that you will not turne vnto the Lord our God and serue him after the manner that we his People Israell doo either we must shut you out of the Tents and dwelling places of the inheritaunce of our God or we must finde some way to pacifye the Lord withall For I am certainly perswaded that you haue been kept ouer long you and your fellowe Ammonites yea these twentie yeares haue you been pricks and thornes in our sides now you come out of your holes wherin younestled resisting openly the hoste of the Lord vnto their faces But this may not be suffered least your example of gathering sudâ— vpon the Sabaoth day be an occasion also that others shall violate and break the commaundements of God I warne you therfore in time and these Sermons of myne which I made vnto you haue I gathered together in a little volume that you may read them They contayne in them a breefe and short confutation of all such Heresies as you doo holde With this speech if you be not contented I wil then call back and reclaime it when as I perceiue and see thorow ly that you are amended More I cannot say more I may not say and more I dare not say as yet to you whom not I but aâ— Christian harts doo thinke to be instruments of Satan raysed vp for our sinnes as two edged Swoordes to rent and out in peeces the poore Church of England For mine owne parce I wil pray to the Lord our God for your amendement and I will begge that Discipline at his hands which you if you come not to him are woorthie to haue To whom I doo commit you that hath both life and death faluation and condemnation in his handes Yours in the Lord if you come vnto the Lord. Iohn Keltridge At London Iune 10. 1581. The first part of the Sermon wherein is largelie confuted sundrie grosse heresies which the Iesuites Seminaries and other the Popes Schollers doo holde preached at the Tower in their presence that the trueth might be known vnto them more apparantlie 7. Maij. 1581. IT is thus written right Honourable right VVoorshipfull and belooued in our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christe Deut. 6. v. 4. Heare O Israel the Lord our God is Lord onely and thou shalt looue the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soule and with all thy might And these words which I commaund thee this day shall be in thy heart THe looue that our Lord God bare to Israell his people though it be in many places of this booke shewed openly and declared plainlie to them Of all the bookes of Moses this of Deuteronomy for the blessing great benefiteâ— God shewed to his people is the most coÌ„fore table and heauenly booke Yet in more ample manner it was neuer set downe at any time to that Nation as in this the vnspeakable looue of the Lord their God who in daunger defending them in troubles deliuering them in extremities assisting them in slauerie and captiuiâ—e vpholding them by his mightie hand did not onely by Myracles she we his power or by his Prouision for them signifie his looue or by his outstretched arme manifest his care or by fighting with Kinges for their sakes driue all onlie an especiall reuerence into their hearts of his Maiestie But verie fatherlie in affection most loouingly in Mercie and tenderlte with long Patience did the Lord instructe and teach them by Moses and Aaron that they might know the Commaundements of the Lord and feare him Wherefore as at the first to cause them to remember him the Lord our God appeared in fire and lightning and in most terrible manner to beate a care and reuerent feare into their hearts So to â—omfore them againe was Moses sent with this 〈◊〉 and these Coâ—â—tâ—ndements as reâ—embraunces pledges of his looue that in the same they might acknowledge him and in trembling and feare obey him in knowledge increase their looue towards him and in reuereÌ„ce serue him all the dayes of their lyfe Now this booke is a recapitulation a bréefe summarie and short rehersall of all such Lawes Ordinaunces Statutes as the Lord had giuen to Israel and a Commemoration of all his sundrie notable and famous benefites as Israel and this People had receyned at the handes of God and therefore sayth Moses Heare O Israel the Lord thy God is Lord onely These woordes haue in them noted two principall thinges common bothe in the Lawe and in the Prophetes 1. First an exhortation In requesting and in praying them 2. Secondlie a Commaundement In willinge and in forcing them The Inuocation or calling on them to heare that which appertayneth to God declareth howe ready the Lord is to saue man The Lawe and constraint vsed by commaundement certifieth vs albeit we will not come vnto
the life of all The third Letter Van and which is also a Coniunction Copulatiue dooth aptly represent The Spirite the holie Ghost who is the knitting together of bothe I am not ignoraunt that the Iewes were a superstitious and verie foolishe people therefore helde they vainely and obserued toyishly and helde ignorauntly many thinges of no moment whereof this is one That this word Iehouah was called of them Nomen inessabile 1 A name not to be spoken The things vvhich are good though in any man refuse them not such thinges as are amisse though in the highest alowe them not And in a booke of theirs which is their bookâ— Senhadrin I finde it thus written He that pronounceth the name of the fowre Letters as the Letters themselues do souÌ„d shall haue no part in the world to come I cannot tell how to think other wise of you present héere somtimes schollers to the Pope then I doo of them but it is verie like the you are drowned in this Iewish blockish opinion for howsoeuer it be that you thinke of the Trinity there is none of you all haue done it none of you that doo purpose héereafter none of you the euer I read of or haue found that durst or would in the dayes of ignorance preach openly or speake publiquelie this excellent and most heauenly Doctrine of the Trinitie The Fathers of olde were not ashamed thereof neyther halted they â—â—â—â—t good and euill but rightly and vprightly perfectly as prositably and directly as exactlie handled they euery thing to expresse the Trinitie they vsed similitudes A ugustine shewed it Per solem Currentem fulgentem et Calentem 1 By the sunne which runneth which glistreth and heateth with his beames Yet to the constitution of the body of the SuÌ„ne these thrée properties doo not come as making thrée but one body no more doo the thrée persons make thrée but one God Tertullian to Praxea describeth it thus Per fontem fluuium et riunluÌ„ 1 By the spring which deliuereth by the Flood which floweth by the Riuer which runneth And yet it is but one the same water gushing foorth into them bothe Similitudes do expresse heauenly and diuine thinges though they agree not in the comparison in all thinges The same Tertullian dooth open the same Mysterie of the Trinitie Per radicem fruticem et Truncum 1 By the Roote which gathereth by the Fruite which proceedeth and by the body of the Tree which beareth it So in like manner may we say of the Trinitie the Father giueth the SoÌ„ne saueth the holie Ghost procéedeth from them bothe yet are they not thrée but one God In common experience we may gather and collect a proper similitude to expresse this for there is the body and we stand by it there is the soule we are quickened and liue by it there is the Spirite we breathe and continew with it yet these make not thrée but one man This thing also Cyprian noted vpon the Créede for this part therefore sufficient enough it is that I haue spoken I will come to the other Particular point which is this First that I promised to speake particularlie not generallie Next is a braunche of the same to examine and trie whether any Idolatrie may be admitted and so to ponder and way equally the opinions and dealinges of you the Schollers of Roome Thirdsy shall appeare the first point required in a Christian what seruice that is that appertayneth and is duely to be giuen vnto the Lord. The thing generall to be spoken of heere is this That Idoll worship and all false adoration is condempned and forbidden in this place For this cause I haue some thing to say vnto you whome I sée before me at this present and in the same I haue to charge you déepelie in the name of the Lord how to speake vnto you and by name to all you I knowe not This I am sure of you came lately from Roome and to a good ende you could not come for you haue not come to vs in the Lord And you be they to whome I will direct my spéeche as vnto men foolorne and cast off from out the Tents of Israel for you are Leapers Tell me if you will whether in your consciences you finde not your selues guiltie of sacriledge and Idolatrie yea or no The Lord sayth Heare O Israel the Lord thy God is Lord onely Then I conclude and my force is bent against you thus They that serue any other saue the Lord their God onely are guilty of sacriledge commit spirituall whordome and be Idolaters You of late the Popes Schollers Seminaries and of his Colledge euen you woorship Images euen you haue Agnos Dei in your bosome and you serue not the Lord your God onely but Idolles Ergo. You are guiltie of sacriledge you commit spirituall whordome you be Idolaters And giue eare belooued in the Lord I request you be you Iudges of that I speake and be witnesses of those thinges I vtter I call not you that haue refused the Lord I speaks otherwise and thinke of you as of those that be without and yet for all that belooued if you will be belooued and belooued because the Lord may looue you and belooued for I burne in zeale looue towardes you as towardes them I would haue to looue and feare the Lord. To you all therefore I speake demaunding of you this Question why rather you séeke after Images then after God why rather to Idolâ—es then to the Lord why rather any other woorshippe wherein you are insnared then the Lord your God onely If you thinke I offer you iniury for I speake you may say nothing I preache you holde your peace I haue lybertie you are cut short I may holdly say what I can you may not say any thing in defence of your selues Then I will doo yet more for you and I will walke equally twixt you me and hauing hurthened you with that which I sée you are faulty in I wil 〈◊〉 all that before God and his Angels and in the presence of all these lay open the trueth and declare that sincere and true meaning which these woords this Scripture aloweth The Lord sayth héere Heare O Israel heare the Lord You heare the Pope and you feare man The Lord sayth Heare the Lord thy God you giue eare to your inuentions The Lord sayth I the Lord thy God am Lord onelie you haue other Gods worship Images Then iudge you let not me he your Iudge any otherwise then in this so plaine a matter which you your selues cannot deny And for all this sée how fauourably I will deale on your behalfe You say that beside this plaine coÌ„mauÌ„dement O Israel the Lord thy God is Lord onely That you for all that haue a liberty giuen vnto you for the worshipping of Images How shall this be tride In the deciding of the Question you will suspect me I shall not be thought to be indifferent but
sée how plainely I will determine this controuersie You say you may worship Images I say you ought not worship Images Then what Iudge will you make choice of The Lord our God shall be our Iudge there is no acceptioÌ„ of persons with him and the Lawe and the Prophets will we call as witnesses and the holy Scriptures shall decide this matter Then the QuestioÌ„ is mooued héere whether you may woorship Images haue them in your Churches yea or no This QuestioÌ„ is two folde Affirmatiue for some alow of Images such were the Gnostickes the Carpocratians the Pythagoreans the Maniches and with them do you holde who of you some are Iesuites some Papists some Seminaries some of one sect so me of an other Or it is Negatiue and those that deny it are the whole Senate and assembly of good men who be the learned Fathers the graue Doctors of the Churches of olde the whole number of reformed Churches in the world and our Churches of England at this day and the state thereof that deny these your whorish and Idolatrous abhominations Then it remayneth eyther to affirme this as you dâ—â— or to deny it styll which we maintaine For there is not the most grosse Heretique but hath some colour of scripture for his Heresie That the trueth may appeare and for that you are subtill and glosing persons insinuating and créeping into the mindes of men deceyueable and peruerters of the trueth alledging Scriptures for your heresies and falsifying the manifest and vndoubted Veritie I will take this order and way to aunswer you first we will examine your places of Scripture next we will trie whether they be duely and truely alleadged yea or no. answer 1 A man of your side to name Harding that Apostata that twise reuolted and denied the trueth and at last dyed in his dampnable errors That at the first in the raigne of King Henrie the eight helde with the Pope that afterwards was a Protestant professed the Trueth that in King Edwards dayes most stoutly and most couragiously at Paules Crosse in London spake against the Pope afterward was a Turne coate and denied Christe and withstoode the Trueth this Weather cocke this Bifrons Ianus that had two faces for bothe yéeres as Harding had two tongues for bothe times In his hereticall Pamphlet and in his Treatise of Images which he cast foorth vnto the people of England to peruert them there he is of this opinion Hard. Diu. 1. of Images Concerning the antiquitie and originall of Images they were not first inuented by man but commaunded by God brought into vse by tradition of the Apostles allowed by the aucthority of the holie Fathers and by custome of all ages sith Christe beeing vpon the earth c. VVhat sacriledge vvyll not these men commyt in corners that openly vvyll laye vntruethes vpon the Lord and charge him vvith contrarieties A most dampnable and sacriligious opinion Images of God why they are all forbidden by him Images of antiquitie whose originall was good the good Fathers in olde tyme the good Patriarches of auncient memorie neuer had any brought into vse by tradition of the Apostles why where in what place what booke what EuaÌ„gelist what Epistle what writing of theirs doo you finde it in If any of you all whome you thinke to be so learned and so néere the Pope be able out of any good autenticke auncient and holie Father of olde to she we vnto me that the Apostles vsed Images I will subscribe to your opinion so that eyther they or you can prooue it by their owne writinges the Apostles them selues These were the argumentes of the old hereticks the Capocratians the Gnostickes and others now they are they rai sed froÌ„ the nethermost hell againe to come helpe the Pope the Iesuites his Scholles But we will procéede Maister Harding hath reasons and the verie same which you vse therefore I will aunswere bothe him and you And albeit much hath béene spoken by the reuerend Father the L.B. of Sarisbury and most diuinely and most heauenly set downe concerning this matter Yet for that he was for his time and we liue in ours and because the Lord is tyed to no one thing and you also are to be satisfied nowe and for that those excellent men of olde haue not shut vp euerie plaine way in dooing good but that the same as yet lyeth open to those that passe by I must and will aunswer that place of Scripture which you bring for your purpose and it is this Ob. In Exod. 25. God commaunded Cherubins two of them to be made of pure golde which were before the Mercie seate c. Resp You must nowe conclude Ergo Images Ergo your Images Ergo all Images are lawfull The Schoole boye will tell you A Particulari ad Vniuersale non esse argumentandum 1 From a Particular thing and from that which is speciall to a generall there can no argument be framed Also it was lawsull then Ergo it is nowe it followeth not It was in vse Ergo it is in vse now holdeth not It was so and so in that time and at that present Ergo it may at this present also is no sequell Yet I doo request and I charge you too in the name of the Lord that you enter farther into examination of this matter then shall you finde that how socuer Maister Harding for preferment and honour which he receyued in ample manner at the Popes handes hath reuolted yet that by the Grace of God we will aunswere him most fullie and you also so that you shall not but wilfullie deny the trueth God when he pleaseth is a lawe sufficient by his word to doo all and by his word a sufficient lawe to stay all thinges commaunded I might aunswere you as Tertullian dooth in his booke De Idololatria And as the Bishop of Sarisbury that reuerend Father dooth Which is That God can dispence with any thing and is a lawe of him selfe Yet if you examine the place you shall sée how deceyueablie you deale with vs. For first these Cherubins are Cherubins they were not Images as are yours Secondly they were before the Mercie seate within the inner Vaile which is the holiest of all into which the hie Préest entered as for any other it was not lawfull for them to enter therin Those tipes and figures of thinges that were to come in the lawe are now abrogated because they be fulfilled and therefore the Vaile rent in peeces to signifie howe all things were accoÌ„plished For the first Tabernacle was made wherin was the Candelsticke and the Table and the Shew bread the other had the golden Censer and the Arke of the Testament ouerlayde with golde round about there was the golden Pot with Manna and Aarons Rod that budded and the Tables of the Testament and ouer the Arke were the glorious Cherubins shadowing the Mercie seate And these saw no man but the
feare due vnto the Lord and vnto none else dooth exclude and shut out all other feare and reuerence and homage giuen to any other whatsoeuer for God vvill not part stakes with any man For in the last and perticular diuision of all I noted that worshippe which toucheth and appertayned vnto Man thus O Israel the Lord thy God is Lord onely and thou shalt feare him c. Heere is a reuerence that man oweth to his God and to none other To God to the Lord to the Lord onely To none other I say to none No not to Marie no not to Peter no not to the Saintes What not your Letanie not your Orate pro nobis 1 Your generall Praiers made vnto the Saints Pray for vs be they not good I say they be not good they be dampnable I say no they be not good they derogate from the Maiestie of God I say no they be not good you aske helpe of Man not of the Lorde I saye and I affirme that you committe sacriledge and you doo that which is forbidden in the booke of God I finde it thus written by Dauid Psal 50.15 Inueca me in die tribulationis et eruam te et honorificabis me i Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will delyuer thee and thou shalt honour mee I finde not any commaundement to pray to Peter or to Marie In the Hebrewes Hebr. 10. we are charged to drawe néere vnto Christe our highe Préest who béeing the highest of all hath not that I doo finde giuen his Ioel. 2. glorie vnto any other In Ioel the Prophete Ioell 2. this is written Who soeuer calleth on the name of the Lord shall be saued Wherein who séeth not that all other inuocation is excluded Vnlesse you will affirme that they the Saints to whome you pray be Lordes also and Gods of the earth What is plainer then an other Scripture 1. Iohn 2. If any man sinne we haue an aduocate to God Iesus Christe the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sinnes And againe Not for vs onely but for the sinnes of the whole world If Christe be sufficient then neede vve no other If Christ be a recoÌ„ciler the helpe of others is nothing If Christ be our aduocat then vaine is the helpe of Saintes In which you cannot denie these sayinges 1. First that you are sinners 2. Secondlie you haue an aduocate to God 3. Thirdlie a person most righteous 4. Fourthlie that all only is named Iesus Christ such a one at maketh intercession and is a propitiation for vs. 5. Fiftlie not for vs only but for all euen the whole world Now then where is life but in Christe where haue you attanaâ—ment but of Christe where shall you looke for propitation but by Christe Who maketh intercession but Iesus Christe who deliuereth vs and the whole world but all only Iesus Christe It is a strong reason and a greater can not be 〈◊〉 then is this Roma 8. There are not two Mediatours of heauen and earth but one onely Christe Iesus is the mediatour of heauen and earth and of vs Ergo None other neyther Marie neyther Peter nor any other Saint but Christe onelie mediatour for vs 〈◊〉 The Fathers of olde knewe no other neither called they on the name of any one but only of their God Seth Gene. 4.26 restoring Religion called on the name of God and Abraham soiourning Gene. 12.8 when he pitched his Tent and had on the one side Bethel on the other side Haie built there an Altar and called on the name of the Lord. I am assured that Isaack would haue worshipped the Lord with that kinde of worship and that seruice that was most acceptable to God yet can it not be found that Isaack Gene. 26.25 or any other the Prophetes vsed the helpe of any dead man but called on their God And so am I assured dyd Iacob Gene. 32. together with Moses Exod. 34. and also Sampson The old fathers taught thus Epiphanius in his booke against the Antidicomarianites Gregorius Na. in Ioh. Lib. 9. Cap. 42. and Cycill in Iohn 16. and Chrisostomus Hom. de Muliere Chananeâ— and Theophilactus ad Coloss and August vnto Honoratus are all against the inuocation of Saints when they liued and not one of them vsed the helpe of any their fellow Patriarkes departed or brethren the good men that were dead but all of them prayed to the Lord their God wherefore your prayers to those departed are vaine they doo you no good your prayers to them are gone are diuelish and whoorish they are forbidden by the Lord they are to no ende they cannot profyt you they are detestable they are condempned in the Scriptures they are superstitious for they derogate from God they are Idolatrous and pernitious they infect and hurte such as doo vse them they are moste filthy and abhominable for no homage is to be giuen to them but to the Lord. As for you your worship your adoration your prayers to them whence haue you them where finde you them what warrant haue you for them what authoritie what commaundement from the Lord as of all other your whorish abhominations so may I say of this You haue no Author no defence no Protection no colour of the same but onely from Rome from Pope from Cardinall from your owne inuentions your owne decrées your own decretalies or els from the olde and damnable Hereticks Contra. octo ginta Haer. Epiphanins that olde and grayheaded father Bishop of Cyprus reckoneth this among the Heresies of the Collyridinns who came out of Thracia in Arabia the vpper parts of Scythia for the they also superstitiously as you do offered to the Virgin Marie now once in a yeare was the day very solemply kept and they celebrated it with great honour and to say truthe they were women Priestes who gaue that so great homage vnto her as being the Mother Lady and Mistresse of all Woemen And vnlâ—sse that you tooke this custome from them the first inuentors of the same I know not what you are able to saye for the antiquitie of Praiers giuen to her or any other This I knowe this I am assured off and this I finde in your owne writers that till it was within these late yeares you haue not so much as any mention made of your praying vnto those that are departed but all onely the nations and such as knew not God haue vsed to praye to them that are gone or els some of your owne vaine and fantasticall Bishoppes haue brought in this custome who as euery man was giuen wickedly or bent frowardly disposed idlely or affectioned fylthely The Popes the Authors of all Idolatrie or inneighled diuellishly or drawne away superstitiously or bewitched heathnish like haue made constituted and ordained lawes for this kinde of praier and more I fynde not Lib. 2. Yom. pr. haeresi quinquagesi Therefore in Arabia the