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
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
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
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
¶ TWO GODLIE AND learned Sermons appointed and Preached before the Jesuites Seminaries and other aduersaries to the Gospell of Christ in the Tower of London In which were confuted to their faces the moste principall and cheefe poincts of their Romish and VVhoarish religion And all such Articles as they defend contrarie to the woord of God vvere layed open and ripped vp vnto them In Maye 7. and 21. Anno. 1581. By Iohn Keltridge Preacher of the vvorde of God in London Psal 119. verse 128. I esteeme all thy precepts most iust and hate all false wayes Prou. 4.14 Enter not into the vvay of the wicked and walke not in the vvay of euill men ¶ Imprinted at London by Richard Ihones dwelling without Newgate neere vnto Holburne Bridge TO THE RIGHT HONOrable Sir Fraunces Walsingham Knight principall Secretarie to the Queenes moste excellent Maiestie and of her Maiesties moste honorable priuie Councell c. AT such time right Honourable as I at the request of certaine my deere and welbeloued freendes had beene at her Maiesties Towre of London partlie to haue some talke with the Iesuites and other Seminaries deseruedly there imprisoned partlie to see if the Lorde would haue quickened them after great preaching and much conference with manie and verie learned men that came thether I did finde that the trauaile and study of theirs hath to this day taken so small effect as not onely the Iesuites are more and more stiffned in their errors But also they are become so sencelesse in feeling so blunt in attayning so wicked and malicious in resisting so disloy all and spitefull in hearing so sturdie and malaperte in withstanding openlie the teachers of the Gospell as the people are vpon the same dismayed zealous and godly men discouraged and all fortes of people moste pittifully distracted that either heere or see them at any time VVherefore may it please you to vnderstand that for diuers causes I haue giuen vnto your Honour this briefe and shorte Confutation of their Heresies First that their damnable and grosse errors though they may be seene of all may yet especially be knowne vnto you For I doo thinke that the reformation and order to bee taken for these Heretiques dooth lye in especiall on your shoulders and is required at Gods handes of the Lordes of her Maiesties moste Honourable priuie Councell Secondly that it may appeere whensoeuer these wicked men shal be called to an accompte that then they will not be able to denie or dissemble that which they affirme For the moste principall though not all their Articles are confuted in this booke Thirdely I am of opinion that esperiallye your Honour hath to discerne the spirits of these men in as much as you be in the number of those that in Roome togeather with many other of the nobles in this Realme were threatened to be burned by the Pope if he gat you either quicke or dead The laste and the cheefe cause is this As your Honour hath beene alwayes a fauourer of the Gospell and moste forwarde in Religion so I trust that God will now mooue you to haue a more care of his poore Church then euer you had It is not vnknowne how God hath looued this Realme sithence her Maiesties moste gratious and happie raigne among vs. The like rest with such quietnes the like peace with such blessednes the like comfort with such happines was neuer seene vnder any Nation and people as we haue had vnder her Maiestie Now at lengthe after so longe and prosperous and peaceable gouernment to put this Realme in feare and dread of that woonted Tirranie which Antichriste the Pope practised vpon vs. To stirre and mooue vp by way of alienation the mindes of men and the faithfull hartes of Englande to make vs remember the blood that was shed of olde time by the Pope to compell vs againe to sorrow ouer the bodies of our dead and ouer the Sainctes whose blood was shed and ouer the multitude of good men that were taken from vs There are in the steede and roome of those blodie Fathers risen and now in processe of time growne vp their bloodie and vnnaturall sonnes Among these some would haue hathed their hands in the harts of our people as Saunders in Ireland of late was purposed to do and it is not to be thought that he was there alone Some write against vs as though wee were Haereticques and accompt vs worthy to be put to death what would these men doo if they had vs in their handes Of which sort is Iohn Howlet and one Campion who bothe of them haue presented their mindes moste praesumptuously to the right Honourable the Lordes of her Maiesties priuie Councell some also haue spread abroade their damnable and seditious Doctrine thorowe out manie places in this Realme Such bee the Iesuites the Seminaries and other Schollers of the Pope that bee now in her Maiesties Towre of London Now all these are come hether and sente in of late dayes by the Pope to disturbe vs and rayse Tumults in this Common wealth And all these are the children of such Fathers as persecuted the Saints or they be home borne children brought vp in England being the wicked sonnes of wicked Parēts and they all haue beene maintained by that man of sinne Antichriste For all which thinges it cannot be gainsay de but that these practising Heretiques are most woorthy to haue the lawe of God in execution against them which he hath set downe for them in his Booke I doo well remember what our Fathers and Forefathers did Dauid at the hower of his death called to minde the iniquitie of a man of his that shed blood and when he lay on his death bed he sayd thus to his sonne Salomon 1. Reg. 2.5 Thou knowest what Ioab the sonne of Seruiah did to me and what he did to the two Captaines of the hoast of Israel vnto Abner the sonne of Ner and vnto Amasa the sonne of Iether whome he stone shed blood of battaile in peace Doo therefore according to thy Wisedome and let not his hearie haires goe downe to the graue in rest The same also sayde Dauid of the sonne of Gera the sonne of Iemini of Bahurim neither did he accoumpt him innocent It is well knowne what woorthy and warlike fellowes the Papists slewe and how they were cunning men at the Battailes of the Lord and as ready to resist and fight against Sathan in spirituall skirmishes as Abner or Amasa either euer were in defending their Citties for their maister Dauid It is necessarie therfore those good men should be remembred in as much as they were slaine so trayterouslie And now the rather are we all to thinke vpon that treason of olde as there are risen vp disloyall and wicked men to trouble vs Irreuerend disobedient persons to prouoke vs faithlesse and hollowe hearted Papists to disquiet vs foolish and erronious Iesuites to inueagle withdraw vs from the Lord. These are they haue
whether he did well or euill And Osorius did but the other day sende abroade his CoÌ„nfections to poyson the young Frie of England who as he flaunteth it out in a leafe or two yet halteth he in many places and speaketh verie roughly and breaketh out euery where vnpleasauntly and then healeth vp the wound so rawly againe as that his gleaned and piked vp corne stolne words borrowed ware deceiptfull stile quauering Notes and slaunderous speeches against the trueth be wundered at and greatly pittied of all cunning woorkemen Moreouer the other day was the like seene for the Snowe hath not yet falne vpon the ground nor yet hath the Sickle beene put into the Corne sithence one to name Campion and an other to name Howlet haue caste out Rebellious Pamphlets and offered combate to all the learned in this Realme Now all these men for that they wanted credit and estimation where they liued before are coÌ„tent like Maisterlesse men to goe abegging and aske for entertainement abroade Therefore haue they praesumed to enter the Courte gates and there to open their Pedlers Packes and to set out to sale their counterfeit Merchaundies supposing that because her Maiesties Subiects vpon hope of amendement haue in all clemencie beene borne with all to this day Therefore also they should looke for the same fauour and good woordes bothe of her Maiestie and your Honours handes as a rewarde giuen them for their slaunderous and Scismaticall Libelles May it please you therefore with the same eyes and like harte as you haue to this daye moste Honourably continued so also to turne back and looke vpoÌ„ the learned with in this Realme It wil be knowne vnto you that God hath so blessed them in England with all kinde of furniture Timber Wood and Stone fine woorke wrought woorke and needell woorke golde siluer and all other kinde of Science Arte and knowledge bothe diuine and humaine as all theyr outlandish falshoods robbery pilfering and stealth with their foolish and mishapen Quiddities loose arguments broken reasons falsified Scriptures coloured and disguised Authors are neuer able to be compared or come neere vnto vs. For whye the Lorde is on our side and he rayseth vp bothe the eloquent and the good man As for those men what haue we to doo with them seeing they are bewitched with falsehood and lyes The Lorde our God is he that we must follow his voyce must we heere and as for those that bring not his woorde the Lorde shal be reuenged on them himselfe For my owne parte what I haue set downe against our aduersaries the Iesuites in this booke in the same I will not be my owne Iudge but I will referre that I haue spoken to the indifferent Reader and he all that I haue doone vnto the Scriptures The Lorde the true and righteous euermore the God of our fathers that hath alwayes beene with you kindle your noble and vertuous proceedings more and more that you maye bee a light and fartherer in the same to all those that looue and feare the Lorde And the Lorde graunt that his countenaunce may shine vpon vs that his word may be knowne rightly his lawes and commaundements obserued diligently the vertuous and godly men defended mightely the wicked and obstinate punished seuearely and his goodnes and mercie spreade abroade openly vpon vs all That her Maiestie may raigne long time ouer vs to see the iudgements of our God put in execution that her Grace may see an end of all vnquietnes dissention and strife and establish peace vnitie and concorde in the Church of God Amen Your Honours moste humble to commaund Iohn Keltridge From my Chamber in Holborne at London Iune 10. To the Readers and faithfull Christians health and peace in Christe Iesus THe great looue that the Lord our GOD hath borne to the Church neither is it neither can it be hid from any man and if we which haue nowe Itued in the same many yeeres be not either stuffed and choaked vp with his manifolde benefites or carelesse secure for that they haue béene so plentifull Then will euerie faithfull and good man say as I say that of all Nations and Countries vnder heauen we haue hitherto liued most happily For if Warres were looked for the Lord hath turned all to peace If conspiracies and Treasons were practised they haue béene reuealed from time to time If Insurrections were made they the authors haue béen suppressed immediatly If Forrainers and straungers haue determined any thing against vs their pretended deuises neuer tooke effect If at any time they haue purposed to spoyle vs the Lord hath deliuered them into our handes If the heauens haue portended any great thing or the earth hath shaken her pillers against man or the Elements in flaming manner cast foorth their sparkes of fyre yet haue all these moste straunge thinges to this day shewen their force declared their effectes and plainely manifested their angrie countenaunâ—â—s against other Nations and straunge people not against vs of England So that I may say happy are we if we may continue happy and blessed be we aboue all other if we be still blessed of the Lord and most of all are we to praise our God if héereafter we shall be able to stande as hetherto we haue done which he onely knoweth not man Of this I am certaine and for the same I haue a good warrant that if our sinnes be not come vp vnto the brim if our iniquities be not ripe or our manifolde transgressions come vp before God then haue we not to feare any thing but whatsoeuer kinde of â—â—â—righting it be howsoeuer mens heartes doo fayle them or what rumors and signes of alterations the wicked doo forecast in their hearts all shall be turned to the best if we haue not prouoked the Lord. In verie déede it is true that the Lord is able to remooue our Candelstitke that the Lord is able to carrie vs into a straunge lande and he is of power to hang vp our Harpes vpon the willowe Trées and enforce vs to sing a song of Sion in Babell Yet let Israel be of good chéere and you the people of the Lord comforted for if you will feare the Lord and obey him all thinges shall goe well with you Deut. 28.2 all the blessinges of God shall be powred vppon you and you shall stande in feare and dread of none But and if you disobey the Lord your God and cleaue not vnto him all the plagues and curses set downe in his booke shall ouertake you Leui. 26.14 Lamen 2.17 I tell you of a trueth that if we looke not to our wayes and take héede to such thinges as the Lord our God hath forbidden vs without questioÌ„ he will bring such a thing to passe as all the eares of men that heare thereof shall tingle at it For my owne part I am perswaded that euen now God hath begun to becken his hand and shake his rod at vs and of the same I will
stedfastilie and not to be doubted of by any man that the Barnes of the Lord doo signifie vnto vs the Church of God and within them 〈◊〉 the ende of the world there will be Chaffe mixt with good Corneâ— that is wicked with good euill men among righteous men and Heretiqâ—â—â— among those that are faithfull It is as true and as pretie as it is plaine that Prosper sayth Prosper depromis et praed Dei Cap. 7. Nunc vero ecclesia aut Arca velut mundâ— et immunda animalia bonos malosque portare cognoscitur vsque in praedictum finem de quo Dominus et saluator noster in Euangelio 〈◊〉 est That is And nowe we are assured that the Church of God which is as was the Arke hath in it bothe fowle and cleant 〈◊〉 and is openlie knowne as well to carie the good as those that are euill euen vntyll the determined ende and tyme whereof our Sauiour Christe spake in the Gospell which is vnttyil the ende of the worâ—e So that nowe we are not to be discouraged but comforted not dismayed but stayed in as much as the Lord will alwayes fight for vs and permitte the wicked for a season that their condempnation may be greater when he commeth And it must not be vnknowen to you that there haue risen vp Heretiques from tyme to tyme but especially in the Primitiue Church and in the lyght of the Gospell as the Iesuites and the Fanulie of Looue and the Seminaries doo now in our age Euse Lib. 2. Cap. 1. After Christe 46 yéeres began Simon Magus whome the Pope is 〈◊〉 lyke as can be that selteth the holie Ghost and hell and Heauen and soules of men for money Beda After Christe 58. yéeres or thereabout 〈◊〉 by Elymas Bariesus he would haue peruerted and turned Sergius Paulus from the trueth as Champion and Howlet haue laboured of 〈◊〉 to peruert the state of England Iren. Lib. 1. Cap. 25. After Christe 73. sprang vp Corinthus as like the Papistes in this one thing as might be that he luâ—â—â— after the satissying of the â—â—â—lie and delighted in meate and drinke and maried women Euse Lib. 4. Cap. 7. After Christe 93. sprâ—ng vp Basilides before 〈◊〉 Menander whome in this one thing the Pope and his Clergie resâ—â—â— bleth in that they thinke that Faith by periurie may be renouriâ—â—â— Epiphanius Haer. 26. After Christe 100. yéeres arose vp the Gnostikes some call them Barborites all one with Papistes for they had in them a swelling pride as hath the Pope with his Cardinals thought they knowe all things and their women among them were as common as the strumpets and 〈◊〉 be at Roome for the Friars Haer. 29. After Christe 121. dyd the Nazaritâ—â— spread their Herefies abroade altogether in effect as are the Iesuites who gaue them selues to the obseruation of the Lawe euen alike as be all their Ceremonies which they vse Euse Lib. 5. Cap. 13. After Christ 163. were the Montanists verie rife in the world what they differed from the sects of Iesuites and their company I knowe not all one they were in many things For they for bad mariage as papistes doo they absteined from 〈…〉 béeing vnlaâ—â—full euen as papistes doo they vsed 〈…〉 and defiled women as the papists doo And thus from time to time since Christe there haue béene most detestable Herefies in the Church now I am of opinion that the errors of the papistes are a confused and mingled Chaos euen a trusse and Booget of Hertfies gathered togeather of all sortes of Heretiques from the beginning which when time seâ—ueth I will prooue Héere lyeth out 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 holde that God of his mercie will as wel defend vs as he hath done the other his Churches that hath béene pestered with them since the comming of Christe And as for England they can doo it no 〈◊〉 God is with vs. They cannot hurt vs God fighteth for vs theâ—r pretious bauâ—â—es shal not breake our heads for so hath the Lord 〈…〉 Their errors shall doo what God will haue done that is mough to comfort vs. For the papistes them selues what grosse and 〈◊〉 opinions they holde this short Treatise shall declare 〈◊〉 Irequire at your hands that shall reade this Booke First that 〈…〉 â—â—differerently without partiality Secondly that you way the Articles and sundrie pointes and howe and where the trueth in them is to be looked for Thirdly that you cast not your eyes vpon the writer or vpon the Aduersary that is confuted but that you iudge 〈◊〉 betwixt bothe Last of all with a perfect pure and vndefiled 〈…〉 this booke to be read of thée that thou thy selfe mayst be comâ—â—ted thy conscience assured thy minde and beare satisfied and thy adversaries mouthes that would hinder thée for euermore stopped So I leaue thée to the tuition of the Almightie and do aduertise thée to may for the conuersion of these Heret ques or for the will of the Lord to be shewed vpâ— them according â—â— that purpose and determination of 〈◊〉 which he hath decréed And so fare you most hattehe well Yours in the Lord. Iohn Keltridge ⧠To the aduersaries of the grace of God in the Tower of London or els where I Iohn Keltridge wishe amendment of life conuersion to the moste auncient and vndoubted faith with true repentaunce and contrition of hart That they may become liuely and perfect members of Iesus Christe ALbeit the rare strange comming of you into England hath kindled the harts of many men against you so them see on fire as it is very apparaÌ„t that the flaÌ„erherof is not like to be extinguished till either the godly people see your conuersion from your heresies or conceiue some hope that you will return to God speedily Yet we for our partes that haue endeuored by preaching to bring you to the Lord may not cannot cease continually either to pray with earnestnes or desire with stedfastnes or begge with feruentnes or intreat in all faithfulnes at the handes of the Lord that he would lighten you by his spirit or quicken you thorow his grace or resolue you by the trueth or confirme you by the woord which you dayly heare that the only true and perfect man Iesus Christe maye be knowen unto you which knowledge and perfect vnderstanding you cannot be ignorant of if you shut not your eyes or withdrawe your harts from the hearing of the same What you haue been hitherto we know but what heerafter you shal be that the Lord our GOD knoweth not we We may hope very hardly for you refuse the trueth willingly your conuersioÌ„ 〈◊〉 we not looke for speedily you perseuere in your errours so stouely So that for that matter we deforre and commit all to to the Lord. Notwithstanding for myne owne 〈…〉 some thing to say vnto you for your owne behalfe I haue much to charge you with For my selfe wheras I haue bothe spoken heertofore and doo
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 Lord willinghe yet for the commaundement sake and for necessitie we must obey him The exhortation is to the good and godlie men whome the Lord hath alwayes vsed to styrre vp and prick foreward in his seruice The Commaundement is to the wicked wilfull and vnbeléeuing persons who albeit the beanies and light of trueth apppeareth will not for all that beléeue Wherefore I am of opinion that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 the generall Proposition ende purpose and drifte of Moses is this to exhort and require all such as are the Lordes to haue a regarde to his Commaundements and to feare his name and of this I must speake two manner of wayes First generallie 1. To all that are heere and to such as shall heare heereof heereafter Next perticularlie 2. To certaine persons whom I see in this place and I would they were rather in some other place then heere The first kinde of reuerence and feare to be spoken of generally is appertinent vnto all that looue the Lord who in yeale with perfectnesse in looue with thankfulnesse in great care with earnestnesse ought bothe daylie and continuallie to serue the Lord their God For who defendeth them at all assayes but hée who protecteth them when they are in distresse but onely hée who is able in néede to ease them in myserie to reléeue them in daungers to comfort them in anguishe of soule and heart to deliuer them but onely this whome we should feare whome we should dread whome we should reuerence the Lord our God For this cause in Deuteronomie I finde it thus written Deur 11.18 First that you shall lay vp Secondly the wordes spoken by the Lord. 3. In your heart 4. In your soule 5. You shall binde them as signes on your hands 6. They shal be as Frontlets between your eies 7. Then you shall teach them your children 8. Euen then when thou sittest in thine house 9. Then when thou walkest by the way 10. Then wheÌ„ thou lieft down 11. Then when thou risest vp 12. Then shalt thou write them vpon the postes of thy house and vpon thy gates The reason of this That your dayes may be multiplied that the dayes of your Children may be multiplied in the Land for the Lord sware vnto your Fathers to giue it them so long as the heaueâ—s are aboâ—e the earth Yet there is a condition for this blessing is graunted vpon a bonde wherein Israel was and we nowe his people we bound also Euen to looue the Lord our God to walke in his wayes and to cleaue vnto him c. In the Prophesie of Isaiah Isa 8.19 where as the Lord God dooth most gréeuoustie denounce the heauy Iudgements vpon Iuda Israel and the Affirians for not obeying and seruing the Lord their God At the length the Lord comforteth his people and encorageth the Saintes and wylleth them not to feare albeit they be as signes and wunders to the wicked men and he fetteth downe his will and his purpose of his feare and reuerence in two thinges First In an Inquisition Secondlie In an aunswere to the same The Inquisition is of the wicked men and of Idolaters that say vnto the godlie Enquire of them that haue a spirite of Diuination enquire of them that are Southsayers enquire of them which whisper and murmure The olde Idolaters vpstart Papistes are a lyke in all things and the first kept away the law froÌ„ the people these make ignoraunce the mother of deuotion Then at that tyme this shall be the aunswere made by the godlie Should not a people enquire at their God should you goe from the lyuing to the dead Nay to the Lawe and to the Testimony should you goe and if then you speake not according to that woorde there is no trueth and no lyght in you wherefore they haue first done vs great iniurie I meane the aduersaries of the grace of God the Papistes who haue drawne away not onely the simple and plaine men from the Lord by kéeping the booke of God shut from them but also haue taught them an other lawe of their owne inuentions and contrarie to the lawe they haue receyued of the Lorde O that they had perfectly the Lawe of the Lord in Mathew Where at such time as the Saduces had béene put to silence by our Sauiour Christe and the Pharisées vnderstanding thereof gathered together them selues also to dispute with him Math. 22.34 One among them all an expounder of the Lawe could not temper his affections but boldly rusheth out and speaketh which shall be séene by you in the circumstaunces of the Text. First in a Question The Question mooued by a Scribe Secondlie in a replie to the Question The replie made by our sauiour Christe The Question is the greater moued by the Scribe 1. In the asking 2. In the tempting 3. In the speaking to Christe The Question mooued was Maister VVhich is the greatest commaundement in the Lawe The Aunswer and replie by Christe is this Thou shalt looue whome the Lord thy God Howe 1. With all thine heart 2. With al thy soule 3. With al thy mind And this is the first coÌ„maÌ„demeÌ„t the greatest Moreouer for the aunswer of Christ is twofolde it concerneth The Lorde onely as before is seene in his seruice Man onely which is thus 1. Thou shalt loue 2. Thy neighbor 3. Euen as thy selfe And in these two coÌ„sisteth the Law and the â—…ophets In Marke the Euangelist This same peruerse man the Scribe that did oppose him selfe against Christe after the Question mooued and the replie added the revnto by our sauiour Christe is â—pted to haue spoken discretelie and to haue set downe his opinion bothe soundlie and wiselie concerning this thing And his iudgement was this Maister thou hast saide truelie For there is but one God For there is none other but he And to loue him 1. With all the heart 2. With all the vnderstaÌ„ding 3. With all the soule 4. With all the strength 5. And thy neighbour as thy selfe Is more then all burnt offeringes and Sacrifices In these places rehearsed you plainly sée that in the seruice of the Lord the principall thing required is this That we obey him and his commaundements O how godly and pleasaunt a thing is it for Israel to know the Lord his statutes are in his mouth his Ordinaunces shall make him blessed his séede shall inherite the land he shall not feare by night nor stand in dreade at noone day for the Lord of hoasts is with him the God of Iacob is his defence The Lorde shal be a shéelde to that man and the stay and staffe of peace shal be vpon his head he is sure not to be mooued and to the nethermost hell shall he neuer fall His pathes are pathes of righteousnesse his wayes be the wayes of lyfe Glorie is on his head honour and renowne are a couering for that man happy shall he be for euer and all generations shall remember him
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
world Yet for that you séeme to make a colour of some matter I will not sticke to enter into your follie and discouer it to the world An aunswer to the place of Ezechiel and the Iesuits argument You say that one appeared We knowe it was an Angell and shewed his readinesse Therefore shall you be aunswered out of Ezechiel the Prophet that will be an equall Iudge betwéene vs bothe answer 1 First that which is vttered by the Prophet is done by way of a Vision no materiall or reall thing done indéede But by a Vision is the Captiuitie and destruction of Ierusalem opened by the comming of the Babilonians from out of the North who should ouer runne them answer 2 Secondly all that which was séene was a representation and figure of those thinges were to be done As for example The sixe men seene were the Babylonians and messengers of Gods wrath Lying toward the Northâ— Declared the place from whence they came Hauing weapons in their hand Betokened destruction Wheras a man appeared in white Linnen cloathes Was shewen the looue of God to the faithfull who sent them a helper Hauing a writers Inckorne Opened that he marked such as should be saued The persons are described that should be marked namely such as mourne for Gods children crie out and mourne for the iniquities and transgressions of the wicked séeing the glorie of their God defated The marke wherewith they are marked is Signum Than as some translate which you that holde of the Popes side call the signe of the Crosse And as in other things so in this doo I wunder at you how impudentlie and boldlie how falselie and vntruelie how corruptlie and vnaduisedlie you haue affirmed this At Roome as they say there men haue great skill in the tongues but it is vnlyke For the Hebrue is so plaine they caÌ„not vvrest it the Greeke is not so intricate but they may attaine it But heere lyeth all they reade olde Idolatrous vvriters they reade vvicked superstitious meÌ„ they neuer conferre that they do with the Scripture heere it is that they fall bothe into the ditche those that haue skill in the Hebrew tâ—gue can tell And God be thanked for it how euer it be that the Hebrew tongue is eyther hidden or obscured or dimmed by you yet we knowe well enough that in shamelesse manner you falsifie bothe the Scriptures and the Hebrew bookes Maister Harding blusheth not to say that Ierome affirmeth Thau To haue had the similitude of the Crosse when as in verie déede Ierome auoucheth no such thing but repreheÌ„deth the Samaritanes that superstitiouslie doo lene vnto the same and the same thing is condempned not commended by Ierome Now therfore shewe vnto me two things which I will aske of you such as béeing present defend the Pope and hold with Images Can you prooue that this Signum Thau is the Crosse which you woo ship when as you say to a péece of wood Aue Rex noster 1 All hayle O King Or can you prooue out of this place that if Thau were the Crosse which we denie Yet that eyther the Man that was séene or the Saints which were marked or the Babilonians which were sayde to come vpon them dyd woorshippe pray vnto or adore this Signum Thau and if you can doo eyther of these I will subscribe to your opinions and become one of you If not then knowe you haue abused the Lord vnderstand you haue misconstrued his woord thinke that you haue beguiled his Saints and be you assured the Lord will require it at your handes And nowe to certifie all men in a trueth I will bothe aunswere you and satisfie the Reader It is to be vnderstoode that the Lord dyd nothing in vaine in his booke there is no lyght thing no néedlesse thing no incoÌ„modious friuolous thing set downe But euerie place euerie Vision euery Prophesse euerie woorde hath his meaning and proper sence which bringeth vnto the ignoraunt personne some knowledge So that if any one of you héere before mée shall aske this question at my handes why the Lord God commaundeâ— the Aungell to write rather the signe Thau then any other of the Letters in the foreheads of the Saintes I wyll giue to that Questionist thrée reasons reason 1 The signe Thau hovv vvas it abused by Papists First Thau is the last letter of the two and twentie Hebrew Letters therefore dooth it make vp the iust and perfect number whereby is signified that the Saints marked with this marke are such as be perfect and pure and wise and such as shall make vp and fullfill the nomber of the elect reason 2 Secondly the law with the Hebrews is Torah Therefore Thau the first letter of this worde Torah which is the lawe dooth represent that those which are marked with the same letter Thau are such as doo indeuor to kéepe the lawe of the Lorde reason 3 Thirdly I am of opinion that as the letter Thau is the last letter of the Alphabet among the Hebrews so those that are signed with the signe Thau are certified to bée such persons as are and shal be counted to bée the last and the worst the basest and the homeliest the meanest and most despised among men And now if any of you all or any of yours are able to saye any thing against this my Assertion I will not hinder you but as patiently here you as you haue hetherto harde me thus concluding that as yet you haue sayde nothing to prooue Images lawfull Against you that worship them against them that made them against all such as holde with them the Lorde God saith much in his booke Isai 40.19 Isa 46.7 Ier. 10.3 Now then shall we obay you or the Lorde Man or God Christe or the Pope or beléeue you or the Scriptures For if it be true Non habebis Deos alienos coram me 1 Thou shalt haue none other Gods before me Exo. 20.3 If it be true Per nomen externorum deorum non iurabitis c. 1 You shall not sweare by the name of any other Gods Exo. 23.13 If it be true Nolâ— adorare Deum alienum Ne ineas pactum cum bominibus earum gentium Thou shalt not worship a strainge God thou shalt not make a league or a treuse with those men and with the Nations Exo. 34.14 If it be true in Leuiticus Thou shalt not tourne thy selfe to Idols and thou shalt make thee no molton Gods Leu. 19.4 Then Images and Idolles are not lawefull If the Lorde saythe well when hee sayde Ego Deus gloriam meam non dabo alteri 1 I am the Lorde God I will giue my glorie to none other Isai 41. If the Lord saith well Confundantur omnes c. Let them be confounded that worship the worke of mens handes c. Psal 105. If the Lord saith well in this place Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and him onelie thou shalt feare
egredietur de ore meo c. My woord shall not returne vnto me voide but it shall accomplish that which I will and it shall prosper in the thinge whereto I sent it Isa 55.11 And therefore I desire you and I pray you in the Lord that you would redéeme the time knowing that those things which I haue spoken are not spoken by me but by the Lorde And for that you shall not in any thing mistrust me looke into the Reuelation of Saint Ihon Apoc. 9.1 and there shall you finde that I haue spoken nothing but that which the spirit of God prophesied of before should happen to the Churche of Rome and all her abhominations and all her filthines are opened long before the things shoulde happen are expressed in thrée circumstaunces Three circumstaunces 1. First in the Angell 2. Secondlye that sounded 3. Thirdlie the Trumpet The statelie messenger is a token of the certaintie of the thinge The sounde betokeneth it should come to passe The Trumpet signifyeth that it should be blased commonlie knowen thorow out the world to all And the things to be knowne are these A description of the Pope 1. First a Starre that is a Bishop and Minister and who greater with you then the man of Rome 2. Secondlye that fell for your Pope from time to time hath gone from God Novve that vvhich should be done and should happen is this 3. Thirdly from heauen for heauen and heauenly thinges hath he forsaken and taught mans Traditions 4. Fowrthly to the earth for as all things therin are vncertaine so be all things taught by you and by the Pope most vnstable most wauering and earthly 5. Then he had giuen vnto him a gifte for without Gods permission he dooth nothing 6. The thinges giuen were keyes you say that he hath the keyes on his shoulders yet I thinke you will scarse reioyce in them if you consider well 7. But what keyes the keyes of the bottomles pit for he openeth hell gates to all that follow him 8. Then he opened the bottomles pit for all abhominatiōs and all sin iniquity that leadeth vnto hel come frō him 9. Then there arose a smoake from the pit and you knowe that all filthines hath been spread abroade by the Pope Roome Romanistes are neuer able to aunswer Iohn to this place 10. Then the smoake was like a furnace for the aboūdance of his errors and heresies darkned Christe and his Gospel 11. Then the ayre was darkned by the smoake of the pitifor what trueth what good and perfect doctrine hath not beene obscured by him the Pope 12. After that appeared Locustes false Teachers Cardinals Bishops Monkes Friers c. 13. After that power was giuen vnto them euen false and deceiueable doctrine pleasaunt vnto men 14. Not power onely but the power of Scorpions for your Abbie lowbies did so sting the cōsciences of men of the weake as they died an eternall death by their teaching 15. Yet they hurt not the grasse such as were vpright and knew God for the Elect can not be beguiled by you doo what you can 16. But onely those that were not sealed in their foreheads 1 such as God had not praeordained to life but Infidels whome Sathan had blinded 17. Lastly those that were sealed they should be troubled sixe moneths Euen a certaine time which God had appointed for though Rome hath troubled along time all the faithfull yet is your time limitted and we know that this trouble is but for a season ◠But enter in farther sée and looke whether this be so yea or no your whole Idolatrie knauerie bawdrie of Roome is described and it is showen plainly that the Romanistes be the Locustes Homoiomata A description of the Locusts 1. First they are like horses rebellious bolde cruell fierce lecherous and impenitent 2. Secondly they are prepared for they are armed and readie against the Saintes 3. Thirdly vnto battell for they fight and they encounter and they are in armes against the righteous 4. Fourthly they haue crownes on their heads for they of Rooome challenge honour and dignitie aboue all 5. Fiftly their crownes are like golde they haue no right to that supremacie they claime But they make a false challēge thervnto rob others of their right dignity 6. Sixtly their faces are like faces of men quicke politique brabling and subtill such as pretend humanitie and curtesie and looue and good will towards men yet are they sauadge and cruell and such as eate vp the people of God Harding dooth defend the Stewes erected at Roome 7. Seuēthly they haue haire like vnt o the haire of women which noteth the wantonnes idlenes whorishe apparell and effeminate mindes of the Clergie of Roome 8. Their teeth as the teeth of Lyons for you of Roome haue oppressed the Saints of God and deuoured them 9. They haue Habergions of Iron for they be sturdie and not moued to pittie countenaunced by Princes 10. They haue winges for they be prowde and lyfted vp aboue Kinges and Emperours 11. They haue stinges in their tayles for the number of the Saints of God that are slaine is innumerable 12. They haue a King and he is the king of the bottomlesse pit euen the Deuill and Sathan 13. Your Kinges name is Abaddon and Apolyon euen a most horrible cruell and bloody deuowrer of the Saintes of God a destroyer in doctrine by the Pope Antichrist a destroyer of men bothe of body and in soule in soule with falsehood and lyes in body with fire and sword This feare of the Lord is to be knowen of all for God commaundeth it This reuerence is to be obserued of all for else God punisheth and to be kept for vve are bound vnto it it is alwayes to be looked vnto and vve ought espetially to regard it You haue had a most liuely description of the Pope with his Cleargie not at my handes but at the handes of God Nowe followeth that I should saye some thing of the true feare reuerence and homage which is to be giuen vnto the Lord God it is the last member of all whereof if I speake at large I shall doo great iniurie to this honourable great assemblie If I say nothing I shall be suspected of you our aduersaries and be iudged able to doo nothing If I clippe my spéeche I shall leaue but the halfe man to be séene of you whome I had rather you should sée fully drawne out and in his strength Therfore I am determined to speake yet not fullie because that I doo must be done bréeflie I will speake but not to please or satisfie you but to shewe that duetie which bothe I and all other good Christians doo owe vnto the Lord I will speake that I will speake of no otherwise then of the most true and Christian Veritie which I finde as vndoubted holie and to be euidently declared in the booke of God The
stonie they that dwell there as Epiphanius witnesseth doo woorship Moses for the miracles that hee did and pray vnto him as vnto God And at the Oke and grous Mambre where the Angels appeared to Abraham they that dwell in Phâ—nitia and Arabia and in the farthest coastes of Palestine they doo giue the same homage the other doo Lib. 2. cap. 4. vnto the dead as Sozomenus witnesseth Now whether you will dâ—â— as the Gentilles doo or be like Christians whether as God commaundeth or as they will you whether as the woorde and Scriptures allow off or as man hath inuented that make you choyse of This I knowe that the Saintes of God haue refused woorship offered them being aliue and I am sure they neuer asked that of you when they were dead And this one thing I note where as the Letany in which are so many Orate pro nobis a Commemoration of the Saincts that shoulde praye for vs was fyrste instituted by Mamercus Bishop of Vienna in Fraunce Sidonius in Epist ad Mamercum vpon these occasions First an Earthquake which then happened then a great Fier which at that time burned then the gréeuous assaultings of wilde Beasts which in those Countries mustered and in the same no mention made that I reade of of any praying to those that are dead your late superstitious Prelates haue put in Orate pro nobis 1 A number of the Saintes of God that must praye for vs. Lib. de Cura pro moâ—tuis Cap. 16. Therefore saythe Augustine Nonum est et supersticiosum quod pro mortuis caeperunt orare 1 It is bothe new and a supersticious thinge in that they haue vsed of late to pray for the dead And vndoubtedly if it could be prooued out of the Scripture your owne men would haue gaggeled and thrust out theyr throates more a great deale with better proofe then nowe they are able to make thereof And albeit Moses was a man for lyfe famous for Myracles wondered at Deut. 34.6 for talking with the Lord and for the family aritie God vsed with him most highlie estéemed of all Iude. 9. yet not one in Israel is found to haue prayed to him béeing dead and his Graue and his Sepulchre is vnknowen to this day AbrahaÌ„ Isaack Iacob Dauid Samuel no nor any one of the Prophets Nor Christ nor his Aposties nor the Church for many yeeres nor the godly did euer inuocate the name of Saints Ergo also we ought not Though Elyas parted the water with his Mantell though at the graue of Elyzeus a dead man was raysed from death to life yet was there neither adoration nor immcatioÌ„ made to these by the Saintes of God nor yet any Reliques of theirs as a memoriall of such thinges done by them Wherfore you doo the Lord great dishonour vs great iniury that wyll come hether as Roauers and Maisterles men to teach vs when in deede we haue no Teachers but the Lord and his Prophetes and séeke instruction at his handes not at yours I am not ignoraunt of that blockishe and doltishe reason you haue vsed concerning Marie the Virgin the mother of Christe neyther is it vnknowne to me how you and your Colleages The sacriledge committed in this Booke is not to be named haue vsurped and much abused the Lord God in your Sodomiticall brutish and Heathenish booke called the Rosarie The Lord no doubt will be reuenged vpon you and the Lord will aske it at your handes One argument I will aunswer of yours concerning the Virgin Marie who as for the looue wherewith God looued her she was blessed so you for your false Adoration and Worshippe giuen vnto her are accursed Rosarie You say first of all O holy mother of our Lord c. Pray vnto thy sonne for vs c. Your owne men are of this opinion that the wordes vsed by the Angell in Luke Luke 1.27 wheras Gabriel saluteth Marie are wordes of Adoration Prayer they are not a bare salutation as we holde I doo find that in Egipt there vvas one to name Marie in the tyme of Valens and Valentinianus vvho vvas first an arrant struÌ„pet and after that was canonized for a Saincte novv of that Marie the stories are full but for 400. yeares af-after Christ there vvas no kinde of vvorship giuen to the Virgin Marie but the Popes brought in all their filthines of late yeeres of their vvorshipping the Mother of Christ Wherefore your first Idoll worship and your second superstitious and vaine iuuocation is all onely grounded vpon this place that the Angell is thought to pray to Marie To you I first aunswere thus Reade the Septuagints and the best Translations in Greeke there shall you finde that the wordes vsed there are no such wordes as your blinde Popishe Idolatrous ignoraunt and vnskilfull Abby lowbies taught the people Your old TranflatioÌ„ is Hayle Mary full of grace c. The Gréeke importeth not so much For the woord is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is reioyce which worde is of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as much as grace fauour so that the word the Septuagints vse is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is thou that hast fouÌ„d fauor and grace in the sight of God then this is not a prayer according to your doltish custome that men must pray and say thrée or foure or more Aue Mariaes but it is a salutatioÌ„ of the Angell by which Gabriell declareth the good will of the Lord showen vnto her and his acceptation and fauor which aboue other he hath loued her withall Now also sée how you erre and are deceyued For why was Marie belooued rather then other what for her owne sake onely or for her righteousnes or because there was no blemish found with in her or because she deserued it or because she was vnspotted and without sin or because as most holy she was worthy of greater Benefits O foolish and slowe to vnderstand the Scripture and what is written It became you to search and learne truly the meaning of this place and not to cleaue to your owne opinions wherefore marke the Scripture vnderstand and see and learne and conuert 1 First God saith by the Angell that Marie is freely belooued that is of his meere mercie did he it she deserued it not 2. Secondly the Lorde was with her for God is with all his elect 3. Thirdlye she is chosen before the rest for God did thinke well of her as of one a Vessell of election rather then any other 4. Fourthly shee was in fauour and found it shee had it not of her selfe 5. Fiftely belooued in that shee conceyued and bare our Sauiour Christ and belooued for him the belooued of all not for her owne sake 6. Sixte lie belooued and blessed in that he whom shee bare was the Sauiour of the worlde not that shee saued anie Basil to Iulitta vvylleth vs to pray to God
Basill nor with Gregorie Nazianzen nor with Ambrose in this matter but with the Lord will I holde And yet I tell you that euen these men Contra Idola Ambrosius Lib. de spiritu sancto cap. 12. Denieth it law full to pray to the Virgin Marie named by me are contrarie to them selues For Athanasius sayth in his booke of Prayer that Mens fons est orationis 1 The minde is the fountaine and well spring of Prayer And to the same vpon the fiftie and fowre Psalme he sayth Promptae semper in hominum praecationes Dei aures sunt 1 That is The eares of the Lord are alwayes open to the prayers of men By which his Testimonies he is contrarie to the other places of praying to Saintes for first Athanasius referreth all to the spirite of man and secondlie The Fathers haue not defended the praying to Saintes giueth all audience to the Lord and none other And Basill in his booke De vita solitaria is verie flat against him selfe he speaketh much in other places against praying to Saints For this he saith Ora ad Deum cum timore et animi humilitate That is Pray vnto God in feare and all humilitie of the minde You sée prayer made by him to God excludeth all other For it went a lyttle afore Pete ex fide semper quod binum est operans 1 Aske by faith doing that alwayes which is good Faith excludeth héere praying to Saintes séeing that Faith and beléefe is not to be reposed in them I may say the same of Gregorie Nazianzen and of Ambrose and Ambrose him selfe is flat against praying to Saintes and against all prayers that are to be made to the Virgin Marie as appeareth in his booke Lib. 3. De spiritu sancto ca. 12 Non quicquam adorandum praeter Deum sicut Scriptura dixit Dominum Deum tuum adorabis 1 There is nothing to be worshipped but God He giueth an other reason For it is written in the scripture Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God Wherefore I am of opinion that some Miscreant and wicked man moued by the Spirite of error hath enterlaced and in many places corrupted the good sayinges of the Fathers with euill opinions Tertullian in his Apollogie Cap. 17. sayth We must worship this onely one and true God who with his worde hath made the heauens and the elementes and all spirituall bodies in the same Epiphanius Lib. 3. against the Antidicomarianites and against the worshippers of the Virgin Marie hath many excellent sayinges concerning this thing to whome I referre you Gregorius Nazianzen in his Oration to the Subiects that were affrayde sayth thus Christus tanua et reconciliatio hominum ad Patrem factus 1 Christe is made the doore and the reconciliation of man vnto his Father Cyrill vpon Iohn Lib. 7. Cap 3. sayth That an entraunce is made vnto the kingdome of heauen all onely by Iesus Christe Wherefore I doo request you to reade that learned Theophilact in his Epistle to them of Colossa and Augustine to Honoratus Cap. 10. and the same in his booke of True Religion and they will satisfie you in this Question of praying and to whome to pray Wherefore I will conclude with two reasons drawne out of the Scriptures Psal 51.6 Iob. 14.4 Pron 24.16 Rom. 3.10 The first is this They which sinne as wée doo can not be helpers of vs in our prayer for all prayer is to them that are holie and perfect but the Saintes haue sinned and sinne as we doo Ergo Psalm 3.8 Esa 27.3 Hos 13.4 we haue no cause to pray to them but to the Lord that can helpe vs. Also it is euident that prayer is not to be giuen to any but such as can helpe themselues and other Now the Saints can helpe neither themselues nor any other but Christe Iesus onely must doo it Then no prayer is to be giuen to them for this is the nature of prayer and such things are to be required herein 1. First we must pray to God for he heareth the prayers of the whole world 2. Secondly to one that is able and can doo all thinges which onely is God 3. Thirdly that he be a worthy Person to whom we pray and so is none but the Lord. 4. Fourthly that he be no creature least we derogate from the creator so that the dead haue no portion or inheritaunce in our prayers but onely the Lord. Now therefore I will conclude that Israell must all onely serue the Lorde his God and none other neither in heauen neither in earth neither aboue the heauens neither vnderneath the earth is there any one to whom we must giue homage but onelye to him Then take the Cuppe of salnation into your handes and call on the name of the Lorde Sanctifie your selues and drawe néere to his Tabernacle A stronge Towre is the name of the Lord he that runneth to him shal be saued In Ierusalem is saluation and on the heads of the Goodly is strengthe no falsehood is found in the wise and no halting in those that feare God Though the world doo delight in Chariots and the Kinges of the earth in their Horses and great men in theyr strength yet will we onely call vpon the name of the Lord we wil say glory to the highest and prayses vnto him in the vppermost heauens we will offer sacrifice of thankes giuing vnto our God and paye our vowes to the Almightie we will singe to the Lord a new songe and Sion shall not staye to prayse her God we will singe with Moses and prayse the Lorde with Aaron in his holy assemblye we will not giue his powre vnto man nor the strength of his arme vnto a Forrainer our Crownes shal be set vpon his heade and we will fall downe to him as to our God we will giue blessing and glorie and honour vnto him that sitteth on the Throne for euer and euer and all the Beasts of the earth shall subscribe vnto vs. But as for you you haue not knowne the Lord the God of Iacob hath not béene your defence you haue giuen his honour to the great Beast and the Oragon hath frayed you so that you haue his markes of blasphemie in your foreheads you haue serued that great whore and bowed your knées to the Woman of sinne Therefore shall your portion be without the Gates of the holy Cittie and you shall not sée the Lambs and his face for euer In the Vinepresse of his wrathe shall you bee troden to péeces and if you repent not your portion shal be Fier and Brimstone for euermore You are the sonnes of the bloody Fathers that haue killed the Prophets you are the Children of the cursed séede You are of the posteritie of Amelech vnworthie to liue among Israell You are the reliques of Iebus and of the remnaunt of the Hittites that haue béene prickes and thornes in the sides of the righteous men You are the Chemerims
is the newe Testament in my bloode This figure did the fathers we often times and the scholemen too Lactanâ—â—â—â— called the churche the temple of God Hylarie calleth it the house of Gods Ambrose calleth it the mother of al that liue Epiphanius saith it is via Regia the high kinges high waye Ierome saith it is the Arke of Noe and so doe they also speake of the supper of the Lord Nazianzen calleth it the supper of the Lorde a thankes giuing and againe a Table Ambrose calleth it a spirituall restoratiue and Dionisius calleth it a societie a communion a congregation an assembly so that if the Papistes and Iesuites did not willingly erre they might see the trueth In which wordes is a deuble Metonymie a double figure First the vessel is taken for that which was contained in the vessell as the cuppe for the wine which was within the cuppe Then the wine is called the couenant or Testament where as 〈…〉 the thing it is it can bée but the signe of the Testament 〈◊〉 rather of the bloode of Christe whereby the Testamente was made And thus doe I thinke of the body of Christ for it was spoken by the same figure representing the bodie and the bloode of Iesus Christ Nowe for that you may knowe both my faith and what I thinke hereof I will make open protestation of that certaine and vndoubted veritie which I beléeue as also so farre as in me lyeth confirme and establish the weake consciences of those that are here At the supper of the Lorde you shall consider two thinges 1. The person of God 2. The person of man In the person of God 1 The institutor which is Christ 2 The cause of his institution which is the remembrance of his death In the institution of these thinges 1 The externall signes 1 Bread for his bodie for his death 2 Wine for his blood shedding most precious sacrifice 3 The word for the remembraunce of both 2 The internal meaning And then shall you see all his spirituall graces most heauenly benefites Which are these most excellent 1 Faith if we beleeue 2 Assurance of life if we continue 3 Saluation if we receiue these mysteries truely 4 In Christes blood shedding our blood is not shedd 5 In his offering God the father is pacified 6 By his death hath hee ouercome the power of death and hee giueth the spirite which worketh vnto life to all those that receiue him worthily Secondly we haue here to coÌ„sider maÌ„ and it is to be done two waies 1 In his own person 2 In the persoÌ„ of his neighbor If in his owne person then let him consider 1 The time Hee is warned to flye sinne and though at all time hee bee put in minde thereof yet nowe aboue all times and though neuer vntimely yet it is the best time to remember it 2 The place it is holy for wee come before God 3 The persons and they are these 1 God the father 2 God the Sonne 3 God the holy Ghost These are al there these are naturally there these are in power ther they are not really there these are in grace there they are not in state there these are in gouernmeÌ„t of spirite truth there they will not be mocked at your handes 4 The vse of this the supper of the Lord. The vse is this 1 That we stand in faith conforme our selues to the death of Christ 2 That we examine our selues and come with a loathing of sinne meaning to sinne no more 3 That you be assured that whatsoeuer hath been done before time is pardoned Then here commeth in the last thing to be considered which is The person of thy neighbour for there be two sortes at the table 1 Thou thy selfe 2 And others For thy selfe call to minde 1 What thou wast 2 What thou art 3 What thou shalt be 1 Without God and borne in sinne 2 Made a newe man strengthned in Iesus Christ 3 An heir with God copartner with him if thou liue therafter For others remember 1 To laye aside all malice with hawtines 2 To laye aside all enuye with bitternesse 3 To lay aside all reuenge with greedinesse Then haue you fulfilled all Nowe for my owne parte I do protest simply before the Lord my God The Lord did foresee that these blasphemouâ— heretikes woulde rise vp therefore hath God giuen to vs many examples to approue that which here he spake so that Papists Iesuits cannot be excused for euer that if I had but any warrant at al in the scriptures to satistie me in this point I wold condescend willingly vnto your opinions But séeing the whole body of the Bible is against you and we haue the Lord wholy on our side what reason is there that I should credit you And as for you if you were not blinded if you were not deceiued if you were not most wonderfully drowned in your errours you might easily see the truth of this matter If God alone had vsed this figure in this place if it had béen founde no where else if the scripture would not haue permitted it if the lawe and the Prophets did not testifie it if reason and God him self did not condescend vnto it then you might haue perswaded vs but seeing that the Lord our God hath not bene against our opinions but hath euen by his owne mouth iustified all that we haue spoken what cause what reason what moueth you to coutende Search and sée looke into the booke of God if 〈◊〉 very same figure be not vsed in many thinges as it is in this one thing of his bodye The worde of God is compared to leauen that leaueneth the whole lumpe Matth. 13.33 Isay 49.2 Ephe. 6.17 Apoc. 19.15 Ier. 5.14 Ier. 23.29 Ezec. 3.3 Esa 55.10 Deut. 32.2 Matt. 13.19 the word is called a sworde the worde is called Musterde séede the worde of God is called fire the worde of God is a hammer the word of God is bony the worde of God is as snowe the worde of God is as raine the worde of God is the seede sowen yet for all this the worde of the Lord leaueneth not the worde of the Lorde striketh not the worde of the Lorde groweth not the worde of the Lorde burneth not the worde of the Lord killeth not the worde of the Lord sweeteneth not the worde of the Lorde snoweth not the worde of the Lorde rayneth not the worde of the Lorde powreth not downe materially grossely earthly and really as the wordes portende and so I say of the body of Christe you haue it not carnally you haue it not fleshly you haue it not verily flesh blood and bone in the sacrament The same maner of speach also in the scripture concerning Christ is found euery where Christ was the rocke that gushed out water 1. Cor. 10.1 yet Christ was not in the rocke and Augustine and Origen are of the same opinion that the rocke signified Christ
yelded vp their right For Gregory the seuenth caused it to bee agréed vppon to be idolatrie if any one obeyed not the sea of Rome And Adrian Pope affirmed and in the same constituted Ex 2. Actione 7. Synod that the church of Rome was the heade and mother of all churches in the worlde and that all other churches shoulde stoope and obey her ordinances It is well knowen that Alexander the seconde writt to Philip king of Fraunce that all the decrées of the sea of Rome are as certeinly to be helde vppon to be beléeued and as surely receiued of all men as are the Canons of the whole worlde This caused Bonifacius to list vp his head so high aboue heauen and earth and writing to Ruffus and to other Bishops in Thessalia did chide thē mightily for their resisting him alleging out of the decrées of Pope Gelasius 9. q. 3. C. pater that the word of the Apostle of the see of Rome was neuer retracted but by the leaue of so reuerend a father and if he will not we will take leaue his fatherhood hath lyed a little and his lye is the greater as he woulde fauour that vpon the Lord 1. Sam. 10.1 which is contrary to God and his worde The Lorde sayth he choose Saul but the Pope was neuer chosen by God 1. Sam. 16.13 The Lorde did fetche Dauid from the sheepefold 1. Reg. 1.30 and willed his people to feare him And Salomon did the Lord set in the throne of his father but I do not finde that the Pope though he dwell at Rome hath any roume at all no not the breadth of a nayle in the booke of God I know that Iosias was sent from God The pope is one the King another the Pope of Sathan the King of God the Pope of mā the King is of the Lorde the Pope by vsurpation the King by ordination and therefore the Popes name is not in the Bible Kings be Matth. 20. a defender of his people and Iehosaphat was accounted as one of the worthies among the Princes and Ezechias is estéemed as a man renowned for his holynesse But for the Pope he may get him a place in some odde corner of the worlde by tyrannie and bloudshed but he was neuer ordeyned or set in place by the Lorde our God This I remember Christ sayth The Kings of the earth do raigne and striue for rule but sayth Christ to his Apostles it may not be so with you of which I inferre that séeing the Pope is in the place of Peter as he sayth in the roume of an Apostle he must not therefore rule and raigne ouer vs. Moreouer Reddite quae sunt Caesaris Caesars Giue vnto Caesar the things that are Caesars But it was neuer sayde Math. 22. giue vnto the Pope that which is the Popes for as I doe finde his authoritie is and hath béene from time to time vsurped So that for my owne parte I tell you truely you that are here the hirelings of the Pope you the very members of the very Antichriste I am so farre from beléeuing either his ordinances or his decrées or his Canons that he hath made that I will not cease to praye continuallye daye and night that the Lorde our God woulde reuenge the iniquitie of the man of Rome and plucke him out of that seate of deadly sinne wherein he sitteth For what is the Pope and his vsurped authoritie that wée should obey his ordinances His customes are the customes of Egypt and his abhominations are the abhominations of Chanaan and they are not to bee followed Facietis iudiciamea praecepta mea seruabitis Leu. 18. in eis ambulabitis You shall doe my iudgementes you shall keepe my preceptes and walke in them sayth the Lorde I will tell you the deapth of my heart You are like vnto the men that the king of Assur brought from Babel for euen as you doe in Rome so did they At the first they serued the Lorde indifferently but in processe of time when the Lyons were taken from them they returned to their olde customes againe and did as the Nations and as the Countries round about them did From whome as I suppose you haue made stealth of your Demye Goddes 2. Reg. 17.27 retaining the maner of that seruice which the Nations did You can giue no reason of your religion It was saide of olde time that men beleued on the Lord as Abraham Isaac Iacob did and after that in the GOD of Abraham Isaac and Iacob and after that men did beleeue in Christ in the doctrine of the Apostles but the Papistes say they beleeue as their fathers beleeued This did Lucius Papa 24. and Marcellus Pope reprehēd and they referred all to Christ and his Apostle◠not to Fathers if it be demaunded at your handes saue onely this that you doe as your Fathers doe and that this your faith is that by which your auncestors were saued O be not beguiled shall your saluation be grounded vpon man shall you not aunswere euerie one for your selues and euerie man for his owne soule Yes your fathers shall not defend you at the day of wrath your fathers shall not be able to maintaine your cause when both they and you shall giue an account of the workes you haue done Your fathers downfal may not be your rising your fathers miserie can not be your ioy your fathers curse shall not be your blessing but if all they did goe astray returne you home vnto the Lord and so shall you be deliuered at the day of appearing of the iust God And if you will followe the fathers remember what the good fathers haue saide and followe them I wil not hinder you It is good counsel I tell you that Cyprian giueth who hath this saying to a brother of his Non est frater charissime Lib. 2. Epist Epist 3. quod aliquis aestimet sequendam esse quorundam consuetudinem c. That is It is not to be thought my welbeloued brother that a man should esteeme the customes of al men to be retained among vs as cōmendable things For this is to be regarded who they were that they folowed Did not God say from heauen this is my beloued Sonne heare him Then it is Christe alone to whome we must giue eare The aduise of Augustine may be taken herein that in his second booke of Baptisme hath such or like wordes Lib. 2. Dist 8. Can. Veritate Veritate manifestata cedat consuetudo c. That is Custome after trueth is knowne must giue place For no man will allowe of any custome as he will of reason and of the trueth of any matter bicause reason and trueth goe before all thinges I call to minde what Gregorius saide vnto Gulielmus Auersanus Bishoppe Dist 2. Can. Si consuetudinem Si consuetudinem fortassis opponas aduertendum est quod Dominus dixit Ego sum via