say that the spyryte of god was more effectually present and assysteÌ„t vnto the synagoge of the Iewys in the law of hys prophete Moyses theÌ„ vnto the church of hys awne onely bygoten sonne in the law of crystys gospell ¶ If they consyder well the bokê of y â— Machabeys they shall fynd suche thynge therin as maye geue theym good occasyon to put lyttell dowte but that yt shuld be of great and vndenyable authoryte For they shall fynde there that the greate good and godly valyaunt capytayne of goddys people dyd instytute and ordayne the great feste of the dedycacyon of the temple of HierusaleÌ„ called festuÌ„ encemoruÌ„ of the annuall instytucyon of whyche feste we rede no where ellys but in y â— boke of the Machabeys And yet fynde we that feste euer after contynued and had in honour vntyll crystê awne dayes and our sauyour hym selfe went to the celebracyon of that same feste as appereth in the gospell of saynt IhaÌ„n So that yt may well appere that y e bokys of that noble hystory wherof remeaneth so noble a monument and remembraunce contynually kepte and reserued so longe after and honowred by crystes awne precyouse ê‘son and testyfyed by hys holy Euangelyste in the boke of hys holy gospell can not be but vndowted trewth and of dyuyne authoryte ¶ And surely yf they deny y e boke of the Machabeys for holy scripture bycause the Iewys accompte yt not for suche then shall they by the same reason refuse the authoryte of the boke of Sapyence and proue theym selfe insypyentys And lyke wyse yf they take all scrypture bysyde the newe testament to be of none other force and authoryte then yt ys accomptyd in the rule and canon of the Iewes then shall the hole psalter of Dauyd the very somme of clere and lyghte some prophesyes leese amonge theym greate parte of his authoryte syth yt ys not taken in lyke force and strenght among the Iewes as yt ys in Crystys church ¶ Fynall for the boke of the Machabees syth the church of Cryste accounteth yt for holy scrypture there can no man dout therof but he that wyll take awaye all credence and authoryte from the hole scrypture of god the very gospellys and all For yf these heretykys deny for holy scrypture eny boke that the chyrche of Cryste accounteh for holy scrypture then deny they one of the grettyst foundacyons of all crysteÌ„ fayth and the thyng whych theyr master Marten Luther hym self hath all redy confessed for trew For he affyrmyth hym selfe that god hath gyuen vnto the church of Cryste that gyfte that the church cannot fayle surely and certeynly to discerne betwene the wordys of god and the wordys of men y t yt cannot be desceyuyd in the choyse of holy scrypture and reiectyng of the contrary so farforth that he coÌ„fessyth as he nedys must of necessyte that the noble doctour and gloryouse coÌ„fessour saynt Austeyne sayth very well when he sayd that he shuld not haue beleuyd the gospell but for y e authorite of y e church For he had not knowen whych had bene the very boke of the gospels and whych not amoÌ„g so many as were wryten but by the authoryte of the church whom the spyryte of god assysted as yt euer dothe and euer shall in the choyse and receyuyng of holy scripture and reieccyoÌ„ of the couÌ„terfete and false Wherby yt apperyth clerely not onely by that holy doctour saynt Austeyn but also by the confessyon of y e arche heretyke Luther hym selfe that the church cannot be dysseyuyd in the choyce of holy scrypture and reieccyon of the contrary so farforthe y t yt neyther can receyue as holy scrypture eny booke that ys none nor reiect for other then holy scrypture eny boke that is holy scrypture in dede And surely yf the churche myghte so be deceyuyd in the choyse of holy scripture that they myghte take approue for holy scrypture eny boke that were none then stode all crystendome in dout and vnsurety whether saynt IhaÌ„ns gospell were holy scripture or not and so forth of all the new testament ¶ And therfore syth as we haue shewed you by the heretykes owne confessyons the church of Cryste cannot be deceyuyd in the choyse eleccyon of holye scrypture by whyche they re confessyon they muste nedys abyde and not flyt therfro as they dayly do chauÌ„ge and vary from theyr owne wordê in many other thyngis except that they wyll in the fallyng from that poynte refuse the streÌ„ghte and authoryte of the newe testament of cryste and syth as your selfe well perceyueth also the churche of cryste receyueth and taketh and as ye se by saynt Hyerome and other olde holy doctours thys thowsande yere hath approued and fermely byleued the holy boke of the Machabeys to be one of the volumes of holy scrypture and then in that boke ye se so manyfestely purgatory proued that none heretyque as shamelesse as they be can yet for shame say the coÌ„trary but are by the playn and open wordys of that holy boke so dreuen vp to y â— hard wall that they can no ferther but are fayne to say that the boke ys no parte of scrypture whyche shyfte they must nedys forsake agayne or ellys reuoke they re awne wordys and therwyth also thauthoryte of all crystê gospell there shall yf eyther reason or shame can holde neuer nede eny ferther thyng for the profe of purgatory to stoppe y â— mowthys of all the heretyques that are or shal be to the worldys ende ¶ But yet syth they be so hamelesse and vnresonable that the thyng whyche they can in no wyse defende they can not yet fynde in they re prowde harte to gyue ouer but when yt ys prouyd by dyuers playne textis of y â— olde testament then hauyng no probable reason for they re parte they neuer the more gyue place to trewth but stykke to they re obstynate nay let vs se whyther our purpose be not preued by good and substancyall authoryte in the newe testament also ¶ And fyrste let vs consyder the wordys of the blessyd apostle and euaÌ„gelyst saynt IhaÌ„n where he sayth Est peccatuÌ„ vsque ad morteÌ„ non dico vt pro to roget quis There ys sayth he some synne that ys vnto the deth I bydde not that eny man shall praye for that Thys synne as the interpreters agre ys vnderstanden of desperacyon and impenytens as though saynt IhaÌ„n wolde say y t who so depart owt of thys world impeniteÌ„t or in dispayre eny prayour after made caÌ„ neuer stande hym in stede Then appereth yt clerely that saynt IhaÌ„n meaneth that there be other whyche dye not in such case for whom he wolde men shuld pray bycause y â— prayour to suche sowlys may be ê“fytable But that profyte can no man take neyther beyng in heuen where yt nedeth not nor beyng in hell where yt boteth not Wherfore it appereth plaine y t such prayour helpeth onely for
and burnyng of theyr erronyouse bokes for euer vppoÌ„ that stryng he harpeth very angry wyth the burnyng of Tyndals testament For these matters he calleth them blood suppers dronken in the blood of holy sayntes and marters ye merueyll paraduenture which holy sayntes martyrs he menyth Surely by hys holy sayntê and marters he meanyth theyr holy scysmatykes and heretykes for whose iust ponyshment these folk that ar of y â— same sect fume frete frote and fome as fyerce and as angerly as a new huntyd sow And for the raÌ„cour conceyuyd vppon this dysplesure cometh vp all hys coÌ„playnt of the possessyons of the clergye Wheryn he spareth forbereth the nuÌ„nys yet because they haue no iurisdyccyon vppon heretykys for els he wold haue cryed out vppoÌ„ theyr possessyoÌ„s to But thys ys now no new thyng nor y t furste tyme y t heretykes haue bene in haÌ„d wyth the mater For furste was there in the .xi. yere of kynge Henry the fourth one IhaÌ„n Badby burned for heresy And forth wyth theruppon was there at the next ê‘lyment holden y â— same yere a byll put in declaryng how mych temporall laÌ„d was in the church which rekenyng the maker therof gessyd at by y â— nomber of knyghâ—s fees of whych he had went he had made a very iuste account And in thys byll was yt deuysed to take theyr possessyons out agayn How be yt by the byll yt appered well vnto theÌ„ whych well vndersâ—â—de y â— mater that the maker of the byll neither wyst what land there 〈◊〉 nor how many knyghtê fees there was in the church nor well what thyng a knyghtes fee ys but the byll deuysed of rancour yuell will by some such as fauoured Badby that was burned and wolde haue hys heresyes fayne go forward ¶ And so y t byll suche as yt was such was yt estemed and set a syde for nought So happed yt theÌ„ sone after that in y â— first yereof y â— kyngê mooste noble progenytour kynge Henry the fyfte those heresyes secretely crepyng on styll among the people a great nomber of theym had fyrst couertely coÌ„spyred and after openly gathred and assembled theym selfe purposyng by opeÌ„ warre and batayle to destroy y â— kyng and hys nobles and subuerte the realme Whose traytorouse maâ—yce that good catholyque kynge preuented wythstode ouerthrew and punyshed by many of them takeÌ„ in the feld and after for theyr traytorouse heresyes bothe hanged and burned Whervppon forthwyth at y â— parlymeÌ„t holdeÌ„ y â— same yere lyke wyse as that ryall prynce 〈◊〉 vertuouse nobles his good crysten coÌ„munes deuysed good lawes agaynst heretyques so dyd some of suche as fauored theym efte sonys put in the byll agaynst the spyrytualltye Whyche efte sonys consydered for suche as it was and cummynge of suche malyciouse purpose as yt cam was agayne reiected and set a syde for nought TheÌ„ was there longe after that one Rycharde howndon burned for here sye And theÌ„ forthe wyth were there a rable of heretyques gatheryd theym self to gyther at Abyndon whych not enteÌ„dyd to lese eny more labour by puttynge vp of byllys in the parlementê but to make an open insurreccyon and subuerte all the realme and then to kyll vp y â— clergye and sell preestes heddes as good chepe as shepys heddê threfor a peny bye who wold But god saued y â— chyrch y â— realm both tourned they re malyce vppoÌ„ they re awne heddê And yet after theyr punyshment then were there some that renewed the byll agayn And 〈…〉 after this was ther one IhaÌ„n Goose rosted at y â— towre hyll And 〈◊〉 forth wyth some other IhaÌ„n goose bygaÌ„ to bere that bell a brâ—de agayn made some gagâ—ing a whyle but yt auayled hym not And now bycause some heretyques haue bene of 〈◊〉 abâ—â—red thys 〈◊〉 therfore hath made thys beggers byll and gageleth a 〈◊〉 vppon the same mater and that as he thynketh by a ê“per 〈◊〉 lykely to spede now bycause he maketh his byll in the name of the 〈◊〉 and hys byll cowhed as full of lyes as any begger swarmeth full of lyce ¶ We neyther wyll nor shall nede to make myche busynes abowte thys 〈…〉 myche better in the goodnesse of good men theÌ„ 〈…〉 nede for thys thyng to reason agaynst an vnresonable 〈◊〉 We be sure ynoughe that good men were they y â— gaue this 〈…〉 and therfore nought shuld they be of lykelyhed that 〈…〉 thense agayn To whych rauyne and sacrylege our lord◠〈…〉 shall neuer suffer thys realme to fall ¶ 〈…〉 Austeyn in his dayes when he parceyuyd that some 〈…〉 at the possessyons that then were geuen in to 〈…〉 in an open sermon amonge all the people â—ffer them 〈…〉 agayne and that hys church and he wold forsake theÌ„ 〈…〉 theym take theym who wolde And yet was there not â—foundâ— in all the towne aloe yt that the people were as these Affrycanis 〈…〉 barbarouse fyerce boystuouse yet was there none as we say fowden eny one so badde that his 〈◊〉 word serue hym to enâ—â—e in to one foâ—e ¶ When Phargo the kynge of Egypte bought vp in the dere yeres all the landys that were in euery maÌ„nes hande so that all the people were fayne to sell they re enherytaunce for hunger yet ydolater as he was he wold neuer suffer for eny nede the possessyons of y â— prestê to be 〈◊〉 but made prouysyon for theym beside and suffred theym to kepe they re landys styll as the byble bereth wytnesse And we verely truste that the good chrysten prynces of the chrysten realme of Englonde shall neuer fayle of more fauour towarde the clergye of Cryste then had that prynce Idolatre to the preestes of hys ydollê yeâ— ys yt not ynough to the cruell mynde of thys man to take frome the hole clergy all that euer they haue but that he wold ferther haue theym bounden vnto cartes and whypped to dryue theym to labour ¶ Of all theues ys thys one of the wurste and moste cruell kynde For of all theues meÌ„ most abhorre them that whan they haue takeÌ„ a mannes money frome hym theÌ„ take and bynde hym and bete hym to But yeâ— ys this wretche mych wurse For he fareth as a cruell thefe that wolde wythout respecte of hys awne commodyte take a mannê money frome hym and caste yt he care not where and then bynde the man to a tree and bete hym for hys pleasure Oh the cheryte ¶ But he sayeth he wolde haue theym whypped to compell them to laboure and gette they re lyuynge in the swete of they re faces And thys wold he not good man but for fulfullyng of goddys commaundement For he sayeth that yt ys coÌ„maunded them in the fyrst chapter of Genesys And therfore ys he theryn so indiffereÌ„t thâ—t he excepteth none but calleth the beste but ydle holy theues and so wold haue thâ— all robbed and spoyled bounden and beten to compell them to wâ—â—k wyth they re handes to gete
And thus tellyng such wyse talys for they re owne parte and makyng mokkys and mowes at euery thyng that maketh agaynst theyr foly for our parte they go forth in they re euyll wyll and obstynacy and with murmur grudge of they re owne consyence coÌ„tent theym selfe wyth y â— onely feding of they re malycyouse myndis by the encreace of they re faccyon of such as fall in to they re felyshype rather of a lyght mynde and lewde pleasure to taire a parte then of eny greate credence that they gyue vnto theym or greately force whyche way they byleue For surely yf these folke were resonable and indyfferent as yt ys not well possyble for them to be after that they refuse onys to byleue y â— catholyque church in y â— vnderstandyng of scripture lene onely to they re awne wyttys but ellys as we say yf they could wyth an equall indyfferent mynd consyder and way what they here they shulde sone se they re heresye reproued and purgatory surely coÌ„fermed not onely by probable reason taken of the scrypture as in y â— place that we rehersed you of Ezechyas but also by playne and euydent textys ¶ For haue ye not the wordys of scrypture wryten in the boke of the kyngys Dominus deducit ad inferos et reducit our lord bryngeth folke downe in to hell and bryngeth theym thense agayne But they y t be in that hell where the daÌ„pned sowlê be they be neuer delyuered thense agayne Wherfore yt appereth well that they whom god delyuereth and bryngeth theÌ„se agayn be in that part of hell that ys callyd purgatory ¶ What say they to the wordys of the ê“phete zachary Tu quoque in saguine testamenti tui eduxisti vinctos tuos de lacu in quo non erat aqua Thou hast in the blode of thy testament brought out thy bounden prysoners owte of the pyt or lake in whych there was no water In that they whom the prophete there speketh of were bounden we may well perceyue that they were in â— pryson of punyshement And in that he calleth theym the prysoners of god yt ys eth to perceyue that he meaneth not eny that were takeÌ„ and emprysoned by eny other than the dampned spyrytys the very gaolers of god And in that he sayth that there ys in that lake no water we may well perceyue that he spake yt in descrypcyon of that drye pyt of fyre where in there ys no refreshyng For as hote are we here as they are in hell And what â—ete ys in the pyt where there lakketh water our sauyour hym selfe declareth by the wordys of the rych gloton lyeng in such a lake from whense at syght of pore Lazarus in Abrahams bosom he desyred heuely to haue hym sent vnto hym wyth one droppe of water to refreshe hys tonge that after all the delycates that yt had tasted in his lyfe lay there theÌ„ sore burnyng neuer set half so mych by twenty tonne of wyne as he set by one pore drop of water So that as we shewe you these wordys of y â— ê“phete zachary Thou haste brought owte thy boundeÌ„ presoners owte of the lake where in ys no water do ryght well appere to be spokeÌ„ of these pore eÌ„presoned sowlys whom cryst after hys bytter passyon by hys precyouse blode wherwyth he consecrated hys church in hys newe testament delyuered owt of the lake of fyre wherin they lay boundeÌ„ for they re synnys But nowe ys there no man y â— dowteth whyther cryste delyuered the daÌ„pned sowlis owt of hell or not For in y â— hell ys there no redempcyon in limbo patrum the sowlys were in reste Wherfore it appereth clerely that those â—soners whom he brought owte of they re payne he brought onely owte of purgatory And so se these heretyques purgatory clerly proued by the playn wordys of thys holy prophete ¶ A nother place ys there also in the olde testament that putteh purgatory quyte owt of questyon For what ys playnner then the places whych in the boke of the Machabees make mencyon of the deuowt remembrauÌ„ce prayoure almoyse sacryfyce to be done for sowlys when the good and holy man Iudas Machabeus gathered money among the peple to by sacryfyce wythall to be offred vp for y â— sowlys of theym that were dede in the batayle Doth not thys place of scrypture so openly declare the nede that we sowlys haue in purgatorye the relyefe that we fynd by the prayour and suffragys of good peple vppon erthe that all the heretyques that barke so faste agaynst vs can fynd neyther glose nor colour to the contrary ¶ What shyfte fynde they here surely a very shamelesse shyfte and are fayne to take theym to that take lynge that ys they re shote anker allway when they fynde the storme so great that they se theyr shyp goth all to wrekk For first they vse to set some false glose to the text that ys layed agaynst theym and deny the ryght sense ¶ But now yf the texte be so playne that they can haue no suche colour then when they can haue no more holde but se that they re parte goth all to naught they fall to a shamelesse boldnes let no to deny the scrypture and all say y â— hole scrypture whych ys layd agaynste them ys none holy scrypture at all as Luther playth wyth the godly epystle of Crystys blyssed apostle saynt Iamys And euyn the same do those heretykê wyth the authoryte of this holy boke of Machabees they be not ashamed to say that yt ys not scrypture But vppon what grownd do they deny yt for scrypture because yt is not foundâ— and accompted for holy scrypture among y â— Iewys They neyther do nor can deny but that yt ys taken for holy scripture by the churche of Cryste For yf they wold denye that both the hole chyrche bereth wytnes agaynst them at this day it also appereth playnly by saynt Hyerome saynt Austayn other old holy doctours that the church so toke yt also in theyr days before theÌ„ wold we gladly wit of these new men these enmyes we mean of ours whyther the chyrch of crist be not of as great authoryte and as mych to be beleuyd in the choyse eleccyoÌ„ of holy scrypture as the Iewes If they wyll say yes theÌ„ answere they them self for then ys the boke of the Machabees by y â— choyce of the chyrch prouyd holy scrypture though the Iewes neuer accounted yt so Now yf they will say no and wyll contend that yt caÌ„not be accountyd holy scrypture though the chyrch of Cryste so take take yt but yf the Iewes so toke yt too then go they nere to put out saynt IhaÌ„ns gospell out of scrypture too for the Iewes neuer toke yt for none And surely yf they admyt for scripture that book that the Iewes admytted deny that boke to be scrypture whych the church of Cryste receyueth for scrypture theÌ„ do they