wicked cease from their tyranny and they that haue laboured valiantly shall be at rest there shal the prisoners rest together heare no more the voyce of the oppressor there shal be small and great and the seruant shal be free from his master and euery man liuing shal draw after them as before there were innumerable wee shall bee brought all vnto death and to the house appointed for all the liuing For in the hand of the Almightie is the soule of euery liuing thing and the breath of all mankinde the daies of man are determined the number of his monethes are with him hee hath appointed him as bounds which he cannot passe man knoweth not the houre of his death for when his flesh is vpon him he shal be sorrowful while his soule is in him it shal mourn but when death shal come then he sleepeth and riseth not for he shall not wake againe nor be raised from his sleep vntill the heauens be no more For all shall go to one place all was of the dust all shall returne to the dust But though after our skins wormes destroy this body yet shal we see God in our flesh whom we our selues shall see and our eies shall behold and none other for vs though our reines be consumed within vs for our redeemer liueth and he shall stand the last on the earth and he shall bring euery worke to iudgment with euery secret thought whether it be good or euill Therfore take away griefe anger and enuie out of the heart and cause euill to depart from thy flesh thinke oft on the saying of the Apostle in the 9. to the Hebrues It is appointed vnto all men that they shall all once die and after that commeth the iudgement So Christ was once offred to take away the sins of many and vnto them that looke for him he shall appeare the second time vnto saluation for we must all appeare before the iudgement seate of Christ that euery man may receiue the things that he hath done in his body according to that he hath done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or euill This death thē vnto which all flesh shal come is either an entrance or gate to perpetual liberty and pleasure or to perpetual prison and paine the death which maketh entrance to euerlasting paine is termed Ghostly and the sicknes which warneth of the same is also Ghostly which Ghostly sicknes and infection proceedeth of the malice of Satan and corruption of our owne wicked nature driuing all of whom it taketh hold either to errour in religion errour in life or errour in both Of errour in life the booke of Wisedome speaketh saying Seeke not death in the errour of your life destroy not your selues through the workes of your owne hands And of errour in religion it is spoken in the 106. Psalme and 39. verse Thus were they steined with their owne workes went a whooring with their owne inuentions The like wherof is affirmed in the 2. Epistle of S. Iohn where it is said He that transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God he that continueth and abideth in the doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Sonne which commandement and lesson our Sauiour had taught before in the Gospel of S. Mathew the 15. chapter and the 9. verse And in vaine do they worship mee teaching doctrines commandements of men as do all the heathenish idolaters Iewes Infidels Turks Heretikes Miscreāts which do worship false gods or honour and serue the true God after a false manner according to the inuentions and commandements of men embracing doctrines and traditions for the worship and seruice of God more then are deliuered in the holy scriptures the word of God and some also contrary to the same according as doth the Court or Church of Rome and all the company of Catholike Papists disciples and followers of the Court and Church of Rome which ghostly sicknes infectiō of errour in religion errour in life or errour in both bringeth with it euerlasting death both of body and soule if the infected truely penitent renouncing and detesting all his former errours both of religion life be not washed purged and clensed in the pretious bloud of Iesus Christ the sonne of God so through Gods mercifull grace and goodnesse granted in his beloued sonne bee forgiuen and fully pardoned of the same according as S. Paul affirmeth That without bloud nothing can be made cleane and the bloud of Christ shal cleanse our conscience from all sin It is then necessarie for you and all others that looke and hope for saluation to beleeue and hold stedfastly vnto your liues end the true holy Catholike and Christian saith cōteined sūmarily in the articles of our beleefe according as the same hath bin of ancient time gathered and drawē out of the scriptures of the old new testament the holy writtē word of God and is more amply and large declared in those holy bookes with all other things taught in those bookes necessarie for a Christian man to instruct him fully perfectly and sufficiently in the way to euerlasting life Quest Do you then truely and vnfeynedly beleeue that all things pertaining to the true worship and seruice of God and for the instruction and guiding of your soule in the right knowledge of the way to euerlasting life and saluation are sufficiently and fully contained and taught in the holy written word of God of the old and new Testament and will you heartily and vnfeinedly renoūce al other faiths worship and seruice of God not being most truely conteined and taught in those holy bookes Answ I beleeue and embrace that faith worship and seruice of God conteined and taught in the holy books aforsaid as only fullie sufficient through the grace of Gods spirit to instruct and teach my soule in the way to euerlasting life and I do heartilie vnfeinedlie renounce all faithes worship and seruice of God more then that or contrarie to that which is most truelie and sufficientlie taught and deliuered in those holie bookes of the old and new Testament Reioice then and be of good comfort that god doth giue you grace to beleeue and hold stedfastly the true ancient Catholike Christian faith of our Lord Iesus Christ contained and fully taught in the holy bookes oforesaid Qu. Do you as all true beleeuers christiās confesse according as you are taught in gods holy word that you haue not spēt the time of your life past so holy vprightly as you ought to haue done hauing in thought word deed many times and waies transgressed the most holy cōmandemēts of god deseruing therby the sentence condēnation of eternall punishment and he◠fire Answ I confesse it Quest Are you truely and vnfainedly heartily sorry for it Answ ◠am and I beseech God by his grace to make me truelie penitent of all my offences
haue forbiddeÌ„ their Massalian sacrificers to minister vnto the Christen people which they call lay the body of Iesus Christ vnder both kinds but only vnder the holy signe of bread and not of wine the which they kept for the Priestes Massalians sacrificers Is not this corruption directly against the holy gospell and instition of the supper of Matth. 29. Mark 14. Luke 22. 1. Cor. 11. Iesus Christ which hath ordained and commanded all faithfull to eaâ—â—â—â—s bodie and drinke his bloud When hee tooke the cup vsed hee not these proper tearmes Drinke all of this wine in memorie and remembrance of my bloud shed Hath hee vsed any other tearmes for eating of his bodie by the figure of bread then he hath done for the drinking of his bloud by the signe of wine If one should compare herewith the holy signe ordained of God in the Church of the Israelites a figure of the communion of the body of Iesus Christ which was the pascall lambe the fleshe whereof was coÌ„manded to be eaten of all persons without exception for as much as they were circumcised Was there euer any difference in the eating of the pascall Lambe and celebrating of the Passeouer of the Iewes among the Leuites of the stocke of the Priestes and the other coÌ„mon people For another detestable corruption the Massalians haue instituted by their missall Idolatries to sacrifice and offer the body and bloud of Iesus Christ in reiterating by meanes the sacrifice of Iesus Christ perfectly ended caÌ„not be done againe for that it was not after the order of Aaron but after the 1. Cor. 11. order of â—â—lchisedech an euerlasting sacrificer who hath left no successor Also the holy apostle wheÌ„ he admonished the Corinthians reuerently to celebrate the supper of Iesus Christ did he command them to sacrifice No but to communicate and eate togeather the body and bloud of Iesus Christ The beginning of the holy supper was not to kill offer and ordaine a sacrifice to offer to God But onely to eate and drinke at the holy feast prepared for vs by Iesus Christ the euerlasting sacrifice euerlasting sacrificer which hath reserued vnto himselfe only this eternal priesthood And yet neuertheles hath left his holy institution a banquet ordained for vs of bread and wine representing his body and bloud After the corruptions aboue sayde Sathan the diligent Babilonicall builder imploied all his forces strongâ—â—es to build an inuincible fortresse of Idolatrie to the end to fight against and vtterly to throw downe the kingdome of Iesus Christ when he did enterpriâ—e the building of the Masse to be broughâ— in in the place of the holy sacrament of the supper as we wil briefly and so clearely declare that the most hard hearted Pharisies made olde in their ancient â—â—olatries shall acknowledge by the veritie of histories their errours and abhâ—minable herefies Before the painting out of this Maze of error whereinto the Mesâ—â—lians are plâ—ndged I thought it necessarie briefly to discouer the ancient religion of the Romaines the raigne of the occidentall empire and of the Emperours which haue exercised both the temporal office and the dignitie of the great bishops superintendents of the religion Church Tit. â— in lib. 1. Decad. 1. of Rome All other as well as I shall confesse that the Romaine religion altogether for the most part to haue beenâ— Funestellâ— his booke of magistrats of Rome instituted by Numa Pompilius the second King of the Romaines about 700 yeares before the incarnation of Iesus Christ Then were instituted the Bishops which afterward were brought to a certaine number vnto foure then the number was augmeÌ„ted to eight and by Sylla to 15. In the colledge of Bishops there was one chiefe Bishoppe which was chosen by the other lesse bishops of the same order and dignitie like as the little bishops purple Cardinals haue practised the election of the great Romaine Bishop of their estate order and dignitie This Pompilian religion hath beene so well obserued by the Romanes from the father to the son that it hath beene impossible to destroy and plucke vp the same but hath continued to this day as euery one may easily perceiue by this little collection To confirme this point there is none that can bee ignorant which lusteth to read the Romaine histories that before the incarnatioÌ„ of Iesus Christ there was not one King Consul Dictator or Romaine Emperour instructed in the lawe of God But all were Idolaters and Infidels following the religion of Numa Pompilius the coniurer And that more is after the incarnation of Iesus Christ for the space of 300. yeares or thereabouts there was no Emperour nor Romane Euseb in his booke of the Church historie the yeares of Christ 34. 68. 94. 112. 113. 167. 202. 238. 254. 257. 276. 292. Councel which would change his religion to embrace the lawe of Iesus Christ But contrariwise they haue labored with tooth and naile to exercise all kind of cruelltie against the church of Iesus Christ as the Ecclesiasticall histories doe largely declare painting out great persecutions vnder the great Romaine Bishops to wit Claud. Tiber. Nero Claud. Domitian Nero Fla. Domitian Traian Elie Hadrian Antonian Philosopher Septime Seuere Iul. Maximus Mar. Quin. Traian Dece Lâ—cime Valerian Valere Aurelian and Diocletian All which were Emperours and gouerned the Empire and Romaine religion for 300. yeares after the incarnation of Iesuâ— Christ and in their moneyes sepultures mâ—nâ—ments tytles and autentique letters did hold the name of great Bishopâ— and high Priestes as diligently is gathered in a booke of the antiquities of Rome wherein bee described the Images moneies and monuments of the anâ— In the booke intituled the discourse of the religion of the ancient Romaines by Wiâ—h aâ— de Choul bayly of Daulphine ancient Emperours of Rome which were all called great Bishops by these titles Iul. Ces Ponâ—if max Tiber. Nero Pontif. max Claud. Nero. Pontif. max. Vas pâ—sianus Ces pâ—ntif max. Traianus Impera Poatif max. Mâ—rc Aurel. Anton. August Pontif. Hâ—liog â—balus summas sacerdoâ— Aâ—g Adrianus Imper. Pontif. max. Gâ—â—erius Mâ—ximiâ—ianus Pontif. max. Tit. Ces Pontif. max. Commod Impe pontif max. Flauius Constantius Aug. Pontif. max. Which being then Emperours and great Bishoppes would suffer none other head in the religion and Romaine Church then themselues being alwaies enemies of â—esus Christ For when the Aposties did preach Christ to be the Soueraine Priest great and euerlasting sacrificer without any succeslour after the order of Melchisedech the tyrants of Rome and their Lieutenants did take an occasion to condemne Iesus Christ fearing that the authoritie of the Emperours and great Romaine Bishops should bee diminished With In the Catalog of Emperours iâ— the end of the historie of Nicephore the yeare of Christ 410. what furie were they inraged for the space of 300. yeares against the christians and Christs religion to defend their auncient religion of Pompilius what answere was giuen to
lenta pati fraena docentur equi Itaque ne cesses monitis sapientia crescit Rara datur longo prudentia temporis vsu Solasalus seruire Deo sunt caetera fraudes Declaratur in his versibus ex libello venerabilis Richardi Barclei militis Dluitias mundi fragiles qui corde sequetur Perdidit aeterni certissima gaudia coeli Si tibi pulchra domus si splendida mensa quid inde Si tibi sponsa decens si sit generosa quid inde Si tibi sint nati si praedia magna quid inde Si fueris pulcher fortis diuesque quid inde Si doceas alios in qualibet arte quid inde Si faueat mundus si prospera cuncta quid inde Si rota fortunae te tollat ad astra quid inde Annos si regnes foelix per mille quid inde Tam cito praetereunt vt vanitas vt nihill inde Sola manet virtus qua glorific abimur inde Ergo Deo serui quia tot tibi prouenit inde Quodque fecisse voles in tempore quo morieris Hoc facias inuenis dum corpore sanus haberis Et quocunque Die nil sancti egisse videbis Hunc tibi vel penitus deperâ—sse puta Ex eodem libello de eadem materia haec carmina componuntur SIut tibi diuitiae sit honos sit larga supellex Esse tamen vel sic bestia magna potes Deniâ— quicquid eris nisi sit iustitia tecum Magna quidem dico bestia semper eris The Conclusion A prudent man seeth the plague and hideth himselfe but the foolish goe on still and are punished Blessed is the man that feareth alway but hee that hardeneth his heart shall fall into euill The feare of the Lord leadeth to life and hee that is filled therewith shall continue and shall not be visited with euill A short exhortation and dialogue shewing that Christ is to all true Christians life and ioy and that death is their aduantage IT is good that we haue sometimes griefes sicknes and aduersities for they driue a man to behold himselfe and to see that he is heere but as an exile in imprisonment banishment wanting heauenly light in a world and valley of misery couered with darknes and shadow of death where a man is oft times defouled with sin encumbred with passions disquieted with dreads bounden with charges busied with vanities blinded with errors ouercharged with labours vexed with temptations ouercome with delights and pleasures of the world and of the flesh and grieuously tormented somtimes with sickenes penury and need in which world there are also diuers kindes of Diuels which do nothing day and night but range vp and downe seeking whom they may deuoure whose continuall care and onely desire is to deuoure the soules whom God hath created who whether we sleepe or wake eate or drinke or whatsoeuer we do else lie in wait for vs night and day by all meanes by all subtilty and craft now openly now couertly aiming at vs with their poisoned arrowes to destroy our soules Behold they haue laid infinite traps to take and entangle our feet and all our waies haue they filled with snares to catch our soules they haue laid snares in riches snares in pouerty snares in meate snares in drinke in pleasures snares in sleepe snares in watching snares they haue laid snares in our words snares in our workes and snares in all our waies and yet such is our extreame madnesse that albeit we do continually behold these Dragons before our eies with open mouth prepared to deuour vs yet neuerthelesse we snort and sport in our security carelesnes as though we were safe before them who desire nothing but our destruction Our enemies to murther vs watch alwaies sleep not and we sleepe and watch not for our saluation as one temptation goeth another commeth the cause is for we haue lost our innocencie It is maruaile therefore that any man can be merry in this life if he consider well how farre he is banished out of his heauenly country and in how great perill to perish euerlastingly his soule standeth but through lightnes of heart negligence of our defaults wee feele not nay we will not feele the sorrowes of our owne soule but oft-times wee laugh when we ought rather to weep and mourne for there is no perfect libertie nor true ioy but in the feare of God and in a good conscience neuer giue thy selfe to any manner vndiscreet mirth for no maner of thing as nigh as thou maiest haue done sorrow for thy sinne and meditate continually on thy mortality and death according to the counsell of Salamon in his booke of Eccles Remember now thy Creator in the daies of thy youth while the euill daies come not nor the yeares approch wherin thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in them whiles the sunne is not darke nor the light nor the moone nor the starres nor the cloudes returne after the raine when the keepers of the house shall tremble and the strong men shall bow themselues and the grinders shall cease because they are few they waxe darke that looke out by the windowes and the doores shall be shut without by the base sound of the grinding and thou shalt rise vp at the voice of the bird the daughters of singing shall be abased and thou shalt be afraide of the high thing and feare shal be in the way and the Almond tree shal flourish and the Grashopper shall bee a burden and concupiscence shall bee driuen away while the siluer corde is not lengthned nor the golden ewre broken nor the pitcher broken at the well nor the wheele broken at the cisterne and dust returne to the earth as it was and the spirit returne vnto God that gaue it For man shall go to the house of his age he shall lie downe and be quiet he shall sleep and be at rest the eye that hath seene him shall see him no more and his eye shall returne to see no more pleasure for as the cloud vanisheth and goeth away so he that goeth downe to the graue shall come vp no more he shall returne no more to his house neither shall his place know him any more for he shal go and shall not returne euen to the land of darknes and shadow of death shall he go into a land I say darke as darknes it selfe and into the shadow of death where there is no order but the light is there as darknes and the iust and the wicked shall sleep together in the dust and the wormes shall couer them they shall be brought vnto the graue and they shall remaine in the heap the graue shall be their house and they shall make their bed in the darke they shall say vnto corruption thou art our father and to the worme thou art our mother and our sister and the slâ—my valley shall be sweete vnto them and the worme shall feele their sweetnes There shal the