I wyll declare the whole matter moste simply and playnely which bothe olde and newe wryters haue darkened because they dyd so interprete the scriptures as thoughe also they wolde satisfie the iudgemēt of man his reason They thought that it was agaynst all polityke gouernement to teache that a man dyd synn of necessitie they thought it a cruell thing to fynde fault with man hys wyll if it could not turne it selffe from synne to vertue Therefore they attributed more to man his strengthe then they ought to haue done and they dyd meruaylously disagree among them selues for so much as they dyd see that in euery place it was contrary to the iudgemēt of reason and truly in this place where as Christian doctrine disagreeth muche from Philosophy and man his reason yet Philosophy by lyttell and lyttell crept in to Christian doctryne and this wycked opinion of free wyll is receaued the goodnes of Christ is darckned by oure prophane and carnall wysdome The worde of free wyll is vsurped most cōtrary to the holy scripture to the meaning and iudgemēt of the holy ghoste with that which we see holy men haue bene oftē displeased There is added also oute of Plato his philosophie this worde of reason which is as pernitiouse and daungerouse as the other For lyke as in these laste tymes we haue embrased Aristotle in steade of Christ so euen immediatly after the fyrst begynnyng of the Churche Christian doctryne was corrupted with Platos philosophye so is it brought to passe that there be no syncere pure bokes in the Church besyde the Canonicall scripture All the commentaries which learned men haue wrytten smell of Philosophy And with in a lyttel whyle after dothe any man aske me if there be any free wyll I aunswer because all thinges whiche come to passe do necessarilye come to passe according to the predestination of God there is no libertie or freedome of oure wyl What thē you wyl say is there in thinges that I may vse the Papistes wordes no casualtye no chaunce no fortune The scriptures teache vs howe that all thinges come to passe necessarily Eckius sayth that Valla wolde knowe more then euer he had learned because he confuted the scole mennes opinion of free wyll And in the end gathering a sum of all his saynges he saythe If you refer man his wyll to the predestination of God there is no libertie ether in outeward or inward workes But all thinges come to passe according to the predestination of God If you refer oure will to outewarde workes to naturall iudgement there semeth a certayne fredome but if you refer oure wyll to the affections there is no libertie euen by the iudgement of nature At the last he concludeth Thou seest Reader that I haue wrytten more playnely of free wyll then ether Bernard or any Scole men And in his annotations vpon S. Paule to the Romanes expoundyng that place of Paule according to the predestination of God after that he hath confirmed that there is no casualtye in thinges nor libertye of wyll he saythe thus at the lengthe We teache that God dothe not only suffer his creatures to worke but that he him selffe properly dothe all thinges that euen as they graunte the vocation of Paule to haue bene the proper worke of God so let them graunt that all those be the proper workes of God whether they be meanes as eatyng and drinkyng which be common to men and beastes or whether they be euell as the adultery of Dauid the seueritye of Manlius in kylling his sonne seing it is euident that God dothe all thinges not suffering but potenter as Saynte Augustyne his worde is that is mightely working so that the traytery of Iudas is as well his proper worke as the vocation of S. Paule Thus hath Melancthon wrytten in those bokes which he dyd sett oute being as yet but a younge man Luther how much be estemed the wrytinges of Melancthon notwithstandyng they were after chaūged and corrected one of the which bokes Luther wryting agaynst Erasmus of seruile wyll saythe is a boke neuer able to be confuted worthie not only immortall fame but also to be nombred among the Ecclesiasticall Canons to the which saythe he when I compared thy boke it semed so vyle and beggarlye that I toke greate pitie of the. And making a preface to the other he doubteth not to prefer it before the moste learned Commentaries of Thomas Aquinas And that the Commentaries of Hierome and Origen be but starke tryfles and fooles babells if they be compared to his annotations He is not farre from placing hym aboue Paule but certaynely he giueth hym the chayre next to S. Paule But Philipp him selffe often chaunging his mynde hathe condemned bothe those bookes of erroures in many places and specially in this poynte of free wyll For he caused bothe of them to be afterwarde prynted scraping oute many thinges adding chaunging correcting in so muche that the laste bokes were almost nothing lyke the fyrst And in those common places which were printed in the yeare of oure Lorde .1536 at Straesbrughe in the yeare of our Lord .1538 at Wittenberdge in the yeare .1546 at Lips in the yeare 1555. at Wittenberge he openly hath recanted al those thinges which he dyd wryte in those his fyrst bokes of free wyl for thus he speaketh Valla and diuerse other take libertie from man his wyl Melancth confirmeth free wil in his later bokes because al thinges be done after God his determination He addeth in his cōmon places printed in the yeare .46 .55 This imagination sprong oute of the Stoikes disputations bringeth them to this poynte that they take away all casualtie of good and euell actions yea of all motions in beastes and in the elementes But I sayde before that they must not bryng in these Stoicall opinions in to the Church of God nether that fatall necessitie is to be defended in al thynges but that we muste graunt some chaunce or casualtie It was not of necessitie that Alexander kylled Clytus nether must we confound the disputation of God his determination with the question of free wyl And agayne in his places printed the yeare .1536 and .38 or later For so muche as in the nature of man there is left iudgement and a certayne choyse of thinges which be subiect to reason and sence O Melancthē you had not bene a mete mā to be deane of diuinity in Trinitie Colledge at this day in Cambridge there is left also a choyse of outeward ciuile polityke workes wherfore the wyll of man can of her proper poure without renuing do some externall workes of the Law This is the fredome of wyll which the Philosophers do well attribute to man For Paule makyng a difference betwene the spirituall and carnal Iustice graunteth that they which be not baptized haue some choise to refrayne the hand from murder from rapyne from theft and this they call the ryghteousnes of the fleshe but God
A MOST EXCELLENT TREATISE OF THE begynnyng of heresyes in oure tyme compyled by the Reuerend Father in God STANISLAVS HOSIVS Byshop of Wormes in Prussia To the moste renomed Prynce Lorde Sigismund myghtie Kyng of Poole greate Duke of Luten and Russia Lorde and Heyre of all Prussia Masouia Samogitia c. Translated out of Laten in to Englyshe by Richard Shacklock M. of Arte and student of the Ciuil lawes and intituled by hym The hatchet of heresies Haereses ad suam originem reuocasse est refutasse Of heresies to shewe the spryng Is them vnto an end to bryng ¶ Imprinted at Antwerp by Aeg. Diest Anno. 1565. the .10 of August CVM PRIVILEGIO THE TRANSLATOVRE vpon the figure following Sathan the sower of synfull doctrine For pastyme of late dyd pepe oute of hell Being wery of whipping Luther and Caluine To see if his sedes dyd prosper here well And seing bigg trees which no man dyd fell To be sprong of his sedes for ioy he dyd spryng That with sounde of his chaines all hell he made ryng But when with more hede aboute he dyd loke Fixing his eye on Prussian grounde He sawe holy Hosius makyng this boke Myndyng all Sathans craftes to confounde An hater of heretykes which falsely expounde Gods worde which boke so sone as he spyde An hachet an hachet oh me he cryde An hachet I see in Hosius hand Wich felleth my trees which ells myght haue stand Then hauing so sayde byting his lypp He ran agayne Luther and Caluine to whypp INSIGNE FALSITATIS INSIGNE VERITATIS SATHAN RAYLING REBELLION BLODSHED ATHEISME LYES HOSIVS DE ORIGINE HERESIVM THE TRANSLATOVRE vpon the figure before going Who planted this tree which there is set oute Sathan the sower of syn withoute doute The rote is rayling but can you tell why Take away rayling and heretykes dy Sampson Humfrey Cole with others The body is rebellion wherefore can you tell For a cap they be redy their Prince to expell The braunces is blodshed knowe you the cause Thei wold kyl if thei could al without lawes But why with lyes arre so loden the leaues Ah heresie with lyes all the worlde deceaues The apples be atheisme what doth that meane Heresie remoueth religion cleane wherefore dothe Sathan so sowrely loke Oh he is angry at Hosius boke what meaneth the crosse which here you do carue The badge of truth which neuer doth swarue what meaneth the cock which here I do fynde The badge of heretykes which waue with the wynde But what doth the ape vnder the cock Signifieth heretykes which holy thinges mock ▪ TO THE MOSTE EXCELLENT AND GRATIOVSE Pryncesse Elyzabeth by the grace of God Quene of England Fraunce and Irelande defendoure of the faythe your moste humble and obedient subiect Richard Schacklock hartily wysheth all grace and peace from God with long reigne honour helth and prosperitie ALTHOVGHE my faythefull and obedient hart towarde your Royal Maiest moste souereigne gracyouse Lady be so well knowen to God and all good men that it may seme neadeles to declare any outwarde testimoniall of it yet because as S. Chrysostome sayth God wolde neuer haue made the mouthe if it had bene inough in hart to thynck well I could not at thys tyme content my conscience onles I dyd gyue an open and euident signification of my secret fidelitie loyaltie and humble obedience toward your most excellent Maiest The which because I was not able to wytnesse vnto the world ether by famouse feates of armes for lack of experience ether in bryngyng golden gyftes for lack of abilitie ether in writyng workes of nue inuention for fault peraduenture of learnyng and knowledge I thought I myght declare no small token of a true subiectes harte towarde your gracyouse hyghenes in trauaylyng to trāslate some godly worke of some worthy wryter and when I had translated it The education of oure noble Quene to dedicate it to youre excellent Maiestie specyally seing your hyghnes euen from your tender age hath bene trayned vp in the treasure howse of learnyng not so muche bewtyfyed with byllementes and precyouse pearles as garnyshed with maruaylouse gyftes of grace and godlynes and euen with the increase of yeares hathe had an increasyng desyre of true science and knowledge in so much that I here it reported credibly and beleue it verily that euery nyght callyng your selfe to an accompt accordyng to Pythagoras councell howe you haue spent the day if by reason of consulting and caryng for youre common wealth any day scape withoute learnyng of one lesson oute of some godly authour you be wont to saye vnto them which be aboute youre noble grace Frendes this day haue I loste A golden sentence of our excellēt Quene for I haue learned neuer a lesson O sentence worthy to be pronounced of so excellent a Prynce O saying worthie to be translated in to all languages and to be written in letters of golde Truly moste noble Quene thys one saying The cause of our Englyshe Louanians wrytinges dothe encorage many of your graces faythfull and learned subiectes on this syde of the sea to wrytyng some to make nue workes neuer sene before some to translate bokes which haue bene made of other Some to wryte in Latē some in Englyshe some in verse and other some in prose All whose diligence and studye intendeth nothyng lesse then to wryte one worde wyllingly whiche myght displease youre Maiestie which may sowe any sedes of sedition A differēce betwene the wryting of the Catholikes now the heretykes in Q. Maries dayes loke knokes his bokes and others which may disquyet the peace of oure natyue countrie as in your graces deare systers dayes dyuerse sedityouse sectaryes dyd but only to further and to preferre as muche as is possible thys pryncely desyre of knowing the truthe which we heare with greate ioy to be reported of youre Maiestie This is the cause most redoubted Princesse why I am bold to present this my translacyon vnto your noble grace Not that I dyd thynk any such lack of Latten to be in your grace that your grace could not vnderstād it in the tounge in the which the fyrst author dyd wryte it for God hathe made youre grace as it were hys treasure howse of tounges youre fame florysheth for the Frenche your renome spreadeth farre for the Italian your glory glystreth for the Greke and many other laudable languages but that The cause of dedicatyng thys booke in Englishe to oure reedoubted Quene for as much as I haue learned by experyence that no man is so wel indued with the knowledge of forren tonges but when a matter of greate importaunce is tolde hym the truthe of the which he is desyrouse to knowe certaynly and to the which he is mynded to make an aunswer wysely had rather haue it declared in his natural and mother tonge be it neuer so barbarouse then in a straunge language be it neuer so eloquēt I thought that this boke
to a fewe we hurt not a greate many For as it is a dede of charitie to receaue straungers in to hospitalitie and to intreate thē courteously if so be for they re frendly intertaynement and good turnes they disquiet not the churche and the common wealthe so it is an vncharitable dede to bestowe hospitalitie vpon them which be vnthanckfull busye bodies and hurtfull to the weale publyke to pitie them to cherishe them is no poynt of Christian charitie but a mayntaynaunce of dyuell she peruersytie it is not mercye but crueltie Thus dyd Ioachim spake in that epistle which he dyd send to the Magistrates of Franckforde this present yeare 57. Of the which matter Tymanus the pastor of Bre men thys yeare laste paste dyd wryte muche to the same effect Afterwarde I dyd see a very newe boke set furthe by Caluin which he named The laste admonition of Ihon Caluin to Ioachimus Westphalus vnto the which if he do not shewe hymselffe obedient he shall be so taken and handled as Paule cōmaundeth vs to take handle obstinate heretykes In the which booke also he rayleth lyke a rybaulde vpon the Citizins of Meidburge Breme Ilhesam Caluine rayleth agaynst the Lutherans spytefully certayne other cities of Saxonie which with common consent had condemned his opinion he telleth them that they be so bewitched with they re erroure that the auncient diuines among them be ignorant of those thinges which younge children do learne in they re Catechisme He saythe the these beastely men neuer tasted what vertue is in the supper of the Lorde or what it ment that they be past all shame that nothing cometh from them but shouelles full of slaunders and false reportes whilst they tell for truthe Luther his lowde lyes so that they may make they re blynde brotherhode and the ignorant sort beleue that the mone is made of grone chese being cōtented only to be praysed of the people they feare neither the iudgement of God neither of hys Aungelles He casteth in theyr tethe theire bedlem boldnes flyrtyng and folishe lightnes blynde dronckennes doggishe and currishe curstenes Lucifers loftynes saying that pryde is to them in stede of Godlynes that madnes hathe spoyled them of all manly ciuile manners that stubbornnes hathe left no light of reason or discretion in them He calleth thē brayne sycke noddies Cyclopes a prowde rablement takyng part with those Gyauntes which the Poetes fayne to haue interprysed to pull Iuppiter oute of heauen barkars and bawlers phrantyke beastes peuishe prowde as peckockes styf as stakes with suche other coloures he paynteth them He complayneth on them that they cry oute of hym and hys that they be not worthy to treade vpon the grownde and that onles they be spedily dispatched oute of the worlde there is no other mercy to be shewed vnto them but to banishe them and send them to lyue among the fearce Scythians vntamed Indyans also because they accuse Kynges of sluggishnes for not drawing oute the sworde strayght way to make hauocke of the Sacramentaries and to race they re name oute of all remembraunce These be the wordes of Caluin in hys forsayde boke by the which it is gyuē vs playnely to vnderstand that it is but a tale of a tub which is reported of the agrement of the Lutherās and the Zwinglians seyng all the Churches of Saxonie for the most parte haue condemned the doctryne of the Sacramentaries Although in the meane season that is not to be dissembled howe he dothe make hys bragge in the same boke that the two eyes of Saxonie Wittenberge and Lipsia dyd not decree any suche thyng agaynst his doctryne neither Philipp Melancthon whome he saythe can no more be pulled from agreing with hym in this one poynte then he can be pulled from his owne bowelles But it followeth not by and by that it is true because Caluin wryteth so we do conceaue a better opinion of Philipp Melancthon then so Of the thyrde sect of the Anabaptistes You thynk peraduenture that these .ij. sectes be they only which in this oure miserable worlde durst chalenge vnto them selues the name authoritie of the Ghospell But you be deceaued if you thynk so For by syde these there is an other thyrde sect more peryllouse the which because it baptizeth agayne those which were lawfully baptized of the Catholikes is called the sect of the Anabaptistes of which sorte the brotherhood called Waldenses semed to be who withoute peraduenture of late dyd rebaptise althoughe some of them but euen the other daye as they declare in theyr Apologie haue gyuen ouer that manner of twise baptisyng notwithstanding as sure as God they agree in many articles with the Anabaptistes Which Anabaptistes trulye Antonius Corninus dothe wryte in hys Dialogues to haue chefelye issued out of Zuinglius sect no otherwise then the deceptfull Grecians dyd out of the woden horse which they dyd bring trayterously into Troy But if any man wyll searche thys matter more depely althoughe they be of one opinion with the Zuinglians concerning the Sacrament of the altar yet shall he fynde that they haue sucked they re Anabaptisme oute of Luthers pappes that is oute of Luthers bokes Anabaptistrie fyrst sprang out of Luther his doctrin Certaynely Balthasar Pacimontanus which semeth to haue fyrst sowed this sect dothe triumphe that Luther was of his mynde as Luther hym selffe confesseth in a boke which he dyd wryte to .ij. Balthasar Pacimontanus fyrst founder of the Anabaptistes sect Parrishe Prestes concerning Anabaptisme Bucer also dothe wytnesse that the Anabaptistes Ghospell cam from whence Luthers doctryne dyd come that is to say oute of Saxonie At what tyme Luther dyd wryte to the Waldenses among other they re articles Bucer in the .3 chap. vpon Saint Matth. he founde greate fault with this that they baptized younge chyldren in hope of that faythe which they sholde obtayne when they came to yeares of discretiō He sayth therefore that it were better not to baptize younge children at all then to baptize them withoute faythe because the sacramentes neyther ought neyther can be receaued without fayth And if you receaue any sacrament withoute faythe you shall receaue it to youre greate damnation We laye against youre doctryn sayth he this saying of Christ He which beleueth and is baptized shall be saued Hereof dyd the Anabaptistes take occasion of they re heresye For whereas Luthers opinion semed to them to be agaynst all reason as in very dede it is the younge children haue faythe of they re owne they thought it a more sure way to let them alone vnbaptized and not to Chrysten them tyll suche tyme as they coulde beleue for thē selues because they sayde this was grounded vpon the worde of God which worde they cryed with lowde voyce sholde endure for euer and agaynst which worde they dyd make they re boaste that hell gates sholde not be able euer to preuayle Memno Phrisius his holde brag
cherefullnes in suffring persecutions the Anabaptistes run farr before all other heretykes If you will haue regarde to the number it is lyke that in multitude they wolde swarme aboue al other if they were not greuously plaged cut of with the knyfe of persecution Yf you haue an eye to the outewarde appearaunce of godlynes bothe the Lutherans and the Zuinglians muste nedes graunte that they farr passe them Yf you wyll be moued with the boasting of the worde of God these be no lesse bolde theÌ„ Caluin to preache that theire doctrin must stand aloft aboue all the glory of the worlde must stand inuincible aboue al poure because it is not they re worde but the worde of the lyuing God Nether do they crye with lesse lowdenes then Luther Anabaptistes not able otherwyse to be ouercomed but by the authoritie of the churche the fourth sect which Suencfeld raysed that with theire doctryn which is the worde of God they shall iudge the Aungelles And surely howe many so euer haue wrytten agaynst this heresie whether they were Catholykes or Heretykes they were able to ouerthrowe it not so muche by the testimony of the scriptures as by the autoritie of the Churche Do you think peraduenture that we be nowe at an end of these Gospelles Nay we be yet very farr from the end For Suenckfeldius hathe broched a fourthe gospell agaynste whome I haue sene fyue bookes wrytten in the Germane tounge in that which one Flaccus brauleth scoldeth with hym When he sawe the Lutherans the Sacramentaries the Anabaptistes and al the heretykes not of oure tyme only but also in tyme past to establyshe they re errours by the Scriptures the which is so certayne sure that the heade carpenter of all heresies in oure tyme Martyn Luther could not deny it Luther in that boke which he intytuled that these wordes of Christ do as yet stand inuincible in so muche that he saythe that the Canonicall Scripture hath at laste gotten thys name that it is called the boke of heretykes because all heresies take theire beginning of it because all heretykes do fly to the scripture for succoure therfore when Suenckfeldius had perceaued this and had peraduenture readen it in Luthers bokes he hym selffe deuysed a newe heresie and leauing to the ayde helpe of the scripture ment aboute to take away all autoritie from the scripture For this talke he was wont to haue among his Disciples It behoueth not a man to be coning in the lawe or in the Scripture but to be taught and instructed of God Althoughe thou reade ouer the Byble a thousand tymes yet for all that shalt thou proue only skylfull in the Scripture but yet neuer learned of God The labour is but loste which is bestowed on the scripture for the scripture is but a creature It is not mete that a Christian man shold be addicted to muche to a creature We must gyue eare to God we must loke to heare his voyce from heauen that it may teache vs. Blessed is the man saythe Dauid whome thou shalt teache O Lorde Psal 43. He teacheth vs nowe a dayes as well as he taught the prophetes and the Patriarches by visions We must gyue hede to dreames for by them God speaketh vnto vs. the voyce of God dothe teache vs a ryght the scripture is not the worde of God but only a deade letter to be rekoned among other creatures Thinck not thy selffe to be learned oute of the scriptures you must loke for the oute of heauen not oute of bokes The holy goste descendeth downe from heaueÌ„ with oute any meane not by the outewarde hearing and preaching by the mouthe ether reading of the scriptures Althoughe that one Thomas Muncerus semeth to be the fyrst Author of visions dreames and reuelations who also was the fyrst which shronck from Luthers sect as Philippus sheweth in that story which he dyd wryte of hym so that Luther was worthye of no lesse condemnation for stretching mennes consciences as it were vpon tentre hokes then the Pope was for bindyng them in Yet among those errours which Philipp layeth to his charge Philipp in his history of Muncer he rekoneth vp only these that he prescribed these wayes and rules of enbrasing Christian godlynes Fyrst that men sholde refrayne from manifest crimes as adulteries murders and blasphemies then that they sholde chasteÌ„ theire bodies with fastinges vyle apparel speakyng lyttell loking sowrely wearing a long bearde then that they sholde go in to secrete places and that they sholde ofteÌ„ think vpon God what God is whether he haue any care of vs whether our fayth be true and that also they sholde requyre signes of God by the which he sholde shew vs that he is carefull for vs and that oure faythe is ryght That they sholde put no confidence in the wrytten worde of God And that they sholde persuade themselues verilye dreames to be the moste certayne tokens that they haue receaued the holy ghoste The same Muncerus dyd say that he had commaundimeÌ„t to chaunge all secular gouernement Wherefore when he was at Alstete he made a boke in the which he wrote the names of all them which had coÌ„spyred with hym to punishe all Princes which were not so Christian lyke as they ought to be to institute a ChristiaÌ„ Magistrate These be the thinges which Philip ascribeth vnto Muncerus As coÌ„cernyng Suenckfeldius whome in despyte he nameth Stenckfeldius Philip. concerning Stencfeld the same man in the preface of hys commentaries which he set furthe the laste yeare vpon the Epistle of Saynt Paule to the Romanes wryteth the Stencfeldius hath a hundred handes that he hathe soldyoures euery where which in his name do not onlye scatter libelles but also moue seditions boste of diuyne inspirations leade men from the publyke ministerye from reading and from thinking of teaching And nowe also in certayne papers set oute agaynst me in the name of Stenckfeldius is repeted that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a pleasaunt song to madd men that God dothe not make men partakers of him by any helpe of wrytten doctryne but withoute all outewarde meanes Nether Philipp only but also Caluine and diuerse others do seme to make Suenckfeldius to be the author of these thinges For allthoughe before hym there were heauenly Prophetes against whome Luther hathe wrytten two indifferent greate volumes of whome Thomas Muncerus is beleued to haue bene captayne and ring leader yet they dyd not so openly fray men from the publyke ministre of the worde from reading the scriptures as Suenckfeldiê with his companions do nowe a dayes which be not ashamed to drawe this place of S. Paule to the mayntenaunce of theire madnes 1. Cor. 13. where he compareth the knowledge of this present lyfe which is by the worde what scriptures SteÌ„ckfeld stayeth his sect vpon with the perfect and reueled knowledge which shall be in the lyffe to come These they wrest to this lyfe ascribyng
that which is vnperfect to the holy scripture that which is perfect to the reuelations of the spyrit to which reuelations so sone as we haue attayned that which is vnperfect that is to say the preaching vse of the scripture they lyke dreaming doctours do think ougt to be cleane abolished To this purpose they strech that place of S. Peter on the laste althoughe in very dede it is contrary to this theire inspiration where he warneth vs to gyue hede to propheticall speache 2. Pet. 1. as to a bright burning candell in a darke place tyll suche tyme as the daye starr doth ryse in oure hartes They take the illusions of Sathan for the lightning of the holy Ghoste and for the morning starre which so sone as it is rysen then is there no more nede of the candell of propheticall speakyng They alleadge also those scriptures which Luther also vouched for the confirmation of his erroure in his boke of abrogating the Masse Heb. 8. Hier. 31. No man shall teache his neighboure or his brother Iacob 3. saying Knowe oure Lorde For all shall knowe me froÌ„ the leaste to the moste of them Matth. 23 There shall not be many masters among you for you haue one Master in heaueÌ„ 1. Ioan. 2. You neade not that any man sholde teache you his anoynting teacheth you Therefore they commaund men to run to this Master for succoure that they may be taught of hym not of the deade scripture or of men Suencfelde fynished that Ghospell which Sathan began by Luther Behold most godly Prince to what issue they haue brought the matter After that by the example of Luther euery man toke it to be lawfull for hym to go from the assent and consent of the whole Churche and to expounde the scriptures after hys owne brayne that what so euer he imagined sholde be receaued as the worde of God it cam to this poynte at the laste that by the autoritie of the scriptures they went aboute to make the scriptures of no autoritye and men were thaught to gyue more credit to dreames and reuelations then to the scriptures Luther toke away outewarde prestehode and the sacrament thereto belongyng when Suenckfeldius perceaued that he did this not only withoute controlemeÌ„t but also that his doing was allowed and approued of many he lykewise toke away the externall minystery of the worde by the same authoritie that Luther toke away the sacrifice For why shold Luthers authoritie be stronger then Suenckfeldius his seyng this man hath mo scriptures on his syde then he For no scripture hath gyuen contrary coÌ„maundiment that mo shold offer sacrifice but that there shold be mo maysters then one it hathe openly bene forbydden in mo places then one For seing we haue one Mayster in heauen his honoure semeth to be defaced his dignitie semeth to be diminished if any other be herd besyde hym as who wold saye that he is not fyt inoughe to teache vs as thoughe there were such lack of abilitie in hym that he coulde not performe so muche withoute the help and ministery of man So nowe the Ghospell which Sathan hathe begone by Luther he hath fynished by Suenckfeldiê that after prestehod is takeÌ„ away after the sacrifice is dispatched after that all holy thinges be brought in to vtter contempt we may see also the outewarde ministery of the worde to be taken from vs the Canonicall scriptures to be so stryped of all they re dignitie that we be charged not to beleue them that the scripture is not the worde of God but only a deade letter which is to be reputed among other creatures to the which to be wedded to muche is not the parte of a Christian man Nether is this Suenckfeldius an oute cast or rascal For Philipp saythe he is an hundred handed captayne that he hathe souldiours in euerye place which in his name do not onlye spred libelles abroade but also stirr vp seditions This pestilent heresye of Suenckfeldius rageth not onlye ouer all Germany but also ouer all Heluetia there is an huge number of them which boaste themselues that they haue this inspiration so that in many greate Cities by hearesay Mo SuenckfeldiaÌ„s theÌ„ Lutherans or Zuinglians you may fynde of the coÌ„mon sorte mo Suenckfeldians then ether Lutherans or ZuingliaÌ„s To say the truthe I knowe not the man nether haue I sene his bokes but when I went on youre Maiesties Embassage to the moste Christian Emperoure and very Catholyke King Charles the fyft of certayne graue persones such as were worthy of al credyt I heard the contrary of that to be affirmed of Suenckfeldius whiche Erasmus Roterodamê once dyd wryte of them whiche falsely vaunt them selues to be Euangelicall men Suenckfeldians meruailouse holy to se to that he knewe none of them which ioyned them selues to their company and coÌ„gregation but he proued much wurse then he was before but how many so euer embrased Suenckfeldiê doctrine it was tolde me that they were sodenly chaunged as thoughe they had bene inspyred by the holy Ghost that they dyd put of olde Adam and put on new Christ that afterwarde they walked no more after the flesh but after the spyrit so that al men myght see that they had crucified theyr fleshe with theyr synnes and concupiscences Here many we see how Sathan many tymes iuggleth him selff in to an Aungell of lyght that by a coloure of holynes he may deceaue the simple people Euen as fowlers do set certayne intising baytes to the intent they may take the byrdes with shewing them deyntie and lykersom meates Holynes of heretykes is the diuell his pytfall to catche soules Origenes so is there a certayne holynes of the dyuell that is a trap or pytfall of man his soule by the which he may with a more subtyll sleyght inuegle snare men with false and forged wordes Euen as Origenes expoundyng Ezechiel more at lardge doth declare Suche pretensed holynes was to be sene in tyme past in the Psalbanes Euchites Anthropomorphites Ebionites Tacians and other heretykes of the same sorte the lyke of the whiche is also to be sene in the Pycardes and the Suenckfeldians which is none other thing as that moste learned man Origenes dothe saye then a certayne trap priuily set and layde for man his sowle by the deceate crafty conueyaunce of the Dyuell A conclusion of the fourth new Gosballes Now haue you foure Ghospells but not according to Mathewe Luke and Ihon but after Luther Zuinglius Muncerus and Swenkfeldius These be straunge names but theire Ghospells be more straunge which you may rather call Goosebelles then Ghospells for so muche as they haue brought in with them the matter of al mischefe not proceding from Christ but from the dyuell the author and founder of them for which cause they chose rather to be called Ghospellers then Christians for that theyr conscience telleth them that they haue nothing to do with
had wrytten an other confession more theÌ„ six yeares agone to be presented to the councel of Trent thei gaue this tytle to the boke Brentius maketh a new Confession A confession of the churches of Saxonie But Brentius althoughe he also wolde seme not to iarre froÌ„ Luthers doctrine yet wolde not he content hym selffe with that which was wrytten in the selffe same Towne from whence Luthers Gospell did fyrst procede But he dyd wryte a seuerall confession not in his owne name but in the name of his Prince which he also propounded to the assemble of the TrideÌ„tine Councell And this is worthie to be marked that nether GreÌ„tius nether Vrbanus Regius nether Osiander were sworne to the coÌ„fession of Augusta For they thought that it sholde disgrace them much to followe any forme of fayth prescribed of Philip seing euery one of them had this conceipt of hymselffe that they had profyted more in the study of holy scripture then Philip had done therefore eche of them thought hym selffe to be as able as he to wryte a peculiar confession of his faythe So these men whylst euerye one of them was more carefull to blase abroade hys owne name theÌ„ to fynde oute and further the knowledg of the truthe thei dissenting euery one not only froÌ„ hym selffe but also from their Master Luther yea in substantiall poyntes of ChristiaÌ„ religion thought it lawfull for euery one of them to forge a newe faythe Petrus a Soto why he wrote against the Confession of Brent and to deuise a confession by themselues A certayne learned Spanyard named Petrê a Soto who neuer had learned any other then the Catholyke fayth dyd well perceaue this that Melancthon was autor of one confession Brentius of an other it gaue hym greate wonder that eche of them held so diuerse coÌ„fessions for so much as both of them dyd confesse Luther to be theyr Master thys semed a moÌ„strouse thinge vnto hym He wolde not haue maruayled halffe so much if the Zuinglians had seuerally sette abroade they re confession as they dyd aboue twentie yeares agone at what tyme the Protestantes dyd exhibite the confession of theire faythe to the Emperoure For as I haue saide before the Lutherans counte them heretikes and they lyke wyse the Lutherans But when this was done of them which made theire boaste that they dyd profes the same Gospel which Luther first inuented that made hym stand almoste in a mase that they which were scollers all of one scole dyd not consent in one confession of their faythe And because many men had this opinion of the duke of Wirtenberdge vnder whose name Brentius dyd sette oute his confession that he suarued not from the Christian right ruled faythe I meane from that faythe which we haue left to vs from hand to hand of oure forefathers as they haue receaued it of the Apostles Petrus a Soto being bothe a godly man and also bearyng an ernest zeale to Christian religion dyd take it very heuily at the hart that the Prince whome all men iudged to beare a singular goode wyll to the Catholyke faythe sholde suffer hym selffe so to be seduced with the persuations of Brentius and his Brotherhode that he wolde rather after a newe fashion gyue vp to the Concell a newe confession of his faythe then to rest and settell hym selffe in the Catholyke faythe which he had learned of his forefathers Wherefore the aforesayde Petrus a Soto coulde not refrayne hym selffe but must nedes put in prynt the defence of his faythe which not withstaÌ„ding was not his owne alone but also the faythe of the Catholyke churche Petrus a Soto his order in writing The which boke he prouyded so to be wrytten that on the one syde it contayned the confession of the Princes preachers on the other syde the confession of the Catholykes On the one syde he dyd set the doctryn of the duke on the other syde the Doctryn of the Catholyke faythe on the one page that autorities of Scripture seming to serue for them on the other many autorities fortifying his fayth On the one parte the testimonies of the auncient Doctors makyng for them on the other parte the wytnesses of the same doctoures weyghing with hym agaynst them The Prince of Wirtenberdge in the boke set oute by BreÌ„tius vnder his name saith that he mynded to make all the worlde witnes of his ernest â—esyre in raysing vp and furtheryng the true and godly doctrine Petrus a Soto his admonicyoÌ„ to the Prince of wirtenberdge Petrus in his Scholies taking an aduauÌ„tage at these wordes saythe that doctrin was fyrst to haue bene agreed vpon fyrst you sholde haue made youre rekoning that the doctrine which you mynded to further and aduaunce sholde be in euery poynte godly especially now in these dayes in the which euery man may see that it is called in to question whiche is the true and vncounterfeited doctrine Knowe this for a certaynete moste worthie Prince that lyke as youre ministers do iudge that doctrine to be wycked which the Catholykes embrace so the Catholykes esteme that doctrine which you endeuoure to promote and aduauÌ„ce nether is there among them a lesser number of credible men then among youres so that at leaste you do not put to youre helping hand to further true and godly doctryne but ether wycked doctryne by the wytnes of the Catholykes ether doubtfull vncertayne as your selff of necessitie must confesse Therfore were it not more wysdome for you ether to leaue of this interpryse or at the leaste suspend youre iudgement and humbly abyde tyll God dyd lyghteÌ„ youre harte with the beames of his grace and to obtayne that at God his handes with charitable workes and deuoute prayers The wordes of the Prince which he addeth immediatlye to the wordes before rehearsed oute of his boke be these For all be it we be not ignorant that there is a certayne differeÌ„ce betwene Ciuil and Ecclesiasticall offices yet for so muche as the kingly Prophet dothe most wysely exhorte vs saying Psal 2. Nowe you Kynges vnderstand be you learned which be iudges of the yearth serue our Lorde in trembling feare we ought not to despyse that heauenly voyce c. And Petrus taking aduauÌ„tage at these wordes also saythe in this wyse but fyrst you ought perfectly to haue knoweÌ„ what difference this was It is very certayne that a temporall Magistrate hath nothing to doo with discussing definyng doubtes in matters of fayth Ciuil and Ecclesiastical gouuernement be not all one for this is the charge dutie of Ecclesiastical Gouernoures Polityke Princes ought to learne of them to stand vnto theire determination otherwyse thei haue cause to feare that which followeth the wordes before alleadged in the same place lest oure Lorde be angry against them they peryshe froÌ„ the right way for these threatninges dothe God thunder against Princes which do not apprehend learning and knowledge But what is more vndescrete and oute
intreatyng of so weyghtye and necessari an argument for all Christian men to knowe shold be better welcome to youre grace in oure owne contrye speche for profyt then in any fyner forren language for pleasure The which boke althoughe some men thynck that I myght more boldly haue dedicated to some other yet in my iudgement I knowe certaynely I can not exhibit it to any other more worthily then to your excellent Maiestie Our souereigne Lady of al other moste worthy to haue this boke dedicated to her grace For who is more worthy to haue bokes dedicated to them of veritie which is lykened to syncere and pure virginitie then youre grace a most cleare bryght and vnspotted virgin who is more mete to receaue that precyouse iuel which was presented to the wyse vertuouse and Catholyke Kyng of Poole then you one of the best learned graciouse victoriouse mercyfull Prynces vnder the Pole Therfore most excellent and pearles Pryncesse if I haue any thyng offended in boldnes by reason of dedicatyng this my lyttell laboure vnto your hyghnes your learnyng your wysdome your mercye and all other your Quenely qualities which make your grace as it were a marke for all learned men to direct theyr bokes to our gracyouse Quene a marke for all learned mēnes bokes to be directed to are the causes of myne offence But my trust is that nether I haue offended any good man in dedicatyng thys to your hyghenes nether that youre grace shall displease God in readyng it A true prayse of the reuerēd Father Hosius For who is the Auctour of this booke but Hosius who for his prudence in polityke affayres hathe of the myghtie kyng of Poland bene sent of long tyme in moste weyghtye and honorable Embassages who for hys diuine knowledge and incomparable learnyng was made president of the moste Catholyke and Christian Councell lately holdē at Trent who for his syncere and godly lyfe is worthily called Hosius which after the Greke Etymologie signifyeth holy Althoughe some 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whose harte is rotten at the rote with rancor whose māner is to reproue good men with rayling whē they arre not able to doo it by reason laboure to drowne the dignitie of such a pearlesse Prelate of such a blessed Byshope of such a famouse father in saying that he will be ouercome with his Polonyshe pottes But no maruayle if Hosius be called a drōkard for euen so was hys Master Chryst before hym called a wyne bybber which is all one to say a quasser a tosse potte As for his boke that youre grace neade not to feare the displeasure of God in readyng it what is it ells but a true treatyse intytuled by the author hym selffe of the begynnyng of heresies in oure tyme and by me the translatour named the hatchet of heresies for so muche as to shewe the begynnyng of heresies The cause why this boke is named the hatchet of heresies is to bryng heresye vnto an end and to cut it downe none other wyse then an hatchet in man his hand layde to the roote of a plant sone supplāteth and ouerthroweth it Euen so truly most souereyne Ladye thys boke is the hatchet which supplanteth that euel plant which Sathā hath sowed in God his groūde what manner of plāt this hatchet heweth down whose roote is raylyng whose body is rebellion whose braunches be bloodshedde whose leaues be lyes whose frute be the aples of Atheisme that is to be of no Religion or to thynck that there is no God at all Wherefore moste humbly vpō my knees I desire your grace not only to reade this excellent treatise your selffe but also to be contented that my dearly beloued countrie men youre graces moste faythfull subiectes may do the same that they may receaue this souerayne salue of their soules withoute any harme of their bodyes that they may here gather the euerlasting treasures of theire myndes witoute any losse of their temporall possessions that they may here see that it is not the expresse worde of God which our Britānical Brētians teache but the pressed and wrested worde of God not the holy Scriptures but prophane scrapinges of dyuerse olde and nue heresies not the traditions of the Apostles but rather I desyre pardon of youre maiestie to speake reason somwhat rowghly the trayterouse additiōs of Apostates Finally that in reading of this notable boke they standyng as it were in the Castell of cōtemplation and seing howe heretykes marche malitiously on toward the other in the medowe of madnes The battayle of heretykes fight one with the other in the felde of al foly howe they one against the other bend the ordinaunce of all disorder cast the dartes of deadly displeasure shote with the crosse bowes of cursed speakyng and to be short leaue nothing vndone to vndoo one an other I say that youre faythfull subiectes my dearly beloued countrymen seing in this boke quietly all theire disquyetnes may lothe deuydyng discorde and returne to Catholyke concorde of Christ his holy Churche vnto whiche no doubt Christ returnyng to his Father sayd these wordes Pacem meam do vobis pacem meam relinquo vobis c. My peace I gyue you my peace I leaue vnto you whiche peace God graunt we may seke ernestly fynde spedily and holde stedfastly This I say moste humbly and ernestly desyring your grace beseching also that it wyll please youre hyghenes to take me as I am youre sure and sounde harted subiect in all seruice that I can I desyre God to be youre graces buckler in battayle youre pillar in peace youre leader in all the slyppery wayes of this lyff and your crowner in the blessed Kyngdome which is to come Amen You re graces faythfull and obedient subiect Richard Shacklock THE TRANSLATOVRE vpon the holy wryter Hosius Semely Susanna was iudged to dye By peruerse iudges which dyd her oppresse But godly Daniel her cause true dyd trye when contrary thynges he herd them confesse So sorrowfull Susan he dyd ryghtly redresse Her which seêmd synfull he proued to be sounde And them which seêmd godly full gylty he founde Euen so holy Hosius in oure dolefull dayes Seing the truthe to be troden with myght Of misshapt Ministers which with wyly wayes Laboure to rob the truthe of her ryght Ragyng and rayling and spyttyng theire spyte One at an other full farre from consent Here tryeth the truth against which thei be bent The truthe being tryde the truthe let vs holde Praying to God to gyue vs hys grace To hate all heretykes so blynde and so bolde which vnder fayr visardes do hide their fowle face And pray we deuoutly for our noble Quenes grace That the spryng of heresies to her being knowen She may roote vp the sedes which Sathā hath sowē TO THE MOSTE REDOVBTED AND MOSTE CHRISTIAN Prince his renomed Lorde Lorde Sigismund by the grace of God Kyng of Poole great Duke of Luten Lorde and Heyre of Russia Prussia Masouia Samogitia
man sholde be so hardy to make any innouation in Religion that he sholde be accompted as a breaker of common peace and sholde be punished after the same sorte as an ennimie of his countrie is wont to be Nowe and please youre grace do not these thynges differ as muche as chalcke and chese from those thinges which Vergerius dothe tell VVho also blushed not to coyne this lye in his Epistle An other lye of Vergerius when that a reformation sholde be made of certayne abuses which be brought in to the Churche that some certaynelye dyd reporte that the peares of the Realme dyd denye that thing to appartayne to the knowledge and determination of the Byshopp of Rome and other Byshoppes whereas by the decree of the Parlementes which aboue to yeares agone were holden at Petricouia a messenger was sent of youre grace to the Pope which not only as it is the accustomed manner of Catholyke Kynges and Princes sholde promisse that you wolde allway be vnder his autoritie but also sholde desyre hym to send an Embassadoure by whose autoritie those hurleburleis might be appeased which were raysed vp in youre Realme aboute Religion Of decreing whiche Embassage the cheife in the Senate was the noble man Ihon Earle of Tarnow moste famouse for many noble feates done bothe in warre and peace A saying worthye for a Senatoure with greate prayse and prosperouse successe which also dyd not styck to say that which a Catholyke Senatoure ought for to say that if any chaunge were brought in of any customes what so euer they were withoute cōsent of the holy Apostolyke sea it wolde come to passe that oure Realme sholde run in infamye of Schisme and of wycked diuision Therefore seing this message vnto the Pope was decreed no more of youre graces pleasure then of the agreable consent of youre whole Councell the which this man who is so curiouse in a forren Common wealthe coulde not but knowe what a brasen browe hathe he that he dare wryte that the Peares denyed the amendment of abuses and erroures to appertayne to the knowledge of the Byshoppe of Rome and other Byshoppes VVhy wolde they so ernestly haue desyred an Embassadoure to be sent from the See Apostolyke if they had thought that it had nothing to doo with suche thynges Vergerius his rayling on the Pope But nowe as concerning that reproche with the which he calleth the Pope and Byshoppes ennimies of the truthe whome it is no doubt to be and euer to haue bene the defendours and patrones of the truthe dyd it not procede from the open ennimie of the truthe But howe many more bokes of hys I dyd reade wrytten very impudentlye so muche the more I dyd perceaue that he was all together patched and clouted of guyle decepte and lyes Vergerius howe he was a banyshed mā of Iesus Christ who neuer semeth to haue spoken a truer worde then when he calleth hymselffe a banished man of Iesu Christ forsomuche as synce the tyme he translated hym selffe vnto an other Gospell and cutte hym selffe of from the body of Christ he hathe left of to be a citezin and howseholde seruaunt of God and made an aliaunt from Christ he hathe bequethed hym selffe to the powre of the dyuell with whose spyrit for so muche as he is guyded he can not chose but vtter suche thinges as he dothe Nether can it be false whiche the truthe dothe say Howe can you speake good thinges when you youre selues be euell He semeth to be of theire number whome S. Ihon calleth Antichristes of whome he sayth They haue gone oute from vs but they were not of vs for if they had bene of vs they wolde surely haue remayned with vs. For this man was once in the body of Christ How euell men be in the church of Christ as euell humoures be in the bodye of man the which when thei be purged the body is lyghtned euen so this fellowe after he once departed the body of Christ the Churche was muche eased in so muche that it is to be reioysed that suche an one went oute of it For he was not cut from the fleshe of Christ of the whiche he was neuer a member but only he leaned heauily on his brest so long as he was in the body so that great lyghtnes and easement of Christ his body is followed after that this euell humoure is gone oute of it We truly arre well contented that suche be called to the defence of this fift nue gotten Gospell that it may be as saythe the Prouerb Dignū patella operculum A mete couer for suche a cup. But nowe I haue spoken inoughe as concerning the man and that otherwyse then I dyd propose Nowe brefely youre grace shall heare the causes which moued me to bend my selffe to confute with my contrary writynges these bokes of Brentius which Vergerius dothe sette so muche by The causes mouing Hosius to write agaynst Brentius I toke it very heauely when I dyd see that man whiche not only for hys learnyng and godly lyuing but also for that autoritie which he dyd beare ought to be had in greate reuerence of all men shold be so prouoked as it were to a combate of suche a tryfelyng fellowe But that dyd nypp me nearer the hart that the saucy face syr durst presume to wryte to you of suche a matter to make youre grace hys iudge to dedicate this Brentian booke to you a Christian and truly taught kyng The which thyng when I perceaued to be interprised of other heretykes diuerse tymes that they brought you in to an euel name by dedicating theire workes vnto you and wolde rayse a suspition of youre grace as who saye that you were of one mynde with them which desyre Christian Religion ether to be chaunged or ells to be cleane rased I was trobled in mynde that the Catholykes dyd not bestowe lyke laboure and studye in remouyng that suspition whiche these peruerse persones dyd go aboute to bryng you into For althoughe you so behaue your selffe in defendyng and mayntaynyng that Catholyke and true Religion which you haue receaued of your auncetours that you be nothyng to be suspected of suche a cryme yet notwithstandyng for so muche as they whiche knowe you not and see bookes stuffed with all kynde of wyckednes to be dedicated to you and as it is the manner of this fyft Gospell do here false rumours to be reported of youre maiestie occasion is gyuen them to thynk and suspect the wurste Which thing howe muche grefe it is wont to graft in my hart it passeth the common credit of all men For it behoueth youre so excellent Maiestye not only to be withowte fault but also to be farre from all suspition of fault Therefore I haue taken willingly vpon me thys trauayle that I might delyuer you of thys suspitiō and that I myght wytnesse it to the whole worlde that you allway haue purely and vndefyledly defended the Catholyke Religion
wrightynges to the iudgement of them whose iudgemētes in dede he ought to reverence In a certayne epistle wrytten to Pope Leo there are these wordes to be sene which he wrote aboue eight and thirtie yeares a gone Moste blyssed father Luther his submission to the Pope I offer my selffe flatt vpon the grounde before youre holy fere with all that I am worthe Quicken me slea me call me hether call me thether approve me reprove me as it pleaseth you I wyll acknowledge youre voyce to be the voyce of Christ rulyng you and speakyng in you But it is true that Philo dothe wryte Philo in the second boke of allegories of the lawe that contention is the norishmēt of anger therefore they which be gyuen moste to cōtention in all disputations and other conferencies be sone moued to anger And this is the propertie of anger that it easyly is deceaued it selffe and deceaueth others so that you shall not easily fynde one angry man of a true iudgement as being ouercomed with dronckennes of the mynde thoughe not of the body Loke with howe muche more cōtention thinges were handled which at the fyrst semed to be of no great importaunce so muche the more did the contenders go wyde of the true way And this is so prouyded of nature that almost neuer any errour dothe ryse One errour for the moste part draweth many other after it but it draweth many other after it so that you shall scantly fynde any which is fallen in to any one errour which dothe not euery day stray further further from the beaton pathe of veritie Lyke as in syngyng yf in any one pointe the harmony be trobled there is a certayne vnpleasant iarryng in all the other partes so vniforme doctryne being wrested a wrye by meanes of some heresye or straunge opinion disagreing from the swete melodye of truthe sometymes openeth a wyder wyndow to greater disordre and confusion lyke as in the body of man when the iuste proportiō of those qualities is distempered wherein the healthe of all partes the sowndnes of al the powres consisteth many maladyes infirmityes follow one after an other so if the mynde be once diseased or not well established it decayeth euery day more more is subiect to more daungerouse syknes His disease was curable at the fyrst but in continuaunce of tyme the infection dyd spreade it self so far that it was past all remedye And first he toke that vpon him which all heretykes vse to doo that is Luther begā his sect at rebellīg against the Pope to disanul the popes authoritie and to prescribe him rules of reformation agaynst him he bent all his bedlembrayne labored with to the nayle to withdrawe from him the good wylles of so many as he coulde to dashe him quyte oute of conceyt that the ruler of the churche being so disgraced and displaced Cyprian fyrst booke epist 3. he myght as S. Cyprian saythe more cruellie and violentlie wreake hys wrathe with the spoyles shyppwrackes of the Churche Therefore takyng vpon him a saucye enterprise he cast all his bokes of the Canō lawe in to the fyar with many other of the Pope his writinges commonly called Bulles and not long after he dyd wryte a booke of the captiuitie of Babylon in the which not sparing the Sacramentes one inche he dyd his endevoure to turne euery thing vp syde downe when Pope Leo had borne with these his presumptuouse pranckes the space of three yeares Leo his long sufferaunce and had many tymes oft warned him to returne home to the Churche but all in vayne at the last as his dutie required he condemned him of heresye he excōmunicated cast him oute of the Congregatiō oute of that which he had throwen him self before Luther cōdemned of the Pope myndeth nothing but to deface the supremacie Then began he to rage more more and to seke all meanes how he myght vtter all his malicious mynde against the Pope whome he wyshed in his hart to be sett besyde his seate and to be bereaued of all his authoritie In this one pointe dyd he vestowe all his care studie travayle so that afterward in writing his bookes he thought it not to appertayne vnto him to haue regarde what was godly or what was vngodlie but what thing might moste deface the papacie to the intent what so euer he wrote what so euer he sayue what so euer he dyd he might do it in despyte of the Pope Councells Bishopes This dothe he him self witnesse in a certayne epistle to the Citizins of Strasborowe to whome he dyd wryte after this manner Luther his owne testimonie Neither can I neither will I sayth he deny this that if Carolstadius or any other coulde haue persuaded me more then fyue yeares agone that there had remayned nothing in the Sacramente but bread and wyne he had made me a greate debtor of his for in boulting oute this matter I toke greate care and a long tyme dyd weary my self I stretched al the strynges of my wytte to make my part good in this behalf for so muche as I knewe wel that I by this meanes I shold brede greate inconvenience to the Papacie Doth not he here playnely confesse that by beatyng this newe fownde doctrine in to the peoples heades he intended not to further the glory of Christ to set abrode the knowledge of his truthe but that as he hym selff was blynded with the myst of malice against the Pope so he myght sett the hartes of other men a fyar with the same hatred His mynde was rusted with suche rancor and spitefullnes that he was redy wyllingly to deny Christ to be present in the Sacrament so that by this occasion he might hurt or hynder the supremacie For so muche then as in all his sayinges writinges doinges Luter was lod with a dyuellishe spyrit to do moste of those thinges which he dyd he vsed none but of all other the most perniciouse councelloures that is angre hatred is there any which as yet will doubt that those thinges which proceded from him haue bene deryued from any other then the very diuel If there be any suche doubter let Luther hym self dryue away that doubt who in a booke which he intytled De Missa angulari that is of priuate Masse dothe euidently declare who was the scolemaster of this his newe doctrine Luther his dyuelishe dreame For there he bringeth in the Dyuell disputyng with hym makyng stronger obiectiōs against the Masse then he was able to solute Whose voyce also he there describeth to be a bygg base and boysterouse voyce and which dothe make so terrible a noyse that it chaunseth often after conference had with the Dyuell by nyght that men be found dead the next day in the mornyng For the Dyuell sayth he can kyll the body besyde that he smyteth suche a feare in to the mynde that some tyme in the
and oute of ordre So much dyd he disdayne that any thing shold be set vp or pulled downe of any man a lyue except he had fyrst gyuen oute a coÌ„mission that so it sholde be Luther most gredie of glorie The gentleman was so gredy of glory that he might well syng this verse which dyd become his ambitiouse ielosie Riualem possum non ego ferre Iouem I think greate skorne that God above Sholde fansie the thing which I do love He dyd wryte .ij. bokes against the heavenly Prophetes in one of the whiche he warneth those preachers to be forbidden the benefytes of water and fyar Luther a sore ennimie to image breakers whiche persuade the people to throwe downe images or at the least he willeth so to nypp them in the heades some other way that they presume no more so to prate because after the destruction of images commonly followeth the destruction slaughter of men Good Sirs sayth he the pulling downe of images is not the mark which the dyvell shoteth at but to make hym selffe a muse to start in and oute at to shed blode to make one man cut an others throte The spiryt of imagehaters is not good for it breathes murders and vprores although it beareth a fayre face for a whyle tyll suche tyme as it spyeth any advauntage Thus Luther and Carolstadius dyd burne with deadly displeasure one against the other they dyd rayle so spytefully one against the other that they semed wurse then heretikes one to the other And this was not the least cause of their enimitie contention that bothe dyd chalaunge this prayse vnto him selff for bringing fyrst vnto light the true knowledge of the Ghospell But it is knowen well inoughe Carolstad the fyrst marryed preste in Germany that Carolstadius was the fyrst Preste that euer marryed a wife in Germany and enterprysed those thinges which I made rehersall of a littell before for which cause he thought the prayse of fynding oute the true light of the Ghospell to be only due vnto him But when he perceaued the more accoumpt was made of Luther who in dede passed him farre in wytte learninge and vtteraunce to the intent he might make hys name ryng among hys posteritie he thought it good to coyne some newe conceited doctrine which being suche as Luther had never medled with all he sholde not presume to any part of the prayse which he had newly inuented Luthers doctrine was an occasion of the SacrameÌ„taries sect To the vttering abroade of which doctrine it is playne that Luthers bokes dyd offer occasion who as Calvine dothe recorde wryting against transsubstantiatioÌ„ semed to sounde a larum to rayse vp the heresie of the Sacramentaries For Luther dyd teache that after Consecration there remayned in the Sacrament the substaunce of brade and wyne Caluin in the. 2. defeÌ„ce agaynst Ihon west which some dyd so vnderstand as thoughe Luther had taught that Christ whome the Scriptures wytnesse to haue bene incarnat that is to haue taken vpoÌ„ him oure fleshe had bene in the Sacrament impanate that is taken vpon him bread whome also it shold be idololatrie for any man to worshyp in the Sacrament onles he dyd coÌ„municate As who shold say that the body of Christ were not made in the SacrameÌ„t with the worde of Christ but with oure receaueing and that there coulde not be suche vertue in Christ his wordes to make his bodye there onlesse it were put to oure mouthe What is this ells but to falsifye the wordes of the Scripture and in stede of that which Christ sayde This is my body to say this shall be my body when it shall be receaued But in very dede it is aboue .xx. yeares agone since Luther being as it were caught with Buchers wyly lyme twigges dyd agree vnto this his opinion for Bucer by no meanes wolde be persuaded to confesse the bodie and blood of Christ to be in the SacrameÌ„t substantially onles Luther wolde lykewyse yelde thus muche to him that the body the blood of oure Lorde is not there onles it be receaued as Ruard Tapper a man of excellent learning expounding the tenth article of Louayne dothe wytnesse in his wrytinges Luther beguyled of Bucer became a SacrameÌ„tarie Thus Luther invegled with Bucers baytes whylst he intended to make Bucer holde of his syde he hym selffe becam a Sacramentary For there is nothing which doth more strenghthen the SacrameÌ„taries heresye then this opinion of Bucer which Luther consented to of the which thing Ihon Caluine dothe make his boste in diuerse places Thus farr had Luther marched at that tyme. but as yet he had not taken oute his lesson so farr in his Christ curse rewe that he durst deny the presence of Christ his body and bloode in the Sacrament The fyrst which had the face to deny it in oure dayes Carolstad fyrst presumed to denye the presence of Christ in the sacrament MelancthoÌ„ to Friderike Miconiê° was Andrewe Carolstad to whome Philipp Melancthon wryting of this matter gyueth this commendation Carolstade sayth he hathe stirred vp these coles a sauage man voyde of wyt withoute learnyng lackyng hys common sence whome as yet we neuer could perceaue to vnderstande or practise any poynt of ciuilitie so farre of is it that we could beleue any reuelation to be made to hym by the holy ghoste Of whome also he thus wryteth in an other place Euen as Luther dyd in spyte of the Pope Of oure Lorde his supper agaynst the Anabaptistes so lykewyse Carolstade in spyte of Luther not for any zeale or loue of godlynes raysed vp this controuersy of the supper of oure Lorde And he bryngeth in there a worthy sentence which wold to God he dyd hartily fauoure In my iudgement sayth he it is greate folly to plant any new opinioÌ„s withoute conference consent of the auncient churche Notwithstanding that this fellowe is so paynted oute in his ryght coloures of MelancthoÌ„ yet hathe he so many to take his parte in defending this his dyuellishe doctrine that nowe you may fynde mo Sacramentaries then Lutherans and among them many of excellent learning and singular grace of vtteraunce whiche couet rather to be counted CarolstadiaÌ„s then Lutherans Therefore agaynst thys kynde of herisye he dyd set oute many bokes in one of the which intituled agaynst Zwinglius Oecolampadius and other new Wicleffistes he is meruaylouse hotte agaynst this sort of sectaries and wryteth that they haue digged themselues thorow the scripture allmost ten shyftyng wayes starting holes And that he neuer hathe readen of a more fylthie heresye theÌ„ it is which had euen at the fyrst syght so many heades so many sutes of sectes althoughe in the principal poynte that is in tearying and tormoyling Christ they agree together lyke lambes In that boke which he named That these wordes of Christ stand styll in theire full force This is my body he reciteth seauen and in the treatise which a lyttell
before hys deathe he termed Eight diuerse interpretatioÌ„s vpon these wordes this is my bodye A shorte confession of the honorable Sacrament he rehearseth eight diuerse and disagreing interpretations vpon these wordes This is my body The first of the which interpretations Carolstadius dyd holde the second Zwinglius dyd maintayne the thyrd Oecolampadius did defend the fourth Swinckfeldius whom in derisyon he nick named Stinckfeldius and after other interpretoures Campanus was the seauenth for he telleth not namely who were the authoures of the other three expositions But if he were now a lyue he myght recken on hys fyngers endes a greate number mo interpretations of those fewe wordes of Christ For since his tyme many haue ben so mad and so blindly bolde that they haue not feared in the consecration of oure Lorde hys supper to choppe and chaunge Christ his owne wordes and in stede of that which he sayde This is my body they haue made no bones at it to say Ioach. in his booke intituled A ryght faythe of oure Lord his supper this is my breade Others haue not shronck one whit to leaue oute the wordes of coÌ„secration for thus they bryng oute theire wordes Take eate do this in remembraunce of me as I haue readen it noted of Ioachimus Westphalus Schnep in his confession of the Eucharist Pflug iÌ„ his epistle to â—rasm Reterodamus and Erardus Schneppius Althoughe Iulius Pflug whose Godlynes is so greate adourned with norable learnyng that the very ennimyes of God his Churche be inforced to confesse that he behaueth hym selff as a Bishopp ought to doe wryteth that whilst Luther lyued there stepped forthe a straunge fellow no man knewe froÌ„ whence he cam peraduenture he was ingendred of the slyme of the yearthe no fleas and many other vermyn be which denyed that the wordes of Christ were necessary to consecrate the Sacrament more ouer he sayde that the kindes of breade wyne neaded not but that it was inoughe if the Sacrament were receaued with the spirituall mouthe of the hart Beholde I pray you The horrible frutes of this nue Gospel what frutes this fyft Gospell hathe brought in among vs by reason of the which wycked wretches wyll take vpon theÌ„ either to clyppe or ells to ouer hyppe Christ his owne wordes in the consecration of this SacrameÌ„t which of all other is moste excellent Which missyng minssyng of wordes Thou Brentius who hathe dedicated this booke to you which I haue taken in hand to proue false dothe think to be lawfull yea in the administration of the SacrameÌ„t of Baptisme which is the only Sacrament with oute the which we can not be saued thoughe Caluyn say neuer so muche to the contrary For whereas Christ hathe prescribed vs this forme in playne wordes that we shold Baptize in the name of the Father and of the Sone and of the Holy ghoste he sayth that he ment nothing lesse then to bynde the efficacie of Baptisme to certayne wordes Brentius beaneth with the enâ—…ng of the forme of the wordes in Baptisme for so muche as he dyd not institute any inchauntment or charme whiche is bownde to an exact manner of wordes scrupulouse obseruacions so that he thinkes it no heyuouse offence to chaunge that sound if so be there remayne the meaning of Christ his wordes this opinion held he whome Bergerius made a God of whose wordes and wrytinges he wold haue men beleve to be as true as the Ghospell Nowe see you not howe frutefull heretykes be in delyueringe and bringing forthe theire monsters for you shall scantly fynde one of them which hath either hatched a new heresye or newe furbushed any stale and condemned opinion which hathe not many erroures wonders and monsters following him hard at his heles And this is a common qualitie to all heretykes that they wil not be coÌ„ptroled or gayne sayde if they se theire fautes corrected Heretykes can not abyde to be corrected which they love beyond home and worshipp as idolles made with their owne handes they are so farr from bending or mending with suche corrections that they be more set on fyar with hatred against them which sought to reforme them and so they war euerye day wurse and wurse erring them selues 2. Tim. 3. and making others also to erre A certayne wicked desire to reuenge doth leade them thus farr with the which their myndes be so blynded that they can not see the truthe but embrace false thinges in steade of true Luther in his captiuitie Bab. Luther may be a sufficient profe of this matter who wryteth that a fryar founde fault with him because on a tyme he thought that it shold be a goodly matter if a generall Councell wold make a decree that the lay people myght communicate vnder bothe kyndes Luther ful of disclame and arrogantie Think you that he was content to set the fryars correction light for a matter of so greate weight no mary I warrant you But I perceaue sayth he the Papistes leane on their elbowes for leasure and I see that they haue good store of paper I will do my diligence that they may haue their handes full of wryting for I will run so farr before them that whilst my ioly aduersaries do triumphe that they haue coÌ„quered any one of myne heresies as they thinke in the meane tyme I may haue aduauntage at them by laying a newe heresye in theire way By by he blaseth a newe herisye abroade proclameth all them traytours to God which denie the coÌ„mon people to receaue the Sacrament vnder bothe kyndes And truly in the same place he doth only accompt them diuelish doctours which kepe backe the laytie from the vse of the cuppe But hercken with in a lyttell whyle after how farr he raungeth at ryot in a rage as thoughe he had a familiar spyrit of fury sayd reuerence in his tayle That authorite of prescribyng the laytie bothe kyndes which at the fyrst he wolde haue to be at the appoyntment of a Generall Councell Luther in his booke of the forme of the Masse with in a lyttell whyle after he maketh of none effect in so muche that the shamelesse Syr feareth not to vtter these wordes If a generall Councell at any tyme sholde make a decree in no case we wolde receaue bothe kyndes but then in despyte of the CouÌ„cell we wolde take but one or ells none but in no sauce bothe them whiche wolde admit bothe we wolde curse as they say with boke bell and candell What myght be pend more presumptuouslye If the Councell vnto the which the moste learned the moste auncient the most holy men were sommoned oute of all quarters of the world to be assistauntes wolde shewe no cause why the cuppe sholde be any longer kept from the laytie that Canon of the Councell sholde be cancelled but if Luther sholde ordayne it so then sholde it preuayle and take place But certaynly after Luther began
that it was but a signe bare figure only The which contention so sone as it begā to be made hotte in cōtinuaunce of tyme it grewe to suche a greate flame that they tossed the fyar brandes of this controuersie one at an others heade aboute the space of fyften yeares because as Calvyn wryteth they coulde not abyde to heare one an other quietlye to speake they re myndes For sayth he althoughe they met once together to discusse thys matter yet they so helde one an other at the staffes end that they brake of and left the matter in as euell a pyckell as they founde it So that when they sholde haue come to some agrement they shronke backward more and more myndyng no thing elles then to mayntayne they re owne opynion and to comptroll and confute them whiche sayde the contrarye When Caluin spyed that Caluin taking vpon hym to be a iudge betwene the Lutherans the Zuingliās raysed vpp an heresie never heard of before he toke vpon him to be iudge betwene them bothe as Muncerus intermedled hym selffe betwene the Pope and Luther condemnyng as well Zuinglius and Oecolampadius hys opinyon as Luthers brought in a newe heresye neuer heard of before not only vnknowen to the auncient Fathers and Doctours but also straunge to the late vppstart dyuellishe proctoures the Sacramentaries For he taught that breade and wyne vsed in oure Lorde hys supper be nothing elles then an assuraunce and as it were a certayne seale confirmyng all the promisses made vnto vs in Christ and thys dyd he teache withoute the authoritie of the scriptures withoute the warrant of the holy fathers without the consent of hys owne fraternitie With which doing besyde offending of Luther he gat greate displeasure of the scole of Tigurine the whiche scole for so muche as it dothe reuercene Vlryke Zuinglius as the fyrst founder of they re doctryne coulde not abyde the Caluyne sholde fynde faulte with hym with out any warrāt of scripture forge a newe fangled opynion of the sacramēt Caluyn afterward glad and fayne to quenche this hott displeasure kyndled against hym dyd wryght an Epistle in which he labored to shewe that he dyd not swarue from Zuinglius and others his good masters of that scole in the doctryne of the supper of oure Lorde whereas in very dede he varyed greatly frō them Caluin cōvicted of a lye Yea he went aboute to beare the people in hand that all they which held and beleued the Confession of Ausbourch a citie of the Vandales dyd ioyne with hym in hys doctryne of oure Lorde hys supper Of the which thing seuen yeare before he set furthe a certayne booke intituled A sum of the confession of the sacramentes Called in Laten Augusta Vindelicorum in which he plyet it a pase to declare that the Confessionistes of Ausbourge do not once wrynckell but go smothely away with that opinion of the sacrament of oure Lordes supper which the Confessionistes of Tigure or Surk do teache among whome Caluin hym selffe is numbred Nowe for so muche as by the space of one yeare or twayne no mā did wryght agaynst that forsayde booke of Caluine many dyd gesse by thys long silence that Caluin hys councell was accepted and allowed and then began thys to be bruted abroade that the Confessionistes of Ausbourch of Lutherans were become Zuinglians Dyuerse of Luthers scollers stormed at thys that they sholde be reported to haue bene traytours to Luther lyke runagates to haue fled to Zuinglius syde for so muche as it was vnknowē to no man howe ernestly Luther dyd set against the opinion of Zuinglius concernyng the Sacrament of oure Lorde hys supper Therefore there stepped forth some which with contrary bokes confuted that fornamed boke of Caluine agaynst whome it is nowe more then .ij. yeares agone synce Caluin dyd wryte a booke intituled A defence of the sounde doctrine of the Sacramentes whiche the Ministers of the Tyguryn and Geneva Churche had comprehended before in a brefe forme of Confession contayninge a confutatyon of those reproches with the whiche vnlearned and euell tonged men do slaunder it not long after he also dyd set forthe an other defence agaynst the false accusations of Ioachim Westphalus whose bokes which he namely dyd wryght agaynst Caluin as yet I could neuer come to syght of yet for all that whylst I was wryting this worcke there happened to come in to my handes a lyttell boke of the sayde Ioachim Westphalus a Lutheran which boke hath this name A iuste defence against the lowde lyes of Ihon a Lasko which he telleth agaynst the Churches of Saxonie in his Epistle to the moste excellent Kyng of Poyle In a letter sent to the Senatoures of Franckforde he maketh twyse mentyon the whylst Luther lyued there were certayne at Frācforde vpō the ryver Meyne which taught Zuinglius his heresie that very craftily vnder thys cloke that they swarued nothing from the Churches of Saxonie of whome that they sholde take diligēt hede Luth. hym selffe dyd ernestly exhorte them by writyng But after that Luther was deade he saythe that they more boldly and more shawfully dyd set lyes a broche saying that in the Sacrament of oure Lorde hys supper they dyd agree with the Confessionistes of Ausbourgh when in dede as he sayth there is greate difference betwene the Confession of Ausbourgh and the doctryne of the Sacramentaries for so muche as the Confessionistes of Ausbourgh do teache that the breade is truly the body of Christ that the body bloode of Christ is truly distributed by the handes of the ministre and is receaued in this sacramēt with the mouthe of them which cōmunicate contrariwyse the Sacramentaries do teache that it is only a token or signifycation of Christ his body which is absent that the minister gyueth but bare breade and wyne and that the receauer taketh but bare breade wyne Wherefore he exhorteth the Magistrates of Franckford that they wyll be ruled by Luthers councell that they auoyde suche false teachers and banyshe them cleane oute of theyr citie A scabbed shepe sayth he is sequestred least it infect the whole flock Heretykes are to be handled punyshed seuerely A putrifyed member is cut of least it corrupt the resydue Leprouse men be shut oute of all companye least they poyson them which be hole howe much more ought those which be taynted with the spirituall leprosy of the sowle be abandoned and remoued farre least they spill infect the shepe of Christ The Apostle forbyddeth to receaue in to house those which bryng not with them Apostolyke doctryne least the receauers may be partakers of theyr euell doinges then howe shall they be intertayned in to Christian mennes company which bring a doctryn cleane contrary to the Apostolyke veritie The scripture dothe oftentymes prayse hospitalitie it cōmaundeth to vse mercifull and charitable dedes toward banished men and straungers but so that we hurt not oure fayth so that for doing good
cōcerning his doctrine Among whō one Menno Phrisius who semeth to pass all the sorte of them in learning saythe in this wyse Certaynely o heauenly Father I can not be deceaued in this matter with thy worde I haue beleued and that haue I receaued by the holy Ghoste as the worde of truthe And with in fewe lynes after I knowe certaynely and surely that with this my doctryne which is the worde of God in the day of ryghtwise iudgement I shall iudge not onlye Lordes Princes not only the worlde but also the Aungelles them selues Thus dothe he magnifically make his vauntes of his doctrine as thoughe it were God hys worde with no lesse confidēce and corragiousnes then Luther dyd of hys doctryne Notwithstandyng Luther dyd as hottly inueyhe against this sect as he dyd agaynst the sect of the Sacramentaries and wryting a boke to two Plebanes as before I haue made mentiō among other sayinges he oseth these wordes Whereas the Anabaptistes saye that we fynde in no place of scripture that infantes either haue faythe or the they ought to be baptized we graunte in dede that it can not be proued by any scripture which saythe playnely and euidently in these or suche lyke wordes You ought to baptize younge children for they do beleue if any man be ernest with vs to shewe any suche text we must nedes gyue hym place Luther is fayne to flee for helpe to traditions agaynst the Anabaptistes and graunt hym the victorye for we fynde it not in the whole Byble But good reasonable Christians do demaunde no suche thinges of vs that is the fashion of brablers and obstinate persons to the intent that they may be accompted wyse But they for all they re Byble bablyng and crying for scripture alleadge for them selues no scripture which saythe you ought to baptize those which be of yeares of discretiō but not infantes and younge children By by after by the tradition of the Apostles allwayes obserued in the churche of God he teacheth that younge children are to be baptized all be it no scripture dothe gyue any suche commaundement And lyke as before in defending the Sacrament of the altar so now in mayntayning Christning of younge children he dothe cheifly leane vpon the authoritie of the churche which authoritie for all that he wyll not let vs laye in his way for feare of gyuing him a fall so oftē as he requireth scripture of vs for profe of any one thing be it that it hathe bene receaued and allouwed of the church neuer so many yeares The Anabaptistes wurse thē all other sectaries This therefore is the thyrde Ghospell much more pestilent then the other twayne For besyde that it taketh clene away the sacrifice of the Masse the ordre of Prestehode with the Lutherans and denieth the real presence of Christ in the Sacramēt of the Altar with the Zuinglians it hathe many other articles bothe blasphemouse also seditiouse For it forbyddeth the publyk ministery of God hys worde it defendeth that Christ toke not man hys nature vpon hym of the blyssed virgyn it reneweth the errour of the Chiliastars it despyseth rule and wyll not haue men subiect to laufull authoritie Therefore where so euer this sect taketh place it rayseth vp greate vprores and seditions Examples of thys we haue many cities in Germany especially the citie of Munster An example by the citie of Munster For as Henry Dorpius a Lutheran and he which translated hys history out of the Germane tongue in to Latten Ihon Sleidane a Zuinglian haue wrytten in they re Cronicles aboue foure and twentye yeares agone ther cam fyrst thether certayne preachers to declare vnto the people in stede of Christ hys Gospell the doctryn of Luther whome when the Catholyke Prestes thought in no wyse to be suffred Bernard Rothman with hys cōpanyons Heretykes manner to provoke catholykes to dispute before a laie iudge whome Philipp the Lantgraue of Hessia had sent to further advaunce Luthers learnyng dyd that which all heretykes vse to do that is chosyng appoynting oute certayne cheife learned men of the catholyke faythe they prouoked the Catholykes to ioyne with them in disputation that before a lay Magistrate whome they appoynted to be theyr iudge and before whome they promised to proue the doctryn which the Catholykes held to be false and erroniouse But whē the Catholyke Prestes refused to dispute with them they departed the citie after that they were forbydden to execute theyr office of preaching the worde of God After this departure of the Catholykes before a yeare was comē fully to an end the Anabaptistes lykewyse began in the same citie to sowe the seades of they re doctryn vnder the name of Christe hys Ghospell And whē they had prouoked one an other to set fote to fote in disputation but on the selffe same condition which before was offered to the Catholykes which was that nothing shold be alleaged but Canonicall scripture beholde Bernard Rothman the cheifest trumpetor in all that citie of Luthers Ghospell who makyng the lyke lawe a lyttell before had chalenged the Catholykes to come to disputation now wolde admitt no suche condition So it cam to passe that the Lutherans which not long before had thrust the Catholykes oute of the towne they themselues fearyng to mete or encounter in disputation with the Anabaptistes were shortly after by them banished the same towne No meruayle thoughe they were so handled For the Senators also were pulled downe from they re iudgement seates the churches were spoyled and burned and whosoeuer wolde not take parte with the Anabaptistes perforce was dryuen oute of the citie As for Bernard Rothmā Henry Roles Godfry Stralen sent oute of Hessia as they of Christians grewe to be Lutherans so of Lutherans they becam Anabaptistes and with tothe and nayle furthered the Ghospel of Anabaptistes shewing vs the experience howe true that is which is wrytten in the Scripture The wycked man when he cometh in to the depthe of syn careth not what he dothe For if any man do once forsake Christian Religion vnto what so euer sect he dothe afterwarde inclyne he makethe it but a pastyme to leape from one heresie to an other And this sect truly of the Anabaptistes Anabaptistes be deuided in to diuerse kyndes is diuided in to many sections For they agree not in the principall pointes of they re doctrine In certayne cities of Germany some dyd run aboute naked as thoughe they had a bumble be in theire breche exhortyng the people to repentaunce seking in the meane whyle busyly how they might fynde any opportunytie to set the people together by the eares Neither dyd thys heresie begyn yester day or the day before for it reygned also in saynt Augustyn his tyme. And as the moste parte of all other heresies be so was this in the begynnyng deuyded in to many other partes For some were called Donatistes other Rogatistes other Maximianistes other
man to kyll hymselffe then to suffer that wyllingly at an other man his handes Experience teacheth vs that the dyuell hath bene so strong with many that they haue drowned hanged them selues For example sake Iudas hanged hym selffe no doubt by the suggestion of the dyuell Yet for all that I think it a thing more to be wondered at that he coulde put this in his hart to betray his master then to hang him selffe The coÌ„stancie of Martyrs is one thing and the hardenes of hart of heretykes is an other thing Therefore there is no lykelyhode betwene the stedfastnes of Martyrs and the stubbornnes of these heretykes Because godlynes in them but hardnes of hart in these doth worke contempt of deathe Nether haue the Anabaptistes of oure tyme swarued from theyr predecessours nether haue they bene lesse stoute and cherefull in sustayning all kynde of death in the behalffe of theyr faythe Iustus Menius as among other one Iustus Menius an eye wytnesse of this thing hathe left in wryting in that booke in the which he confuteth theyr heresyes So by and by euen at the beginning the Anabaptistes heresye began to be very hott of spyryt and after warde so often as it burned the heate of it was nothing cooled or abated But so was it not with the SacrameÌ„taries whose cheyfetayne fyrst founder whereas one Berengariê was aboute fyue hundred yeares agone so farre of is it that his disciples dyd offer theyr lyfe with lyke cherefulnes to all kynde of hazard aduenture that we reade how theyr great Doctor hym selffe dyd twyse recant forsweare his error who not long after being taken with a deadly disease lying on his deathe bed at the poynte of deathe shewed him selffe to be meruaylously sory that he had ledde so manye people in to so fowle an error and the reporte is that he vttered these wordes depelye syghing O my God to day shalt thou appeare to me ether to my saluation as I hope throughe my repentaunce or elles to my greuouse damnation as I feare for them whome I haue deceaued with my peruerse doctrine whome I could not reclame bake agayne to the true way of thy Sacrament as Ihon Gerson doth declare wryting against Romantius de Rosa They haue begone first of all in these oure dayes to bragg boast of they re Martyrs whome notwithstanding bothe for theyr numbre also for the coÌ„mendation of theyr sufferaunce and pacience in punishment the Anabaptistes of olde tyme haue excelled and these of oure age do so farr surmouÌ„t that if they wold make a Martyrologe of they re brethern Yet M. Fox his Martyrologe is a great boke they might make greater volumes then the SacrameÌ„taries It is to no purpose therfore that Caluine bosteth of the certainete of his doctrine bycause the truste of it maketh men to feare nether the terroure of deathe nether the iudgement seate of God It is not worthe a strawe that he vaunteth him selffe of the persecutioÌ„s which he suffreth that he calleth his flock sely sheape appoynted to the slaughter For the Anabaptistes do speake more braggly and do more stoutely all these thynges haue done it many yeares agone before any maÌ„ heard tell of the Sacramentaries Reade who that lysteth the epistle of the Petilian which saynt Augustyn confuteth August in the .2 boke against the letters of PetiliaÌ„ 19. 99. chap. he shall see howe many complayntes he made for the persecution of his brethern howe he calleth the Catholyke Prestes blody buchers which made meanes to the Emperoures Do not our Englyshe Protestantes so lykewyse to deale so cruelly with his innocent lambes whome he glorieth to by and purchase heauen with theyr punishmentes and blodesheding Let hym reade also the epistles of Gaudentius against the which S. Augustyn wrytt two bookes he shall fynde there Aug. lib. 1. 5. chap. that he writeth how his disciples reioysed that for the faythe of Christ they suffred the persecutors that for the comfort of theyr congregation they abuse the saynges of Christ and of S. Paule Blessed be they whiche suffer persecutioÌ„ Matth. 5.3 Tim. 3. They which wyll lyue Godlyly in Chryst Iesu do suffer persecution But it is to be noted Augustin epist 48. that Sainte Augustyne saythe If it were allway laudable to suffer persecution he wolde not adde for rigteousnes Agayne PersecutioÌ„ some tyme necessarie if it were alway blame worthy to do persecution it sholde not be wrytten in the holy scriptures A slaunderer of his neighboure priuily hym dyd I persecute Therefore sometyme he that dothe suffer it is vnrighteouse and he which dothe practise it is righteouse But with oute doubt the euell men haue allway persecuted the good and the good haue persecuted the euell men They hurtyng by doyng of iniury these seking amendement by disciplyne They outeragiously these discretely they gyuing place to their malitiouse affection these applying them selues wholy to charitie For he which murdreth careth not howe he teareth but he which healeth taketh aduysemeÌ„t howe he launseth for he cutteth the whole and sownde partes but this cutteth the rotting and feastring partes The wycked men kylled the Prophetes and the Prophetes kylled the wycked men the Iues scourged Christ and Christ scourged the Iues. Men gaue vp the Apostles to mans poure and authoritie and the Apostles gaue men vp to the poure and thraldome of the dyuell In all these doinges what is to be marked Martyrs be made not by lykenes of punishement but of cause but which of them dyd striue for the truthe which of them for iniquitie which of them mynded to hurt and auoy which of them purposed to amend and redresse Therefore not the lykenes af punishment maketh Martyrs for an heynouse offender may haue lyke punishment to a martyr but yet an vnlyke cause Three hanged on the crosse one a Sauioure the second to be saued the laste to be damned Therefore who so departeth from the church to heretykes and Scismatykes allthoughe afterwarde he be kylled for the name of Christ beyng oute of the boundes of the churche and deuided from charitie he can not saythe S. Cyprian Cyprian in his .4 boke .2 epist be crowned when he dyeth They can not remayne with God which wolde not lyue agreably in the churche of God Althoughe they be throwen in to the fyar and brent Cyp. of the simplicitye of prelates thoughe thei be torne in peaces with wilde beastes that shall be no crowne of faythe but a punishement of infidelitie That shal be no honorable end of religiouse vertue but a destruction for desperation Suche an one may be kylled but he can not be crouned Therefore they haue no ryght to chalendge vnto them the glory of Martyrs which be so far from the cause and quarrell of Martyrs which haue not doubted to suffer deathe for dyuelishe diuision So then nowe you haue three Gospelles and them greatly disagreing among them selues Yf you beholde their
of sentences which he gathered not only of the bokes of the auncient fathers which were of the christian coÌ„fession but also of them which were of the coÌ„fession of Ausbourghe where by playne wytnes of Luther Philipp Vrbanus Regius Nicolaus Amsdorffuis Vitus Theodorus he sheweth that Caluin with all Sacramentaries and Anabaptistes other heretikes are rather to be confuted with the mace of the Magistrate then with wrytinges disputations Notwithstanding in the meane season he saythe nothing of him selffe and his bretherne as though they were not in the same case Seing what sentence the Lutherans gyue of the Sacramentaries the same gyue the Sacramentaries of the Lutherans For whereas Luther hereof gathereth an argument that the doctryn of the Sacramentaries procedeth of the dyuell because this sect euen at the first beginnyng dyd sprede in to many braunches so farr disagreing on from an other aboute the interpretation of these wordes This is my body he gathereth that reason mysely and truly for it is most true that Gregorius Nazianzene wryteth NazianzeÌ„ For what so euer is true that is one but what so euer is a lye that is manyfolde and diuerse Before whome also Athanasius There is Athan. in his epist of the decree of Nicene Synode agaynst the ArriaÌ„s heresie saythe he as oure fathers haue declared the argument of true discipline and teaching where all coÌ„fesse one thing nether disagree among them selues one from an other or from theyr auncetoures But they which be not of this mynde are rather to be called wicked wretches then true teachers and doctoures Certainelye the Ethnikes for so much as they professe not all one thing but â—arr among them selues haue not true doctryn but holy Christians contrarywyse be the preachers of syncere truthe because they be all of one mynde be at no stryfe or debate among them selues who althoughe they lyued in diuerse ages yet for all that they mete at one marke as it becometh the Prophetes of one God and the interpretoures of one worde Therefore this disagreing among them selues is an infallible argumeÌ„t that they be not styrred with the spyrite of God The discorde of heretikes amoÌ„g theÌ„ selues sheweth with what spyrit they be ledde but of Sathan But what nowe If the SacrameÌ„taries also by the same reason do proue that the Gospell which Luther boasteth that he brought to lyght proceded from the Dyuell Because we may see no lesse variaunce betwene the Lutherans and the Zuinglians they truly althoughe they interprete not the wordes of Christ after the same sorte yet they agree all in this poynte that they wyckedly deny the body and blood of Christ to be present in the sacrament But it is a worlde to see howe the LutheraÌ„s do byte and scratche one an other not so much about the vnderstanding of any one place of Scripture as aboute diuerse straunge opinions articles But pleaseth it you to heare they re dissentions combates Surely I wyll not thynk muche to rehearse them not intendyng to be curiouse in obseruyng the ordre of tymes but that takyng my begynnyng of thynges of lesse weyght I may procede to those matters which be of greater importauÌ„ce Two yeares after Luther departed this lyfe when God in a manner gyuyng sentence oute of hys iudgement seate openly condemned Luthers cause by grauntyng a meruaylouse victory to the moste Chrystian Emperour Charles A meruailouse victory of the Emperour agaynst the fauourers followers of Luthers faction a great armye of whome he put to flyght with a very small band with oute strykyng one stroke ayded assisted with the help of God alone and not long after accompaned with a small trayne passing ouer the floode named Elue In Laten Albis by the guidyng of an Aungell he vanquished farre greater hostes of them and toke the cheifetayne of that faction prysoner Therefore after this meruaylouse victory in the which God hym selffe dyd fyght for the Emperour fyghtyng in hys quarell Luthers sect was deuyded in to two sectes For some became Interimistes that is Tyme takers other Adiaphoristes that is Indifferent men or Neuters Moreouer there were .ij. The fyrst kynd of Interemistes kyndes of Interimistes one sort by the permission of the Emperoures Maiestie which professed them selues Lutherans in no other poynte but that they wolde not agree that lay men sholde be kept froÌ„ receauing in bothe kyndes or that maryed Prestes sholde put away there women As concerning all other orders doctryne they refused not to shewe them selues conformable to all other partes of Christendome These the Emperour by coÌ„sent of Act of parlemeÌ„t thought good to wink at vntyll the generall Councell But whereas the Decrees of whole Christendome caÌ„ take no place why shold the Act of one Realme or Empyre be there of any more force Therefore allthoughe Mauritius a Prince Elector dyd shewe himselffe willing to obey the procedinges of the parlement The deuines of Lips the second sorte of Interimistes yet the Diuines of Lipsia durst take this muche vpoÌ„ them that they wolde correct as pleased them the parlement booke and appoynte a farther day of conformation then the parlemeÌ„t had assigned And as appartayning to orders ceremonies they dyd not greatly stryue with the Christians but yet they laboured to retayne vpholde mo poyntes of Luthers doctrine then the parlement booke dyd permit Wherefore they subscribed in this parlement boke as being well coÌ„tented to teache that according to S. Paule we be iustified by faythe Luthers addition to S. Paule his wordes reiected but yet reiectyng Luthers addition to S. Paules wordes bi fayth only because they thought it a cursed thing to add any thing to the worde of God And this the Church thought good to enbrace rather then the contrary opinion of Luther that workes were necessary to iustification and that we sholde not put all oure ryghteousnes in the righteousnes of Christ alone They graunted all the partes of penaunce which the Church receaued they agreed that there were seuen SacrameÌ„tes of the Churche they restored the Masse which they had abolyshed they bannished quyte all moste all the songes ballettes which Luther made in the Germaine tonge also they shewed no cause why they were not obedient to the iurisdiction of theire superintendeÌ„tes These be the thinges which Flaccus Illyricus in a certayne exhortation which he maketh to the churches of Misnia wryteth to be contayned in the boke of the reformation of Lipsia Moreouer the neuters of Wittenberge The Adiaphoristes of wittenberge although they semed not to disagree in opinion with the neuters of Lipsia which thing Flaccus gesseth hereby because they dyd not wryte agaynst theyr boke yet because Luthers Ghospel began fyrst in theyr vniuersitie they thought it treason to shrinck froÌ„ it so sodenly although many of theyr syde and specially Philip Melancthon began to be werye of it Wherefore thinkyng it as yet to be no conuenient tyme to chaunge that
kynde of learning which they re Master had taught them yet they thought good to take away certayne new orders which he had brought in and to restore most of the olde orders according to the forme prescribed in the parlement boke They called these orders or cerimonies by a Greke name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Latten you may call them indifferentia that is thinges which of theyr owne nature be suche what the Catholykes thynk of outward cerimonies and howe far the Adiaphoristâ—s do agree with them Psal 44. that it skylleth nothyng to soule healthe whether one leaue them or receaue them For we oure selues which be Catholykes do deny that the cheyfe poyntes of ChristiaÌ„ godlynes do rest in these thinges whiche be done outewardly seyng all the glorie of the Kynges daughter is inwardly Chryst seeth inwardly he loueth inwardly he speaketh vnto vs inwardly and he neither punisheth or rewardeth but those thynges which be inwardly but were Christ is truly worshipped inwardly it can not be almoste but that such a worshipping sholde vtter it selff and appeare to mennes eyes by certayne sygnes and tokens And these outewarde cerimonies haue thys propertye that where so euer they be obserued a lyke of all men they be wytnesses of a certayne agreemeÌ„t and consent Therfore in these thynges the neuters of Mittenberdge thought good to coÌ„sent to the Christians that by them they myght gyue it oute to be vnderstanded that they began a lyttell to inclyne from Luther to Christ and that they myght put the world in hope that in continuaunce of tyme it wolde come to passe that reiecting Luthers learning they wolde embrace the Christian Catholyke doctrine Flaccus had this in the wynde Illiricus vexeth the Adiaphoristes as one that hathe a very nice nose of his owne therefore he resisted by all meanes that there might be no chaunge or alteration And when he sawe that he coulde not preuayle with warnyng praying and beseching then he spared not to tayle and scolde sometyme darckly sometyme plainely vpon his masters and especially vpon Melancthon complayning that they forsoke Christ his cause and quarrel For he knewe none other Christ but hym which was borne at Eylzleube Islebij and feared nothing to call them hogges of the Epicures kynde regarding not the truthe but theyr bely as whose bely were theyr God At the last when he perceaued that nether by fayre nor soule meanes he coulde fray them from theyr purpose he gaue them all vp to the dyuell Illiricê° his sentence of excoÌ„munication vpoÌ„ the Adiaphoristes And whereas before he gaue them the name tytle of Adiaphoristes yet sytting as it were on his iudgement seate he condemned them with this sentence For so muche as I perceaue that they remayne in theyr inpenitencye and agaynst theyr consciences further the Adiaphoricall constitutions and not to refrayne to make wyndowes for the papacye to entre in I gyue senteÌ„ce that all vnpenitent Adiaphoristes shall be taken as Ethnikes Publicanes that is that no Godly man ought to holde any familiarity conuersation or frendeship with them And especially to suche as being compelled by no ordre of lawe shall do other wyse I declare that they be infected with they re leprosy so consequently I warrant them of God his heauye angre displeasure You see what authoritye Flaccus taketh vpon him which feareth not to pronunce all the Vniuersitie of Wittenberge oute of the which came the same Martyn Luther whome he maketh a God of accursed to forbyd all good men to haue any thing to do with the vniuersitie The which his forbydding as I wolde wyshe it to take place among all other godly people so especially among them whiche be youre Maiestyes subiectes then sholde we se in youre Realme lesse disquietnes But I pray you what cause moueth hym to condemne these Adiaphoricall constitutions None other but that he smelled that wyndowes were made to conueye in the Papacye whiche sholde followe after them Alac for you Syr is it so greate a faulte to buylde windowes for the Pope his supremacie Luther made windowes for sathanisme and not to make wyndowes for Sathanisme that is Dyuellyshe doctryne to entre in which no man can deny that Luther made with these choppynges and chaungynges enterprysed of hys owne heade and autoritie For whence came the Sacramentaries oute of what rote sprang the Anabaptistes howe began the Suenckfeldians where had we the Seruetians surely oute of nothing elles but of these turnynges and tossynges which Luther hathe begone Hym may we thanck that we be taught that Christ his body and blood is not in the sacrament that children be forbydden to be baptized that all autoritie is taken away from the Canonicall scripture that some beleue that there is nether heauen nor hell that Chryst is denyed to be true God and the Sone of God Caluin hym selffe confesseth this Balthasar Pacimontanus graunteth the same as I haue declared before that they haue drawen theire doctrine oute of his bokes Caluin writeth that Luther taught the fyrst principles of true doctryn Caluin his senteÌ„ce vpon Luth. and shewed the way But in the meane season he sayth he was of an ouerthwart witte which being entred in to the right way so sone as he had tolde other men which way they sholde walcke he hym selffe turneth a syde and pitching his fote obstinately in one place wold not remoue one inche farther Therfore Caluine went beyonde those principles and croked rewes I wolde a sayde Crosse rewes and began to be more fyne and at all assayes better appoynted and denyed Christ to be present in the Sacrament Yet Baltasar lept on lyne lenghte farther who as Caluin dyd with the Sacrament of the altar so he althoughe not discentyng from Caluin toke all vertue from the Sacrament of Baptisme especially as touching the baptising of younge children But for all this greate leape yet Suenckfeldius oute reached it for he bereaued the scriptures of all autoritie at the lengthe loke at what marke the Dyuell shotte at the beginnyng the same marke his ministers Campanus and Seruetus dyd hytte at the laste in denying Christ to be very God and the sone of God and in so doyng finished that Gospell whose foundation Luther dyd laye So it cam to passe that when Luther had pearsed those bankes which were cast vpp to kepe oute the rage of the floodes the mayne streames of the waters dyd beate downe the bankes ouerflowed and drowned farr neare the feldes corne and villages Aristotle gaue a very wyse precept Arist Polit. 2. as you remember M. Flaceus the which also befor hym his Master Plato dyd teache in the seuenth boke of his lawes that chaunges of lawes ciuiles policies are to be auoyded and that it is better many tymes to wynk at the faultes of the lawe makers and Magistrates Nether cometh there so muche profit many tymes if one correct chaunge as there
groweth losse and incōuenience for that men do learne by lyttell lyttell to disobey Magistrates Therefore to chaunge old lawes for newe shall be no thing elles but all to gether to weakē the lawes to inure men to chaunge thinges of greater weyght and importaunce whē those thinges which shall appeare very tryfles shall be causes of moste greate calamities and miseries The which thing experience hath taught in the chaūges begone of Luther what wyndowes are made for this Sathanisme whiche nowe we see in Germany Therfore it behoued hym fyrst to haue complayned on them manfullye to haue withstode them A defence of Melancthō against Illiricus And there was no cause M. Flaccus why vnmyndefull of youre dutie you sholde so dispytefully and slaunderously intreate youre Master who had deserued so well at youre handes because he when he sawe it neadefull dyd all hys indeuoure to bryng order disciplyne in to the churche bothe which thinges Luther had taken away to the intent that men might retyre againe to that perfect pathe from the which they had erred and gone a stray This was a good meaning of a mā not of the wurst sort who neuer lyked the chaūges brought in by Luther Frō whose tyranny that he was at laste delyuered he semeth to reioyse seyng wryting to Carlouitius he graunteth that he had bene his filthie bond slaue And I cā not but prayse youre stedfastnes in Religion most godly Prince that when diuerse were suetors to youre grace that you wolde be content The constauncie godlynes of Kyng of Pole that there sholde be an alteration in thinges as some men thought indifferēt you could be persuaded by no meanes to do it least you myght seme to gyue a token of youre going backward frō the Christian religion left vnto you of youre forefathers and of youre bending forwarde to Sathanisme which you see at this present floryshe in many places of Germany and to begin to budd more is the pitie in diuerse partes of youre Realme The thinges which were requested may seme to some man to be of lesser importaunce then that anye man sholde styck to graunte the takyng away of them How peril louse it is to swarne from olde religion in small matters but put the case there were no faute in cutting of those thinges yet in cutting of a man 's his owne selffe from all the rest of Christendome is suche a greate trespasse that al other synnes compared to it seme but a more weyghing in balaunce with a myll poste And this is the thing which many seke for for they desire diuision in men and not in suche thinges as they know well inoughe pertayne nothing to soule healthe This Vergerius hym selffe confesseth in certayne brefe cōmentaries By what degrees Sathanisme dyd infect all Germany which he naughty man as he was dyd write vpon the Pope his Epistle to the kyng hys councelloures Flaccus wryteth very well that these deceaptes be all to gether lyke a wedge which at the poynte is very thynne and being dryuen in to the woode maketh no greate cleft or ryft but yet for al that thoughe the forepart of it be small yet it maketh way for the thycker parte of the wedge so that when that parte is entred in necessarily the other partes shall followe vntyll suche tyme as the wode be quite clouē We see howe Sathan hathe wrought these craftes in Germany The first riuing parte of this wedge was the striuing aboute pardones The second part was somewhat thicker when the layetie had leaue to receaue vnder bothe kyndes when it was graunted that Prestes might haue wyues The middell part was the allowaunce of the confession of Augusta The laste parte was this vniuersall sathanisme of which I haue spokē before with the which all Christendome is so clouen that except God wyll loke vpon vs with the eyes of his mercye it can not easyly be recouered with any remedie Wherefore you dyd bothe wysely and godlyly o moste worthy Prince in that you haue taken hether to diligent hede to youre selffe and youre Realme of this tearyng wedge of the which also here after you must so muche beware howe muche the saffetie of youre selffe and youre countrie is deare vnto you Nowe then by Flaccus rekonyng we haue three or .iiij. sectes of Lutherans Other sectes of Lutherans For he saythe that the Interimistes or Tyme takers of Lipsiabe of two sortes one patched pesed of others the second made of it selffe There must be then .iij. Disorders of Interimistes and one disorder of Adiaphoristes all whose familiaritye Flaccus hathe forbidden all godly Christians The fourth sect is not aboute Adiaphorical or indifferent thinges but cōcerning weyghtye ernest matters For there were certayne at Wittēberdge almost twenty yeares past which as they were taught by Luther dyd reiect that lawe of workes Against whome he inueyed in many disputations and called them in dispite Antinomos Antinomi that is men contrary to lawe The sixt sect is of the Confessionistes of Augusta who not for wearing of a surplesse Linea vestis for whiche cause Flaccus styrred vp suche coles the which he saythe was the first parte of the myserable wedge but aboute the cheife poynte of Christian religion Luther in a boke intytuled operetiones in Psalm aboute that which Luther thinketh to be the head poynte of all Euangelical doctryne on that which hangeth as he sayth the knowledge of hym selffe the knowledge and glory of God which he thinketh to be the opinion of free wyll of the which he euer taught Luther denyeth free will that it only suffereth and neuer dothe any thing that it is a thing of a bare name or ells a fayned matter in thinges or a title withoute a thing because it is in no man hys powre to thinck either good or euell but as Wycliff his article condemned at Constance teacheth all thinges come to passe of necessitie So it is no doubt sayth he this name free wyll to haue come in to the churche from the Master thereof Sathan to seduce men from the way of God in to theire owne wayes euell workes sayth he God worketh in the euell men To which doctryn also Philipp Melancthon dyd subscribe in those cōmon places which he dyd set oute at Wittenberdge Melancthō how arrogantly he at the first denied free wyll when he was but one twenty yeares of age not withoute a certayne youthely arrogancie in no wyse to be borne with all For he durst take vpon hym to gyue hys censure vpō the holy Doctoures Augustine sayth he and Bernard dyd wryte of free wyll Augustine truly dyd recant diuerse tymes in his last bokes written agaynst the Pelagians his opinion of free wyll As for Bernard often tyme he turneth the cat in the pan The Greke Doctoures dyd wryte somthing of this matter but oute of order I for so muche as I followe not the opinions of men
commaundeth them which be not baptized to kepe this lawe and in an other place afterwarde this sentence of free wyll hath no inconuenience in it it is the true meanyng both of other Ecclesiastical wryters and Synodes also of S. Augustyne hym selffe nether dothe it bryng good myndes to desperation nether dothe it discourage them from doyng they re indeuoure but it aduaunceth the helpe of the holy ghoste and sharpneth the care and the diligeÌ„ce of oure wyll I defye the dotyng dreames of the Maniches which denyed that oure wyll dyd any thing at all thoughe it were holpeÌ„ of the holy ghoste as thoughe there were no difference betwene a paynted poste and oure wyll He wryteth also that three causes of a good action do mete to gether the worde of God the holy ghost and man his wyll assenting and not resisting the worde of God For it may resist as Saule resisted of his owne accorde but when the mynde obeyeth and yeldeth then doth it not gyue place to mistrust but by the helpe of the holy ghoste it indeuoureth it selffe to coÌ„sent in this indeuouryng oure wyll standeth not by ydely lokyng on And agayne with in a few wordes after I haue sene many not of the Epicures sect which when they were in heauynes for theire syn disputed thus with themselues howe sholde I hope that I am receaued agayne in to God hys fauoure seing I perceaue not a nue lyght nue vertues to be powred in to me More ouer if my free wyll dothe nothing at all in the meane whyle tyll I fele that regeneration which you speake of to be wrought in me I wyll gyue my selffe vp to desperation and other synfull affections This imagination of the Maniches is an horrible lye If this opinion of MelancthoÌ„ be true why was one not long agone expulsed out of Trinitie Colledge in Cambrige and wrytten in the Regestre booke for a semipelagian and mennes myndes are to be dissuaded from this erroure to be taught that oure free wyll worketh and endeuoureth Pharao Saul resisted God not compelled but wyllingly frely nether was Dauid conuerted as if so be a stone sholde be turned in to a figg but free wyll dyd some thing in Dauid when he heard the rebuke and the promisse then willinglye and frely he confessed his syn and his wyll dyd some thing when he comforted hym selffe with these wordes Oure Lorde hath taken away thy syn And agayne a fewe wordes after For so muche as God hys promisse is generall to all men in God be no contradictorye wylles of necessitye there is some cause of diuersitie in vs why Saul is reiected and Dauid accepted that is as muche to saye there muste nedes be some vnlyke action in bothe of them And in the chapter afore going which is of the cause of syn of casualtie he sayth thus This is a godly and a true saying to be holdeÌ„ fast with bothe handes or rather to be prynted in oure hart the God is not a cause of syn and that he wolde not haue syn committed that he inforceth not oure wylles to syn or that he approueth syn But the causes of syn be the wyll of the Dyuell and the wyll of man who myght abuse his wyll and turne hym selffe from God whiche thinges he dothe there intreate vpon more at large MelancthoÌ„ declareth playnelye that he had bene a Maniche By the which euery man may see howe Philip MelancthoÌ„ recanteth what so euer he wrote of free wyll in his common places condemning also with his owne his Master Luthers opynion as wycked and agreing with the Manichees heresie which thing he also dothe in mo wordes in hys Epitome of morall Philosophy which he dyd sette furthe at Straesbroughe in the yeare of oure Lorde 1538. where he lykewyse rebuketh those busye braines which styrr vp many stryffes aboute free wyll the folishe ymaginations of Valla who taketh away all libertie from oure wyll because God ruleth gouerneth all thinges More ouer in his later commentaries vpon the epistle of Saint Paule to the Romanes he caused those thynges to be scraped oute which he wrote when he was one and twenty yeare olde that euell workes were as wel the proper workes of God as the adultery of Dauid and that the trayterdome of Iudas was as well the proper worke of God as the vocation of Paule Also expounding that place God gaue them vp to the lustes of theire owne hartes God saythe he nether willeth nether alloweth nether worketh syn And because the same Philipp was the autor of the confession of Augusta thys also forsoke Luthers opinion concerning the article of free wyll the which for all that he helde so styffly to the end of his lyffe that he offred hym selffe rather to dye then that he wold reuoke it In the which what greate confidence he dyd put he playnelye declared bothe in the beginning as a lyttell before I haue shewed and in the end of that boke which he dyd wryte agaynst Erasmê For allmoste at the end he thus speaketh vnto him In this I highely coÌ„mend you that you olone aboue all other haue sett vpon the matter it selffe that is the cheife poynte and grounde of all oure coÌ„trouersie and that you haue not weried me with by questions of the papacie pardones purgatory and suche other tryfles rather theÌ„ causes in the which other haue hetherto bayted and hunted me all in vayne You therefore and none other haue espyed the pythe of the matter and haue lept lustely at my throte Therefore Philipp with his fellowes which be of the confession of Augusta durst sequester hym selffe from hys master Luther in openly disagreing from hym aboute that which is the cheife hinging of all matters in coÌ„trouersye In doing of which thyng what dyd he ells but condemne him of wyckednes and heresie The doctrine of Luth. is founded vpon the denying of free wille And in very dede the cheife fondation on which the whole buylding of Luthers learnyng is stayed is the opinioÌ„ of free wil which can not synck or fall downe but euen at the same tyme all those thinges must decaye and come to ruine whiche he dyd wryte especially of iustification and of other thinges thereto belongyng Caluin as yet defendeth the opinion of Luther in this behalffe Pericope a circuÌ„cision or paring of and standeth styfflye in it And Brentius dothe seme not vtterly to disproue it in his fyrst pericope which he dyd wryte agaynst the Reuerend learned maÌ„ named Petrus a Soto I haue sene also a booke of a certayne Frenshe man in the which he sharpely handleth his M. Melancthon for that he swarueth from his M. Luther in suche a weyghtye matter In the which boke he also layeth to hys charge that he croweth lyke one of Caluine his cockrells Nowe then we haue six heades of thys Lutheran monster of the which the six is a heade in dede For it concerneth the cheife ground of religion
and the seauenth heade is of no lesser importaunce aboute the which what a tossing of bylldowe blades is there among the Lutherans Or for weering of a Prestes cap as our Protestātes do For they stryue not for wearyng of a surples but for that whiche Melancthon calleth the cheifest matter of Christian doctryne and totall sum of the Ghospell that is to wyt for the opinion of iustification In his Apologie of the Augustane confession and in his common places Nether dothe he misse the marke muche in that he dothe attribute so vnto it Notwithstanding aboute this poynte they be at greate variaunce and defiaunce among themselues For whereas this controuersie in the Confession of Augusta was not playnely and clearely determined one Andrewe Osiander thought it good for hym to ryfle the matter more neare the bothome that which thing when he interprysed makyng not Melancthon fyrst priuie to it and others which were the cheifest Doctoures of the Confession of Augusta Osiander ill handled of the Confessionistes they toke the matter so in the snuffe that they were not farr from raysing an vpp rore What faulte was not Osiander accused of what raylinges and slaunders were not vttered against hym As he hym selffe wryteth he was called Herityke Antichrist Iue black dyuell dragon a mischeuouse abominable man the ennimie of Christ This fable was also feyned of hym that wheresoeuer he walked two dyuelles followed hym in the lykenes of dogges which for all that euery mā coulde not see and at what tyme he dyd drynck or eate with his scollers in his lower stue Hypocausto alias an hotte howse where he was accustomed to studye the dyuell was sene in his vpper stue sytting in his chayre wryting And such other lyke tales More ouer this fame flewe about of him that he shold affirme that the deathe and passion of Christ dyd nothing auayle vs where as to saye the truth we fynde in his bokes that he thought otherwyse To be shorte they had hym in suche hatred that not only he was accompted wycked but they also which dyd heare his sermones were excommunicated oute of theire cōpanie which thought them selues godly yea they were not thought worthy of Christian man his buryall A commission was sent to Wittenberg that his doctrine might be tryed and examined it was condemned by Melancthon Pomeran Forster and other Osiander his doctrin cōdemned at wittenberge was allowed at wirtēberge of the Confessionistes The same doctrine was sent to Wirtenberdge to be discussed and it was confirmed allowed by Brentius and those of the same sect Here you see howe muche the iudgement of the Doctoures of Wittenberdge Wirtenberdge dyd differ aboute one and the selffe same matter notwithstandyng that there was but the differēce of one letter betwene them whereas Osiander also laboureth to proue playnely by alleadgeing certayne places oute of Luthers bokes that Luther helde that which he had wrytten cōcerning iustification that is that the essentiall iustice of God dwelling in vs and styrryng vs to doo well is oure iustice But agaynst that boke which Philipp and his adherentes dye sette out agaynst hym Osiander hym selffe dyd sett oute a contrary boke in the which he sheweth a cause why they dyd not allowe this his doctrine Therefore he telleth that at Wittenberdge none cōmenceth Doctour of diuinitye or M. of Arte onles recityng the wordes of the othe according to the forme prescribed vnto him he sweare that he wyll holde faste Al that take degree at wittenberge must swere to the confession of Augusta and Melancthō his iudgement and also defend the three Credees that is of the Apostles of Nice of Athanasius And that if any thing happen which is not fully determined in those three Credes the Confession of Augusta they sholde conclude nothing vpon it before first they conferred asked councell of those Doctoures which cleaue to that Confessyon These Elders Doctoures for so much as they be Melancthon his mates if any thing cam in question which was not wryttē in this Confession of Augusta they which were sworne to the Confession were bounde to holde nothing but that which they allowed and approued So that they were bounde by vertue of theyr othe to receaue that they dyd allowe allthoughe the contrary were founde in the Canonicall scriptures for so muche as they toke they re othe that they wolde continewe in the agreable consent of the Confession of Augusta and not of the holy scripture So that they sholde be gyltie of periurye if they wolde rather followe the scriptures Osiander his verdict of the Confession of Ausburge And who was he which penned this Confession but Melancthō who had also the powre and autoritie to interprete and expounde it Whereby it nowe followeth that all they which were sworne to the Confession Ioan a Lasko saythe that this Confession is so honoured that there be many of the best Lutherans which will saye that they had rather doubt of the doctrin of S. Paule hym selffe then of the doctrine of the Confession of Augusta were of necessitie constrayned to vnderstand the scripture so as Philipp dyd vnderstand it so that reiectyng the scripture they were only bounde to those three Credes and the doctrine of Melancthō This good worde Osiander gaue Philip Melancthon who also diligently forwarneth all fathers and mothers that they take good aduisement howe they send theire children to Wittenberdge there to procede Masters of Arte or Doctoures of any facultie For they be constrayned saythe he to forsweare the worde of God and to sweare to Melancthons sayinges For euery man sweareth sayth he that he wyll determine nothing with hymselffe of weightie matters touching faythe but by the iudgement of the Elders of the Augustane Confession allthoughe the scripture sayde the contrarie the which who so euer wolde follow more willingly sholde be gyltie of periurye So there is sayth he a certayne close conspiracye among them which hathe more respect to the wordes of men then of God therefore dothe much indamage the Christian common wealthe Osiander his disdein against Melancthon Melancthon his worde is of more credyt then the worde of God I alleadged six and thirtie places of scripture by the which I shewed that God dwelled in his vs yet was not I beleued But so sone as Philip wrote but one littell scrole to the confirming of the same by and by credit was gyuen vnto it And with in a littell whyle after he saythe there was a voyce of the Father heard from heauen saying This is my welbeloued in whome I am well pleased heare hym Here hym saythe he not Philip not other men whiche stopp thy mouthe and wolde haue the say after theire councell and not after the worde of God Thus Osiander coulde not abyde that men sholde rather be bounde to the Confession of Augusta which was Philips worde then to the worde of God For so muche as he
wolde haue men beleue that to be the worde of God which he dyd teache and not that which Philipp dyd teache seing he toke himselffe to be as good in euery poynte as Philip So that there was no cause why hys saying sholde not as well be receaued for the worde of God as Philip his saying Especially seing Philip as in many other thinges Tuentie opinions of the confessionistes cōcerning iustification so in the docttyne of iustification was neuer stayde in one opinion He sayth that there be twentie diuerse opinions of Melancthon concernyng this one artcle and he reciteth fouretene sundrie opinions of his scollers in that boke which he dyd wryte agaynst one Niericorar For saythe he so sone as they spied one place of scripture in the which there was any mention of Iustice by by of it they made a newe Iustice For an example one did reade Abraham beleued it was imputed to hym for ryghteousnes by and by he gathered oute of this one place .ij. kyndes of righteousnes one of this worde beleued so that he sayde that faythe was oure Iustice an other of the worde was imputed so that he sayde that God dyd impute his iustice to vs to accoumpt vs iuste all thoughe we were not and that this was oure ryghteousnes An other dyd reade we be iustified by his blood strayght way he gathered that the pretiouse blode of Christ is oure ryghteousnes An other dyd reade as by the disobedience of one we were made manye synners so by the obedience of one many shall be made ryghteousne by and by he taught that the obedience of Christ was oure ryghteousnes An other did reade he dyd ryse agayne for oure iustification the Resurrection sayth he of Christ is oure iustification An other dyd reade the holy ghost shall reproue the worlde for iustice because I go to my father he affirmed by and by that the goyng of Christ to his father is oure iustice An other dyd reade that we be made ryghteouse withoute desertes by the grace of God he doubted not to holde that the grace and mercye of God was oure iustice An other did reade to shewe his iustice for the remission of many synnes before cōmitted Forthewith he taught that Remission of synnes was oure iustice An other dyd reade by his blue stripes we be made hole he defended oute of hand that the woundes of Christ was oure ryghteousnes Nowe therefore he saythe that he hathe rekoned vp nyne kyndes of iustifications gathered oute of the scriptures disagreing one from an other and yet for all that he hathe not recited all He reherseth afterward what euery one deuised of hys owne heade Some saythe he say that ryghteousnes is the work of God the whiche he worketh in Christ Other that God receaueth vs to euerlasting lyffe other that the meritte of Christ other speake of an other certayne meane ryghteousnes but they can not tell what it meaneth So Osiander rehearseth fourtene opinions of iustification that which he hym selffe is Author of is the fyftene But accordyng to the rekoning which he maketh in hys confutation of the boke which Philip set oute agaynst hym they shall be in all one and twentie Now iudge you most excellent Kyng for so muche as they do so bycker among them selues Howe perillouse a thing it is to beleue sectaries stryuyng about great matters not aboute the moue shyne in the water as the common saying is but by theyr owne confession aboute the cheife article of Christian doctrine which contayneth the whole sum of the Ghospell iudge you I say what a perillouse thing it is to put any of these men in trust with oure soules which being start vp of late do not only swarue from the chefe masters of theyr congregation but also disagree in them selues as we see howe many tymes Melancthon hath turned his cote in this one opinion of iustification Luther sayth it is a sure argumēt that the doctryn of the Sacramētaries proceded from the dyuel because he tolde seauen or eyght sectes of them and for because that euen in the begynnyng it was dispersed in to so manye heades But we haue rekoned vp not seauen but twyse seauē sectes that of Lutherās cōcerning one article of iustificatiō which conteyneth the whole sum of the Ghospell In all there be foure tyme seauen sectes lackyng but one contrarye one to the other aboute other matters One Gespar Querchamer a lay man Citezin of Hallis Six thirtye cōtrary opinions aboute receauing vnder bothe kyndes or vnder one gathered together six and thirtye contrary places vpon one only article which is of the receauing vnder one or bothe kyndes in the Sacrament of the Altar If any man wyll add these six thirtie opinions to the other seuen and twentye there shal be in all three score three And yet howe many sectes be there whiche we haue not rekoned and wyl any man doubt that the dyuell was the author of this doctryne Take hede moste Godly Prince that you thinck not that these men striue for God his cause or that they busye theyr braynes to further and enlarge the worde of God There is nothing further oute of they re thought Glorie is the marke which sectaries shote at but this is the marke the which moste of them pryck at that they may aduaunce theyr owne glory that they maye vtter to the rude people theyr worde in stede of the worde of God they haue called theyr names sayth the prophet vpon yearthe Psal 48. To this end they wrest all they re wytte the they may make all the world ring with theyr name that it may be sayde this is the confession of Melancthon this of Brentius this of Osiander for I wyll now say nothing of the Zuinglians whome they take to be as greate heritykes as the Anabaptistes my talke is only of the Lutherans whome they also iudge to be heritykes no other verdicte do all other Christians gyue of them Of them therefore speake I that euen they be they neuer so lapped in shepe skynnes yet euery one of them hathe theyr hand on theyr halffe penye not regarding the thinges appartayning to Iesu Christ The cōfession of Augusta pleaseth not all the Lutherans euery one of them hūteth after their owne honoure and not after the glory of Christ Wherefore euē they allthoughe chekens hatched in one nest of Luther yet all of them haue not one confession For it is as cleare as the daye that none receaued the confession of Augusta but the churches of Saxonie No it was not receaued so muche as in the citie of Augusta where it was fyrst presented to the Emperoure for that citie semeth rather to weyghe more with the Zuinglians The Citie Augusta hathe mo Suenckfel feldiās the Lutherans and it is sayde that there be founde mo of the confession of Suenefelde then of the confession of Augusta Whiche I think was a cause that for so much as Philipp
whom he wryteth that he dyd deliuer vp to Sathan to teache them what it was to speake blasphemy He sayde not Come behynde me Sathan but that which was more terrible he delyuered hym in to the handes of SathaÌ„ to the destruction of the fleshe Wylt thou therefore Brentius call him a wicked seruaunt Saint Petre what manner of seruaunt he was which dyd rebell against his Masters You haue now learned what manner a seruaunt S. Paule was What kynde a seruaunt think you S. Petre was Vnlyke trowe you to Saint Paule Ananias with his wyfe Zaphira had solde land Act. 5. and kept back to his proper vse a certayne portion of the money which he had receaued makyng his wyfe priuy of his councell and bringing the remanant he layde it at the Apostles fere But Petre sayde vnto Ananias Ananias why hast thou gyueÌ„ place to the tentation of Sathan to make a ly to the holy ghost and not to bring hether the whole sum of money which thou hast receaued for thy land Before it was solde was it not thyne owne possession and after it was solde was not the pryce in thyne owne powre Howe couldest thou fynde in thyne hart to do such a thing Thou hast not made a lye vnto men but vnto the holy ghost So sone as Ananias had heard these wordes he fel downe and gaue vp the ghost After that his wyfe came in to the place where Petre was not knowing what was done to her husband Petre sayde vnto her Tell me truthe solde you the lande for so muche And she sayde Yea for so muche Then sayde Petre vnto her Why haue you agreed to gether to tempt the holy ghost Beholde the fete of them which haue buried thy husband are at the dore and shall cary the oute Immediatly she dyd synck downe and yelded vp the ghost Here you see what manner of seruaunt Petre was who had powre bothe of lyfe and deathe ouer his masters Yea they which haue succeded the Apostles when they sawe occasion dyd vse no lesse libertie what maner of seruauÌ„tes the Popes and Byshopes of olde tyme were Eusebius wryteth of one by all lykelyhode it was Fabianus Bishop of Rome that wheÌ„ the Emperour Philipp which was the fyrst Christined Emperour in that daye when the last vigiles of Easter were kept desyred to be admitted to pray among the Christians in the coÌ„gregation as being of one agrement of mynde with them he coulde not obtiane his request of the Bishop before he was confessed and humbled hymselffe to their coÌ„pany which were brought to examination for theire faultes and appointed to a certayne place to do their penaunce in otherwyse he sholde not be receaued among the Christians because he was fautie in many pointes What think you the Emperoure dyd dyd he grudge or complayne Euseb in the .6 boke 34. cap. of Ecclesiastical history that he was put to foyle of his seruaunt Nay Eusebius writeth that he dyd redily obey and by his outewarde dedes dyd declare his vertuouse and religiouse harte towarde God So dyd not the Emperoure Constantine An exaÌ„ple of the Pope his autority ouer the Emperoure who dyd greuousely persecute the Catholyke Bishoppes whilst euery yeare almoste he wolde haue a nue Confession of faythe deuysed so that Socrates dothe recorde that in his Reigne the faythe was chaunged nyne tymes Socrat in the .2 boke 41. chap. of his Ecclesiasticall hys story So was the condition of that tyme not muche vnlyke the state and manner of these oure troblesome dayes But for all that the Bishopes of that tyme dyd worthily wrastle against his tyranny He intysed Liberius by his Eunuche as Athanasius hymselffe wytnesseth in writing to subscribe agaynst Athanasius Athanasi in his Epistle to the solitary liuers promisyng hym rewardes if he dyd it threatning punishment if he refused to do it What answer made Athanasius to hym We haue no suche rule in the Church sayth he we haue receaued no suche tradition of oure forefathers Constant the Emperour rebuked of Pope Liberi But if the Emperoure wyll put to his helping hand to maynetayne the quyetnes of the Church or if he coÌ„maunde those thinges to be cancelled and blotted oute which I haue written in the behalffe of Athanasius let hym scrape oute those thinges which he hathe wrytten agaynst hym CouÌ„cels of the Clergy not to be kept neare the court hereafter so often as anye Conuocation of the Clergie or Synode is called let it be kept farre of froÌ„ the courte where nether the Emperour be neare at hand nether Earle may thrust in amoÌ„g the Prestes nether any iudge feare them with threatning c. After this was Liberius led prysonner to the Emperour before whome wheÌ„ he cam he spake his mynde frely boldly nothing abashed saying Leaue of from persecuting the Christians thinck not to make me a meane by whiche thou mayst bring hereticall harlottye in to the Church of God we be redy rather to suffer al tormentes then that we Christians shold come to that poynte that we sholde be called Arrians Inforce vs not to be the enennimies of Christ c. Lo such a seruaunt was Liberius redyar to suffer many tormentes and to be banished his countrie then he shold slack any thing in doing his dutie with lyke fayre promyses and foule threatnynges dyd the same Constantinus proue Hosius Bishopp of Corduba Hosius Bishop of Corduba his stoute answer to the Emperour coÌ„stantius as witnesseth Athanasius in the same places But Hosius writing letters vnto him dyd sette before his eyes the example of his brother ConstaÌ„s What lyke pageaunt sayth he hath your brother played what Bishoppes hath he sent in to banishmeÌ„t or who of his Countie Palatines dyd profer any wrong to the Prelates I pray the be quyet remember that thou art a mortall man stand in awe of domes day kepe they selffe vndefyled agaynst that daye intermedle not with Ecclesiasticall matters and in those cases teache not vs what we haue to do but rather learne them of vs. God hathe coÌ„mitted to you the rule in temporall affaires to vs he hath left the charge in Ecclesiastical matters And as he which doth enuye your Emperiall estate resisteth the ordinaunce of God so beware you least chalengyng vnto you the thinges whiche pertayne to the Churche you make your selffe gyltie of treason agaynste God It is written Gyue vnto Cesar that whiche is Cesars and that vnto God whiche is due vnto God Hilariê° in his boke to ConstaÌ„tius reproueth the Emperour boldlye Muche lyke to the aforesayde was Hilarius Bishop of Poycters I proclame vnto the sayth he the very same wordes which I wold haue spoken vnto Nero the which I wolde not haue cared if Decius Maximianê had heard Thou dost warre agaynst God thou ragest agaynst the Churche thou hatest the Preachers of God lyke todes thou ouerthrowest religion being a spoyling tyrant nowe not of prophane
kyngdome he dyd not only shewe greate reuerence to the Bishop as Paulus Diaconus wryteth but also was obedient to his coÌ„maundimentes See for God his sake what a thing this is Those to whome Barbarouse kynges being very deadly ennimyes dyd think it theire dutie to do so greate honoure that they wolde fullfyll theire commaundimeÌ„tes no otherwyse then if they had taken them to be theire Masters the very same Brentius who in God hys name wyll be counted a Gospeller wolde not haue them in any honest reasonable roume of seruauntes but be accompted boÌ„dslaues and pesauntes Dothe not he here go beyond all barbarians sauage people with thys his barbarousnes Act. 10. I myght here speake of Petre whome Cornelius dyd worshippe of the godly honoures gyuen to Paule and Barnabas but I wyll graunt you that which you wolde haue me M. Brentius Byshoppes in respect of they re dutye be paynefull seruantes that we Byshoppes be seruauntes nether is there any kynde of seruauÌ„tes that taketh greather paynes that is more set to his taske the suffreth greater trobles of body and mynde For what carking caryng haue not Bishoppes whilst they watche for the soules of them which be coÌ„mitted to their charge for the whiche they knowe they shall gyue accoumpt for so muche as it is sayde to euery one of them take hede to this man who if he shal miscarry thy soule shall be punished for his 3. of the kynges cap. â—0 Ezech. 3. And that also in Ezechiel sone of man I haue set the in watche ouer the howse of Israel if when I say vnto the wycked thou shalt dye the deathe and thou neglect to tell my sayinges vnto hym that he may returne from his wycked waye that wycked man shall die in his owne wickednes but his blood wyll I requyre at thy handes Ezech. 38. For so muche as Byshopes be not ignorant of these and suche lyke sayinges with which God threatneth euell pastoures assuredly their labour is greate and the troble of the mynde greater then any man can beleue for so muche as euery man knoweth that the tyme shall once come when it shall be sayde vnto hym Hiere 13. where is thy flocke which was gyuen the where is thy noble cattel What wilt thou say for thy selffe when he shall come and visite the for thou doste teache agaynst thy selffe thou doste instruct to thine owne distruction Shal not sorrowes come vpon the as vpon a woman trauayling of chylde Beleue me o Brentius that when a good Byshop careful for his owne healthe and the healthe of the people Heretykes do greatly encrease the laboure of Byshopes calleth these thinges in to his mynde he feleth incredible stinges of sorrowe in his hart specially in these dayes wherein you haue made thys yoke of bondage ly more heauily vpon oure neckes whilst one of you say behold here is Christ an other nay he is there the third tushe he is in the priuie parlers Mat. 24. the fourthe no loke yonder he is in the wyldernes With that which youre waueryng wordes you haue so bewitched the sely shepe that nowe in many places they knowe not were Christ is especially in those places where contrary to the playne and euident worde of God you haue taught them not be ruled by theire shephardes Whereby it is nowe come to passe that many be growen to suche boldnes and madnes that they say they be the Bishopes and Pastors of their owne soules that they shal gyue accompt for them not the Bishoppes what losenes of lyfe sectaries haue brought the people vnto to So that they arre become vnto them selues in stede of doctoures in stede of Pastoures in stede of couÌ„celles they bynde them selues they lose theire owne consciences as they please and because you gyue them powre to iudge of doctrine what so euer boke cometh in to theire handes they followe suche faythe as that boke teacheth them This man is of the Confession of Augusta an other of Brentius belefe an other of Ostanders an other of Tigurine an other of the Anabaptistes or the Citie of Munster an other of the brethern Waldenses or Picardes an other of the Seruetian confession To be shorte Hilar. to Constan laste boke that which Hilarius dyd wryte of his age may be also verified of oure age There be nowe so many faythes as they re be fansies there be so many doctrines as there be manners there bud out so many causes of blasphemy as there be vyces whilst faythes ether be ordayned as we wyll or be vnderstanded as we wil. And whereas there is but one faythe as there is but one God one Lorde one Baptisme we go a stray from that fayth which is one only and whyst manye faythes be forged they be come from naught all to none at all To this poynte haue you brought the worlde Brencius whilst euery one of you studie to deuise a sundry Confession of youre faythe you arre cause of this miserable and perillouse state of the Churche and if the Byshopes were loden with anye burden of bondage before you haue holpen to make it weyghe much more heauye But loke how much more heauie the yoke of theyr seruitude is the greater they re trauayle is the more honoure is due vnto them Therefore lyke as all wayes vnder wycked tyrauntes whether they were suche as dyd openlye persecute Christ or being fayned fauourers of Christ dyd vtterly race out the fayth of Christ they were no better estemed then seruauntes they were vexed with the same or rather greater punishmentes then naughtie seruauntes were so howe many so euer good Kynges Emperoures reyned they dyd gyue vnto them hyghe honoure and reuerence euen as among all other we reade that Constantinus worthily called great was wont to do FINIS DEO GRATIAS AMEN ORATIO R. SHACKLOCKI PRO REGINA REGNO ET toto Christianismo MAGNE DEVS qui magna facis qui pectora Regum Flectere celsa potes teneraeque similima caerae Reddere Reginam diuino flamine nostram Imbue flexibilemque illi concedito mentem Mentem quae dubiae fidei nouitate relicta Antiquum repetat fontem fluuiumque salubrem Qui viua de rupe fluit petraque perenni Faece carens omni nam pura Ecclesia Christi Virgo manet semper Christo dignissima sponsa Igneus ille tuus demissus ab aethere status Concremet errores omnes sub tegmine veri Occultos nostros confirma pace Britannos Hostibus oppressis omnes errore sepultos Ad superos reuoca cunctos Pax alma tumultus Comprimat positis vigeat Concordia bellis Sacra Tridentini valeant Edicta Senatus Quae Patres sanxêre pij Regesque potentes Rata volunt optata bonis inuisa malignis Sit tandeÌ„ propriae memor Anglia nostra salutis Partibus omissis toti consentiat orbi Turca tumet iam Turca fremit nunc Turca minatur Christe tuam defende fidem fideique patronos
deathe eod pag. 1. Luther wolde haue his scollers called Gospellers fol. 9. pag. 1. Luthers doctrine why it may not be allowed eod pag. 2. Luther more cruell then the souldiars which dyd put Chryst to deathe fol. 10. pag. 2. Luther the author of Sectes eod pag. 2. Luther moste gredye of glory fol. 11. pag. ◠Luther a sore ennimye to Image breakers eod pag. 2. Luther beguyled of Bucer becam a Sacramentarie fol. 13. pag. 1. Luther full of disdayne and arrogancye fol. 16. pag. 1. Luther his verdict of the Zuingliās and the Sacramentaries and marke howe he proueth them him selffe heretykes fol. 21. pag. 1. Luther being not able to answer the Anabaptistes by Scripture flyeth to the traditions of the Apostles fol. 29. pag. 1. Louaines article defended fol. 43. pag. 1. Luther his addition to S. Paule his worde reiected of the deuynes of Lipsia fol. 59. pag. 1. Luther made wyndowes for sathanisme fol. 61. pag. 2. Luther denyeth free wyll fol. 65. pag. 1. Luther howe much he estemed the bokes of Melancthon fol. 67. pag. 1. MEnno Phrisius an Anabaptist his bolde bragge of the surenes of his doctrine fol. 28. pag. 2. Munster a citie Reade there a notable history howe the Catholykes were dryuen oute by the Lutherans and the Lutherans by the Anabaptistes fol. 30. pag. 1. Martirdome is not gotten oute of the Churche fol. 44. pag. 1. Martirs be not made by the lykelyhode of the punishment but of the cause fol. 47. pag. 2. Melancthon how arrogantly at the fyrst he denyed free wyll fol. 65. pag. 1. Melancthon confirmeth free wyll in his latter bokes fol. 67. pag. 2. ONe erroure draweth many other after it fol. 6. pag. 2. Osiander a Lutheran ill handled of the Confessionistes fol. 71. pag. 2. Osiander his doctrine allowed in one Vniuersitie and condemned in an other fol. 72. pag. 1. Osiander his disdayne agaynst Melancthon fol. 73. pag. 2. Poole preserued from heresye throughe the wonderfull watchefulnes of their Byshopes and Godly deuotiō of theyr Kynges fol. 3. pag. 1. Persecution sometyme is necessary a difference betwene the persecution of good men and euell fol. 47. pag. 1. Petrus a Soto why he wrote against the Confession made by Brentius fol. 77. pag. 1. Petrus a Soto his order in wryting fol. 78. pag. 1. Petrus a Soto his prayse fol. 80. pag. 1. Paule the Apostle what manner of seruant he was fol. 84. pag. 2. Petre the Apostle what manner of seruaunt he was fol. 85. pag. 1. Specyall fayth makyng no doubt of the forgyuenes of synnes reproued and the obiections makyng for it soluted 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. Suenckfeldius hys heresye that we ought to haue no scriptures fol. 49. pag. 1. Suenckfeld vouched dyuerse scriptures for his propose fol. 51. pag. 1. Suenckfeldius fynished the Ghospel which Sathan began by Luther fol. 51. pag. 2. Suenckfeldians mo then Lutherans or Zuinglians fol. 53. pag. 1. Suenckfeldians maruaylously holy to see to eod pag. 1. Seruetus condemned and put to deathe by meanes of Caluine fol. 56. pag. 2. Stanislaus a Martyr for rebukyng of the Emperoure fol. 91. pag. 1. Thomas Muncer of an Anabaptist dyed a penitent catholyke fol. 32. pag. 1. Tymmanus a Lutheran theacheth that heretykes arre to be punished fol. 56. pag. 2. The constancie and godlynes of the Kyng of Pole fol. 63. pag. 1. The othe which all commencers at Wittenberge must take fol. 72. pag. 2. Tuentye opinions of the Confessionistes concernyng iustifycation fol. 74. pag. 1. Vladislaus and Vitoldus Kynges of Pole refused to reigne ouer heretykes fol. 3. pag. 1. Who it is which deuideth Iesus fol. 10. pag. 1. What verdict the sacramentaries gyue vpon the Lutherans fol. 21. pag. 1. What the Catholykes thynk of outwarde ceremonies fol. 60 pag. 1. What manner of seruauntes the Byshopps and Popes of olde tyme were fol. 86. pag. 1. Z. Zeale in matters of religion is to be considered what manner of zeale it is fol. 21. pag. 1. ¶ Faultes escaped in some copies  fol. pag. lin Which althoughe reade which euen as 32. 1. 17. Orde reade order 10. ◠26. Plyet reade plyeth 24. ◠4. esontrary reade contrary 25. 2. 17. An admonition to the fault fynder If mo faultes in this boke thou fynd Yet think not the correctoure blynde If Argos here hym selffe had bene He sholde perchaūce not all haue sene Al wordes awry mend without stryffe And wordes amēded redresse thy lyffe Rychard Shacklock