/ that is / he that hath the open worde of god for him that his sinnes be for geuen him he caÌ„ not be sclanderyd / that is / there is nothynge can make him to doute / but though heuen hell lyffe aÌ„d dethe do thretyn him / he is not offendid he ys not sclanderyd / but bydeth fast and knowythe suerly that all these thyngys must peryshe / but the worde of god bideth for euer / Vvherefore this ys the very keye that Iudgeth the thoughtis the intentis of the harte / as S. paule saithe Hebre. 4. By this haue we also the very knowlege of oure sinne / as S. paule declarythe to the Romaines / Roma 3. bi this is also declared vnto vs grace / also remyssyon of oure sinnes yf we beleue yt Vvherefore thys must nedis be the very trewe keye as yow may see euydently thorowe out all scrypture and not youre bostyd and crakyd power / for there ys no suche thynge nor yet can be in man / that can loose the soule of man from hys synne Vvherefore / it ys damnable and deuelysh lernynge and commeth of the presumtuê° pryde of man to lerne that man hathe a power in hym / by the whyche power mans soule is bound or loosyd from synne / But thys is all that man hathe / he ys a minister / and a dyspensator of the heuenly worde of god / for whose sake ouâ—e synnes be remyttyd whan we beleue yt / and oure synnes be retayned whan we do dyspyâ—e yt / Therfore the blessed worde of god ys the very keye and in that ys all the might and poweâ— to losse oure synnes / and man ys but a mynyster and a seruant vn to thys worde thys may be proued / by oure Master Christes wordys where he saythe Goo youre way in to all the worlde / and preche the gospell vn to all creatours / Matt vi he that dothe beleue and ys baptysyd shal be sauyd / but he that dothe not beleue shall be daÌ„nyd Here maye yow playnlye see / That the apostyllys he but minysters seruauntis haue no power but aloÌ„ly ministracyoÌ„ The keyes that they haue where bi they must lose meÌ„ bind is the very word of god therfore saith oure M. christ he the beleueth shal be saued / he that doth not beleue shal be daÌ„nid By this word did the holy apostles declare grace thorow chryst / aÌ„d lernyd meÌ„ to sett all their hope of saluacioÌ„ in christ only / by this worde did they lerne meÌ„ to knowlege their sinne / aÌ„d to seke for grace ful whol to hope remissioÌ„ forgeuenes of their synnes bi christ only Breuely by these keyes / is openyd all goodnes if they be reseuyd / And all goodnes is shett from vs yff we reseue them not Now where this keye ys resevyd by faythe there is all thyngis lossyd / that is / alle synnes be forgeuyn / and the conscyens is made fre And where it commythe not in nor is not reseuyd by faithe / there alle thyngis be shit and bound Actu 2 Of this maner dyd the holy apostlis bynde aÌ„d loosse whane they preched this holy worde of god vn to the people / As we haue an opyn example of S. Petter / that prechyd this holy worde / and at his prechyng the herars were prykkyd in their hartis / and askyd petter what they might do and he answerid them repent and be baptisyd everye one of yov in the name of Iesus for remyssyon of youre synnes aÌ„d yov shalle reseue the gifte of the holy gost / where fore as meny as reseuyd his worde were baptisyd Here haue yov playnly / the very trew maner of lossing from synnes / as the holy apostles vsed yt / that is whane the people beleuyd the worde that they preched / thaÌ„ they declared how their synnes were remittyd for christes sake not thorow any pore that thei had / for thei were but ministers But the very power was in the worde of god where by they were delyueryd from their synnes This is wel provid bi oure master christes worde where he saithe vn to them / goo and preche saynge / Matt. 10. That the kyngdoÌ„ of heuyn is at hond / what is this the kyngdom of heuyn not any power that is in man / But remission of synnes shalle be geuyn to them that reseue yov re worde / and not that reseue either youre power or youre parsons and therfore followeth yt In what housse yov enter / say first peace be with yov / and if the house be worthy / youre peace shalle come a pone the same / that is to say iff they reseue youre worde aÌ„d beleue it / thane shalle youre peace / that is the peace of the gospelle whiche you brynge with yov / shalle geue theÌ„ quietnes of consyens and loosse them from alle synne But if the house be not worthy / youre peace shalle returne to yov agayn who so euer shalle not reseue yov nor wille here youre preachynge whan yov departe out of that hovse shake of the duste from youre fette / I say vn to yov it shalle be easyer for Sodom and Gomorra in the day of IudgemeÌ„t than for that Cytie / what is this youre pece shalle returne a gayne no thyng els but that they shalle not be pertakers there of but shalle remayne bouÌ„d in their synne / And why bi cause they reseue not youre persoÌ„s or your power nay trewly / but bi cause they here not youre prechyng / It is not to be douted / but that many men / by heryng the apostles prechynge the worde of god / were losyd from their syns and yet neuer spake with the apostlis Vvhere fore the reseuynge of the worde / and not of thou apostille lossithe vs from oure synnes / for that cause the apostille did declare by their departynge from them that wolde not beleue the worde / that they remayned stille in their synnes / For as S. Marke sayth / youre depertynge shalle be a testimony agenste them / that is to saye a tokyn of their condemnacioÌ„ Mar. 6. we haue also an opyn practys of S. Paule how he dyd bynde them that dyd not reseue hys prechynge to whome he sayth these wordis / Acto 18. youre bloud a pone youre hedis I wille departe from hens in clennes vnto the gentilles Nowe haue yov playnly how the holy apostille dyd bynde and losse / and with what keye they dyd it that is by prechynge of the holy worde of god / And by cause this thynge shulde be done with out any error and that no man shulde doute in yt / Iona· 20. he gaue them the holy goste saynge these worde / whose synnes yov do for geue shalle be for geuyn and whose synnes yov do retayne shalle be retayned To these wordes addyth S. Luke Thane openyd he their wytte that they
haue an euydent example of S. Paule the which wold not circumcise Titus whan the false brethern wolde haue compelled hym there vn to as a thynge of necessyte vnto whome Gala. 2. S. Paule gaue no romthe as consernynge to be brought in to subieccion s Paule dyd not with stonde them / by cause that circumsicion was vnlawfulle or myght not be vsed of christen men / but by cause that they wolde haue compelled hym vn to yt as vnto a thinge of necessyte / that thinge wolde not S. Paule suffer / for that was agenst the liberty that we haue in Christ Iesus as he saith here planly wherefore we be not aloÌ„ly by christe made fre from synne / but also made fre in vsynge alle maner of thynges that be indiffereÌ„t / and vnto them we cane not be bound as vnto thynges of necessite as on the frydaye to eate fyshe / and there vnto be bounde in consciens vnder the payne of dedly synne / in thys we may not obey for yt is agenst the worde off god not be cause / it is evylle to eate fyshe for in tyme conuenient and whane thou arte disposed yt is good but by cause that they wylle in this thyng bynde oure consciens and make that thinge of necessite / that god hathe lefte fre Therfore speketh Paule agenst them in these wordes / In the latter dayes serten men shall swarue frome the faythe applyng them selfe to the spretes of errours / 1. Tim. 4. and doctryns of the deuylle / for byddynge maryage / and to absteyne from mettes / that god hathe created to be reseued of faithfullmen with thankes / for alle creaturs of god be good / and nothinge to be refused that ys reseued wyth thankes / marke how Paule saythe / nothynge ys to be refufed that may be reseued with thankes thys is openlye agenste them that wylle forbed other fyshe or fleshe this day or that day as a thynge vn ryght for a christeÌ„ man to eate for as S. Paule saith meate dothe not commend vs vn to god 1. Cor. 8. Also in an other place the kyngdom of heuen is nother meatt nor drynke / Rom. 14. therfore they doo vn ryght to bynde oure consyens in suche thinges / and to thynke vs vnfaythefulle by cause we obserue theÌ„ not Nowe lett oure holy hypocrites of the charter housse loke on their consciens / whiche rekken to by and to selle heuen / for a pece of fyshe or fleshe but they rekken yt no vyce to lyue in hatered / ranker / and malys / and neyther to serue god nor their neyboure but with suche an hypocrites seruyce as they haue inuented off their awne hypocrisy / and not reseued of god / they thynke yt a greate perfeccion to absteyne from befe and mutton / and to eate pyke / tenche gurnarde and alle other costly fyshys and that of the dentyyst fascion dressed / but a pece of grosse beffe may they not touche / may they not smelle for than they losse heuen and alle the merites of Christes bloude Is not here a goodly feyned hypocrisy a fore the worlde yt shyneth bryghte / but compare yt vn to Christes scripture there cane not be a gretter balsphemy / for here in they clearly damne Christ and his ordinance and make that of necessite that Christe lefte as indifferent / agenste these holy hipocrites wrytteth S. Paule saynge / we ought not to be led with the tradicions of meÌ„ / Colo. 2. that saye touche not taste not / handylle not / whiche thinges peryshe with vsynge of them and are after the commandementes and doctryns of men / which thinges haue the symylitude of wysdom in supersticicyous holynes humbylnes in that they spare not the boddy aÌ„d do the fleshe no worshyp vn to hys nede Here is clearly condemnyd all supersticiousnes and feynyd holynes that meÌ„ haue inventyd in eatyng or drincking / in touchyng or in handeling / or in any other suche thinges not that we may not do theÌ„ / but that we do them as thynges of necessite and rekkyn oure selfe holy whan we do them / and to synne dedly whan we do them not / this is by the daÌ„nable institucions of men / The whiche S. Augustine condemneth in these wordes / The apostle saythe / Touche not / haÌ„dille not cÌ„ Ad paui Epi. 59. By cause that those men by suche obseruacions were led froÌ„ the verite / by the which they were made fre / where of it is sprokyn the verite shalle deliuer yov / It is a shame saith he and vnconuenient and farre from the nobillenes of youre liberte seyng yov be the boddy of christ to be disseuyd with shaddowes aÌ„d to be iudgid as sinners if yov dispysse to obserue these thynges / where fore lett no man evercome yov seyng yov are the boddy of chryst that wille seme to be meke in harte in the holynes of angelles aÌ„d bringyng in thynges which he hathe not sene cÌ„ Here haue we planly that those thynges which be of the inuencion of man do not bynde oure conscieÌ„s though they seme / to be of neuer so grett holynes and of humbillenes and holynes of angelles as paule saythe Col. â— where fore let them make what statutis they wille / aÌ„d as mvche holynes as they cane devysse / Invent as muche godes seruyce as they cane thynke / lye that they haue reseuyd it from heuyn / aÌ„d that it is no lesse holynes than angelles haue / aÌ„d set there vn to alle their mandamus / remandamê° / excommunicamus / sub pena excommunicacionis maioris / et minoris / Precipimus / Interdicimus / et sub indignacione dei omnipotentis / et apostoloruÌ„ petri et pauli ligamus / with alle other suche blasphemis / that they haue for douteles if their belly were rippyd / there shulde be nothyng found but blasphemis of god and of his holy word / detraccions / Oppressions / Confusyons / damnacyons of their poore brethern / Other good haue we none of theÌ„ / lett alle Christen men answer to this of their conscyens if it be not trewe And yet are we fre in oure coÌ„scyens / and alle these cane neyther bynd / nor damne oure consciens / for we are fre made thorow christ / And in consciens not bounde vnder the payne of dedly synne / to nothyng that man cane order or sette / excepte it be conteynyd in holy scripture / Epi. ad ro propo 72. But in boddy we are bound to euery man This doth S. Augustyne proue in these wordes Seyng that we be made of soule aÌ„d of boddy / as longe as we do lyve in this temporalle lyffe we must vsse / to the norysheyng of this lyffe / these temporalle goodes Therfore muste we of that parte that belongythe to this liffe be subiect vn to powers / that is / vn to men that do minister worldly thynges with some honour
asoyled a greate doubte whereat the kynges grace and all hys noble lordes haue often mused That ys / how yt came that there was so greaâ— wherdome and bawdrye / amonge them that bâ— called spirituall men But now yt ys no wonder / for bawdry ys a spirituall cause and belongeth onlye to the iudgement of bysshops But shortly to oure purpose / The kyngis hyghnes commauÌ„deth yow straytely / to shewe hym by what auctoryte that you take causes out of his hye Court of complaynte / and to brynge them a fore yow / As who shulde saye yow wolde redresse bothe the Kynges lawe / and also the senteÌ„ce there of And not alonly that / but you wyll Master the Kynges grace and his lawe Shortlye to recyte all the iniuryes and wrongys that you doo to the Kyngys hyghnes / to all hys noble bloude and vnto all his trewe subiectis / yt were to longe a processe wherefore breuely I require you by the faith that you owe to christe Iesus / and by the othe that you haue made to the Kinges highnes if you be not dispeÌ„sed with all that you aÌ„swere to these thinges you can not denye but these thinges you do / wherefore what wyll you saie thereto / what aÌ„swere caÌ„ you make / haue you vpholdeÌ„ these thinges so loÌ„ge / haue you shamed / troubled killed so many of the Kynges trew subiectis for that thiÌ„g / which ye caÌ„ not defeÌ„de to be true aÌ„d if you haue nothinge for you / but youre awne dreamis / they wil not helpe you For they be accusyd with you And therfore / the kynges highnes if it pleased him myght laye hie tresone to youre charge / and also the abomynable cryme of heresye / whiche ys all ways in youre mouthes / yf a man speake but ageÌ„st youre olde showes what say yow to these thingis yff they be false / it is a smalle matter for yow to refelle them by holy scrypture / yf they be trewe / why geue you not place you shall well knowe that I wyll defend ernestly Godes cause aÌ„d my prynces / and that not out off myne awne hed / but out off holye scrypture / whyche I doo neyther wrynge nor wreste / but onlye declare it by the practyce off oure most gracyous Master Christ Iesus / and of all hys holy apostles Can you requyre any more It not thys suffycyent probacion Is not thys cause good Is yt not ryghtuous Is yt not to the honoure of god Notwithstondynge I am sure that I haue taken thys matter in hond with you / to my grete dauÌ„ger / yf you may haue youre wyllys / But here do I set my lyffe / and body agenste youres / to defende thys matter agenst you / yf yt wyll plesse the kinges noble grace / to geue me fre pardon and to defende me from youre vyolence / I aske no pardoÌ„ of any trespasse / that you or any dedly enymye that I haue / can proue that I haue done agenste the kynges noble grace / but that alonly I am compelled to flye youre dedly and intollerabylle vyolence But yf yt shall pleasse the kynges highnes to defend me frome youre vyolence in my ryght / I wylle dyscusse thys matter wyth you by Chrystes worde / And yf I be â—uercome / I doo not refuse dethe / and soo shall you be shortly rydde off me / And yf yow be ouercome / yt were ryght that you shulde be punysshed Not wythstondyng I wyll desyer but amendmeÌ„t wherefore Most gracious prince / Humbly aÌ„d mekely / I besech youre highnes and that in the name of oure sauioure Iesus Chryst / a fore whom you must geue an accumpte off youre dignyte / Also I requier you by youre othe / that yow haue sworne to ryght and to Iustice / ye and also by all youre honour do I humbly beseche youre grace that you wyll defende me in my right / as you wil be defended of Chryst Iesus from all youre dedly enymies ye not to defend me / but godes worde / and youre prerogatiue / So that I truste youre grace will not be dyspleased / with youre daylye bedeman / that he requireth you so ernestly / for he desireth of you nothinge but that that stondeth with godes honoure / with youre graces preheminence / and with good ryght and conscience / and also with the othe that youre grace hathe made bothe to god and man Thys wolde youre grace doo / though I dyd not requyre yt / The cause is not myne / but it is Christes veryte which wyll neyther be mocked nor yet ouercome / It is also youre prerogatyue / whiche deserueth defendynge and also audyence / Though there were no worde of god I do requyre as god shal Iudge me no wordlye promosyon thereby / but alonly the verite of Christes worde / and of chrystes ordynaunce Vvhiche thynge yf I can proue / I doubte not but youre graces conscience / wyll Iudge it right that I shulde be harde / youre grace hathe no nede of the bysshops no more than off me / but vn to Chrystes worde / youre grace ys bounde / vnder the payne of euerlastynge damnacyon / from the whych neyther the bysshops / neither all their power / neither theyr pardons / neyther heuen nor erthe can delyuer you if you be fouÌ„de a transgressor This is the veryte / lett them crake aÌ„d face / blaste blowe / Praye / Singe â— Curse / absolue / bringe in their custoÌ„s / bryng in their churche / bringe in their lawes with all their myters their crossestaues / with all theyr spiritual honoure / they can not helpe youre grace but that the daunger shal remayne to youre graces parsone / if any thinge be amisse but this youre grace knowith better than I can telle yt wherfore I wille returne agayne to the cause It is openlye proued that oure master Christ / and all hys holy apostles were subiect / bothe in bodye and goodes to teÌ„porall princes / And toke no temporall rule nor iurisdiccyon on theÌ„ wherefore I conclude / that what so euer they be that will be exempt from the teÌ„porall power / Be neyther Christes apostles / nor chrystes dyssyples / no nor yet trewe chrystened men / though they haue Chrystes and Peter and Paules name / an hundred tymes For Chrystes wordes be playne whych sayth / Matt. 20. yow doo knowe that the lordys of the gentles haue dominacyoÌ„ ouer theÌ„ but so shalle yt not be amonge yow And these wordes were spoken to the apostles and can not be avoyded by alytle dystynccyon / as the bysshops are wonte too avoyde all holly scrypture But what soo euer they saye / the practyce off oure Master Chryst and off all hys holy apostles wyll declare how they vnderstonde yt And moreouer to stope their mouthes I wyll shewe them how holy doctours vnderstode yt / Origene Ro. 13. Orygene vppon thys texte / Omnis anima / sayeth on thys maner / All maner
haue why do they not put them bothe in vse for they must say as the Iuys sayd / we may kille noman This is the article that did byte yov for yov can not be content with the office of a bysshop but yov wille be also kynges but how that stondeth with godes lawe and with youre othe I haue declaryd yt to oure nobille prince I doute not but he wille put yov to the trial of these articles The .9 Article They saye they be the successors of christ aÌ„d of his apostles / but I can se them follow none but Iudas / for they bere the pursse / and yf they had not so greate possessions I am suer an C. wolde speke agenst them where now dare not one for losse of their promosyon As for this artycle I wil ouer come you with the witnes of alle the worlde yov may well coÌ„demne yt for heresy / but it is as trew as youre pater noster / Iudas solde oure master but once / and yov selle hym as oftyn as he cometh in youre handes The .10 Artycle THere is not the greatyst pharisye in thys churche / but I am suer I prycke him with these wordes and he knowithe that these thynges be trewe though he say the contrary aÌ„d that do I wel knowe This artycle dyd I speake by cause of doctour Rydle which on a tyme grauntyd in master doctour buttes house that the bysshops were clear out of order And therfore I say that I know yt The .11 Article THese ordynary bysshops aÌ„d prelattes do folow that false prophete balaaÌ„ for they wolde curse the people but by the prouisyon of god they are compellyd toblesse theÌ„ / that ys to say / to teache them to lyue wel though they theÌ„ selfe lyue most myschevously so the Assis whych they ryde a pon that is the commen people haue their lyuys in abhominacyon Thys ys the heresy for it speketh agenst the holy fathers which be almost as holy as Balams asse whych dyd ons speke the word of god to a good purposse and so do they neuer / but I graunt that I dyd offend in callyng you ordenary bisshops for I shulde haue callid yov inordinate buchers / and as for that that I coÌ„pare yov to balaam it is youre awne lawe .ij. q. vij Secutisunt / And .c. Nos si And as for youre lyuyng alle the world knoweth it The .12 Article THey sett vp an Idolle to dyseaue the people with alle whych is callyd Baal peor / Or baal phegor which is iÌ„terpretated gaspyng that is their lawes and constitucions that gaspe and gape to mayntayne their worldly honoure / they cause vs do sacryfyce by fayre wymeÌ„ that is by their carnall affeccyons and sweate wordes that god of Israell is for gottyn / aÌ„d so by theyr sweat wordes and benedyctyon they disseue simple people These be the false masters that 2. Pet. 2. S. Peter speketh of / these be the fovntayns with out watter for they geue no good doctryne to the people where ys the heresy in thys by cause I coÌ„pare youre lawys to baal / but loke whether the interpretacion of the word do a gre with the nature of youre lawes or not what do al youre lawes but mynyshe the auctorite of princes / and of al other lordes and exalte youres only calle yov not that a gaspyng Idolle let thys article stoÌ„d tyll yov be able to proue it heresy The .13 Article NOw they selle vs / they selle the people / they selle holy orders / they selle church halowyng / there ys no better marchandysse in chepesyde / wilt thow knowe what is the price of a church halowyng no lesse than .xl. shelinges / they sel pardoÌ„s remyssions of synnes as opeÌ„ly as a cowe and an oxe is solde for thei never graunt them with out monny The suffrigan of ely dyd aske of master Iohan pur golde .xl. shelinges and the offringe for halowynge of S. Edwardes in Cambrige / yee and he wolde not do it so good chepe / but bi cause he had a goddoughter buryed in the churche yarde / But this may be prouyd by exampillys ynow for bryng ye forth one churche in all Englond that yov haue hallowyd with out monny or with out hope of mony / and I wyll graunte my conclusyon false / and as for youre pardoÌ„s all the worlde knoweth youre handelyng I dare say yt is the best marchandyse in the worlde as yov handill yt The .14 article VVylte thou know what their benedictyoÌ„ is worthe They had rather geue the ten benediccions than one halfpeny Is not thys a sore heresy you ryde thorow streates and townys blyssynge man and stone but yov never geue halfpeny to man nor to chylde The .15 Article NOw is come a pardon wherby they say that they haue power to send an huÌ„dred soules to heuyn / and if they may so doo with out any further respect than may they lykewysse send a nother hundred to helle for yt followeth in the texte quodcunque ligaueris / that is what soeuer thou bindest Is not this a sore heresy to say that you may not rule thys matter at youre iudgement / but this is a meruelous texte / QuodcuÌ„que ligaueris / for yt bindeth in helle and losythe in heuyn / and openeth mens pursys and cofers in erthe / yt deposith prynces / yt interdyteth londes yt losyth a man out of his cote / yee oftyn tymes yt losethe a man from his wyffe / yee and the horsse out of the carte And all ys done by this text Quodcunque ligaueris / is not thys a mervelous texte that hathe so great power I know not such a nother in aâ— the hole Bible The .16 Article IT ys abhominable to here how they preache and teache that they may absolue a pena a culpa / which I am suer that yt is â—mpossible as they vnderstond it Make of this what yov can / and loke of youre awne scolasticall doctours The .17 Article VVhat ys the cause that they forbyd vs thou we shuld not dyscusse how great their power is but by cause that they wold make all meÌ„ foles holde vs in ygnoraunce / youre awne scole men saye that the popis power is so great that no man can nor maye dyscusse yt / but this ys for from herysy The .18 Article THey haue a law most abhominable and coÌ„trary to godes lawe and cheryte to excoÌ„munycate the people foure tymes in a yeare / that ys to saye the men that rayse the rent off an housse / that must you vnderstonde yff yt belonge not to the church / for yff yt belonge to the church / thou mayst rayse yt everye moneth once and no man shall cursse the. Also they cursse them that be not buryed in their parish church / that must be vnderstond yff that they be ryche men / for yf they be poore they may be buryed amonge the fryars The bisshope of bathe sayd there was
wyll reason be persuadyd by this token that Messias whoÌ„ all the prophetes and all the patryarkes haue promysyd so many hunderd yerys a fore was now borne and yet thys tokyn came from heueÌ„ yee and by the mynystracion of angelles and the sheperdys dyd beleue the worde / Breuely by reson what be all the artykylles of the faith where ys Christ where is remyssion of sinnes where is the lyffe to come Reson mocketh all these thinges but yet they be trew / by cause allonly the worde of god speketh theÌ„ wher for most noble excellent prince / loke on the worde of god aÌ„d not of blinde reson and saue the honoure there of / for it shall saue youre grace at your most nede Furthermore I do exhorte aÌ„d require wyth alle honour ye aÌ„d I do coÌ„maÌ„de in the vertue of chryste Iesus and his blyssed worde All dukes / all Erryllys / all lordis / all maner of estattes hye and lowe that wyll be christen men / Io. 6. that wyll be sauid by the vertue of Iesê° Christis blessed bloud that they doo se thys ordynance of the god of heuen obserued too the vttermoste of thyer power aÌ„d whaÌ„ so euer that they wyll be houshed that they reseue the blessyd sacrament vnder bothe kyndes / and at the lest desyer yt with all their harte of theyr currates so desier it that they may be dyschargyd a fore the immortall god off heuyn which wyll not be mokkyd nor avoydyd wyth a damnable reson / but what so euer thing there be that ys agenst the holly worde of god / and the glorius ordinance what collour so euer yt bryng wyth yt of holynes lett yt be a cursed and reknyd of the deuell / This doth S. Cypryan lerne vs sayng / what thyng so euer yt be that ys ordened by mans madnes / where by the ordinance of god is violatyd / yt ys whoredum / it is of the deuell and it is sacrilege / where fore flye froÌ„ suche contagiusnes of meÌ„ aÌ„d a voyde theire wordes as a canker and as pestilence cÌ„ These wordes be playne of all maner of meÌ„ of what estate what dygnyte / or of what honoure so euer they be and what collour of holynes so euer they bring with them / wherefore in thys present wrytyng I do couÌ„selle and exhorte alle trewe chrysten men to take hede what they doo the worde of god is so playne in this matter that they can desyer it no plainer / it is no chyldes game to trifill with godes worde / god wyll not be trifylyd with nor yet mokkid But now to helpe pore meÌ„ that be vnlerned I wyl a soyll sertin of their daÌ„nable resoÌ„s / the first is we wil not geue it vnder the kinde of wyne lest that there shuld by negligens eyther of the pryst or of the reseuer falle any droppe on the grounde I answere oure M chryst dyd know that suche a chanche might come / you can not deny yt except you wyll saye that he was not god / as you wold not gretly stycke to do yf you might haue mantynens aÌ„d yet not wyth stondyng dyd he institute yt in bothe kyndes / Answere you to this More ouer why doo not by this reson youre awne prystes abstayne from the wyne seyng that thys perrell may also chaÌ„che theÌ„ as your cautellis of the masse do graunte / Also yf it be a resonable cause that you shall not kepe christes ordinance / by cause of a voydyng of parelles than may you take a waye all the wholle sacrameÌ„t to a voyde perrelles / for in reseuyng of it in the kynde of brede / is Iuperdê° leste their remayne any crumme in the reseuers tethe / This reson is as good as youres so that now all the sacrameÌ„t in both kindes is taken a waye Forthermore / if you will a voyde all perrelles thaÌ„ may you geue this sacrameÌ„t to no maÌ„ for you can not tell who is in dedly synne who not / for you know not their hartis it were a sore perrell aÌ„d gretly more Iuperdye to geue the puer body of christ Iesê° in to a foull soule thaÌ„ that a drope of blude by negligeÌ„s shuld faull on the ground / for there fallith but a drope here is the wholle boddy in a foullare place than the grouÌ„de is Also that may be avoyded with good dylygeÌ„ce aÌ„d wisduÌ„ of the prist / but that the sacrameÌ„t shal all wais be reseuid in to a puer coÌ„scieÌ„s there is no diligeÌ„ce of the prist that caÌ„ make it How think you now now is all the wholl sacrameÌ„t and christes blessed ordinance clearly taken a waye and all for a voydyng Iuperdis and perrellis / thus triffylle you with christis holy worde / yee and that in youre gret aÌ„d holy couÌ„selles Other resons my lorde of Rochester bryngeth that be worthye of noo solucion / for he doth but mocke and scorne and triffylle with goodes worde / Io. 6. he bryngeth the myrakylle of the fyue louys where there is no meÌ„cyon made of wyne / Ergo lay meÌ„ must be housselyd in won kynde / ys not this madnes whatt meane these men that neyther fere god nor yet be a shamed of man what is this to the purposse Christ dyd a myrakylle of fyue louys where is no mencyon made of wyne what ys thys too the sacrament yff the brede signyfyde won parte of the sacrament what signifide the .ii. fyshis and the he ye that was there these .ij. thynges must nedis signify the other parte Also laye meÌ„ dyd touch this brede Moreouer in an other place / chryst geuythe allonly wyne / Ergo the sacrament must be reseuyd in the Kinde of wyne allonly off the lay meÌ„ Be not these goodly argumeÌ„tes ye that of bisshops yt were madnes too answere too them ¶ It is agenst scripture to honoure images and to praye to saynctes IF men had the very trewe faithe in Christ Iesus that belongeth to Christen men to haue / this article were open of it selfe with out anny forther probacion / for yf men dyd beleue fyrst that Christ were god and omnipotent / and myghty to geue alle thinges secondarily that he were mercifulle / gracious / and lovyng towarde vs / and so lovynge that we culde desyer nothing of him but that he wold geue it vs / if meÌ„ I say had this faith and this loue towarde Christe / they wolde goo no forther but to hym only they wolde make in vente / and devyse no mediators / but faithefully reseue hym acordyng to the scripturs for their wonly mediator / sauior and redemer / and beleue and knowe suerly / that they coulde axe nothing so grett in his name but that they shulde reseue it / so that he wolde him selfe geue yt and there vn to is abyll Also by this faith they shulde perfyttly know / that they coulde not be so vnworthy but he of his only and mere marcye
☞ A supplicatyon made by Robert Barnes doctoure in diuinite / vnto the most excellent and redoubted prince kinge henrye the eyght ¶ The articles for which this forsayde doctoure Barnes was condemned of oure spiritualtye / are confirmed by the scripture / doctoures and their awne lawe ☞ After that he disputeth certayne comen places which also he confermeth with the scripture / holye doctoures and their awne lawe ☜ The comen places which he disputeth are these 1 The first is / that Alonlye faith iustefyeth before god 2 The secoÌ„de / what the church is and who be the rof / and where by men may knowe her 3 The thirde / what the kayes of the church be to whom they were geuen 4 The fourth is / that the frewill of man after the faulle of Adam / of his naturall strength can do nothinge but sinne 5 The fifte is / that it is lawfull for all maner of men to reade holye scripture 6 The sixte is / that mennes constitucions which be not grounded in scripture binde not the conscience of maÌ„ vnder the payne of deedlye sinne 7 The seventh is / that al maner of christened meÌ„ / both spirituall and temporall are bounde when they wil be howseled to receyve the sacrament in both kindes vnder the payne of deedlye synne 8 The eight proueth that it is agenst scripture to honoure images and to praye to sayntes Grace and peace from God the father of oure sauiour Iesus Christ be with youre most noble and excellent grace for euer Amen IN most humble wise complayneth vn to youre grace youre coÌ„tinuall Orator Robart Barnes / of the intollerable iniuries / wronges and oppressions where wyth the bisshoppes of youre royalme vexe and haue vexed / contrary vn to the worde of god and their awne lawes and doctours / not onlye me but also all true preachers aÌ„d professours of the same / as they did in condemnynge me for an heretyke whiche thinge they were not able to proue by the scripture of god / nor yet shall not / yff it wold please youre grace indifferently accordinge to the office wher in god hath sette you to here the small as well as the great and to susteyne youre pore orator ageÌ„st their violence and strength God I take to recorde that I am ryght sorye to make this complaynte vnto youre grace agenst them / yf I coulde coniecture any other meane to cause them to redresse their intollerable oppressions / where with they dayly oppresse youre pore and true subiectis / so sore and so violently that wyth out doute yf youre grace se not shortly a remedy god must nedys punish For I doo not beleue that euer he will suffer longe so great tyrannye agenst his worde so abhominable liuing as they liue / and that in the name of Christ and his holy churche / verely we do not reade in any memoryes that oure fathers haue lefte vs / that euer the people were vnder so greate tyrauny as now youre pore subiectis be vn to them It ys so farre come that what so euer he be / hye or lowe / poore or ryche / wyse or folish that speakyth agenste theyr hypocrysy which they calle holynes AmbicioÌ„ / pryde dignite which they calle honoure of the church or vycious liuyng whych caÌ„ not be cloked he ys eyther made a traytour vn to youre grace or an heretyke agenst holy church / as though they were kynges or God This may youre moste exceâ— grace perfytly knowe if you calle to rememâ—â—auÌ„ce those men that they haue had to do with â—s it not a maruelous courte that they haue these was neuer man accused afore them of heresy were he lerned or not lerned but they founde hym giltye ys not that a maruelous courte that neuer hath innocentes what courte within youre realme maye saye this agayne aÌ„d yf any man speake of gods lawe and right coÌ„science agenst thys damnable tyranny / lyttle wyll they stycke to make hym as heretyke And yf that wylle not helpe to coloure aÌ„d mayntayne theyr oppressyon than adde they â—asone agenst youre grace though he be neuer so trewe a subiect and all vnlykly to make ony resystaunce or to thynke any evyll vn to youre grace notwythstandinge they wyll not be a shamed to laye vn to hys charge that he wolde make an insurreccion in youre londe Nowe yf yt please youre grace lett vs consyder to what ende thys vncheritable and vnryghtuous accusacion of the bysshoppes is inuentyd Fyrst if there be any man that preach / dyspute / or put forth in writtinge any thynge not tow chynge them / though yt be neuer so blasphemous agenst god and hys worde / they wyll not ones be moued therewith the examples therof are so playne that yt nedeth no proufe youre grace maye se what blasphemous rubrykes they alowe agenst the bloude off chryst / what shamfull and abhominable pardons they tollerate and admytte / what disputatyons they do maynteyne to proue the pope a god and noo man as theyr conclusyons and questyons be playne in theyr awne lawes That the pope ys nother a god nor a man And that the pope ys no man / And whether the pope cane syn or not and that no man may condemne the pope though he bringe innumerable soules to helle by hys occassyon Agayne let any man but ones speake agenst theyr cloked ypocrysye / or neuer so lytle a thynge that longeth too them whych shulde hyndre theyr abhomynacyons and there can no scripture / no place / no mastershyp nor excuse in the world saue / but they must eyther to open shame or cruell deeth So that yt ys playne that theyr cruelnes serueth to no nother ende / but as they shuld saye yf that ony man wyll take in hond too preache the veryte / and the true goospell off theyr Master Chryst purely wherby those thyngys that we take on vs / that ys oure honour oure dygnyte / oure worldly promosyon / oure dylycyous lyuynge / oure gorgyous aparele / oure sumptuous palases / breuely all thynge that we vse to oure pastyme and pleasure shall be manyfest too euery man / that we doo yt contrary to the worde off god Soo that they shall knowe opynly by manyfest scryptures oure fâ—yned hypocrysy / and that we ought not to be lordes of the parlament / nor to haue no place of worldly honour amonge the people nor to haue dominion ouer them / nor that any thynge shuld be orderyd after oure wyl but onlye aâ—ter the worde of god / nor that we shuld medyll in ony causes but alonly in reding and preachinge of the worde of god / wyth greate studye diligence and labour / yee and thereof be coÌ„tent to haue but a pore lyuing / yee and so pore that we shall be constrayned oft tymis both to hunger / to thrust and to suffer greate colde / as Christ and his appostles were Nowe rather than this shulde come to passe we had lever
they to helpe them we ought not to depose a kinge though he be wyked How dare they be so bolde / as to depose a kyng / whyche is ordenyd of god / yee and by hys holy worde / hauyng none example / nor scripture for thē Be they aboue god and hys blessyd worde But they wyl saye / that the kyng was a wyked man / I answere / the cronycles / geue contrary wytnes / how that he was a very good man / ād ryght symple and by cause he was so symple / therfore Pipinus whyche had all the rule vnder hym / thought hym silfe better worthy to rule than the kynge / and so wrote vn to the pope and desyred hym to geue sentence / whether he was better worthy to be kyng that had all the paynes and labours / or he that had no laboure Now the pope / to make Pipinum his frende / gaue sentēce wyth hym / and deposed the other and made hym a monke Thys can I welle proue by good cronycles Now lett youre noble grace consyder / yff yt were ryght / not only to depose such a kinge but also to make hym a monke Thys haue they done wyth other noble kynges / and no doute / but that same or worse / wyll they attempte to doo vn to youre grace / yff you dysplease them / and at the leste they wyll doo their vtter most Lett all the hole rable off thē / tell youre grace / when a trewe preacher off chrystes gospell dyd suche a deade There is no officer that hathe nede to be a frayde off Chrystis gospell / nor yet of the preachers ther off / For they wyll geue them auctoryte tēporalle / But off these preuy traytours / can no man be to ware you may se by experience / how in a maner by their preuy treason they haue gotten in to their handes / halfe youre royalme But lett vs graunt thē / that the kynge was a wyckyd mā The scripture commaundeth vs / to obey to wyckyd princes / and geuyth vs none auctorite to depose thē / who was more wycked than Herode / and yet S. Iohan sufferyd deethe vnder hym who was wyckedder than Pylate And yet Christ did not put him doune but was crucified vnder hym Breuely whyche off all the princes were good in the appostles dayes and yet they deposed none So that gods worde / and the practyse off oure Master Chryst / and hys holy apostles are openly agenste them More over their owne glosse sayeth that he was not deposed / by cause he was vnsuffycient / but by cause he was wanton and lecherous wyth wemen O my lordes yff you be not afrayde of the vengeaunce of god / at the leste take a lyttle shame of the worlde vn to yov / that haue so longe tyme wyth so great tyrannye defendyd these lawes that be so opynlye agēst gods ordinaunce / agenst gods worde / and agenst the commen ordynaunce and consent of all the worlde And this thynge haue yov done / to the greate iniury off noble princes / to the intollerable subduynge off all noble bloude / to the oppressyon off their trew subiectes / to the dystruccyon off alle commen welthes And fynalle to the damnacion off many a Chrystened soule Tell me by youre faithe / doo you beleue that there is a lyuyng god / that ys myghtye to punysh hys enymyes yf yov beleue yt / saye vn to me can yov deuyse for to avoyde hys vengeaunce / whyche be so opynly cōtrayrye to hys worde what answere thinke yov to make to hym Thinke yov that he will suffer youre worde to be harde / lette hys godly worde be dyspysed Thynke yov that yt will be suffycient for yov to saye / that they be the lawes of holy churche Thynke you that he will be thus taught off yov Than were yt tyme to plucke hym downe / ād sett you vpp Naye my lordes he ys no chylde / nor you shalle fynd yt no chyldis game / thus to tryfle playe with hys holy word and hys blessyd ordinaunce / ye and that to the dyspysyng / of the maker bothe of heuyn and erthe Saye what yov wyll / ye are not able neyther by crafte / nor subtyltye and yet be you falce ynough to defende thys matter / neyther a fore god / nor yet afore oure noble prince / nor a fore any mā off lernyng that wyll be trewe to hys prince for whiche waye so ever you turne you / oure Master Christ / and all hys blessyd apostles be agenst you / and will openlye accuse you / that yov be contrarye to their worde / and to their dede Answere ye to them / answere not to me yff I holde my peace / they wyll speake Nor yt will helpe you but lyttle / to crye after youre olde maner heresy / heresy / a Traytour / a traytour for now you crye agēst youre selves / and off those thinges they doo accuse you Doo yov thinke yt with the ordinaunce of god / that you shall depose a kinge by cause he lyuyth in advoutrye / or ys a lecherous man If you thynke yt a lawfull cause / why doo you not preache yt opynly why doo you not laye yt to kingis charges why suffer you them to be kingis that lyue in aduouttry why do you not put youre lawes in execution you saye they be the lawes of holy churche / and there by may you depose princes But yff you will put them in execucion / than were yt moche better / to be a bysshop or a preaste / than to be a kinge / or a duke For you maye lyue in whordom / or in any other vngracious lyuyng / ye and that to the destruccyon off many mens soules / and yet no man so hardye to repreue you / as youre awne lawe dothe openlye commaunde in these wordes Di. 40. Si papa Iff the pope doo drawe wyth hym innumerable people on a hepe to the deuyll of helle / there to be ponyshed for euer / yet shall no mortalle man presume / to repreue hys synnes / for he muste iugde alle men / and may be iudged off no mā c̄ Lykewyse haue you an other lawe in your decretales / that no laye man maye repreue a preate c̄ How thinke yov by these lawys / De. here Cū exiniuncto et sicut in yff they be not off the deuylle / telle me what ys off the deuyll you wyll bothe repreue / yee and also depose princes / but yov wyll neyther be deposed / ner yet repreued off any mortall man what thynke you youre selues godes But how can you depose a kyng / and yt lyeth not in youre powre to make a kyng / For eyther he ys borne a kyng / or he cometh to yt by elecciō / or he wynnethe yt victoriously by swerde which way so euer he cometh by yt / you can not make hym And wyll you depose hym for fornicacion / how wolde
obedyent vnto temporalle prynces / ye and that vnto infidels And not alonlye he / but all hys ordinaunce All hys wrytynges / and all his bisshops dyd agre to the same And yff they wyll dispice S. Paule / by cause he was but a begger / and no lorde off the parlament what wyll they say to oure Master Christe oure mighty / gracious / and excellent prynce / was not he obedyent vn to Pylate that was an infydelle / and in auctorite muche lesse than youre grace / dyd not he obey in bodye and goodes / dyd not he paye tribute vn to Cesar / was not he crucifyed / vnder Pons Pylat / was not he a spirituall man / was not his cause ryghtuous / was not he mighty to defende his cause was not he worthy to be exempted / was he not annoynted I meane not with oyle but wyth the holy gost so well as they / and yet wolde kepe the order / that was sett by hys heuynly father Dyd not he sore rebuke Peter / that wolde haue defended his cause / and sought for suche carnall lyberte / agenste the power off princes / Dyd he not clearly take a waye / the temporall swerd from hym we neuer rede that euer he drewe yt after / and yet we reade that he had causys suffycient And now commyth Peters successoure / and he wyll drawe yt out / and hed pryncis there with who gaue master vicare auctoryte / to doo that the the parson durste neuer doo / ner coulde neuer doo yt / was his cause neuer so ryght ye though yt were to defēd christ wyth out greate rebuke of his master Thus youre grace maye se / how they do vsurpe / bothe the name of christ / and off his holye appostles / but they neyther agre in worde nor dede what dothe yt profyte / to call an open whore an honest woman / the name can not make here honest / Disti 40. Nō est facile di 40. multi sacerdot◠so lykewysse as their lawe saith They be not the chyldern off holy men / that sytte in the romes of holy men / but they that doo their workes c̄ Also in a nother place The seate dothe not make a preaste / but the preast maketh the seate The place dothe not sanctifie the man / but the man sanctifyeth the place / All preastie be not holye / but all holye men be preastes c̄ Nowe yff youre grace wolde follow their awne lawe / what were they lesse than bysshops Take a way theyr seate / that is their worldely pompe and pryde / their outwarde shynynge / their glorious name / and what remayneth in them / Surelye not one poynte that belongethe to a bisshope / Thys may youre grace well doo / there is neyther lawe nor consciēce can lett you ye bothe the lawe of god / and also conscience dothe bynde you to doo yt / how can youre grace otherwyse be discharged / except yov sett other men in their romes / that wille doo those thynges / that belongeth by holy scripture to bysshops to doo There out commith their name / why shulde they not also be hounde to lyue there after youre grace hathe taken some off them from the bochers staulle and made them bysshops / you haue taken some out of the carte and sett them in Peters Chayre / who can denye but this youre grace maye doo All ways providyd that they doo those thynges that belongeth to their office by the worde of god / or els youre grace is in daunger But who can proue / that they are worthye off thys dignite / that youre grace hath heuen them moche lesse to be youre controllars / yee and also to be aboue all youre lawes / and to haue auctorite to deposse you But yf youre grace wolde doo thē ryght / you shulde returne them home ageyne / the bocker to his staulle / The begger to hys wallet / the carter to hys whyppe / and than aske them yff they be of the church and what exempcion they haue from youre obedyence and from youre lawe / and what auctorite to deposse kynges But as for thys / youre grace can order yt moche better / than I cane deuyse I saye yt for no nother purposse / but for to declare youre graces power / and youre goodnes towarde them / and lykewyse their vnworthynes / and ingratitude / agenst youre most noble grace I wylle returne agayne to oure Master Christ / whan the multitude wold haue chosene hym kyng dyd he not flye Io ▪ So that he dyd not allonly lerne obedience in his doctrine / but also he dyd practice yt in his outward workes and lyuinge Fynallye / they shall neuer be able to prove to youre grace / but that Chryst and alle his apostles were subiect / to the temporal princes / bothe in bodye and goodes / and toke no nother rule in this worlde / but only to preache the eternalle worde of god / and lefte all wordly rule / vnto temporall princes / whether they were faythefull / or vnfaythefull But now commyth oure spirituall fathers So muste we call them allonly of customme and of no deseruynge and wyll commaunde prynces to be sworne vn to them / and to defende them / and their lybertes / with all their gorgyousnes / and prowde dignytyes of this worlde which othe / yff the prynces wyll not make to thē / they wyll interdyte theyr londe / and priuate them of theyr dignite / yee and also asoyle men off the othe / that they made to their prince This ys opyn in their lawe / de hereticis De hereticis Ad abolendum Ad abolendum How dothe thys agre wyth S. Paulys commaundement / and wyth oure Master Christes factes Is thys obeying to princes / to depelle them their royalme / yff they wyll not be sworne vnto them / Be these trewe subiectes Is this the offyce of byshops / Be these the successors of Peter / Paule Be these the perfyt men that haue forsaken all thyng and followed Christ Doubtles they forsake all thynges / that they can not gett Be not these perfytt / forsakers But they wyll saye that princes be bounde to be sworne / to defēde their churche / from heretykes or ells to be deposed This ys yt that I lokyd for Vvhom call you heretykes Vvho shall iudge these men to be heretikes After what lawe shall they be iudged yff you call them heretikes / that speke agenst youre lawes / and agenst youre libertyes / and agenst youre dignite / than are Christ and all his holy appostles heretikes For they defende pertinaciter as yov say their lerninge agēste youre lawes / and that not in one place / but in euery place / as yt ys open in holy scripture But now yff you take them for heretykis that be agenst Christ and his holy worde / than ys the kynges grace sworne to expelle you his realme and
to defend the churche from yov For more contrary than yov be / can no man be But the very truth ys / that yov doo intende to make the kyngis grace but youre hangeman thys is a shamfull name for a prynce but the shame be vn to you that are not ashamyd / to geue hym the very offyce off this name / yee and by cause you will doo nothyng but shamfullye also to mock hym / with a glorious title For you make hym but a mynister of youre myschevous tyrannye so that so oftyn as yov haue condemned any man / agenst ryght and agenst godes law / for an heretyke so oftyn must he come and receyve thys man off youre hande for yov saye wyth the Iewes / that yov maye kylle no man and so put hym to dethe / and not once denye yt / nor yet aske yov what he hath done to deserue dethe / for yov are readye to answere hym / and saye as the Iewes did If he were not an evell doar we wolde not commytt hym to youre hondes More getteth he not of you / for you be spretualle men and may kylle no man / but he is bound to doo yt by youre lawe / vnder the payne of losyng his royalme So that he is bound / to crucifye chryst so oftyn as you crye Crucifige / Crucifige Lett euery Christen prynce consyder in hys conscience / whether that the Iewes dyd not procede even on thys maner agenst Christ or no / yee that was more indyfferent than thys ys / for there Pylate was iudge / and here be they Iudgis / and princes be but seruauntes But I pray yov my lordes / where haue yov gotten thys auctorite ouer princes / to coÌ„pelle them to swere to yov in ony cause / what and if the kynge wolde be an infidell / wolde yov expel hym what can you do more bi right than lay the worde of god to him / aÌ„d the daunger of hys infydelite yov haue no auctorite to deposse hym / for Christenyd men must obey to vnfaythefulle princes / did not Christ this did not Peter thys did not Paule thys dothe not the worde of god commaunde yov thys to do saynge 1. Petri. 2 Fere God / honour youre kynge / be subiect not allonly vn to them that be good and easy / but vn to them that be evell Vvhat saye yov to these wordes how can you avoyde them how can yov auoyd the vengeaunce of god But now if yt pleasse youre grace / they wille laye to my charge / that I speke agenst the preuileges of holy churche / I will infringe the lybertyes of holy churche I answere I know no lybertyes nor preuyleges that holy churche hathe / but these that Christ hathe lefte here / Is thys libertye in his worde to do agenst christes holy worde and ordinaunce / and to folowe mens dremes Is Christes holye worde / of so lytle effecte why dyd not Christ than geue this lyberte in his worde to holy churche Did he leue that to yov to do Shewe youre commission Call yov thys a preuilege / to be agenst youre naturall prynce of the royalme / and to make him subiect vn to yov which haue no tytle of preheminence / but alonly of tyranny Than hathe holy churche gottyn a goodlye lyberte But what meane yov whan yov say / holy churche yf yow meane youre selues onlye / than the kynges grace is muche bound vn to yov / that yov do exclude his grace and al his commens out of holy churche / in to the whyche Christ hathe bought them with his most precious bloude And if yov vnderstond by holy churche the wholle congregacion / than are all Chrystenyd men aÌ„d alle there godes exemptyd from the kynges grace and vndernethe yov / So that bi this meanys yov wil make his grace a kynge with out a royalme / and he shal haue the name / and yov shal haue the auctoryte and the foolke But is thys Christes churche Is thys holy churche that is so contrary to the lorde of all holynes who hathe made her so holye why dyd she not clayme this liberte / in christes and his holy apostles dayes But now my lordis oure moste noble and gracious prynce commaundeth yov to answere / and to defende youre awne lawes / to defende youre libertyes / and to laye for yov by what tytle you do vsurpe his graces power / seynge that yow be but his subiectis He wille know by what auctorite yov do kepe any Courtes / or do execute any commaundementes with in his royalme what auctoryte yov haue to prove testamentes / and to take of euery pound a sertyn and to geue letters of mynystracion / ouer those godes / that yov neuer laboured for Vvhat tytle haue you there to The maÌ„ was not youre subiect / and how come yov by the mynistracion of his goodes Also what auctorite haue you to defende youre temporall goodes with bothe swerdes as yt is wrytten in youre lawe 15 q. 6 Auâ—toritateÌ„ 15. q. 6. Auctoritatem This is more than the kynges grace can doo / for he hathe but one swerde / and will you haue bothe But what auctoryte haue you to punysh them that stryke preastes And them that be bacbyters / and sclanderers Furthermore by what auctorite de you coÌ„maund / that preastes shal not appere before temporall iudges 23. q. 8 CoÌ„venior 33 q. 2. Inter hec As yt ys wrytten in youre lawe 23. q. 8. Conuenior in the glosse Also in a nother place 33. q. 2. Inter hec Also by what auctorite / haue yov made that princes shal make no statute as concernynge the goods of the church 23 q. 8 Conuenior in the glosse 23 q. 8 CoÌ„venior But yff ony thinge shal be geuyn vn to you / than the Emperoure and kinges haue sufficient power / but yff you shall paye any thynge to the mayntaynynge of the kynges grace and hys commen welthe / than no man hathe auctoryte wyth out youre consent Haue you not wytched the world this longe tyme But forthermore / the kyngis grace wolde knowe / by what auctorite you haue made that a preast shall not be sued afore a temporall iudge for whoredom These be the wordes of youre lawe Di. 28. c. CoÌ„sulenâ—m But vn to you that be laye men / is lefâ—e no power for to iudge off preastes / nor yet to serche ony thyng of their liuing cÌ„ My lordes maye no man iudge / of youre lyuyng but youre selues a lone not the kynges grace / who hathe geuyn yov this exempcyon who hathe geuyn you power to be iudges over bawdrie Is bawdrye a spirituall cause / Dothe bawdrye belonge to spyrituall men S. paul calleth yt the worke of the fleshe Gala. 5. and will you call yt a spirituall cause It may well be spyrytuall of youre spryte / but I am suer it is agenste the sprete of god But by thys meanys haue you
perpetuall / but al that they haue is by youre graces eleccion and assynement More ouer these mē may not be of all maner of sortys / but they must be suche men as god hathe ordenyd there vnto / and that haue no nother particular adminystracion As Dukys Erlys / Barons and suche temporall lordes whych be ordenyd of god for that same purposse to helpe youre grace in alle suche tēporall causes And it were vnright that youre grace shulde set a Duke to preache godes worde / and a bysshop to be a Iudge in westmynster halle For the office of a bisshop is onlye to preach godes worde and there in to be a faythefull minister whyche thyng yf he doo / he is a trew bysshop a fore god / for the faythful administracion maketh him a bysshope ād not the name / neyther can the worlde make him A bisshop that dothe not preache truly Chrystes worde / but as oure master chryst saythe / A fore god they be but theuys and murtherars Ioan. 1◠And vn to them be the wordes of the prophete writtin / wo be vn to yov which do the worke of god dysseitfully / ād also S. Paule spekith in the name of all bysshops saynge / w◠be vn to me yff I preach not the gosspell / 1. Cor. 9. for necessite ys put vnto me and an office is committyd vn to me So that if the bisshops do not preach the worde of god / they be not necessarie / nor nedefulle vn to the bodye of christ wyche ys the churche For what good dothe that member of the body that dothe not his mynistracion As what profite were yt to haue an yie / that wolde nother se nor yet coulde se / or to haue afote that wolde neither goo nor coulde goo The bodye were welle easyd yff suche members were cutte a way / for they be but a burdē and a cumbraunce vnto the body So lyke wyse be these bysshops that glorye allonly in the name and in the dignities of the worlde / as oure bysshopes do / of whome the churche of god is nothyng lerned nor holpē / but allonly men doo lerne of thē / al pōpe and pryde / Disdayne / Spytefulnes / fornycacion / Advoutrye / Couituousnes / And how to oppresse oure poore bretherne And to blaspheme the blessyd name of god These be their workes and their examples that the church of god may lerne of them / as al the worlde can testifye And they that be their best frendes and wille lye for them with out shame can not proue a fore youre grace but that these thynges be trewe Now if it pleasse youre grace to remēber youre conscience / and thynke with in youre selfe whether that these bysshops be of God or none / And whether they ought thus to be sufferyd of youre grace or no whyche yf they were a mōge Infidilles colde not be thus sufferid both to rage agenste god also agenst man For doutles if there came an infidelle a monge vs that were lernyd in oure lawe / whyche is the worde of god / ād saw oure bisshops vse so frely their abhominabille pompe and pryde and vycious lyuynge / there were no doute but that he wolde meruelle and rekkyn in hys consciens that we lyued bothe with out lawe of god ād of mā For there is noo lawe that can alowe their lyuinge / wherefore youre grace is bounde in consciens to see a mendment / and to se them reformyd / and to sett them to do their mynistracyon that they be callyd vn to in the churche off god / and not so to steale and by vyolence to vsurpe / other mens administracions / and to dispise their awne dutye And if youre grace doo thus reforme them / no doute but you shall haue the fauore of god ād prosper in al thynges / and haue a commen welthe welle ordered / and welthye and trewe subiectis and faythefulle at youre nede For the ordinaunce of oure eternal father is / that alle men hye and lowe / spirituall or temporal / ryche or poore / of what state so euer they be shall be obedient vn to their prince not in one thynge / but in al thynges bothe in bodie and godis that be not agenst the worde of god So that if the kynges grace wolde requier any worldly ordinaunce over oure body or goodis / that is not agēst oure fayth / 1. Reg. ◠we are bound to obey and to fulfylle yt Thys power was geuen to kynges of god ād not by mā / as it is opē in the boekes of the kyngis So that it shal not be lawfull for no mā / with out daunger of his soule / for to breke yt For this haue the apostles lernyd and fulfylled bothe in worde and dede wherefore there may be no resystaūce / nor rebellion in ony wyse agenst oure prince for orderinge of these tēporal goodis / no though he do vnryght / but all must belefte to god and we must only suffer / and as for the wronge god shal punyshe yt at his pleasure / but it belongeth not to vs to resyst Therfore do I now exhorte al trewe Christen men ād women out of the bottom of my harte and bi the blessyd name of christ Iesus whyche ys the iudge of quycke deed / whose iudgemēt no man cā a voyd neyther by myght / neyther bi power neither by wissedom nor by lernynge / neyther by deeth nor by lyffe / neyther by man nor by angel / neither by saynte nor by deuyll / neither by place hye nor love / that they do fullefille this ordinaunce of oure eternall father with al the strength of their hartes / and obey and also defend their kynge at al tymys whan they be required / agenst al men / yee and if it were possibil for angels to rebelle agenst their kynge / that there also they / defend hym This do I beleue to be the truth / and thys is my consciens a fore god / a fore whome I must answer at the generall daye of iudgement / where as no falsehod nor hypocrysye can helpe where fore I doo protestate a fore God / A fore angelle / a fore man and a fore heuen and erthe / and all them I cal to recorde that I beleue this to be the veryte / and therfore wyll I abyde there by And thys protestacyon make I / with out any worldly compulsyon / Alonly compellyd by the heuenlye worde of god Now most gracyous prince / this is the confessyon of myne obedience that I owe vnto youre grace / whyche bothe I and all trew chrystened mē are bound to kepe And this haue I declared wyth open scrypturs of god and with the exposicions of doctours / the more dylygently / that I might stoppe the mouthes of myne aduersaryes whyche wolde not els be a shamed too instructe youre noble grace / how that I wolde intend treason / and
cause of my condemnacion / for this was allwaies layd to me a fore the vice chauncelar before whom they haÌ„delyd this matter secretly in the commen scolys the dorys loked and in the vicehaunchelars chaÌ„ber for they knewe well that al men of lernynge were agenst them and to this I answered no nother thynge but that the bysshops dyd never vse to come to sermones wher fore yff we shulde never repreue their abhominable lyuinge but whan they were present / than shuld yt be to longe More over / though they were absent yet were there present of their counselle of their courte the which wolde telle them that that I had spoken / for I had spoken yt for that purposse but there was no man a monge them al that coulde euer say of hys consciens but that these thynges that I had spokeÌ„ agenst the bisshops were trewe / yee and a great deale more / And yet must I poore man be condempned for an heretyke They maye by cause they be lord lye bysshops lyue in al abhominable and mischevous lyuinge with out shame aÌ„d with out repreue / and I must be condemned for an heretyke by cause I speake yt They maye do it / but I may not speake it / but god shal shortly either make an ende of theÌ„ or els of al the worlde for suche abhominable lyuinge as they lyve / the father of heuyn for the love of hys blessed sone Christ Iesus be mercyful vn to vs Amen The fyrst artycle If thou beleue that thou arte more bound to serue god to morow which ys Christemasseday or of Ester day or off whytsonsunday for ony holynes that is in one day more than in a nother / than art thou no faythefulle christen man / but supersticions / aÌ„d S. Paule ys agenste the saynge yov do obserue dayes yeares / Galat. 4. monthes and tydes / for vn to a faythfull christenman euerye day ought to be christemasseday Esterday whitsoÌ„suÌ„day The which thynge the fathers considerynge that thou dydest not obserue yee and that thou woldst neuer obserue yf yt were lefte to thy iudgemet for thou arte geuen so moche to wordlye busynesses / for that cause they haue assigned the certayne days to come to the church / to pray to gether / to here the worde of god to gether / and to receyve the blessyd sacrament to gether / what faute fynd yov in this artycle by cause I saye that one day is not holyar than a nother I pray you what is the cause / or what nature is in one day that is not in a nother where bi that that shulde be holyar than the other By cause yov wyl say that we hallowe the remembraunce of christes byrthe of christes resurreccion in one day and not in a nother This thinge I saye must yov doo everye day for christ is everie day borne / everye day rysen / everye day asseÌ„ded vpp And this must you beleue stedfastly / that he was borne for you / and rysse to kylle youre dethe / ascendyd for youre iustificacion / thys must you sanctifye in youre hertes everye day / and not one daye Now varye we but in thys thynge yov say that we are bound to sanctifye but one Christemasday in the yeare / and that is supersticiousnes and heresy say I / not that I condemne youre one day / but that you sett yt to one daye alonly that we are bound to do euery day Breuely my lorde of Rochester a lowed this article saynge he wold not coÌ„deÌ„ne it for heresy for an C. li. this was a great some of mony but yt was folyshly sayd quod he to preache this a fore the bodchars off cambryge / as who saye they were all bochers that were at the sermon But the bisshop of bathe askyd me whether we myght labour on the holy days or not seyng yt is wrytten thou shalte obserue thy holy day I answered / that christen men were not bounde to abstayne from bodily labour by that commaundement / for it was so geuyn to the Iuys / and yff we were bounde to abstayne froÌ„ boddyly labour by that commaundement / thaÌ„ was the kynges grace and all his counsell / my lorde cardinall all his counsell in the way off damnacion / for they causse men to carrye their stuffe on the holy daye what day so ever yt be whan they wyll remeue / at this reson all mi lordes were a stonnyed / aÌ„d wyste not what to say they were loth to condemne my lorde Cardinals grace / seynge he was so holye a prelate of christes church / aÌ„d the facte they coulde not denye wherefore at the laste my lorde of Rochester rememberd him selfe he ys an olde man and his bloud is colde a boute his harte and answered of this maner A goodly reason I will make you a lyke reason / the bisshop of wynchester sufferth the stuys ergo the stuys be lawful / at this reason was I a basshyd and sore afraid durste not answer to yt / for I perceyved that it was as lawfull for oure nobyll prince to carry stuffe on the holy day which is not ageÌ„st the worde of god As it is for an harlote of the stuys to lyue in opeÌ„ whordom which is ageÌ„st the worde of god / And yet my lordes the bisshops of their great cheryte and of their innumerble sprituall treasur sufferth bothe Brevelye yt were to longe to recyte alle the madnes that they dyd vse wyth me I wylle not saye cruellnes and yet ernestly they condemned me / but I wyll recyte the sayng of doctours which I layde for me / but they were not regarded S. Hierom sayth Ad Ga. 4. Therfore be certen days assygned that we shulde come to gether / not that that day in the which we come to get her is holiar than a nother / but all days be lyke and equalle and Christ is not alonly crucifide in parasceven and rysen only on the sonday / but the day of resurreccyoÌ„ ys all ways / all ways may we eate of oure lordes fleshe Epâ— â—19 cÌ„ Here. s Hierom saythe the selfe word that I spake aÌ„d of these wordes was I moued to speake as god dothe know Also S. Austayne / we must obserue the sabboth day / not that we shuld rekkyn oure selfe not to labour / but that all thynge that we doo worke well / must haue an intencion to the euerlastinge rest / wherfore we must obserue the holly day not by corporall idyllenes / and vn to the letter / but spiritually must we reste from vices and concupiscensys where fore a monge all the ten commaundemeÌ„tes that of the sabboth day alonly is commaundid to be figuratlye obserued and not by corporall idyllnes Aduersus Iudeos cÌ„ Also TertuliaÌ„ The carnall circumcision ys put a way and extyncted at hys tyme / Solykwyse the obseruacion off the sabboth day ys declared to be for a tyme / for we must kepe
the sabboth day not allonly the seventh day / but at all tymes as Esai saith cÌ„ But here my lorde of Rochester sayd / fyrst that I vnderstode not Tertulian Secondarilye / that he was an heretike / but I passe over myne answere for this ys but a lordly worde he coulde on nother wyse saue hys honour / but yet stondeth my scripture fast / S. HieroÌ„ S. Augustyn / also their awne law whose wordes be these / De consecra di 3. c peruenit It ys come vn to me that certayne men whych be of an euill sprytte haue sowed sertyn euyll thynges a monge you and contrary to the holy faythe / so that they do forbyd that men shulde worke on the sabboth day / the whyche men what other thynge shall we call them but the prechers of Antychryst / the which antychryst shall make the sabboth day and the sonday to be kept from all maner of worke Thys lawe clearly declareth you to be Antychrystes / thys is more thaÌ„ I sayde I haue great meruell that the bysshop of bathe beyng so myghty a lorde in coÌ„demnynge of heretykis was not lernyd in thys lawe seynge yt ys hys awne facultye The seconde Article NOw dare no man preache the trewe and the very gospell of god and in especiall they that be feble and feare / but I truste / ye and I praye to god that yt may shortly come / that false and manyfest errours may be playnly shewed / There be sertyn men lyke coÌ„dicionyd to dogges / yff they here any man that is not their contrymaÌ„ or that they loue not nor knowe not / that say any thynge agenst them / than crye they an heretyk / an heretyk / ad Ignem ad ignem / These be the dogges that fere trew preachers Vvhat heresy fynd you in thys Artycle The thirde Artycle VVe make now a days many marters / I trust we shall haue many mo shortly for the veryte could neuer be prechid plainly / but persecutioÌ„ dyd follow Here dyd my lorde of bathe inquire of me / yf I rekkenyd theÌ„ for marters that were burnt at brusellis / I answerd that I knewe not their cause wherfore they deyd but I rekenyd as many men to be marters as were persecutyd aÌ„d deyd for the word of god / but he sayd he wolde make me frye for thys ¶ The .iiij. Artycle THese lawys / These lawyers / these Iusticiarys / that saye that a man may lawfully aske hys awne good a fore a Iuge / contend in iugement for they haue dystroyed all pacieÌ„s / deuocyon / and faythe in chrysten people ¶ The .v. Article THis pleatinge in Iudgement is manyfestly agenst the gospell â— Cor. 6 Luc. 12. Homo quis me coÌ„stituit iudicem / And coÌ„trary to S. paule / I am oâ—o delictuÌ„ est cÌ„ The some of these two articles is / that a chrysten man may not coÌ„tend in IudgemeÌ„t with hys brother for hys priuate welthe / how thynke you is thys heresy what say you to S. paul / whych sayeth Now ys there vtterlye synne a monge you by cause you go to lawe one wyth a nother why rather suffer you not wrong / why rather suffer you not youre selues to be obbid May not I speake these wordis / be they not of holy scrypture was not I a preacher and a doctour was not thys Auctoryte suffycyent Matt. 5. Also oure Master sayeth yf any man wyll sue the at the lawe and take thy cote from the / lett hym haue thy cloke also / wolde not oure master that we shulde rather suffer wronge / than to go to lawe for oure priuate welthe May not I say these wordes / wherfore were they wryttyn by the holy goost but that they shulde be lerned But lett vs goo to youre doctours / Athanasiê° ad cor 6. Athanasius on S. paulis texte / There is vtterly synne a mong you / that is to say yt ys to youre coÌ„demnacion and to youre ignominy that you do excercyse iudycialles a monge you / wherfore do you not rather suffer wronge S. HieroÌ„ ad cor 6 Also S. Hierom / yt ys synne vnto you that yow do agenste the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t of christ / that you haue IudgemeÌ„tes a monge you that which ought all ways to kepe peasse / ye though it were with the losse of youre temporall goodes / where fore do you not rather suffer wronge where as you ought by the coÌ„mandemeÌ„t of the gospel / and by the exampyll of the lorde pacyently to suffer / there do you the contrary / not allonly not suffer / but you do wronge vn to them that doo no wroÌ„ge cÌ„ Mark how S. Hierom callethe yt a precept aÌ„d a coÌ„mauÌ„dmeÌ„t and no couÌ„sell Also Haymo sayth / Haymo ad cor 6 yt ys offence and synne in you that you haue Iudicialles for accusacion ingenderth stryffe / Stryffe ingenderth discorde / Dyscorde ingenderythe hattryd And lest peradueÌ„ture they wolde say this is no syne to requyre myne awne / there fore sayth the apostyll / truly it is synne vnto you / for you do agenst the coÌ„mandemeÌ„t of the lorde the whych saythe / Luc. 6. he that taketh a waye thy good aske yt not agayne / wherfore do yow not rather suffer wronge wherfore do you not rather suffer losse that you myght fulfyll the coÌ„maÌ„demeÌ„t of the lorde cÌ„ Mark how he callyth yt the commandemeÌ„t of god and it ys synne to aske oure awne with contencion / 14. Q. d his ita And youre awne lawe sayth They are forbydyn to contende in Iudgement / yt muste be thus vnderstonde that they may not stoÌ„de a fore a Iudge for them selfe but for other men cÌ„ Now what haue I sayd in myne artycle that holy scrypture / holy docturs and also youre awne lawe doo not saye / but vn to thys sayde my lorde off Saynt Asse that these scrypturs were but counselles aÌ„d no preceptes / alleggyd lira for him of this texte / si vis ê‘fectus esse / to whoÌ„ I did laye the auctoryte of S. paul that callyth it sinne which it coulde not be if it were but a counsell Also the auctorite of S. Hierom / which callyth it openly a precept but to this he answeryd shaking of his hed pytuously said / A good M. doctour if you were lernyd in duns you wolde saye other wyse / but the selfe bysshop could saye to a certayne doctor which had great meruell why thy haÌ„delyd me so that I had opyn vroÌ„g but he could not do therto but after this cam a doctour of law whoÌ„ I know not aÌ„d sayd that their lawe had condeÌ„nyd this opynion and declaryd those scripturs to be but couÌ„sells / but I denyed that and sayd I knewe no suche law and sodenly Doctour steuyn shewed me their lawe / whose wordes be these / Illud euangelij / 14. Q. 1. his ita si
mercifulle / and so mercifulle / that he wyll not impute my synnes vn to me / Though they be neuer so great so longe as I hange on the blessyd bloud of Christe Iesus he is also a lyberalle father / yee and that vn to me lyberalle / which will not alonly promyse me al thynges / but also geue them me whether they be necessary to the body or to the soule He ys also not alonly lyberalle / but myghty to performe all thynges that he promisyth vn to me Breuely this faith maketh me to hange clearely off god and off his blessed promisis and not too fere dethe nor none afflyccion / nor persecucions / nor tribulacion / but too dispysse all these thinges / and not allonly these / but to dispisse also myne awne selfe / mine awne body / myne awne life for Christes sake Finallye of a fleshely best it maketh me a spirituall man / of a damnabille childe / yt maketh me a heuenly sone / Of a seruaunt of the deuell / yt maketh me a fre man of godys / both deliuered froÌ„ the lawe / from sinne / from dâ—the / fro the deuell / and from all mysery that might hurte me My lordes this is the faythe that dothe Iustifie / and be cause it is geuen from heuen in to oure hartis by the sprete off god / therfore it can be no ydille thynge / But it must nedis do all maner of thingis / that be too the honour off god / and also to the profite of oure neyboure / in so muche that at all tymis necessary yt must nedis worke well / and also brynge forthe all good workes / that may be to the profitte and helpynge off any man But these workys be not done / too Iustifye the man / but a iuste man must nedes do them / Not vnto his profite / but allonly to other meÌ„s profites / euyn as oure Master Christ / suffered hunger and thurst / and persecucion and toke greate labours in preachinge of hys worde / ye aÌ„d also suffered deth all these thinges I say dyd he not to further or to profite him selfe / But for oure merit and for oure profytt / so likewyse doth a Iuste man his workes And as a good tre in tyme off yeare bringeth forthe a god appylle / not to make hym good for he is good a fore / nor yet this appyl is not to his profyt / But vn to other mens not withstondinge the good nature that ys in him must nedys brynge yt forthe / so lykewyse the Iuste man must nedys do good workys / not by them to be Iustyfyde / but allonly in them to serue hys brother for he hathe no nede of them / as consernynge hys Iustyfycacyon wherefore now here haue yow the very trewe cause off Iustyfycacyon / that is faythe allonly / And also the very trewe waye and maner of doynge good workis / And how that no man can do good workis but a Iustified maÌ„ / As oure Master Christ saythe / eyther make the tre good aÌ„d thaÌ„ hys frute most be good / Mat. 7. Or ellys the tre euyll and hys frute also euyll for a good tre must nedys brynge forth good frute / And a bad / evell frute But now lett me answere to theyr scrypturs and too their carnall reasons that they brynge to proue that workys do Iustyfye SoluetoÌ„s to the scripture whych thei falsly allege Fyrst cometh the flesslye and damnable reson / And the saythe yf we be Iustyfyde allonly by fayth what nede we to do any good workis what nede we to crucyfye or to mortyfye oure fleshe / for all these wylle not profytt vs / and we shall be sauyd though we do none of them al. Thus dyd blinde reason dispute with Saint Paule whan that he had prouyd / that god off hys mere marcy / had delyuered vs frely from the damnable bondage off the lawe / A none he Iudged that he myght doo what he wolde / for he was no longer vndernethe the lawe / To thys Saynt Paule answereth / that yf we obey vn to the workys of synne / than are we the seruauntys off synne / and yff we obey to the workys off Iustys than are we the seruauntes off Iustys / soo that yff we truly haue that same faythe that Iustyfythe vs / we shall desyere too doo noo nother workys but those that belonge too Iustyfycacyon / not that the workys do Iustyfye vs / but that we must nedys doo these workys / as the very trew frutys off Iustificacyon / aÌ„d therfore those men that wyll do no good workys by cause they be Iustyfyde alonly by faythe / be not the chylderne of god nor the chylderne of Iustyfycacyon / and of that ys this a suer and an euydent token / for yf they were the very trew chylderne off god / they wolde be the gladder to doo good workys / by cause that they are Iustyfyed frely Therfore shulde they also be mouyd frely to worke / yff yt were for no nother purposse / nor profyte / but allonly to doo the wyll off their mercyfulle god / that hathe so frely Iustyfyed them / and also to profyte theyr neyboure / whom they are bound to serue of very trewe cheryte Take an exampell / here ys a thefe that ys condemnyd by ryght and by law to be hangyd whom the kyngis grace of hys mercy / dothe frely delyuere from the gallous / and geuythe hym hys pardon / Nowe thys thefe thus delyuered wyll not kepe hym selfe a trew man nor do those workys that belonge to a trew man to doo / but fallyth agayn to stelynge by cause the kynge perdonyd hym so frely / and rekenyth that the kynge ys so mercyfull that he wyll hange noo theuys but delyuer them all of hys mercy with out their deseruyng / Now how thynke you wyll the kynge be marcyfull vn to thys thefe whan he comythe agayne to the gallous nay truly / but yff he had done those thynges that the kyngys pardon deseruyd / than had he come noo more in danger / but shulde haue byn styll in the kyngys fauouâ—e TheÌ„ cometh my lorde off Rochester / aÌ„d he saith the faith doth be gynne a Iustyfycacyon in vs / But workys do performe yt and make yt parfyt / and by cause that noo man shall thynke that I lay yt vn to hym vnrightwisly I wil resyte his awne wordes Arti. 1. Per fidem initiari dicitur iusticia soluÌ„ / non auteÌ„ coÌ„summari naÌ„ coÌ„suÌ„mata iusticia noÌ„ aliter quaÌ„ exoperibê° natis / et in luceÌ„ editis acquiri potest / Opera coÌ„summate iustificaÌ„t / Fides primuÌ„ inchoat cÌ„ Vvhat christenyd man wolde thynke that a bisshope wolde thus triffylle and play wyth godys holy worde Godys worde ys soo playne / that no man can avoyde yt how that faythe Iustyfythe allonly / and now commyth my lorde of Rochester / wyth a lytle and a vayne
churche ys a spiritualle thynge and no exteryor thynge but invisible from carnalle yies I say not that they be invisible that be of the churche / but that holy churche in hyr selfe ys invisyble as faithe is / and hyr puernes and clennes ys a fore chryst only / and not a fore the world / for the worlde hathe no Iudgement nor knowlege of hyr but alle hir honour aÌ„d clennes is a fore Christ suer and faste / and if ther 's apere any of hyr goodnes vn to the worlde / of that she makyth no rekenynge / nor thynkyth her selfe any thynge the better / that the worlde Iudgeth wel of hyr for alle hyr trust is in christ onlye She suffereth the worlde rage and blaspheme bothe agenst hyr and agenst chryst hyr maker She stondith fast and beleuythe stedfastly / that that shalle haue a shamfulle ende / and euerlastinge damnacion to rewarde Breuely / hyr meditacions and hyr thoughtes are heuynly and alle that she dothe is spiritualle For she can not erre she cleaveth so faste to the worde of god that is the verite And for thys cause Saynte Paule / callyth hyr the pyler and ground of truth / not that she is so suer of and in hyr awne strength / but that she stykkyth so fast to the lyuynge god and to hys blessed worde / this is the very trewe churche / that is scattered thorow al the worlde / is neither bound to parson by the reason of dignyte / nor yet to any place by the resoÌ„ of faynyd holynes / But she is a fre thinge thorow alle the world as S. Augustine dothe witnes in these wordes / Augusti ser 99. de tempore The holy churche are we / but I do not say we as one shuld saye / we that be here alonly / that heare me now / but as many as be here faythefull christenyd men in this churche / that is to say in this Cytie / As many as be in this regyon / as many as be beyounde the see / as mani as be in alle the wholle world for from the rysynge of the sonne tylle the goyng dovne is the name of god prayssed so is the holy churche oure mother cÌ„ Here haue yov playnly / that the holy churche is the congregacion of faithefulle men where so euer they be in the world And neither the pope / nor yet his cardynallys be more this churche or of this churche than the poorest man in erthe / for this churche stondeth alonlye in the spiritual faith of christ Iesus / and not in dignyties nor honoures of the worlde / as Liranus dothe declare in these wordis The churche dothe not stond in men by the reson of spritualle power / Lyram mar ca. 19 or secular dygnite / For many pryncis many popes / and other inferior persons haue sweruyd from the faithe / wherfore that churche dothe stonde in those parsons in whome is the trew knowlege and confession of faythe / and of veryte cÌ„ O my lordes what wille yov say to lira I haue great mervelle that yov burne hym not It is hye tyme to condeÌ„ne hym for an heretyke / for he speaketh agenst youre lawe xxiiij q. 1. Quodcumque where as youre glosse declarithe that god suffereth not The romechurche for to erre / and lyra saythe playne that many popis haue erred And also that the churche stondith not in dygnyte but in confessyon of christ and of his blessid verite But now here wille be obyectyd that I fayne such a churche / as oure logicions do intencionem secundam that is a thynge that is no where Vvhere shalle a man fynde a churche that is so puer and so clene that hathe neither spot / nor wrynkille in hare and that is with out alle syn / seynge that alle men must of truth say / Matt. 6 1. Ioan. 1. forgeue vs oure trespas And if any man say be he neuer so rightwise that he hathe no syne than is he a lyer / and there is no veryte in hym / To this I answere / Ephesi 5. that this holy churche hathe synne in hyr and yet is she puer and clene / Marke S. paulis wordis Christ hathe geuyn hym selfe for hir that he myght make hyr glorious / So that the clennes of this holy church is the mercy of god toward hyr thorow christ for whose sake he laithe nothinge to her charge yee and if any other parson wolde / he is reddy to geue hir his clennes / and to lett hyr by faithe clayme of ryght his puernes for hyr awne For by twene them alle is commen / as be twene maÌ„ and wyfe So that if the churche loke on hyr awne meritis and of hyr awne workis / she ys fulle of synne and must nedis say dimitte mihi debita The whiche she nedid not to say if she had none But if she referre hyr selfe vn to the merittis of hyr blessid husbonde christ Iesus / and to the clennes that she hathe in his bloud / than is she with out spotte For by the reson that she stickith by faythe so fast vn to hyr husbaÌ„d christ and dothe a byde in confession of hyr synne / and requyerith mercy for them / therfore is there nothynge layd to hyr charge / but alle thinge is forgeuyn hyr And therfore saithe S. Paule / there is no damnacion vnto them that be in Christe Iesu And that this may be the playner I wille brynge yov Augustinê° de verbis apostoli s 29. S. Austins wordes / the which was vexed of the donatistes with thys same reson that ys layde agenste me / hys wordes be these The holle church saith / forgeue vs oure synnes / wherefore she hathe spottes and wrynkylles / but by knowlegynge of them / her wrynkylles be exteÌ„ded stretched out / by knowlegynge / hir spottes are wasshed away The churche a byddeth in prayer that she myght be clensed by knowlegynge of hyr synnes As longe as we lyue here so standeth yt / and whan we shalle departe out of this bodye / alle suche thynges be forgeuen to everye maÌ„ / wherefore by this meane the church of god / is in the tresurs of god / with out spot aÌ„d wrynkylles and therfore here doo we not lyue with out synne / but we shall passe from hence with out synne cÌ„ Here haue yov clearly that the church of god is clensed puryfide by christ for knowlegynge of hir synnes / not by hir awne puernes wherefore suche a church there must nedes be / though that the carnalle yie can not se hâ—re / nor fleshely reson can iudge of hyr wherefore we beleue this article by faith that holy churche is a coÌ„munion or felyshyp of holy men / aÌ„d know yt not by seynge or felynge / as we do the felishype of drapers or mercers / for than were yt none article of the faith And yt ys playne that all
youre exterior sygnes / with alle youre holye ornamentes / as youre holy myters / youre holy crossestauys / youre holye pyllers and polaxis / youre holy red gloues / youre holy ouches / and poure holye rynges / youre holye anoynted fyngers / youre holy vestmentis / youre holly challisys / youre holy goulden showys / yee take also to helpe yov S. Thomas of Canterberys holy showe wyth alle the holy botys of holye monkys all these to gether can not make one crumme of holynes in yov / nor helpe yov one prycke forward / that yov may be wyth in this churche For if these thynges coulde helpe / than were yt no mastery to make an asse to be of the church of god But oure holy mother the church hathe a nother holynes / that cometh from god the father thorow the sweat bloud of his blessed sonne Iesus Christ / in whome is alle hyr confidens trust Vn to whome she stycketh onlye by stedfast faith / by whose purenes she ys also puer in that that she dothe confesse hyr vnclennes / for she beleueth stedfastly that she hathe an aduocate for hyr synne to the father of heuen / which is christe Iesus 1. Ioan. 2. And he is the satisfaccioÌ„ for hyr synnes And he of his marcye not of hyr merites hathe chossen hyr for to be his / and by cause she ys hys / therfore must she be clene so loÌ„ge as she abyâ—eth in hym This is well declared in Ioan. 15 S. Iohan where oure Master Christe is coÌ„pared to the vyne and all the members of holy churche to the branches / that as the branches / can brynge forth no frute of them selfe / so can holy churche of hyr felfe brynge forth no goodnes excepte she remayne in christ by perfyt faithe This is wel proued by youre awne lawe whose wordes be these / therfore is the churche holy / by cause she beleueth rightwyselye in god cÌ„ De coÌ„ Di 4. c. prima igitur Here yov not the cause wherefore the church is holy by cause she beleueth rightwyselye in god / that is she beleueth in nothynge but in hym / and she beleuethe nor hereth nor worde but hys / as oure Master Chryste berythe wytnes / my shepe here my voyce / and a nother mans voyce doo they not knowe / also in a nother place / he that is of god / herythe the wordes of god / how commythe this that the church of god hathe so suer a iudgement / that she knowythe the voyce of Christe from other voycis and can not erre in hyr iudgement By cause that Christ hath chosen hyr / and by cause she ys lerned of god as oure master Christ saith / and by cause she hath as 1 Iohan. 2. S. Iohan saith the inward oyntement off god / that techyth his alle maner of verite / so that she can not erre / but why can she not erre by cause she may do what she wille By cause that all thynge that she dothe / is well done by cause she maye make newe rules and newe lawes at hir plesure By cause she may invent a newe seruice of god that is not in scripture at hir wille Nay nay my lordes For she is but a woman must be ruled by hyr husbonde / yee she is but a shepe and must here the voyce of hyr sheppard / and so longe as she dothe / so longe can she not erre by cause the voyce of here shepperd can not be false De pene Dis 2. Si in glossa 24. q. 1 A recta et in Glossa This maye be proued by youre awne lawe whose wordes be these / the whole churche can not erre / also in a nother place / the congregacioÌ„ of faith fulle men must nedes be which also can not erre cÌ„ These wordes be playne what churche yt is that can not erre / that is the congregacion of faithfulle men that be gethered in christes name / which haue christes spret which haue the holy oyntement of god / whiche abyde faste by christes worde / and here no nother mans voyce but his Now my lordes gather yov alle to gether with alle the lawes that you can make / and all the holynes / that yov can deuysse / Crye / the church / the church / the counsels / the counsels that were lawfully gathered in the power of the holye gost alle this may yov say and yet lye and yf yov haue not in dede the holly goste with in yov / and iff yov do heare any other voyce than christes / thane are yov not of the church / but of the deuylle / and theuys and murtherars as christ saith For yov come a fore him / that is yov come in to the foulde of Christe wyth out him / yov brynge not his voyce / but yov come with youre awne voyce / with youre awne statutis / with youre awne worde / and with youre awne mandamus / mandamus / precipimus / precipimus / excommunicamms / excommunicamus These be the voyces of murtherars and Theuys and not of Christ / therfore yov can not but erre / for yov be not taught of god / you haue not the holy oyntement yov haue not the worde of god for yov / yov here not the voyce of the trewe shepperd / there fore must yov nedes erre in alle youre counselles This is a nother maner of rule thane my lorde of iochester dothe assine to examen youre counselles by / for he saith / where that the pope and the counsell dothe not agre alle in one there wylle he susspect the counselle not to be ryght who did euer here suche a rule of a christenyd man yee and of a bishop yee and of a doctor of diuinite / where hathe he lerned this diuinite to recken a counselle to be trewe / by cause that the pope aÌ„d so many men do agre in one / yee that suche men as haue so oftyn tymes erred in their counsels / as he dothe declare hym selfe rekenynge the counselle of Constantinople that had .330 bisshops and yet did erre / and he knew no nother cause / but by cause the pope dyd not agre to them / is not thys a resonable cause can not the pope erre lett hym redâ— his awne lawe Dis 19. Anastasius / Dis 40. Si papa and also .24 q. 1. A recta in the glosse / there shall he finde that the pope hathe erred wherfore than shulde the matter stonde in hys iudgement Now how wille he by this rule saue the counselles of constance / and of basel where in both counsels the popes were condemned for heretykes as the same counsels make mencion / also that the counsels haue erred that graunteth he hym selfe / but paraduenture he wyll say / that they were not fulle counsels Now is yt well a mended / what dysticcionis as consernynge the veryte in a
with out any holynes Now haue I declared vn to yov / what is holy church / that is the congregacion of faithfulle men thorow out alle the worlde and where by she is holye / that is / by Christes holynes and by christes bloude / aÌ„d also what is the cause that she can not erre / by cause that she kepeth hyr selfe so faste to the worde of god / which is a parfyt and a trewe rule â—ow a maÌ„ may knowe the churche Now must we declare by what sygnes and tokens that we may knowe that in thys place or in that place there be serten members of this holy church / for though she be in hyr selfe sprytualle and caÌ„not be perfytly knowen / by oure exterior senses / yet neuer the lesse we may haue serten tokens / of hyr spritualle presens / where by we may reken that in this place and in that place be sertyne of hyr members As by a naturalle example / though the soule of man in hyr selfe be spritualle and invisible yet may we haue suer tokens of hyr presence / as herynge movynge / spekynge / smellynge / with suche other So lykewysse / where the word of god is trewly and perfytly preached with out the damnable dreames of men / and where yt is welle of the herars reseued / and also where we se good workes that doo openly agre wyth the doctrine off the gospell these be good and suer tokens where by that we may iudge / that there be some meÌ„ of holy church As to the fyrste / where as the gospelle ys trewly pÌ„ched yt must nedes lyght in some meÌ„s hartis / as the prophete wyttnesseth / my worde / shalle not returne a gayne to me frustrate / but yt shall doo all thynge that I wille / and yt shal prospere / Esaie 55. in those thynges / vn to the whiche I dyd send yt Also S. Paule saithe faithe cometh by heryng / and herynge cometh by the worde of god / Rom. x. and therfore yt is open in holye scripture that whan Peter spake the wordes of god the holye goste felle dovne on them alle Actu 10. wherfore yt ys open that godes worde can neuer be preched in vayne / but some men must nedes reseue yt / aÌ„d there by be made of holy churche / though that men doo not know them neyther by theyr names nor yet by their faces / for this worde is reseued in to their hartes The seconde token ys / that the reseuers of this word doo worke welle there after as 1. Tessa 2. s Paule declareth of his herars whan yov reseued of vs the worde where with god was preched / yov reseued yt not as the worde of men / but euen as yt was in dede / the worde of god whych worketh in yov that beleue So that if men doo worke after the worde of god yt ys a good token that ther be men off the churche / though that we hypocrisye ys so subtylle and so secret may be often tymes dysseued by these vtward workes / but neuerthelesse cherite iudgeth well of all thynges that haue a good outward shyne / and be not openly agenst the worde of god / but it is no ieoperdye though cherite be dysseued / for he is open to alle ieoperdyes but faith is neuer disseued Now to oure purposse / that where the worde of god is preched trewly / yt is a good a perfyt token that there be some meÌ„ of christes church / this may be proued by chrisostimus wordes / they that be in Iudea let theÌ„ fle vp in to the mountayns / that is to say they that be in chrystenduÌ„ / let theÌ„ geue theÌ„ selfe to scripturs wherefore coÌ„mandeth he that alle chrystened men in that tyme shulde flye vn to scriptures / for in that tyme in the whiche hereses haue opteyned in to the church / there caÌ„ be no trew probacion of christendom nor no nother refuge vn to christen men willynge to know the verite off faith / but the scripturs of god A fore by many ways was yt shewed which was the church of Christ / and which was the congregacion of gentilles / but now there is no notherway to know vnto them that wylle knowe which is the very trew churche of Christ / but alonly by scripturs By workes fyrst was the church of christ knoweÌ„ whan the conuersacion of christen men / other of alle or of many were holy / the which holynes had not the wykked men / but now christen meÌ„ / be as evylle or worsse thaÌ„ heretikes or gentles yee and greater continencie is founde amonge them / than a monge christen men wherefore he that wille knowe which is the very churche of christ / how shall he know but by scripturs onlye / wherefore oure lorde consideringe that so grett confusion of thynges shulde come in the latter days / therfore commaundeth he that christen meÌ„ which be in christendom willynge to reserue the stedfastenes of trewe faith shulde flye vn to no nother thynge but vn to scripturs for yf they haue respect vn to other thinges they shalle be sclandered and shall perishe / not vnderstondyng which is the trewe church cÌ„ These wordes nede no exposicion they be playne I nough they do also exclude all maner of lernynge sauynge holy scripture / wherefore se how yov can with honestie saue youre holy lawes / and defend them ageÌ„st Chrisostom Moreover iff chrisostom complayne of the incontenency that was in his days / how wolde he coÌ„playne if he now lyued and sawe the baudry fornicacion / that is in the churche Also he sendith men to scripturs that wyll knowe the holy church / and not vnto the holy churche for in the churche were heresys / but not in scripture Also Ephe. 2. S. Paule wyttnesyth the same sayng / yov are bylte a pon the foundacioÌ„ of the apostylles and prophetes / here haue you playnly that the very trewe church is grounded ye and foundyd of holy scripture / and therfore where so euer that the worde of god is preched / that is a good token that there be some men of christes church But now as to the frutes and workes of this church / she dothe alonly fetch out hyr maner of lyuynge / and alle hyr good workes out of the holy word of god / and she faynyth not nor dremythe any other newe holynesse or new invented workes that be not in scripture but she ys content with christes lernynge aÌ„d beleueth / that christ hath sufficienly taught hyr alle maner of good workes that be to the honoure of oure heuynly father Therfore inuenteth she no nother way to heuen but followeth christe only / in sufferynge oppressions and persecucions / blasphemynges and alle other thynges that may be layd vnto hyr / which as S / Augustine saithe she lerned of oure Master Christe Augustinê° Oure holy mother the church thorow out alle
nothinge but erre Not with stoÌ„dinge we are so blyndyd that we thynke darknys lyght / and erroures verytye This is opynly prouyd / by alle oure grett Clarkely scolemen / and that yt may be opyn to alle men / I wille recyte what they lerne of the keyes Duns and all his scolars saye that these keyes be nothynge els / Scotê° 4. sent di 18 but an auctorite geuyn to pristes where by they geue sentence / that heuyn must be openid to this man and schyt vnto the other so that heuyn is openyd and shyt at the sentence of the pryst / This is his lerninge â–ª who coulde haue invented suche a doctryne / but the deuille hym selfe who caâ—e speke agretter heresy than this ys who cane speke more opynly agenst christ and hys holy scripture If the auctorite of the pryst be the keyes of heuyn / and cane opyn and shytte heuyn / than nede wâ— no nother thynge to oure saluacyon / but the auctoryte of the pryst / than can no man be sauyd with out the auctorite of the pryst / than cane there no prystes be damned / For they haue the keys of heuyn / I thynke they wille not be so mad as by their auctorite to shytt them selfe with the deuylle Breuely what nede haue we of Christ and of hys holy worde / For the auctorite of the pryst is the keye of heuyn / but let me bryng theyr awne wordes that the matter may be playner Nicho. de orbel dâ— vtsupra The keye in thys purposse is takyn after the symilitude of a materiall keye whiche is the next instrumeÌ„t to shyt to opyn a dore by where by we enter in to the howse So lykewise / the auctorite to geue sentence that heuyn mvst be openyd vn to this man / is called the keye cÌ„ / To vse many wordis in refellynge this damnable opinioÌ„ yt nedeth not / But ageÌ„st them all / I will set the auctorite of Saynt Hierom whose wordis be these / I shall geue the the keys of heueÌ„ Thys place / Hiero in M. c. â—6 the Bysshops and the prystis not vnderstondynge haue vsurpyd vn to them som what of the pharisys pride / so that they thynke that they may condemne innocentis / and loosse them that be gylty / whan a fore god not the sentence of the pryst but the lyffe of the giltye is regardyd cÌ„ Here you haue playnly that the senteÌ„s of the prist is not lokyd on / nor abyll to loose a sinner a fore god / Marke also that Saynt HieroÌ„ saithe you vnderstoÌ„d not this place Moreouer I wold know of you all / where you can brynge me one exampyll in scripture / that the sentence of a prist hath losyd a synner / or bound a ryghtwise man / and yf it can not do this / than is there a nother thynge a boue the sentence of a prist Furthermore that youre auctorite shuld be the keyes of heuyn / it is agenst reason and agenst youre awne lernyng / for duns and also lyra of this same texte / Scotê° 4. sen dist 15 Quest 1. QuodcuÌ„que ligaueris / do playnly declare / that youre key of auctoryte may erre / Now if it may erre / than is yt not the right key to the locke of heuen / for the right key can neuer erre in hys awne locke / wherefore at the most yow can make it but a pickelocke whiche belongeth to robbers and theuys only Moâ—eouer if thys were the key / than shulde we neuer be in suerte whether heuen were opened or not First we haue no promysse nor no worde of god / made vnto this key / And agayne we can not know whaÌ„ it openeth heuen and whan not / for it may erre after youre awne doctors and yf it chaunce for to erre than are not heuen gatys openyd / So that be this meanys we shall be all ways in doute / whether we by lossyd from oure synne or not Vvherfor we must seke out a nother key that is the very trew key to the locke the whiche cannot erre / of the whiche we shall be in suerte and wyth out all doute / But ere we declare what thys key is / we wyll first shewe the nature and the propertye of this key Saynt Augustine saithe That must be callyd a key where by the hardnes of oure hartis are openyd vn to faithe / Aug. ser 2. de sane and where by the secrettnes of myndes are made manyfest / A key yt ys saithe he the which dothe bothe opyn the consyens to the knowlege of synne / and also includyth grace / vn to the holsomnes of the euerlastynge mistery cÌ„ This is the diffynicion of thys keye that we speke of after / Saynt Augustyne / Now compare youre power vn to this diffinicyon / and see how they do agree Fyrst what caÌ„ youre power doo which you call youre key to remoue a way the hardnes of the harte / and to brynge in faythe Agayne what can youre key Iudge of the secretnes of mans mynde Thirdly what can youre power doo to mans conscieÌ„s to make hym to knowlege his sinne yee where by do yow know youre awne synne by youre power thaÌ„ haue all pristis a like knowlege Fynallye what grace dothe youre power include in him that may brynge vs to euerlastynge Ioye where fore you see that this diffinicion agreethe as well with youre keye / as Chalke and Chese There fore must we seke a nother keye / that hathe all these propertyes This ys nothynge ellys / but the holy worde of god / wherby that we reseue faithe in to oure hartis as S. paule sayth / Rom. â—0 Faith is by heringe and herynge is by the wordes of god / aÌ„d for thys cause the holy prophete callyth it a lanterne saynge Psal 118. Thy worde is a lantern vn to my fette / and yt ys light vn to my pathys Ibidem By thys worde do we reseue lyffe as the prophete saythe / Thy speache shall quickyn me Also the secrettys of oure hartys be opened by thys worde as Saynt paule declarith saynge yf there come one that doth not beleue / he ys repreuyd by the word off all men and the secretis of hys harte are openyd / â— Cor. â—4 By this worde also is declared vn to vs grace and euerlastynge lyffe as â— Thy. â— S. paule saith / christ hath put a waye deth / hathe brought lyffe and immortalite vn to light thorow the gospel / Thys is thou thynge only where by that oure coÌ„sciens is loosed and mad fre froÌ„ synne Therfore saith the holy prophete there is muche peasse vn to them that loue the lawe of god / Psal 118. aÌ„d there is no sclaunder vnto them / muche peasse ys nothinge ellis but remissioÌ„ of synnes / ye that with out any doute / for he that is loosed by the word of god
that yov doo / as consernynge youre mynistracyon / but that yov wille haue mony for yt / not so muche as wasshynge of a hepe of stonnes where by haue yov gotten alle youre great possessions / but alonly vnder the collour / that yov be Christes holy bisshops Monye ys a merchaunte For monny you make whordom as lawfulle as matrimonye For monye / stollen good shalle be better than heritage For moÌ„nny / you make vsery lawfulle merchandis For mony / alle synnes be vertue yee and also haue grett perdon to theÌ„ For monny / yov sell man / wyfe / mayd and childe kynge and Londe For monny you make as good merchandis / of womens preuytyes / as a goldsmyth dothe of gylted platte yov wylle rekken that this is a shame for me to wrytte / but yt is more shame for yov to doo yt / and iff yov did not these shamfulle dedes I shulde haue none occasyon to make this shamfulle wrytinge / take yov away the cause and I wyll take a waye the wrytinge yee yov are not so content / but you sell Christ yov selle the blessed sacrameÌ„t off his flesh and bloude / yov selle his holye worde / yov selle all other sacramentes / breuely yov selle / alle maner of thynge that euer he lefte in erthe to the comforte of mans solle / and all for monny / ye and not so content but yov make also molawes and mo statutes / and dyspence wyth theÌ„ for monny / and alle these thynges doo yov / by the auctorite of the keyes / that bothe open heueÌ„ and helle / and a mans coffer and also his pursse yee and sumtyme they losse the cotte from his backe Oure master Christe saith vnto yov / yov haue reseued yt fre geue yt fre agayne / and yov geue nothyng fre / but I know youre answere yov wille say that yov sell not youre masse nor sacramentes nor the worde of god / but the laboure that yov haue aboute them O thou deuylle whan wylte thou be with out an excuse / whan wylte thov graunte they selfe gylty Telle meye that be with out shame / yf yov do selle but youre labour is it not sore and an vnlawfulle pryse to selle yt so dere what bisshop caÌ„ deserue by his labour a thousande pounde by yere / and yet some of them haue a great delle more / and labour nothynge at all How dere wylle these meÌ„ selle their labour yf they shuld be tankerdeberars / they wold make watter derar than wyne / yee telle me what labour there is wyth in the royalme that is halfe so dere solde as their ydylnes ys But yov bellygodes dyd not Christes appostles take paynys and labours / a bought the ministracion of the worde and in fulfyllynge of their office / more in one day than yov â—oo in alle your lyuys / and yet was it not lawfulle for them more to reseue thane a lyuynge for oure Master Christ saide / the worke man is worthy of his mette / Mat. 10 so that oure master wolde that they shulde reseue no more but necessarie / 1. Cor. 9· Also S. Paule saithe oure lorde did orden that they which preche the gospelle shulde lyue on the gospelle / marke how he saith they that preche the gospelle / now which of yov all dothe preche the gospell / Hierom. not one and yet wylle yov enioye these innumerable possessions Saynt Hierom sayth on his same texte / you must lyue on the gospelle / Chrisosto ad Ti. 5. but not be ryche / also Chrisostom saithe / I say boldly that the bisshops and prelates off the churche / may haue nothynge but meate aÌ„d drynke clothe cÌ„ Here haue yov planly / that yf yov dyd laboure faith fully truly in the go gospelle / yov coulde haue but a lyuynge there on / no lordly possessions / but now do yow nothynge in the worlde / but exercysse tyranny on theÌ„ that wold preche the gospelle / make lawes statutes / to destroye them / Chri. s 6. de anathemate the holye gospelle of god / so that Chrisostom speketh well of yov / Be holde I see men that haue no trew sence of holy scripture / yee they vnderstonde nothynge at all therof / to passe ouer meny thynges for I am a shamed to calle theÌ„ mad men / try fyllars wranglars they be suche as know not what they saye nor of what thing they speke / but aloÌ„ly be they myghtye bolde to make lawes / to cursse condeÌ„ne those thinges of the whiche they know no thinge at alle cÌ„ Be not these youre workes who can saye / but that these wordes be spokeÌ„ of yov who maketh statutes lawes but you who curseth coÌ„deÌ„neth but yov how cane yov lay these thinges from yov how can yov avoyd theÌ„ so longe shal they be layd ageÌ„st yov / tylle yov caÌ„ brynge in one that is gyltye of theÌ„ / I tkynke that will be loÌ„ge / yet wille yov haue these greet possessions / be also greet lordis doynge nothyng there fore at alle / but allonly play the parte of a bishop / as a Christemasse game player / dothe of a kynge / as a puppet which springeth vp doune crythe pepe pepe aÌ„d gothe his waye / so do yov make a countenaunce of greet holynes / of greet perfeccioÌ„ / but alle the world caÌ„ testify what yov do in dede Moreouer you are more bounde to the gospell / thane all other men be in the world for there by haue yov all youre honoure / all youre ryches / alle youre lordly possessioÌ„s / if the gospelle were not / men wolde no more regarde yov / thane they do coblers / yet deserue yov worste of all meÌ„ of the gospelle / wherefore I cane no more say vn to yov / but the wordes of oure m. christ / wo be vnto yov hipocrites the which shyt heueÌ„ gates a fore ohter meÌ„ / and as S. Luke saith / Mat. 23. Luce. 11 yov haue takeÌ„ away the key of sciens / and neyther enter in youre selfe / nor yet suffer other that come to enter in / now lett me see / how alle youre keyes / and alle youre power cane asoylle you from thys same woo that oure Master Christ dothe here lay vnto yov This worde of god byndeth yov to euerlastynge daÌ„ nacion let vs see yf youre pykelocke cane opeÌ„ this locke / than wyll I say that yov haue the keyes off heuen or els not I thynke yov may seke all youre clogge with keyes and fynde not one that wylle open this locke Finis ¶ Fre wille of man / after the faulle of Adam / of hys naturalle strength / cane doo nothynge but synne ☜ IN this article wyll we not dispute / what man may do by the commen influence geuen hym of god / ouer these inferior and worldlye
scripturs of S. Paule / can not telle whether he maye graunt that the wylle of god is alonly the cause of eleccion or eis any merites of man precedinge a fore / he coÌ„cludeth / that bothe the opinions may be defended Bonaventure blyndly concludeth that there may be a cause presedynge grace that deserueth yt Bonaventure So that in these vnfrutefulle questions which ingender nothynge but contencion haue they spent alle their lyuys / and for these thynges be geuen vn to them peculyer namys / as Subtylle / and Seraphicalle / and Irrefrigable doctours / but agenst them alle I sett S. Paule whiche toke intollerable labours to proue by inuincible scripturs and examples there of / that there was no cause but alonly the wylle of god and to proue this / he bryngeth an euydent exaÌ„ple of Iacob / and Esau / of the whiche Iacob was elect / and Esau reproved a fore they were borne / and afore they had done other good or bad Can there be a playner example what meneth Paule in these wordes whane they were neyther borne / nor had done neyther good nor bad / but that the eleccion of god myght stond dothe he not clearly take away all maner of merytes bothe de congruo and also de condigno / declareth alonly the wylle of god to be the cause but here wylle the subtylle blyndnes saye / that god sawe a fore that Iacob shuld doo good aÌ„d therfore dyd he chousse hym / he sawe also that Esau shuld doo no good / and therfore he repelled hym / yov blynd gyddâ—s / what wyll yov iudge of that that god sawe how knowe you that he sawe that These chyldern be vn borne / they haue done neyther good nor bad / aÌ„d yet one of theÌ„ ys chossen the other is refused S. Paule knoweth none other cause but that wyll of god / wyll you discusse an other And where yov say that god did se afore the one of theÌ„ shuld do good I pray you what was the cause / or wherby saw he that he shuld do good yov must nedes say / bi that that he wold geue hym his grace / ergo that wyl of god is yet the cause of eleccion / for by cause that god wolde geue hym his grace therfore god sawe that he shulde do good / so shuld also the other haue done yff god wolde haue geuen hym that same graâ—e / wherfore yov gyantes that wylle subdue heuen and erthe leue youre serchynge off this cause / and be content with the wylle of god and doute yov not but the wylle of god / ys as rightwyse and as lawfull a cause of eleccion as youre merites can de And doute yov not but. s Paule that toke so grete labours in this matter dyd se as farre in mans deseruynge as yov cane doo / Roma 9. and yet he concluded with these wordes of scriptures / I wylle shew mercy to whome I shew mercy / I wylle haue compassyon of whome I haue compassyon / so lythe yt not in mans wylle or runnynge but in the mercye of god He saithe not I wylle haue mercy on hym that I see shalle doo good / but I wylle shew mercye to whome I wylle he saith not I wylle haue compassion of hym that shalle deserue yt de congruo / Augustinê° suê‘ Ioan. Tract 8â— but of him of whome I wylle haue compassion This dothe S. Augustine well proue in these wordes / the disputacion of them ys vayne the whiche doo defende / the presciens off god agenste the grace of god and therfore saye that we were chossen a fore the makynge of the worlde / by cause that he knew a fore that we shulde be good / not by cause he shulde make vs good but he that saith yov haue not chosen me saithe not that / for yf he dyd therfore chouse vs by cause that he knew a fore that we shulde be good / than must he also know a fore / that we shulde fyrst haue chosen hym cÌ„ Here is it playne that the eleccion of god ys not by cause he sawe a fore that we shulde doo welle / but alonly the cause of the eleccion is his mere mercye / and the cause of oure doyng welle is his eleccion / and therfore S. Paule sayeth not off workes but of callynge Now goo to yov subtylle Duns men with alle youre carnall reasons and serche out a cause of his secrett wylle yff you did beleue that he were good / rightwise and mercyfulle yt were agreet comforte for yov / that the eleccion stode alonly by his wylle / for so were yov suer that it shulde be bothe rightwyselye done also mercyfully / but you haue no faith therfore must yov nedes mystrust god / of that falle yov to inveÌ„t causys of eleccyon of youre awne strengthe as one shulde saye by cause god wyll not of his rightâ—usnes or of his mercye chousse vs we wylle be suer that we shall be elected / for fyrst wyll we inuent that the eleccion commeth of deseruyng thaÌ„ wylle we also dreme serâ—en workes / that shall there vnto be a poynted of vs / so that the eleccion reprobacion stondeth all in youre hondes But now bycause that there be serten open places of scriptur / that geue wonly the cause / to god alonly of eleccion and also of reprobacion / therfore are you sore troubled / and cane telle no nother remydy / but alonly to studdy / how yow may wryng and wrest the open scripturs / to that forrefyynge of youre erroure and to the satisfysynge of youre carnalle reason / so that in the the holy gost saithe / I wyll obdurate the harte of pharao / yov wyll take a pon yow / to lerne to teache the holy goste to speke better / and to say of this maner / I wylle suffer Pharao to be indurated / but I wylle not doo yt / but my easynes my softenesse where by that I shalle suffer hym shalle brynge other men to repentaunce / but Pharao shall it make more obstinate in mallyce so that god dothe indurate as yov say whan he dothe not chastice a synner but sheweth sofftenes and easynes and sufferaunce to hym Origen in perâ—arcon He is mercifulle whan he doth call a synner to repentance by affliccion and scorgyng / so that induracion after youre exposicion / Glossa roma 5. is nothynge elles but for to suffer evylle / by sofftenesse and by goodnes / to haue mercye is nothynge elles but to correct to scorge and to ponishe meÌ„ for their synnes this is the exposicion of induracion after Origenen S. Hierom / aÌ„d after youre commen glosse Hiero. suê‘ Esaiam S / Hieroms wordes be these god dothe indurate / whan he dothe not by and by castigate a sinner / he hathe mercye whan he doth call a synner by and by vn to repentaunce by affliccions cÌ„ This is auctorite ynough
as you thynke / what shulde yov serche any forther dyd not these men vnderstond scripture is not this exposicion playne this taketh away alle inconueniēs By thys exposycion / god ys not the auctor of euylle thys ys a clarkly exposycyon / Breuely Thys must nedes be the trewe exposycyon wherefor it were better for you / to erre with S Hierom / and with Origen than for to say trew with these new herytykis / so call you all them / that will reproue youre oldde blyndnes Now haue you well defendyd the matter Now ys youre cause well proued / Nowe must the holy gost chāge his wordes / for he hath new scole masters / ād where he was wonte to say / I haue hardened Pharos harte Nowe must he say / Pharo hathe hardenyd hym selfe / by my softenesse and by my easynes / but I haue not done it / But yet I pray you / My goodlye masters how wolde yov satisfyse a weke consyens that styckis faste to the worde of god and reknythe that the holy gost / knoweth well what he shal speke ād wil speke nothing with out a gret cause / but that that he speketh shall be so well spokē that you cā not a mend yt / How think you ys yt sufficyent to say to this pore man / Orygen and. S. Hierō saye so / holde thou thy pece / be thou cōtēt with their exposyciōs / serche thou no forther yt doth not be come the to know it but now will he laye to youre charge / That this thing is openly writen in scripture / and the wordis of Moses and of paul be playne therfore you must answer to them / and yt shalle be as lawfull for hym too know the mynd of holy scrypture as the exposicion of S. Hierom or of Orygen Scripture saithe playnly / That god dothe indurate pharos hart / not pharo his awne hart It is a new gramer to say / I wyll indurate pharos harte / that shal be as muche / as pharo shall indurate himselfe thorow my sofftenesse paciēs / by this rule shall Anaxagoras phylosophye come in place / that shal make of euerye thyng what we wil And where as scrypture saythe / Saull / Saull / why doste thou persecute me / Shalle be as muche to say / As why sufferest thou me to be perse quutid / Also the father of heuen / sent his wonly sone in too the worlde / shall be as muche to say as he suffered hys sone to be sent / Soo that we shall expounde all placys of scrypture / too oure awne purposse / and not to loke what ys the sentens off holy scrypture nor yet what the mynde off the holy gost ys / but what exposycyon wyll plese vs best / and what wylle best serue / to oure carnall mynde Forther more yf god do hardyn mens hartys whan he suffereth / and whan he ys softe and shewythe mercy / thā did he hardyn the hartys of the Iuys whan he brought them out of Egypt in too wyldernes / than did he hardyn them / whan he brought them out off the captiuyte of babylon / than hardenythe he al the worlde whom he suffereth in gret softenesse / and mercy / Also after youre exposycion / he was mercyfulle to Israell whan he sent them in too babylon / for there dyd be chastyn them and by afflyccyons prouokyd them to repentance / Lykewyse the father of heuen had no mercy on the world / whan he sent hys sone / for of that he gaue men an occassyon off induracyon / But whan he dammy the synners / than by youre rule hath he mercy on them / for he chastiseth and ponysheth them for their synnes this ys youre rule off induraciō / and no mā may say agenst yt / but that Misereri may not sygnyfye to geue grace / nor to remytt synne / but to chastis ād to scorge / and by paynes prouok to repētaūce / and Indurare / shal not signifie to hardin / but to suffer ād to be pacient ād to be mercifull / not to chastys But you subtylle Masters / how was god mercyfull vn to pharo / by sofftenesse ād by sufferāce whō he chastysyd so sore / with ten plages / and with suche plagys as Moses meruelyd of / Call you that softenes was that sufferynge of pharo was that an occasyon of Induraciō / by paciēs / Esines and by sufferaūce God send his aduersaries of that pacyens / and of that sufferance / I pray you how coulde god chastice him more yet at every plage he saith I wil indurate pharos hart wherfor pharo had none occasiō of induraciō by sufferāce paciēs of god but rather by his scorging / wherefor here must be an other sence in these wordis thā you do mak / we must seke out an other wais to know how god doth work induraciō in mennes hartes suche wordis do the holy gost vse therfore dare we speke them And how he is the doar bothe of good ād euyll and yet alle thyng that he dothe ys well done Fyrst yow must nedys graunt / that after the faule of Adam / the puer nature of man was corruptyd by synne / where by / we be all wyckyd / and borne as Paule saythe by nature the chylderne of wrathe / and as dauyd saythe we are all conceyued in sinne / Not withstōding of thys corruptyd nature / dothe god make all mē bothe good bad / Those that be good / be good by his grace / those that be bad / be bad of corruptid nature yet god hath mad thē Neuer the lesse by nature they are of the same goodnes ād no better than natur is / that is to say euyll / but yet the creaciō of god his workemāship is good though that thing be euil in it selfe / yet is godis work a for him selfe good though al the world say that nay / now god of his infinit power doth rule ād gyde all maner of men bothe good and bade / and all men by hys infynyte power are moued vn to operacions / but euerye man after hys nature / As after youre awne Phylosophy / Primū mobile / by the reson of hys swyfte ◠mocion caryeth all the inferyor thyngis wyth hym / sufferth nothyng to be vn moued / not wyth stondynge he mouythe all their awne naturall coursse / So lykewyse god of hys infynite power letteth nothing to be exemtyd frō him but all thyngys to be subiect vn to his accyon ād nothyng can be done by them / but by hys pryncypalle mosyon so that he worketh in all maner of thynges bothe good and bade / not changyng their nature mouing thē alonly to worke after their nature so the good worketh good the euyll worketh euyll god vsithe thē bothe as instrumētis yet doth he nothyng euyll but euyll be done allonly thorow the evyl mā / god workyng
haue / that be agenst his holy verite / but let vs graunt that that translacion was so false / why did not yov there take a pone yov opynly for to amend it and to sett forthe truly the holy testament of christ yov must nedes graunt that there is an holy testameÌ„t of his in erthe except yov wille deny christ as I dought not but that yov wille in effect where is it whye haue we it not If that wer not it / whye do not yov sett the very trew testament out / yov were reddy to coÌ„demne an other mans faithefulle labor aÌ„d diligence / but yov had no cheryte to amend it / yov thynke alle ways to disseue the worlde with youre holy hypocrysy / men be not so blynd but that they cane welle Iudge / If yov hade condemnyd that testament allonly by cause off errours / yet at the lest ways yov shulde bothe of cheryte / and also of dutye haue set forthe the trew texte / and than wolde men haue thought / that yov condemned the other by the resoÌ„ of errours But men may now euydently se that yov dyd not condemne it for errours sakes / for how shulde they iudge erroures that be soo vnlernyd but alonly by cause that the verite was ther in / the which yov coulde not abyde that men shulde knowe / and that dyd the processe of youre sermon and also youre tyranny that dothe folow wel proue / but mi lord I say to yov / aÌ„d to all youres if yov do not amend it shalle be to youre euerlastyng damnacyon / for god wille not take thys rebuke at youre honde / Esa 62. remember that he hathe sworne by the movght of his prophete hy his ryght honde aÌ„d by the might of his strengthe that he wille defende this cause / Be not these lordly wordes / of the eternalle god / thinke yov to make hym for sworne Heb. 10. Remember how the holygost thretyneth yov in another place saynge / yf a man dyd dysspysse the lawe of Moses / he must with out any mercy dye / howe muche more are they worthy of ponishement / that do trede the sone of God vndernethe their fete / and dyspise the bloud of hys testament / how thynke yov ys not this opynly agenst yov / That coÌ„demne not alonly christ but also his blessed worde / and alle that longythe to hym / Take a way christes word / and what remanythe bi hynd of chryst nothyng at alle I pray yov my lorde to whome was thys worde fyrst preched to whome was it writtyn allonly to prystes not vn to lay men ye was it not writtyn to alle the worlde yes truly / where by wille yov conuerte a turke or an infidelle / not by holy scripture whan they be conuerted / what wille yov lerne theÌ„ what wille yov geue them to rede / any other thyng than holy scripture I thynke nay Now wille yov make youre awne cuÌ„trymen / youre awne citysins youre awne subiectes yee youre awne brethern / redemed wyth christes blessed bloud worsse them Iuys / and infidelles But their is no reson nor no bretherhod / nor no chrysten cheryte that cane moue yov / or that cane helpe yov / for yov are so blynded and so obstinate agenste chryst / that yov had rather alle the worlde shulde peryshe / thane his doctryne shulde be brought to lyghte / but I do promisse yov / if god do spare me lyffe / aÌ„d geue me grace / I shalle so set it out / if yov do not revoke it that it shalle be to youre vtter sâ—ame and confusyon / fynde the best remedy that yov cane / I do beleue stedfastly / that god is myghttyar than yov / and I doo rekkyn and faytheffully beleue / that yov are ten tymys worsse thane the grette Turke for he regardeth no more / But rule dominyon in this world And yov are not there with content / but yov wille also rule ouer mens consyens yee aÌ„d oppresse christ and his holy word / and blaspheme and condemne hys worde / was it not a holy covnselle / of the chanseler of london to conselle a sertyn merchaÌ„t / to by Robyn hoode for his seruaÌ„tes to rede what shulde they do with vitas patryÌ„ / and with bokes of holy scriptur Also the same Chanseler sayed to an other maÌ„ / what fyndest thou in the gospel but a story what good canst thou take there out O lorde god where arte thou why slepist thou why sufferst thou this blasphemy Thov hast defeÌ„ded thy prophetes with wilde fier froÌ„ heueÌ„ / And wylte thov suffer thy wonly sone and thy heuynly worde / thus to be dyspysyd and to be rekenyd but as a story of Robyn hoode Rysse vpe good loorde / Rysse vpe / thy enemys do preuaylle / Thy enymys do multiplye / shewe thy power / defend thy glory It is thy conâ—umely and not oures what haue we to do with it but alonly to thy glory venge this cauâ—e or thy enymys shalle rekkyn yt not to be thy cause / O thou eternalle God though oure synnes haue deseruyd thys / yet loke on thy name / yet loke on thy veryte / Se howe thov arte mockkyd Se how thou arte blasphemid / ye and that by them / that haue takyn on theÌ„ to defend thy glory / But now heuynly father / Seynge that thou haste / so suffered it / yet for the glory of thy name / geue some man strengthe to defend it / or els shalt thou be clearly takyn out of the hartes off allemen where fore most gracious lorde / of thy mercy and grace I besech the / That I may haue the strengthe to defend thy godly worde to thy glory and honour / and to the vtter confusyon of thy mortalle enymys / helpe good lord helpe / and I shalle not fere a thovsand of thyne enymys / In thy name wille I begyn to defend thys cause Fyrst commyth thy faythfulle seruant Moses / trewe and Iuste in alle thy workes / and he commandythe faythefully and trewly / and with grett thretnynges that man / woman and chylde shuld dilygently rede thy holy worde / Sayng / Sett youre hartes on alle my wordes the whych that I do testyfye vn to you thys day / That yov may commaÌ„de them vn to yovre chyldern / to kepe / to doo / and to fulfylle alle thynges that be wryttyn in the boke of thys lawe / Marke howe he commauÌ„ded them / to lerne their chyldern alle thynges that be wryttyn in thys boke / Deu. 32. and so to lerne them that they myght kepe and fulfylle alle thynges that were wryttyn in the boke / Moses maâ—e nothyng of secretnes / and wille yov make secretes ther in how shalle men fulfille those wordes that they know not how cane men know the very trewway of god and haue not the worde of god is not alle oure knowlege ther in The prophete saith / thy
But breuely yf yov wold teche nothynge / but that that oure master christe hathe lefte to be taught / we shulde not haue so meny heretikes as we haue / for now men be none heretikes for spekynge agenst scripture for yov graunte that meÌ„ speke scripture but for spekynge ageÌ„st youre lawe / for that cause be they made heretykes / aÌ„d by that be they prouyd heretykys / now lett euery christen man Iudge in his consyens yf this be right or lawfull Is not thys a meruelus thynge / lett a man lyue in fornycacyon / in whordum / in thefte / in murder / drunkonshyp in extorcyon / in brybery / breuely in all maner of myschyffe / and yow wyll haue nothyng too doo wyth them / yow wyll scaselye repreue hym / yee he shall be a great officer vnder nethe yow and gretly in youre fauoure / But lett a man come and preache the very true gospell of Chryst aÌ„d there by reproue youre damnable lyuynge / and thaÌ„ begyneth he to be an heretyke and yt shalle coste you great laboure yf you make hym nott an heretyke in dede / And yet haue you nothyng that you can reproue in hym as consernynge hys lyuing / But alonly that he prethithe the gospelle / Is not thys a meruelus heretyke whose lyuyng you must nedes graunt to be good / And also you can not proue / but that his lernyng ys of Chryst / but allonly that yt plesythe you not / no yow dare not take in hond to proue yt false / but allonly by vyolynce you wyll condemne yt / Thynke you that god wyll thus suffer remenber what he saythe by the holy prophet / Thow hast repreuyd the vnfaythefull peopylle / Psal 9. aÌ„d haâ—e distroyd the wykkyd / aÌ„d takyn a way their â—ame for euer / The lorde hath preparyd hys troune of Iudgement / Doute you not but he shalle shortly reproue you / his Troune ys set / and to the Iudgement must you come where you shall neuer be able to defend this cause / but you must peryshe for euer But here will you say that you preche the gospell to the peopylle / and that is ynough for they nede not to haue yt in ynglyshe I answere I pray you whaÌ„ was there any law that euer men were bounde to kepe / but that yt was geuen them in writing / I will not say that you doo not teche theÌ„ the right gospell / for yow know it not / But how are they able to bere away that thing that they do but here / And yf they may here it of you why may they not also rede it But loke on S. Luke that wrotte his gospel that men might know / for a certayne those thingis that they were in formyd of Moreouer why did the apostle wryte / yee and that vnto lay men / seyng that they were so dyligent in preching I dare boldly say as you be But lett vs see how lay men were for biddyn to rede holy scripture in the apostyllis tyme Acto 17. The nobelyst of thessalonia / whiche reseuyd the worde serchyd the scryptours dayly whether those thingis that Paule prechyd were so or not / here haue you playne that lay men serchyd scriptours too know whither paulys doctryne were trew or not / aÌ„d also how they rede dayly scriptours / And now come you and say that lay men shall rede noo scriptours but allonly reseue them of youre prechynge / what yf you preche lyes As yt wyll be prouyd too youre face that you do shall it not be lawfulle for them to serche scryptours / but to lerne youre lyes Here wyll I resyte how a gret prelatt of christys churche the fyrst letter of hys name ys Doctour Allen dyd interpretate aÌ„d declare sertyn placys of scryptour / Doctuor AleÌ„ expouÌ„deth scrypture to the gostely instruccyon of Chrystys churche as all men may Iudge The fyrft place was this A thre folde cable ys harde to breke / by thys threfolde cabylle / he vnderstod / the Reuerent father in god my lorde Cardynalle / The fyrst fould was / That he was an ynglyshe man borne / the whyche was a stroÌ„ge thynge and harde to wyth stonde / The seconde foulde was that he was legate and that not after the commen maner / but legatus a latere / that ys spronge out of the blyssyd syde yf oure holy father the pope / This wasse a stronge foulde and coulde not be lyghtly brokyn The thirde foulde / he was a lorde and that of the kingis counsell / Thys was a stronge foulde / and all these thre to gether dyd make so strong a cable that no man wyth in the realme myght breke yt or wythstonde yt I was sore a frayd that he shulde haue reknyd the nobylle and the Ryalle bloud that thys threfolde cable dyd spryng out off / than had yt byn so stronge / that the strongyst Oxe in the buchers stalle coulde not breke it This exposycyon dyd I here and satt by him therfore I can testyfye it the better The Seconde scrypture was thys from syon shalle come out a lawe / and the worde off god from Ierusalem / Thys dyd he expounde on thys maner / The commandemeÌ„t of the most reuerent father in god lorde Legatte / ys Come from hys hye palys / and from hys noble grace hyther vn to you The thryd scrypture / was thys Sumite PsalmuÌ„ et date timpanuÌ„ / thys dyd he expouÌ„de on thys maner / I haue done my visitacioÌ„ / now geue me my mony How thynke you by thys holy Doctor / aÌ„d this prelatte of Chrystes churche hathe he not welle declared holy scryyture / Is he not worthy too be beleuyd Vvhat reason were yt that laye men shulde serche scrypturs than might they reproue this noble prelat what order ware that yt were ryght yf he weâ— well seruyd that he had a threfolde halter too stretche him in / But by suche doctours as these be must the poure peopyll be rulyd and yf they wyll serche for the veryte them selfe / than must they be heretykes by cause they wyll not beleue these holy fathers / Actâ— 18. But lett vs procede in oure matter ageÌ„st these blasphemers of godes word Priscilla and Aquila dyd expound vn to Apollo which was a grett lernyd man the perfyt vnderstondyng of scripturs / These wer lay ê‘sons and yet were they so lerned in scryptours that they were able too teche a grett doctour / And now laye men may not rede scrypturs Thys was alowyd by petter / aÌ„d paule / But their successoures wyll condeme yt as heresy Actâ— 8. Also Enuchus that was the tresurar vn to the Quene of the Ethiopians dyd rede Esay the prophet / The whiche he vnderstode not / tylle god sent him Phillip to declare yt vn to hym / This was a lay man / And also an Infydell aÌ„d yet was not for biddyn of god to rede scripturs But rather holpen to the vnderstonding of
who not / the probacion of mens testimentes / the orderyng of paymentes and custoÌ„s the settynge of alle maner of taskes and forfyttes / the correccion of alle transgressions / where by the commen welthe / or any priuate person / is dysquieted or wronged / as correccion of Theuys / murderars / harlottes baudes / sclanderars wranglars / extorcioners / brybers / vserars / false byars and sellars / and of alle other thynges where vnto be longeth any outward orderinge or any corporalle payne / in thys power ys the kynge cheffe and fulle ruler / alle other be minysters and seruantes as S. Paule dothe declare saynge / lett euerye soulle be subiect and obedient vnto the hye powers cÌ„ Roma 13. 1. Pet. 2. Also S. Peter / be subiect vn to the kynge as vn to the cheffe hede / eyther vn to rulers as vn to them that are sent of the kynge for the ponyshement of euylle doars Roma 13 Vn to this power muste we be obedyeÌ„t in all thynges that perteyne to the minystracion of this present lyffe and of the commen welthe / not allonly as paul saith for a voydyng of ponishemeÌ„t but also for dischargynge of oure consciens / for this is the will of god So that yf this power coÌ„maÌ„de any thinge of tyranny agenste ryght and law Alle ways prouidyd that it repugne not agenst the gospell nor distroye our faith oure cherite must nedis suffer yt / for as paule saithe / 1 Cor. 13 Mat. 6. Cherite sufferth all thyng / Also oure Master christ / if a man stryke the on the won cheke / turne hym the other / for he doth exarcisse tiraÌ„ny / but ouer these worldly goodis / and these present thingis aÌ„d ouer thy corporall boddy / which ChristeÌ„ men do not alonly not regarde but they dispisse it / Neuer the lesse yf he coÌ„mande that any thinge ageÌ„st ryght or do the any wroÌ„g As for an example cast the in preson wrongfully yf thou canste by oÌ„ny resonable and quiet menys / with out fedyssion / in surreccion / or breking of the coÌ„meÌ„ peace saue they selfe or avoyd his tiraÌ„ny thou mayst do it with good consciens / As yf thou wert in presonne yf thou couldest a void with out any sedisioÌ„ thou mayst lawfully do it / aÌ„d thy consciens is fre so doinge and thou dost not synne / nor offend the lawe of god / as paulle saithe / 1. Cor. 7. If thou mayst be fre vsse yt / but in no wysse be yt right or wrong mayst thou make any resistence / with swerde or with honde but obey except thou canste a voyd as I haue shewed the / but yf the cause be right / lawfull / or prophitable to the commen welth / thou must obey / and thou maist not flye with out sinne / That men haue fled from the tiranny and the wronge of this power we haue yt openly / 4. Reg. 6. 3. Reg. 19. Act. â— ideÌ„ 9. .14 in dyuers placis of scriptours / As of Elezy that fled froÌ„ the tyraÌ„ny of the kyng of Siria / Also Helyas fled from the tyraÌ„ny of kyng â— has / also Saint Peter fled out of presonne / And. S. Paulâ—e out of the City of damascum / and out of IconyuÌ„ as it is open in the Actis of the apostyllis / so that agenst this power though thou haue wronge mayst thou not make any corporall resistaunce / but allonly a voyde by flyynge / or ellys kepe the thing that ys coÌ„mandyd the. But if it be right / and to the ê“phyt of the coÌ„meÌ„ welthe / thou must bothe fulfylle it and also abyde But now will there be inquierid of me / this casse / yf it plesse the kyngis grace to coÌ„veÌ„ine the New testament in ynglyshe and to commande that none of his subiectis shall haue it vnder hys displesure whether they be bouÌ„d to obey this coÌ„maundemeÌ„t or no to this wil I answere / That I do beleue / that oure most noble prynce hath notâ— forbyddyn / that christen meÌ„ may haue chrystis testament whether yt be in lattyn / in ynglyshe / frenche / douche / grek / or Ebrew / for chrystes veryte / is all whom in all tongis / And as his grace knowyth yt wer very vnresonable that any man shuld eyther counsell / or for byd hys grace that he shulde knowe or rede / the testament off the Most noble prince hys father in the whyche is allonly geuen / and â—misyd worldly goodes / which as sone as they be geuen / be reddy to dekey and to perysh / and yf I say thys be vnresonable / and vnright / how muche more were yt vnresonable to take away from vs oure father of heuyns testament whosse legasy and promysys do as for excelle / the legasys of the noble prynce hys father / as god dothe excelle man But what shulde I make meny resons to proue vn to hys grace that thynge to be lawfulle / That the father of heuen hathe sent vs / from whom commythe nothyng but goodnes / yee aÌ„d it was not sent by man / by Angell / or by saynt / but by the wonly sone of god / bothe god and man / aÌ„d dylygently declared by hym to all the worlde / Not vn to the Pharysys alone / but vn to all maner of people / and that to the houre of hys dethe / and also there of toke his dethe / and nott yet so coÌ„tent / but sent his gloryous apostillis to declare and to lerne thys godly worde thorow all the worlde And by cause the mynystracyon of this worde requyered a greter strength than was in any naturall man / therfore also gaue he them his eternalle spret / to stablyshe theÌ„ / to coÌ„firme them / and to make them strong in all thingys that there myght be nothing desyeryd / too the declaracion and settyng out of this worde Now who coulde fynd in hys harte / That ys a trew subiect and regardythe the honoure of oure noble prynce and the saluacyon of hys soule / eyther to thinke that his grace wolde coÌ„demne yt / or elles to moue hym to condemne the thynge / that commythe from heuyn ye aÌ„d that from the father of heuen / and sent and lerned bi hys eternall sone which hathe selyd yt wyth ys most precius bloude / and â—o commandyd hys gloryous apostillis to preche yt / And confirmed it wyth so meny mirakylles and dyd also geue / to the confirmynge and the writinge of yt / The gloryous consolatour the holy goste / so that yt is opeÌ„ / that the father of heueÌ„ did not send this godly word with a small diligeÌ„ce / or as though he caryd not whyther yt shulde remayne in erthe or not / But so hath he declared thys holy worde wyth suche a prosses / That heuyn / erthe and helle shulde know that yt ys hys worde / and that yt ys hys wylle that alle
men in the glorius name of oure myghty lorde Iesus christe which is bothe their redemer shall be their iudge that they wylle indifferently here thys artykel discussed / by the blessed worde of oure Master Christe Iesus whiche wasse not alonly of god / but also very god him selfe / and all that he dyd was done by the counselle of the wholle trynyte / ād not alonly by his / by whose counselle all counsels bothe in heuen and erthe must be ordered / and that counselle that is contrary to yt whether yt be of Saynct Angel or of man must be a cursed and iudged to be of the deuyll / though they be neuer so myghty / neuer so welle lerned / and neuer so meny in multitude / for there is no power / no lernyng / nor yet no multitude nether in heuen nor in erthe / nor no iuperdes nor no sclanders that may iudge Christe and his holly worde / nor that they maye geue place vnto / wherefore yff I cane prove by open scripturs / of oure Master Christe / and also by the practes of holly churche / that this counselle / ys false and damnable / than lett alle christen men iudge which of vs must be harde and be beleued eyther the counselle hauyng no scriptour ye cōtrary to alle scripture / or els I that haue the open worde of god / and the very vse and practes of the holye appostles and of holye churche / Christe is of god / and that no man douteth / but the holye counsell though there were fyve thousaddes bisshopes there in muste proue them selfe to be of god by the word of god by their workes the whyche they cane not doo iff they be contrarye to Christe and hys blessed worde Moreouer Christe is not trew vnder a condicion by cause that men doo a lowe hym / for though alle the worlde were agenst hym / yet were he neuer the lesse trewe / but the counselle ys not trew but allonlye vnder this condicyon by cause yt dothe agre wyth Christes holy worde / and of yt selfe yt hathe no veryte / but ys off the devyll yff yt vary from Christ A fore the dreedfulle trone of god shalle the counselle be iudged by Chrystes holye worde / and Chryste shalle not be iudged / by the decre off the counsell but he shall be the counsels iudge / and yf christes worde condemne the counselle who shall approue yt / who shall prayse yt / who shall defende yt The temporalle swerde / nor the multitude of bisshopes nor interdiccion / excommunicacion nor cursynge / cane than helpe wherefore lett euerye trew christen man loke on thys matter indifferently / it is no tryflyng with god nor with his holy worde / for god wille remayne for ever / and his holy worde must be fulfylled / yff we wille not fulfylle yt / he shall caste vs dovne to the depe pytt of helle / and make of stonys men in oure stede that shalle kepe his worde / yt ys no lyghte thing / for yt lyethe on the saluaciō and damnacion bothe of boddy ād soulle / from the whiche we can not be delyuered / with these glorious wordes / Concilium / Concilium / Patres / Patres / Episcopi / Episcopi / for alle these may be the minysters of the deuylle / ye though they were angels / therfore wons agayne / I do monyshe and exhorte in the glorious name of the lyuynge god / and in the swet bloude of christe Iesus all trew christen men / to take hede what they doo agenste christes holy worde which is their eternalle god / their mercifulle redemer and shall be also their myghty and glorious iudge Nowe lett vs examen the wordes of the coūsell Fyrst of all the counsell graunteth that in the begenyng of the churche / alle christen men were housled vnder bothe kyndes / now wold I know of the counsell of whome the church had reseued this maner of christe or hys holy appostles as doughtles she did than what auctoryte had the counselle to change the institucion of christ / and of his holy appostles / and also the vse and practys of holy churche / was not the fyrst churche of god Dyd she not kepe Christes institucion dyd she not fulfyll christes worde Dyd not the holye appostles lerne hare so and now shalle the counsell of constanciens fyrste condēme Christ and his blessed worde / and thane the lerninge of Christes holy appostles and also the longe vse and practes of christes blessed churche / with out any scripture / with out auctorite or with out any speciall reuelacion from god but alonly for avoydyng of serten perelles yee and not content alonly to condemme these thinges but vnder the payne of heresy to condemne them / this is to sore a condemnacion of christes open word and of that thing which they graūt that the church did vse at the begenyng Forthermore the counselle saith that holy fathers and the churche did bringe in this custom to housseile laye men vnder won kinde / are yov not a shamed of these wordes Dothe not youre consciens pryke yov thus openly to lye ye of Christ and of his holye churche Chrystes worde is openly agenste yov / and yov graunte that the vse of the church was also other wyse / and as for holy fathers here maye yov se what they saye to it / but yov are the chylderne of the kingdum of lyis / ād doughtles if yov bring not forth the holy fathers that make for yov / yov shall not allonly be taken for abhominable and open lyers / but also for shamfulle and detestable sclanderars bothe of holye churche and also of holye fathers But it is no wōder for Antichrist must declare hym selfe openly to be agenst Christ and yet is he neuer with out an excuse / and a shaddow of holynes / where by he maye blynde the poore people / but what excuse had he here in the counsell to condemme Christes worde That they myght avoyde serten sclanders and perylles bycause that there is no boddy with out bloud Be not these lawfulle causys to condemne christes open worde / yee and that vnder the payne of heresy Is not thys a new maner of lawe to make that he that wylle not obeye a statute made agēst godes worde which he is bounde to obey vnder payne of euerlastinge damnacion / allonly for a voydynge parelles to be condemned for an heretyke Breuely by this reson may they condemme alle holye scriptur / by layynge iuperdys and perylles there to / they may condemme alle the creaturs of god / for there maye be peryll in vsynge of them alle But what nede meny wordes to proue this counselle to be of the deuylle for yf that be not of the deuyll that ys contrary to christ / and hathe no excuse for it but alonly to avoyd perelles / I can not tell what is of the deuyll I am suer Antichrist shalle
Here is it playne that the bloud is geuyn out of the chalys and not out of the boddy / and in to faythefulle meÌ„s mowthis and not allonly in to pristes mowthis De coÌ„secÌ„ di 2. c. Siquocienscumê™ Also an other lawe / if that the bloud of christ be shed for remyssion of syns as oftyn as it is shede thane ought I lawfully for to reseue it I which do alle ways synne muste alle ways reseue a medecyn cÌ„ Here youre awne lawe saythe / that the reseuyng of the bloud is a medycinealle ways to be reseuyd of theÌ„ that synne yov wille not denye but that laymen synne where fore shulde they not than reseue a medecyn for their synne yov may perseue that this is not alonly spokyn of pristes but of synners Ad CorneliuÌ„ PapaÌ„ Furthermore S. Ciprian saythe Howe do we reache or howe cane we provoke men to shed their bloud for the confessyoÌ„ off christes name if we do deny them the bloud off chryst whan they shalle go to batylle Or how dare we able them vn to the victordum of marterdum / if we do not fyrst by ryght admitt theÌ„ to drincke the Cuppe of oure lorde in the coÌ„gregacyon c. Here is Cyprian opynlye agenst yov which wille that as meny shalle reseue the bloud of christ as do confesse the name of christ yee aÌ„d that out of the cuppe not out of the boddy Also S. Ambrose sayth to the Emperor Theodosyus / Ecclesiastica hist how shalte thow lyfte vpe they hondes out of that which dothe yet droppe vn ryghtwise bloud how shalte thov with those hoÌ„des reseue the boddy of god with what boldnes wilte thou reseue in to thy mought the Cuppe of the prâ—cius bloude seyng that thorow the wodnes of thy wordes so gret bloud is shed wrongfully cÌ„ Marke that the maner was in S. Ambrose tyme that lay meÌ„ shulde reseue the blessid bloude of christ ye and that out of the cuppe seuerally / and not out of the boddy wonly / where fore my lordes se to youre conscyens how yov cane discharge youre selfe a fore the dredfulle trone of christ Iesus / for makyng this detistable and damnable statute agenste the heuynly worde of god / aÌ„d agenste the vsse of holy churche aÌ„d contrary to the exposycion of alle holy doctours / It were to gret a thyng for yov so pÌ„umtuously to breke the statute of youre mortalle prince how muche more of youre immortale god whiche wille not be a voydyd with a carnalle resuÌ„ nor with condeÌ„nacyoÌ„ of heresy / nor yet with sayng there be Iuperdes perrelles and sclandres / for these proude crakes cane not there excuse yov nor yet helpe yov for I dought not but the grett Turke hath as good resons for hym as these be also as provd crakes as yov haue / thovgh peradueÌ„ture he vsythe theÌ„ not so hipocritly ageÌ„st god omnipoteÌ„t as yov do / but yet it wille not helpe hym / where fore now moste excelent and gracious prince I do with alle meknes / with all due subyeccyon admonyshe and exhorte youre moste noble grace / ye and the father of heuyn dothe opynly commaund yov vnder the payne of hys displesur / and as yov wille a voyde the danger of eternalle damnacyon / and also by the vertu of christes blessyd bloud aÌ„d as yov wille reseue remissioÌ„ froÌ„ al yovre synnes thorow the merittes of his glorious bloud / That you do defend with alle youre myght Christes blessyd worde aÌ„d hys swet bloude / his holy ordinaÌ„ce / suffer theÌ„ not so lyghtly to be oppressyd trodyn vnder the fote / youre grace may not consyder in this cause the multitude / nor the dygnite of meÌ„ / for yow be as good as the beste of theÌ„ / but youre grace must consider that it is god omnipotentes cause / it is christes cause / it is the worde of god / it is the bleued bloude of Chryst that is ouer trodyn / it is the ordynance that commyth out of heuen / and not out of couÌ„sellys ye aÌ„d geuyn by god hym selfe / and not by mans auctoryte / And now shall youre grace suffer this thyng so lyghtly to be broken by cause men do invente a carnall reason agenste it the devylle was neuer wyth out a reson / but that prouythe not the cause agenste godes worde Kynge Saul had no smalle reson for hym / 1. Reg. 15 whan he dyd saue Kinge Agag and the best shepe and oxen to offer to god / was not thys a resonable cause / to saue the bestys to godes honoure and to offer theÌ„ vp vn to god was it not a goodly shyne to saue the kinge rather than to kylle hym / what man wil rekyn it euyll to saue a maÌ„ what maÌ„ can iudge it evyll to saue bestis / ye and that the best to offer them to god was not god best worthy was not thys a good consyderacion was not this a good intent Fynallye yt ys ten tymys better than the reson of the counselle ys / aÌ„d yet Saull wyth all his good reson / with all his good deuocyon / wyth all hys good purposse / wyth all hys â—atte bestys ys repellyd of god for euer and alle by cause he stucke to his good inteÌ„cion and left the coÌ„mandement of god / Sum men wyll think it but a lyghte thyng whether they reseue the blessyd bloud by yt selfe or ellis with the boddy / but as lyghte as they thynke yt yet ys it godes worde yet is it Chrystis ordynaunce / yet did the apostles obserue yt / yet dyd the holy church so fulfyll yt / And yf the worde of god were awaye by reson yt were but a lyghte thyng to baptyse in watter or in wine / but the worde of god ys open that it must be done with watter and not in wyne and yet there is no cause why but the worde of god Moreouer by reson it was but a light thyng to say / zacha 9. Mat. 20. Be glad thou doughter of Syon be holde they kyng coÌ„myth to the syttyng on an asse aÌ„d on hare foole this saing by reson is not alonly Symple / but also foolyshe to say that a kynge shall come rydyng on an Asse yee and on a borowyd asse and there of to make so muche a doo as though yt were a notable thynge / who wold not now mocke a kyng yf he dyd soo ryde / not with stondynge all thys these be the wordis of god / ye and also fulfyllyd in very dede of oure Master Chryst in hys awne proper parson Luc. 2. Moreouer by reson / yt was but a mad tokyn that the sauyour of the worlde christ Iesus was borne / to say you shall fynde a younge chylde wrappyd in clouttes and layde in a crybbe / what ys thys to purposse what ys thys to proue that the sauyoure of the worlde ys borne wyll not reson mocke thys whan
too youre stockes and stonys / and yet you thynke youre selfe suffycyently dyschargyd / by cause that men calle them noo goodes It foloweth / They sett noo hope in them Than what nede men too praye vn to them what nede meÌ„ to aske peticyons off them what nede men to offer vnto theÌ„ what nede men to vowe to theÌ„ what nede men to runne to them barefottyd an bareleggyd / and to kysse them and lycke them do they aske that thing of theÌ„ which they haue no hope to reseue by them / than doo they mocke them / It foloweth but they praye vn to them worsshypp them / how thinke yov by thys yov saye they be no godes and yet men praye vnto them and worsshyp them / adde to this that the lattyn worde sygnifith as muche as to aske forgeuenes of them / and fullye and affectuallye to pray to them / iff this stond with faith / and with the honour of god / lett everye Christen maÌ„ iudge / but how stondeth yt with youre decre where in yov calle them no godes this is as muche to saye as yov be very hypocrytes and dyssemblers with god and man / for yov say won thinge in wordes and compelle the people to do the contrary in dedes / that is to honour them as godes / is not this contrary to these wordes of scripture / thou shalte honour thy lorde god and serue him wonly Marke the holy gost saithe thou shalte serue god wonly Matt. 4. Here is the selfe lattyn worde / adorare / that youre decre hath / scripture wylle yt shall alle wonly be geuen to god / aÌ„d yov wylle geue yt to youre worsshypfulle ymages / marke also the occasion that oure Master Christ spake these wordes / the deuylle requyered that he shulde falle dovne and honour him / he requyered no faith / nor no hope on hym nor yet that he shulde make any prayers or desyer any peticion of him or lycke or kysse his fote / or make any oblacion to him / but allonly to faulle dovne / and so with exterior seruyce to honour him / but oure master said that that belongeth alonly to god and neyther to the deuyll nor yet to youre worsshyppfulle ymages / now saye of youre consciens doo not yov that same thynge to youre stockes and stonys / that the devylle rerequyred of oure master Christe how cane yov avoyd this but now coÌ„meth youre glosse with a distinccion and wille lerne oure Master christ how that he shall honour the deuyle and excusse him with an idylle and a damnable distinccioÌ„ whose wordes be these / there is cultus latrie / Glossa de conse Di. 3. c. venerabiles which includeth .iij. thinges in him loue / multitude of sacrifice / and veneracyon this belongeth wonly to god saith he / ther is an other worsshippinge which is called dulia / and this hathe but won thing in him that is veneracion / and it hathe neyther loue nor multitude of sacrifice in yt and this belongeth to alle creatures cÌ„ Vvhat be these but an hepe of ydylle wordes wyth out any sentens invented of the devylle to dysseue symple men by Here say yov that cultus latrie which includeth loue / multitude of sacrifice / and veneracion belongeth to god wonly / tell me of youre consciens are yov not a shamed off these wordes Fere yov not the vengeance off god that thus mocke and tryfylle bothe wyth god and man There cane be nothing more ageÌ„ste yov than these wordes be / for fyrst doo yov not loue youre images and youre sayntes Secondarilye doo yov not offer to them calle yov that no sacryfyce ye it is so muche that yov cane haÌ„ge no more on them / Thyrdly do not yov geue veneracion vnto them yee and that with alle youre hartes / or els be yov hypocrites and dyssemblars / so that yov geue to youre stockes stones cultum latrie / which by youre awne distynccyon be longeth to god wonly / how cane yov now avoyd idolatry Now to the seconde parte of youre dystynccion / yov say that yov do to saynctes and to alle creaturs the worshuppyng of dulya / which is with out loue / and with out the multytude of sacrifice / what call yov thys what mene yov by this what worshyppyng is thys that is with out love / and with out sacrifice / is not this open hipocrisy to honour a thinge outwardly and neyther to loue yt nor to fauor it inwardly / nor yet to offer any sacrifice vn to it / Matt. 27. this is nothing els but open mokkynge I may well compare yov vnto the wykkyd Iuys that chrouched and kneled vnto christe / but they dyd yt neyther of love nor fauoure but of mokkage as yov doo honour youre sayntes aÌ„d ymages This commeth all ways to them that wylle mocke and tryfylle with godes holy worde / that whane they thynke to a voyde yt with a damnable distynccion / than is yt most agenste them so that alle christen men may see / that the hande of god is here De media vâ—la 4. seÌ„t Also an other bald reason yov haue which is of Master Rychard / yf sayntes whane they were here and not confyrmed in grace did of their cheryte praye for vs / ergo now must they pray muche more seyng they are now confermed in cheryte cÌ„ Is not this a goodly baulde reason to caste at a bisshoppes cure Howe cane he proue this what scripture hathe he for hym I heare welle his carnalle reason but I heare no probacion I wylle make hym lyke reason The saynctes whane they were here dyd of their cheryte clothe naked men and fede the hungery and gaue drinke to the thursty / and vysytted them that were in preson / ergo much more nowe for they be confyrmed in cheryte and these be dedes of cherite Lykewyse S. Paule whane he was here dyd of his cherite wryght pystylles to declare the veryte / ergo now must he muche more wryght / so that where a fore he wrotte but won pystylle now muste he at the lest wryte thre / or els he is not confyrmed in cheryte / and I thinke he dyd neuer a greter dede of cherite / than now to write a pistle and to declare his awne pystilles for alle the world is at variaunce / for vnderstondinge of them yov blynde gydes who hath lerned yov to declare where in the cherite of saynctes dothe stonde who hathe geuen yov auctorite to geue a dede of cherite vnto sayntes that scripture dothe not geue / wherefore is it a dede of cherite for won to praye for an other is there any other cause than that the holie goste so declared it in his worde / wherefore that is cherite in this lyffe that the worde of god byddeth yov do and as for the workes that cherite shall haue in an other lyffe yt belongeth not to yov to iudge forther than the
preuytis of hartis who hathe requiryd off yov suche a mekenes who hathe desyryd that yov shulde so lye on fayth what caÌ„ youre lyes profit god but I pray yov how can workis helpe to Iustificacion lesse or more / whan they be nether done nor yet thought of who ys Iustifyed but a wykkyd man whyche thynkythe nothyng of good workis But these meke lyes deserue none aÌ„swere wherfore let vs heare what holy doctours saie on this texte Ambrosiê° Saint Ambrose saithe on this maner / It was so decreyd of god / that after the lawe / he shulde require vnto saluacion alonly the faythe of grace whiche thinge he prouith by the exampille of the prophet sayng / Blessyd is that man to whom god dothe impute Iustificacion with out workis / he saith that they be blessid / of whome god hathe determyd with out labour / with out alle maner of obseruacion / allonly by faythe that they shall be iustifyde by fore god Blessed are they whose synnes be forgeuen Clearly they are blessed / vn to whome with out labour / or with out any worke their iniquites be remitted and their synnes be couered and no maner of workes requyred of them / but allonly that they shulde beleue cÌ„ Be not these wordes playne God hathe decreyd that he shall requyer nothyng to iustificacion but faith / and he is blessed to whom God imputeth iustificacion with out all maner workes / with out all maner of obseruacions / also their synnes be covered / and no maner of workes of penaunce requyred of them but allonly to beleue / here haue yov Sola fides and tantuÌ„ fides / and here can yov not saye / that S. Ambrose spekith alonly of workes of the law / but of all maner of workes / of all maner of obseruacions / yee and also of penaunce Paraduenture yov wylle saye / as a great doctour sayd ons to me / D. wetheâ—allâ— that S. Ambrose dyd vnderstond yt of younge chylderne / that were newly baptisyd / theÌ„ their faith shulde saue alonly with out workes How thinke yov is not this a lykely answere for a great doctor of diuinite / for a gret duns man for so great a preacher are not S. Paule and. S. Ambrose welle avoyded and clarkely But I made him this obieccion / that this Epystell was wrytten of S. Paule to the RomaÌ„s / whiche were men and no chyldern and also the wordes of scripture speake of the man and not of the childe / and. S. Ambrose saith blessed ys that man / but at this obieccion / he was not a lytylle moued / but sware by the blessed god / let Ambrose / and Austyne say what they wyll / he wolde neuer beleue but that workes dyd helpe to iustificacion Thys was a lordly worde off a prelat / and of a pyllar of christes church / but what medlinge is with suche mad men But yet paraduenture you wyll say / as you were wonte to doo whan yov can not a voyd a playne saynge of a doctour how that I take a pece off the doctour / as moche as maketh for my purposse / notwithstonding he saith otherwisse in another place which I doo not bryng what is that to me / yet is not my doctour thus a voyded / for yov can not deny / but this is hys sayng / and a pone this place of scriptur / aÌ„d this dothe a gre with scriptur / or els he dothe expound scriptur evyll / wherefore you must answer / to the saynge of the doctour in this place / for thys ys the place that is layd a genst yov and thys ys the place / where by other places must be expounded and yff you dare deny him in thys place than wylle I deny him in alle other places / by that same auctorite than be the holy doctours clearly gone Neuer the lesse holy scripture stondeth opynly agenst yov whych yf you deny I wylle not alonly prove yov heretykes / but I wille also accuse yov of heresy / wherefore take hede what yov doo / but yet paraduenture yov wylle as yov be very lordly say that I vnderstonde not S. Ambrose nor holy doctours / as my lorde off Rochester sayd / how I vnderstode not Tertulyan / he had no nother evasyon to saue hys honour wyth / but thys ys not ynough so to say / but yov must proue yt and other men must iudge yt by twene yov and me / here haue I translated a great many off the saynges off doctours in to Englyshe / lette other men iudge whether I vnderstonde them or none / Go ye to the lattyn and lett vs se what other sence yow can take out / but I saye boldly vn to yow alle / and yow shall also fynde yt trewe yf we may be in dyfferently harde that all yow too gether / shall haue but lyttylle Iudgement in those thynges that be in lattyn whyche I doo not vnderstonde Thys doo I say not too boste my selfe / but to prouoke you to dispute / and to shewe what yow can do agenst these artycles and in prouynge that I vnderstonde not the doctours / in these causys I meane that yow must proue yt / by lernynge / and not by youre olde tyranny Now if you will saue youre honour / flie not a way froÌ„ lernyng / vn too violeÌ„ce / But make requeste vnto oure most noble prince mekely that both you and I may be harde in differently / and if yow ouercome me than are you at a shorte conclusion in all these matters / And in tyme to come / doute you not but euerye maÌ„ will beware of them / But yf you wyll not doo this / but take yow to youre olde cruelle vyolence yet remember that god stondeth agenst you / aÌ„d all the worlde may openly know / that you haue not the holy veryte / but the damnable wronge / ye and that mayntayned / with extreme violence and tyranny / by the whiche thingys / the Great Turke / infidelles aÌ„d also deuylles of hell / are abylle if they be sufferyd to proue that they haue the verite But my lordes remeÌ„ber / that oure god is aliue whose cause we defende / a fore whoÌ„ I dare well say / you are alredy coÌ„fouÌ„dyd in youre coÌ„scyeÌ„s wherefore doute you not but that terebille vengeauÌ„ce hangeth ouer you / which whan yt cometh / cometh shortly How are you abyll to defende a thynge / that you caÌ„ not proue openly by holy scrypture Say what you wyll youre conscience will murmur and grudge aÌ„d wyll neuer besatisfide with meÌ„s dremis / nor yet with tirannye Thynke you that youre lawis aÌ„d youre inuencions can be a sufficyent rule for chrysten men to lyue by and too saue their conscyence therby Think you / that youre cause is suffycyently prouyd whan you haue coÌ„pellyd pore men by violence to graunte it Than may we dystroye all scripturs / and reseue allonly youre tyrannye But my
lordis thys matter is not rightyd by youre Iudgment / but by oure Master Christes and his blessyd worde / a fore whose strayte iudgemeÌ„t / you shall be iudged / that straytely For whaÌ„ all youre grace / all youre honour / al youre dignite / al youre poÌ„pe pride / breuely al that youre hartes do now reioyce in shall lie in the dust / than shal you be called to a strayte rekenynge it is no lyght game nor no chyldys play Marke it well for it lithe in youre necke but what nedyth me to lose many wordis / for if you be halfe so full of grace / as yow saye you be of good workys / than wyll yow rekkyn yt better than I can moue yow But a gayne to oure pourposse Saynt Paul prouythe the iustifycacyon of faythe only / in these wordes Gala. 2. No man ys Iustified by the workis of the law but by the faythe of Iesus Christ / and we doo beleue in Iesus Christ / that we may be Iustyfyde / by the faythe of Christ / and not by the workys of the law How thynke yow / dothe not Saynt Paul exclude workys and brynge in allonly faithe / ye and that the workis of the lawe whyche were the beste workys in the worlde and he beleueth to be Iustifyed only by the faythe of Iesus Christ / and not by workis / and that prouyth he in these wordis / Gala. 3. That no maÌ„ ys iustifyde by the law a for god it is manyfest / for a rightwismaÌ„ liuyth by faithe Here you not how a rightwyse man lyuyth by faithe what call yow lyuyng by faith if he lyue any parte by workis / thaÌ„ liuith he not by faithe but partly by workes / ThaÌ„ ys Saynt paulys probacyon vnperfyte But lett vs se how youre doctours do expound this texte Athanasiê° Gala. 3. Nowe dothe he playnly shew / that faithe allonly hath the vertu in hym to iustyfy / aÌ„d bringyth abacuk saynge / of faithe and not of the law shal a rightwyse maÌ„ lyue / he addeth wel a fore god / for a fore man peraduenture they shal be rekkenyd ryghtwyse / that stykke to the lawe / but not a fore god cÌ„ Here haue you Sola Onlye And also that this holy Iustificacyon ys a fore god / and after his Iudgement / and not after meÌ„nys Iudgement wherefore glory as moche as you can of youre good workys / They caÌ„ not alonly not Iustyfye you / But also they be of no valure but damnable and very synne / yf there be no faythe / So for are they from helpyng too iustificacyon August in prologo Psal 31. Thys dothe S. Augustyne wytnes in these wordys Those same workys that be done a fore faythe / though they seme vn to men laudable / yet are they butt vayne / And I do Iudge them / as great strength / and as swyfte runninge out of the waye where for let no maÌ„ count hys good workys by fore faythe / where as faythe ys not there is no good worke / the intencyon makythe a good worke / but faythe do the gyde that intencyon cÌ„ Here Augustyne condeÌ„neth all youre good workys a fore faythe / and saythe that they be nothynge worthe / But vayne and thynges out of the way / How can suche thynges helpe too Iustifiacyon Marke also how that youre good intencyon where vppon you bost that you doo so many good workys by it can not helpe you for heys blynd and knowythe not what to do though he stond weell in hys awne conseyte wyth out faythe whych ys hys gyde Soo that all thynges a fore faythe are but very blyndnes But as sone as faythe cometh / he dothe bothe Iustyfy and also maketh the workys good / whyche were a fore synne But my lordys / you thynke to Iustyfy men a fore god / as you do fulfyll youre offyce a fore the worlde / that ys by workys of hypocrysy / and by workes that haue the name of holynes / and not the dede / and by vayne and glorious namys / aÌ„d wyth youre vayne blessyngys and sanctificacions / and wyth youre daÌ„nable pardoÌ„s / wyth youre whysling absolucyons / by suche workys as these be that haue but the shadow of holines in dede be but sinne / Think you to satissefye god / lyke wysse as with youre bostinge crakinge with proude lokis with youre hie thretniÌ„ges with youre gorgiê° poÌ„pe pryde / you do make the world beleue that you be the very successors of peter paule whaÌ„ in very dede you are the very Antychrystys that Scriptur speketh of / that the worlde hathe lokid so longe for / And yet so mad be we to loke for Antichrist / whaÌ„ he ys long come in to the game place and playeth hys parte to the vttermoost For lett any man that lokythe for Antychryste tell me what Antychryste shall doo whan he cometh / that yow doo not openly / and yet wylle yow be Chrystes bisshops / So that pore Christ must bere in his nek / all youre damnable and a bomynable lyuynge But lett vs se what Saynt Barnarde saythe off good workys I do abhorre saith he what soeuer thynge ys of me / Barnar suê‘ Can. sermo 67 excepte paradventure / that that be mine that god hathe made me his By grace hath he iustyfyed me frely / and by that hathe he delyuered me from the bondage of synne Thou haste not chosyn me sayth christ but I haue chosen the / nor I founde no merites in the / that myght move me to chosse the / but I preuented alle thy merites where fore thus by faith haue I maried the vn to me / and not by the workes of the lawe I haue maried that also in iustis / but not in the iustis of the lawe / but in that iustis whyche ys of faith Now this remaynythe / that thou doo iudge a ryght iudgement by twene the and me / geue thou iudgement where in that I haue maryed the / where yt is open that thy merites dyd not come by twene / but my pleasure wyll cÌ„ S. Barnard dothe dispyse all his good workes and takythe hym only to grace / but you stycke partly to youre workes and not allonlye to grace / had S. Barnarde no good workes to stycke to And yet he saith that there was no merites / nor any goodnes / but that we were frely chosen wherefore he prouokyth you and all suche as you be / to iudge ryghtwisely by twene god and yov / the which hathe preuented al youre goodnes / and that of his awne wylle and off hys awne pleasure / how can he fynd any goodnes / that preuentythe all goodnes So that here haue you clearly / that good workes off the lawe / or morall good workes as you fayne / doo nothyng helpe to iustificacion / for they be prevented of iustificacion This is also well provyd by