desire kindeleth of delaie and vnderstādinge encreaseth of desire We must aske we must seeke we muste knocke Our lorde hath saide Aske you and you shal receaue Seeke and you shal finde Knocke and the doore shal be opened Wee must perseauer eager and feruente in prayer not doubtinge but in tyme we shal receaue what we aske in tyme we shal finde what wee seeke and after wee haue knocked the doore wil be opened That sweete ladie of consolatiō and quene of comforte with al the heauenlie courte to whom you so often poure forthe your mourninge plaintes wyl not wante to make intercession for you before the throwne of his maiestie Theire praiers wyl not faile but gaine you comforte in your distresses And assure your selues that God wyl heare you and them for you for he is al wayes nighe to them that be afflicted Christe may seeme longe a sleepe to you that be afflicted to you it may seeme timelie that Christe take pitie of his churche so pitiouslie afflicted with heresie and tyrannie But it is not our parte to appointe him time he knoweth beste what is necessarie for vs To him wee muste humble our soules and praye for suche times as may be moste for his honor It was saide to them of Bethulia Vnderstande you that God vvil heare your prayers yf stil you perseuere in fastinge and prayer God almightie hath appointed tyme and knoweth when and how to deliuer the Godlie out of temptation After a storme he maketh fayre wether After weepinge and heuines he geueth mirthe and ioye The shippe hath ben shaken with no lesse stormes at other times then at this time Christe quieted those and Christe wil quiet thes Doubte you not but he wil bringe his trobeled freindes throughe the middes of thes tempestes and repose them in quiet hauen I conclude with thes considerations Christians are nowe put together as it were in apotte ouer the fire to be tried as goulde is tried from other metalles The fire flameth the pot seetheth the waters be thicke the scombe is caste awaye Catholikes are in the forge vnder the workemans hande to be refined They are in the forge not as coles that burne and turne to ashes but as golde that is tried The forge is the worlde you are the golde tribulation is the fire God is the worke man. The Christian catholike life consisteth in sufferinge wee must not therfore doo our owne wil but the wil of god And amonge men wee must eyther suffer the rulers wil or theire power their wil to order vs or theire power to punishe vs And then the consequēce is eyther to haue victorie in this worlde or to surrender this life to inherite the life euerlastinge The sureste waye to come into the peaceable porte of our countrie towarde which wee saile tossed in many tempestes is to remaine in the shippe and in the same to trace the true wayes of them that haue gon before to treade in their steppes and to become heires of their vertues Hard thinges may be mollified straite thinges may be loused and heauie thinges shal litle greue them that can beare them hansomlie Thoughe God suffer for a time the wicked to rage and the hypocrite to raigne yet the same hande that woundeth heyleth the same hande that presseth refresheth Godes pitiful grace wyl quenche the firebrandes asswage the rage and releue the innocentes The wisedome of the worlde maketh worldlie heades deffecte from god Good mens heartes be create of God and be resteles in the worlde but when they reste in God. As there is but one God one faithe and one baptisme so is there but one Christe one churche and one religion No faithe can profite but that one which is the catholike Romaine faithe confessed in the catholike Romaine churche that is but one vnder one heade The Lutheran the Caluinian and Puritan faithe is a newe no faithe a newe no religion founded vpon mannes fancie without Godes worde or authoritie It hath no churche no bishoppe no prieste no aulter no sacrifice and consequentlie no God. And they of this newe no faithe hauinge no grounde in Christe nor of his churche dissente in their owne groundes without vnitie from veritie You haue the groundes of Christe You haue the authoritie of Christes churche You haue the testimonies of Christes sainctes You haue the confirmations of general councelles With you is the vniforme consente of the people of god With you is the publike practise of the Christian worlde You should not be discomforted to suffer for such a cause as hath so manye greate so manye good and so sufficience groundes for suche a cause I saye as with which concurre so manye comfortes As that you sustaine the greateste cause under the cope of heauen the common cause of Christes catholike churche the cause of religion which is the supreme seruice and soueraigne honor that you can offer vnto god That God maketh you worthie geueth you grace to confesse and fortitude to suffer That you enioye in the vnitie of Christes churche the bountie of his blessinges That you be safe in this churche throughe the mightie power of your guides and rulers That you be pertakers of al praier of al sacrifice of al good workes and shal be pertakers of Christes deathe and merites That in sufferinge you be daylie crowned that you haue victorie and shal haue rewarde That in sufferinge your vertues be exercised and your merites encreased That you suffer directelie for iustice that you suffer but for a time That by suffering God maketh you lowe to bringe you to the highest maketh you ritche in faithe and turneth your temporal punishemēte to your spiritual benefite That you ouercome the worlde that you shal not be condemned with the worlde That you be open confessors That you haue secrete martyrdome that you haue al possible comfortes with which faithe is strengthened to make you opē Martyres Yf any of you take comforte in any of thes comfortes geue the praise to God and cal vpon him in al your pressures and sufferinges God wil be your helpe and God muste be your hope Yf there be remedie it wil once fal yf there be none thanke God of al. Beleue wel and liue wel Do wel and die wel that you may die to liue with god God the father of al mercies and the God of al comforte comforte you in al your tribulation with the same comforte wherwith our selues are comforted of God. Fare you wel At Louaine the last of September 1579. A Prayer Almightie God father of al mercies and God of al comforte haue mercie on vs the afflicted members of thy catholike churche Forgeue vs our synnes geue vs tyme to do penance grace to resiste synne and peace to serue thee in holynes Comforte vs that be thy prisoners reliue vs that be straingers in dispersion succour al that be afflicted for confessinge thy holie name Make vs worthie to suffer geue vs strengthe to beare and constancie to confesse Let no feare
members You be his members You fulfil that in your fleshe that lacked of his passion and you fulfil it for his bodie vvhich is the churche Christe suffereth no more in fleshe wherin he ascended into heauen but he suffereth in your fleshe which yet trauaileth on the earthe What lacked in the head is supplied in the members And therfore you suffer as members of his bodie for his bodie which is the churche and you suffer for the trial of your faithe which is tried to this ende that it might be founde to honor wheÌ„ Christe commeth in whom you beleue for whom you suffer and by whom you shal receaue the ende of your faithe euen the saluation of your soules Seinge then religion is the soueraigne honor and the onelie supreme seruice that you owe to God seinge it is the most glorious and honorable cause for which you can suffer respecte of no creature loue of no felicitie feare of no aduersitie should withdrawe you froÌ„ this cause Loue of parentes and countrie loue of wife and children loue of goodes and honors loue of liuelehood and life must geue place to this They that for this cause forsake the temporal welth of the world shal receaue the spiritual blessinges of God our lorde This saith our lorde Euerie man that forsaketh hys house or hys brothers or sisters or father or mother or vvife or children or landes for my name sake shal receaue an hundred folde He promiseth more then this to them that dye for his sake This saith our lorde He that leeseth his life for me shal finde the same Ther be diuersities of christian dewties diuersities of honor obedience and loue There is a loue dewe vnto our parentes and this hath his limitation Who so loueth them aboue Christe is not Christes disciple nay whoso hateth them not for Christe is not his disciple and he that forsaketh not al and beareth not Christes crosse for Christes sake can not be his disciple When faithe is called in questioÌ„ when christians be conuented for religion and Godes cause must be answered they be our mothers they be our brothers which do the wil of our father in heauen If they beleue in Christe they must preferre vs that fighte for Christe yf they beleue not let the deade burie the deade There is a loue dewe vnto our natural father so longe as he withdraweth vs not from our heauenlie father We must not acknowledge any loÌ„ger our parent age kinred stocke or other creature theÌ„ they acknowledge God theire creator Our parentes may doo what shal best like them of theire goodes and substance with our soules they haue not to doo Our soules be not theirs by whoÌ„ we were generate but his to whom we be regenerate Thoughe thy nephewe a litle ladde and playnge boye hange aboute thy necke thoughe thy mourninge mother with reÌ„te heares and blubbered chekes shewe thee hir pappes wherwith she gaue thee sucke thoughe thy feble father lye at thy thresholde passe by thy father passe by thy mother with drie eyes and hasten to the crosse of Christe crueltie in this case is the onelie kinde of pietie and pietie for God is no crueltie Ther is an honor and obedience dew to princes and ciuil rulers of the worlde Thes dewties also haue their limitation The children of Israel saide vnto their ruler Iosue As vve haue obeyed Moyses so vvil vvee obeye thee looke onelie to this that our lorde God be vvith thee as he vvas vvith Moyses As who wold saye we wil obeye thee so loÌ„ge as thou obeiest God God is to be obeied and so is Iosue God before Iosue God aboue Iosue and rather God then Iosue The children of Israel obeied kinge Nabuchodonosor inal that he might coÌ„maunde by authoritie of a kinge But when he proclamed that his subiectes shoulde kneele downe and adore his Idol they denied that obedience Daniel obeied kinge darius in externe matters but when the kinge gaue out edicte that whoso prayed to any other God but to him should be caste to the lions he forsoke the courte entred his chamber and there praied thrise adaye vpon his knees Likewise Mathathias saide VVe vvil obeie the lavve of our fathers vve vvil not harkeÌ„ vnto the commaundementes of the kinge Was it not obiected to Christes Apostles that they contraried the senate and counselers and therevnto S. Peter made this breefe Apologie VVe must obeye God rather then men What time the holie man and blessed Martyr sainct Policarpe was broughte before the proconsul and required to sweare to Cesar and to reuile Christe he made this answer I haue serued Christe foure score yeares and syxe and to this daye Christe neuer iniured mee nor dyd ought why I should reuile him My selfe am a Christian and wee christians be taughte to geue to princes and seculer powers suche honor as is not contrarie to our religion In thes dewties then this is the limitation our soueraigne loue honor and obedience is dewe onely to god and thes may be done with oute dishonor or preiudice to princes as the children of Israel did as Daniel did as Mathathias did as the Apostles did as saincte Polycarpe did who obeied God and men but rather God then men who gaue to Cesar what belonged to Cesar and to God what belonged to god Kinges princes and poteÌ„tates of the worlde be the seruantes of God God is their maister we may not obeie the seruant against the maister When inferiour authoritie commaundeth what we should not doo we must refuse that authoritie and feare the superior power Yf the Emperour coÌ„maunde one thinge and God an other he must pardon vs thoughe wee obeie not he threateneth prison God threateneth hel In Gods cause we must obeie God and not meÌ„ when men be contrarie to God nor shoulde we therfore be called disobedient subiectes or discontented persones yf in Godes matters wee preferre God before men This is the scope I leauel at that our soueraigne obedience must be to God in al dewties without exception and that in the house of God there is no greater cause nor greater obedience then to suffer for the loue of god Sainct Paule enflamed with this loue and with the zeale of Godes house brasâ—e oute thes wordes VVho shal separat vs from the loue of God shal tribulation or anguishe or persecution or honger or nakednes or peril or svvorde I am sure that neyther deathe nor lyfe neyther angelles nor rule nor povver neyther thinges present nor thinges to come nor highe nor lovve nor any other creature shal be able to separate vs from the loue of God. What sterred vp the stoute standinge of the Confessors the blouddye battaile of the Martyres the chaste combat of the virgins but the loue of Godes house This moued s Athanasius that holie coÌ„fessor to saye let vs go to meete with our persecutor that he may perceaue how much greater the power of
the shippe of Christe you that be confessant catholikes al you that suffer for the catholike vnitie let your comfortes encrease to vnderstāde thes blessinges of God to wyt that you be of one faithe of one charitie of one churche of one vnitie vnder one heade that you be of the communion of sainctes that you be pertakers of sanctification of remission and grace that you be pertakers of al good workes done in the whole christian worlde of al sacrifices of al prayers of al penance of al fastinges and of what els soeuer be done in the vniuersal churche of Christe and that in the ende you be sure to be pertakers of Christes deathe and merites which is al that you labour for when now you beare the crosse of Christe And for what thinge soeuer God permitteth you presentlie to beare his crosse his iudgementes be secrete in effecte you suffer on the crosse which thinge must be your comforte For yf you suffer for your sinnes you suffer vpon the crosse of the good thefe If you suffer for iustice sake as sufferinge for religion you can not but suffer for iustice then may you take more comforte therof because you suffer vpō Christes owne crosse And what yf the professed enemies of the churche nickename you What yf they reuile you yea what yf they hate you The coniunction of soules vnited in God the dislikinge of spirites aparted from God is such that their can be no entier likinge nor louinge aliāce betwene faithe and infidelitie truthe and falsehood lighte and darkenes Antechriste and Christe They that breake charitie wil not like of you that kepe vnitie nor wil they commende you that be gon frō you The diuel that is auctor of diuision is alwayes sterringe againste the vnited members of Christe It is his tricke to blemishe and abase to infame and obscure the glorious name of thē that be of better note and conuersation to the ende they mighte finde lesse reputation amōge the childrē of the worlde Porphirius was a reuiler of christians and a rayler at their religion whē he could not finde oughte that he might iustly reprehende in Origenes commentaries he began to nickename him and to rayse at his person In like maner doth the partie protestante mislikinge with the catholike cause and with the catholike onelie for the cause beinge insufficiēte to answere theire matter nickename theire personnes that they mighte make them odious by reprocheful names and false intended crimes What ado make they whē they chapter as they doo cōmonlie vpon the names of Rome pope and papiste How rappe they oute theire railinge rhetorike when they heare the consented doctrine of Christes churche alleaged As they discourse smothelie and make a populer shewe of sugered wordes conningelie so yet when al is saide the somme of theire drifte is to make their rouinge aduantage vpō the names of Rome Pope and papistrie And what els do they saye in substāce againste the beleued doctrines of the churche but that the beleuers be papistes and the doctrines papistrie As it may be that a good natured man wolde shonne a contumelious speache so it should not greue a right enformed catholike that liueth in the feare of God and in the faithe of Godes churche to be reproched by the vngodlye which haue no feare nor faithe no remorse what God seeth nor what the worlde sayeth As for the names of papiste and papistrie they bringe in dede with them a preiudice amonge the children of the worlde and were inuented by the firste founders of the fifth gospel to bringe religion in contempte and to make the catholike odious wheras in truthe thes names be not infamous by diriuation but by calumnious interpretation It should not greatelie moue an vnderstandinge christian to be called papiste for yf he consider a principal grounde of our christianitie he can not be a saued christian that is not a pure papiste In the beginninge of the gospel christians began to be odious euen then they were reuiled mocked called fooles and witlesse folke because they folowed Christe Euen then they were spoyled and al that would iniurie thē mighte make theire praye of them It may come to passe againe in the reuolution of a fewe yeares that the name of a christian wil be as odious with the Machiauelian that vseth religion but for a polecie as nowe is the name of papiste with the protestante that is indifferent to any religion As odious was the christian name some nomber of yeares after Christe as nowe is the name of papiste and as muche malice did the enemies of christianitie worke againste the knowē christians whom they called scoffinglie Christicolas to wit worshipers of Christe as now the enemies of Christes churche worke againste the catholikes whō they cal odiouslie Papistas to wit such as shewe their obedience to the pope that is Christes vicar Peters successor the highe preeste and heade byshoppe of the whole christian worlde You be the children of the churche you be the children of vnitie yf you be nickenamed for dewties sake where dewtie is dewe that is oute of course and blame worthie in thē that so name you But the case beinge as it is remedilesse the seruantes of Christe muste holde them selues cōtente to suffer tearmes and tauntes raylinges and reproches seinge Christe their lorde and maister coulde not escape them Was not Christe reuiled with opprobrious wordes importinge shame and synne Was he not saide to be a freinde to publicans and synners Was he not called Samaritan and albeit there was neuer founde in him excesse yet they called him a wyne bibber and a man of meate aboue measure Yea they lefte not his diuine workes vntouched in them also they saide he wroughte by a diuel and the prince of diuelles When they coulde not abide his doctrine for his doctrines sake they glaunced at his person It can not be defended but you be synners But what synne is implied in the name of papiste Doubtles none at al but that vnder this name they woulde make odious not onelie your personnes but your faithe and religion which is that onelie religion and faithe of whos communion whosoeuer be not be not of Christes faithe and communion Amonge vs that be in banishemēte it is counted more irkesome in thes rebellious attemptes to be forced from countrie to countrie from state to state to be sacked to finde penurie and in euerie parte to see a feareful face of miserie then to heare a fewe syllables and them not of yl sounde nother yf they bee wel taken Wordes be often as they be takē and as the mindes of thē be that speake them S. Peter and the diuel vsed like wordes whē bothe cōfessed Christe to be the sōne of god Christe asked the Iewes for whō they soughte they answered for Iesus of Nazareth Their wordes were good theire meaninge yl The Iewes mocked Christe whē they saluted him thus Aue rex iudaeorum The christiās honor him with