vnto for your sakes Suche dishonour shal be exceedingly recompensed with a waightie Croune of glorie suche woundes are the woundes of Christ which the Apostle more boasteth of with a holie boaste then euer did soldiour of the woundes he had in the field for the defence of his Prince and Countrey and suche woundes shal be healed againe yea suche death shall be turned to a happie and euerlastyng life Therefore my humble praier to God for al your honourable Lordships is that it maie please hym to fortifie and strengthen your noble hartes to continue and proceade forwarde in this moste holie course to the aduauncyng daiely of the truthe of the Gospell and the rootyng out of Antichristianitie despisyng all the threates plattes and practises of the aduersarie with assurance that the watchman of Israll sleepeth not If his eyes bee open ouer all Israell night and daie to turne awaie all daungers from them how carefull and vigilant an eye doth he keepe ouer Ierusalem and most of all watchfull and ielous is he ouer the house and freendes of Dauid In the life to come he supposeth the Traytors worthely executed and other recusantes imprisoned shall be made equall to these who haue doen this iustice vppon theim and that then all their paines shall bee asswaged their teares wyped awaie their racked partes resetled and thei receiued to euerlastyng peace and glorie This I graunt shall in that daie be performed to those which suffer in Gods cause and for bearyng witnesse to our Sauiour and the truthe of his Gospell For so are we taught by our Sauiour himself that he that leeseth his life for him shall finde it by receiuyng in the world to come life euerlastyng Therefore I nothyng doubt but through the grace of God doe stedfastly beleeue that in that daie all our worthy fathers and brethren the noble hoste of Martirs and true Souldiers of Christ Iesu whiche haue suffered bothe in former tymes and in these latter daies els where and here in Englande in the tyme of their most cruell and bloudie raigne bothe suffered for the true profession of the Gospell of Christ and shall be raised againe in that daie to raigne with hym in glorie Then vndoubtedly though thei were burnt to ashes or slaine with the murdring sworde or howsoeuer openly or secretly destroyed the Lorde will restore their bodies vnto them againe Then the ashes whiche the bones were burnt vnto and are carefully laied vp by the Lorde in his treasurie by the power whereby he is able to doe al thinges shall be restored to their former nature and be made bones again Then according to the vision of Ezechiell euery bone shall come and ioyne it self againe to the bone wherewith it is to bee ioyned the sinewes shall come vppon the bones the fleshe shall couer the sinewes and the breath of life shal be breathed into them So they whom they thought thei had confounded for euer shall stande vppon their feete againe as a triumphant and victorious hoste ouer all their enemies With the least of which the saintes of God in whom the Lorde will be marueilous at his cōmyng not the proudest of the aduersaries of the Gospell shall be equall as he boasteth but in tremblyng and in feare shall stande before them who shall assist the great Iudge in his hye Courte accordyng as it is saied you shall iudge the Aungelles Therfore let them not boast them selues of a vaine hope for certainly there is no peace for the wicked saith the lorde To trauel and torment them as he obiecteth there is no man taketh any pleasure in it God forbidd we should feede our eyes with the miserable spectacle of their execution or our hartes in any their sufferinges We are so farre from it by the grace of God that if we enioye any thyng that is good wee wishe as good parte of it to them as to our selues Especially beeyng vouchsafed that high fauour of God to beleeue in Christe accordyng to the truth of the Gospell and thereby to liue thorow the same grace in the feare of his name seruyng hym and our brethren with all our power in a happy assuraunce of the forgiuenesse of our synnes and a blessed hope and expectation of the glorie of God to be made manifest in vs as in his sonnes at the glorious commyng of Christ with thousandes of his mightie Aungelles We wishe them the like precious faith together with vs and the same vndoubted and vnmoueable hope of the life to come Wherein as through the same gracious promise of God in Christe we are assured by the Sacred truthe of his Gospell to haue our parte of the hidden Manna and of the Tree of life whiche is in the middest of the Paradise of God so we desire with all our hartes if it bee so good in his eyes who is onely wise onely mercifull and onely holie that thei maie haue their part of that Manna that Tree of life and newe wine of a heauenly grape reioysyng the harte of God and man together with vs as the Lord speaketh in the Gospell eating and drinkyng at the heauenly table and that we maie altogether raigne with Christ in his kyngdome for euer As for the benefites of this life I would to God their offences hindered theim not to enioye theim aswell as wee If the Lorde haue giuen vs a good lande as he hath in deede plentiful of all good commodities of this life we wish thei were partakers of thē all together with vs. We take no pleasure in their banishment abroad our coūtry is their countrie our peace is their peace our libertie theirs We can wel afforde thē and that with ioy roome emongest vs yea prefermentes and places of any good and honorable seruice in the churche or cōmonwealth accordyng to their worthinesse and abilitie to deale in them Therefore as Iuda somtimes exhorted Israel so we exhort thē retourne ye children of Israell Fight not against the Lorde God of your Fathers for you can not prospere When the Prodigall sonne had wasted his fathers goods with harlots in a straunge countrey beyng in pouertie and neede longed after his fathers house again he aduised to returne to hūble himself to his father and saie father I haue sinned against heauen against thee am no more worthy to be called thy sōne make me but as one of thy hired seruants and his father receiued hym with a greate feast at his own table with noise of Musick and with all ioye So wee assure our selues vpon the merciful nature of our souerain Ladie whō God hath made to be a mother in Israel that thei should be graciously louyngly receiued if thei would know their owne miserie and did lothe their spirituall Fornications with the whore of Babilon vpon whō thei spend wast what giftes so euer God hath bestowed vpon thē Let them be ashamed of their féeding of the draffe of mens inuentiōs who may feede with their brethren at home
whiche shall be alleadged Herevnto maie be added if there bee cause the testimonies of the Councelles Fathers Stories or other authorities of credite not to argue or proue any truthe or to cōuince or disproue any vntruthe for this appertaineth to God not to man to his infallible woorde and not to the writinges of men who are all liars but as witnesses to testifie what the doctrine of the Churche was in suche a question in the sondrie ages times of the church Which beyng doen by either partie then that either of them bothe aunswere the argumentes of the other and strengthen again his owne in suche place as the aduerse partie shall thinke to be weake Which passyng thus to and fro till bothe haue said what thei are able for thē selues will leaue suche a meanes for those whiche are willing to informe their cōsciences of the truthe as by gods grace it wil be easie to discerne His secōd reason wherby it maie appeare that their standyng in this cause is not without substanciall warrant is noted to be the vncertaintie of temporall fauor in matters of Religiō but that sectiō wherevpon it is noted conteineth no suche matter but onely this that it is not inough to perswade them that we saie we haue the Gospell because other also condemne vs and saie thei haue it we are not ignoraunte that euery one maketh claime to haue the Gospell and condemne those whiche ioyne not with them Amōgest whom that he reckeneth Luther and a Scholer of his I referre him to my answere where this is alledged of hym before which answere maie serue for his Scholer too As for the Trinitaries and Anabaptistes it is but his his malice and hatred against the Gospell to recken vs with theim whom wee are as vnlike in all their vngodly opiniōs as thei are vnlike the true Churche of Christ and her moste holy faith But this were an aunswere if we had nothing but the bare word and boastyng of the Gospell Wee haue made God be praised for it sufficient profe to all equall Iudges that it is bothe in woorde and in deede the true Gospell and pure woorde of GOD and the lawe of the lorde whiche is now the Religion through the goodnesse whiche hath visited vs from aboue established and preached emōgst vs. The twoo next sections haue some matter in them like this title for in the firste of thē he affirmeth the holie Religion whiche is now established to haue been brought in by an noble man after king Henries daies whiche he saieth could doe moste by bryngyng in twoo Caluinistes as he tearmeth them to read in the two Vniuersities here Whiche he so laieth out as if we had no other staie for Religion but that noble mannes pleasure who he saith if he would haue brought in twoo of any other secte might aswell haue established it whervpon he cōcludeth that seyng that seculer magistrate nor temporall law is no sufficiēt ground in religiō there is no cause but thei should be excused to continue stil in their opinion as thei doe And thus he retourneth againe to his request of disputation But first for this his second reason He maie remember hym self that their Dagon was fallen to the grounde though not with so greate hurte as after euen in the tyme and raigne of Kyng Henry the eight of noble memorie So that to speake in any reason he cannot laie the foundation of the Gospell now emongest vs vpon the onely meanes of the noble manne whom he noteth He might haue remembred that worthie thinges wer doen in K. H. tyme. For God had giuē that noble king besides his owne abilitie to discouer the ambitious pride and greedie couetousnesse of the Clergie the repugnance of the Popes supremacie with the souerantie of his roiall croune and dignitie the abhominations of the Dispensations of the Pope and sondrie suche like weightie and materiall poinctes of true Religion For GOD gaue vnto hym by sides some other meanes chiefe furtheraunce to the sight of these thynges by that moste vertuous and excellent Princes Ladie Anne Bulleyne the moste honourable mother of our dreade Soueraine Ladie now raignyng ouer vs whose eyes God hauyng opened to see the truthe her religious and zealous mynde louyng the wisedome that is greater then Salomon whiche the famous Queene of Saba was so delighted with and beeyng carefull for Gods people as Queene Hester was a worthy meanes to draw the noble kyng to better iudgement and knowledge in Religion then he had been of before whiche was also Godlie continued by the good and gracious Ladie Queene Katherine Par. Further also besides many other he had two as wise faithfull coūsailors as euer had Christian kyng before hym The one that reuerend and learned father Crāmer and the other the wise lord Cromwel counsellours worthie of eternall memorie for their Religious stout and wise dealyng against the misterie of iniquitie For hauing not to do onely with the Popes Consistory and Vestrie with his Cannon lawe beggerly wardrope with his discipline ceremonies but with his whole bodie with his whole house and tēple and that so rooted and groūded as if the foūdations of it had been layd in the centre of the earth yet God poured suche a Christian magnanimitie into their noble hartes to vndertake and such a sound iudgement to deuise the way to performe the ouerthrowe of it and to vndermine those deepe foundations as if the lord had giuen theim a pouder to rende vp those stately houses as Bulwerkes of Sathan and Castles of superstition and Idolatrie which seemed to haue been builded to continue to the ende of the worlde Further the Gospell was taught bothe in other places and also here in Englande and was receiued beleued and professed most constantly to the death by sondrie true professors of it and constaunt martyrs of Christe long before that tyme he speaketh of Wherefore there is no reason to make the entrance of those two readers the beginning of true religiō with vs. Moreouer also in the beginnyng of the raigne of that noble princely king Edward Who knoweth not that the state of religiō was established within this land by act of Parlament before the commyng in of those readers into the vniuersitees so that this reason is vtterly voide of all reason to make thē the beginnyng of religion emongst vs who came in twoo yeres after it had been throughly and quietly established as it is at this present daie After in deede by the worthie meanes of the noble Duke of Sommersett Lorde Protector and the right reuerend Cranmer twoo famous clearkes that then were of the moste renoumed for their vertue and learnyng in all these partes of Europe Martin Bucer and Peter Martyr wer procured ouer and placed the one in Cambridge the other in Oxford to the greate seruice of almightie God and of this his Churche For thei accordyng to the Apostles exhortatiō deliuered ouer a forme of sound doctrine to many
Maiestie which is her speciall Honoure hath as the true daughter of Sara receyued vnder her protection such as were forced to trauaile from place to place and that for the true profession of the Gospell and gyuen succoure and comforte to the persecuted members of Christe Iesu And for these it hath pleased GOD to prosper her Maiestie and to gyue her a people hollye by profession in Religion peaceable in trāquilitie riche in Treasure stronge in forces faithfull and louyng to her Highnesse and her friendes but fearefull and terrible to her enemies And now to exalte her Throne euen as high as Salomons was exalted what remayneth to be done but that as Salomon furnished the Lordes Temple and established all the order of the house of GOD in euery point as the Lord had commaunded by the Law of Moses and by the Prophets So likewise that her Ma. woulde finish this far aduanced most holy honorable worke of the seruice of God amōgst vs. for the furtherāce wherof hir highnes renowmed father of famous memory made a statute wherby it was enacted that the Canon law being the Law of the Popes the auncient enemyes of this Land and the corrupt spring of infinit enormyties in the Churche shoulde be reuisited by a number of chosen men for the purpose and such an order set downe for the good direction and regiment of the Churche as might be most agréeable to the Commaundementes of almyghtie God and our Sauiour Christ Iesu This godly and honourable purpose was continued by hys noble Sonne the Iosiah of our tyme and no doubt but had bin perfourmed to the great seruice of God and edification of the Church yf the Lord had contynued hys happy raigne amongste vs. Thys so necessary act for the honor of God and comfort of hys people béeing after repealed hath bin reuiued agayne by her highnes Which being don so longe agoo and nothing remayninge but to appoynt fit men for the purpose the moste humble sute of all Israell of God in the land is that a seruice so holy so profitable and so necessarye may no longer be delayed For incourragemēt wherof I would to God the spéeche of Azariah worthy to be written in tables of Gold were ingrauen in the hartes of all that oughte and myght further thys holy cause that he spake vnto Kynge Asa vnto all Iuda Beniamin that is whyle ye haue bene wyth the Lord the Lorde hath bene wyth you and if ye will yet séeke hym he wyll be ready for you but if ye forsake him hee wyll forsake you as hee hath done the Isralites who of longe tyme haue bene without the true God without a teaching Priest and without the Law and the Lorde hath vexed them with al calamities accompaniyng ciuill warres and dissentions be yee therefore of good courage to procure the further aduauncement of GODS seruice and let not your handes bee feeble for there is a rewarde for your worke So Lykewise it may be truly and fytlye sayde to our moste noble Quéene Elizabeth which was sayde to Asa and to all her highnes nobilitye as to the royall seede of Iuda and to all the people as to Beniamin that surely the Lorde hath bene with you while you haue ben wyth him And no doubt but if ye shall yet goe forwardes to doe euery thing which the Lord hath commanded and seeke him wyth all your heart no doubt I say but he will yet more more enlarge him selfe towards you and encrease all your good estate excéedinglye so that al the world shal say what an honoarble and happy Nation is this whiche the Lorde tendereth so dearlye and aduaunceth aboue all the Kingdoms of the World So shall this Doctrine that I am now debating with the enemye bée made cleare and manyfest that true relygion can neuer bée daungerous to a Common Wealth but dooth alwayes cause it to prosper and to florish which the Lord our gracious God graunt may be confirmed more and more by our happye experience But the other part the Lorde turne from hir Maiestie from all the Nobles and People of the Land and teach it them by the wofull experience of their enimies which is that if you forsake the Lord you shal also be abandoned of him If Isarell bee suffered to bee without a teachinge Ministerie as it is yet in a great part of the dominiō without the ordinary preaching of the Gospell then the Lord will punish with lyke or greater punishment then Israel was punished withall Therfore the Lorde strengthen your hands that they be not féeble but that they may be strong to build vp that which remayneth for vndoubtedlye there is a rewarde for the woorke Thus returnyng to myne Aduersaryes most wicked and vngodly Paradoxe agayne I conclude that this Azaria and Shemaiah this Moses and Samuel this Dauid and Salomon with the rest of the Kinges of Israel and Iuda this also all the Prophets and Apostles teache vs that godlynesse and true Religion establisheth the seates of Princes prospereth the estate of all people whiche receiue it with that obedience they ought to doo and contrarywise impietie and false worship is the certayne ruyne and curse of the Nation which dooth imbrace it And except it were in Rome the Schoole of errour as one of their owne Poets dooth truly witnes against them and the Temple of heresie of suche as haue bene nufled and brought vp in her Seminaries of tares I think it was neuer hard of which our pretended Catho héere would presume that Catholicisme and Poperie tho it be false religion yet should be fit to make a common wealth to florishe or that the Gospell tho it bée true as it is yet should be cause of infinite hurts discommodities to the state where it is receiued But because this is so boldly auouched let vs examine the reasons of this his confident and erronious spéech His proofes are first generall and of this sort he hath two argumentes Whereof the first is the experience bothe of other Kingdomes and of our owne which haue beléeued and receiued this his Romaine Catholike Faith and haue florished by it whereunto I aunswer if it were true that he affirmeth that they had so prospered yet he faulteth much in affirming that to be the cause of their prosperitie which was no cause For that being true which I haue alreadie sufficiently confirmed that a false worship and heresie can neuer be profitable to any commō wealth and people it being no lesse true Moses and Christ himself being witnesses that this Romain faith is a false worship full of superstition and Idolatrie and full of errour and heresy thē notwithstanding it were so that Kingdomes entertaning this heresie had prospered for a time yet should it neuer follow thereof that their Idolatrie had béene the cause of their prosperitie No more then the wicked abhominations of the heathen were cause why some of them haue prospered for a season and that more for
exhorting herevnto gathering to this end al the chief reasons which ought to ioyne vnite the faithful one with an other as one God one Lorde Iesu Eph. 4 4.5.6 one faith one baptisme one body one spirite one hope of their calling wold neuer haue forgotten this whervpon it seemeth by theÌ„ that al this vnity should depend of one supreme pastor whom all ought to obey As this reason of vnity is alleaged for the pope so is it for all the rest of his hierarchie the very image of the beast that is of the RomaÌ„e empire some shadow of the glory wherof this Antichrist would haue expressed in his Prelates after him to whom it hath as much reason as in himself Pity it is that in so faire and cleare a lighte of the day and in this fulnesse of the brightnesse of the sunne any state shoulde not sée that as not beeing appointed of God to be any meanes of the intertaining of good agreement in the Church so contrarywise thorow his wrath and iust iudgment for the peruerting of his lawfull and holy ordinances which onely should rule the church in these cases that it hath been and yet is the most effectuall instrument of Satan to hinder the prosperous and flourishing estate of the gospel For hereby in his supreame Vicar vppon earth he sitteth as the strong man of whome we reade in the Gospel harnesed and armed in the middest of his hall and Pallaice possessing al his house in peace till his weapons wherin he trusteth most whereof this is chiefe be taken from him by our sauiour Christe who is stronger then he and so cast out of his possession The ambition of P. and of the people hath béen one cause to vphold it so long who as the prophet coÌ„plaineth delight in it and take pleasure to haue it so that their priestes should exercise authoritie by their pomp increase the state honor of theÌ„ both An other the weakenes of iudgement euen in those which were wise who seeing worldly states thus gouerned and not knowing the ordinaunces of our sauiour Christe in this case thought it a thing conuenâ—ent And it is to be feared that the allowaunce of this popishe hierarchie springeth in some pretending to be Catholicke from a most bitter roote as seeing hereby that thorow the giftes they receiue of them they shall alwayes haue them at commaundement to apply religion as may be fittest to serue their turn But wheÌ„ the Lorde shall of his goodnes vouchsafe to weâ—de out this roote of wormewood out of their harts and to lighten their eies with true knowledge they shall see both that to be true which hath been in this matter declared and further that this supremacy and whole hierarchy as it is no meanes of vnity in trueth so is it the very cause of keeping out the truth in so many places and detaining the knowledge of God vniustly and in captiuitie For whereas the fathers in their couÌ„cels bind themselues by a solemne oth to do nothing against the present state of the Pope and his Church and that the greatest parte of the abuses which are to be reformed in the Church of Rome are such as their supreme pastor his Hierarchy are guilty of if they call neuer so manye counsels for the purpose Vrspergensis yet if they be sworne vowed one to another to maintaine al their abhominatioÌ„s stil and yet all men be to follow the determination of the pope his prelats what hope is ther that euer they shold condemne them selues their gainful errors what losse soeuer it be to the world For as if things were reformed according to the truth of the Gospel his fatherhood shold part with his triple crown and leaue his riding vpoÌ„ mens shoulders so euery member of his body for his place in it must make lesse of more theÌ„ they would be willing to parte withall Wherefore their couÌ„cels are but for the establishing of their own kingdoÌ„ in the world And as are their general councels such are their national lesser synodes of like men for like purposes To consult of the best way for the reformation of abuses of furthering the seruice of God and of his people not a worde is amongst them For the chiefe abuses are in themselues It were to be wished therfore that all Christian P. or if suche as pretend to bee catholique wil not yet at the least they which make holy profession of the trueth of the Gospell as farre as this aduise may be necessary for them regarded the reformation of so great abuses and established the onely lawfull discipline in the Church which is the meane that Christ hath appointed for the kéeping of the vnity of the spirite in the bonde of peace Further where he blameth vs to receiue no mans exposition but our owne and to despise councelles he is to vnderstande that wee receiue the exposition of anye man bee he neuer so simple whiche is agreeable to the word of God We allow desire we hold expedient and necessarye lawfull holy méetings of conferences of synodes councels would most willingly that our cause might be debated in a free lawful and generall Councell Which woulde to God we might see if it be the Lordes good pleasure so assembled and ordered by the meane of Christian Princes as the worde of God preuailing and all our controuersies taken awaye there might be but one flocke and one solde as there is but one shepheard Christe Iesu And if this cannot be obtained wtout most vnequal conditions of appointing him to be iudg of our cause whoÌ„ we are to charge before God his whol parliment of saints and the reuerend assembly of such a generall and frée counsel as we according to Gods word do desire to be the very same Antichrist whom the scriptures foretold shold come for iust punishmeÌ„t of the wicked by hauing power to seduce into errors apostasie suche as had not the loue of the truth and the very head of that harlot whom S. Iohn painteth out in her colours in the reuelatioÌ„ which hath made al kingdoms drunk with the cup of her fornicatioÌ„s we must for that remit ourselues to the gret day of trial wheÌ„ Christ shal come with thousands of his mighty angels to iudg the quick the dead and before men angels before heaueÌ„ earth al creatures bearing witnes of his iustice giue sentence with vs against our aduersaries But if this so greatly to be desired throw their vnreasonable demaÌ„ds to be iudges in their own cause being to stand arraigned endited of high treason against God al the states of christendom theÌ„ wold to God yet it might be obteined of such christian P. as profes the gospel that there might be a general free councel of al the churches wtin their dominions The benefit wherof thorow the blessing of god must néeds be inestimable both to the preseÌ„t state of the church
the world and these may serue for a taste of the abilitie of these men who would make the worlde beleeue thei come now so furninished to the battaile that if wee would meete them but once in the field the victorie were their owne Yet I remember whē one of theim alledged a place out of the Ephesians there was sent to this Champion a Greke Testament who ashamed to confesse his ignoraunce excused himself by the smalnesse of the print From whom beyng caried to the rest of them so from one to an other al their chief men being there not a man emongest them could be found that durste take vpon hym to render one poore sentence or twoo out of the Greeke Testament into Englishe Are not these bolde Champions to boaste so muche of learning to enter into a Countrie to conuerte them to the faithe to take vpon them to controll all our translations of the holie Scriptures as erronious and false and not one of so many of theim to vnderstande the originall tongues Hebrewe and Greke wherein thei were firste written by the holie men of God by whom thei were lefte vnto vs. How should thei bee able to disproue our translations who them selues can not tell what is rightly translated and what is not as hauyng no skill in the learned tongues out of the whiche thei are translated Are not these famous Clearkes greatly to bee feared in disputation that can not vouche their aucthors in the tongues wherein thei wrote Thei haue now founde a helpe for this Gregorie Martine hath knowledge inough for them all and the vulgare Latine is authenticall so made by the Councell of Trent that is by the power wherby thei may doe all thynges These helpes I doubt not but thei shal shortly se to be so poore shiftes as thei were best not let al lie vpō Martins skill least thei marre all but bryng vp others in the knowledge of the tongues who maie begin to learne theim soner then Martin did and to finde some better succour to shroud thēselues vnder then the authentike authoritie of their vulgare Latine text for this wil not serue them as I doubt not but thei shall vnderstand ere it be long But to retourne againe to this renewer of the challenge of disputation their cause beyng so slender as all the tongues of men and Aungelles are not able to make good and yet the Captaines of this their newe and late inuasion so vnfurnished of these meanes what reason can he haue thus to vaunt that we dare not admitte any triall or what cause hath he thus to boaste if he will consider that whiche I haue truely for this purpose afore reported of their Champion God beeyng witnesse and of myne owne knowledge He would faine excuse this shamefull vanitie of an ignoraunt and vnskilfull man in the matter he presumed to take vpon hym by saiyng he had been racked or il handled before he had no warnyng to forethinke hym self he was allowed no bookes nor equall Notaries nor suffered to oppose but assaulted with greate wordes sterne countenaunce bigge voice and vnciuill reuilyng For his Rackyng was suche as he was able after it to come and go of himself without any helpe For warnyng me thinke he should not greatly neede muche warnyng that made so proude a chalenge Goliah yet was wiser then so for he had about hym and with hym his weapons wherein he trusted and required not any warnyng but was readie and appoincted in all partes to maintaine his chalenge Yet this I can saie that he had sometymes as muche warnyng as thei whiche disputed with hym and this equitie vsed towardes hym that he hym self named one of the questions to bee disputed as the opponentes did the other He was offered to haue what bookes he would and desiryng none but Canisius Catechisme had it prouided for hym Whē any writing was there was no answere of his set doune but allowed of hym after that he had been demaūded whether that were his answere or no. To oppose was not for hym that had chosen his place to stand as at the barriers to aunswere all commers For woordes he would take none at any mannes hande so farre was he vnlike to hym that saied I became as a dumbe man and againe as the lambe before the shearer so opened he not his mouth And yet me thinke a greate worde or sterne countenaunce should not haue amased hym if he had seen hym that is inuisible The Prophet Ieremie had a face giuen hym like the Adamant that could not be daunted he was as a Lion whose countenaunce the beastes of the Forests are not able to looke vpon If he had come of the same message the Lorde would haue fortified his harte with a spirite of power that wordes and countenaūces should not haue daunted hym Therefore how soeuer he would excuse the matter thei whiche were witnesses of the dealyng with their chiefe Champion must needes in all indifference thinke if these men vpon euery challenge or offer bee not disputed with that there is some other reason in it then either the fear of any abilitie that is in theim or any weakenesse that is in vs. For it is the lorde that strengtheneth the weake that sheweth his power in infirmitie and calleth thynges that are not as if thei were On the other part it is he that throweth doune the mightie from their seates that maketh warre with the proude that breaketh the tallest Ships of the seas and felleth doune the mightiest Cedre in Libane and highest Okes in the Forrestes It is he that saueth by fewe as well as by many by those whom his enemies dispise as well as by meanes that might make them to tremble And seeyng as Abia saied to Ieroboam and all Israell that it is thei whiche haue made theim Priestes not of the tribe of Leui or of the Soonnes of Aaron but of the basest of the people that is not by any lawfull callyng but contrary to the worde of God and priestes not to GOD but to Idolles whiche haue put out the light of the golden Candlesticke in withholdyng the knowledge of the woorde that haue taken awaie the sweete breade loaues from the presence table and set leauened bread on for it takyng awaie the sinceritie and truthe of incorrupt doctrine life and bringyng in the leauen of the Phariseis naie thei that haue spoiled the Churche of God of the moste precious Cupp of the blood of the newe Testament that haue made voide the Crosse of Christe by their merites and profaned all that was holie in the Sanctuarie of the Lorde how should we feare how weake soeuer we seem to thē or be in deede to deale with them For seeing by the grace of God we haue been vouchsafed the fauour to kindle again the Lampe in the Temple of the Lorde to set the sweete bread vpon his Table to restore the blessed Cuppe of the precious blood of Christ to the Church again Finally to caste
disobedience Some of them haue beene executed according to the auncient lawes of this land without any extraordinary extremitie nay rather with fauor in case of high treasō And yet of this sort the epistle of the persecution in England Whervnto he referreth him selfe For proofe wherof he mentioneth only pretended Catholiques that haue been so executed In deed since some more vpon like reason their cause being first iudicially heard at the K. bench and orderly proceeded in according to the course of law and iustice in such case beeing found guilty of hie treason receiued like execution And this is the greatest extremety which they can complaine of to this day But he denieth that any one act word or thought was founde in them of treason wherin he is conuicted of manifest truth both by so many as were officers of her maiesties iustice vpon them and by their owne confessions as well of other matter as also of reconciling of diuers her highnesse subiects to the pope as it appeareth by that hath bin published hereof by authoritie Whereby they acknowledge the Popes most vniust sentēce against her H. as lawfull draw her Ma. subiects from her obedience which the law of this land hath declared to bee high treason againste her Highnes royall crowne and dignitie Nether is it heere inough to say that they do it in conscience of their religion for in many good consciences they can not do it the B. of Rome by the worde of God hauing no more to do in England then any minister in Englād hath to do in Rome And if without the word of God they will be caried in such a course as cannot stand in any truth of religion or sound pollicie with the safetie of the state and securitie of oure moste lawfull Soueraigne oure whole common Wealth and Countrie should they cry out as if extreame cruelty were executed vpon them if their excuse of a pretensed conscience be not taken for a sufficient aunswer These cries complaints might worthely haue bene made by the poore faithful people of Merindall of the valley of Anagrogne the rest when the Popes executioners wasted destroied 7. townes of theirs Also by our brethren in Q. Maries daies which were burnt by dosens together in a fire Likewise by our brethren cruelly without any forme or processe of iustice murdred and slain in the late butcheries and massacres of France Then was it time to haue shewed compassion but the bowels of Christ were not in them Then was a time to haue shewd pitty but their merciles harts were void of grace mercye They were filled with gal and bitternes no fire was hot inough for them no sworde was sharp ynough The honourable and the common was all one to them the learned and vnlearned the reuerēd age and the comly youth the man and the woman the father and the sonne the mother and the babe borne out of time and murdered as soone as hee was born by their sauage and barbarous crueltie These cry yet behinde the altar against them O Lord when wilt thou reuenge our bloud and the Lord will not refuse to hear them and reuenge their cause vpon their bloudy enemies in the day of his wrath Another reason is alleaged of the fauour they find in the Indies and vnder the Turke which I haue aunswered before and answere here again that neither do they suffer that doctrine and practise of their religion which they holde in these parts neither if they did are Christian P. to rule their Subiectes by the examples of Turks and heathen but by the law of God Who hath giuen to them this commandement to be obserued in all their dominion that neither anye man nor his children nor seruaunts that neyther home borne or strangers be suffered to prophane his Sabboth and to pollute his holy seruice leest the rest of the people of the lande learne of them and so the wrath of God come suddenly vpon vs for being accessaries to Idolatrie As for the tolleration of the Iews whosoeuer they be that suffer the exercise of their religion with the blasphemies they commonly vse against Christ make themselues giltie of al their wickednes which the Lord keepe this lande from as well as from the abhomination of the masse But they maye remember that their Holye Father can tollerate the Blasphemye of the Iews and the filthinesse of all the Curtesains and Stewes and take a yeerely rent of them for it and for no respect will allowe the exercise of our most holy religion eyther in his own dominions or wheresoeuer he may preuaile againste vs but by all meanes seeke to burne all the professors of it to ashes and to shed their bloude as water to runne downe the Streetes Further if no protestāt Prince elswhere haue executed any of these Catholiks for religiō as he cōfesseth no more hath any for the cause bin put to death with vs as I haue shewed alredy which being so that neuer any professyng the Gospell put any of them to death for meere matter of their conscience let the Lorde iudge the wicked seruaunt by his own mouth Now for the barbarous crueltie and most sauage immanitie vsed by them against vs we haue shewed againe that pacience towardes thē hitherto as we haue not touched the life of any one of them But if the Catholiques had practised Rebellions and Treasons in the Dominions of other Princes professyng the Gospel as thei haue doen here with vs no doubt but thei should haue found the same reward of their wickednesse that thei haue doen here For our doctrine it is vtterly vntrue that any of the churches professyng the Gospell or this of England vnder persecution did euer thinke it vnlawfull to put to deathe a Rebell and a Traytour Naie it hath beene alwaies taught in all the reformed Churches that bothe thei and also obstinate Heretickes amongest whom thei haue alwaies accounted and doe still account all obstinate and wilfull spreadors of the Romishe faithe sett doune by the Councell of Trent are moste worthie of death that as it is in the Lawe the false Prophett and the seducyng Idolater maie bee taken from amongest vs that all Israell maie heere and feare and not dare to committ the like Wee acknowledge in deede faithe to be the gift of God whiche commeth by the preachyng of the Gospell by Ministers sent by the commaundement of God but we do not therefore think it vnlawfull for the Magistrate to execute the Lordes iust vengeaunce vppon the obstinate Heretickes and seducyng Idolaters Repentaunce and holinesse of life is also the gift of GOD and commeth by the same meanes and yet the Magistrate not onely in a good conscience maie but in duetie to God ought as he will answere it to him that shal iudge the quicke and the dead drawe out the Lordes sworde of execution of iustice and of vengeaunce against all ill doers to wounde and to kill accordyng to the qualities of the