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A00748 The epiphanie of the church gathered out of the Holy Scriptures, declaring and plainly shevving, both the church that cannot but erre, and also the church that cannot erre : vvith so evident notes and manifest signes of either of them, that no man reading it, needeth be in doubt which he should beleue / written by R.P. in the yeare of our Lord God 1550 ; and now published in this yeare 1590 for the benefite of all such as desire the trueth concerning the church. Finch, Richard, minister of East Ham. 1590 (1590) STC 10877.5; ESTC S4676 36,955 52

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then golde or pretious stone and sweeter then honie and honie combe The embassage of great ioy Ioyfull tidinges of peace tidinges of good things The poure of God vnto saluation to euerie one that beleeueth and able to saue their soules that imbrace it Wherefore lay apart sayth the Apostle Iames all filthinesse and superfluitie of maliciousnesse and receaue with meekenesse the worde that is grafted in you which is able to saue your soules Thus it appeareth manifestly vnto all them that be willing to see the trueth that God the father appoynteth vs vnto the worde of his sonne Iesus Christ our Lord. Christ referreth vs vnto his holy spirite and trueth The holy Ghost also taught nothing else but the same trueth and word Therefore the holy Apostle durst not to appoint vs to anie other but straightly commendeth vs to the same trueth that cannot erre and vnto the word of grace which is the selfe same and still one trueth according to the infallible word of God that saith Thy righteousnesse O Lord is an euerlasting righteousnesse and thy lawe is the trueth So that we haue now in this time iust cause ioyfully to say with the prophet O praise ye the Lord all ye heathen praise him all ye people For his mercie is stablished vpon vs and the trueth of the Lord endureth for euer Then the which trueth there can be no surer stay guide and rule for the beliefe life and doctrine of mortall men in this mortall life and world of tribulation The Church of Antichrist hath no such stay guide nor rule but they are like the chaffe which the winde scattereth awaie from the face of the earth as the prophet Dauid witnesseth who also calleth them the councell of the vngodly the way of sinners and the chaire of pestilence or the seate of the scornful workers of iniquitie wicked men bloud-thirstie men the euil man the wicked man the wilde boare the cruell beast the slaunderer blasphemer enemie and persecutor the enemie in the holy place and aduersary whose mouth is full of cursing and bitternesse their throat is an open sepulcher with their toonges they haue deceiued the poyson of aspes is vnder their lippes their feete are swift to shed bloud destruction and vnhappinesse is in their waies and the way of peace haue they not knowne there is no feare of God before their eies There were they brought in great feare euen where no feare was Vaine persons and deceiptfull lippes whom euer all good men abhorred and hated after the example of the holy prophet who saith I haue hated the Church of the vvicked and will not sit among the vngodly Loe you see the wicked and vngodly haue the name of Church yea they haue got the name of holy Catholicke Church How else haue they put on sheepes clothing How haue they fashioned themselues like the ministers of righteousnesse And howe hath the deuill transformed himselfe into the angel of light Truely in this that his church hath got the titles of holy and Catholicke and his ministers the names of true shepheardes Catholicke be the right clothing of the sheepe of Christes fold Antichrist therefore hath robbed Christes fold of their right title holy and catholicke and thereby bleared the eyes of the simple vnlearned multitude which doe seeke no further for saluation then they haue bene taught they say by the holy Catholicke Church Their common sayinges be these We be not wiser then our fathers before vs We will doe as our fathers haue done Such thinges they doe affirme because they know not Sathan from the angell of light the wolues from the sheepe the lyes from the word of God neyther Church of Antichrist falsly called holy and catholicke from the Church of Iesus Christ which indeede is both holy and catholicke But in stead of the holy Catholick church they doe beleeue the Church of the wicked in whose dregs of detestable traditions and ceremonies they haue bene ousted from their youth Verely if they would ponder their wordes with halfe indifferent iudgement and behold them but with one of their eyes I thinke they would keepe silence or else blushe for shame For to say they will doe as their elders and fathers haue done before them is nothing but to confesse thēselues to walke wilfully in errour and blindnesse when their fathers wandered vnawares And where they say they be no wiser then their fathers they shew themselues to be blinde followers of the blinde But if the blinde follow the blinde they both fall into the ditch Their fathers tooke Antichrist the bishop of Rome for head of the Church they made images and worshipped them they gadded on pilgrimage and trusted in workes pardons absolutions dirges trentalles masses c. wherein they erred increased in error and walked ignorantly into perdition The cause whereof was the lack of the word of God which word is euer a rule vnto the holy catholicke church Therefore their fathers learned not these thinges of the holy Catholicke Church but of the Church of Rome vsurping the name of the holy Catholicke Church which abhorred and trode vnder feete the word of God without the which their fathers doctrine was nothing els but olde errour against whome God giueth a speciall commandement saying Keepe my commandementes doe not those thinges that other haue done before you be not defiled in them I am your Lord your God Wherefore addeth God these words I am your Lord your God but to the end he would haue his words regarded for euer and not his aduersaries the man of sinne and childe of perdition as Paul nameth him who deceaued their fathers Whose coming is after the vvorking of Sathan vvith al lying povvers signes vvonders with al deceiuablenesse of vnrighteousnesse amongest them that perish because they receaued not the loue of the trueth that they might be saued And therefore God shal send them strong delusion that they might beleue lyes that all they might be damned which beleeued not the trueth but had pleasure in vnrighteousnesse In these wordes hath the holy Ghost plainly shewed the fashion and comming of the man of sinne sonne of perdition Church of the wicked and kingdome of Antichrist The Church or kingdome of Antichrist is called the man of sinne because it is builded vpon a sinnefull man gouerned by a sinfull man instructed by euill sinfull workmen and their doctrine defended by the lawes and power of sinnefull men Which tooke authoritie neyther of God nor of his worde but of a monstrous beast with many heades euen of the people that departed from the faith whereof the same holy spirite of God speaketh and prophecieth more plainely by the mouth of Paul saying The spirite speaketh euidently that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith and shall giue heede vnto the spirites of error and deuilish doctrines of them which speake
false thorow hypocrisie and haue their conscience marked with an hote iron forbidding to marrie and commaunding to abstaine from meates vvhich God hath created to be receaued vvith giuing of thankes of them which beleeue and knevve the trueth Now ioyne these two prophecies together and note diligently the cause maner increase and force of Antichrists kingdome and then it shall be the better perceaued The cause why God permitteth the wicked to deceiue the people was for that they did not receaue the law of the trueth but loathed Gods word when they had it They writ it not in their heartes neither brought forth the fruits of the spirite but of the flesh To speake all in one worde They had as we haue much godly teaching and brought foorth much vngodly liuing Of verie duetie godly liuing must followe godly teaching otherwise Gods plague and vengeance followeth his word where and when soeuer it be taught But amongest all the plagues of God this is the greatest that he taketh away his word from the people and suffereth them to be fed with lies and Canterburie tales or fables After which sorte and maner the wicked haue come and entered into the Christian generation yea and haue sit in the holy place and seate of Moyses pretending to teache the holy word of God They haue set I say in the seate of Moyses not by teaching the law and the prophets but by name and place whereby the people not able to discerne the true session from presumptuous vsurpation haue bene deceiued with false myracles lying powers and wonders By the which feates they haue increased and growne into the greater number For when by the helpe of the deuill with their coniurations charmes and diuers other false fleightes they wrought myracles and wonders in diuers and sundrie places Then the people regarding not the simple word of God forsooke their faith and ranne a gadding from place to place to gaze vpon signes and wonders Manie beleeued lies because many taught lies Lying powers were on their side few durst speake the trueth and the simple lacked good instruction some therefore departed from the faith The sorce of Antichristes kingdome is well noted of Paul in that hee saith his comming shalbe with all lying power in that they shall forbid mariages command to abstaine frō meats and c. y t is to say After that the multitude hath bin well pampered and fed with their lies blinded with their coniurations and stablished with false miracles then shall they be able to make lawes in the defence of their deuilishe doctrines and openly to withstand and resist the trueth and Gospel as Iannes and Iambres Pharaoes coniurers withstoode Moyses Men they are sayth Paul of corrupt mindes and lewd as concerning faith Peter witnesseth with Paul saying They shall purely bring in damnable sects euen denieng the Lord that hath bought them bring vpon themselfes swift damnation many shal follow their damnable waies by whome the way of trueth shall be euill spoken of No maruaile for hypocrisie and outward shew of holynesse hath seemed so gay in the simple folkes eyes yea and yet doth to some so that as the trueth saith if it were possible the verie elect should be deceiued Iude also beareth record to the trueth with Paule and Peter shewing that they be deceaued with dreames defile the fleshe despise rulers and speake euill of them that be in authoritie murmurers complainers walking after their owne lustes whose mouthes speake proud thinges These saith he are makers of sectes fleshly hauing no spirite Conferre these same now together with the popish antichristian church of Rome and beholde if you can see the kingdome of Antichrist anie where so manifest and plaine Hath anie power in all the world since Christes ascention into heauen lift vp it selfe so high into the temple of God and aduanced it selfe as God like vnto this vsurped premacie and tyrannie of Rome Who hath more oppressed Gods booke resisted the Gospel and slandered the way of trueth then the pope and his rable Who hath wrought with suche deceaueable signes and myracles who hath fed vs with more lyes then that false prophet of Rome Read a leafe or two of Legenda aurea or the booke called Festinale and you shal finde good stuffe I warrant you Which bookes were woont to be read and taught vs moste principally concerning matters of religion Yea almost wee had no other in English I speake that I haue knowne heard and seene Within these xxiii yeares they were alledged in Sermons and read in the churche openly and had in more price amongest vs and better receaued then the holy Scriptures be of some Also they were then better studied and more willingly taught of curates in some places then Gods booke is now of manie of them Forget not I pray you to call to memorie how we were deceiued with images pilgrimages reliques false myracles iuglinges charmes witchcraftes coniurations iubilies stations holy water fire ashes palmes palme crosses saint Iohns Gospel images of waxe Walsinghame broches saint Iames shelles saint Priarke his staffe maister Iohn Shornes bat saint Cornelius horne pardons pardon beades beades Ladies Psalters dyrges treutals Requiem Masses c. Who denied the Lord that had bought then more manifestly then they that taught these romish dreames Whosoeuer denieth the death of Iesus Christ to be a whole perfect oblation sufficient for all sinne denyeth the Lord that hath bought them But they that taught or beleeued the aforesaid dragges and such like to be expedient for the obtaining of Gods fauour remission of sins denieth Christ and his death to be sufficient Wherefore so long as men sought remission of sinnes and Gods fauour in such phantasticall deuises of men it cannot be denyed but in so doing they denied the Lord that bought them To say trueth men little remembred the oblation of Christ by deathe vppon the crosse For not manie yeares agone euen when Masses satisfactory florished to affirme Christes oblation by death vpon the crosse once offered for all to be sufficient for remission of sinnes to all them that beleeue was so farre out of memorie that it was counted abhominable heresie because Masse and it could not stand together In time of anguishe trouble or sickenesse was Christes death sought to for quietnesse of conscience No our Lady of Wilsdon our Lady of Walsingham maister Iohn Shorne and confession to some holy fryer some holy relique Masse of Recordare or masse of the v. wounds For vnto these masses bishop Clement and Bishop Boniface had giuen great vertue through pardons and candels if the deuill transforming himselfe vnto Raphael the arch-angel be a true messenger Also if death approched then was Masse of Scala coeli Trentals Aniuersarijs and masse of Requiem with our Lady Masse ready to be sold for mony and song to send the soule to the Deuill with