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 same wordes whē they knele downe and saye Aue rex c. Wordes that may haue good meaninge should not offēde good meaninge mē thoughe miscreātes miscōstre thē Should we not abide the worde Galilaea for that Iulianus Apostata caste oute a tauntinge blasphemie against Christ what time he cried out vicisti Galilaee thou of Galilee hast ouercomed Or because he called the christiās men of Galilee Should we haue lesse reuerent opinion of Christe because that vnhappie man Felix treaseror to Iulianus called Christe Maries sonne vsinge thes wordes Ecce quibus vasis Mariae filio ministratur Asee in what vesselles they serue Maries sōne Or shoulde we forsake the faithe of Christes deitie and cōsubstantialitie with God his father because the Ariās called the catholikes Homousiās what reproches calūnes and slaūders the enemies of Christe inuented againste the christians the churchelie stories beare witnesse but yf you marke who they were that reproched Christe and who they be that nowe nickename the christians you shal see litle cause to be offended but rather cause to praye that they may be amēded To good mē it hath not ben greuous to haue the displesure of the euil As for displeasure of heretikes good mē haue sought it and thought glorie to ' beare it S. Hierō endeuored to ' make the enemies of the churche his enemies and wrought to S. Austē that it was his glorie to be detested of heretikes How much they deteste your honor your fame and your personnes it is apparente when they blaspheme your religion cal you papistes rebelles and treitors But this their demeanor maketh good your cause and renoumeth your persōnes amōge the good For then doth there appeare some euident iustice in you when you displease them that please not god No man can be grateful to almightie God and to his enemies in the same thinge For he denyeth hym selfe a freinde to God that pleaseth his enemie And it may be feared lest they that blemyshe the good partes of deuoure christians whō they can not charge but for religion which in dede is Godes parte wyl fal as far oute with God yf his grace tēper not their defectes Cain maligned his brother Abel and therwith contemned god Iosephes brothers regarded hym not and they regarded God as litle The children of Israel reiected Moyses and in hym they reiected god It is sayde to be a machiauelian policie to terrifie the vntowarde and recusante parte with the odius termes of rebel and traitor when greate purposes be intended Though it can not be but greuous to a true meaninge man that is of ciuile loialtie to be pressed with termes of hapnous crimes not at al intended and that for his dewe seruice to God yet should not this pointe infirme the confession of a constante catholike that feareth God aboue al knowinge that it hath ben proper to tyrannycal states in tymes of persecutiō to alter the worshepers of Christe by terrours and tormentes to terrifie the deuoute christians with word and sworde therbye to wynne them to theire purpose therbye to make them indue theire affections to loue and to hate what they loued or hated or els to haue no quietnes Indede we be neyther rebelles nor traitors to princes yf we leaue vndone the commaundemēte of the prince and do the commaūdement of god When Daniel praied thrise adaye to God contrarie to the kinges commaundemēte whē the Apostles preached contrarie to the willes of the rulers it was neyther treasō nor rebelliō nor were they rebelles or traitors Thoughe the rage of the rulers go so farre as to caste vs to the hōs as they caste Daniel thoughe they whippe vs as they wipped the Apostels wee must suffer with Daniel ād saye with the Apostles we muste rather obeye God in doinge our dewtie thē man forbiddinge the same And what is our comforte herein but that god hath wayes enoughe to deliuer vs as he deliuered Daniel as he deliuered the Apostles or els wil strēgthen vs to die in his quarel whether shal be more for his glorie and the edefyinge of his holie churche But let thē hate you let thē cal you what thē listeth for religiōs sake be cōtente to beare it is godes cause it is Christes quarel leaue to him the reuenge Yf you were giltie of that violēt innouatiō of religiō which opened the waye to a ruffiālike rushinge into al vice yf you were giltie of a monsterous masse of tragecal treasōs yf you sowed seditiō at home or maintained rebellion abrode yf hauinge no churche at home to robbe you sought abrode in the coūtries adioyninge to robbe churches to breake images to be hange men to the images of Christ and our ladie to dismount aulters to kyl priestes ād to defile with prophane handes the pretious bodie and bloud of our sauiour Christ in the holy sacramēt of the aulter yf I say you were giltie of thes horrible factes and in this resspecte they called you heretikes traitors churche robbers and murtherers surelie then you should not be offended for such factes deserue suche names And thes names perdie importe muche more and be of greater consequence then the termes of papiste and papistrie Now because you folowe not theire course which forsake the highe waye and vnder the name of Christes crosse haue so crossed the waye brokē downe the hedges trodde downe so muche good corne and so manie faire pastures of pietie that except they come backe they can neuer come to god Because I saye you folowe not this course of procedinge they afflicte you by al possible meanes they persecute you with wordes they persecute you with swordes You haue not receaued the spirite of the worlde but the spirite which is of god Yf the worlde hate you Christe our lorde loueth you Harken what our lorde saithe If the vvorlde hate you you knovve that it hated me before yf you vvere of the vvorlde the vvorlde vvolde loue his ovvne Because you be not of the vvorlde but I haue chosen you oute of the vvorlde therfore the vvorlde hateth you The seruant is not greater then the lorde yf they haue persecuted me they vvil also persecute you Blessed be you vvhen they shal curse you and persecute you vvhē they shal saye al yl against you makinge lies of you for my sake be you glad and reioyse because your revvarde is greate in heauen for so haue they persecuted the prophetes that vvere before you And why did the worlde hate our lorde that came for loue to saue the worlde This saieth our lorde The vvorlde hateth me because I testifie that the vvorkes of the vvorlde be yl Here may I saye and trulie saye that yf heresie be a spiritual idolatrie yf schisme heresie and blasphemie be nowe the workes of the worlde then surelie the worlde hateth you because you testifie that the workes of the worlde be yl you testifie in your faithe you testifie in your life Why were you berefte
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