debate for the diuision of their heritage called Herode a Foxe who was of as great auctority as Steuen gardiner 〈◊〉 he called the Priestes Scribes and Pharises rulers in their vocacions S24357 tech.take2.sgmipers broad wolues Hipocrites Tumbes full of rotten and stinking bones and Edders The Apostles being only preachers and no princes and namely Paule handeled the enemies of Christes gospel after the same manner and called some of them children of the Deuill as he called the Sorcerer Act. 13. and he called the men of Candy lyers slow bellies and euill beastes I neede not to rehearse how sharply the Prophetes rebuked the Kinges and Princes in the olde Testament for ye know that they spared no man TheÌ„ if that the Prophets of Christ and his Apostles railed not then raile I not for I do none other thing then they dyd Dean The Prophets with Christ and his Apostles were ministers appointed for that office and they had this in their commission that they should shew all men their faultes but I know no such commission that you haue Hunter I haue had commission of God and King Henry the eyght and of King Edward his sonne and of both theyr counsels auctoriti to read and to interprete the scripture and although that my aucthority that I had of the two fornamed Princes bee worne out disanulled by the comming in of a newe gouernour I think in my conscience that I haue yet still as muche of Gods commission remaining still vnabrogate by any mans power that thereby I may call a Wolfe â— Wolfe giue warning vnto my brethren that they beware that they be not worried of Wolues for lacke of warning Dean Why goe ye not to him and tell him that he is a Wolfe perchaunce he woulde amende his manners if ye woulde tell him his faulte charitably Hunter It is not the manner that the Hunter should go him selfe vnto the wild beast but he hath done his part if he hath sent his hounds vnto him Dean What meane ye by that Hunter I meane that is enough at this time and in this part of the world to write vnto him and to tell him hys faults in writing though I come no nearer Dean The scripture teacheth you that if your brother offende you that you oughte to rebuke him betweene him and you alone and if he heare you not then to tell the hole Churche Hunter These wordes of Christe are spoken of a priuate offence that is committed against one priuate man and not of an open fault which is both knowen vnto the Church and hath hurt the hole Church also The scripture teacheth vs that he that offendeth openly shoulde bee rebuked openly that other may be afrayde to offende therby But what if he had offended me alone were I bound to go to rebuke him that woulde caste me in prison and kill me if I came within his reache Should Elias haue done well if he had come to Achab and to Iesabel wheÌ„ as they would haue killed him Yf he did well and wisely that came not vnto his mortall enemies but kept him selfe a lofe then do not I yll to write vnto him and to keepe my selfe from him vntill his teeth be broken for feare of byting Dean I meruaile why you call him a Wolfe more then all the other Bishops and Prists in England Hunter Because he is the principall Wolfe and for a great parte the hole cause of the great and exceding number of Wolues that we now haue for all the while that he was hid in his denne the great number of wolues that goe abroade nowe openly and worrye and kill euery where played the Foxes in their holes but within eyghte dayes after he came abroad and began to worry and kil all the other Wolues entised and boldened by his example began to come out of their holes and confessed openly in Sermons and in other communication what they were and sayd that for feare of their liues and losse of their goods they onely ceased from their old office these fiue or sixe yeares and that nowe they were ready to doe all things as they had wonte to do according vnto their nature and creation And according to their saying and old nature they haue casten into their slaughterhouse all the principall sheepe of Christes flocke and certaine of the shepeheardes also that euer as they are hungry they may kill them as they did Friâ—h Barnes Ierome Garret and Lassels with diuers others Dean As farre as I can gather by your communicacion ye make not only the bishop of Winchester a Wolfe but also all the Bishoppes of Englande Wolues with him Hunter I take the bishop of Winchester and all the masse priestes of England that consent vnto his doctrine and doings for Wolues Dean As it is easy to call all the bishops priests of England that are masse sayers and preache the old learning which ye call papestry Wolues so it is very hard to proue them Wolues Hunter S. Paule in the twentye of the Actes of the Apostles prophecieth that greeuous Wolues shall enter into the Churche which shall not spare the flocke the same Paule prophecieth the same in both his Episstles that he wryteth vnto Timothe Peter also in his latter Epistle prophecied that false prophetes should come Christ our maister in the 24. of Math. sayd also that false prophetes shall come among hys sheepe into the church but the Church of England is Christes Churche and the people of it are his sheepe Therefore according vnto the prophecye of Christ and his Apostles we muste beleeue that we haue one time or other false prophetes but the lay men are not the Prophetes and theâ—e must needes be false prophets and there are no more orders of men but eyther lay men or priestes â—heâ— wheÌ„ lay men can not be the fallse prophets then muste it follow that the priests are the false prophets Dean I graunt that Christe and the apostles prophecâ—ed that false prophetes shoulde come and I saye that they came in dede some euen in the Apostles times as Ebion and Cerinthus and afterward Arrius Donatus Pelagius Mahumet and a greate sorte mo Hunter Christ and his Apostles spake not of the time only that immediatly came after them but rather of the latter times and of the last times of al When Christes Disciples asked him of the ende of the world and of the tokens thereof he among diuers other tokens of the end of the world numbreth the great number of false prophets which shall arise and deceiue many therefore Christe prophecied not of them that were next vnto his time but of such as should come in the end of the world Paule prophecyinge of the false prophets speaketh thus of them Spiritus certo loquitur quod in posterioribus temporibus desciscent quidam a fide â–ª c. The Scripture speaketh of a suerty that in the latter times some shall depart from the Faith In the second Epistle vnto Timothe and in
THE Hunting of the Fox and the Wolfe because they make hauocke of the sheepe of Christ Iesus ¶ Take heede of false prophetes which come vnto you in sheepes clothing but within are rauening Wolues An Admonition to colde preachers IF preaching fayle as it doeth begin The people must quayle and die in their sinâ— And if it decrease Gods curse is at hand To destroy vs our peace our soules our land Therfore let 's be mending Gods plag's to preuent For after our ending t' is to late to repent Take heed theÌ„ to preching gods word to imbrace And larne to take warning lest God you deface ⧠To al my faithful Brethren in Chriâ—t Ieâ—u and to all other that labour to weede out the weedes of poperie 〈…〉 the Lord Iesu â—e with yâ—u and make yoâ— perfâ—â— in al good works to do his will working in you that which is pleasant in â—is sight through Iesus Châ—ist our Lorde DEare brethren because wee are created for gods glorie the edification one of another in Christ are bounde to serue therunto by wealth or wo life or death and cheefely they to whom God hath gyuen the greater giftes whom he hath called to higher romes are most bounde to be zealous for Gods glory with godly zelousie to profit the Church spouse of Christ vnder their charge and that by no subtâ—lty as the Apostle warneth they shoulde be corrupted from the simplicity of Christe Therefore there is no doubte of your good zeale diligence My good Fathers and deare Brethren who are first called to the battel to striue for gods glory the edificatioÌ„ of his people againste the Romish reliâ—â—â—s and rags of Antichriste I doubt not but that you wil couragieuslye constaÌ„tly in Christ rap at these rages of Gods enemies and that you will by this occasioÌ„ race vp many as great enoâ—mities that we al know labour to raccout al the dregs renmaÌ„ts of transformed poperie that are crept into England by to much lenitie of theÌ„ that wiâ—be named the Lords of the Clâ—rgie What is he that hâ—th the zeale of Gods glorie before his face â— wil not ioyne both in prayer and in suffering with you in so good a cause that is so much for Gods gâ—orie the edification of Gods church in the pure simplicitie of Chriâ—tâ—s word sacramentes wherein our enemies and perâ—ecutâ—urs are strangly bewitched I wote not by what Circes 〈◊〉 that they do make such a diuersitie betwixt Christes word and his Sacramentes that they cannot thinke the worde of God safely ynough preached and honourably ynough handled without cap koape surplis But that the Sacraments the marying the burying the churching of women and other church seruice as they call it must needes be decored with crossing with capping with surplessing with kneeling with prety wafer cakes and other knackes of poperie O Paule that thou were aliue thou durst tell those politike gentlemen that there hath bin to much labour bestowed vpon them in vaine thou durst saye vnto them as thou diddest to the Corinthians That they eate not the Lordes Supper but play a pagent of their own to blinde the people â–ª and keepe them stil in superstition farre from the simplicitie of Christes supper but howe many silie soules is there that doeth beleeue verâ—â—y that they haue an Engliâ—h masse and so put no difference betwene trueth and falshod betwene Christ and antichrist betwene God the deuil they are strangly bewitched I say that thus wil bâ—nde tâ—eir English priesthode sacraments but muâ—h more enchauÌ„ted that can finde no garments to please them â—ut such as haue bin poluted openly with popish superstition and idolatrie but most of all in this point that their madnes appeare to all posterities that they make these Antichristian ragges Causam sine qua non that is a cause wâ—thout which there is no holy ministerie in Christ so that this shal make an English priest be he nâ—uer such a dolt or vnlearned in the knowledge of the scripture as we haue very â—any and without these Romish reliques not Paule him self shal be admitted as one of them did blaspheme the rest of them in effecte do affirme well against such popish chaffer poperie hath bin long agone fâ—ughten withall when the great captaines of that religion liued and yet God gâ—ue the victorie Therefore let vs not feare nowe although it doth begin to sturre againe for there is no craft cunning counsel wisdom or policie against the Lord. We haue Christe and his Apostles and the Prophetes euer striuing against the Hipocrites of their tyme on our side a straw for popish policie we haue the worde or God to warrant vs to rote out al monuments of supersticion Idolatry and are charged to abhor them to accoumpt them accursed to dety them and to dâ—test theÌ„ as menstreous clowts they haue not the word of God for theÌ„ And what wiâ—edome is in them saith God by his Prophet Ieremi they talke of obediâ—nce concord but there is no obedience against the Lord no nor coÌ„corde to be desired but where Gods glory verity is preserued Els better to haue al the world in hurly burlis and heauen earth to shake theÌ„ one iote of gods glory should decay So farre foorth as in vs lieth we haue their owne lawes proclamatioÌ„s to roote cut all monuments of supersticioÌ„ idolatri their owne words are coÌ„trary to their doings It should appeare that they repeÌ„t their reformacion proclaimed as did the Isralits thei build again that which once they haue destroied this is don openly that all the world may wonder behold but what is don secretly god wil one day haue it declared openly yea they make the name of god this doctrine that we professe â–ª to be euell spoken of alreadye By manye of theyr doinges they re iudgemente hasteth that for such causes persecute Godsfâ—rue Preachers Wherefore let vs not eare theyr thretnings ther can none persecute the godly for this cause trash but either suche as are neither hote nor cold then they shal be vomited out vnlesse their zeale encrease or suche as haue no God before their eyes whose God is their bellye or else open papists whoÌ„ God hath giuen vp to a reprobate sence wherfore we must thus take it that they are gods rods for our sins because we haue not bin more zealous in gods cause neyther careful to seeke his glory yâ— wolfe Winchester blody bucher Bonar fought once agaiÌ„st many godly men for the ground of this gere and they had all the power of the Realme seruing their lustes but behold howe the Lorde in short time ouerthrew them all to giue vs courage to go forward the Lord forgiue vs we are to slacke and negligent in heauenly thinges this monster Boner remaineth and is fedde as papistes say for theyr sakes it must be grauÌ„ted it is for some purpose although he be a traitor
blacke house mouse â–ª from a browne field mouse with the long snout much like vnto a shrow Dean It may chaunce that in continuance of time and by long tarying in the house that they may become housemise or els I can not tell how they shold come thether Hunter I am glad that ye graunt that one beast may be changed into another But I will passe ouer that at this time and wil tel you that I haue heard of many credible persons that is that if ye make a newe Ship seuen mile from anye towne and let her sayle halfe a yeare in the mayne Sea and come neuer neare vnto any other Ship that yet shall there be both Mise and Rattes iâ— the Ship Dean It is no great maruaile if such vnperfit beasts haue a double generation that is both by the generation of the male and female and also of corruption of the grounde but I reacken that ye will not gather because these smale beastes that are ordeyned diuers wayes to plague men withal both by sea and land come of corruption as lyse flees doe that Woluse also may spring vp of corruption or that god maketh them nowe in any place without naturall generation of the male and female Hunter Noes floud consumed and killed al kinds of wylde beastes in the worlde and none remayned aliue sauing such as were saued in his Ship when the floud was ended there were Ilandes a greate number many hundreth myles from any continent or mayne land wherein are many kindes of wylde beastes beside Wolues and Lyons and yet it is nothing lyke that anye man woulde haue taken the payne to cary suche mischeuous beastes into those ylandes therefore it dooth appeare that such wylde beastes eyther sprong vp of the nature of the earth or els God made them there to exercise and to punish men thereby Then if God either make Wolues there or suffer Wolues to spring vp there or bring Wolues thither out of other lands to punish the people withall there why may hee not also punish vs English men for our sinnes sake eyther by suffering of Wolues to spring of them selues or by making of newe Wolues here or by bringing in of other wolus that are made in other landes alreadye to puniâ—he vs Englishe men for our sinnes sake as he made Locustes Frogges Dogflees and other greate flies to punishe the Egyptians withall or as he sent Lyons into Samaria to destroy the people there Dean I graunt God can do all these thinges but because he can do them it followeth not that he doth theÌ„ here now God vseth not to work any such wonders or miracles except it be for a very great cause as I see none such at this time Hunter The Lyons were sent into Samaria because ther was foule Idolatrye done in that place whereas God had wont to be serued haue not these newe gospellers taken gods seruice this sixe yeeres away and set vp a folish newe seruice in the steade of it doth not this ouerthrowing of the olde catholike religion deserue the bringing in of Wolues as the inhabitants of Samaria haue deserued to haue the Lyons to bee sent vnto the 〈◊〉 Therefore there wanteth no cause why that God shoulde sende in Wolues or make Wolues a newe in this land to punishe vs withall Dean Although we haue deserued much punishment for our departing from the true religioÌ„ of our mother holy church yet God may send vs other punishment theÌ„ by miraculously bringing in of wolus Hunter Because ye thinke that God punisheth vs other wayes then by sending in and making of newe Wolues I pray you how shall I thinke that Wolues come into this Realme when as I am sure that there are diuers in this reamle and see theÌ„ dayly and heare them daylyâ— If they come not hether by some of the wayes which I haue rehearsed before Perchance ye see them not and other see theÌ„ not yet I am sure that I both heare them and see them dayly Dean I can not beleeue yet that ther are any and if there be any I can not tell how they come hoyther Hunter A Foxe and a Wolfe are verye like in diuers thinges thinke ye it not possible but an olde Foxe may goe forth of kinde into a Wolfe Dean It is possible by the myght of god but it is playne against nature Hunter It is not againste nature that one beaste should go out of kind into another Pismires go out of kind in Flies Casewormes or Codwormes become Flies Colewormes growe into Butterflies Serpentes and Dragons Aristotle writeth in hys boke de historia animalium that a red breast is turned into a red tayle and that Melancariplus that is to saye a swart cope is chaunged into â—â—â—â—dulam which may be called a figbiter A puleus was turned into an Asse as he writeth himselfe the scripture also recordeth that Nabuchodonosor as it appeareth in the fourth of Daniell was changed into a beaste for his hearte was chaunged from a mannes into a beasts hearte he eate hay as an Oxe but after that he repented him of his pryde his wit and his old figure was restored vnto him againe It is not therfore against nature that an imperfit beast should be changed into a more perfit of an other kinde Eyther it is a gainst the word of God â–ª that the perfitest creature aboue all other I meane a man shoulde be chaunged into a vile beast Therfore it is neyther against nature neyther againste the worde of God that an old Foxe should be turned into a Wolfe Dean If that you could shew me a Wolfe in England that were made of a Foxe then would I beeleeue your argument to be true but if ye can not do that ye shall pardon me I can not beleeue your conclusion Hunter The moste part of all the honest men that are in England will beare witnesse that about fiue yeares a goe ther was an old Foxe caryed into the Tower of London whereas he hath continued vntill within these few months and that the same is a very right Wolfe now and goeth abroad and is seene of all men and if that ye goe to London I am sure that ye shall see him Deane Perchaunce ye meane of my Lorde of Winchester whom certaine raylers haue called a Romish Foxe If that you do so you do not well for he is a good catholike man and a prince ouer vs. principi populi tui non male dices wherfore ye oughte not to rayle againste him Hunter Some men nowe a dayes when as men speake againste their open sinnes and faultes and can no otherwise defend their naughtinesse call them that speake the truth raylers Dean And I insure you they that call my Lorde of Winchester a Wolfe do rayle Hunter Christe which denied that he had any kingdome in this world and refused to be a secular ruler whiles he woulde neyther condemne the adulteres neyther heare the cause of the two brethren that were at
die and thou wilt not speake vnto him that he leaue his wicked waye he shall dye in his wickednes but his bloud will I require at thy hand Now syr haue ye hearde it plainlye spoken without any parable by God 's owne mouth that the watchman which wyll not giue warning vnto his flocke is guilty of bloud But none are guilty of bloude but murderers but dumme pastors are guilty of bloud therfore they are murderers and so spirituall wolues If these places be not thought sufficient to proue that vnpreaching prelates are false prophets and so Wolues and murderers I wil alledge mo places to satisfie them that aer not yet satisfied Almighty God sayth Ezechiel the xxiiij Sonne of Man prophecye thou againste the pastors or sheepeheardes of Israell and thou shalt say vnto them Woe be vnto the sheepeheards of Israel which haue fedde them selues ought not sheepeheardes to feede their flocke Ye eate the fatte ye are clothed with the woole ye kill it that is fatte ye feede not the flocke ye haue not strengthened the weake ye haue not gon to heale the sicke ye haue not bound vp it that was broken ye haue not broughte home againe it that was driuen away and yee haue not sought it that was loste but you haue bin lords ouer them in hardnes and cruelnesse they haue straied out of the way being without a sheepeheard and they haue bene meate tâ— euery beast whilse they waÌ„dered My flocke hath wandred in all mountaynes and in euerye highe hill and vppon all places of the earth haue my sheepe ben scattered and there was none to seeke them therfore heare ye O shepeheards the word of the Lord. As truely as I liue I wyll punishe you because my sheepe were taken awaye and were prayes to euery beast of the field because there was no sheepeheard and because my sheepeheardes haue not sought for my shepe but the shepeheards haue fedde them selues Therfore ye sheepeheardes heare the word of the Lorde Behold I am against the sheepeheardes and I will require my sheepe of their handes Nowe I trowe that I haue proued that all the vnpreaching prelates of England are theeues murderers and Wolues and that two properties of a false prophet agre vnto our dum pastors and so are they false prophets that the hole scripture cryeth out vpon and condemneth Deane Then the vnpreaching prelates as ye call them are not hole false prophets because they haue not al the properties of a false prophet Hunter There are many kindes of false prophets and who so euer hath any one of the properties of any of those kindes is a false prophet Christe taketh him for a false prophet in the tenth of Iohn that is vnsent and entreth into the office of a prophet or sheepehearde not thorowe Christ but climeth in an nother waye hys words in latine are these Qui non intrat per hostium in stabulum ouium seda scendit That is he that entereth not into the shepe fâ—old by the dore but climeth in an other way he is at hefe a murderer Almighty god in the xj of Zachari painting discribing another kind of false prophets saith after the old translatino O pastor idolum derelenquens gre gem O sheepeheard and idole which leaueth or forsaketh his flocke In the Surik translation Vae pastori idolo qui gregem deserit Wo be vnto the idole shepeherd that leueth his flock The Lord in the 34. of Ezechiel describing false prophets sheweth none other token of a false prophet or of an euil shepeheard or of a Wolfe but that he feedeth not his flocke So that he is both a false prophet that commeth into the church otherwyse then by Christ and he also that entreth rightly into the sheepefold and yet leaueth his flocke or tariyng with his flocke feedeth it not Now haue I proued that he that hath any of these properties of a false prophet is a false prophet I may therefore call all the vnpreaching prelates false prophets because they either haue two properties of a false prophet or one sure property at the lest which a lone after the mind of Christe maketh a false prophet Dean The pore priestes of Englande haue not deserued to haue the names of dogges Wolues for not feeding of the people for they minister the sacraments they pray they sing and say gods seruice and they reade the holy scripture which is sufficient foode for the soules of all their parishioners and holâ— flocke also the bishoppes do as much good in their dioceses as a sort of prating preachers haue don whiâ—â— they heare causes of heresie of fornication and of such like manners they consecrate Deacons subdeacons and Priestes they continue in the great cities of their dioceses as it were in high rocks or toppes of hilles looking there ouer all the countrye whether any hereticall Wolues come into their flocke or no if they see any I warrant you they cease not but they crye out vpon them and not only crye out vpon them but also if thei can cage them cast them into the fyre Other of the byshoppes which are awaye from their flockes Eyther are Embassadours or they are Counselers and continue in the Courte or they haue other offices wherein they serue God and the Queene as well as the best preachers that yee haue had is England these seuen yeres Therfore ye ought not to haue called them Wolues seing they are so wel occupyed Hunter I maruelsyr that ye slippe ouer and passe by my reasons arguments and places of scripture which I haue alldged as though he had not heard them Belike eytheh your conscience telleth you that it is true that I haue sayd or else you can not aunswere vnto them As touching your arguments least I should seeme to knowledge them to be good or els vnaunswerable by passing ouer them or else so clarkly as though I were a feard to stryue with you in them I will aunswere to them one after another Whereas ye saye that the vnpreaching bishoppes and priestes ought not to be called dogges and Wolues because the minister the Sacramentes because they sing and say Gods seruice because they reade the Scriptures whiche is foode ynoughe for all their parishoners and flockes because they namely the bishops heare causes of fornication of heresie and suche like matters consecrate Subdeacoâ—s deacons and priestes and stande in th greatest â—ities of their dioceses as it were in high toppes of mountaynes to spye whether any hereticall Wolues come into their flocks or no and if they spye any doe cast theÌ„ into the fire because they are Embassadors because they are Councellers because they are Amners and Chanceloures and such like officers and are thus well occupyed and doe a much good as our prating preachers do as yee vnaduisedly call them I answere that the doing of al these things discharg them not from the true and well deserued names of dumme dogges theeues robbers and wolues For he that keepeth