these thynges for which they curse speke euyll that is to say that they do not vnderstande a iust cause of their cursyng And not only men Iude sayth they curse but also other thyngê which they do not knowe that they curse and speke euyll of as of doctryne wrytyngê whiche they neuer red nor herd ye of suche doctrine as agreeth with Christis doctryne lernyng of the apostils but these pseudapostils speke euil of it whiche they knowe not nor yet can gyue iudgemeÌ„t of it for as moche as they neuer red it nor herd it red Amongê these men there be some so ignorant of gods doctryne that they haue wyshed desyred hartely of god saynt Paules pistels yea the newe testameÌ„t to be brent saying all errours heresies to come out of saiÌ„t Paules pistels the newe testament suche shamefull wordes detestable hath some doctors spoken whiche wolde haue ben counted for lerned men doctors in their sciences but as blynde as betils in gods lawe and ignorant in goddes worde and yet they were benefyced men rulers ordynaryes and heades of other ye of a hole couÌ„trey O mercyful lorde what were the membres when suche blynde beyardes were heades ordynaryes howe was the people of god fedde with goddes worde when the heade wolde haue had goddes worde brente Nothynge is more to the hurt and destruction of many soules in this realme then is to haue one to be officiall comysarye and ordynarye vnder the bysshop that is ignorant in gods lawe and goddes worde howe wyll he preache and teache hym selfe what example wyll he gyue to other what persons what viccars wyll he make of Trewly suche as he is hym selfe ignorant in goddes lawe and suche as be lerned he wyll hate and despise and they that wolde teache their flocke and feade with the holsome worde of god these he wyll call heretykes and accuse them of heresye and impryson them Examples to many we haue in this realme I praye god amende it when his plesure is Suche shamefull wordes hath doctors in their facultye as they call it spoken desyrynge to haue had Sayncte Paules pystels ye the newe testament brente Of theyr sayinges they haue ben nothing ashamed nor yet of theyr ignoraunce nor blyndenes but taken for ryght worshypfull men postes and pyllers of Christis churche these ignoraunt and blynde heades rulers of other howe coulde they preache goddes worde beynge thus affected howe coulde they fauour those that preached gods worde trewly and syncerely Trewly they coulde not this is the cause that trew preachcers of goddes worde in this realme be so euyll spoken on as they be because they exhorte al beneficed men to do theyr dewtye to preache goddes worde to feade theyr flocke with the doctryne of god that they myght saue theyr soules in the daye of the lorde But a great part of beneficed men no thyng regarde theyr dewty coÌ„mauÌ„ded them of god nor the exhortation of the preachers that is to feade theyr flocke with goddes worde but neglygently despyseth that office and wyll neyther feade his flocke hym selfe nor yet se or prouyde that they be fedde by other that can do it yea they wyll speke euyll of suche as preache goddes worde purely and sincerely make them to be endited of heresye whiche preache goddes worde purely which do feade the people of god trewly with gods worde suche is the affections of many persons viâ—ars and curates suche is theyr ignoraÌ„ce suche is their blyndnes god send them the lyght of his worde that they may se it and vse it to the helth of them and theyr flocke Many there be that peraduenture thynketh it is ynough they do the coÌ„mauÌ„dement of theyr ordynary so that they neuer preche nor fede their flocke with gods worde whiche men deceyueth them selues yf they so thynke for this wyll not excuse theym before the hye iudge at the day of iudgement as is euident Ezech. iii. xxxiiii xxxiii pri Corinth ix Wo be to me sayth saynct Paule yf I preache not Iude here speaketh in the neutre gendre sayinge that they dyd speke euyll of these thynges whiche they dyd not knowe by the whiche he vnderstandethe many thynges Here we may se what euyll it is to curse those thynges that men do not knowe or that they haue neyther herde nor redde To suche men saynt Ierome gyueth a good counsell in a pystell before Esaie the prophete He willeth that men shuld fyrst reade and then despyse least they maye he thought not of a trewe iudgemente or knowlege but of a presumption of hatred to condempne those thynges they knowe not yf men wolde folowe here saincte Hieromes counsell they wolde not be so redy to condempne as they be whiche as beestes without reason they corrupte them selues Iude here sayth they corrupte them selues naturally as brute beestes with oute reason as who shulde saye they lyue in welth and pleasure and in satisfyenge the desyre of their fleshe they passe brute beestes whiche be without reason whiche lyue after their nature but these in the fylthynes of their flesh they kepe not her measure nor meane all together giuen vnto pleasure of eatinge and drinkynge and to satisfy the other pleasures of the body wherfore they be worse then brute bestes which lyue after their nature wo be vnto them / for they haue folowed the way of Cayne Here Iude noâ—eth these pseudeapostels to be full of enuy as Cayne was towardes his brother Abell whome he kylled Cayn enuyed his brother abell because his brothers sacrifyce was better or more iust then his Genesis iiii and therfore he dyd kyll him So there be many that foloweth the waye of Cain whiche can not beare that other men and other mennes workes shulde be preferred before theym or they re workes Here is to be noted fyrst Cayn an euell man to haue enuyed his brother Abel a good man Secondly Cayne of enuy to haue persecuted his brother be cause his brother was better then he and his brothers workes preferred before hys Thyrdely that it greueth euell men other man or other mennes workes or oblacyons to be preferred before theym Fourthely that two brethren of one man and of one woman the one to haue bene good and the other euell Fyftely one brother to haue kylled an other of malice enuy and hatred Syxtely learne enuy and hatred to bryng murdoure and man slaughter at the ende Seuently learne that euell men allwayes enuyeth good men persecuteth theym with mortall hatred without a cause and at the laste kylleth theym And that this thynge is no newe thynge here you maye see of Cayn and Abell Many there is that entre the way of Cayn and foloweth his foote steppes in his enuy and malyce drowned and these be called Caynys Many there be nowe a dayes Caynys that enuyeth the true preachers of the Gospell but these shall haue a rewarde with Cayn to whom the apostell doth threate wo that is to saye euerlastynge woo and
of grace an other our lady of pytye an other our lady of comforte or succour the holy rode of suche a place and suche a place These meanes maketh the people to esteme these images of great holynes and vertue and that they may do moche for them and that some images of our lady prayth to our lady of heuen for her petitioners suche is the simplenes of many simple people ¶ As touchynge images to be in the churche I was neuer of other opinion but I thought it were commendable expedient to haue them to bryng vs in remembrance of the vertuousnes and holynes of the holy sayntes that we may take example of them to folowe theyr godlynes and holy vertues as to folowe theym in fayth in hope in charitie in makenes in lowlynes in pacience in sufferynge iniuryes and wronges in cōtemnyng the worlde the vayne pleasures therof in lokyng for the lyfe ioye blysse to come After this facion scripture teacheth vsto remembre holy sayntes in many places as s Paul sheweth Heb. xiii Remēber you thē whiche hath had rule ouer you whiche hath spoken the worde of god vnto you whose fayth you do folowe remembrynge what was the ende of theyr good cōuersation So saynt Peter i. Pet. iii. bringes in Saray for an example that women shulde be obediēt to theyr husbandes please theyr husbandes and haue theyr husbandes in reuerence as Saray had Abraham in honour and reuerence Saynt Peter brynges the exāple of Saray to teache other women to folow the example of Saray so be images set vp in the churches to put vs in remembrance of the vertuousnes of the saynctes that we shulde take example to folowe them in goodnes and vertuousnes to stere vp our dull hartes and slowfull myndes to god to goodnes was images set vp in the churche and not for honour nor worshyp that shulde be done to the image whiche is but a thynge made of wode or of stoue or other suche like matter and no more holyer then is the matter it was made on Of these you may gather the good vse of images To those that was called and in god the father sanctified and by Iesus Chryst preserued Here it is shewed to whom this pistell was dedicate and sent that is to saye to all men and women renewed by the bloode of Christe whom Iesus Christ hath called of his only mercy grace and not of the merytes werkes and deseruynges of men Fyrst he called them then he dyd sanctifye them Here be two thynges to be noted first that Iesus Christe calleth whome be wylleth seconde those that he calleth he sanctifyeth them he calleth men to hym of his onely mercy not of theyr merites nor yet of their worthynes of theyr workes God calleth somtyme in wardly by inwarde inspiration as he dyd call saynt Paule Actorum ix and many other prophetes Somtymes he calleth in wardly in that hart outwardly by preaching of that gospel to the which they gyue credence that be called Chryst calleth not after the pleasure of man but after the wyll pleasure of god when god wyll not when man willeth whom god pleaseth to call not whom man iudgeth worthy to be called nor yet when mā thynkes mete to be called but when god thynkes and knoweth men apte and redy to come when they be called By the whiche sayinge many reasons be taken away of the callynge after the wyll of man by the merites of men and when men iudgeth men to be apte and redy to the herynge of the gospel and wyll gyue credence to it And although god onely doth call when he wil without any indeuering or worke of man yet oftimes for the most parte he vseth certayne meanes as by prechynge of the gospell and by herynge of it preached as he gyueth other gyftes by meanes as lernynge by study ryches by labour wysedome by experiēce fayth by the gospell preached so he calleth men to hym by preachynge of goddes worde whiche they beleue that be called and after it doth lyue a lyfe pure and clene in all innocency of lyuynge God knoweth who be his and those he calleth to hym in tyme prefixed and whan he knoweth theym moost apte to folowe theyr callynge Here you may se the cause why god wolde not haue his gospell at the fyrst preached to the iewes to the gentyles that in all tymes it was because he dyd se thē then not apt to receyue it nor yet apte to beleue it therfore that they shuld auoyde more payn god dyd hyde frō them his gospell when he dyd se them apt to receyue beleue the gospell he made the gospell to be preached to the gētyles they beleued it was saued as many as was ordeyned to life The order that god vseth moost comonly to theym that shall be saued it may here be gathered of the apostell Iude. Fyrst he sayth they be called secondly they be sanctified in god the father thyrdly they be saued by Iesus Christ through his worde obedience to do these thynges gladly frely that the worde of god teacheth them This thyng saynt Iohn̄ testifieth Ioh. xvii saying Father I haue shewed thy name to men whom thou hast gyuen to me of the worlde they were thyne to me thou hast gyuen them they haue kept thy worde Now truly they haue knowen that al thinges whiche thou hast gyuen to me was of the for the wordes whiche thou dyd gyue me I dyd gyue to them and they haue receyued them they haue knowen truely that from the I haue gone and tha◠thou sent me Here we may lerne the meane whiche God vseth towardes them that shal be saued although god only saue vs by hym selfe by Iesus Christe and of his mere mercye and grace yet he vseth a meane wherby he bryngeth men to saluacyon that is to saye by the worde of God preached and giuyng credence toyc workyng after it wherfore yf the worde of God be not preached nor had amonge vs it is a greate token that we be not in the fauoure of God nor of his elected people to saluacyon Also yf we in oure selues do perceyue no desyre no loue to the worde of God but not regard it esteme it at lytell valu thinke other thynges more precyouse then it or thynke it folyshnes or as a vayne thynge Then it is a token that these that thynke so they be none of the people of God nor yet in the fauoure of god as longe as they shall thynke so of these tokennes and sygnes euerye one in hym selfe maye sone perceyue whether he is in the fauoure of god or no. In that he hath a desyre or a loue to goddes worde to heare it to rede it beleue it to worke after it to esteme it aboue all worldely thynges c. Mercy be to you and peas / and charyte maye be multiplyed In this salutacyon what thynge Saincte Iude
iudgemeÌ„t of the people towardes these pseudapostels of the symple people they be câ—unted to be the worshyp honour and ornament of all charitie of all vertue but yf they be nerely loked on they are not that thyng that they be counted to be they are not the honour nor the beauty but they 〈◊〉 the very fyithynes it selfe and the very spoâ—â—es of whom coÌ„meth and spryngeth that thynge that befoâ—meth the hole face the hole body Furthermore in that he sayth that they be the spottes amonges your charytyes as Erasmus traÌ„slation hath an other thynge he doth appere to saye as who shulde say they by crafâ—e suttelty falshede hypocrysye and symulation hath goten of you great rychesse great possessions landes and tenementes whiche you haue gyuen to theym of your charitie supposyng that they were the honoure the worshyp the beautye of the worlde and that in them were all holynesse and nothynge buâ— holynesse that they were the lyghtes and lanternes of Chrystes religyon the very trewe patrones to folowe in all holynes of lyfe after whome men shulde fourine and fassyon theyr lyues And for that cause what some euer you dyd gyue to theym of your charytye you thought it well bestowed supposynge that they take onely necessaryes for them selues the resydue to bestowe after the best fassyon But it is not so saythe Iude as you thynke they be not the honour and beautye of men but they be the spottes that disfygureth men they be the pestilence and destruction to men yf they be in wardly consydered I graunte they be eâ—amplâ—rs and patrones but of all euyll and mischefe Of you they haue goten ryches and substaunce by crafte by falsehede hypocrysye and symulacyon but as they 〈…〉 goten theyr goodes euyll so they s 〈…〉 them euyll as the coÌ„mon sayinge is euyll goten euyll gone ye ofte tymes it chaunceth that thynge whiche is euyll gotten to be worse sâ—ence rychesse gotten of your charytye by hypocrisye and simulacion they do not spende them in the feadynge of poore people in warkes of charytye but in mutuall feastes to great men to ryche men byenge promotion and dignitye gyuynge great rewardes to suche as nede not to optayne faâ—oure of men they spende theyr rychesse in mutuall bankettynge and feastynge in goodly delycate fare in feadynge of horses and dogges I wyll not saye all These men all thoughe they be counted of the worlde to be the honoure and beautye of the worlde and so they wolde be counted them selfe yet saynct Iude here calleth theym the spottes and the destruction of Christis religion and howe some euer they be counted with the worlde they be before god as spottes and fylthynes that disfygureth Yf any wyll consyder theyr lyues sayth saynet Iude they lyue without feare of god or of man they lyue after theyr owne pleasure and voluptuousnesse other lyueth in great penurye and pouertye in great labour great payne and in the swette of theyr browes gette theyr lyuynge full hardly They lyue in great welth and abundaunce in ydelnes and pleasure hauyng all thynges abundauntly without any care or thoughte takyng no labours nor paynes to feade the flocke of Chryst and yet they wyll be theyr pastors and suffer their shepe to stray away from the folde and to be a pray for the wolfe foxe and the deuyll they wyll lay great burdens and yockes on other mennes neckes but they them selues wyll not ones payse them with theyr fynger Therfore not withoute a cause Iude calleth theym spâ—â—â—â—s whiche lyue without all feare eatynge and drynkynge passynge the tyme in sporte game takyng al their pleâ—uâ—es here as who shulde say there were none other world after this therfore they eate drinke and make good â—â—eâ—e and take theyr pleasure whyle tâ—ey are here for after this world they thynke there is none other world and yf there be any what they shall haue there they can not tell suche be the wordes of infideles as appereth Sapientie ii To suche truly in an other worlde shall be sorowe to their soppes payne and woo euerlastynge Cloudes they are without water caryed aboute of wyndes Iude accuseth these pseudapostels of aâ—â—ogancy they thynke them selues to be cloudes cloudes be a boue men they moue in the ayre or element oftymes they obscure and darke the lyght of the sone from men out of them commeth water that temporeth the earth that maketh grasse and corne growe so lyke wise these pseudapostelles thinketh them cloudes that is to saye that they are halfe Goddes and aboue men and giue the water that is to saye doctryne that tempereth the earth that is to saye all men be tempered ruled by their doctryne I graunte saythe Iude that they be cloudes as they counte theÌ„ selues but they be cloudes caryed of the wyndes hyther and thyther they be inconstant hauing no sure doctrine for they be cost this way and that way with euerye pufte and blaste of wynde they be caryed with the winde they be cloudes but vnprofytable withoute water to temper the earth that is drye the is to say they want hole holsome doctryne of god by the whiche they myght and shulde temper the thurstie and dry Soules and conforte afflycted conscyences they be cloudes but suche as darkens and kepe awaye from men the lyght of the sonne that is to saye they kepâ— bake the truth of goddes worde and wyll not lette it appere to men as muche as lyeth in them they darke the trueth of Goddes Gospel by their tradicyons by dremes by inuencyons of men whiche they commaunde and teachâ—â—o kepe in the steede of Goddes worde they leade vs from the lyght in to darknes and wolde make vs to beleue darcknes to be light They bring vs from Goddes worde in our yough to gentylle authors whiche we muste learne fyrst knowing well the bottell euer to smell of that lyquor whiche he fyrst receyueth yf we were brought vp soberly by a sober and dyscrete may ster in gods learning I suppose we shulde euer smell of that liquor as Titus and Timotheus did Saint Paul prayseth their bringinge vp i. Timo. iiii ii Tâ—mo iii. besydes this that they leade vs out of the waye from Goddes learnyng to gentyll authors as to Aristotle Plato zenophon and suche other when we be passed them then the way is stopped to Christ but we must then go to dunce dorobell auâ—royse brycoâ— anthony gabryell thomas and sâ—che lyke and at the laste when we shall â—â—m to the study of holy scripture must be wrasted and wrythed after they re myndes their termes and their subtyll dystynccyons althoughe they be neuer so farre contrary to the true meanyng of the scrypture Christ coÌ„maundeth vs Iohan. v. to serche scryptures these cloudes coÌ„maundeth the contrary to serch doctors as gentyll authors skole doctors as dunce dorobel petrus hisyanê° such like holy scripture is to be vnderstandyd fyrst by the scrypture it selfe one place expoundeth an other The holy ghost can best expounde