Here begynnyth a traetys callyde the Lordis flayle handlyde by the Bushops powre thresshere Thomas Solme GOod redere here thow haste a shorte â—…tis callyd the lordis flaylle whych sâ—… dreue the to the confeschione of one Chrâ—… and sauyure the secuÌ„de persone yn trynyte 〈◊〉 mane / Whych flayll is handlyde by the hops powre thresshere Thomas soâ—ne / aâ—… they re correccion I submytie my self fe iâ—… wrytte ony thynge contrary to te truthe / 〈◊〉 this I sett forte a worke of iustificacioÌ„ / 〈◊〉 yn I wyll declare the SacrameÌ„tis of Chryâ—… the Sacramentis ynstitute of the Popeâ—… pwrely syncerely as scripture do testify aâ—…dynge to the declaracyone of the beste claâ—… Wherfor pray to the Lorde for me and all oâ—…re laborynge yn the lordis vynarde to the â—…ry of hys name / worthily acceptet hys 〈◊〉 powre worke / the fyrste taste that I fynde yn the lordis swettnes / whych taste I pray God sende all yngnorante persons ¶ A forme howe we shal know God THe effecte of holy scripture coÌ„sistyth chefly yn two partis / That is In knowlege of God owre selues We shall knowe God fowre mannere of ways Fyrst yf we pryntyt yn owre hertes by a certen fayth / God to be ynfynitte wysbdam / rightwysnes / goodnes / verite / vertw and lyffe / whaÌ„ soeuere thes vertws er sene or don yn ony place / to be only of hym / and of none othere / as all myracles / and preseruacyons of mene and of al thynges that is good We must only ascrybe to God and to no saynte / othere yn heuen or erthe / as meny do ygnoraÌ„tly for lake of thys knowlege Baruch 3. Iacob 1. The secunde way to knouwe God / is to beleue all thyngis Prouer. 1â— Psal 148. Danie 3. Roma 1. Whych er yn heuyne and yn erthe / to be creatyde yn hys glory / that eche creature owghte to serue hym by ryght by the reson of theyr creacion / and nature / also they must ynspecte hys coÌ„maundment / obay hys mayeste / and knowlege hym yn obayunge / to be theyere lorde and kynge Thurdly we must confesse hym to be a ryghtuse youge / and therfore shall reuenge Psalm 7. Roma 2. strayghtly in them which declyne from his coÌ„mauÌ„dimeÌ„tis / Which do nott obay his will by all thingis / which shall thinke / specke / or do ony thinge else then thos which pertayne to his glory / and honore Roma 2. Forthly we must coÌ„sydere / that he is mercyfull and meke / and to resayue mercy fully synneres wreches / which do drawe to his mercy / and apprehende his fayth / always redy to forgeue if ony do are forgenesse / to suckure if ony do instaÌ„ly deseyre his helpe / to saue if ony wyl returne and fyre they re holl trust in him Psal 103. Iesa 55. Psalm 25 85. ¶ A forme to knowe owre selues WE shall knowe owre one persons thus / We owght to coÌ„sydere owr fyrste fathere Adam / to be created to the ymage and simylitude of God / that is in wysdam / rightwysnes / indude wyth holynes / so cleuynge to God by thes geftis of grace / shulde euere lyue in him / if he had perseuerid stande suerly in this clernes of nature / which he toke of God But after he was corrupte in synne / this ymage and simylitude of God was seducte blottyd Gene. 1. he loste all goodnes of godly grace / by which he Gene. 3. might aperseueryd if he hade willyd in the way of trute / and lyffe By syne he is deuydyd fare from God made a nothere mane / robbyd and spowilide of all wyssdam / rightwysnes / vertwe lyffe / Which he caÌ„ne not haue but only of God Roma 5. Wherfore nothynge else is lefte to man / but ygnorauÌ„ce / iniquite / wekenes / dethe / and yougmente / which aer the fruttis of synne / Which calamyte did not fal only in him but is shede also in them that cum of his seede / Therfor all men which erborne of Adam terrestrial / aer ygnoraunte voyd of God / peruers / corrupte / destitute of all goodnes / Owre thowght worde and ded euer a genste godis wyll / although we showe sum goodnes in forme / neuerthelesse thesame inwerde affectioÌ„ of the mende abydith in his fylthynes / and blynde peruersite / The yougmente of whiche mende or herte / partayn only to God / which letyll regarde the owght werde shynynge / but only be holde the secretes of the herte Iere. 17. Therfor lett a man haue of him self fe neuer so bowtyfull a face consernyng holynes / it is nothinge els but hypocrisy / and before God also abomynacion / by cause lyuynge inflesse peruers cogitacions of mynde and corruptible deseyrs be euer in man 1. Reg. 16. Iere. 17. ALthowgh truly we be so borne / that there is nothinge lefte in vs to do ony thinge which is accepte or cane be to God / nor is not lefte in owre vertwe to pacyfy or to make acceptable to him / neuer the lesse / we do not sesse to be detters in that thinge / which we cane not geue / or restore / In as muche we be the creaturs of God / he beynge all mighty do not sesse to creat / and conserue vs most wrechyd synfull / therfor er we euer bownde to serue his honor and glory in knowlegyng his goodnes / and owr one infirmyte in obseruyge his coÌ„maundmentes Nor it is not lawful to preÌ„etde an excusacioÌ„ / by cause faculte or abilyte is absente or lake / and as wast full detters which aer not abyll to pay Truly it is owre fawt synne which hold vs bownde that we can nethere wyll or may do good Ioan. 8. Roma 7. But whan God is the yousie reueÌ„gere of syns / it be houythe that we knowelege owre selues worthy maledictioÌ„ / to deserue yougmente of eternall dethe Truly there is noÌ„ that wyllith / or may do thos thingis which partayne to owre offece / duty or iustificacion Wherfor in scripture we er callyd the childrene of yre / and condempnacion and youge vs all hedlyngis in to dethe and Ephe. 2. Roma 3. perdicion / Therfore there is nothinge lefte to man / wherin he shuld seeke his rightwysnes / vertw / lyff / helth in him self fe / which all thingis aer but in one God / from whom man sett a parte deuidide / before him self fe shall not fynde / but infelicite / vnabilite / iniquite / deth / and the same hells / that is / the vttermoste malediction for synne / which is the returninge in to erthe / and in to the obliuyusnes of godes blissyngis and geftis Osee 13. LEft man shuld be ygnorante of thes
promyssis / the hertis of pepyll / that whare Christ was wonte to rayne with his swett promyssis / by they re poppytres they haue clerely erpulsyd him / and extollyde Antychriste with his marchantis babylonicalle / And whan prestode popysche with his falsse god thus supplyth the place of God / what er they but ydollis ye and so meny as beleue to be ydolaters Lett vs sherch what an ydolle is and we shall fynde the thinge clerly verifyde of them The defynischion of an ydole An ydoll truly is nothyng in the thingis of nature / that is / altowgh it expresse ony thinge as all ydollis do othere God / angell / saynth / deuel / sonne / mon / beste or such / lyke / it ere they but ydollis And why by cause they haue noparte of the substaunce and properte Not with standing hyt an ydolle is so playnly expreste by colore byce / that a folle shall respecte it as the thynge / and hyt it haue no properte of the naturall thynge This consyderinge what ydolle shall you fynde mor lesse representynge the substaunce / more mysusynge the properte of nature then popysche prestode They clayme the substauÌ„ce of God that is to make Christe / and to remytt synne / and it in all properies they er lyke the deuell And this false substauÌ„ce / this they re detestabyll ydoll of popysche prestoude / is so craftyly payntyd / and sett owt by blasynge colors / that excepte a man haue lyght of the sonne of rightwysnes / he shall neuer disterne theverite from falshed / the substauÌ„ce from the ydoll / Ther is no payntere so couÌ„nynge in laynge his colers a pone an ydoll / as Antychrist is insettinge owt of his this ydoll of popysche prestode / The growne colers that he vse be thes / oyster gatherers / I wold say Ostiares / whos offyce is to pute the kay in the dors and dreue doggis owt of the cherche / lectores / that is reders of lesons / Exorciste / cuÌ„gerers of watter sallte / Acoluti / apykker of salettis / Subdiaconus / a pystell in arrere / Diaconê° / a gospell glosere â— boke of seÌ„en dist 24. 〈◊〉 9. And then the cheffyst colore of all / Sacerdos / a makere geuere of Godis flesse and bonys / seuene colers he vse fore the .vii. gestis of the holy goste Not withstandynge sum be not contente with thes colers / but they adde to more on be fore and a nothere be hynde / that is / Tonsurati he that is clypte or shorne in the crowne / and Episcopi / he that slepe ouer his floke / with meny othere debattis which paynters of this ydoll haue as I shall showe here after in his proper place if God grant melyfe Meny othere colers they haue wherby they sett forte this theyr prestod / as amyssis albys / fanellis / stollis / the vestimeÌ„t which couere the multitude of synne / suche othere / wherby they transmutte themselues in to an angell of lighte and wyl ascende in to the hy trone and be lyke to the allmighty But although they re nawghtty and rottyne substaunce be thuse sett owt by colers / and be made as a God / hyt is it but an ydoll / lakinge the thinge and the propertys of the thinge / not hauynge the vertwe of God in remit tynge synne / and in geuynge lyffe For we haue but on God whom we owt to fere and honore with all owre hert / mend and sowle as was sayd before And a geÌ„ne by cause all men do declyne from righwysues / and there is non that do good but only owre Lorde Iesu Christe Agen by cause all men aâ—re lyers euery man is a curst which truste in men Nowe in asmiche popischyrestode do coÌ„fesse themselues spiritall and all gostly / sauyers and makkers of Godis / ye and very vicarys of Gode / therfor we must nedis conclude / that they er but ydollis payntyd of Antichrist / by cause they lake the substaunce of all godly vertws / whos person they clayme by thayre payntyd ydoll of popysch prestode This thinge herde perchance sum man wyll say / I maruyll then that owre bushops wold so playnly and purly wright of this ordere of prestode / settynge forte so euery order with a sage grauyte / in as mych owre suppreme hede dyd commaunde them to showe that thynge which myght be to the most honore of God profyth of his coÌ„muns Lett no mane meruyll thowgh they haue a snake of theyr onwyll / that is thowgh they respecte they re one profyte and glory and mayntyne sum what popyschues / which thowgh it be nothynge fore profyte it is it good fore pastyme â— Reg. 10 In as mych it is all cungerynge lurgeredemayne / Which thinge is prefiguryd I thynke verily in the olde testamente / where mencion is made that Salomone dyd send his shyps one in thre yers / in to tersys / which brought gold and syluer / and eleuantis tethe / and apes / pecokis / So owre kynge Henry the .viij. whos byfe I pray god to kepe / which is a very Salomon / what is / which is paciente quiette in conschens / rectifyenge hyme selfe and his accordynge to Godis worde / which is the lyf of the fowlle / he by his nobyll coÌ„sell / hath coÌ„maundyde his bushops and docters / to lede his shyps in to Tharsys and to brynge of the beste / fruttis tresurs / that is to lede his cherche of which he is suppreme hede imediattly after Christ / into the contemplacion of Godis promyssis in the sherchynge of owr stony hertis / which is signifyd by Tharsis / Tharsis whas such a plesaunte coÌ„tre and so ryche / that is was callyd the contemplacion of yoy / And what is mor yoy ful to behold / then the swette promissys of Christis blude Tharsy â–ª In to this laude owre bushops and prechers were sente to veche of the beste tresure and ryches / And they haue browte parte after his coÌ„maundment / parte after theyr on fancy and brayns After his coÌ„maundement they haue brought gold and syluer / that is / in sum thynge they haue instructe they re cherches wyth the true workis of faythe / with the pure worde of god which as the profyt sayth is a chaste and an vndefylyd speche / gold and syluer prouyd by fyre And after they re mendis they haue brought elephantis tethe / to make trones resting placis / that is / they vpholde theyr on glory and dignyte aÌ„d maintyne falsse sectis of antichristis angellis / the pwysone ordere of popysche prestode / which dewouere the goodis of fatherlesse motherlesse chyldren / Which sectis also is signifyde by the apes / which er bestis of mockege / and lawghynge more then for profyt or helpe / which shal be garnischyd with a cott and
bere the similitud of men and yt er but ydolis and apys as towchych the propertis of man / which cane not specke but moke and mowe / as owre popysche sorte do in all they re actis and dydis / clayminge the similitude and substaunce of Gode / and in dedis er but apes / that is a lawinge stoke to owre Salomon and his true subiectis Antichriste a his flocke er dewouerera Popyshnes is but apyshnes Popyshers â—eyoys in they re tayll as the pecoke Which sectis also is signifid by the pecokes / whos pride is in they re tayll / that is in the blynde sorte of onlernyd pepyll / which hange to theme and trust to they re popysch seremonys / which reyoyce in they re workis and operacioÌ„s and extoll themselues as the spectacle or onperlesse flowere of this worlde / which pekokis more reyoyce in they re taylle / that is / in theyr workis blinde folowers / theÌ„ne in theyr hede / sauyure Christ Ieswe Therfor I pray God for the merytis of Christis blude brynge this grett ydoll downe wytt al his gynnes and propertes / and send him a scorynge of his colers / that his substauÌ„ce may a pere as it is in ded / which in ded is but fylthy / synfull of no valure ¶ Such thinges as Christ dyd vse ande institute to his grett glory / and owr profyth gostly thos haue the Pope and his menbres chongyd to his grett dyshonore / and owre damnacioÌ„ / for he sent them as ministers / but they make them selues sauyers / gloryfinge themselues to make the secunde person in trinyte / whom the fathere of heuene culd neuer make but of him self generat by whom he is with owt beginnyng or endynge Of they re masse God By the reson of the which grett ydolytre ye the most gretyst that can be is don ygnorauntly for lake of knowlege of meny In as mych the pepyll sett they re holle affiaunce truste in that God / hauynge nothynge so much in they re herte / as that God / liuynge or lyenge a departynge by dethe / they chefly call for sere Ihon his God / thinkynge as they er towght that wyth owt them God haue no powre to saue them / excepte as they say it be in necessyte / then they say and grante God may worke with owt them / but then you must take hyd / for so God can not do neythere excepte you haue a wyll to haue S. Ihon and his God / if it wore possyble / Ho shame / Thus by thys mens they rauysche the hertes of all men and plucke them clene from God eternall and fyxe them in they re workis and falsse God / affirmyng that thinge which Christ dyd institute in remeÌ„braunce to be a thinge in ded of the same flesse and blude borne of the virgyne Mary / and that to be done in saynge thos wordes This truly is / my body / Agen. Mat. 27. The wordie makynge This is my blude of the nwe testament / which shal be shede for meny in remission of synne / which wordis spokynne with on wynne ouer the bred and wynne / with a stynkinge brethe at the last ende they affirme to be and wyll make vs be leue the bred and wynne to be chongyd into the very flesse and blud of Christ They beleue to blowe owt the holy goste owt of the fathers bosome / and to brynge with him the holl body of Christ borne of the virgyn and to consayue it a genne in the cake and wyneas he dyd in the virgyns womme This is theyr fayth if thes wordis be spokyn chefly with on brethe / but if they take two brethes then they er in dowte And this they worshope as God and wyll vs also so to do / Hade Christ such a beleu whan he spake thes wordis Dyd he coÌ„maunde his discipyls to worshope it Do not they teche also the contrary Christ dyd not so beleue nor teche And they synge the coÌ„trary dayly in thy messe crede / aÌ„d prime We rede in theyr masse crede / I beleue in on Lorde Iesu Christ the sone of God / only begottyn and borne of the fathere before all workis / God of God / lyght of lyght / very God of very God be gottyn and not made / of substaunce euen lyke to the fathere / by whom all thyngis be made Christ is vndemade We rede also in the Psalme of Nuicunque vult / The fathere God / the son God / the holy gost is God / Vnmad is the fathere / vnmade is the sone / vnmad is the holy goste / Ar not thes wordis they re on songe / O wylfull blyndnes / In as myth thes wordis betrue why duste thow boste and affirme to make God and Christ in flesh and blude / with owt whom thow cauÌ„ste not lyue / moue / or be Obiection Nowe sum wyl say / we make not Christe / it is the vertwe of his worde Answer We answere / If an infydell shuld speke and blowe the wordis ouer the cake wynne / shuld the wordis chonge them into the very body and blud of Christe I thynke they wold say nay / by cause they lake faythe And who is faythfull / Non truly but he which trust faythfully in the meritis of Christis blude / to inherytte heueÌ„ly blyssingis for Christis sake only / whos wyll is fyxid both day and nyght in the laue of owre lorde to fulfyll it spiritally in Christ Them if he be faythfull which do beleue thus / It must nedys folowe that they er infydeles whiche do the coÌ„trary And so they which haue not this beleue in Christ / but vpholde Antychrist popyschnes / truly they must nedys be infydels / and so nethere to make Christis body in spekinge his wordis / or to ette him Obiection And if this wyll not helpe / by cause they wyl haue a nothere cautell sayng / as I haue herde fâ—yere preche bothe in Antuarpe and â—ouen / that it is not the worde of Gode that make the body of Christis flesse and blude / but the offise of Popysch prestod Answere The instytucion of Christ The we answere / that they caÌ„ue do more then Christ wolde do / Christ dyd institute his supper in remembraunce of his dethe / to be a sygne and mystery of his swett promissis / stablisshyd and fulfyllyd in his blude / whos sygne / remembraunce / and sacrameÌ„t / is the brekynge of brede and shedynge of wynne annexyde to his wyl testimony of the same Christis body blude onse shede for owre redempcioÌ„ on his proper autere / and now to be vsyd of The brekige of bred / shedynge of wyne is a sell annexyde to the lordis testamente them that be faythfull Christ coÌ„mauÌ„ndynge for remembraunce of this his deth paste / wherby owre weke coÌ„schience may be strenghtyd
hed vnder Christe / which in all thyngis cane soffere no singularite but al that he do / thynke or speke is for the welth of the hole body / that is the holle coÌ„munallte / whos office is includyd in the thyrde coÌ„maundmeÌ„t as I showe before And ye shal not that theyer not only howlde to name themselues spiritall but also they augmente this theyr spirituallte with a fatherhede / whan Thrist wyl that we shuld knowelege non but only the spirituall fathere in heuen / which can saue dampene vs / whan Christe do call al thos which do fulfyll this heuenly fathers wyll / his mothere / sone brothere Therefor theyr nominacion be no mens can betrwe / excepte it be for peruers doctrine / or by theyr on chyldreÌ„ which sytt by othere mens feyrs / wherfor lett it be wypyd owt of the Lordis sede / for the Lorde can soffere no sych sede in his berne They be no fathers â—ut of othere 〈◊〉 chyldrene Therefor theyr nominacion be no mens can betrwe / excepte it be for peruers doctrine / or by theyr on chyldreÌ„ which sytt by othere mens feyrs / wherfor lett it be wypyd owt of the Lordis sede / for the Lorde can soffere no sych sede in his berne Also ye shalle nott that euery Man is bownd to brynge vp his chyldrene in lernyn of sum good doctryne wherby they may knowe God / with sum manuall worke or occupacion / wherby they may gett they re lyuynge with the swett of they re face And by cause euery master owt to bringe vp they re chyldren accordynge to the fathers wyll / therfor in this coÌ„maundement is the master bownd to instrute his discipyl or seruante well / and accordynge to Godis coÌ„maundemeÌ„te / whos duty is showd in meny placis of scripture Timo. 2. Colo. 4.1 Petri. 2. ¶ The .vi. coÌ„maundment Thow shal not slee THat is / in as mych God owthe to be louyd and faryd of vs / lett vs horte no man by ony manere of mens / nor it oppresse ony mane by violence / lett vs do noman yngery or wronge / but let vs be always / redy te showe benyuolence to all men / bothe feyndis and ennymes / lett vs stody to plesse bothe / iff they be yn ony necessyte Thys coÌ„mandiment wyl also that mynysters of the worde / must not folowe false doctrine in kyllinge meny a sowle / by they re he risy / and in sleynge the body for tellynge truthe ¶ The .vij. coÌ„maundemente Thow shall do no fornicacion THis commaundemente wyll that they which wyl fere and loue God / must so order themselues / that they lyue chaste and continent all the days of they re lyffe Also by cause vyrginyte is a singulere gyfte of God / lett euery man marke what is geuen to him Iaco. 1. For they which take not this worde / that is / haue not the gefte of chastyte / they haue a remidy offeride of God for the impurite of they re fleshe / and they that do not vse that remidy resyste Gode and resyste his ordinaÌ„ce Nor lett no man say as meny do nowe a days to haue powre to do all thyngis helpyd by the haÌ„de of God / For the helpe of God is not present but only to them which walke in his ways / that is / in his vocacion / from which thes hypocritis do indeuer to drawe themselues / agenst the wyll of God / In this peuysnes and presumpcion lett not them loke for God to be a helper / but lett them rethere remembere / his saynge / thow shalte not tempte they lorde God This truly is to tempte God / to indeuer and ercersys agenst nature / which is geuen to vs of him / ye so to dispysse his presente geftes Math. 3. Nott what it is to tempte Gode Thys godly gefte of nature the popysche sorte do not only dispyse / in misusynge themselues agaynste all nature abominabyll to specke / but also the losels er bowlde to call matrimony a polucion which God whas worthy to institute / which he dyd pronownse honorabyll to all men / which owr sauyure Christ dyd sanctify by his presence / garnissyng the same with his fyrste miracle / but with most sotell statutis / rulis / and decrese / they do extoll euery zelycall vowe / and progression / I shuld say euery celycall vowe profeschion As thowgh theyr scalde vowe wor not one / and virginyte a nothere / They call they re stald vows / agelicall vertws / doynge great ingery to the angellis of God / to the which they compare lassiuyous parsons / adulteres and sum thynge moreworsse and stinkynge Men 〈◊〉 more the pes ordiâ—…cis then â—â—â—des And truly we nede not to rehersse more tokyns / where the thynge selffe is manifeste / we shall se truly by what grett and horribyll payns the lord shall reuenge thys arrogans and contempte of his gyftis By this commaundemeÌ„t also euery man is bownd to haue and vse his wyffe soberly / and gentilly / the wyffe lykewyce the man / further mor to that they shall admytt nothyng contrary to the honeste and temperance of matrimony / so doyng / they shall knowe at the laste to mary in the Lorde ¶ The .viij. coÌ„maundement Thow shalt do no thefte Whych must thus be vnderstaÌ„de / whan truly we owte to fare and loue Gode / lett vs desayue no man othere be crafte or fraude / nor lett vs not take a way by handeÌ„ and vyolence that which pertayne to hym / nor we may not coÌ„passe ony man in bergoÌ„s cuÌ„nauntis / sellynge a more hyere pryce or in baynge a more vylde pryce of thos which knoweth not the valure of thiÌ„gis / or by ony othere acte crafte by which we do lay owr hadis in other mens goodis But if the fare and loue of God be in vs / we wyll indeuer more with all owr powre to helpe both owr fryndis and foes / as much as ly in vs bothe by counsell and helpe in vpholdynge maytynnynge they re bodys and goodis / ye and rethere to minysch owr on goodis then to take a way a nothere mans / not only that / but if they were opprest by the misfortune of thyngis / we were bownd to coÌ„municat imparte owre goodis to the sustentacioÌ„ of theyr necessytes / and to the alleuyacion of they re nede by owre plentuusnes Lett all christene men respecte to this coÌ„maundement in helpynge the powre membris of Christis body to the powre threshers of the Lordis corne / to the powre creaturs which lake theyr naturall lymbys / and no more to vphold by oblacions the grett ydolis of this worlde / that is Antichrist with his prestode / and all theyr Math. 10. Iesa 58. grett godis / lett them no more hepe Antychristis boxe / nor hyt is secte for all they re gay mockis /