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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19362	An epistle or godlie admonition, of a learned minister of the Gospel of our sauiour Christ sent to the pastoures of the Flemish Church in Antwerp, (who name themselues of the Confession of Auspurge,) exhorting them to concord with the other ministers of the Gospell. Translated out of French by Geffray Fenton. Here may the christian reader lerne to know what is the true participatio[n] of the body of Christ, & what is the lauful vse of the holy Supper.	Corro, Antonio del, 1527-1591.; Fenton, Geoffrey, Sir, 1539?-1608.	1569 (1569)	STC 5787; ESTC S108710	46,646	132

be of the Romish religion or reformed church praying always to the Lorde that he willighten vs in oure ignoraunces whiche wee ought to shew to euery one with all modestie and gentlenesse according too the example of oure maister and Redéemer Iesus who hath not disdained to receyue gently and teache myldely his very Iohn 3. enemies persecutyng him dayly and makyng coniurations to take from hym Luke 7. his life Let vs remember that being euē vpon the crosse pinched with the extreme pangs of death not mynding his owne paines he had remembraunce of his enimies with prayer to his heauenly Father to pardon their offences let vs imitate the Lorde our creator whose mercy and goodnesse are so plentiful that he maketh his sunne shine bothe vpon the good and the euill Let vs not vse regarde that this man hath suche an ignoraunce nor that man will receiue any article of our confession Let vs loue all helpe all embrace al and support the ignorances and infirmities of al. For better were it that we failed in this point if it be a fault at all than to make vs iudges of the conscience of an other and giue out sentence of condemnation ageinst those that agrée not with vs. 90 For ende deare brethren I besech you take in good parte this my epistle or letter mouing no otherwyse than of an affectioned hart towards you wherof the Lorde is my witnesse and I assure it in myne owne conscience and let it not I pray you be an occasion to you to write bookes nor Pamphlets séeing I haue no meaning too enter into armes or warre with the pen neither doth the time serue for it but rather of neede to vs all to apply oure selues to better things and let vs labour to encrease oure knowledge in that which we want to be doctors of the gospel for the acknowledging of our ignoraūce oughte rather to incense vs to a wil to learn than to make our selues inquisitours and censors of the Faythe of others with employing the time to fill bookes and papers with questions altogither impertinent to edification 91 I humbly beséech the soueraine maiestie of our good God heauenly father that it will please him too furnishe youre iudgements and vnderstādings with the knowledge of his holy woord to the ende that by the meane of youre preachings youre audience may learne a true faithe an assured hope in Iesus Chryste and a carefull mortification of the olde Adam and that the same Lorde so renue youre harts enflame your wills in the affection of charitie towards your neibors that from hence forth wée being ioyned with you and you with vs may liue in peace and tranquilitie of body and spirite in the assembly of oure Lorde Iesus soueraigne pastor of our soules who hauing bought vs by the inestimable price of his obedience and bloude moste precious it may also please hym too garde vs ageynst all dissentions make vs liue in the vnitie of himselfe vntill that béeing spoyled of this corruption wée may perfectely reioyce in the coniunction of him and the eternal glorie promised vs by his meane of the which in his own person the rather to make vs inheritors therof he hath alredy takē possession sitting on the right hād of God with all power in Heauen and earth To whome bée all glorie and empire for euer Amen In the towne of Antwerp ij of Ianua 1567. Your affectioned brother in Iesus Christ and humble companion in the work of GOD Anthonie de Corro called Belle Riue To the Churche of Antwerpe THis only deare brethren was intended by this Epistle or Sermon to imparte it by conference with the prechers of the church naming themselues of the confession of Auspurge without meaning to communicate it by publication albeit bycause diuers written copies are comen into the hāds of sundry and seuerall persons I thought it to better purpose to spread abroad and deliuer it in print than to suffer it to be argued in secrete leaste the same mighte moue cause of sinister iudgement ageinst the simple and sincere integritie of my meanyng wherein as the labour was peculiar in my selfe without the enteruiew or counsell of any so if it include any matter to edifie or confirme your cōsciences it may please you to be thankfull to the Lorde as author of al goodnesse And for the errors I beséech you let them be layde wholly vpon me as vpon a man who liuing yet in the peregrination to our heauenly countrey where wée shall haue perfect knowleage may erre and faile in many things For wée know that we are 2. Cor. 5. trauailers and iorneymen in this body we are absente from the Lorde and walke by Faith and not by view For ende I wipe my hands afore God and you all of any intent eyther to redarguate or confute the articles presented by those that call themselues of the Confession of Auspurge but rather to let them sée vpon what small causes they haue formed greate quarels maynteinyng dissention for a thing of small importaunce and forbeare too deale in matters more necessary SEing also good brethren that vppon the impression there remained certeine leaues voyde and vnfurnyshed of matter I thought it not oute of purpose to fyll them wyth certeine places of Holie Scripture persuading the Faythefull to actes of Charitie wyth brotherly vnitie one to an other yea not to forbeare to loue oure proper enemies and suche as pursue vs with persecution a vertue at this day moste importaunt and necessary the rather for that Sathan employeth a wonderfull diligence to sowe séedes of dissention and quarrell with speciall endeuour and strange meanes too corrupt the league of charitie lefte vnto vs by Chryste of suche commendation and all thys vnder a pretence of diuersitie in religion wherein as wée oughte to stand vppon our garde ageinst the subtilties and policies of the Diuel so assuredly God hath not lefte vs eyther lycence or lybertie once to thinke that it is lawfull for vs to hate any man in respect to maynteine our religion séeing wée are expresly enioyned by the wordes of the same to loue suche as despise vs and pray for those that persecute oure bodies and doings But alas wée are slipte into a time so miserable and infected with such corruption and blindnesse that in the maynteyning of the integritie of oure faith we become preiuditiall to the league of charitie with a negligent care of the vertue of the same For my part I allow iustly such diligence as is vsed in the purgation of abuses and errors to the end our holy faith and Religion may the rather be purifyed and remayne without spot albéeit I wishe a precyse obseruation of Christian charitie least in making warre ageynst the Heretikes of oure fayth wée become not heretikes ageynst charitie For which cause and to the ende that euery one be priuie to the bond and obligation which God in this purpose demaundes at our handes I haue heere

his holy spirite we may al be knit in the vnitie and Confession of the Gospel of Christ AT my firste cōming to this town of Antwerpe ryght honorable in Christ and that at the request of certeine the Faithfull there I found cause of singular comforte in the view of the wonderfull woork raised vp by the Lorde by meane of his seruants and that in so shorte tyme as sauing to suche as haue assisted it it maye séeme no lesse impossible than incredible For if we wonder in certeine Trées and Fruits who sometimes yeld encrease aboue custome or against the cōmon course of Nature as though the Lorde were of purpose to releue and restore some countrey afflicted with hūger what may we say of these spirituall plantes whiche the Father of mercy so sodeinly and ageynst al hope of man hath set and planted in these Low countreys specially in this citie of Antwerpe Truly we are bound to acknowledge it as a worke of strange maruell of our God and to say with the prophet this incredible encrease hath bin made by the Lord whom we find worthy of admiration in our eyes it is the right hand of God which hath reueled his vertue it is the right hand of God that hath exalted vs it is the right hād of God that hath manifested his power we shall not die at al but we shal liue to declare the doings of the Lord wherin as I entred more déeply into the view cōsideration of these things so I thought it also an office and duetie in mée to crie with the sayde Prophet Confirme Lord and aduaunce the woorke thou haste begon in vs buyld vp ageyne the walles of thy holy temple restore the ruines of thy Heauenly Ierusalem to the end that the Kings and Princes of the earth may come to doo thée homage and offer presentes gather together agein O God the dispersed of Israel 2 This was the cause wherin I reioyced for certeyn dayes with glad continuance till vpon further viewe of the matters of estate within the citie I found occasion to conuert my cōtentmēt intoo cōceites of sorowe as séeing on euery syde with what diligence Sathan laboured to hinder the aduauncement of this church not only by means of open enemies but also by the indiscretion want of regard in such as name themselues maister Masons in the house of God for such as feared God and wished a publication of his glory cried out exclamed that the chair of truth was becom the chaire of dissentiō seruing no more as a pulpit to preach Iesus Christ the appeasor of troubled cōsciences to pronoūce an vnitie a brotherly charity nor the mortificatiō of the old Adam with the wicked motions of concupiscence but rather it was vsed as a place of inuectiues iniuries with wordes of malice In the Pulpit oughte not be preached other words than of God to know serue Christ tending to a mutual hate of one towards another dissention of doctrine wherin vpon inquirie of such fault with the circumstance authors of the same I fynd your syde not least giltie as being suche amongest you who in open assemblie with woords and libels of malice are not ashamed to cal the other Ministers of the Gospel Heretikes Sacramentaries rebels ageynst the state people vnwoorthy of place in the common wealth with other words improper for the maiesty of such a place which is cōsecrated purposely to teach the word and will of our God 3 Now brethren if such or such lyke matter of reproche should be pronounced in the Pulpit of certein Moonks or monstrous Friers the very organs of the Romaine Antechrist sent of their suppostes to trouble the church of Christ to darken his glory and resist the aduancement of his kingdome we woulde endure them with pacience as knowyng well inough that such sort of Prophetes be the disciples of Balaam who sell theyr tongs to curse the people of God yea somtimes agaynst the sense of their propre conscience wée assure our selues that the mouth of suche hypocrites cānot bring foorth other than woordes of infection and full of tast of all euill for they as they are painted sepulchres so canne they not vomit vp other Description of the false Prophets and prechers of the Papistes matter than suche as is couertly couched within that is to say all infection and filthynesse And we are most certeine that those kinde of people bequeathed to Baall and contentement of theyr bellie séeing the fal of their Marmit by litle and litle will enforce them selues to exclaime agaynst them that discouer theyr abuses hypocrisies and villanous trumperies wee beléeue also that suche suppostes of Sathan who from the begynnyng hath bin the Authour of dissention a louer of murder with desire of effusion of bloud wil labor in the imitation of their father and maister and that vnder the pretence of the Gospell they will proclaime sedition trouble and as the Prophet sayth vomite furious matter agaynst suche as stuffe not their bellies according to their fansies and fashions of custome of suche sorte of railers wée receyue no greate care séeing wée are not ignoraunt with what iudgement and punishement God will visite them though hée be long for they be of that sorte of whome the Apostle Iude speaketh in his Epistle catholicke as vpon whom euill shall happen Reade the Epistle of S. Iudas the Apostle for they followe the trayn of Cain they abāden them selues into the error of the hyer of Baalam they shall perishe according to the contradiction of Corus They are stained at the Banket of the charitable and Faythfull feedyng them selues without feare they are cloudes without water caried away with euery wynde they be trées whose fruite is rotten corrupted and of no commoditie twice dead once by the vniuersall corruption of Adam wherewith all men be stained and the other by the death of theyr Monkery with the whiche they haue dedicated to Baal their bodies and theyr seruices they be ragyng waues of the sea skumming their villanies errant starres for whom is prepared the shaddowes of the euerlastyng darkenesse They are murmurers quarellers walkyng accordyng to theyr couetousnesse theyr mouthes pronoūcing words of venomous substance and louing men onely for their profite They incense diuisyons and are people of sensualitie impartyng nothyng with the Spirite They are the very paynter and portraite whiche the Apostle speaketh of in suche sorte of Preachers And therefore doe wée estéeme of them as they deserue not fearyng any harm they can do to the troupe or felowship electe of God for they discouer sufficiently their poyson and the leuyn of the Phariseys 4 But touchyng you deare and honourable brethren one woorde procéeding from your mouth pierceth the heart and giueth vs cause of singular sorrow with feare least the same stirre vp slaunder to the flocke of Iesus Christe And wo be to hym that shall bée the cause of suche slaunder ageynst one of the least

aunswer me that the tyrannie of the papists is so abhominable that there is no hart possessed with any Religion whose pacience may endure so intollerable a yoke The tyrānie of the Papists vppon the spiritualtie and temporaltie into the church of God séeing they ar not contented to bury the benefites of Iesus Chryst to rob and vsurpe his dignitie to make themselues merchants of his blud and redemptiō to beguile and seduce the poore people and their consciēces sending soules to hell in place to draw them out of purgatorie and lastly as a full of their tyrānie haue subdued and put vnder their féete the Monarchs Emperours Kings Princes and Magistrates of the earth forcing them to an humilitie vpon their féete they haue vsurped Seigniories and principalities by violence and effusion of mans bloud to the ende to make themselues Princes and great Lordes and their children neuews and allies hauing attyred themselues gorgiously with stolne feathers like to Esops crow and where afore they were so simple that they had scarcely wherewith to fill their bellies nowe some of them are become Princes some Dukes Earles Marquisses others triumph at their pleasure deuouring the goodes of straungers all which is tollerable with them bycause that the Pope their father hath put them in possession of suche wealth iniustly vsurped And if any one kindeled with the grace of our Lorde be priuie to suche abuses and goeth aboute too discouer them too the people incontinent the Popes their Parentes and Allies with open mouth do call suche Preachers Heretikes Apostates bannished Strangers and people vnworthye of reléefe in a Common state and will enter foorthwith into deuise and trauaile and that with all diligence to commit them eyther to the fyre and fagotts or otherwise to extirpe them quite from the earth bycause they feare that the preachers of truth discoueryng their pot of roses as the prouerbe sayth and that the worlde vnderstanding their tirannies euery one will withdraw and take away his fether rightely belonging to him and so in the end the Crow will eftsoones become a crow and the simple and poore man returne to his first estate 86 Herevnto I aunswere and saye good brethren that you haue greate reason and I woulde in GOD the stones had mouthes to manyfest suche abuses But yet ther is necessary to our side a sober obseruation of modestie in the words we vse to speake for my part I dout not at all that the diligence of the Popes Cardinals The cause why the Papists and their allies make warre ageinst the Gospel with their parents and Allies is not rather to maynteyne their vsurped estates than the glorie and zeale of God for if they had any religion they would shew it in their life and cōuersation But alas all the worlde séeth that the greatest zealors and defendors of the Papists shew almost no feare of god the Popes themselues deride with open throate our Sauior Chryst according to the example of one that died not long since who hauing left behynde him many lordships to his children and nephews vsurped by tyrannie sayd in sort of railing or madde scoffing that this fable of Iesus Chryst had greately profited many houses who of shifting roysters and disordred people were become possessoures of large reuenues Marke this blasphemie consider what religion this holy S. Peter and vicar of Christ hadde in his heart who notwithstanding vsed his tymes and occasions so conueniētly as he forgat nothing that concerned his profite But my hope is in God that he wil distroy that Babylon and the tyrant Nemroth that defendeth hir his parents and Allies who to preserue their vsurpations raise war ageinst the children of GOD and murder them 87 Expectyng deare brethren this horrible iudgement and most assured punishment that will fal vpon them let vs vse pacience in the wrong they offer vs If they call vs heretikes bicause we wil not folow the faith of theyr Popes but imbrace that which Chryst hath taught vs. Let vs estéeme oure selues happie if they cal vs apostates bicause we be come foorth or rather the Lorde hath wonderfully deliuered vs from the Idolatries and superstitions of the Papistes Let vs accompt our selues neuerthelesse happie for my part I protest afore the Lord that it is to mée a title and surname of glorie and dignitie to be called Apostate of the Pope and the Antechryst of Rome If they call vs banished from oure countrey let vs rather reioyce than discomfort knowing that God hath not banyshed vs from his grace neyther is it Christe that hath throwne vs out of his spirituall kingdome but it is the inquisitours who wold eyther haue banished or burned vs per effigiem in performing their rage vppon the strawe and papers bicause they could not execute it vpon the flesh and bones of the membres of Iesus Christ Let vs giue thāks to God in that such banishments and persecutions procéede not to vs as being guiltie eyther of theft murder or treason to oure Prince and Magistrate nor atteynted of any other offence worthy of punishment but bicause we search the health of our soules in the simple and pure worde of God 88 If they call vs straungers let vs The children of God are neuer out of their owne countrey remembre that the heauenly Father which hath aduowed vs for his children is lorde of heauen and of earth And into what part so euer we shall go we be in the coūtrey of our father we be his propre inheritaunce as the Prophete sayeth in the Psalm 37. That the rightuous shal dwel in the earth and be lawfull possessors of the same Lette vs comforte oure selues in this that neyther oure running oute of the countrey nor oure absence from the lande of oure birth hath bin moued by any vsurpation of the possessions or goodes of other but onely to giue place to persecutions Suche fléeing awaye is not shamefull but rather honourable séeing wée are companyons of our head and redéemer Iesus Christe who from his childhood was a stranger in the countreys of the Egyptians shewing the persecutions of Herode 89 If oure persecuters do curse vs let vs blisse them if they search or séeke oure death let vs pray for their lyfe And whē ther shal come question to discouer their abuses tyrannies and extortions let vs vse it with sobrietie modestie and grauitie that it may appere euē to themselues that we are not led by any malice ageynst their persones but of a spirituall zeale to the glorie of God the aduauncement of the kingdom of Chryst chiefe of the church and to the health of the soules of the poore and simple people beguyled and seduced euen vntill now by the preachers of dreames and fables who vnder the colour of Iesus Chryste haue martired his church and being in deed very rauening Wolues doe name themselues pastors and shepeherdes of the troupe of God Lastely lette vs endeuer to liue in peace one with an other whether they