supê‘ of Iesus Christe And truly it might be said not vnaptly / that al masses which arr said both of the prestes of the lowest degree / also of the canoÌ„s / or of thos prestes that have certaiÌ„ chappels / al other which ar fouÌ„ded by any maÌ„nes will or that ar so saleable the thei be sett forth daily to sale / that al thes j say ar not vnlike to harlots which in the stewes setting them selves to sale wtout all shame honestiel / do make ther bodies coÌ„moÌ„ to al meÌ„ / but the high mass to be veray like that same harlot with doth craftely abvse the honest name of an husbaÌ„d / to hide her vnshaÌ„fastnes / to retain and defeÌ„d the estimatioÌ„ of an honest chaste wife Although this similitude doth not agree on everie parte / because that an harlot joyned in matrimonie to an husband will have som shaÌ„fastnes and modestie / that she wil not set forth and make herself coÌ„mon to all that cometh but the parish or high mass is an whorish jdolatrie of al other most coÌ„mon / readie set forth to al mennes desiers wicked lustes although thes filthie bawdes / doo colour and smoth here with this colour and soche bewty / that thei retaine stil som relikes of Iesus Christes supper It is with thes as with the thefe who braggeth and bosteth him self then more highly gloriouslie / when he hath woÌ„ne is clothed with the spoiles of him / whoÌ„ he hath staine and whos horse he rideth on We / saie they / seke the supper of Iesus Christe / and when we can not being opprest vndre that tyrannie / wher in we dwell / have the same pure / we must be content with that whiche is left to vs / loking for the helping hand of God Forsoth a goodly and pretie excuse By cause they have no right and perfect vse / of the supper / as though they had gotten a proviso / they witness and openly profess that they have not Iesus Christe the eternall and only preste and therfore everie weke do seke a new sacrifice / to put away their sinnes For all this is in the high mass as well as in that with is said in the name of Nicholas or for the dead In with thing thei fein them selves to worshipe an jdole / and yet do boste that thei seke Iesus Christe be cause thei wold not seme to fight agaiÌ„st god wtout swerd or buckler / thei bring and obiect the autoritie of this or that maÌ„n / as though the absolution of any one manne may exempt and deliver them that thei be not coÌ„demned of god I wil not saie that thei lye egregiously / wheÌ„ thei alege soch men as thei do for the defence of their cause But in case it wer so that a devout and godly man / wer somtime of this minde / that he thought it was nothing evell to come to the hygh mass / yet afterward when he knoweth the truth / yf he doth disalowe and condemne his former judgement / his latter is so moche the more to be beleved / for that God hath brought him / or rather compelled him to disalowe the same / by cause he ê‘ceveth plainly knoweth / that he is overcome in that thing whiche he before did greatly embrace and allowe But what nede we herin to stirre the truth / as yf we shold bloundre and trouble a water that is pure and clear Do thei think that with the judgmeÌ„t and saing of a mortall man thei may stop god hedge him in We know that ther is nothiÌ„g besides the truth that in judgment ought to prevaill with out the respect of any person This mater is soche / that the parish or hygh mass is iÌ„stituted to sacrifice Iesê° Christe / and to reconcile the favour of god both for quick and dead / and also that a pece of bread shold be ther worshipped as though it were the sonne of god I do not examine thorowly all the abominatioÌ„s and wickednes / that arr in that mass for thei be almoste innumerable But j do reherse only the worse and grosser Now let them that do but feine a conseÌ„t with soche wickednes and corruptions / washe their haÌ„ds so clean as they will / yet shall thei never be more just and innocent then Pilate But this is a mervaill that thes good and religiouse parishioners at easter time do seke som by chappel / or som mock christian monk / whiche may prepare deliver vnto theÌ„ the apish and couÌ„trefet supper Yf the hygh mass is most nearest the supper of Iesus Christe / as thei say it is / why do yei not observe and kept it But now after that thei have bene at the high mass every soÌ„day thorow the year / because thei wold seme to coÌ„icat in the sacrameÌ„t of the supê‘ a right / thei sodenly shake of forsake the hygh mass But we shold not mervaill at soch incoÌ„staÌ„ the cye / for this is a sure due punishmeÌ„t / for theÌ„ whiche have laid no foundation at any time of truth in ther minds / the they shold alwaies waver be coÌ„trarie to them selves / in all thiÌ„gs yey do take in hand As towching that same hypocriticall supper / j know that thei be of this miÌ„de / that thei suppose it to be the greatest iniurye to them selves that may be wheÌ„ it is rebuked imê“ved But what caÌ„ we do in that mater seiÌ„g it is nothiÌ„g agreable to Christes rule Nether do j fide fault with this that thei do it secretly / for j know that the supper was never better celebrated / nor more devoutly / then when the disciples went in to some secret place / to flye the tyrannye of the enimies But her ar two faults truly not to be suffered One that thei whiche do make soche a supper and like apes do falsly and corruptly countrefet the true supper of Christe / do feine that thei kepe and worshipe their mass The other is that the minister / whiche for the most part is som religious maÌ„ the rather to dissemble the mater / doth not that office as a christian / but as a prest of the popish ê“fession in this thei suppose thei have an honest aÌ„d sure defeÌ„ce if the mass saier have not this purpose to shew the bread wine to them to be worshipped / if he leave out the canoÌ„ wher in ar coÌ„teined many great impieties / if he deliver the sacrameÌ„t to all that be present vndre both kiÌ„ds But when thei shal come before the highest judge theÌ„ shall thei fele the fruit that thei sought by soch glosiÌ„g lies / yea truly thei ought now already to perceav it For j do judge thos same goads prickes wher with their coÌ„scieÌ„ces ar prikt wouÌ„ded to be agrevous fealiÌ„g of that same judgmeÌ„t Aud truly this cause must be decided plaiÌ„ly debated in that same
we ought / to hide and cover this so great wickednes and mishef But j beseche thē in the honourable holy name of god / that thei wil diligētly marke this saīg of the Psalme / that jdoles ar so to be detested of the faithful godly man / that thei shold not be in his mouth or tonge / least the talke had of thē shold seme to cōtaminat defile him This one word ought to fraie with draw vs from all congregation and felowship of jdolatours / by cause that we livīg in that cōgregatiō may easely be wrapped in and defiled But to speak plaīly frely what j thīk of al yes / with seke ameā way betwixt god the devel yei have double variable mīds / j cā not fīde out a more apt fete cōparisō to set yem out paīt yem in yeir lively colours / thē that same whiche may be brought of Esau that same filthie double mā For whē he saw his brother Iacob sent by his father Isaac in to Mesopotamia to seke a wyf / because the womē of the land of Canaā did so moche mistike the father and his wyf Rebecca that thei thought their lyfe bitter irksom to lyve amōg thē rather wisheth death / he marieth anew wife / somwhat to satisfie his parēts / but he doth not put awaie the olde So that he doth kepe stil that evel wherof Isaac did so grevously complain / but somdeal to amēd the mater / he marieth anew wife Evē so thei that ar so wrapped vp in the world / that thei cā in no wise folow god do mēgle and tosse to gether many divers kīds of religions and superstitions / that ihei may applie and cōforme thē selves by some way to the wil of god / and thei alwaies kepe stil some corruptiō / so that what soever thei do / cā not apear to be pure and syncere I know also right wel that ther be in thos places many miserable souls / with lyve ther in great difficulties and cares / with truely coveteth to walk rightly wtout hypocrisie / yet can not lowse them selves / out of many doubtes scruples / with is no merveill in so great and horrible confusion as we see at this time in the papisme Yea j do greatly pitie their miserable state / which seke meanes wherby thei may serve god devoutly and live amōg the enemies of faith if it may be possible by any waies But what wil we I can do nothīg els to th one or to thother / but declare their errour and sinne / that thei thē selves may adde the remedie If thei come herafter to aske of me this or that more diligētly and particularly / j wil send soche curiouse inquisitours to the cōmon rule which have of god I speak this for that ther be some of this sort of men so importune / that yf a mā shold answer al their difficulties doubtes / he shold seme never to make an end of any thing And my think soche men may wel be cōpared to thē who after thei be taught in a sermō to vse sobre apparell and deckīg of the bodye wtout al dissolute and sumptuouse trimming / thei wold have the preacher to make their hoose and sewe their shoes Wel what must we do thē In this mater ther is a certain thīg set before vs wher vnto we ought to direct and conferr our wholl minde / studie and thought That is that the zeal of gods house may eat vp our hart and so move vs / that we bear and take vpon our selves / all dishonours / cōtumelies / and opprobries / with ar done most vnworthily agaīst gods holy name When soche desier of gods honour / and fervēt love shal be kindled in our hartes / not like drye stubble sone set on fier easely extinguished / but like a fier that burneth cotinually / a mā shal be so far frō sufferīg or approvīg yes aboīatiōs wherw t the name of god most shāfully vnwortheli is polluted / that whē he shal beholde yem / he shal be hable in no wise to suffer dissimulation / silence / taciturnitie And it is diligently to be marked / that he saith / The zeal of gods house / that we shold know that to be referred / vnto the outward ordre with is instituted in the churche / that we shold exercise our selves in cōfessiō of our faith I do not wey the mockers with say / that j my self lyvig here wtout any daūger / yea ratherin great quietnes / do talk goodlely of thes maters I ā not he wtwhom thes men have any thīg to do / For this is wel knowen j have here no land of myn owne So may we thīk say of al thes philsoophers with geve yeir judgmēt wtout knowlege of the cause For seing yei wil not here god / who doth now truly speak so jently to thē / to teache yem j do declare the daye judgmēt / at what time being called before the judgmēt seat of god / yei shal hear that sentēc / agaīst the whiche yer shal be no answer / nor defence For seing yei wil not heare him / as the best and most meke maister / thei shal then know at the last / fele him as their most severe just judge At which time the stowtest the craftiest of thē shal perceave know / that thei were deceaved in their opiniōs Let thē be so wel ezercised and prepared as thei wil / to obscure or subvert justice and equitie / yet their lawlike and judicial ornaments / and the badges of the great dignitie power / wherwith thei now prowdly wax insolēt / shal not then geve them the victorie I speak this by cause counseilours / judges / prortours / advocats / and soche other bearing the swinge in courtes and judgements / ar not only bold to strive with God / and so to contend / that thei wold seme / to have goten a certaine right to scorne and mock his maiestie / but also reiecting all holy scripture / do spue out their blasphemies / as the greatest sentences of the lawe / and most hygh decrees Thes men whō the world doth honour as certain jdoles / so sone as thei have spokē one word / can not suffre reason truth to have any place to rest in But yet by the way j admonish and warn thē before hand / that it shal be better for them / to have some remembraūce of that same horrible vēgeāce / with is ordeined for thē that chaūge justice with iniquitie / truth with lyēge Neyer the doctours chābremastres / the delitiouse bāckettours verai voluptuose mē / take ani higher degre here / then that thei may chatter in their feastes and banquets bable forth their words agaīst the hevēly maister / to whom truly al men ought to geve most diligēt eare Nether can their goodly famouse
titles pluk any man from this judgmeÌ„t / in whiche the lordly reverent abbotes / priours / deans / archdecons / as chefe masters of the game shal be coÌ„pelled to lead the dawnce in the coÌ„demnation whiche god shal make most grevouse Now although the courtears ar woÌ„t to gratifie men with the spriÌ„kling of their holy water let them not thiÌ„k that thei caÌ„ with that kinde of doiÌ„g satsfie god To coÌ„clude / all jesters praters let them holde their tong boste not out their merie wittie saiÌ„gs / onles thei will fele his mightie haÌ„d / at whos word thei ought to treÌ„ble Wher in their errovr is to moche folish that beleveth by cause thei take me for their adversarie ther for thei shall not have god to be their judge Let them scrape my name out of theyr books and vtterly bloth it forth / speciallie in this kinde of cause and question / wher in my purpose is only that god be herd obeied / not that j shold rule mens consciences after my lust / and charge them with any necesitie or lawe As for all others whiche do not so proudli dispiÌ„se gods word / and yet ar so delicate and weak that they can in no wise be moved / j do most hertily be seche them / that thei will take more thought and regarde to their own dutye / salvation / and gods honour / and do no more flatter theÌ„ selves / as thei have don hether to Let them ther fore open their eyes / and rear vp them selves that thei may beholde the miserye wherin thei arr I know well jnough the evels / difficulties / and stoppes wherin thei be wrapt emong the papistes / j do not speak vnto them / as though it were an easie mater in the mides of the idolatries to take vpoÌ„ theÌ„ defeÌ„d the pure syncere religion of god / but yf thei lack strength / j advertise theÌ„ to flye vnto god the autoure of al power / that thei may be made stroÌ„g by hiÌ„ learn to prefar his glory before al thiÌ„gs of this world For j do earnestly desier that al faithful men with ar miserably afflicted in the papisme / shold vndrestand know this / how that the prophet Ieremie remainiÌ„g at IerusaleÌ„ in Iewri did seÌ„d this advertisment exhortation vnto the people with were holden captive and oppressed in Babilon Yf the tiraÌ„nye of the pope and of al his ministres be to theÌ„ sharp and cruell / thei must considre / that the Iewes also of that time suffred heavie and bittre bondage / yet thei ar coÌ„mauÌ„ded in the vulgare speache of the couÌ„trie to execrate the jdolatrie of the ChaldeaÌ„s It is not reason that the tyraÌ„nie of men shold break or any deal diminish from vs the due honour we ow vnto god Her js no exception or preteÌ„ce of privelege / with hygh or lowe riche or poor may or ought to vsu rp vnto theÌ„ selves Let al men ther for bow down yeir neck / with most humilitie submit them selves to god Let the poor man have that true fear of god / let him not say vnconstauÌ„tly j know not what to do / least god answer him / nether know j what to do with ye. The riche wealthy men let them not lik droukeÌ„ sloggards slepe in ther wealth / coÌ„sume in their ê“speritie / and aboundauÌ„ce of all thiÌ„gs / as it were in a certain draff tubbe / but rather after the exaÌ„ple of s Paule / let them learn to estem all that / as dirtte dammage / which doth wtdraw vs from godly christiaÌ„ lyfe / or may seme any thiÌ„g to hiÌ„dre vs. We also which lyve here in rest quiet enioyeng the vse of the greatest siÌ„guler benefits of god / let vs not for get the j towched in the begiÌ„niÌ„g / that we applye yes thiÌ„gs to our learniÌ„g / that what so ever herafter befawl vs / or in to what so ev couÌ„trie we shal beled / iet we may alwaies coÌ„stantly abide in the pure coÌ„fession of our faith / detestiÌ„g all jdolatrous religion / superstitioÌ„s / and abuses / which ar against gods truth / do obscure his honour / and vtterly subvert his religion An homily conteining An exhortation to suffer persequutioÌ„ / that we maye ther in folow Iesus Christ his gospel / takeÌ„ of this saiÌ„g / in the xiij Cap. to the Hebreues Let vs go forth to him without the gates / bearing his opprobrie AL the exhortatioÌ„s whiche caÌ„ be made to iÌ„struct vs to suffer patieÌ„tly constauÌ„tly for Christe Iesê° name his gospel / shall not moche move vs / oÌ„les we know be ê‘fectly ê‘swaded of the right / truthe / worthines of the cause wherfore we coÌ„tend For when we be in that jeoperdie and daunger / that we must loose our lyfe / we ought to be most certain of that thing / wherfor we entre to so great perill But that constauncye and firmnes of minde can not be had / onles it be depely founded in a certaintie and sure perswasion of faith Ther be many whiche will vnadvisedly rashly ventre to dye for certain folysh opinions invented of their own brain But soche forwardnes of minde ought rather to be thought a furiousnes then a christian zeall and love For assuredly ther is no firmnes other of minde / or wit / or of common sence / in thes men which do cast them selves in to peril with soche hargie rashnes How so ever it be / god wil not acknowlege and take vs for his martyrs and witnesses / without agood cause For death is coÌ„mon for all men / and also the condemnation of theves and of gods children / the sufferaunce of shame and punishment semeth to be all one / but god maketh a difference betwixt them / by cause he can not denie forsake his own truth This also is required that we have a sure witness void of al errour of that doctrine / whiche we will defeÌ„d Wherfor as j said / ther is no exhortation so weightie / that can move and perswadevs to suffre for the gospel / but yf a true certaintie of faith be imprinted in our hartes For to put our lyfe in daunger / without any consideration vnadvisedly / and chaunceably / is most against nature And so to do / shold be thought rather rashnes / then Christian boldenes Morover god aloweth nothing that we do onles we be plainly perswaded that it is for his name sake / for his cause that the world is so against vs / and doth hate vs. But when j speak of soche certaintie and perswasion of minde / j do not only vndrestaÌ„d this that we shold know to discern and judge betwixt the true religioÌ„ / and the folish opinions / and constitutions of men / but also that we be thorowly perswaded of everlastig lyf the crovn promised vnto vs in heven after our conflict in this world Let vs now