of righteousnes what it is Carâ— How the spirituality â–ª care for the temporall common wealth As thou 〈…〉 ‑ 〈◊〉 â—o shalt 〈◊〉 ob 〈◊〉 mercy in y â— life to come 6. The filthines of the hart what The purenes of the hart what The ende of the lawe 〈◊〉 to iustiâ—… all that â—…leue Impure harted who are 7. Peacemaking what Princes what they ought to 〈◊〉 yet they make warre WheÌ„ thou maist assure thy selfe to be y â— sonne and heyre of God VengeauÌ„ce pertayneth to God onely 8. In y e fayth of Christ lawe of God â–ª all oâ—r righteousnes is conteyned Peace The peace of Christ is a peace of conscience To suffer with Christ in this worlde is to be glorified wyth him in the worlde to come Payne No 〈◊〉 payne caâ— be a satisfaction to God 〈◊〉 Christes passion 9. What the most cruell persecution is Set the example of Christ before thee Cursed Most accursed who Workes iustifie noâ— Not the worker but y e pure mercy of God is cause of the promise made vnto The office of a true preacher It is a leopardous thyng to salt hypocrisie Salt Who is mete to salt A true preacher of gods word must vse no parcialitie for feare of persecution Monkes why they runne to cloystures By salte is vndersteod the true vâ—deâ—â—tandinâ— of the â—…as of fayth of woâ—kes c â–ª Spiritualtie why 〈◊〉 be dispiâ—â—d Ceremonies must be salted Darcknes all knowledge is darcknes 〈◊〉 the knowledge of Christes bloud shedâ—ing be in the hart Laye The laye ought to haue the Gospell Gospell The propertie of y â— Gospell Gospell The trâ—e Gospell is not hid in dennes If y â— spiritualty were a light as they ought to be they woulde make them â—…ues pore to make other riche but they make other poore and themselues riche Kinges ought to be learned The order how euery man may be a preacher and how not None ought to preach â—…ly but such as are admitted by y â— ordinaunce of the congregation Spirituall and temporal reqâ—… do biffer Euery maÌ„ must defeÌ„de Christes doctrine in 〈◊〉 owne person Whose refuseth tadâ—… for Christes sake caÌ„ not be the disciple of Christ False doctrine causeth â–ª 〈◊〉 workes True doctrine is cause of good workes Grace and truth thorough Iesus Christ Gloses They that destroy the law of God with gloses must be cast out The Church Law Except a man loâ—e Gods law â—e cannot vnderstand the doctrine of Christ The righteousnes of Phariseis Glorie He that seketh hys owne glory teacheth his owne doctrine not his masters Glory â–ª he that sekâ—… came glory altereth his maâ—…s message Worde Gods worde altered is not his worde To loue is to helpe at â—eede Prayer The prayer of MoÌ„kes robbeth helpeth not Loue prayeth Scribes Phâ—… what they were The Phariseyeâ— might better haue proued theÌ„selues the true Church theÌ„ our spiritualâ—â—e way The promises are made vpon the profession of the keepyng of the lawe of God so that the Church that will not keepe Gods lawe hath no promise that they caâ—ot erre The wickednes of y â— Phariseies what it was Preacher Why the true preacher is accused of treason and heresie Ipocrisie Why hipocrisie must be first rebuked though it be ieopardie to preach against it The lawe is restored The Phariseis 〈◊〉 exteÌ„d 〈…〉 doinges or actes to y â— outward shew 〈◊〉 deede and nothing to the hart The lawe 〈…〉 wâ—â—t on the hart as the hand Racha How a maÌ„ may be angry without sinning Loue is y â— keeping of the lawe Sinnerse He that helpeth not to mâ—nde sinners must suffer with them when they be punished In doyng out best to further our neighbour in vertue although we preuaile not we are excused Hate When a man may hate hys neighbour Offeringes or sacrifices what they meant The faste that God requireâ—… Last farthyng How corruptly the Phariseis dyd attribute all euil to the deede onely Loue is the fulfillyng of the law Aduoutrie Some doctoure â—aue doubted in that which Christ hath flatly condemned Filthy A wife How good a thyng The office of a preacher Law What foloweth the kepyng of the law Law What foloweth the breaking of the law The enormities that haue chauÌ„ced since y â— slaughter of King Richard y e secoÌ„d vnto this realme of EnglaÌ„d Tiraunts Why God geueth vs vp and leaueth vs in the handes of titaunts and in all misery An admonition What rulers ought to do touching such as runne Flie from their wiues without â—ust cause Swearing To sweare by God Men ought so 〈◊〉 deale that their wordes may be credited without any othes Swearing in what sort it is lawfull â–ª Charitie moderareth the law Othe To performe an euill othe is doubleâ— sinne He is not forsworne whose hart ment truly when hee promised To lye or dissemble 〈◊〉 some causes not culpable Cheke To turne the other cheke what it is Mekenes Pollyng how to auoyde it Two maner states degrees of regimeÌ„tes Euery maÌ„ is of the spiritualtie and of the temporalitie both 〈…〉 He that loueth not his neighbour â—ath not y e true fayth of Christ The temporall regiment Violence Not to resist violeÌ„ce how it is vnderstode Rulers must punishe â—ut for malice but for defence of the people and maintenaunce of y â— lawes An example how to vnderstand y â— two regimentes What soeuer thou art bound to do do it with loue How to be a warriour Thou 〈…〉 or 〈…〉 〈…〉 Goodes Math. xxv To go◠〈◊〉 lawe To rise agaynst the iudge or magistrate so to resiste God Princes whether they may be resisted or put downe of their subiectes in any case The king hath Gods authoritie An aunswere to the former Argument Goodes The kyng as â—ee is Lord of thy body so 〈◊〉 hee of thy goodes RegimeÌ„ts Euery maÌ„ is vnder both regimentes As the spiritualitie may rebuke kings vices so may kyngs vse temporall correctioÌ„ agaynst the spiritualtie A preacher of â—…eâ—ce Rulers do repene to heare of theyr â—…es In lending we must folow the rule of mercy We must not reuenge our selues vpon our euill detters but referre our cause to God and his officers 〈◊〉 Couetousnes is the roote of all euill Iaco. ij The enemies of God and hiâ— wordâ— are to be huted Leui. 19. Publicans what they were As our heaueÌ„ly father bestoweth his benefites vpon good bad so ought we to loue both frend and soe To be perfect what it meaneth Almose Deedes coÌ„manded by the scripture done to any other ende then they ought are â—o good deedes 〈◊〉 xvi It is the purpose entent of our deedes that make or marrâ— Trumpets To blow trumpetes what Lefte hand Vaine glorie A good remedy against it Workes iustifie not from sinne neither deserue the rewarde promised Our rewarde commeth not of our deserts but thâ—… the loue that God beareth 〈◊〉 thorough faith in Iesus Christ We may not chaleÌ„ge the proâ—… by our merites but by Christes bloud Crosse Workes What
can doe of his owne free will of his owne proper strength and enforcing Notwithstandyng thoughe there be neuer so great workyng yet as long as their remaineth in the hart vnlust tediousnes grudgyng grief payne lothsâ—nnes compulsion toward the law so long are all the workes vnprofitable lost ye and damnable in the sight of God This meaneth Paule in the iij. Chapter where he sayth by the dedes of the lawe shall no fleshe be iustified in the sight of God Hereby perceauest thou that those sophisters are but disceauers whiche teach that a man may and must prepare him selfe to grace and to the fauour of god with good workes How caÌ„ they prepare them selues vnto the fauour of God to that whiche is good when them selues can do no good no can not once thinke a good thought or consent to do good the deuill possessing their hartes myndes thoughtes captiue at his pleasure CaÌ„ those workes please GOD thinkest thou whiche are done with grief payne and tediousnes with an euill will with a contrary and a grudgyng mynde O holy saint Prosperous how mightely with the Scripture of Paule diddest thou confound this heresie twelue hundred yeares a goe or therupon To fulfill the law is to do y t workes therof and what soeuer the lawe commaundeth with loue lust and inward affection and delectation and to lyue godly and well freely willyngly and without compulsion of the lawe euen as thoughe there were no lawe at all Such lust and free libertie to loue the law commeth onely by the workyng of the spirite in the hart as hee sayth in the first Chapter Now is the spirite none otherwise geuen then by fayth onely in that we beleue the promises of God without waueryng how that God is true and will fulfill all hys good promises toward vs for Christes blondes sake as it is playne in the first Chapter I am not ashamed sayth Paule of Christes glad tydynges for it is the power of GOD vnto saluation to as many as beleue for at once and together euen as we beleue the glad tydynges preached to vs the holy ghost entreth into our hartes and looseth the bondes of the deuill whiche before possessed our hartes in captiuitie and held them that we could haue no lust to y t will of God in the law and as the spirite commeth by fayth onely euen so fayth commeth by hearyng the word or glad tidynges of God when Christ is preached how that hee is Gods sonne and man also dead and risen againe for our sakes as he sayth in the thyrd fourth and tenth Chapters All our iustifying then commeth of faith and faith and the spirite come of God and not of vs. Hereof commeth it that fayth onely iustifieth maketh righteous and fulfilleth the law for it bringeth the spirit through Christes deseruinges the spirite bringeth lust looseth the hart maketh him free setteth hym at libertie and geueth him strength to worke the deedes of the lawe with loue euen as the law requireth then at the last out of the same fayth so workyng in the hart spryng all good workes by their owne accorde That meaneth he in the thyrd Chapter for after he hath cast away the workes of the law so that he soundeth as though he would breake and disanulle the law through fayth he aunswereth to that might bee layd agaynst saying we destroy not the law through fayth but mayntaine further or stablish the law through fayth that is to say we fulfill the law thorough fayth Sinne in the Scripture is not called that outward worke onely committed by the body but all the whole busines and what so euer accompanyeth moueth or stirreth vnto the outward deede and that whence the workes spring as vnbelefe pronenes and readynes vnto the deede in the grounde of the hart with all the powers affections and appetites wherwith we can but sinne so that we say that a man then sinneth when he is caried awaye headlong into sinne all together as much as he is of that poyson inclination and corrupt nature wherein hee was conceiued and borne For there is none outward sinne committed except a maÌ„ be caried away all together with life soule hart body lust and mynde thereunto The Scripture loketh singularly vnto the hart vnto the roote and originall fountaine of all synne which is vnbelefe in the bottom of the hart For as fayth onely iustifieth and bryngeth the spirit and lust vnto the outward good workes Euen so vnbelefe onely damneth and keepeth out the spirit prouoketh the flesh and styrreth vp lust vnto the euill outwarde works as it fortuned to Adam Euâ— in Paradise Gene. 3. For this cause Christ calleth synne vnbelefe and that notablie in the. 16. of Iohn the spirite sayth he shall rebuke the world of sinne because they beleue not in me Wherefore then before all good workes as good frutes there must needes be fayth in the hart whence they spryng and before all bad deedes as bad frutes there must nedes be vnbelief in the hart as in the roote fountain pith and streÌ„gth of all sinne whiche vnbelefe is called the head of the Serpent and of the old Dragon which the womans seede Christ must treade vnderfoote as it was promised vnto Adam Grace and gift haue this difference Grace properly is Gods fauour beneuolence or kynd minde which of his owne selfe without deseruyng of vs he beareth to vs whereby he was moued and inclined to geue Christ vnto vs with all his other giftes of grace Gift is y t holy ghost and his working which hee poureth into the hartes of them on whoÌ„ he hath mercy and whoÌ„ he fauoureth Though the giftes the spirit encrease in vs dayly haue not yet their ful perfection ye and though there remaine in vs yet euill lustes synne which fight agaynst the sprite as he sayth here in the 7. chapter and in the 5. to the Galath and as it was spoken before in the 3. chapter of Gen. of the debate betwene y â— womans sede the seed of y t serpent yet neuertheles gods fauour is so great and so strong ouer vs for Christes sake that we are counted for full whole and perfect before God For Gods fauour towarde vs deuideth not her selfe encreasyng a little and a little as do the giftes but receiueth vs whole altogether in ful loue for Christes sake our intercessour and mediator and because y t the giftes of the sprite the battell betwene the sprite and euill lustes are begonne in vs already Of this now vnderstandest thou the 7. chapter where Paul accuseth hymselfe as a sinner and yet in the 8. chapter sayeth there is no damnation to them that are in Christ and that because of the spirite and because the giftes of the sprite are begonne in vs. Sinners we are because the fleshe is not full killed and mortified Neuertheles in as muche as we beleue in
instance THat thou mayst perceyue how that y â— scripture ought to be in the mother tounge and that the reasons which our sprites make for the contrary are but sophistry and false wiles to feare thee from the light that thou mightest follow them blindfolde and be theyr captiue to honor theyr ceremonies and to offer to theyr belly First God gaue the children of Israell a law by the hande of Moses in their mother tounge and all the prophetes wrote in theyr mother tounge and all the Psalmes were in the mother tongue And there was Christ but figured and described in ceremonies in riddles in parables and in darck prophecies What is the cause that we may not haue the olde Testament with the new also which is the light of the olde and wherin is openly declared before the eyes that there was darckly prophesied I can imagine no cause verely except it be that we should not see the woorke of Antechrist iugglyng of hipocrites what shoulde be the cause that we which walke in the broad day should not see as well as they that walked in the night or that wee shoulde not see as well at noone as they did in y â— twylight Came Christ to make the world more blinde By this meanes Christ is the darknes of the world and noâ— the light as he saith him selfe Iohn 8. Moreouer Moses saith Deut. 6. Heare Israell let these wordes which I coÌ„maunde thee thys day sticke fast in thine hart whet theÌ„ on thy children talke of theÌ„ as thou sittest in thine house as thou walkest by the way when thou lyest downe when thou risest vp binde them for a token to thyne hand let them be a remembraunce betwene thine eyes write theÌ„ on the posâ—es gates of thine house This was commauÌ„ded generally vnto all men How cometh it that gods word pertaineth lesse vnto vs theÌ„ vnto the Yea howe commeth it that our Moysesses forbid vs and commaund vs the contrary threaten vs if we do will not that we once speake of Gods worde How can we whette Gods word that is to put it in practise vse exercise vpoÌ„ our children houshold wheÌ„ we are violently kepte from it and knowe it not How can we as Peter commaundeth geue a reason of our hope when we wot not what it is that God hath promised or what to hope Moyses also commaundeth in the sayd chapter If the sonne aske what the testimonies lawes and obseruaunces of the Lorde meane that the father teach him If our childreÌ„ aske what our cerimonies which are moe then the Iewes were meane no father can tell his sonne And in the xj chapter he repeteth all againe for feare of forgetting They will say happely the scripture requireth a pure minde and a quiet minde And therefore the lay man because he is altogether combred with worldly busines can not vnderstand them If that be the cause then it is a plaine case that our prelates vnderstand not the Scriptures them selues for no lay man is so tangled with worldly busines as they are The great thinges of the worlde are ministred by them neyther do the lay people any great thing but at their assignement If the Scripture were in the mother tongue they will say then would the lay people vnderstande it euery man after his owne wayes Wherfore serueth the Curate but to teach him the right way Wherfore were the holy dayes made but that the people shoulde come and learne Are yee not abhominable scholemaisters in that ye take so great wages if ye will not teach If ye would teach how could ye do it so well and with so great profite as when the lay people haue the scripture before them in theyr mother tongue for then should they see by the order of the text whether thou iugledest or not and then woulde they beleue it because it is y â— scripture of god thoughe thy liuyng be neuer so abhominable Where now because your liuing your preaching are so contrary and because they grope out in euery sermon your open and manifest lyes and smell your vnsatiable couetousnes they beleue you not when you preach truth But alas the Curates them selues for the most part wot no more what the new or olde Testament meaneth then do the Turkes neither know they of any more then that they read at masse mattens and euensong which yet they vnderstande not neyther care they but euen to mumble vp so much euery day as the Pye and Poymgay speake they wot not what to sill vp theyr bellies withall If they will not let the lay man haue the woorde of God in hys mother tounge yet let the priests haue it which for a great part of them do vnderstand no latine at all but sing and say and patter all day with the lips onely that which the hart vnderstandeth not Christ commaundeth to search the scriptures Iohn 5. Though that miracles bare recorde vnto hys doctrine yet desired he no fayth to be geuen eyther vnto hys doctrine or vnto hys miracles without recorde of the scripture When Paule preached Act. 17. the other searched the scriptures dayly whether they were as he alleaged them Why shal not I likewise see whether it be the scripture y â— thou alleagest yea why shall I not see the scripture and the circumstaunces and what goeth before and after that I may knowe whether thine interpretation be y â— right sence or whether thou iuglest and drawest the scripture violently vnto thy carnall and fleshlye purpose or whether thou be about to teache me or to disccaue me Christ sayth that there shall come false prophets in his name and say that they themselues are Christ that is they shall so preache christ that meÌ„ must beleue in theÌ„ in their holines and thinges of their imagination wtout gods word yea that agaynst Christ or Antechrist that shall come is nothyng but suche false prophetes that shall iuggle with the scripture and beguile the people with false interpretatioÌ„s as all the false prophetes scribes pharisies did in y t old TestameÌ„t How shall I know whether ye are agaynst Christ or fals prophetes or no seing ye will not let me see how ye alleage the scriptures Christ sayth By theyr deedes ye shall know them Now when we looke on your deeds we see that ye are all sworne together and haue seperated yourselues from the lay people and haue a seuerall kingdome amoÌ„g your selues and seuerall lawes of your owne making wherewith ye violently binde the lay people that neuer consented vnto the making of them A thousand thinges forbidde ye which Christ made free and dispence with them agayne for money neyther is there any exception at all but lacke of money Ye haue a secret counsell by your selues All other mens secretes counsels know ye and no man yours ye seek but honour riches promotion authoritie and to
this threatning and forbidding the laye people to reade the Scripture is not for loue of your soules which they care for as the Foxe both for the Geesse is euident and clearer then the Sunne in as much as they permitte and suffer you to read Robbin Hode Beuis of Hampton Hercules Hector and Troylus with a thousand histories and fables of loue and wantones and of rybaudry as filthy as hart can thinke to corrupt the mindes of youth withall cleane contrary to the doctrine of Christ and of his Apostles For Paule Ephes v. sayth see that fornication and all vncleannes or couetousnes be not once named amonge you as it becommeth Saintes neither filthines neither foolishe talking nor gesting whiche are not comely For this ye knowe that no whoremonger either vncleane person or couetous person which is the worshipper of images hath any enheritaunce in the kyngdome of Christ and of God And after sayth he thorough such thyngs commeth the wrath of God vpon the children of vnbeliefe Now seyng they permitte you freely to reade those thynges which corrupte your myndes and robbe you of the kingdome of God and Christ and bring the wrath of God vpon you how is this forbidding for loue of your soules A thousand reasons moe might be made as thou mayst see in Paraclesis Erasmi in his preface to the paraphasis of Mathew vnto which they should be cōpelled to holde their peace or to geue shamefull aunsweres But I hope that these are sufficient vnto them that thyrst the truth God for his mercy and truth shall well open them moe yea and other secretes of hys Godly wisedome if they be diligent to cry vnto him which grace graunt God Amen ¶ The Prologue vnto the booke FOr asmuch as our holy Prelates and our ghostly religious which ought to defēd gods word speake euil of it and do all the shame they cā to it rayle on it beare their captiues in hād that it causeth insurrectiō teacheth the people to disobey their heades gouernours moueth thē to rise against their Princes and to make all common and to make hauoke of other mēs goodes therfore haue I made this litle treatise that foloweth cōteinyng all obedience that is of god In which who soeuer readeth it shal easly perceaue not the cōtrary onely that they lye but also the very cause of such blasphemy and what stirreth thē so furiously to rage and to belye the truth Howbeit it is no new thyng vnto the word of God to be rayled vpon neither is this the first tyme that hypocrites haue ascribed to Gods worde the vengeaunce where of they thē selues were euer cause For the hypocrites with their false doctrine and Idolatry haue euermore ledde the wrath and vengeaunce of God vpon the people so sore that God could no lēger forbeare nor differre his punishmēt Yet God which is alwayes mercyfull before he would take vengeaūce hath euer sent hys true Prophetes and true Preachers to warne the people that they might repent But the people for the most part and namely the heades and rulers through comfort and persuadyng of the hyopcrites haue euer waxed more hard harted then before and haue persecuted the word of God and his Prophetes Thē God whiche is also righteous hath alwayes poured his plagues vppon them without delay Which plagues the hypocrites ascribe vnto Gods word saying see what mischeue is come vpō vs sence this new learnyng came vp and this new sect and this newe doctrine This seest thou Hieremias xliiij Where the people cryed to goe to their old Idolatry agayne saying sence we left it we haue bene in all necessitie and haue bene consumed with warre and hunger But the Prophet aunswered them that their Idolatry wēt vnto the hart of God so that he could no lenger suffer the maliciousnes of theyr owne imaginations or inuētions that the cause of all such mischieues was because they would not heare the voyce of the Lord and walke in his law ordinaunces and testimonies The Scribes and the Phariseis layd also to Christes charge Luke xxiij that be moued the people to sedition And sayd to Pylate we haue found this felow peruertyng the people and forbiddyng to pay tribute to Caesar and sayth that he is Christ a kyng And agayne in the same Chapter hee moueth the people sayd they teachyng throughout Iury and began at Galile euen to this place So likewise layd they to the Apostles charge as thou mayst see in the Actes S. Cyprian also and S. Augustine and many other mo made workes in defence of the word of God against such blasphemies So that thou mayst see how that it is no new thyng but an old and accustomed thyng with the hypocrites to wyte Gods word and the true Preachers of all the mischieue which their lying doctrine is the very cause of Neuer the later in very dede after the preachyng of Gods worde because it is not truly receaued God sendeth great trouble into the world partly to auenge hym selfe of the tyrauntes and persecutours of his worde and partly to destroye those worldly people whiche make of Gods word nothyng but a cloke of their fleshly libertie They are not all good that folow the Gospell Christ Math. xiij like neth the kyngdome of heauen vnto a net cast in the Sea that katcheth fishes both good and bad The kyngdome of heauen is the preachyng of the Gospell vnto which come both good and bad But the good are fewe Christ calleth them therfore a litle flocke Luke xij For they are euer few that come to the Gospell of a true entent seekyng therin nothyng but the glorye and prayse of God and offering thē selues frely and willingly to take aduersitie with Christe for the Gospels sake and for bearyng recorde vnto the truth that al men may heare it The greatest nomber come and euer came and folowed euen Christ hym selfe for a worldly purpose As thou mayst well see Iohn vj. howe that almost fiue thousand folowed Christ and would also haue made hym a kyng because he had well fedde them Whom he rebuked saying ye seke me not because ye saw the miracles But because ye eat of the bread and were filled and droue them away from him with hard preachyng Euen so now as euer the most parte seke libertie They be glad when they heare the vnsatiable couetousnes of the spiritualitie rebuked When they heare their falsehood and wiles vttered When tyrāny and oppressiō is preached against When they heare how kynges and all officers should rule christenly and brotherly seke no other thyng saue the wealth of their subiectes and when they heare that they haue no such authoritie of God so to pylle and polle as they doe and to raise vp taxes and gatherynges to maynteine their phantasies and to make warre they wote not for what cause And therefore because the heades will not so rule will they
pittes chap. 4. that slyme was a fatnesse that issued out of the earth like vnto carre and thou mayst call it cement if thou wilte Siloh after some is as muche to say as sent and after some happy and after some it signifieth Messias that is to say annoynted that we call Christ after the Greke worde and it is a prophesie of Christ for after all the other tribes were in captiuitie their kingdome destroyed yet the tribe of Iuda had a ruler of the same bloud euen vnto the commyng of Christ and about the commyng of Christ the Romaines conquered them the emperour gaue the kyngdome of the tribe Iuda vnto Herode which was a straunger euen an Edomite of the generation of Esau Testament that is an appoymente made betwene God and man gods promises And sacrameÌ„t is a signe representyng such appointment and promises as the raynebowe representeth the promise made to Noe that God wyll no more drowne the world And circumcision representeth the promises of God to Abraham on the one side that Abraham and his seede should circumcise and cutte of the lustes of their flesh on the other side to walke in the wayes of the lord As baptisme which is come in the roome therof now signifieth on the one side howe that all that repent and beleue are washed in Christes bloud and on the other syde how that the same muste quenche and drown the lustes of the flesh to follow the steppes of Christ There were tirantes in the earth in those dayes for the sonnes of god saw the daughters of men c. The sonnes of God were the Prophetes children which though they succeded their father fell yet from the right way and through falshode of hipocrisie subdued the world vnder them and became tirantes as the successors of the Apostles haue played with vs. Vapour a dewie miste as the smoke of a seething pot To walke with God is to liue godly and to walke in hys commaundedementes Enos walked with God and was no more sene he lyued godly and died God toke him away that is God hid hys body as he did Moses and Aarons lest happly they should haue made an Idole of hym for he was a great preacher and an holy man Zaphnath Paenea wordes of Egipt are they as I suppose and as muche to say as a man to whome secret thinges be opened or an expounder of secrete thinges as some interprete it That Ioseph broughte the Egiptians into such a subiection would seme vnto some a very cruell deede howe be it it was a very equall way for they payd but y t fifth part of that that grew on the grounde and therewith were they quit of all dueties both of rente custome tribute and tolle the kyng therwith found them Lordes and all ministers and defended them we now pay half so much vnto the priests only beside their other craftye exactions Then pay we rente yearely thoughe there grow neuer so litle on y t ground and yet when the kyng calleth pay we neuer the lesse So that if we looke indifferently their condition was easier then oures and but euen a very indifferent way both for the common people and the kyng also See therfore that thou looke not on the ensamples of the Scripture wyth worldly eyes least thou preferre Cain before Abell Ismaell before Isaac Esau before Iacob Ruben before Iuda Sarah before Phares Manasses before Ephraim and euen the worst before the best as the maner of the world is The Prologue to the second booke of Moses called Exodus BY the Preface vppon Genesis mayest thou vnderstand howe to behaue thy selfe in this booke also and in all other bookes of the Scripture Cleaue vnto y e texte and playne storie and endeuour thy selfe to searche out the meanyng of all that is described therein and the true sence of all maner of speakinges of the Scripture of prouerbes similitudes borowed speach whereof I entreated in the ende of the obedience and beware of subtile allegories And note euery thyng earnestly as thynges pertainyng vnto thyne own hart and soule For as God vsed him selfe vnto theÌ„ of the old Testament euen so shall he vnto the worldes end vse him self vnto vs whiche haue receiued hys holy Scripture and the testimonie of hys sonne Iesus As God doth all things here for theÌ„ that beleue his promises herken vnto his commauÌ„dements and with patieÌ„ce cleaue vnto him and walke with him euen so shall he do for vs if we receiue the witnes of Christ with a strong fayth and endure patiently folowyng his steppes And on the other side as they that fel from the promise of God thorow vnbelief and from his lawe and ordinaunces thorowe impatieÌ„cie of their owne lustes were forsakeÌ„ of God and so perished euen so shall we as many as doe lykewise and as many as mocke with the doctrine of Christ and make a cloke of it to liue fleshly to folow our lustes Note thereto howe God is founde true at the last and howe when all is past remedy and brought into desperation he then fulfilleth his promises and that by an abiect and a cast away a despised and a refused persoÌ„ yea and by a way impossible to beleue The cause of all the captiuitie of Gods people is this The world â—uer hateth them for their fayth and trust whiche they haue in GOD but in vayne till they fall from the fayth of y t promises and loue of the lawe and ordinaunces of God put their trust in holy dedes of their owne finding and liue altogether at their owne lust pleasure with out regarde of God or respect of their neighbour Then God forsaketh vs sendeth vs into captiuitie for our dishonoryng of his name and despisyng of our neighbour But the world persecuteth vs for our fayth in Christ onely as the people nowe doth and not for our wicked liuyng For in his kingdom thou mayest quietly and with licence and vnder aprotection do what soeuer abhominatioÌ„ thine hart lusteth but God persecuteth vs bycause we abuse his holy Testament and bycause when we knowe the truth we folowe it not Note also the mightie hande of the Lord how he playeth with his aduersaries and prouoketh them and styrreth them vp a litle and a litle and deliuereth not hys people in an houre that both the patience of his elect and also the worldly wit and wyly policie of the wicked wherwith they do fight agaynst God might appeare Marke y t long sufferyng and soft patience of Moyses and howe he loueth the people and is euer betwene the wrath of God and them and is ready to liue and dye with them to be put out of the booke that God had written for their sakes as Paule for his brethren Romaines ix and how he taketh his own wronges patiently and neuer auengeth him selfe And make not Moyses a figure of Christe with Rochester but an ensample vnto all
of forgeuenesse of synnes through fayth in Christes bloud And now seing that fayth onely letteth a man in vnto rest and vnbelief excludeth him what is the cause of this vnbeliefe verely no sinne y t the world seeth but a Pope holinesse and a righteousnes of their own imagination as Paule sayth Roma x. They bee ignoraunt of the righteousnes wherewith God iustifieth and haue set vp a righteousnes of their owne makyng thorough which they be disobedient vnto the righteousnes of God And Christ rebuketh not the Phariseys for grosse sinnes whiche the world sawe but for those holy deedes whiche so blered the eies of the world that they were taken as Gods euen for long prayers for fastyng for tythyng so diligently that they lefte not so much as their herbes vntithed for their clennesse in washyng before meate and for washyng of cups dishes and all maner vessels for buildyng y e Prophetes sepulchers and for kepyng the holy day and for turnyng y t heathē vnto the fayth for geuyng of almes For vnto such holy dedes they ascribed righteousnes and therefore when the righteousnesse of GOD was preached vnto them they could not but persecute it the deuill was so strong in them Whiche thyng Christ well describeth Luke xj saying That after the deuill is cast out he commeth agayne and findeth hys house swept and made gay and then taketh seuen woorse then hym selfe and dwelleth therein and so is the ende of that man worse then the beginnyng That is whē they be a litle clēsed from grosse sinnes which the world seyth and then made gaye in their own sight with the righteousnes of traditions then commeth seuen that is to say the whole power of the deuill for vij with the Hebrues signifieth a multitude without number and the extremitie of a thyng and is a speach borowed I suppose out of Leuiticus where is so ofte mention made of seuen Where I would say I wil punish thee that all the world shal take an example of thee there the Iew would saye I will Circumcise thee or Baptise thee seuen tymes And so here by seuen is ment all the deuils of hel and all the might and power of the deuill For vnto what further blindnesse could all the deuils in hell bring them then to make thē beleue that they were iustified thoroughe their owne good workes For when they once beleued that they were purged frō their sinnes and made righteous thoroughe theyr owne holy workes what rowme was there left for the righteousnes that is in Christes bloudshedyng And therfore whē they be fallen into this blindnesse they can not but hate and persecute the light And the more cleare and euidently their deedes be rebuked the furiousser and maliciousser blinde are they vntill they breake out into open blasphemy and synnyng agaynste the holy ghost which is the malicious persecutyng of the cleare trouth so manifestly proued that they can not once hish agaynst it as the Phariseis persecuted Christ because hee rebuked their holy dedes And when he proued hys doctrine with the Scripture and miracles yet thoughe they could not improue hym nor reason agaynst him they taught y ◠the scripture must haue some other meanyng because his inter pretation vndermined their foundatiō and plucked vp by the rootes the sects which they had plāted and they ascribed also his miracles to the deuill And in lyke maner thoughe our hypocrites can not deny but this is the scripture yet because there can be no other sense gathered therof but that ouerthoweth their buildynges therefore they euer thinke that it hath some other meanyng then as the wordes sounde and that no man vnderstandeth it or vnderstode it since the tyme of the Apostles Or if they thinke that some that wrote vpon it since the Apostles vnderstode it they yet thinke that w◅ like maner as we vnderstand not the text it selfe so we vnderstand not the meanyng of the wordes of that Doctour For when thou layest the iustifying of holy workes and deniest the iustifying of fayth how canst thou vnderstand S. Paule Peter Iohn and the Actes of y e Apostles or any Scripture at all seyng the iustifying of fayth is almost all that they entēde to proue Finally concernyng vowes wherof thou readest in the xxx Chapter there may be many questions whereunto I aūswere shortly that we ought to put salt to all our offerynges that is we ought to minister knowledge in all our workes and to doe nothyng whereof we could not geue a reason out of Gods wordes We be now in the day light and all the secretes of God and all hys counsell and wil is opened vnto vs and he that was promised should come and blesse vs is come alredy and hath shed hys bloud for vs and hath blessed vs with al maner blessinges and hathe obtayned all grace for vs and in hym we haue all Wherfore God henceforth wil receiue no more sacrifices of beastes of vs as thou readest Hebr. 10. If thou burne vnto god the bloud or fatte of beastes to obtaine forgeuenesse of sinnes therby or that God should the better heare thy request then thou doest wrong vnto the bloud of Christ and Christ vnto thee is dead in vayne For in him God hath promised not forgeuenesse of sins onely but also what soeuer we aske to keepe vs from sinne and temptation with all And what if thou burne frankencens vnto him what if thou burne a candle what if thou burne thy chastitie or virginitie vnto him for the same purpose doest thou not lyke rebuke vnto Christs bloud Moreouer if thou offer gold siluer or any other good for the same entēt is there any difference And euen so if thou go in pilgrimage or fastest or goest wolward or sprynelest thy selfe with holy water or elles what soeuer dede it is or obseruest what soeuer ceremonie it be for lyke meanyng then it is lyke abhominatiō We must therfore bryng the salt of the knowledge of Gods word with al our sacrifices or elles we shall make no swete sauour vnto God therof Thou wilt aske me shall I vow nothyng at all yes Gods commaundemēt which thou hast vowed in thy Baptisme For what entent verelye for the loue of Christe which hath bought thee with his bloud and made the sonne heyre of God with him that thou shouldest wayte on hys will and commaundementes and purifie thy members accordyng to the same doctrine that hath purified thyne harte for if the knowledge of Gods word hath not purified thine hart so y t thou consentest vnto the law of god y t it is righteous and good sorowest y t thy members moue thee vnto the contrary so hast thou no part with Christ For if thou repent not of thy sinne so it is impossible that thou shouldest beleue that Christe had deliuered thee from the daunger therof If thou beleue not that Christ hath deliuered thee so is
of them euen as a man would obtayne the fauour of worldly tyrauntes as they also fayne y e saintes more cruell then euer was any heatheÌ„ man and more wreakeful and vengeable then the Poâ—tes fayne their goddes or furies that torment the soules in bell if their euens be not fasted and their images visited and saluted wyth a pater noster which prayer onely our lippes be acquainted with our hartes vnderstandyng none at all and worshipped wyth a candle and the offring of our deuotioÌ„ in the place which they haue chosen to heare supplicatioÌ„s and make petitions of their clientes therin But thou reader thynke of the law of god how that it is altogether spirituall and so spirituall that it is neuer fulfilled wyth dedes or works vntill they flowe out of thyne harte wyth as great loue towarde thyne neighbour for no deseruyng of his yea thoughe he bee thyne ennemy as Christ loued thee and dyed for thee for no deseruyng of thyne but euen when thou wast hys ennemy And in the meane tyme through out all our infantie and childhoode in Christ till we be grown vp into perfect men in the full knowledge of Chrst and full loue of Christ agayne and of our neighbours for hys sake after the ensample of hys loue to vs remeÌ„bring that the fulfillyng of the law is a fast fayth in Christes bloude coupled with our profession submit ous selues to do better And of the gospell or promises which thou meetest in the scripture beleue fast that god wyll fulfill them vnto thee that vnto the vttermost iot at the repentance of thyne hart when thou turnest to hym and forsakest euill euen of hys goodnes and fatherly mercy vnto thee and not for thy flatteryng hym with hipocritishe woorkes of thyne owne fayning So that a fast fayth only without respect of all works is the forgeuenesse both of the sinne which we did in tyme of ignorance with lust and consent to sinne and also of that synne which we do by chaunce and of frailtie after y t we are come to knowledge and haue professed the law out of our hartes And all dedes serue only for to helpe our neighbours and to tame our flesh that we fall not to sinne agayne and to exercise our soules in vertue and not to make satisfaction to Godwarde for the synne that is once paste And all other stories of the Bible with out exception are y â— practising of y e law of the gospel are true and faythfull ensamples and sure earnest that God will euen so deale with vs as he did with them in all infirmities in all temtations and in all lyke cases chaunces Wherin ye see on the one side how fatherly and tenderly and with all coÌ„passion GOD entreateth hys elect which submit themselues as scholers to learne to walke in the wayes of hys lawes and to kepe them of loue If they forgate themselues at a tyme he would stirre them vp agayne with all mercy if they fell and hurt themselues he healed them agayne with all compassion and tendernes of hart He hath oft brought great tribulation and aduersitie vpon hys elect but all of fatherly loue onely to teach them and to make them see their owne hartes and the synne that there lay hid that they might afterward feele hys mercy For his mercy wayted vpon them to ridde them out agayne as soone as they wer learned and come to the knowledge of their own hartes so that he neuer cast man away how deepe so euer he had sinned saue them onely which had first cast the yoke of hys lawes from their neckes with vtter deâ—iaunce and malice of harte Which ensamples how comfortable are they for vs when we be fallen into sinne and God is come vpon vs with ascourge that we dispayre not but repent with full hope of mercy after the ensamples of mercy that are gone before And therfore they were written for our learnyng as testifieth Paule Rom. 15. to comfort vs that we might the better put our hope trust in god when we see how mercifull he hathe bene in tymes past vnto our weake brethreÌ„ that are gone before in al their aduersities nede temptations ye and horrible sinnes into which they nowe and then fell And on the other side ye see how they that hardened their hartes sinned of malice and refused mercy that was offered them and had no power to repent perished at the latter ende with all confusion and shame mercilessely Which ensaÌ„ples are very good and necessary to keepe vs in awe and dread in tyme of prosperitie as thou mayest see by Paul 1. Cor. 10. that we abide in the feare of God and waxe not wylde and fall to vanities and so sinne and prouoke God and bryng wrath vpon vs. And thirdly ye see in the practise how as God is merciful and long suffering euen so were all hys true Prophetes and preachers bearing the infirmities of their weake brethren and their own wrongs and iniuries with all patience and long suffering neuer casting any of them of their backs vntill they sinned against the holy ghost maliciously persecutyng the open and manifest trouth contrary vnto the ensample of the Pope which in sinnyng agaynst God and to quench the truth of his holy spirite is euer chiefe Capitaine and trompet blower to set other a worke and seketh only his own fredome libertie priuiledge wealth prosperitie profite pleasure pastime honour and glory with the bondage thraldom captiuitie misery wretchednes and vile subiection of his brethreÌ„ and in hys owne cause is so feruent so stiffe and cruell that he will not suffer one worde spoken agaynst hys false maiestie wily inuentions and iugling hipocrisie to be vnauenged though all christendome should be set together by the eares and should cost he cared not how many hundred thousande their lyues Now that thou mayest read Ionas frutefully and not as a Poetes fable but as an obligation betwene god and thy soule as an earnest penny geuen thee of God that he wyll helpe thee in tyme of nede if thou turne to him and as the worde of God the only foode lyfe of thy soule this marke and note First count Ionas the frend of God a man chosen of GOD to testify his name vnto the world But yet a yong scholer weake and rude after the fashioÌ„ of the apostles whyle Christ was with them yet bodily which thoughe Christ taught them euer to be meeke and to humble theÌ„selues yet oft stroue among theÌ„selues who should be greatest The sonnes of â—ebede would sitte the one on the right hand of Christ the other on the lefte They would praye that fire might descend from heauen consume the Samaritanes When Christ asked who say men that I am Peter aunswered thou art the sonne of the liuyng God as though Peter had bene as perfecte as an angel But immediatly after wheÌ„ Christ preached vnto them of hys death and
it is chewed the pleasanter it is and the more groundly it is searched the precioser thynges are found in it so great treasure of spirituall thinges lyeth hid therin I will therfore bestow my labour diligence thorow this little preface or prologue to prepare a way in therunto so farreforth as God shall geue me grace that it may be the better vnderstand of euery man for it hath ben hitherto euill darkened with gloses and wonderful dreames of sophisters that no man could spy out the intent and meanyng of it which neuerthelesse of it selfe is a bright lyght and sufficient to geue light vnto all the scripture First we must marke diligently the maner of speakyng of the Apostle and aboue all thing know what Paul meaneth by these wordes the Law sinne grace fayth righteousnes flesh sprite and such lyke or els read thou it neuer so ofte thou shalt but loose thy labor This word Lawe may not be vnderstand here after the common manner and to vse Pauls terme after the maner of men or after mans wayes that thou wouldest say the law here in this place were nothyng but learnyng which techeth what ought to be done and what ought not to be done as it goeth with mans law where the law is fulfilled with outward workes only though the harte be neuer so far of but God iudgeth after the grounde of the harte ye and the thoughtes and the secret mouinges of the mynde therfore hys law requireth the grounde of the hart and loue from the bottome therof and is not content with the outward worke onely but rebuketh those workes most of all which spryng not of loue from the ground and low bottome of the hart though they appeare outward neuer so honest and good as Christ in the gospell rebuketh the pharises aboue all other that were open sinners and calleth them hipocrites that is to say Simulars and paynted Sepulchers which Pharises yet liued no men so pure as pertayning to the outward dedes and workes of y t law ye and Paul in the third chapter of his epistle vnto the Philippiās confesseth of himselfe that as touching the lawe he was such a one as no man coulde complayne on and notwithstandyng was yet a murderer of the christen per secuted them and tormented them so sore that he compelled them to blaspheme Christ was altogether mercilesse as many which now fayne outward good workes are For this cause the 115. psalme calleth all men lyers because that no man kepeth the law from the ground of the harte neither can kepe it For all men are naturally inclyned vnto euill and hate the law we fynde in our selues vnlust and tediousnes to do good but lust and delectation to do euill Now where no free lust is to do good there the bottom of the hart fulfilleth not the law and there no doute is also sinne and wrathe deserued before GOD though there be neuer so great outwarde shew and apparance of honest liuing For this cause concludeth S. Paule in the second chapter that the Iewes all are sinners and transgressors of the law thoughe they make men beleue thorow hipocrisie of outward works how that they fulfill the law sayth that he onely whiche doth the law is righteous before God meanyng therby that no mā with outward workes fulfilleth the law Thou saith he to the Iewe teachest a mā should not breake wedlocke and yet breakest wedlocke thy selfe Wherin thou iudgest an other man therein condemnest thou thy selfe for thou thy selfe doest euen the very same thynges whiche thou iudgest As thoughe hee would say thou liuest outwardly well in the workes of the law and iudgest them that liue not so thou teachest other men and seest a mote in an other mās eie but art not ware of the beame that is in thyne owne eye For though thou keepe the lawe outwardly with works for feare of rebuke shame and punishment either for loue of reward vantage vayne glory yet doest thou all without lust and loue toward the law and haddest leuer a great deale otherwise do if thou diddest not feare the lawe ye inwardly in thine harte thou wouldest that there were no law no nor yet God the author and venger of the lawe if it were possible so paynefull it is vnto thee to haue thyne appetites refrayned and to bee kepte downe Wherfore then it is a playne conclusion that thou from the grounde and bottome of thyne hart art an enemy to the law What preuayleth it now that thou teachest an other man not to steale when thou thyne owne selfe art a thefe in thyne hart and outwardly wouldest fayne steale if thou durst though that the outward dedes abyde not alway behind with such hypocrites and dissimulers but breake forth among euen as an euill scabbe or a pocke can not alwayes be kept in with violence of medicine Thou teachest an other man but teachest not thy selfe ye thou w◅est not what thou teachest for thou vnderstadest not the law a right how that it can not be fulfilled and satisfied but with inward loue and affection much lesse can it be fulfilled with outward deedes and workes onely Moreouer the law encreaseth sinne as he sayth in the fift Chapter because that mā is an enemie to the law for as much as it requireth so many thinges cleane contrarie to his nature wherof he is not able to fulfill one pointe or title as the law requireth it And therfore are we more prouoked and haue greater lust to breake it For whiche causes sake he sayth in the seuenth Chapter that the lawe is spirituall as though he would say if the law wer fleshly and but mans doctrine it might be fulfilled satisfied and stilled with outward deedes But now is the law ghostly and no man fulfilleth it except that all that he doth spryng of loue from the bottome of the hart Such a new hart and lusty courage vnto the law ward canst thou neuer come by of thyne owne strength enforcement but by the operation and workyng of the spirite For the spirite of God onely maketh a man spirituall like vnto the law so that now hence forth hee doth nothyng of feare or for lucre or vantages sake or of vaine glory but of a free hart and of inward lust The law is spirituall and wil be both loued and fulfilled of a spirituall hart and therefore of necessitie requireth it the spirit that maketh a mans hart free and geueth him lust and courage vnto the law ward Where such a spirite is not there remaineth sinne grudging and hatred against the law which law neuerthelesse is good righteous and holy Acquaint thy selfe therfore with the maner of speakyng of the Apostle and let this now sticke fast in thyne hart that it is not both one to do the dedes and workes of the law and to fulfill the law The worke of y t law is what soeuer a man doth or
Christ and haue the earnest and beginning of the sprite God is so louyng fauourable vnto vs that he will not looke on such sinne neither wil counte it as sinne but will deale with vs accordyng to our belief in Christ and according to his promises which he hath sworne to vs vntyll the sinne be full slayne and mortified by death Faythe is not mans opinion and dreame as some imagine and fayne when they heare the story of the Gospell but when they see that there follow no good workes nor amendment of liuyng though they heare ye can bable many thyngs of fayth then they fall from the right way and say fayth onely iustifieth not a man must haue good workes also if he will be righteous and safe The cause is when they heare the gospell or glad tidinges they fayne of their owne strength certaine imaginations and thoughtes in their hartes saying I haue heard the gospell I remember the story loe I beleue and that they counte right fayth which neuerthelesse as it is but mans imagination and faining euen so profiteth it not neither followe there any good workes or amendmēt of liuing But right fayth is a thing wrought by the holy ghost in vs which chaungeth vs turneth vs into a new nature and begetteth vs a new in God and maketh vs the sonnes of god as thou readest in the first of Iohn and killeth the olde Adam and maketh vs altogether new in the hart mynde wyll lust and in all our affectiōs and powers of the soule and bringeth the holye gost with her Fayth is a liuely thing mighty in working valiant strong euer doyng euer fruitfull so that it is vnpossible that he whiche is endued therwith should not worke alwayes good workes without ceasing He asketh not whether good workes are to be done or not but hath done them already ere mention be made of them is alway doing for such is his nature for quicke fayth in hys hart and liuely mouyng of the sprite driue hym and stirre hym therunto Whosoeuer doth not good woorkes is an vnbeleuyng person faithles loketh roūd about him groping after faith good works woteth not what faith or good workes meane though he bable neuer so many thinges of faith good workes Fayth is then a liuely and a stedfast trust in the fauour of God wherewith we commit our selues altogether vnto god that trust is so surely grounded and sticketh so fast in our hartes that a mā would not once doubt of it though he should die a thousand tymes therefore And suche trust wrought by the holy gost through faith maketh a man glad lusty chereful true harted vnto God and vnto all creatures By the meanes wherof willingly and without compulsion he is glad and redy to do good to euery man to do seruice to euery man to suffer all thinges y t god may be loued and praysed which hath geuen hym such grace so that it is impossible to separate good workes from fayth euen as it is impossible to separate heat and burning from fire Therfore take hede to thy selfe and beware of thyne owne fantasies and imaginations which to iudge of fayth good workes wyll seme wyse when in dede they are starke blind and of all things most foolish Pray God that he wyll vouchsafe to worke faith in thine hart or els shalte thou remayne euermore faythlesse fayne thou imagine thou enforce thou wrastle with thy self and do what thou wilt or canst Righteousnes is euen such faythe and is called Gods righteousnesse or righteousnes that is of value before God For it is gods gift and it altereth a man and chaungeth him into a new spiritual nature and maketh him free and liberall to pay euery man his duety For through fayth a mā is purged of his sinnes and obteyneth luste vnto the law of God whereby he geueth God hys honor and payeth hym that he oweth hym and vnto men he doth seruice willingly wherwith soeuer he can and payeth euery man his duety Such righteousnes can nature freewill and our owne strength neuer bring to passe for as no man can geue himselfe faith so can he not take away vnbeliefe how then can he take away any sinne at all Wherefore all is false hipocrisie sinne whatsoeuer is done without fayth or in vnbeliefe as it is euident in the 14. chapter vnto the Romains though it appeare neuer so glorious or beautiful outwardes Fleshe and sprite mayest thou not here vnderstand as though flesh were onely that which pertayneth vnto vnchastitie and the spirite that which inwardly pertayneth to the harte but Paul calleth flesh here as Christ doth Iohn 3. All that is borne of fleshe that is to witte the whole man with lyfe soule body wit will reason whatsoeuer he is or doth within and without because that these all and all that is in man study after the worlde and the flesh Call fleshe therfore whatsoeuer as long as we are without y t spirite of GOD we thinke or speake of God of fayth of good workes and of spirituall matters Call fleshe also all works which are done without grace and without the working of the sprite howsoeuer good holy and spirituall they seeme to be as thou mayest proue by the 5. chapter vnto the Galathians where Paule numbreth worshipping of idoles witchcraft enuy and hate among the dedes of the flesh and by the 8. vnto the Romaines where he sayth that the law by the reason of the fleshe is weake which is not vnderstand of vnchastitie onely but of all sinnes and most specially of vnbeliefe which is a vice most spirituall and grounde of all synnes And as thou callest him whiche is not renewed with the spirit and borne agayne in Christ flesh all his dedes euen the very motions of his hart and minde his learning doctrine and contemplation of hye thinges his preaching teaching and study in the Scripture buildyng of Churches foundyng of Abbeyes geuing of almes Masse mattēs what soeuer he doth though it seme spiritual and after the lawes of God So contrarywise call him spirituall which is renewed in Christ and all his deedes whiche spryng of fayth seme they neuer so grose as the washyng of the Disciples feete done by Christ and Peters fishing after the resurrection yea and al the dedes of matrimony are pure spiritual if they procede of faith and what soeuer is done with in the lawes of God though it be wrought by the body as the very wiping of shooes and such like how soeuer grose they appeare outward With out such vnderstādyng of these wordes canst thou neuer vnderstand this Epistle of Paule neither any other place in the holy Scripture Take hede therfore for who soeuer vnderstādeth these wordes otherwise the same vnderstādeth not Paule what soeuer he be Now will we prepare our selues vnto the Epistle For as much as it becommeth the preacher of
in the latter ende In the 8. and 9. chapters he exhorteth thē to helpe the poore saintes that were at Ierusalem In the 10. 11. and 12. he inueyegth against the false prophetes And in the last Chapter he threateneth them that had sinned and not amended themselues A Prologue vpon the Epistle of S. Paule to the Gallathians by W. Tyndall AS ye read Act. 15. how certaine came from Ierusalem to Antioche vexed y t disciples there affirming y t they coulde not be saued except they were circumcised Euen so after Paul had conuerted the Galathians coupled them to Christ to trust in him only for the remission of synne and hope of grace and saluation and was departed there came false apostles vnto thē as vnto the Corinthiās and vnto all places where Paul had preached and that in the name of Peter Iames and Iohn whom they called the hye Apostles and preached circumcision and the kepyng of the law to be saued by and minished Paules authoritie To the confounding of those Paul magnifieth hys office and Apostleship in the two first chapiters and maketh hymselfe equall vnto the hie Apostles and concludeth that euery man muste be iustified without deseruyngs without workes and without helpe of the law but alone by Christ And in the 3. and 4. he proueth the same with Scripture examples and similitudes and sheweth that the law is cause of more sinne and bryngeth the curse of God vpon vs and iustifieth vs not but that iustifiyng commeth of grace promised vs of GOD through the deseruyng of Christe by whome if we beleue we are iustified without helpe of the woorkes of the lawe And in the 5. and 6. he exhorteth vnto the workes of loue which folow fayth and iustifiyng So that in all his Epistle he obserueth this order First he preacheth the damnatiō of the law then the iustifiyng of fayth and thyrdly the workes of loue For on that cōdition that wee loue henceforth and worke is the mercy giuen vs or els if we will not worke the will of GOD henceforward we fall from fauour grace and the inheritance that is freely geuen vs for Christes sake through our owne fault we lose agayne A Prologue vpon the Epistle of Saint Paule to the Ephesians IN this Epistle and namely in the three firste Chapters Paul sheweth that the Gospell grace therof was foresene and predestmate of God from before the begynnyng and deserued through Christ now at the last sent forth that all men should beleue thereon thereby to be iustified made righteous liuyng and happy and to bee deliuered from vnder the damnation of the law and captiuitie of ceremonies And in the fourth he teacheth to auoyde traditions and mens doctrine and to beware of puttyng trust in any thyng saue Christ affirmyng that he onely is sufficient and that in him we haue all thynges and beside him neede nothyng In the v. and vj. he exhorteth to exercise the faith and to declare it abroad through good workes and to auoyde sinne and to arme them with spiritual armour agaynst the deuill that they might stand fast in time of tribulation and vnder the crosse The Prologue vpon the Epistle of Saint Paule to the Philippians by W. Tyndall PAule prayseth the Philippians and exhorteth them to stād fast in the true faith and to encrease in loue And because that false Prophetes study alwayes to impugne and destroy y ◠true fayth he warneth them of such worke learners or teachers of woorkes and prayseth Epaphroditus And all this doth hee in the first and seconde Chapters In the thyrd he reproueth faythles and mans righteousnes whiche false Prophetes teach and mainteyne And he setteth him for an ensample howe that he him selfe had liued in such false righteousnes and holinesse vnrebukeable that was so that no man could complaine on him and yet now setteth nought therby for Christes righteousnes sake And finally he affirmeth that such false Prophetes are the enemyes of the crosse make their bellye 's their GOD for further then they may safely and without all perill and sufferyng will they not preach Christ A Prologue vpon the Epistle of Saint Paule to the Colossians by W. Tyndall AS the Epistle to y t Galathians holdeth the maner and fashion of the Epistle to the Romains briefly comprehendyng all that is therein at length disputed Euen so this Epistle foloweth the ensample of the Epistle to the Ephesians conteynyng the tenour of the same Epistle with fewer wordes In the first Chapter he praiseth thē and wisheth that they continue in the fayth and grow perfecter therin thē describeth he the Gospell how that it is a wisedome that confesseth Christ to be the Lord and God crucified for vs and a wisedome that hath bene hyd in Christ sence afore the beginning of the world and now first begon to be opened throughe the preachyng of the Apostles In the ij he warneth them of mens doctrine and describeth the false Prophetes to the vttermost and rebuketh them accordyng In y t thyrd he exhorteth to be frutefull in the pure fayth with all maner of good workes one to an other and describeth al degrees and what their duties are In the fourth he exhorteth to pray and also to pray for him and saluteth them A Prologue vpon the first Epistle of S. Paul to the Thessalonians by W. Tyndall THis Epistle did Paule write of exceeding loue and care and prayseth them in the two firste chapters because they did receiue the Gospell earnestly and had in tribulation and persecution continued therin stedfastly and were become an ensample vnto all congregations and had thereto suffred of their own kinsmē as Christ and his apostles did of y e Iewes puttyng them therto in mynde how purely and godly he had lyued among thē to their ensample and thanketh God that hys gospel had brought forth such fruite among them In the third chapter he sheweth his diligence and care least hys so greate labor and their so blessed a beginning should haue bene in vayne Sathan his apostles vexyng them with persecution and destroying their faith with mens doctrine And therefore he sente Tymothie to them to comforte them and strengthen them in the fayth and thanketh GOD that they had so constantly endured and desireth God to encrease them In the fourth he exhorteth them to kepe themselues from sinne and to do good one to another And thereto he informeth them concernyng the resurrection In the fift he writeth of the last day that it should come sodenly exhortyng to prepare them selues thereafter and to kepe a good order concernyng obedience and rule The Prologue vpon the second Epistle of S. Paule to the Thessalonians by W. Tyndall BEcause in the fore epistle he had said y t the last day should come sodenly the Thessalonians thought that it should come shortly Wherefore in this Epistle he declareth hymselfe And in the first chapter he comforteth
this Epistle to haue bene written by any of the Apostles but haue also refused it all together as no Catholicke or godly epistle bicause of certaine textes written therin For first he sayth in the sixt it is impossible that they whiche were once lighted and haue tasted of the heauēly gift and were become partakers of the holye ghoste and haue tasted of the good worde of GOD and of the power of the worlde to come if they fall shoulde bee renewed agayne to repentaunce or conuersion And in the tenth it sayth if we sinne willingly after we haue receiued the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a fearefull lookyng for iudgement and violent fyre whiche shall destroy the aduersaries And in the xij it saith that Esau found no way to repentaunce or conuersion no thoughe he sought it with teares Whiche textes say they sound that if a man sinne any more after he is once Baptised he can be no more forgeuen and that is contrary to all the Scripture and therefore to be refused to be Catholicke and godly Vnto whiche I aunswere if we should denye this Epistle for those textes sakes so should we deny first Mathew which in his xij Chapter affirmeth that he which blasphemeth the holy Ghost shall neither be forgiuen here nor in the world to come And then Marke which in his thyrd Chapiter sayth that he that blasphemeth the holy Ghost shal neuer haue forgiuenesse but shal be in daunger of eternall damnation And thirdly Luke which saith there shall be no remission to him that blasphemeth the spirite of God Moreouer Iohn in his first Epistle saith there is a sinne vnto death for which a man should not pray And ij Pet. ij saith if a man be fled from the vncleanesse of the world through the knowledge of our Sauiour Iesus Christ and then be wrapt in agayne his ende is worse then the beginnyng and that it had better for him neuer to haue knowen the truth And Paule ij Ti. iij. curseth Alexander the Copper-smith desiring the lord to reward him accordyng to his deedes Whiche is a signe that either y t Epistle should not be good or that Alexander had sinned past forgiuenesse no more to be prayed for Wherfore seyng no Scripture is of priuate interpretation but must be expounded accordyng to the generall Articles of our fayth and agreable to other open and euident textes confirmed or compared to lyke sentences why should we not vnderstand these places with like reuerēce as we do the other namely when all the remnaunt of the Epistle is so godly of so great learnyng The first place in the vj. Chapiter will no more then that they whiche know the truth and yet willingly refuse the light and chuse rather to dwell in darkenes and refuse Christ make a mocke of him as y ◠Pharisies which whē they were ouercome with Scripture miracles y ◠Christ was the very Messias yet had they such lust in iniquitie that they forsoke him persecuted him slewe him and did all the shame that could be imagined to him can not bee renued 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayth the Greeke to be conuerted that is to say such malicious vnkyndnesse which is none other then the blasphemyng of the holy Ghost deserueth that the spirite shall neuer come more at them to conuerte them whiche I beleue to be as true as any other text in all the Scripture And what is ment by that place in the tenth Chapter where he sayth if we sinne willingly after we haue receiued y t knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne is declared immediatly after For he maketh a comparison betwene Moses and Christ saying if he which despised Moses law dyed without mercy how much worse punishment is he worthy of that treadeth the sonne of God vnderfoote and counteth the bloud of the couenaunt by whiche bloud he was sanctified as an vnholy thyng blasphemeth the spirite of grace By which wordes it is manifest that he meaneth none other by the fore wordes then the sinne of blasphemy of the spirite For them that sinne of ignoraunce or infirmitie there is remedy but for him that knoweth the truthe and yet willingly yeldeth him selfe to sinne consenteth vnto the lyfe of sinne with soule and body had rather lye in sin then haue his poysoned nature healed by the helpe of the spirite of grace and maliciously persecuteth the truth for him I say there is no remedy the way to mercy is locked vp and the spirite is taken from him for his vnthankefulnesse sake no more to be geuen him Truthe it is if a mā can turne to God and beleue in Christ he must be forgiuen how deepe soeuer he hath sinned but that wil not be without the spirite and such blasphemers shall no more haue the spirite offred them Let euery man therefore feare God and beware that he yeld not him self to serue sinne but how oft soeuer he sinne let him be gyn agayne and fight a freshe and no doubt he shal at the last ouercome and in the meane tyme yet be vnder mercy for Christes sake because his hart worketh and would fayne be loused from vnder the bondage of sinne And there it sayth in the. xij Esau founde no way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bee conuerted and reconciled vnto God and restored vnto his byrth right agayn though he sought it with teares that text must haue a spirituall eye For Esau in sellyng his byrthright despised not onely that temporall promotion that he should haue bene Lord ouer all his brethren and kyng of that countrey but he also refused the grace and mercy of GOD and the spirituall blessyng of Abrahā and Isaac and all y t mercy that is promised vs in Christ which should haue bene his seede Of this ye see that this Epistle ought no more to be refused for holy godly and Catholicke then the other autentike Scriptures Now therfore to come to our purpose agayne though this Epistle as it sayth in the sixt lay not the grounde of the fayth of Christ yet it buildeth cunnyngly thereon pure gold siluer and precious stones proueth the Priesthode of Christ with Scriptures ineuitable Moreouer there is no worke in all the Scripture that so playnly declareth the meanyng and significatiōs of the sacrifices ceremonies and figures of the old Testament as this Epistle in so much that if wilful blindnes malicious malice were not the cause this Epistle onely were enoughe to wede out of the hartes of the papistes that cankred heresie of iustifiyng of workes cōcernyng our Sacraments ceremonies and all maner traditions of their owne inuention And finally in that ye see in the tenth that he had bene in bondes and prison for Christes sake in y t he so mightely driueth all to Christ to be saued thorough him and so cared for the flocke of Christ that he both wrote and
not to God that we should continue vnfruitfull as before but that he should put the seede of his holy sprite in vs as S. Iohn in his first Epistle calleth it and to make vs fruitfull For sayth Paul Ephe. 2. By grace are ye made safe through fayth and that not of your selues for it is the gifte of God and commeth not of the workes least any man should boast himselfe For we are his workemanship created in Christ Iesu vnto good workes which God hath ordeyned that we should walke in them William Tyndale otherwyse called Hitchins to the Reader GRace and peace with all maner spirituall fcelyng and liuyng worthy of the kyndenes of Christ be wyth the reader with all that trust the wyll of God Amen The cause why I set my name before this little treatise and haue not rather done it in the new testament is that then I folowed the counsell of Christ which exhorteth men Math. 6. to doe their good deedes secretly and to be contente with the consciēce of well doyng and that God seeth vs and patiently to abyde the reward of the last day which christ hath purchased for vs now would I fayne haue done likewise but am I compelled otherwise to do While I aboade a faythfull companion which now hath taken another voyage vpon him to preach Christ where I suppose he was neuer yet preached God which put in hys hart thether to go sende his spirite with hym comforte hym and bryng hys purpose to good effecte one William Roye a man somewhat crafty when he commeth vnto new acquayntance and before he be through knowne and namely when all is spent came vnto me and offred hys helpe As long as he had no money somwhat I could rule hym but as soone as he had gotten hym money he became lyke hymselfe agayne Neuerthelesse I suffered all thynges tyll that was ended which I coulde not doe alone without one both to write and to helpe me to copare the textes together When that was ended I toke my leaue and bade hym farewell for our two lyues and as men say a day longer After we were departed he went and gate him new frendes which thyng to doe he passeth all that euer I yet knew And there when he had stored hym of money he gate hym to Argentine where he professed wonderfull faculties maketh boast of no small things A yeare after that and now xij monthes before y ◠printyng of this worke came one Ierome a brother of Grenewich also through Wormes to Argentine saying y ◠he intended to be Christes Disciple another whyle to kepe as nye as God would geue him grace y ◠profession of hys baptisme to get hys liuyng with his hādes to lyue no lōger idlely of the sweate and labour of those captiues whiche they had taught not to beleue in Christe but in cut shooes and russet coats Which Ierome with all diligence I warned of Royes boldnes exhorted him to beware of hym to walke quietly and wyth all patiēce long sufferyng according as we haue Christ hys Apostles for an ensāple which thyng he also promised me Neuerthelesse whē he was commyng to Argētine Williā Roye whose toung is able not onely to make fooles starke mad but also to deceaue the wisest that is at the first sight and acquaintaunce gate hym to hym and set hym a worke to make rymes while he hym selfe translated a Dialogue out of Latin into Englishe in whose Prologue he promiseth more a great deale then I feare me he will euer pay Paule sayth 2. Timo. 2. The seruaūt of the Lord must not striue but be peaceable vnto all men and ready to teach one that can suffer the euill with mekenesse and that can informe them that resiste if God at any tyme will geue them repentaunce for to know the trouth It becommeth not then the Lordes seruaunt to vse rayling rymes but Gods worde which is the right weapon to slay sinne vice all iniquitie The Scripture of god is good to teach and to improue ij Timo. iij. and. ij Thes ij Paule speakyng of Antechrist sayth Whom the Lord shall destroy with the sprite or breath of his mouth that is with the word of God And. ij Cor. x. The weapons of our warre are not carnall thynges sayth he but mighty in God to cast downe strong holdes and so forth that is to destroy high buildings of false doctrine The word of God is that day wherof Paul speaketh i. Cor. iij. which shall declare all thing that fire which shal try euery mans worke and consume false doctrine with that sword ought men sharply to fight and not to rayle with foolishe rymes Let it not offende thee that some walke inordinatly let not the wickednes of Iudas cause thee to despise the doctrine of his fellowes No man ought to thinke that Stephen was a false preacher because that Nicolas whiche was chosen felow with hym Act. vj. to minister vnto the widowes fell after into great heresies as histories make mention Good and euill go alwayes together one cā not be knowen without the other Marke this also aboue all thinges that Antechrist is not an outward thyng that is to say a man that should sodēly appeare with wonders as our fathers talked of hym No verely for Antichrist is a spirituall thyng And is as much to say as agaynst Christ y t is one that preacheth false doctrine contrarie to Christ Antechrist was in the old Testamēt and fought with the Prophetes he was also in the tyme of Christ of the Apostles as thou readest in the Epistles of Iohn and of Paule to the Corinthians and Galathians and other Epistles Antechrist is now shall I doubt not endure till the worldes ende But his nature is when he is vttered and ouercome with the worde of God to go out of the playe for a season and to disguise hymselfe and then to come in agayne with a new name and new rayment As thou seest howe Christ rebuketh the Scribes and the Pharises in the Gospel which were very Antechristes saying Wo be to you Pharises for ye robbe widowes houses ye praye long prayers vnder a colour ye shut vp the kingdom of heauē suffer thē not y ◠would to enter in ye haue taken away the keye of knowledge ye make men breake Gods commaundementes with your traditions ye beguile the people with hipocrisie and such like Which thynges all our prelates do but haue yet gotten them new names and other garmentes and are otherwyse disguised There is difference in the names betwene a Pope a Cardinall a bishop and so forth and to say a Scribe a Pharisey a seniour and so forth but the thyng is all one Euen so now when we haue vttered hym he wyll change hymselfe once more and turne hymselfe into an angell of lyght 2. Cor. 11. Read the place I exhorte
and good to such or such a poore man he biddeth him not there with to be made mercifull kinde and good but to testifie and declare the goodnes that is in him already with the outward deede that it may breake out to y t profite of other and that other may feele it which haue nede therof After the same maner shalt thou enterprete the Scriptures whiche make mention of workes that God therby wil that we shew forth that goodnes which we haue receaued by fayth and let it breake forth and come to the profite of other that the false fayth may be knowē and weded out by the rootes For God geueth no mā his grace that he should let it lye stil and do no good with all but that he should encrease it and multiplie it with lendyng it to other and with open declaryng of it with the outward workes prouoke draw other to God As Christ sayth in Mathew the v. Chapter let your light so shine in the sight of men that they may see your good workes and glorifie your father which is in heauen Or els were it as a treasure digged in the ground and hid wisedome in whiche what profite is there Moreouer there with the goodnes fauour and giftes of God which are in thee not onely shal be knowen vnto other but also vnto thyne owne selfe and thou shal be sure that thy fayth is right and that the true spirite of God is in thee and that thou art called and chosen of God vnto eternall lyfe and loosed frō the bondes of Sathā whose captiue thou wast as Peter exhorteth in y t first of his second Epistle through good workes to make our callyng and election wherewith we are called and chosen of God sure For how dare a man presume to thinke that his fayth is right and that Gods fauour is on him and that Gods spirite is in hym when hee feeleth not the workyng of the spirite neither him selfe disposed to any godly thyng Thou canst neuer know or be sure of thy fayth but by the workes if workes folow not yea and that of loue without lokyng after any reward thou mayst be sure that thy fayth is but a dreame and not right euen the same that Iames called in his Epistle the second Chapter dead faith and not iustifiyng Abraham through workes Genesis xxij was sure of his fayth to be right and that the true feare of God was in him when he had offered his sonne as the Scripture sayth Now know I that thou fearest God that is to say Now is it opē and manifest that thou fearest God in as much as thou hast not spared thy onely sonne for my sake SO now by this abyde sure and fast that a mā inwardly in the hart and before God is righteous good thorough fayth onely before all workes Notwithstandyng yet outwardly and openly before the people ye and before himselfe is he righteous through the worke that is he knoweth and is sure through the outward worke that he is a true beleuer and in the fauour of GOD and righteous and good thorough the mercy of GOD that thou mayst cal the one an open and an outward righteousnes the other an inward righteousnes of the hart so yet that thou vnderstand by the outward righteousnes no other thyng saue the frute that foloweth and a declaryng of the inward iustifying and righteousnes of the hart and not that it maketh a man righteous before God but that he must be first righteous before hym in the hart Euen as thou mayst cal the frute of the tree the outward goodnes of the tree whiche foloweth and vttereth the inward naturall goodnes of the tree This meaneth Iames in hys Epistle where he sayth fayth without workes is dead that is if workes follow not it is a sure an euidēt signe that there is no fayth in the hart but a dead imagination and dreame whiche they falsly call fayth Of the same wise is this saying of Christ to be vnderstande Make you frendes of the vnrighteous Mammō that is shew your fayth openly and what ye are within in the harte with outward geuing and bestowyng your goodes on the poore that ye may obtayn frendes that is that the poore on whome thou hast shewed mercy may at the day of iudgement testify witnesse of thy good woorkes That thy fayth and what thou waste within in thy harte before God may there appeare by thy fruites openly vnto all men For vnto the right beleuyng shal all thinges be comfortable and vnto consolation at that terrible day And contrariwyse vnto the vnbeleuing all thing shall be vnto desperation and confusion and euery man shall be iudged openly and outwardly in the presence of all men accordyng to their dedes and workes So that not without a cause thou mayest call them thy frendes which testifye at that daye of thee that thou liuedst as a true and a right Christen man and folowedst the steppes of Christe in shewyng mercy as no doubt he doth which feleth God merciful in his hart And by y t workes is the fayth knowen that it was right and perfect For the outward workes can neuer please God nor make frend except they spring of fayth Forasmuch as Christ himselfe Math. 6. and 7. disaloweth and casteth away the woorkes of the Pharises yea prophesiyng and workyng of miracles and castyng out of deuils which we count and esteeme for very excellent vertues Yet make they no frendes with their woorkes whyle their hartes are false vnpure and their eye double Now wythout fayth is no harte true or eye single so that we are compelled to confesse that the workes make not a mā righteous or good but that the hart must first be righteous good ereany good worke proceede thence SEcondarily all good workes must be done free with a single eye with out respect of any thing and that no profite be sought therby That commaundeth Christ where he fayth Mat. 10. freely haue ye receyued freely geue agayne For looke as Christ with all his workes did not deserue heauē for that was hys already but did vs seruice therewith and neither looked nor sought his owne profite but our profite and the honour of God the father only Euen so we with all our workes may not seke our own profite neither in this worlde nor in heauen but must and ought freely to worke to honoure God withall and without all maner respecte seeke our neighboures profite and do hym seruice That meaneth Paul Phil. 2. saying Be minded as Christ was which beyng in the shape of God equall vnto God and euen very God layd that a part that is to say hid it And tooke on hym the forme and fashion of a seruaunt That is as concerning himself he had inough that he was full had all plentuousnesse of the Godhed and in all his workes sought our profite became our seruaunt The cause
but pure sinne and of Christ grace onely which are out of measure contrary But the similitude or likenes standeth in the originall byrth and not in the vertue vice of the byrth So that as Adam is father of all sinne so is Christ father of all righteousnes And as all sinners spryng of Adam EueÌ„ so all righteous men and women spryng of Christ After the same maner is here the vnrighteous stuard an ensample vnto vs in his wisedome and diligence onely in that he prouided so wisely for him self that we with righteousnes should be as diligeÌ„t to prouide for our soules as he with vnrighteousnes prouided for hys body Likewise mayst thou soyle all other textes which sound as though it were betwene vs and GOD as it is in the world where the reward is more looked vpon then the labour yea where men hate the labour and worke falssy with the body and not with the hart and no longer then they are loked vppon that the labour may appeare outward onely WHen Christ sayth Math. v. Blessed are ye wheÌ„ they rayle on you and persecute you and say all maner euill sayinges agaynst you and yet lye and that for my sake reioyse be glad for your reward is great in heauen Thou mayest not imagine that our deedes deserue the ioy and glorie that shal be geuen vnto vs. For then Paul saith Rom. xi fauour were not fauor I caÌ„ not receaue it of fauour of the bounteous of God freely and by deseruyng of deedes also But beleue as the Gospell glad tydynges promises of God say vnto thee that for Christes bloudes sake onely through fayth God is at one with thee and thou receaued to mercy and art become the sonne of God and heire annexed with with Christ of al the goodnes of God the earnest wherof is the spirite of god poured into our hartes Of whiche thynges the deedes are witnesses and certifie our consciences that our fayth is vnfayned and that the right spirite of God is in vs. For if I patieÌ„tly suffer aduersitie and tribulation for conscience of God onely that is to say because I know GOD and testifie the truth then am I sure that God hath chosen me in Christ and for Christes sake and hath put in me his spirite as an earnest of his promises whose workyng I feele in myne hart the deedes bearyng witnes vnto the same Now is it Christes bloud only that deserued all the promises of God that which I suffer and do is partely the curyng healyng and mortifiyng of my members and killing of that originall poyson wherwith I was conceiued and borne that I might be altogether like Christ and partly the doyng of my dutie to my neighbour whose debter I am of all that I haue receiued of God to draw him to Christ with al suffring with all patience and euen with sheading my bloud for him not as an offering or merite for hys sinnes but as an ensample to prouoke hym Christes bloud onely putteth away all the sinne that euer was is or shal be from them that are elect and repent beleuyng the Gospell that is to say gods promises in Christ AGayn in the same 5. chapter loue your ennemies blesse them that curse you doe well to them that hate you and persecute you that ye may be the sonnes of your father whiche is in heaueÌ„ For he maketh his sunne shine vpon euill on good and sendeth his rayne vpon iust and vniust Not that our woorkes make vs the sonnes of God but testifie onely and certifie our consciences that we are the sonnes of God and that God hath chosen vs washed vs in christes bloud and hath put his spirite in vs. And it foloweth if ye loue them that loue you what reward haue ye do not the Publicanes euen the same and if ye shall haue fauour to your frendes onely what singuler thing do ye doe not the Publicanes euen the same ye shal be perfect therefore as your father whiche is in heauen is perfect That is to say if that ye do nothing but that the world doth and they which haue the spirite of the world wherby shall ye know that ye are the sonnes of God and beloued of God more then the world But and if ye counterfet and follow God in well doyng then no doubt it is a signe that the spirite of God is in you and also the fauour of God which is not in the world and that ye are inheritoures of all the promises of God and elect vnto the fellowship of the bloud of Christ ALso Math 6. Take heede to your almes that ye do iâ— not in the sight of men to the eutenâ— that ye would be sâ—ne of them or els haue ye no reward with your father which is in heauen Neither cause a truÌ„pet to be blowen afore thee wheÌ„ thou doost thine almes as the hipocrites do in the sinagoges and in the streetes to be glorified of the worlde but when thou doost thine almes â—et not thy lefte hande knowe what thy right hand doth y â— thy almes may be in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly This putteth vs in remembraunce of our duetie and sheweth what followeth good workes not that works deserue it but that the reward is layd vp for vs in store and we thereunto elect through Christes bloud which the workes testify For if we be worldlye minded and do our works as y â— world doth how shall we know that GOD hath chosen vs out of the world But if we worke freely without all maner worldly respect to shew mercy and to do our duetie to our neighbour and to be vnto him as God is to vs then are we sure y t the fauour mercy of God is vpon vs that we shal enioy all the good promises of god through Christ which hath made vs heyres thereof ALso in the same chapter it followeth When thou prayest be not as the hipocrites which loue to stand and pray in the sinagoges and in the corners of the streetes for to bee sene of men But when thou prayest enter into thy chamber and shut thy dore to praye to thy father which is in secrete and thy father whiche seeth in secrete shal reward thee openly And likewise when we fast teacheth Christe in the same place that we should behaue our selues that it appeare not vnto men how that we fast but vnto our father which is in secret our father which seeth in secret shall reward vs openly These two textes do but declare what followeth good woorkes for eternall lyfe commeth not by the deseruyng of workes but is sayth Paul in y â— 6. to y â— Rom. the gift of God through Iesus Christ Neither do our workes iustify vs. For except we were iustified by fayth which is our righteousnes had the sprite of God in vs to teach vs we could
Christ which fulfilled the lawe for vs may euery parson that repenteth beleueth loue-eth the law and mourneth for streÌ„gth to fulfill it reioyce be he neuer so weake a sinner The two pence therefore and the credence that he left behynde him to bestowe more if neede were signifieth that he was euery where mercifull both present and absent without fayning cloking complayning or excusing and forsoke not his neighbour as long as he had nede Which example I pray God men may followe and let opera supererogationis alone MAry hath choseÌ„ a good part which shall not be taken from her Luk. x. She was first chosen of God and called by grace both to know her sin and also to heare the worde of fayth health and glad tidinges of mercy in Christ and fayth was geuen her to beleue the spirite of God loosed her hart from the bondage of sinne Then consented she to the will of God againe and aboue all thinges had delectation to heare the worde wherein she had obtayned euerlasting health and namely of his owne mouth which had purchased so great mercy for her God chuseth vs first and loueth vs first and openeth our eyes to see his exceeding aboundaunt loue to vs in Christ and then loue we agayne and accept his will aboue all thinges and serue him in that office whereunto he hath chosen vs. Sell that ye haue and geue almes And make you bagges which waxe not olde and treasure which faileth not in heauen Luke xij This such like are not spoken that we shoulde worke as hyrelinges in respect of rewarde and as though we shoulde obtayne heauen with merite For he saith a little afore feare not little flocke for it is your fathers pleasure to geue you a kingdome The kingdome commeth then of the good will of almighty God thorough Christ And such thinges are spoken partly to put vs in remembraunce of our dutie to be kynde agayne As is that saying let your light so shine before men that they seyng your good workes may glorifie your father which is in heaueÌ„ As who shoulde say if God hath geuen you so great giftes see ye be not vnthankefull but bestow them vnto his praise Some things are spoken to moue vs to put our trust in God as are these Beholde the Lyllies of the fielde Beholde the byrdes of the ayre If your children aske you bread will ye proffer them a stone and many such lyke Some are spoken to put vs in remeÌ„braunce to be sober to watch pray and to prepare our selues agaynst teÌ„ptations and that we should vnderstand and know how that temptations and occasion of euill come then most when they are least looked for least we should be carelesse and sure of our selues negligent and vnprepared Some thinges are spoken that we should feare the wonderfull and incoÌ„prehensible iudgementes of God lest we should presume Some to comfort vs that we dispayre not And for lyke causes are all the ensamples of the old TestameÌ„t In conclusion the scripture speaketh many thynges as the world speaketh But they may not be worldly vnderstand but ghostly and spiritually yea the spirite of God onely vnderstandeth them and where he is not there is not the vnderstandyng of the Scripture But vnfrutefull disputyng and braulyng about wordes The scripture sayth God seeth God heareth God smelleth God walketh God is with them God is not with them God is angry God is pleased God sendeth his spirite God taketh his spirite away and a thousande such like And yet is none of them true after the worldlye manner and as the wordes sound Read the second chapter of Paule to the Corinthians The naturall man vnderstandeth not the thinges of God but the spirite of God onely and we sayth he haue receaued the spirite whiche is of God to vnderstand the thynges which are geuen vs of God For without the spirite it is impossible to vnderstand them Read also the viij to the Romaines They that are led with the spirite of God are the sonnes of GOD. Now the sonne knoweth his fathers will and the seruauÌ„t that hath not the spirite of Christ sayth Paule is none of his Likewise he that hath not the spirite of GOD is none of gods for it is both one spirite as thou mayst see in the same place Now he that is of God heareth the word of God Iohn viij and who is of God but he that hath the spirite of God Furthermore sayth he ye heare it not because ye are not of God that is ye haue no lust in the word of God for ye vnderstand it not that because his spirite is not in you For as much then as the Scripture is no thyng els but that which the spirite of GOD hath spoken by the Prophetes and Apostles can not be vnderstand but of the same spirite Let euery man pray to God to send him his spirite to loose him from his naturall blindnes and ignoraunce and to geue him vnderstandyng and feelyng of the thynges of God of the speakyng of the spirite of GOD. And marke this processe First we are damned of nature so coÌ„ceaued and borne as a Serpent is a SerpeÌ„t and a tode a tode a snake a snake by nature And as thou â—eest a youÌ„g child which hath pleasure in many thynges wherein is present death as in fire water and so foorth would slea hym selfe with a thousand deathes if he were not wayted vpon and kept therfro Euen so we if we should liue these thousaÌ„d yeares could in al that tyme delite in no other thing nor yet seeke any other thyng but that wherein is death of the soule Secondarily of the whole multitude of the nature of man whom God hath elect and chosen and to whom he hath appointed mercy and grace in Christ to them sendeth he his spirite whiche openeth their eyes sheweth them their miserie and bryngeth them vnto the knowledge of them selues so that they hate and abhorre them selues are astonyed and amased and at their wittes endes neither wot what to do or wher to seeke health Then lest they should flee from God by desperation he comforteth theÌ„ agayne with his swete promises in Christ certifieth their harts that for Christes sake they are receaued to mercy and their sinnes forgeueÌ„ and they elect and made the sonnes of GOD and heyres with Christ of eternall lyfe thus through fayth are they set at peace with God Now may not we axe why GOD chuseth one and not an other eyther think that God is vniust to damne vs afore we do any actual dede seyng that god hath power ouer all hys creatures of right to do with theÌ„ what he lyst or to make of euery one of them as he listeth Our darknes can not perceaue his light God wil be feared and not haue his secret iudgementes knowen Moreouer we by the light of fayth see a thousand thynges which are impossible to
seruauntes of Christ doyng the wil of God from the hart with good will euen as thoughe ye serued the Lord and not men Eph. vj. And i. Pet. ij seruauntes obey your masters with all feare not onely if they be good and curteous but also though they be froward For it commeth of grace if a man for conscience towarde God endure grief suffering wrongfully For what prayse is it if when ye be buffeted for your faultes ye take it paciently But and if when ye do well ye suffer wrong and take it paciently thē is there thanke with God Hereunto verely were ye called For Christ also suffred for our sakes leauing vs an example to follow hys steppes In what so euer kynde therefore thou art a seruaunt during the tyme of thy couenauntes thy maister is vnto thee in the stede and rowme of God and God thorough hym feedeth thee clotheth thee ruleth thee and learneth thee His cōmaundementes are Gods commaundementes and thou oughtest to obey hym as God and in all thinges to seeke his pleasure and profite For thou art his good and possession as hys Oxe or hys Horse in so much that who so euer doth but desire thee in hys hart from him without his loue and licence is condēned of God which sayth Exod. xx See thou once couet not thy neighbours seruauntes Paule the Apostle sent home Onemus vnto his maister as thou readest in the epistle of Paule to Philemon In so much that though the sayd Philemon with his seruaunt also was cōuerted by Paul obeyed vnto Paule and to the worde that Paule preached not hys seruaunt onely but also himselfe yea and though that Paule was in necessitie and lacked ministers to minister vnto hym in y t bondes which he suffered for the Gospels sake yet would he not retaine the seruaunt necessary vnto the furtheraunce of the Gospell wythout the consent of the mayster O how sore differeth the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles from the doctrine of the Pope and of his Apostles For if any man wyll obeye neither father nor mother neither Lord nor maister neither King nor Prince the same needeth but onely to take the marke of the beast that is to shaue himselfe a Monke a Fryer or a priest and is then immediatly free and exempted from all seruice and obedience due vnto man He that will obey no man as they will not is most acceptable vnto them The more disobedient that thou art vnto Gods ordinaūces the more apt meete art thou for theirs Neither is the professing vowing and swearyng obediēce vnto their ordinaunces any other thyng thē the defiyng denying forswearyng obedience vnto the ordinaunces of God ¶ The obedience of Subiectes vnto kinges Princes and rulers LEt euery soule submit himself vnto the aucthoritie of the hyer powers There is no power but of God The powers that be are ordayned of God Whosoeuer therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinaunce of God They that resist shal receaue to themselues damnation For rulers are not to be feared for good workes but for euill Wilt thou be without feare of the power Do well then and so shalt thou be praysed of the same For he is the minister of God for thy wealth But and if thou do euill then feare For he beareth not a swearde for nought For he is the minister of god to take vengeaunce on them that do euill Wherefore ye must needes obey not for feare of vengeaunce onely but also because of conscience Euen for this cause pay ye tribute For they are Gods ministers seruing for the same purpose Geue to euery man therefore hys dutie Tribute to whom tribute belongeth Custome to whom custome is due feare to whome feare belongeth honour to whome honour perteineth Owe nothing to any man but to loue one an other For he that loueth an other fulfilleth the lawe For these commaundementes Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not steale Thou shalt not beare false witnes Thou shalt not desire and so forth if there be any other commaundement are all comprehended in thys saying Loue thyne neighbour as thy selfe Loue hurteth not his neighbour therfore is loue the fulfilling of the lawe AS a father ouer his children is both Lorde and iudge forbidding one brother to auenge hymselfe on an other but if any cause of strife be betwene them will haue it brought vnto hymselfe or his assignes to be iudged and correct so God forbiddeth all men to auenge themselues and taketh the aucthoritie and office of auenging vnto himselfe saying Vengeance is myne and I will rewarde Deut. xxxij Which text Paule alleageth Rom. xij For it is impossible that a man should be a righteous an egall or an indifferent iudge in hys owne cause lustes and appetites so blinde vs. Moreouer when thou auengest thy self thou makest not peace but stirrest vp more debate God therefore hath geuē lawes vnto all nations and in all landes hath put kinges gouerners and rulers in hys owne stede to rule the world thorough them And hath commaunded all causes to be brought before them as thou readest Exod. xxij In all causes sayth he of iniury or wrong whether it be Oxe Asse shepe or vesture or any lost thing which an other chalengeth let the cause of both parties be brought vnto the Gods whome the Gods condemne the same shall paye double vnto his neighbour Marke the iudges are called Gods in the Scriptures because they are in Gods rowme and execute the commaundements of God And in an other place of the sayde chapter Moses chargeth saying see that thou rayle not on the Gods neither speake euill of the ruler of thy people Who so euer therefore resisteth them resisteth God for they are in y ◠rowne of God and they that reliste shall receaue the damnation Such obedience vnto father and mother mayster husband Emperor King Lordes and rulers requireth God of all nations yea of the very Turkes and Infidels The blessing and rewarde of them that kepe them is the life of thys worlde as thou readest Leuit. xviij Keepe my ordinaunces and lawes which if a man keepe he shall liue therein which text Paule rehearseth Rom. x. prouing thereby that the righteousnes of the law is but worldly and the rewarde thereof is the lyfe of thys worlde And the curse of them that breaketh them is the losse of thys life as thou seest by y ◠punishment appointed for them And whoseuer keepeth the lawe whether it be for feare for vayne glory or profite though no man rewarde hym yet shall God blesse him aboundantly and send hym worldly prosperitie as thou readest Deut. xxviij What good blessinges accompany the keping of the lawe and as we see the Turkes farre exceede vs Christen men in worldly prosperity for their iust keeping of their temporall lawes Likewise though no man punishe the breakers of the lawe yet shall God send hys curses
how shall they heare wythout a preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent As it is writteÌ„ saith he how beautifull are the fecte that bring glade tydinges of peace and bringe tydynges of good thynges Now when sent God any messengers vnto the deuils to preach them peace or any good thyng The deuill hath no promise he is therefore excluded from Paules fayth The deuill beleueth that Christ dyed but not that he dyed for hys sinnes Neither doth any that coÌ„senteth in the hart to continue in sinne beleue that Christ dyed for him For to beleue that Christ dyed for vs is to see our horrible damnation and how we were appointed vnto eternall paines and to feele and to be sure that we are deliuered therefroÌ„ thorough Christ in that we haue power to hate our sins and to loue Gods commaundements All such repent and haue their hartes loosed out of captiuitie and bondage of sinne and are therefore iustified thorough fayth in Christ Wicked sinners haue no fayth but imaginations and opinions about Christ as our schole men haue in their principles about whiche they braule so fast one with another It is an other thyng to beleue y â— the kyng is rich that he is rich vnto me and that my part is therein and that he will not spare a peny of his riches at my neede when I beleue that the king is rich I am not moued But when I beleue that he is rich for me that he will neuer faile me at my nede then loue I and of loue am ready to worke vnto the vttermost of my power But let vs returne at the last vnto our purpose agayne WHat is the cause that laye men can not now rule as well as in times past and as the Turkes yet doe Verely because that Antichrist wyth the miste of hys iugglyng hath beguiled our eyes and hath cast a superstitious feare vpon the world of christen men hath taught theÌ„ to dread not God his worde but hymselfe and his word not Gods law and ordinaunces princes and officers which God hath set to rule the world but his owne law and ordinaunces traditions and ceremonies and disguised disciples which he hath set euery where to deceaue the world and to expell the lyght of Gods worde that his darcknes may haue roome For we see by dayly experience of certayne hundred yeares loÌ„g that he which feareth neyther God nor hys worde neyther regardeth father mother mayster or Christ hymself which rebelleth against God ordinaunces riseth agaynst the kynges and resisteth hys officers dare not once lay handes on one of the Popes annoynted no though he sley hys father before hys face or do violence vnto his brother or defile his sister wife or mother Like honour geue we vnto his traditions ceremonies What deuotion haue we when we are blessed as they call it with the chalice or when the Byshop lifteth vp his holy hand ouer vs Who dare handle the chalice touch the Alter stone or put his hand in the fount or hys finger into the holy oyle What reuerence geue we vnto holy water holy â—yre holy bread holy salt halowed belles holy waxe holy bowes holy candels and holy ashes And last of all vnto the holy caÌ„dle commit we our soules at our last departyng Yea and of the very cloute which the Byshop or his chapplen that standeth by knitteth about childrens neckes at confirmatioÌ„ what lay person durst be so bold as to to vnloose the knot Thou wilt say do not such thinges bring the holy Ghost and put away sinne and driue away spirites I say that a stedfast fayth or belefe in Christ in the promises that God hath sworne to geue vs for hys sake bringeth the holy Ghost as all the Scriptures make mention as Paul sayth Actes xix haue ye receaued the holy Ghost through fayth or beleuing Fayth is the rocke where on Christ buildeth hys congregation agaynst whiche â—ayth Christ Math. xvj hell gates shall not preuaile As soone as thou beleuest in Christ the holy Ghost commeth sinne falleth away and deuils flye when we cast holy water at the deuill or ryng the belles he fleeth as men do from young children and mocketh with vs to bring vs from the true fayth that is in Gods word vnto a superstitious and a false belefe of our owne imagination If thou haddest fayth threwest an vnhalowed stone at his head he would earnestly flee and without mockyng yea though thou threwest nothyng at all he would not yet abyde Though that at the beginnyng miracles were shewed through such ceremonies to moue the infidels to beleue the word of God As thou readest how the Apostles annoynted the sicke with oyle and healed them and Paul sent his pertelet or Iirkyn to the sicke and healed them also Yet was it not the ceremonie that did the miracle but fayth of the preacher and the truth of God which had promised to confirme and stablish his Gospell with such miracles Therfore as soone as the gift of miracles ceased ought the ceremonie to haue ceased also or els if they will needes haue a ceremonie to signifie some promise or benefite of GOD whiche I prayse not but would haue Gods word preached euery Sonday for which entent Sondayes and holy dayes were ordeined then let them tel the people what it meaneth and not set vp a haulde and a naked ceremonie without significatioÌ„ to make the people beleue therein and to quenche the fayth that ought to be geuen vnto the word of God What helpeth it also that the Priest wheÌ„ he goeth to Masse disguifeth him selfe with a great part of the passion of Christ and playeth out the rest vnder silence with signes and profers with noddyng beckyng and mowyng as it were Iacke an apes when neither he him selfe neither any man els woteth what he meaneth not at all verely but hurteth and that excedyngly For as much as it not onely destroyeth the fayth quencheth the loue that should be geuen vnto the commaundements and maketh the people vnthankefull in that it bringeth them into such superstition that they thinke that they haue done aboundantly ynough for God yea deserued aboue measure if they be present once in a day at such mummyng But also maketh the infidels to mocke vs and abhorre vs in that they see nothyng but such apes play among vs where of no man can geue a reason All this commeth to passe to fulfill the prophesie which Christ prophesied Marke xiij And Luke xxj that there shall come in his name which shall say that they them selues are Christ That do verely the Pope and our holy orders of Religion For they vnder the name of Christ preach theÌ„ selues their own word and their own traditions and teach the people to beleue in them The Pope geueth pardons of his full power of the treasure of the Church and of the merites of Saintes
Disciples hee aunswered The blind see the lepers are clensed the dead arise againe c. meanyng that if I do the workes which are prophesied that Christ should do when he coÌ„meth why doubt ye whether I be hee or no as who should say aske y â— scripture whether I be Christ or no not my selfe How happeneth it then that our Prelates wil not come to the light also that we may see whether their workes be wrought in GOD or no Why feare they to let the â—ay men see what they do Why make they all their examinations in darkenes Why examine they not their causes of heresie openly as the lay men do their fellous and murtherers Wherefore did Christ and his Apostles also warne vs so diligently of Antichrist and of false Prophetes that should come Because that we should slomber or sleepe carelesse or rather that we should looke in the light of the Scripture with all diligeÌ„ce to spie them when they came and not to suffer our selues to be disceaued and led out of y â— way Iohn biddeth iudge the spirites Whereby shall we iudge them but by the Scripture How shalt thou know whether the Prophet be true or false or whether hee speake Gods word of his owne head if thou wilt not see the Scriptures Why sayd Dauid in the second Psalme be learned ye that iudge the earth lest the Lord be angry with you and ye perish froÌ„ the right way A terrible warnyng verely yea and looke on the stories well thou shalt finde very few kinges sence the beginning of the world that haue not perished from the right way and that because they would not be learned The Emperour and Kynges are nothyng now a dayes but euen hangmen vnto the Pope and Byshops to kill whosoeuer they condemne without any more a do as Pylate was vnto the Scribes and Phariseis and the hye Byshops to hang Christ For as those Prelates aunswered Pylate wheÌ„ he asked what he had done if he were not an euill doer we would not haue brought him vnto thee As who should say we are to holy to do any thyng amisse y u mayst beleue vs well inough yea and his bloude on our heades sayd they kill him hardly we will beare the charge our soules for thyne we haue also a law by which he ought to dye for he calleth him selfe Gods sonne Euen so say our Prelates he ought to dye by our lawes he speaketh agaynst the Church And your grace is sworne to defend the liberties and ordinaunces of the Church and to maynteine our most holy fathers authoritie our soules for yours ye shall do a meritorious dede therin Neuertheles as Pylate escaped not the iudgement of God euen so is it to be feared lest our temporall powers shall not Wherfore be learned ye that iudge the earth lest the Lord be angry with you and ye perish from the right way Who slew the Prophetes Who slew Christ Who slew his Apostles Who the martirs and all the righteous that euer were slayne The kynges and the temporall sword at the request of the false Prophetes They deserued such murther to do and to haue their part with y e hypocrites because they would not be learned and see the truth them selues Wherfore suffered y â— Prophets because they rebuked the hypocrites which beguiled the world and namely Princes and rulers and taught them to put their trust in thynges of vanitie and not in Gods word And taught them to do such deedes of mercy as were profitable vnto no man but vnto the false Prophetes them selues onely makyng marchauÌ„dise of Gods word wherfore slew they Christ euen for rebuking the hipocrites because he said wo be to you Scribes and Phariseis hypocrites for ye shut vp the kyngdome of heaueÌ„ before men Math. xxiij that is as it is writteÌ„ Luke xj ye haue taken away the keye of knowledge The law of God whiche is the keye wherewith men bynde and the promises which are the keyes wherewith men loose haue our hypocrites also taken away They will suffer no man to know Gods word but burne it and make heresie of it yea and because the people begyn to smell their falsehode they make it treason to the kyng and breakyng of the kynges peace to haue so much as their Pater noster in English And in stede of Gods law they bynde w t their owne law And in stede of Gods promises they lose iustifye with pardons and ceremonies which they them selues haue imagined for their owne profite They preach it were better for thee to eate fleshe on good Friday then to hate thy neighbour but let any man eate flesh but on a Saterday or breake any other tradition of theirs and he shal be bounde not losed till hee haue payd the vtter most farthing either with shame most vyle or death most cruell but hate thy neighbour as much as thou wilt and thou shalt haue no rebuke of them yea robbe him murther him and theÌ„ come to them and welcome They haue a saÌ„ctuary for thee to saue thee yea and a neckuerse if thou canst but read a litle Latinly though it be neuer so soryly so that y â— be ready to receaue y â— beastes marke They care for no vnderstandyng it is inough if thou canst rowle vp a payre of Mattens or an Euensong and mumble a few ceremonies And because they be rebuked this they rage Be learned therefore ye that iudge y â— world lest God be angry with you and ye perish from the right way Wo be to you scribes and phariseis ypocrites sayth Christ Math. xriij for ye deudure widdowes houses vnder a coulor of long prayer Our hypocrites robbe not the widdowes onely but Knight Squyre Lord Duke Kyng and Emperour and euen the whole world vnder the same couloure teaching the people to trust in their prayers and not in Christ for whose sake God hath forgeuen all the synne of the whole worlde vnto as many as repeÌ„t and beleue They feare theÌ„ with purgatory and promyse to pray perpetually least the laÌ„des should euer returne home agayne vnto the right heyres What hast thou bought with robbyng thy heyres or wyth geuing the hypocrites that which thou robbest of other men Perpetuall prayer Yea perpetuall payne For they appoint thee no tyme of deliueraunce their prayers are so mighty The Pope for money can empty purgatory when he will It is verely purgatory For it purgeth and maketh cleane riddaunce yea it is hel For it deuoureth all thynges Hys fatherhode sendeth them to heauen with scala coeli that is wyth a ladder to scale the walles For by the dore Christ wil they not let them come in That dore haue they stopped vp and that because ye should buye ladders of them For some they pray dayly which gaue theÌ„ perpetuities and yet make Saintes of them receauing offeringes in theyr names and
to put on sackecloth to sprinkle themselues with ashes and earth when they heard of or saw any sorowful thing as it was Paules maner to stretch out his hand when he preached And as it is our maner to holde vp our handes when we pray and as some kisse their thome nayle and put it to their eyes and as we put our handes on childrens heades when we blesse theÌ„ saying Christ blesse thee my sonne and God make thee a good man which gestures neither helpe nor hinder This mayst thou well see by the xiij of the Actes where the holy Ghost commaunded to separate Paul and Barnabas to go and preach TheÌ„ the other fasted and prayed and put their handes on their heades and sent them forth They receaued not the holy Ghost theÌ„ by putting on of hands but the other as they put their handes on their heades prayed for them that God would goe with them strength them and coraged them also bidding them to be strong in God and warned them to be faythfull and diligent in the worke of God and so forth ¶ Anoyling LAst of all commeth the anoyling wythout promise and therefore without the spirite and without profet but altogether vnfruitfull and superstitious The sacramentes which they haue imagined are all wythout promise and therefore helpe not For whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne Rom. xiiij Now without a promise can there be no fayth The sacraments which Christ himselfe ordeined which haue also promises and would saue vs if we knew them and beleued them them minister they in the latine touÌ„g So are they also become as vnfruitfull as the other Yea they make vs beleue that the worke it self without the promise saueth vs which doctrine they learned of Aristotle And thus are we become an hundred tymes worse then the wicked Iewes which beleued that the very worke of their sacrifice iustified them Against which Paul fighteth in euery epistle prouing that nothyng helpeth saue the promises which God hath sworne in Christ Aske the people what they vnderstand by their Baptime or washing And thou shalt see that they beleue how that the very plunging into the water saueth them of the promises they know not nor what is signified thereby Baptime is called volowing in many places of England because the priest sayth â—olo say ye The childe was well volowed say they yea and our Vicare is as fayre a volower as euer a priest within this twenty miles Beholde how narowly the people looke on the ceremony If ought be left out or if the childe be not altogether dipt in the water or if because y â— childe is sicke y t priest dare not plunge him into the water but poure water on his head how tremble they how quake they how say ye sir Iohn say they is this childe christened enough hath it his full christendome They beleue verely that the childe is not christened yea I haue knowen Priestes that haue gone vnto the orders againe supposing that they were not priestes because that the Byshop left one of his ceremonies vndon That they call coÌ„firmation the people call Byshoping They thinke that if the Byshop butter the childe in y e forehead that it is safe They thinke that the worke maketh safe and likewise suppose they of anoyling Now is this false doctrine verely For Iames sayth in y â— fyrst chapter of hys Epistle Of his good wyll begat he vs with y â— word of life that is with the worde of promise In which we are made Gods sonnes heires of the goodnes of god before any good workes For we can not worke Gods will tyll we be hys sonnes and know hys wyll and haue hys spirite to teach vs. And Saint Paule sayth in y t fyft chapter of hys Epistle to the Ephesians Christ clensed the congregation in the fountayne of water thorough the worde And Peter saith in the first of his first epistle Ye are borne anew not of mortall seede but of immortall seede by the worde of God which liueth and lasteth euer Paule in euery Epistle warneth vs that we put no trust in workes and to beware of perswasions or arguments of mans wisdome of superstitiousnes of ceremonies of Pope holynes and of all maner disguising And exhorteth vs to cleaue fast vnto the the naked and pure worde of God The promise of God is the Anker that saueth vs in all teÌ„ptations If all y â— world be against vs Gods word is stronger then y e world If the world kill vs that shall make vs aliue agayne If it be possible for the worlde to cast vs into hell from thence yet shall Gods worde bring vs agayne Herby seest thou that it is not the worke but the promise that iustifieth vs thorough fayth Now where no promise is there can no fayth be and therefore no iustifiyng though there be neuer so glorious workes The Sacrament of Christes body after this wise preach they Thou must beleue that it is no more bread but the very body of Christ flesh bloud and bone euen as he went here on earth saue his coate For that is here yet I wot not in how many places I pray thee what helpeth all this Here is no promise The deuils know that Christ dyed on a Fryday and the Iewes also What are they holpe thereby We haue a promise that Christ and his body and his bloud and all that he did and suffered is a sacrifice a raunsome and a full satisfaction for our sinnes that God for his sake wyll thinke no more on them if they haue power to repent and beleue Holy worke men thinke that God reioyceth in the deede selfe without any further respecte They thinke also that God as a cruell tyrant reioyceth and hath delectation in our payne takyng without any further respect And therefore many of them martyr themselues wythout cause after the ensample of Baals Priestes which iij. Reg. xviij cut themselues to please theyr God with all and as the olde heathen pagans sacrificed their children in the fyre vnto their Gods The Monkes of the Charterhouse thinke that y â— very eating of fishe in it selfe pleaseth God and referre not the eating vnto the chastening of the body For when they haue slayne their bodyes wyth colde fleme of fisheating yet then will they eate no fleshe and sley themselues before their dayes We also when we offer our sonnes or daughters and compell or perswade them to vowe professe chastitie thinke that y â— very payne and that rage and burning which they suffer in absteining from a make pleaseth God and so referre not our chastitie vnto our neighbours profet For when we see thousandes fall to innumerable diseases therby and to die before their dayes yea though we see theÌ„ breake the commaundementes of God dayly and also of very impatiency worke abhominations against nature to shamefull to be spoken of yet wyll we not let them marry but compell
euerlastyng promises eternall Testament that God had made betwene man and hym in Christes bloud and the miracles dyd testifie also that they were true seruauntes of Christ Paul preached not him selfe he taught not any maÌ„ to trust in him or his holynes or in Peter or in any ceremonie but in the promises which God hath sworne onely yea he mightyly resisteth all suche false doctrine both to the Corinthians Galathians EphesiaÌ„s and euery where If this be true as it is true and nothyng more truer that if Paul had preached him self or taught any maÌ„ to beleue in his holynes or prayer or in any thyng saue in the promises that GOD hath made and sworne to geue vs for Christes sake he had bene a false Prophet why am not I also a false Prophet if I teach thee to trust in Paule or in hys holines or prayer or in any thing saue in Gods word as Paul dyd If Paule were here and loued me as he loued them of his tyme of whoÌ„ he was sent and to whoÌ„ he was a seruaunt to preache Christ what good could he doe for me or wishe me but preach Christ and pray to God for me to open myne hart to geue me his spirite to bring me vnto the full knowledge of Christ vnto which porte or hauen when I am once come I am as safe as Paule felow with Paule ioyntheyre with Paul of all the promises of God and gods truth heareth my prayer as well as Paules I also now could not but loue Paul wish him good and pray for him that God would strength him in all his temptations geue him victory as he would do for me Neuerthelesse there are many weake and young consciences alwayes in the congregation which they that haue the office to preach ought to teach and not to disceaue them What prayers pray our Clergy for vs which stoppe vs and exclude vs froÌ„ Christ and seke all the meanes possible to kepe vs from knowledge of Christ They compell vs to hyre Friers Monkes Nunnes Chanons and Priestes to buye their abhominable merites and to hyre the Saintes that are dead to pray for vs for the very Saintes haue they made hyrelynges also because that their offeryngs come to their profite What pray all those that we might come to the knowledge of Christ as the Apostles did Nay verely For it is a plaine case that all they which enforce to kepe vs from Christ pray not that we might come to the knowledge of Christ And as for the Saintes whose prayer was wheÌ„ they were a lyne that we might be grounded stablished and streÌ„gthed in Christ onely if it were of God that we should this wise worshyp them contrary vnto their owne doctrine I dare be bold to affirme that by the meanes of their prayers we should haue bene brought long a go vnto the knowledge of God and Christ agayne though that these beastes had done their worste to set it Let vs therefore set our hartes at rest in Christ and in Gods promises for so I thinke it best and let vs take the Saintes soran example onely and let vs do as they both taught and dyd Let vs set Gods promises before our eyes and desire him for his mercy and for Christes sake to fulfill them And he is as true as euer he was and will do it as well as euer he dyd for to vs are the promises made as well as to them Moreouer the end of Gods miracles is good the ende to these miracles are euill For the offerynges which are the cause of the miracles do but minister and maynteine vice sinne and all abhomination and are geuen to them that haue to much so that for very aboundance they â—ome out their owne shame and corrupt the whole worlde with the styuch of their filthines Therto what soeuer is not of fayth is sinne Roma xiiij Fayth commeth by hearyng Gods woorde Roma x. when now thou fastest or doest any thyng in the worship of any Saint beleuyng to come to the fauour of God or to bee saued thereby if thou haue Gods worde then is it true fayth and shall saue thee If thou haue not Gods woorde then is it a false fayth superstitiousnes and Idolatry and damnable sinne Also in the Collects of the Saintes with whiche we pray God to saue vs through the merites or deseruynges of the Saintes which Saintes yet were not saued by their owne deseruynges them selues we say Per Christ 〈◊〉 DominuÌ„ nostrum that is for Christ our Lordes sake We say saue vs good Lord thorough the saintes merites for Christes sake How can he saue vs through the Saintes merites for Christes sake and for hys deseruyng merites and loue Take an example A Gentleman sayth vnto me I will do the vttemost of my power for thee for the loue whiche I owe vnto thy father Though thou hast neuer done me pleasure yet I loue thy father well thy father is my frend and hath deserued that I doe all that I can for thee c. Here is a Testament and a promise made vnto me in the loue of my father onely If I come to the sayd Gentleman in the name of one of his seruauntes whiche I neuer saw neuer spake with neither haue any acquaintaunce at all with and say Syr I pray you be good master vnto me in such a cause I haue not deserued that he should so do Neuerthelesse I pray you doe it for such a seruauntes sake yea I pray you for the loue that you owe to my father doe that for me for such a seruauntes sake If I this wise made my petition would not meÌ„ thinke that I come late out of S. Patrikes Purgatory had left my wittes behinde me This do we For the TestameÌ„t and promises are all made vnto vs in Christ And we desire God to fulfill hys promises for the Saintes sake yea that he will for Christes sake do it for the Saintes sake They haue also martyrs which neuer preached Gods worde neither dyed therefore but for priuileges and liberties which they falsely purchased contrary vnto Gods ordinaunces Yea such Saintes though they be deade yet robbe now as fast as euer they did neither are lesse couetous now then when they were aliue I doubt not but that they will make a Saint of my Lord Cardinall after the death of vs that be aliue and know his iuggling and crafty conueiaunce and will shrine him gloriously for his mightily defending of the right of holy Church except we be diligent to leaue a commemoration of that Nimroth behind vs. The reasons wherewith they proue their doctrine are but fleshly and as Paule calleth them entising wordes of mans wisdome that is to witte sophistry and brauling argumentes of men with corrupt mindes and destitute of the truth whose God is their bellye vnto which idole whosoeuer offereth not the same is an heretike and worthy to be brunt The
though they were annointed by Gods commaundement and appoynted to serue God in his temple and exempte from all offices ministering of wordly matters were yet neuerthelesse vnder the temporall sword if they brake y e lawes Christ sayth to Peter all that take y e sword shal perish by the sword Here is none exception Paul saith all soules must obey Here is none exception Paule hym selfe is here not exempt God sayth Gene. ix Who soeuer sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed agayn Here is none exception Moreouer Christ became poore to make other men riche and bound to make other free He left also with his Disciples the law of loue Now loue seketh not her owne profite but her neighbours loue sceketh not her own fredome but becommeth suretie and bonde to make her neighbour fre Dāned therfore are the spiritualtie by all the lawes of God which through falshead disguised hipocrisie haue sought so great profit so great riches so great authoritie and so great liberties and haue so bedgerd the lay so brought them in subiectiō and bondage and so despised thē that they haue set vp frāchises in all townes and villages for who soeuer robbeth murthereth or slayeth them and euen for traytours vnto the kynges person also I proued also that no kyng hath power to graūt them such libertie but are as well damned for their geuyng as they for their false purchasing For as God geueth the father power ouer his children euen so geueth he hym a commaundement to execute it and not to suffer them to do wickedly vnpunished but vnto his damnation as thou mayst see by Hely the hygh Priest c. And as the master hath authoritie ouer his seruauntes euen so hath he a commaundement to gouerne them And as the husband is head ouer hys wife euen so hath he commaundemēt to rule her appetites and is damned if he suffer her to be an whore a misse liuer or submit him self to her make her his head And euen in lyke maner as God maketh the kyng head ouer his Realme euen so geueth he him cōmaundement to execute the lawes vppon all men indifferently For the law is Gods and not the kyngs The king is but a seruaunt to execute the law of God and not to rule after his owne imagination I shewed also that the law and the kyng are to be feared as thinges that were geuēin fire and in thunder and lightning terrible signes I shewed the cause why rulers are euill and by what meanes we might obtaine better I shewed also how wholesome those bitter medicines euill Princes are to right Christen men I declared how they whiche God hath made gouerners in the worlde ought to rule if they be Christē They ought to remēber that they are heades and armes to defend the body to minister peace health wealth and euē to saue the body and that they haue receaued their offices of God to minister to do seruice vnto their brethrē Kyng subiect Master seruaunt are names in the world but not in Christ In Christ we are all one and euen brethren No man is his own but we are all Christes seruauntes bought with Christes bloud Therfore ought no mā to seke him selfe or his owne profite but Christ and his will In Christ no man ruleth as a kyng his subiectes or a master his seruaunts but serueth as one hand doth to an other and as the handes do vnto the feete and the feete to the handes as thou seest 1. Cor. xij We also serue not as seruauntes vnto masters but as they which are bought with Christes bloud serue Christ hym selfe We be here all seruauntes vnto Christ For what soeuer we do one to an other in Christes name that do we vnto Christ the reward of that shall we receaue of Christ The kyng counteth his cōmōs Christ himselfe therfore doth thē seruice willingly seeking no more of thē thē is sufficiēt to mainteine peace vnitie to defēde the realme And they obey agayne willingly and louingly as vnto Christ And of Christ euery man seketh his reward I warned the iudges that they take not an ensample how to minister their offices of our spiritualtie whiche are bought and solo to do the will of Sathā but of the Scripture whence they haue their authoritie Let that which is secret abyde secret till God open it which is the iudge of secretes For it is more then a cruell thyng to breake vp into a mans hart to compell him to put either soule or body in ieopardy or to shame him selfe If Peter that great piller for feare of death forsoke hys master ought we not to spare weake consciences I declared how the kyng ought to ridde his Realme from the wily tyrāny of the hypocrites and to bryng the hypocrites vnder his lawes yea and how he ought to be learned to heare and to looke vpon the causes him selfe which he wil punish and not to beleue the hypocrites and to geue them his sword to kill whom they will The kyng ought to count what he hath spent in the Popes quarell sens he was kyng The first viage cost vpō xiiij hundred thousand poundes Rekē sens what hath bene spēt by sea and land betwene vs and Frenchmen and Scottes and then in triumphes and in Ambasiasies and what hath bene sent out of the Realme secretly and all to mainteine our holy father and I doubt not but that will surmount the some of xl or l. hundred thousand poūdes For we had no cause to spend one peny but for our holy father The king therfore ought to make them pay this money euery farthing and fette it out of their myters croses shrines and all maner treasure of the Church and pay it to his commons again not that onely which the Cardinal and his Bishops compelled the commōs to lend and made thē sweare with such an ensample of tyrāny as was neuer before thought on but also all that he hath gathered of them Or els by the cōsent of the commons to keepe it in store for the defence of the realme Yea the kyng ought to loke in the Chronicles what the Popes haue done to kings in time past and make them restore it also And ought to take away from them theyr landes whiche they haue gotten with their false prayers restore it vnto the right heyres agayne or with consent aduisemēt turne them vnto the maynteinyng of the poore and bringyng vp of youth vertuously and to maynteine necessary officers and ministers for to defend the common wealth If he will not do it then ought the commons to take pacience and to take it for Gods scourge and to thinke that God hath blynded the kyng for theyr sinnes sake and commit their cause to God And then shall God make a scourge for them and driue them out of his Temple after hys wonderfull iudgement ON the other side I haue also
vttered the wickednes of the spiritualtie the falshead of the Byshops and iugglyng of the Pope and how they haue disguised them selues borowyng some of their pompe of y e Iewes and some of the Gentiles and haue with suttill wyles turned the obedience that should be geuen to Gods ordinaunce vnto them selues And how they haue put out Gods Testament and Gods truth and set vp their owne traditions and lyes in which they haue taught y e people to beleue there by sit in their consciences as God and haue by that meanes robbed the world of landes goodes of peace and vnitie and of all temporal authoritie and haue brought the people into the ignoraunce of God haue heaped the wrath of God vpon all realmes namely vpon the kings Whom they haue robbed I speake not of worldly thinges onely but euen of their very natural wittes They make theÌ„ beleue that they are most Christen wheÌ„ they lyue most abhominably and will suffer no man in their Realmes that beleueth on Christ and that they are defenders of the fayth when they burne the Gospell promises of God out of which all fayth springeth I shewed how they haue ministred Christ Kyng and Emperour out of their rowmes how they haue made them a seuerall kyngdome which they gote at the first in deceauyng of Princes and now peruert the whole scripture to proue that they haue such authoritie of God And lest the lay men should see how falsely they alledge the places of the Scripture is the greatest cause of this persecution They haue fained confession for the same purpose to stablish their kyngdome with all All secretes know they therby The Bishop knoweth the confession of whom he lusteth throughout all his Dioces Yea and his Chaunceler commaundeth the ghostly father to deliuer it written The pope his Cardinals and Byshops know the confession of the Emperour Kyngs of all Lordes by confession they know all their captiues If any beleue in Christ by confession they know him Shriue thy selfe where thou wilt whether at Sion charterhouse or at the obseruaÌ„ts thy confession is knowen wel inough And thou if thou beleue in Christ art wayted vppon Wonderfull are the thinges that therby are wrought The wife is feared and compelled to utter not her own onely but also the secretes of her husband and the seruaunt the secretes of his master Besides that thoraugh confession they quench the fayth of all the promises of God and take away the effect and vertue of all y e Sacramentes of Christ They haue also corrupted y â— Saintes liues with lyes and fayned miracles haue put many thinges out of the sentence or great curse as raysing of â—ente and fines and hyring men out of their houses and whatsoeuer wickednes they them selues do haue put a great part of the stories and Chronicles on t of the waye lest their falshead shoulde be sene For there is no mischieues or disorder whether it be in the temporall regiment or els in the spiritual wherof they are not the chief causes and eueÌ„ the very fountayne and springes and as we say the wel head so that it is impossible to preach agaynst mischief except thou begyn at them or to set any reformation in the world except thou reforme them first Now are they indurate and tough as Pharao and will not bow vnto any right way or order And therefore persecute they Gods word and the preachers therof and on the other side lye awayte vnto all princes stirre vp all mischief in the world and send them to warre and occupy their myndes therewith or with other voluptuousnes lest they should haue laysure to heare the word of God and to set an order in their realmes By them is all thing ministred and by them are all kynges ruled yea in euery kynges conscience sit they â—re he be king and persuade euery king what they lust and make theÌ„ both to beleue what they will and to doe what they will Neither can any kyng or any realme haue rest for their businesses Behold kyng Henry the v. whom they seÌ„t out for such a purpose as they sent out our kyng that now is See how the Realme is inhabited Aske where the goodly townes and their walles and the people that was wont to be in theÌ„ are become and where the bloud royal of the Realme is become also Turne thine eyes whether thou wilt thou shalt see nothing prosperons but their suttle pollyng With that it is flowyng water yea and I trust it wil be shortly a full see In all their doynges though they pretend outwardly the honour of God or a common wealth their entent and secret Councell is onely to bryng all vnder their power and to take out of the way who soeuer letteth them or is to mighty for them As wheÌ„ they send the Princes to Hierusalem to coÌ„quere the holy land and to fight agaynst the Turkes What soeuer they pretende outwardly their secret entent is while the Princes there conquere them more Bishoprikes to conquere their landes in the meane season with their false hipocrisie and to bryng all vnder them which thou mayest easely perceaue by that they will not let vs know y â— fayth of Christ And when they are ones on hye then are they tyrauntes aboue all tyrauntes whether they be Turkes or Saracenes How minister they prouyng of testamentes How causes of wedlocke or if any man dye intestate If a poore man dye and leaue his wiâ—e and halfe a dosen young children but one cow to finde them that will they haue for a mortuary mercylesse let come of wife and children what will Yea let any thyng be done agaynst their pleasure and they will interdite the whole realme sparyng no person Read the Chronicles of England out of which yet they haue put a great part of their wickednesse thou shalt finde them all wayes both rebellious and disobedient to the kinges and also churiish and vnthankeful so that wheÌ„ all the Realme gaue the kyng somewhat to maynteine him in his right they would not geue a myte Consider the story of K. Iohn where I dout not but they haue put the best fayrest for them selues the worst of kyng Iohn For I suppose they make the Chronicles them selues Compare the doings of their holy Church as they euer call it vnto the learnyng of Christ and of his Apostles Did not the Legate of Rome assoyle all the Lordes of the realme of their due obedieÌ„ce which they ought to the king by the ordinaunce of God would he not haue cursed y â— king with his solemne pompe because he would haue done that office whiche God commaundeth euery kyng to do and wherfore God hath put the sword in euery kynges hand that is to wete because kyng Iohn would haue punished a wicked Clerke that had coyned false money The lay men that had not done halfe so great fautes must dye but
workes aright and for the entent that God ordayned them And then thou shalt see whether thy brother haue a mote in his eye or not and if he haue how to plucke it out and els not For he that knoweth the entent of the lawe and of workes though he obserue a thousand ceremonies for hys owne exercise he shall neuer condeÌ„pne his brother or breake vnitie with him in those thinges which Christ neuer commaunded but left indifferent Or if he see a moâ—e in his brothers eye that he obserueth not with his brethren some certaine ordinaunce made for a good purpose because he knoweth not the entent he will plucke it out fayre and softly and instruct him louingly and make him well content Which thing if our spiritualty would do men would not so abhorre to obey their tyranny But they be hipocrites and do and commaunde all their workes for a false purpose and therefore iudge slea and shedde their brethrens bloude mercilesly God is y â— father of all mercy and therefore gaue not hipocrites such absolute power to compell theyr brethren to obey what they liste or to slay them without pitie shewing eyther no cause of their coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes at all but so will we haue it or els assigning an entent dampnable and contrary to all scripture Paule Rom. 14. sayth to them that obserued ceremonies that they should not iudge them that did not for he that obserueth and knoweth not the enteÌ„t iudgeth at once and to theÌ„ that obserued not that they should not despise them that obserued he that obserueth not ought not to despise the weakenes or ignoraunce of his brother till he perceaue that he is obstinate and will not learne Moreouer such measure as thou geuest thou shalt receaue againe that is if thou iudge thy neighbour God shal iudge thee for if thou iudge thy neighbour in such thinges thou knowest not the lawe of God nor the entent of workes and art therefore condempned of God c. Giue not that holy thyng vnto dogges neither cast your pearls be fore the swyne lest they treade theÌ„ vnder their feete and the other turne agayne and all to teare you The dogges are those obstinate and indurate which for the blynd zeale of their leuen wherwith they haue sowred both y â— doctrine also the workes maliciously resiste the truth and persecute the ministers therof and are those wolues among which Christ sendeth his shepe warnyng them not onely to be single pure in their doctrine but also wise and circumspect to beware of meÌ„ For they should bryng them before iudges and kynges and slay them thinkyng to do God seruice therein that is as Paul to the Romains testifieth of the Iewes for blynd zeale to their own false fayned righteousnes persecute the righteousnesse of God The swyne are they whiche for all they haue receaued the pure Gospell of Christ will yet continue still in sinne and rowle them selues in the podell myer of their old filthy conuersation both before the ignoraunt and also the weake vse the vttermost of their libertie interpretyng it after the largest fashion and most fauour of the flesh as it were the Popes pardon and therewith make y t truth euill spoken of that thousandes which els might haue ben easely wonne will now not once here therof and styrre vp cruel persecution which els would be much easyer yea and sometime none at all And yet will those swyne when it commeth to the poynt abyde no persecution at all But offer them selues wyllyng euen at the first chope for to deny ere they be scarsly apposed of their doctrine Therfore lay first the law of God before them call them to repentaunce And if thou see no hope of mendyng in them sease there and go no further for they be swyne But alas it euer was and shall be y â— the greater noÌ„ber receaue the wordes for a newnesse and curiositie as they say and to seme to be somewhat and that they haue not gone to schole in vayne they will forthwith yer they haue felt any chauÌ„ge of liuyng in them selues be scholemasters and begyn at libertie and practise opeÌ„ly before their Disciples And when the Phariseis see their traditions broken they rage and persecute immediatly And then our new scholemasters be neither grounded in the doctrine to defend their doinges nor rooted in the profession of a new life to suffer with Christ c. Aske and it shal be geuen you seke and ye shall finde Knocke and it shal be opened vnto you For all that aske receaue and he that seeketh findeth And to him that knocketh it shal be opened For what man is it among you if his sonne asked hym bread that would proferre him a stone Or if he asked him fishe would he offer him a Serpent If ye then whiche are euill know to geue good giftes to your children howe much more shall your father whiche is in heauen geue good thynges to them that aske hym First note of these wordes that to pray is Gods commaundement as it is to beleue in God to loue God or to loue thy neighbour and so are almose fastyng also Neither is it possible to beleue in God to loue him or to loue thy neighbour But that prayer will spryng out there heÌ„ce immediatly For to beleue in God is to be sure that all thou hast is of him and all thou nedest must come of him Whiche if thou do thou canst not but continually thanke him for his benefites which thou continually without ceasyng â–ª receauest of his hand and therto euer cry for helpe for thou art euer in nede and canst no whence els be holpen And thy neighbour is in such necessitie also Wherfore if thou loue him it will coÌ„pell thee to pitie him and to cry to God for him continually and to thanke as well for him as thy selfe Secondarely this heapyng of so many wordes together aske seke and knocke signify that the prayer must be continuall and so doth the parable of the widowe that sued to the wicked iudge and y â— cause is that we are euer in continuall necessitie as I say and all our lyfe but euen a warre fare and a perpetual battaile In which we preuaile as long as we pray and be ouercome assoone as we ceasse praying as Israell ouercame the Amalechites Exod. xvij as long as Moses held vp his hands in prayer and assoone as he had let downe his handes for werynesse the Amalechites preuayled and had the better Christ warned his Disciples at his last supper to haue peace in him affirming that they should haue none in y â— world The false Prophetes shal euer impugne the faith in Christes bloud and inforce to quenche the true vnderstaÌ„ding of the law and the right meanyng and intent of all the workes commaunded by God which fight is a fight aboue all fightes First they shal be in such noÌ„ber that
That fayth haue they in theyr owne workes onely But the true hearers vnderstand the lawe as Christ interpreteth it here and feele thereby theyr righteous damnation and runne to Christ for succour and for remission of all their sinnes that are past and for all the sinne which chaunce thorough infirmities shall compel theÌ„ to do for remission of that the law is to stronge for their weake nature And upon that they consent to the lawe loue it and professe it to fulfill it to the vttermost of their power and then go to and worke Faith or confidence in Christes bloud without helpe and before the workes of the law bringeth all maner of remission of sinnes satisfaction Faith is mother of loue fayth accompanieth loue in all her workes to fulfill as much as there lacketh in our doing the lawe of that perfect loue which Christ had to his father and vs in his fulfilling of the law for vs. Now when we be reconciled then is loue fayth together our righteousnesse our keeping the lawe our continuing our proceeding forwarde in the grace which we stand in our bringing to the euerlasting sauing and euerlasting life And the woorkes be esteemed of God according to the loue of the hart If the woorkes be great loue little and colde then the woorkes be regarded thereafter of God If the workes be small and loue much and feruent the workes be taken for great of God And it came to passe that when Iesus had ended these sayinges the people were astonied at his doctrine for he taught them as one hauing power and not as the Scribes The Scribes and Phariseyes had thrust vp the sworde of the woorde of God into a scabbarde or shethe of gloses and therein had knit it fast that it coulde neither sticke nor cut teaching dead workes without fayth and loue which are the life and the whole goodnes of all workes and the onely thing why they please God And therefore their audience abode euer carnall and fleshly mynded without faith to God and loue to their neighbours Christes wordes were spirit life Ioh. vi That is to say they ministred spirite and life and entred into the hart and grated on the conscience and thorow preaching the lawe made the hearers perceaue their duties euen what loue they ought to God what to man and the right dampnation of all them that had not the loue of God and man written in their hartes and thorow preaching of fayth made all that consented to the lawe of God fele the mercy of God in Christ and certified them of their saluation For the worde of God is a two edged sworde that pearceth and deuideth the spirite and soule of man a sonder Heb. 〈◊〉 A man before the preaching of Godes woorde is but one man all fleshe the soule consenting vnto the lustes of the fleshe to follow them But the sworde of the worde of God where it taketh effect diuideth a man in two and serteth him at variaunce against his own selfe The fleshe haling one way and the spirite drawing another the fleshe raging to follow lustes and the spirite calling backe agayne to follow the lawe and will of God A man all the while â—e consenteth to the flesh before he be borne again in Christ is called soule or carnall But whe he is renued in Christ through y t word of lyâ—e and hath the loue of God and of hys neighbor and the fayth of Christ written in his hart he is called spirite or spirituall The Lord of all mercy send vs preachers with power that is to say 〈◊〉 expounders of the worde of God and speakers to the hart of man and deliuer vs from Scribes Phariseyes hypocrites and all false Prophetes Amen An aunswere vnto Syr Thomas Mores Dialogue made by William Tyndall 1530. ☞ First he declareth what the Church is and geueth a reason of certaine wordes which Master More rebuketh in the translation of the new Testament ¶ After that he aunswereth particularly vnto euery Chapter which semeth to haue any appearaunce of truth thorough all his foure bookes ¶ Awake thou that slepest and stand vp from death and Christ shall geue the light Ephesians 5. THe grace of our Lord the light of his spirite to see to iudge true repeÌ„taunce towardeâ— Gods lâ—we a fast fayth in the mercyfull prâ—…es y â— are in our sauiour Christ serueÌ„t loue toward thy neighbour after the exaÌ„ple of Christ his Saints be with thee O Reader with all that loue the truth loÌ„g for the redemption of Gods elect Amen Our Sauiour I esus in the 16. of Iohn at his last Supper when he tooke his leaue of his Disciples warned them saying the holy Ghost shall come and rebuke the world of iudgemeÌ„t That is he shall rebuke the world for lacke of true iudgement and discretion to iudge and shall proue that the tast of theyr mouthes is corrupt so that they iudge swete to be sowre and sowre to be swete the eyes to be blynd so that they thinke that to be the verâ— seruice of God which is but a blynd superstition for zeale of which yet they persecute the true seruice of God and that they iudge to be the lawe of God whiche is but a false imagination of a corrupt iudgement for blynd affection of whiche yet they persecute the true law of God and them that kepe it And this same it is that Paul sayth 1. Corinth ij how that the naturall man that is not borne agayne and created a new with the spirite of God be he neuer so great a Philosopher neuer so well sene in the law neuer so sore studied in the Scripture as we haue examples in the Phariseis yet hee cannot vnderstaÌ„d the thynges of the spirite of God but sayth he the spirituall iudgeth all thyngs and hys spirâ—e searcheth the deepe secretes of God so that what soeuer God commauÌ„deth hym to do he neuer leaueth searchyng till he come at the bottome the pith the quicke the lyâ—e the sâ—… the mâ—â—ow very cause why and iudgeth all thyng Take an example in the great commaundement loue God with all thyne hart y t spirituall searcheth the cause and looketh on the benefites of God and so conceaueth loue in his hart And when he is commaunded to obey the powers and rulers of the world hee looketh on the benefites which God sheweth the world through them and therefore doth it gladly And when hee â–ª is commauÌ„ded to loue his neighbour as hym selfe he searcheth that his neighbour is created of God and bought with Christes bloud and so forth and therefore he loueth hym out of his hart and if he be euill forheareth hym and with all loue and pacience draweth hym to good as elder brethren wayte on the youÌ„ger and serue them and suffer them when they will not come they speake fayre flatter and geue some gaye thyng and
all wayes and done thy best to hew them and to make them frame thou must be fayne to cast them out wyth the Turkes and Iewes to serue God wyth the image seruice of their owne false workes Of these and such like textes and of the similitudes that Christ maketh in the Gospell of the kyngdome of heauen it appeareth that though the holy ghost be in the chosen and teacheth them all truth in Christ to put their trust in hym so that they cannot erre therein yet whyle the worlde standeth God shall neuer haue a church that shal eyther persecute or be vnpersecuted them selues any season after the fashion of y ◠Pope But there shall be in the church a fleshly seede of Abraham and a spirituall a Cain and an Abell an Ismael and an Isaac an Esan and a Iacob as I haue sayd a worker and a beleuer a great multitude of them that be called and a small flocke of them that be elect and chosen And the fleshly shall persecute the spirituall as Cain did Abel and Ismaell Isaac so forth and the great multitude shall persecute y ◠small little flocke and Antichrist wil be euer the best christen man SO now the church of God is double a fleshly and a spirituall the one will be and is not the other is may not be so be called but must be called a Lutheran an hereticke and such like Vnderstand therefore that God when he calleth a congregation vnto hys name sendeth forth his messēgers to call generally which messengers bring in a great multitude amased and astonied wyth myracles and power of the reasōs which the preachers make and therewyth be compelled to cōfesse that there is but one God of power might aboue all that Christ is God and man and borne of a virgine and a thousand other thynges And thē the great multitude that is called and not chosen when they haue gotten thys fayth common as wel to the deuils as them more strongly persuaded vnto the deuils then vnto them then they go vnto their owne imaginations saying we may no longer serue Idoles but God that is but one And the maner of seruice they fet out of their owne braynes and not of the worde of God and serue God wyth bodely seruice as they did in tymes past their Idoles their hartes seruing their owne lustes still And one will serue hym in white an other in blacke an other in grey an other in pyed And an other to do God a pleasure withall will be sure that his show shall haue two or three good thicke soles vnder and wyll cut hym aboue so that in sommer whyle the weather is hot thou mayst see hys bare fote in winter hys socke They wyll be shorne and shauen and Saduces that is to say righteous and Phariseis that is seperated in fashions frō all other men Yea and they wyll consecrat thēselues altogether vnto God and wyll annoint their handes and halow them as the chalice from al maner lay vses so that they may serue neither father nor mother maister Lord or Prince for poluting thēselues but must wayte on God onely to gather vp hys rentes tythes offeringes all other duties And all the sacrifice that come they cōsume in the altar of their bellies and make Calil of it that is a sacrifice that no mā may haue part of They beleue that there is a God But as they can not loue hys lawes so they haue no power to beleue in hym But they put their trust and confidence in their owne workes and by their own workes they will be saued as the rich of this world whē they sue vnto great men hope with giftes and presentes to obtayne their causes Neither other seruing of God know they saue such as their eyes may see and their bellyes feele And of very zeale they will be Gods vicars and prescribe a maner vnto other and after what fashiō they shall serue God and compell thē therto for the auoyding of Idolatry as thou seest in the Phariseis But little flocke as soone as he is perswaded that there is a God he rūneth not vnto hys owne imaginatiōs but vnto the messēger that called hym and of hym asketh how he shall serue God As litle Paul Act. ix whē Christ had ouerthrowen him and caught him in hys net asked saying Lord what wilt thou that I do And as the multitude that were cōuerted Act. 2. asked of the Apostles what they shoulde do And the preacher setteth the lawe of God before them and they offer their hartes to haue it written therein consenting that it is good and righteous And because they haue runne cleane contrary vnto that good law they sorrow mourne and because also their bodyes and flesh are otherwise disposed But the preacher comforteth them and sheweth thē the testamēt of Christes bloud how that for his sake all y ◠is done is forgeuē and all their weaknes shal be taken in worth vntil they be stronger onely if they repent wyll submit themselues to be scholers and learne to keepe this law And a little flocke receaueth thys testament in hys hart and in it walketh serueth God in the spirit And from henceforth all is Christ wyth hym and Christ is his he is Christes All that he receaueth he receaueth of Christ and all that he doth he doth to Christ Father mother maister Lord and Prince are Christes vnto hym and as Christ he serueth them wyth all loue Hys wife children seruauntes and subiectes are Christ vnto hym and he teacheth them to serue Christ and not hymselfe and hys lustes And if he receaue any good thyng of mā he thāketh god in Christ which moued the mans hart And his neighbour he serueth as Christ in all hys neede of such thynges as God hath lent because that all degrees are bought as he is with Christes bloud And he wil not be saued for seruing hys brethrē neither promiseth his brethren heauē for seruyng hym But heauen iustifying forgeuenes all gyftes of grace and all that is promised them they receaue of Christ and by hys merites freely And of y t which they haue receaued of Christ they serue ech other freely as one hand doth the other seekyng for their seruice no more thē one hand doth of an other ech the others health wealth helpe ayde succour to assiste one an other in the way of Christ And God they serue in the spirit only in loue hope faith and dread When the great multitude that be called and not chosen Cain Ismaell Esau carnall Israell that serue God night and day wyth bodely seruice and holy workes such as they were wont to serue their Idoles withall beholde little flocke that they come not forth in the seruice of god they rore out where are thou Why commest thou not forth and takest holy water Wherfore saith y
t tyme the one halfe of Christendome And when any Pope since exhorteth them to vnitie they aunswere that he which will raigne ouer his brethren with violence breaketh vnitie and not they and that they will not be vnder his tyranny wherunto he calleth them vnder a colour of vnitie And from henceforth with the helpe of hys Byshoppes which weresworne to be true ligemen vnto hym when beforetyme they were admitted to theyr byshopprikes of the Emperours and Kinges he beganne to lay a baite to catch the whole Empyre into his handes also By what meanes the Pope inuaded the Empyre AT that same season Mahomete the auctor of the sect of the Turckes and Saracenes beganne And assoone as he had got much people vnto hym with wyles and fayned myracles he inuaded the Empyre of Rome in those quarters And looke how busie Mahomete was in those parries so busie was the Pope in these quarters to inuade the Empyre with the helpe of his sworne Byshoppes which preached all of none other God then the Pope while the Emperour was occupyed a farre of in resisting of Mahomete And within few yeares after when the kynges of Italy now and theÌ„ vexed our holy fathers for their couetous ambicion then Gregory the third ioyned amitie with the Frenchmen and called them to helpe by whose power they gatte al they haue and also maintaine it vnto this day For if any man since that tyme hether displeased the Pope neuer so little he immediatly curssed him and excommunicate him and proclaymed him no right enheritour and that it was not lawfull to holde of him and absolued his Lordes and subiectes of their allegeaunce and sent his blessing vnto the French king and remission of sinnes to go and conquere his land the Pope and French kyng alway deuiding the spoyle betwene them the Byshops and all that serued God for the belye preaching the Popes might how that he had power so to do and all thynges to bynde and loose at his will wrestyng the Scriptures to serue for their purpose corruptyng all the lawes both of God man to proue his Godhead with all THen came Pope Zacharias the first in whose tyme Hildericus was K. of Fraunce a man that gouerned hys Realme as it oft chaunceth by a Debite as persons preache one Pipine a Lord of his owne and his sworne subiect This Pipine sent an holy Byshop to Pope Zacharias that he should helpe to make him kyng of Fraunce and he would be his defender in Italy as the maner of scalled horses is the one to claw the other and Zacharias aunswered that hee was more woorthy to be kyng that ruled the Realme and tooke the labours then an idle shadow that went vp and downe and did nought And so vpon that the Lords of FrauÌ„ce by the persuasions of the Prelates consented vnto Pipine and thrust downe their right king vnto whom they were sworne made a Monke of hym And both the Lordes and also Pipine tooke dispensations for their othes of our holy father and were forsworne Thus was our holy father the Pope crept vp into the consciences of men with hys false interpretation of byndyng loosyng good viij hundred yeares agone THen came Pope Stephanus the second out of whose hands Estulphus kyng of Lombardy would fayne haue scratched somwhat for he thought that the holy fathers gathered to tast and had all ready raked to much vnto theÌ„ But the new kyng Pipine of Fraunce warned of his duty and seruice promised and mindfull of old frendshyp and hopyng for part of the praye came to succour the Pope And when hee had subdued the kyng of Lambardy hee gaue vnto our holy father or rather to S. Peter y t hungry begger great Prouinces and countreys in Lombardy and in Italy with the I le Corsica and many great Cities of which some pertayned vnto the Emperour beyng theÌ„ at Constantinople and yet the Emperour had sent before vnto kyng Pipine that he should not geue of his townes vnto the Pope But Pipine aunswered that he came for the same intent and to enhaunce our holy father And our holy father receaued them And thus the Empire was deuided in two partes the Pope the French kyng partyng the one halfe betwene them And as the Emperour decayed the pope grew And as the pope grew so the sect of Mahomete grew for the Emperour halfe his empire lost was not able to defend him selfe agaynst the infidels And the Pope would suffer no helpe hence to come for two causes One lest the Emperour should recouer his Empyre agayne and an other because the Prelates of the Greekes would not submitte them selues vnto his Godhead as the Prelates of these quarters of the world had done AFter Pipine raigned his sonne the great Charles whom we call Charle mayne which knew no other God but the pope nor any other way to heauen then to do the Pope pleasure For the Pope serued him for twoo purposes One to dispence with him for whatsoeuer mischief he did an other to be stablished in the Empyre by his helpe for without his fauour hee wist it would not be so great a God was our holy father become all ready in those dayes This Pope Stephen in his latter dayes fell at variaunce with Desiderius kyng of Lombardy about the Archbyshop of Rauenâ—a AFter Stephen succeded AdriaÌ„ y â— first with whom Desiderius the K. of LoÌ„bardy would fayne haue made peace but pope Adrian would not And shortly vpon that the brother of this Charlemayne which raigned with him in half the dominion of Fraunce dyed whose wife for feare of Charles fled with her ij sonnes vnto Desiderius king of Lombardy for succour Defiderius was glad of their comming trusting by the meanes of these two children to obtaine fauour among many of the Frenchmen and so to be able to resist Charles if hee would medle and to bryng Italy vnto the right Emperour agayne would haue had that pope Adrian should haue annoynted them kynges in their fathers roome But Adrian refused that to do for he saw Charles mighty and mete for his purpose and was as wyly as Desiderius thought to kepe out the right Emperour and be Emperor of Rome him selfe though he gaue an other the name for a season till a more conuenient tyme came Then Desiderius warred vppon the Popes iurisdiction And Adrian sent to Charles And Charles came with his army and draue out Desiderius and hys sonne which sonne fled vnto the right Emperour to Constantinople And Charles the Pope deuyded the kyngdome of Lombardy betwene theÌ„ And Charles came to Rome And the Pope he were sworne together that who soeuer should be enemy vnto the one should be enemy also vnto the other This Adrian gathered a Councell immediatly of an C. liij Bishops Abbotes and religious persones gaue vnto Charles his successours the
hys neighbour and is a thefe And he that is proude of the giftes of God thinketh hym selfe by the reason of them better then his feeble neighbour not rather as the truth is knowledgeth hym selfe a seruaunt vnto hys poore neighbour by the reason of them the same hath Lucifers spirite in hym and not Christes These thynges to know first the law how that it is naturall right and equitie that we haue but one God to put our hope and trust in and hym to loue with all the hart all the soule and all our might and power and neither to moue hart nor hand but at his commaundemēt because he hath first created vs of nought and heauē and earth for our sakes And afterward when we had marred our selfe through sinne he forgaue vs and created vs agayne in the bloud of his beloued sonne And that we haue the name of our one God in feare and reuerence that we dishonour it not in swearyng therby about light trifles or vanitie or call it to recorde for the confirming of wickednesse or falshead or ought that is to the dishonour of God whiche is the breakyng of hys lawes or vnto the hurt of our neighbour And in asmuch as he is our Lord and God and we his double possessiō by creation and redemption and therfore ought as I sayd neither to moue hart or hand without his commaūdement it is right that we haue nedefull holy dayes to come together learne his will both the law which he will haue vs ruled by and also the promises of mercy whiche he will haue vs trust vnto and to geue God thankes together for his mercy and to commit our infirmities to hym through our Sauiour Iesus and to reconsile our selues vnto hym and eche to other if ought be betweene brother and brother that requireth it And for this purpose and such lyke as to visite the sicke and nedy and redresse peace and vnitie were the holy dayes ordeined onely so farforth are they to be kept holy frō all maner workes that may be conueniently spared for the tyme till this be done and no further but then lawfully to worke And that it is right that we obey father and mother Master Lord Prince and Kyng and all the ordinaunces of the world bodely and ghostly by which God ruleth vs and ministreth frely his benefites vnto vs all And that we loue them for the benefites that we receaue by them and feare them for the power they haue ouer vs to punish vs if we trespasse the law and good order So farre yet are the worldly powers or rulers to be obeyed onely as their commaūdements repugne not against the commaundement of God and thē hoo Wherefore we must haue Gods commaundement euer in our hartes and by the hygher law interpret the inferiour that we obey nothyng agaynst the belefe of one God or agaynst the fayth hope and trust that is him onely or agaynst the loue of God wherby we doe or leaue vndone all thyng for his sake that we do nothyng for any mans cōmaundement agaynst the reuerence of the name of God to make it despised and the lesse feared set by and that we obey nothyng to the hynderaunce of the knowledge of the blessed doctrine of God whose seruaūt the holy day is Notwithstandyng though the rulers which God hath set ouer vs commaunde vs agaynst God or do vs open wrong and oppresse vs with cruel tyranny yet because they are in Gods rowme we may not auēge our selues but by the processe and order of Gods law and lawes of mā made by the authoritie of Gods law whiche is also Gods law euer by an hygher power and remittyng the vengeaunce vnto God and in the meane seasō suffer vntill the houre be come And on the other side to know that a man ought to loue his neighbour equally and fully as well as hym selfe because his neighbour be he neuer so simple is equally created of God and as full redemed by the bloud of our sauiour Iesu Christ Out of which commaundement of loue spring these Kill not thy neighbour defile not his wife beare no false witnesse agaynst hym finally not onely do not these thynges in deede but couete not in thyne harte his house his wife his manseruaunt maydeseruaunt oxe asse or what soeuer is his So that these lawes pertaynyng vnto our neighboure are not fulfilled in the sight of God saue with loue He that loueth not hys neighbour kepeth not this commaundemēt defile not thy neighbours wife though hee neuer touch her or neuer see her or thinke vpon her For the commaundement is though thy neighbours wife be neuer so fayre thou haue neuer so great oportunitie geuen thee and she contēt or happly prouoke thee as Putiphers wife did Ioseph yet see thou loue thy neighbor so well that for very loue thou can not finde in thine hart to do y t wickednes And euē so he that trusteth in any thing saue in God onely in his sonne Iesus Christ kepeth no cōmaundemēt at all in the sight of God For he that hath trust in any creature whether in heauen or in earth saue in God his sonne Iesus cā see no cause to loue God with all his hart c. neither to absteine from dishonoryng his name nor to keepe the holy day for the loue of his doctrine nor to obey louing ly y t rulers of this world nor any cause to loue his neighbour as him selfe to absteine from hurtyng hym where he may get profite by hym saue him selfe harmeles And in likewise against this law loue thy neighbour as thy selfe I may obey no worldly power to do ought at any mans cōmaundemēt vnto the hurt of my neighbour that hath not deserued it though he be a Turke And to know how cōtrary this law is vnto our nature how it is dānation not to haue this law writtē in our hartes though we neuer committe the dedes how there is no other meanes to bee saued from this damnation then through repentaūce toward the law fayth in Christes bloud which are the very inward baptisme of our soules the washyng the dippyng of our bodyes in y t water is the outward signe The plungyng of the body vnder the water signifieth that we repent professe to fight against sinne and lustes to kill them euery day more and more with the helpe of God our diligence in folowyng the doctrine of Christ and the leadyng of his spirite and that we beleue to be washed from our naturall damnation in which we are borne and from all the wrath of the law and frō all the infirmities weakenesses that remayne in vs after we haue geuen our consent vnto the law and yelded oure selfe to be scholers thereof and from all the imperfectnesse of all our deedes done with cold loue and from all actuall sinne which shall chaunce on vs while we
2. To pray for all mē and all degrees saying that to bee acceptable vnto our Sauiour God whiche will haue all men saued and come to the knowledge of the truth that is some of al natiōs and all degrees not the Iewes onely For sayth hee there is one God and one mediatour betwene God and man the man Christ Iesus whiche gaue him selfe a redemption and full satisfaction for all men Let this therefore be an vndoubted Article of thy fayth not of an hystorie fayth as thou beleuest a gest of Alexander or of the old Romains but of a liuely fayth and belefe to put thy trust and confidēce in and to by and sell theron as we say and to haue thy sinnes takē away and thy soule saued thereby if thou hold it fast and to continue euer in sinne and to haue thy soule damned if thou let it slip that our Iesus our Saniour that saueth his people from their sinnes our Christ that is our kyng ouer all sinne death and hell annoynted with fulnesse of all grace and with the spirite of God to distribute vnto all men hath accordyng vnto the Epistle to the Hebrues all the scripture in the dayes of his mortall flesh with fastyng praying sufferyng and crying to God mightily for vs with shedyng his bloud made full satisfaction both a poena a culpa with our holy fathers leaue for all the sinnes of the world both of theirs that went before of theirs that come after in the faith whether it be Original sinne or actual not onely the sinnes cōmitted with consent to euill in tyme of ignoraunce before the knowledge of the truth but also the sinnes done of frailtie after we haue forsaken euill and cōsented to the lawes of God in our harts promising to folow Christ and walke in the light of his doctrine Hee saueth his people from their sinnes Math. 1. and that he onely So that there is no other name to be saued by Actes 4. And vnto hym beare all the Prophets recorde that all that beleue in hym shall receaue remission of their sinnes in his name Actes 10. And by him onely we haue an entring in vnto the father and vnto all grace Ephe. 2. 3. and Rom. 5. And as many as come before hym are theues murtherers Iohn 10. That is whosoeuer preacheth any other forginenesse of sinne then through fayth in hys name the same slayeth the soule This to be true not onely of originall but of actual and aswel of that we commit after our profession as before mayst thou euidently see by the ensamples of the Scripture Christ forgaue the woman taken in adulterie Iohn 8 and an other whom be healed Iohn 5 And he forgaue Publicanes and open sinners and put none to do penaunce as they call it for to make satisfactiō for the sinne which he forgaue through repentaunce fayth but enioyned them the lyfe of penaunce the profession of their Baptisme to tame the flesh in kepyng the commaundementes and that they should sinne no more And those sinners were for the most part Iewes and had their Originall sinne forgiuen them before through fayth in the Testament of God Christ forgaue his Apostles their actuall sinnes after their professiō which they committed in denyeng hym put none to do penaunce for satisfactiō Peter Actes 2. absolueth the Iewes thorough repentaunce and fayth from their actuall sinnes whiche they dyd in consentyng vnto Christes death and enioyned them no penaūce to make satisfaction Paul also had his actuall sinnes forgiuen hym frely thorough repentaunce and fayth without mention of satisfactiō Actes 9. So that accordyng vnto this present texte of Iohu If it chaūce vs to sinne of frailtie let vs not dispayre for we haue an aduocate and intercessour a true attorney with the father Iesus Christ righteous toward God and man and is the reconcilyng and satisfaction for our sinnes For Christes workes are perfect so that he hath obtained vs all mercy and hath set vs in the full state of grace and fauour of God and hath shade vs as welbeloued as the aungels of heauen though we be yet weake As the yoūg childrē though they can do no good at all are yet as tenderly beloued as the old And God for Christes sake hath promised that whatsoeuer euil we shal do yet if we turne and repent he will neuer more thinke on our sinnes Thou wilt say God forgiueth the displeasure but we must suffer payne to satisfie the righteousnes of God A then God hath a righteousnes whiche may not forgeue paine al y t the poore sinner shuld go skotfre without ought at all God was vnrighteous to forgiue the theefe his payne and all thorough repentaunce faith vnto whom for lack of laysure was no penasice enioyned And my faith is that whatsoeuer exāple of mercy God hath shewed one that same he hath promised all ye will he peraduenture forgiue me but I must make amendes If I owe you xx l. ye will forgiue me that is ye will no more be angry with me but I shal pay you the. xx poundes O Popishe forgiuenesse with whom it goeth after the common prouerbe no peny no pardon His fatherhode giueth pardō frely but we must pay money aboundantly Paules doctrine is Rom. 9. if a man worke it ought not to be sayd that his hyre was giuē hym of grace or fauour but of dutie But to hym that worketh not but beleueth in hym that iustifieth the vngodly his faith he sayth not his workes although he commaundeth vs diligently to worke and despiseth none that God commaūdeth his faith saith hee is rekened hym for hys righteousnes Confirmyng his saying with the testimonie of the prophet Dauid in the 32. Psalme saying Blessed is the man vnto whō God imputeth or rekeneth not his sinne that is to say which man although he be a sinner yet God layeth not it to his charge for his faithes sake And in the. xi hee sayth If it come of grace then it cōmeth not of works For then were grace no grace sayth he For it was a very straunge speakyng in Paules cares to call that grace that came of deseruyng of workes Or that deseruyng of workes whiche came by grace for he rekened workes grace to be contrary in such maner of speach But our holy father hath coupled thē together of pure liberalitie I dare say not for couetousnes For as his holynesse if hee haue a cause agaynst any man immediatly bretheth out an excommunication vppon hym and will haue satisfaction for the vttermost farthing and somwhat aboue to teach thē to beware agaynst an other tyme yet he will blesse agayne from the terrible sentence of his heauy curse euen so of that blessed complection hee describeth the nature of the mercy of God that God will remitte his anger to vs vppon the appointment of our satisfaction When the Scripture sayth Christ is our
one sayth so and an other thus confirming their assertions with glorious persuasions of wisedome but not after the wisedome of God whiche reasons an other denyeth with cōtrary sophismes so riseth brauling about vayne wordes without all certaintie And now litle children abide in hym that when hee shall appeare we may haue confidence and not bee made ashamed of hym at hys commyng Here are ij thinges to be marked one if we cleaue vnto Christ after the doctrine of the Apostles and as they built vs vpon him we shall be bolde sure of our selues at his comming As a seruaunt which in his maisters absence doth onely his maisters commaūdements cannot be confounded at his comming home againe But and if we folow mens doctrine how can we be bold yea how should we not be ashamed with our teachers vnto whome thē he shall say whē they boast thē selues how y t they haue bene his vicars I know you not depart from me ye that haue wrought wickednes and vnder my name haue brought in damnable sectes and haue taught your disciples to beleue in other thinges then in me Now the summe of all that the Apostles taught and how they built vs vpon Christ is the new testament But the popes doctrine is not there found but improued Confounded therefore shall he be which witting and willing shutteth his eyes at the true light and openeth them to beleue his lyes An other thing is this all the scripture maketh mentiō of the resurrectiō comming againe of Christ that all men both they that go before and they that come after shall then receiue their rewardes together we are cōmaunded to looke euery houre for that day And what is done with the soules frō their departing their bodies vnto that day doth the Scripture make no mentiō saue onley that they rest in y e Lord in their faith Wherfore he that determineth ought of the state of them that be departed doth but teach the presumptuous imaginations of his owne braine neither can his doctrine be any article of our fayth What God doth with them is a secreat layd vp in the treasury of God And we ought to be patient being certefied of the scripture that they which dye in the fayth are at rest ought no more to search that secret thē to search y e houre of the resurrection whiche God hath put onely in his owne power But this remember that the whole nature of mā is poysoned infected with sinne And y e whole life of sinne must be mortefied And the roote of al sinne and first vice we were infect with is that we would be wise where God hath not taught vs as ye see how Eue would haue ben as God in the knowledge of good bad And therefore hath God hid many thinges in his power and commaunded that we shall search none of his secrets further then he hath opened them in his scripture to mortefy this poyson of all poysons the desire to appeare wise that we be ashamed to be ignoraunt in any thing at all Wherfore they that violently make articles of the fayth with out Gods woord are yet aliue in the roote of all sinne and vice and grow out of the deuill and not out of Christ And their articles are of the blindnes of the deuill and not of the light of Christ for Christes light hath testimonie of the scripture euery where If ye know that he is righteous know that all that woorke righteousnes are borne of him Our nature is to worke wickednes and so blinde therto that it can see no righteousnes And then it foloweth that we must be borne a new in Christ ere we can either do or yet know what is righteous And in him we must first be made righteous our selues ere we can worke righteous woorkes which conclusion is contrary vnto the Pope for he sayth that the woorkes do make the man righteous And Christes doctrine sayth that the man maketh the workes righteous A righteous man springeth out of righteous woorkes sayth the Popes doctrine Righteous works spring out of a righteous man and a righteous man springeth out of Christ sayth Christes doctrine The workes make y t man righteous which before was wicked sayth the Pope The woorkes declare that the man is righteous sayth Christes doctrine but the man was first made righteous in Christ and the spirite of Christ taught him what righteousnes was and healed his hart made him consent therto to haue his lust in righteousnes and to worke righteouslie Chap. 3. BEholde what loue the Father hath shewed vs that we shold be called the sonnes of god For this cause the worlde knoweth you not because it knoweth not him Dearely beloued now wee are the sonnes of God though yet it appeareth not what we shall be But we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is The loue of God to vs ward is exceeding great in that he hath made vs his sonnes without al deseruing of vs and hath geuen vs his spirite through Christ to certifie our hartes thereof in that we feele that our trust is in God that our soules haue receaued health and power to loue the law of God which is a sure testimonie that we are sonnes vnder no damnation Neyther ought it to discourage vs or to make vs thinke we were lesse beloued because the world hateth vs and persecuteth vs for the world knoweth vs not Neyther any maruell for y t world could not know Christ him selfe for all his glorious commyng with miracles and benefits in healing the sicke and raysing the dead But for al the oppression of the world we are yet sure that we are Gods sonnes And in like maner though the glory that we shall be in appeare not yet we are sure that we shall be like him when he appeareth As darknes vanisheth away at the cōming of the sunne and the worlde receaueth a new fashion and is turned in to light and suddenly made glorious Euen so when he appeareth and we shall see him as he is we shal with the sight of him be chaunged into the glory of his image and made like him And then shall the world both know him and vs vnto their shame and confusion And all that haue thys hope in him purge thēselues as he is pure The fayth and hope of a Christen man are no dead idle or barren thinges but liuely woorkes and fruitfull For when the law through conscience of sinne hath slayne the soule thē hope and trust in Christes bloud thorough certefying of the conscience that the damnation of the law is taken away quickeneth hir agayne maketh hir to loue the law which is the purifying of the soule and hir life and seruing the law in the inner man And then the sayde giftes of hope and fayth stretch them selues forth vnto the members dead with
Sweete wordes baytes oâ—… 〈◊〉 â–ª b Sâ—… a. haue 〈…〉 Sâ—â—â—de of Pâ—pistes 〈…〉 T. Tâ—… why so â—…ull 〈…〉 Te Deâ—… the French kyng 372. 〈◊〉 Teâ—… 270. 〈◊〉 Temple 274. b Temâ—… reâ—…ment 211 〈◊〉 Temâ—… are not belongâ—… 〈…〉 342. 〈◊〉 Tâ—… of God what 〈◊〉 a. 〈…〉 Apostles 〈…〉 Tempâ—… Teâ—… of the Sacrament 4â—… a Testâ—…ie of God in true beleuers harts 〈◊〉 a Teâ—…tes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of obserâ—aâ—nt Fâ—… Tâ—… 〈◊〉 a Thankesgeuyng â–ª 477. b. â—o â—od 478. 〈◊〉 Thankes must be geuen to the graâ—ter of 〈…〉 433. a These dayes why called euill 71. b Thomâ—s of Câ—…er 302. a. â—61 b 〈…〉 â—40 b Thomas Aqâ—… a. 361. b Thoâ—…es 〈…〉 â—…nces 45â— a Thomas â—olsâ—y â—…d 36â— a â—…mas Arâ—… 363 â–ª 〈◊〉 â—…râ—es heare no sigges 〈…〉 â—hree 〈◊〉 at once 3â—4 〈◊〉 〈…〉 of man not to be â—…d 4â—… 〈◊〉 made Bâ—shâ—â— by 〈…〉 Paule 〈…〉 Tindall why he vseth the woâ—…â—…taunce 37. a. his submission to the learned 3. 〈◊〉 â—oyde of maâ—… 376. b. deceiued 2. b Tindall sweaâ—â—th 〈◊〉 b. moued to transâ—ate the Sâ—… protâ—… 〈…〉 1. a. 〈…〉 bookes and 〈…〉 Tindall 〈…〉 Tokens 〈…〉 Toâ—… b. 207 b Toâ—… 260. a Tâ—… 3â—â— a 〈…〉 b 〈…〉 Prâ—…es 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 by 〈…〉 Byâ—… 340. b 〈…〉 â—73 a. to the 〈…〉 wrought through conâ—… 155. 〈◊〉 layd agaynst the 〈…〉 373. 〈◊〉 〈…〉 practises 363. 〈◊〉 oâ— Preâ—…s 370. 〈◊〉 â—…ther of the 〈◊〉 of 〈…〉 〈…〉 by the 〈…〉 〈…〉 b. ofâ—… Gosâ—…er 3. a. of 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈◊〉 b. 9â— b 〈…〉 for the Gospell bringeth 〈…〉 〈…〉 payd oâ— the Popes 〈◊〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 Chriâ—…endâ—… the popes 〈…〉 preachyng of Gods 〈…〉 why 10â— b 〈…〉 Christ 〈◊〉 b 〈…〉 〈◊〉 a 〈…〉 271. b â—…es 〈…〉 â—08 〈◊〉 〈…〉 415. a. 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 â—…nce 254 â–ª a Truâ— prayer 〈…〉 pleasaâ—…t 221. a Truâ— preaâ—…ng bindeth and â—ouseth â–ª 15â—…â—28 〈◊〉 〈…〉 from Christes bloud 74. a True watchyng 81. b True woorshyppyng of the Sacrament what 324. a. Truth none in the Popish spiritualtie 376. b Trumpets blowyng 217. b Turkes 267. b. must bee resisted 338. b. haue no fayth and acknowledge one God 94. b. moe in number then Papistes 276. a. must be lameÌ„ted for their ignoraunce 248. a Turkes and Iewes thinke they can not dye 268. a Turkes their almose voyde of fayth abhominable 244. a Tullius chief of Orators 128. a Tunstall Byshop of London after Byshop of Durham 2. a Turney 371. a Tyrauntes why geuen vs. 207. a. cannot haue all their will 100. a. why God suffreth them to prosper 236. b Tyranny of Papistes 277. a. to cause a man to accuse him selfe 122. b V. VAgaboundes from fayth 358. b Vandales 351. b Vayne disputations 323. a Vayne names 123. a Vbiquetie cannot be proued 455. b Vengeaunce is Gods 110. b. must be remitted to God 93. a. will fall on tyraunts 342. a. poured on the vnpenitent by God 28. a. pertayneth to God onely 194. a Verb est taken for significat 469. a VenetiaÌ„s 364. b. neglected the pope 365. a Verities Papall vnwritten are not to be credited 389. a Vertue of Christes bloud 381. a Vertues inward knowen by the outward deedes 117. b Vertues diuine inseperable 188 a Vicare 102. b Vicar of Troydon 366. a Vigilancy required in Bishops 53. b Violence 211. a Victory of Christ 396. b Virginitie of our Lady 286. b Vnbelefe 321. a Vnbelefe sinne how taken in scriptures 41. b Vnfaythfull Iewes their sacrifiâ—â— despised 274. b Vnfaythfull woorshyp of God with outward Popery 422. b Vngodlynes 290. b Vnions 267. a Vnion of Doctours 327. a. a good booke 338. b Vnitie must not be broken 237. b Vnlawfull othesmust bee broken 124. a Vnmercyfull are saythles 334. a Vnrighteous steward who 72. a Vnspeakable mercy of God 416. b Vnthankefulnes 290. b VnthaÌ„kefull receauers eate drinke their damnation 473. a Vntowarde reasonyng of More 282. a Vnwoorthy receauers of Christes Supper who 443. a Voyde of fayth in Christ are wanderers 423 a Volowyng 152. a Voluptuous persons 380. a Votaries admonished 21. a Vowes 18. a. 315. b. and 326. b. of religion 398. b. made in generall for three caused ibidem howe to bee made and how applyed 21. a. vnlawfull not to be obserued 328. a. must be made warely 328. a. how they be good and what is a good vow 20. a Vpright officers in Gods sight 270. a Vprightnes required in all men 208. b Vprising sinner his chief ioy 384. a Vse of the Masse abhominable 427. a. of signes and ceremonies 269. a. of Gods creatures 328. a. of inferiour creatures to manward 270. b Vse of Popish vniuersities 361. a Vse of Christes Supper 466. a. and. 470. a W. WAlshmen 299. b Walsh customes 151. b Walking in light or darkenes 392. a Warre betwene kyng Henry and the Earle of Warwicke 366. b Warriour 212. a Warnyng to repent 376 a Watchyng superstitious 81. b Water and wyne mixed together 287. a Way to saluation Christ 424. a Way how we may bee made righteous 44. a Weake fleshe hath a strong spirite to God 99. b Weake brethren must bee louyngly dealt withall 49. b Weakenes of the flesh 393. b Weakenes and frayltie cause sinne in vs. 258. b Weakelynges to the world strong to Christ 99. b Weakelynges should bee taught and not deceiued 159. a Weddyng garment of fayth must bee put on at the Communion 477. b Well of swearyng 436. a Weying of soules 317. a Whore of Babylon 115. a. the Pope is she 384. a Whore caried about with the Emperour Charles the great 350. a Whores not wiues embraced of the Popes broode 134 a Whores please Papistes 362. b Whoredome licensed by the Pope 262. a Whoredome allowed and maringâ— forbidden 267. a Wicked Princes 341. b Wicked doynges of the Pope 320 a Wickednes of false Prophetes 239. a of Phariseis 202. a Wickednes remoued by preachyng 300. a Wickednes destroyeth wickednes 105. b Wickednes where committed 48. a Wiclesâ—e 28. a Widowes 313. a. and 345. b Widowes their office in the primitiue Church 313. a Wife 205. b Wilfull sinners feele not Goddes wrath in his law 44â— a Wilfull chastitie 16. b. not to be vowed of all 20. b Wilfull pouertie 16. b. howe to be vowed 18. a Wilfull obedience 17 a William Kyng 249. b William Roye a false Disciple 59 b Wild Irish 299. b Will in bondage 113. a Willes and Testamentes altered at the Popes pleasure 359. b Witte and will 306. b Witte leadeth the will 338. a Witte reason and iudgement go before will 329. a Witnesses many of Christes ascension into heauen 471. b Witches 300. b Witchcraft sorcery c. 8. b Wolsey the Cardinal in great estimation with the kyng 368. a. his subtiltie 371. a. vayneglorious 374. b. Legate a Latere 405. b. a traytour 373. a Wolsey ruled all 369. a Wolsey his last potion 404. a Wolfe in a lambes skinne is the pope 343. a Woman made whole by Christ and not by his coate 298. a Woman
e soule after Rastels learnyng must proue that heauen and hell be here in earth or els there cā be none Sée this learned man y t would proue Purgatory by good Philosophy The second cause that Purgatory should be a good example to the liuing to put them in feare to do any like offence is not soluted of Rastell but I haue soluted it before and will yet satisfie you agayne because Rastell leaueth it out We haue here in y e world Moses the Prophetes that is y e old Testament yea also Christ his Apostles which we call the new Testament now if we beleue not these thē shall we not surely beleue although we had Purgatory hel to amōg vs. And this may well bee gathered of Christes owne wordes Luke xvj Where he brought in y e parable of y e rich mā Lazarus for y e rich mā being in paynes desired Abrahā to send Lazarus vnto his v. brethrē to warne them that they might not come into that fire Abrahā aunswered agayne y t they had Moses the Prophetes And added let them heare them Thē sayd the rich mā Nay father Abrahā but if any of them that are departed appeare vnto them then will they beleue it And Abraham concludeth on this maner If they beleue not Moses and the Prophetes no more wil they beleue if any of the dead should rise agayne And therfore may I likewise conclude that if they beleue not neither yet feare the paynes which Moses and the Prophets yea and Christ and his Apostles haue prophesied to fall on the vnfaythfull then will they not beleue for feare of the paynes of Purgatory Now to the last pointe where Purgatory should be he aunswereth as you shall heare First y t it is a foolish question for hee can not aunswere vnto it by his Philosophy And then he sayth that no man can tell neither the place neither yet the maner of the payne Here maketh he S. Thomas yea and all our Scholemen fooles by craft partly because they take vpon them to aunswere vnto this question whiche he calleth foolish and partly because they fully determine that the place of Purgatory is the third place in hell and all to assigne fire to be the maner of y t payne And agayne in this last part hee proueth thē double fooles Once because they stoutly affirme that thyng which no man can tell as Rastel sayth And agayne because they restrayne God of his libertie that assigne any place make him oflesse authoritie then an inferiour iudge which hath no place assigned hym but may doe execution and punish the giltie in what place he will I wonder that our Scholemen may abyde this felow And then he sayth that Purgatory is in a place limitatiue And where soeuer God doth limitte the soule to bee purged there is the limitatiue place of that soule and there is the Purgatory of that soule So y t a man may gather by Rastell that the soules bee not limited to one place to be purged and punished And therto agréeth also his similitude of the iudge whiche assigneth one to be punished in one place and an other in an other place euen at his pleasure If such geare had come from beyond the Sea it should soone haue bene condemned although it had not bene halfe so greuous agaynst our Scholemen But let this passe as it is well worthy and let vs sée examine more of this new-fangled Philosophy NOw are we come vnto the sixte argument whiche begynneth in the. xij chapter the effect is this Repentaunce is the full payment and satisfaction of sinne and bryngeth remission therfore as soone as repentaunce is taken God of his iustice must geue remissiō and so there ought to be no Purgatory This argument is nothyng worth for the first part as we haue oftē proued is false For if repentaunce were the full payment and very satisfaction for sinne then dyed Christ in vayne Notwithstandyng if hee graunt this first part to be true neither he nor all his felowes shal be able to solute this argument whyle they lyue But because we will be short let vs passe ouer to his aunswere whiche is in the. xiij chapter In solutyng this argument hee groundeth hym on two lyes at once the firste is that God neuer geueth remission except he see in vs a conuenient cause counterpaysyng hys iustice What cause founde he in the man that was brought vnto hym sicke of the palsie to whom he sayd be of good comfort sonne thy sinnes are forgiuen thée Math. ix Marke ij Luke v. what cause found he in the théefe that was crucified with him but that hee had bene an vnthryft all his life lōg And yet euen the same day that hee suffred with Christ was he partaker of ioye with him in Paradise Luke xxiij Where was Purgatory then where was the punishment that hee should haue suffered for his enormities If any mā should suffer in Purgatory it is like that this théefe should haue done it But he went from death to life neuer came in Purgatory wherfore I may conclude that no mā shall come there if there were any What cause I pray you doth Paule assigne as touching our redēptiō remission of our sinne forsooth no other but y t we were wretched sinners and the very enemyes of God Roma v. For sayth Paule if whē we were his enemyes we were reconciled vnto God through the death of his sonne much more now we are reconciled shall we besaued by his lyfe So that in vs is no maner cause of remission but onely miserie and sinne But the whole cause of the remission of our sinnes of our saluation is the bloud of Christ which hath fully counterpaysed the iustice of God the father hath pacified his wrath towardes vs that beleue He is the very Purgatory for all faithful which hath already purged our sinnes sitteth on the right hand of the father Hebr. i. The secōd lye is this he sayth that God of hys iustice must geue to euery thyng his own which own is the thyng that it deserueth to haue If this were true then should not one of vs enter the inheritaunce of heauen for we haue euery one of vs deserued death and damnation For as Paul saith Roma iij. we haue all sinned and want the glory whiche before God is allowed But we are fréely iustified through his grace by y t fayth that is in Christ Iesu If it be fréely through his grace then is it not by our owne deseruyng for thē grace were no grace And contrarywise if it be by our own deseruing thē is it not of grace for then deseruyng were no deseruyng Roma xj But the truth is this that God of his mercy had promised vnto our forefathers his deare sonne Christ that hee should deliuer them
y t very sonne of God is that not auaylable belyke Rastell coūteth nothing auailable but that which iustifieth before God he will say the sonne is not auaylable because it iustifieth not fire is not auaylable in his eyes bycause it iustifieth not c. Then Rastell sayth that I make a wonders worke with y t Scripture alledgeth certaine textes y t we ought to do good workes which I neuer denyed and thereupon would conclude that woorkes saue and iustifie and playeth me the ball lustly ouer the corde but as God would there stode a post right in the way and he hytte it so full that it made the ball to reboūd ouer agayne backward for in the alledgyng of his purpose Paule sayth Ephe. 2. he hath cleane lost the game the wordes are these by grace you be saued by your fayth and that is not of you it is the gift of God and not of woorkes that no man should glorifie hym selfe we are the workes created of God in Christ Iesu whiche God hath prepared that we should walke in them here because he would haue the latter ende of the text to serue for hys purpose whiche teacheth good workes which I neuer denyed hée bryngeth in that thyng whiche cleane confuteth his opiniō for his opinion which in all places he hath laboured to proue is that we are saued by good workes but now marke what he alledgeth out of Paule by grace you be saued by your fayth and that is not of you it is the gift of God and not of workes For that no man should glorifie him selfe here Paule saith plainly that our saluatiō is not of workes and so hath Rastell cast down that he built before and may be likened to a shrewde cowe whiche when she hath geuen a large messe of milke turneth it downe with her hele Thus haue I aunswered to as much of Rastels treatise as I could get if there be any more whiche may come to my handes I shall do my diligence to disclose hys disceite so that God geue me leaue to kéepe the court with hym he shall wynne but litle except he conuey his balles more craftly and yet the truth to say we play not on euen hand for I am in a maner as a man bound to a post and can not so well bestow me in my play as as if I were at libertie for I may not haue such bookes as are necessary for me neither yet penne inke ne paper but onely secretly so that I am in continuall feare both of the Lefetenaūt and of my kéeper lest they should espy any such thyng by me and therfore it is litle meruell though the woorke be vnperfite for when soeuer I heare the keyes ryng at the doore strayte all much be cōueyed out of the way and then if any notable thyng had bene in my mynde it was cleane lost therfore I besech thée good reader count it as a thyng borne out of season which for many causes can not haue his perfeite forme and shape and pardon me my rudenes and imperfection ¶ FINIS Iohn Frithes iudgement vpon master William Tracyes Testament 1531. ¶ Iohn Frith to the Christian Reader THere is nothyng in this world that is so firme stable or godly but that it may be vndermined and frowardlye wrested of mē and specially if they be voyd of charitie As it is euident by William Tracyes Testamēt and last will that he left agaynst the which many men and that of long continuaunce haue blasphemously barked Whether of a godly zeale or of a dasing brayne let other mē iudge But this I dare boldly professe that his godly sayinges are vngodly hād led which thyng I can not so iustly ascribe vnto ignoraunce as vnto rancour vnto the furies I had almost sayd for if they had conferred all things vnto the rule of charitie which enuyeth not whiche is not puffed vp whiche is not styrred to vengeaunce which thinketh none euill but suffereth all things beleueth all thyngs trusteth all things and beareth all thyngs they would not so heddely haue cōdēned those thynges whiche might haue bene full deuoutly expounded howbeit they haue not onely attēpted that thyng but haue proceeded vnto such madnes that they haue taken vppon them to stryue with dead folkes for it is a most common iest in euery mās mouth that after the maker of this Testament was departed and buryed they tooke vp hys body and burnt it which thing declared their furye although he felt no fire Therfore we hūbly require our most redoubted Prince withall his nobles present assembly that euen as all other thyngs do of right depende of their iudgement that euen so they would by their discret aduise cure this disease ponderyng all thynges with a more equall ballaunce So shall this enormous facte be looked vppon with worthy correction and the condition of the common wealth shal be more quyet marke you therefore what thynges they are which they so cruelly condemne Master Tracie IN the name of God Amen I William Tracie of Todyngton in the Countie of Gloceter Esquier make my Testamēt and last will as hereafter foloweth c. The rest of whiche Testament you shall fynde before in the woorkes of William Tyndall fol. 429. Iohn Frith IT is maruell but here be somwhat that they improue for their mynde is so intoxicate that there is nothyng but they will note it with a blacke coale and yet all may be established by the testimony of Scripture for fayth is the sure persuasion of our mynde of God and hys goodnesse towardes vs. And wheras is a sure persuasion of the mynde there can be no doubtyng or mistrust for he that douteth is like the floude of the sea which is tossed with wyndes caried with violence and let not that man thinke that he shal obtaine any thing of God Ia. i. And therfore S. Austen sayth if I doubt I shal be no holy séede furthermore wheras he looketh through the grace and merites of Christ to obtaine remission of his sinnes surely it is a faythful saying and worthy to be cōmended for it is euen the same that Peter professed Actes xv where hee sayth vnto hym do all the Prophetes beare witnes that through his name as many as beleue in hym shall receiue remissiō of their sinnes moreouer in that he trusteth through Christ to haue resurrectiō of body and soule they haue no cause to blame hym for thus doth Paule argue if Christ be risen then shall we also ryse and if Christ be not risen then shall not we rise but Christ is risen for his soule was not lest in hell therfore shall we also rise whō Christ shall bryng with hym and be immortall both body soule 1. Cor. 15. And therfore he doth both righteously and godly deduce his resurrectiō by Christes by whom the father hath geuē vs all thinges or els we should not be but there are some that gather of his woordes that hee
the eyes of thy mynde and haue geuen thée spirituall wisedome thorough the knowledge of his word boast not thy selfe of it but rather feare and tremble for a chargeable office is committed vnto thée whiche if thou fulfill it is lyke to cost thée thy life at one tyme or other with much trouble and persecution But if thou fulfill it not then shal that office be thy damnation For S. Paule sayth Wo is to me if I preach not And by the Prophet Ezechiel God saith If I say vnto the wicked that he shall dye the death thou shew hym not of it the wicked shall dye in his iniquitie but I shal require his bloud of thy hand But peraduenture our Diuines would expounde these textes onely vpon them that are sent and haue cure of soules Wherunto I answere that euery man whiche hath the light of Gods worde reuelated vnto hym is sent when soeuer he séeth necessitie hath cure of his neighbours soule As by example If God haue geuen me my sight and I perceiue a blynde man goyng in the way which is ready for lacke of sight to fall into a pytte wherein he were lyke to perish then am I bounde by Gods commaundement to guide hym till hee were past that ieopardy or els if he perish there in where I might haue deliuered hym his bloud shal be required of my hand And lykewise if I perceiue my my neighbour lyke to perish for lacke of Christes doctrine then am I boūd to instruct hym with the knowledge that God hath geuen mee or els hys bloud shal be required of my hand Paraduenture they will say that there is all ready one appoynted to watch the pitte and therefore if any man fall into it he shall make it good and that therfore I am discharged néede to take no thought Wherunto I aunswere I would be glad that it so were Notwithstandyng if I perceaue that the watchman be a sléepe or runne to y t ale house to make good cheare or gone out of the countrey a whorehunting and thorough his necligence espy my neighbour in daunger of the pitte then am I neuerthelesse bounde to leade hym from it I thinke that God hath sent me at that tyme to saue that soule frō perishyng And the law of God and nature byndeth me therto which chargeth me to loue my neighbour as my selfe and to doe vnto hym as I would be done to And I thinke there is no mā that is in this case but he would haue hys neighbour to helpe hym and therfore is he bound to helpe his neighbour if he be in lyke ieopardy And euen thus art thou bound to geue good counsell to hym that lacketh it to distribute what soeuer talent thou hast receiued of God vnto the profite of thy neighbour Moreouer besides that ye can not auoyde this my solution yet I desire you to note how the text it selfe which I alleged doth condemne your vayne obiection the wordes are these Ezech. iij. If I say vnto the wicked that he shall dye the death and thou shewe him not of it the wicked shall die in his iniquitie but I shall require his bloud of thy hande Marke I pray you that the Prophet saith not as you obiect that he which should shewe the wicked his iniquitie and doth not so shall perish only and the wicked hym selfe to be saued bicause his faut was told him by him which take charge to teach him But contrarywise y e wicked shall perishe in his iniquitie saith God by his prophet Ezechiel and his bloud shall be required of the hand of him which should haue instructed him in the truthe If God haue geuen thée faythe in Christes bloude be not proude of it but feare for sith God hathe not spared the naturall braunches I meane the Iewes which were hys elect people sith he spared not the angels that sinned but hath cast them into hell to be reserued vnto iudgement sithe he spared not the olde worlde but ouerwhelmed them with waters deliueryng Noe the preacher of righteousnes take héede lest he also spare not thée Truth it is that where fayth is present no sinne can be imputed but this faith is not in thy power for it is the gift of God And therfore if thou be vnkynde endeuour not thy selfe to walke innocently to bryng forth the fruites of fayth it is to be feared that for thyne vnkyndnesse God will take it from thée and hyer out his vyneyard to an other whiche shall restore the fruite in due seasō and then shall thyne end be worse then thy begynnyng Let vs therfore with feare and tremblyng séeke our health and make stable our vocation and electiō mortifiyng our members and man of sinne by exercising our selues in Christes preceptes that we may be the children of our father that is in heauen and felow heyers with our Sauiour and brother Christ Iesu If God haue geuen thée riches thou mayst not thincke that he hath committed them vnto thée for thine owne vse only but that he hath made thée a stuard ouer them to destribute them to the profite of the commontie For indéede thou art not the verye owner of them but God is the owner whiche sayth by the Prophet Agge Golde is mine and siluer is mine and he hath committed them for a ceason to thy hande to sée whether thou wilt be faythfull in distributing thys wicked Mammon according to his commaundementes And that it so is thou mayst well note by the parable of the riche man whych was clothed in silke and fared delicately in this worlde and after was buryed in hell Wheruppon S. Gregory noteth that he was not damned because he despoiled any other mans but because he did not distribute his own as y t processe of y ◠Text doth also well declare Wherefore if we must geue accompts of all that is geuē vs then haue we litle cause to glory but rather to feare and tremble and to count him most happy to whom least is committed For God to whom this accomptes must be made can not be deluded although the world may be blinded If God haue geuen thée thy perfite limmes and members then gette to some occupation and woorke wyth thyne owne handes that thy members which are whole and perfite may minister to theyr necessitie that lacke theyr members for that is acceptable in the sight of God and the contrarye so detestable that if thou withdraw thy members from ayding thy neighboures thou shalt of God be recounted for a théefe and a murtherer And therfore I affirme that all our holy hypocrites and idle bellyed Monkes chanons and priestes whether they be regulare or seculare if they laboure not to preache Gods woorde are théeues and also murtherers for they maintaine their strong members in idlenesse which ought to labour for the profite of theyr neyghboures that theyr perfite members might minister vnto the necessitie
for it is better to mary then to burne The Pope sayth all monkes Fryers and Nunnes shall vowe and sweare chastitie be it geuen them or not my Priestes also shall not be wedded but as for to kéepe whores and rauishe other mens daughters wiues shal be dispensed withall I will sée no such thinges for my Byshoppes haue yearely great mony by it like as baudes be wont to haue 57. Christ sayth all meates that maÌ„ taketh with thankes staineth not the soule for all things are pure to them that are pure The Pope sayth he that eateth egges butter or fleshe in these dayes that I haue commauÌ„ded to be fasted doth not onely stayne his soule wyth sinne but also is to be denounced an hereticke Dist 4. ca. Statuimus This agréeth with Christ euen as the lyght doth with the darcknes And yet haue we bene thus blynded long that we could neuer perceaue this Antichrist till now in the last dayes 58. Christ sayd vnto his Disciples that you bynde in earth shal be bouÌ„de in heauen and that you lose in earth shal be losed in heauen The Pope chalengeth greater authoritie for he will lose soules out of Purgatory and commaunde the angels to fetch them out and all for money without money you get nothing 59. Christ sayth wheÌ„ you haue done all thynges that I haue commaunded you yet say that you are vnprofitable seruauntes The Pope sayth do those thynges that I commauÌ„d thée and take a sure conscience vnto thée that thou art a iust and a religious maÌ„ and that thou hast deserued heaueÌ„ And as for I myselfe If I do wrong in euery thyng 〈◊〉 bring many thousandes with me into damnation yet shall no man rebuke me but cal me the most holiest father Dist. 40. ca. Si Papa 60. Christ teacheth vs to fulfill the woorkes of mercy to the poore euer commendyng mercy aboue offerings and sacrifice The Pope teacheth vs to geue our money for pardons masses diriges to images and Churches so that we may offer vnto their bellyes And he that sayth it is better to geue our charitie to the poore as Christ sayth is counted halfe an hereticke because he goeth aboute to marre the Popes market 61. Christe suffered death for our sinnes and arose for our iustification or els we all should haue perished The Pope sayth if thou bye my pardoÌ„ or els be buried in a gray Friers coate thou must néedes be saued so that Christ hath suffered in vayne sith a Friers coate will saue a man 62. Christ onely is our mediatour which maketh vnite betwixt hys father vs howbeit the prayer of a iust man is very good and profitable The Pope sayth The greatest power and saluation next to Christ is myne Dist 60. cap. Si Papa I maruell then why he is so curious to cause vs to worship the Saintes y â— are a sléepe And not rather hym selfe sith he chalengeth a greater power then euer they dyd while they lyued 63. Christ sayth who soeuer breake one of my lest coÌ„maundementes shal be called the lest that is to say none in the kyngdome of heauen The Pope sayth what pertaineth his law vnto me I am subiect to no lawes 25. q. 1. cap. Omnia therefore doth the Pope but seldome right And is alwayes agaynst right yea and agaynst his owne lawes as often as men do bryng hym money for that loueth he aboue all thynges 64. Christes law is fulfilled through charitie The Popes law is fulfilled by money if thou haue no money to geue them thou shalt carye a fagot though thou offende not money them they sée thée not do what thou wilt 65. Christ is the head of the Church as the Apostle doth testifie And also the stone whereon the Church is builded And this Church is the coÌ„gregation of the faythfull and the very body of Christ The Pope sayth I am the head of the Church Dist 19. cap. Enim vero And the seate of Rome is the stone wheron the Church is builded Dist 19. Ita Dominus Can any thyng be more contrary vnto the honour and glory of God then thus to dispoyle hym of his kyngdome whiche he so dearely hath bought shedyng his precious bloud for it 66. Christes law whiche is the holy Scripture came by the inspiryng of the holy ghost whiche dyd infuse it aboundauntly into the hartes of the Apostles and of the same spirite hath it his enduraunce and interpretation The Pope sayth I am Lord of the Scripture to alow and disalow it for of me doth it take his full authoritie ca â–ª Si omnes And for a token of this is the Scripture of Christ layd vnder his féete when he is at Masse 67. Christes Apostle sayth that a Byshop ought to be so well learned that he with the Scripture be able to ouercome all them that be agaynst the fayth The Pope and Byshops will dispute in Scripture with no man but cast them first in prison and proper engynes they haue inueÌ„ted to wring their fingers so sore that the bloude shall braste out at their fingers endes they pyne them and scourge theÌ„ with infinite other tormeÌ„tes payning theÌ„ to forsake the truth And after make them sweare on a booke that they shal tell no man of it thus cruelly do they entreate them against iustice And if they can not subdue them to theyr willes then do they committe them vnto y e seculare power to be burned 68. Christes accusation and cause why he was condemned vnto death was writteÌ„ ouer his head in Hebrew Gréeke Latine that all men might know the cause this was an argument that they vsed iustice although they condemned him vniustly sithe men might sée the offence and iudgement ioyned together The Pope and Byshoppes condemne men and committe them vnto the seculare power that they shold execute the sentence But this is a mischeuous abomination that they will not suffer the seculare power to know the cause why they put men to death worshipfull dis diuines Master Doctor O you gentle nobilitie ponder this matter indifferently Beware how you do execution except you know the cause why Thinke you the bloude shall not be requyred on you if for an others pleasure you destroy the worke of God They will say vnto you as the Iewes sayde vnto Pilate concerning Christ If he were not an euill doer we would not haue deliuered him vnto you Trust not their wordes for no doubt they are lyers know the cause your selues and heare the matter vnfaynedly Thinke you they woulde not let you know the cause and iudgement if they did iustice and not tyrannye Be therefore no longer â—oyes to theÌ„ which ought to be your seruauntes God hath geueÌ„ you his spirite grace and vnderstanding hide not the talent that God hath geuen you but do your diligence to sée iustice executed secluding all tyranny for that is your office appoynted you of
God 69. Christ sayth blessed are ye when men hate you curse you and excommunicate you for the righteousnes that is to say you nothing giltye nor worthy such affliction The Pope and Byshoppes saye that their curse is sore to be feared yea and that it maketh men as blacke as a coale in the sight of God though they haue not offended In so much that they must néedes be damned except they absoile them agayne howbeit Christ sayth that they are blessed wherfore Christ is false or els they are most vayne lyers 70. Christ sayde when thou makest a dinner or feast call not thy frendes kinsmen and neighbours that are riche but the poore lame and blinde which are not able to recompeÌ„ce thée then shalt thou be happye for it shall be rewarded thée in the resurrection of the iust The Pope and Byshoppes wyll call none such for they thinke it great shame but they call men of great authoritie and riches which wil receiue them wyth an other feast they had leuer haue their bellies well stuffed in this world then to tary for the promise of Christ They thinke it long a comming 71. Christ sayth eyther make y e trée good and his fruite good also or els make the trée naught and his fruite naught also meaning that the trée first shoulde be good and then bringe forth good fruite the fruite maketh not the trée good but the trée maketh the fruite good although we can not know that the trée is good but by hys fruite for we can iudge nothing but by his outward operation yet God séeth the quicknes in the roote which in the tyme that God hath appointed him shall bring forth his fruite And approueth y e trée to be good although he séeme dead vnto vs. The trée is fayth which is the mother of all good workes which euer worketh by charitie when he séeth occasion The Pope and Byshops say that the fruite maketh the trée good cleane contrary to all Scripture and reason And thus turne they the trées and the rootes vpwarde while they affirme that fayth springeth and is made good of workes And not the contrary eueÌ„ as a man would say the fruite bringeth forth and maketh good the trée And not the contrary O what madnes is is They woulde make men beleue if they shoulde longe continue that y e Moone is made of grene chese 72. Christ sayth I am the doore of the folde he that entreth not in by the doore but by some other waye is a théefe a murtherer and regardeth not the shéepe The Pope yea and all the cleargie for the most part enter not in by Christ but they runne in and are not called nor sent of Christ One entreth by a bagge of money wherewyth he buyeth a fatte benefice An other entreth by seruing great men and corying fauour An other because he is a great man borne must be made a Cardinall or els a Bpshop Some haue voysons of Abbayes and other places to speake a good worde for them to the kyng or other great men Some enter thorowe their curious singing and minyon daunsing fewe or none for vertue learninge 73. Christ sayth I am a good shepheard A good shephead geueth hys lyfe for hys shéepe The Pope and Byshoppes say also that they are good shepheards how be it they pille and shere the sheepe so nigh that they leaue not one locke of wolle on their backes And in all pointes may be likened vnto the shepheardes that Zacharias prophesied of which sayth I shall rayse vp a shepheard in the earth which shal not visite the thinges that are forsaken and shall not séeke that which is gone astray neither yet heale the diseased nor nourishe and mayntayne that which standeth but such a shepheard that shall norishe himselfe and not the shéepe and cryeth out of hym saying O thou shepheard and idoll thynke you that this shepheard wyll geue his lyfe for the shéepe 74. Christ sayth desire you not to be called master for you haue but one master which is Christ and all you are brothers The Pope will be called most holy hys Cardinalles most reuerend hys Byshoppes reuerend hys Abbottes and Priors most and other glorious titles haue they that passe master farre And except thou call them by those names and titles thou shalt runne farre into their indignation let Christ say what he wyll 75. Christ commaunded his Disciples that they should call no man father on the earth shewing them that they had but one father which is in heauen The Pope must be called most holy father if thou geue him not that name he will excommunicate you out of his sinagoge reason not with him you may shew him the scripture but it auayleth not for he will wrest it wring it into a thousand fashions And will neuer leaue it vntill he haue brought it vnto his owne purpose 76. Christes faithfull seruaunt Stephen sayd that God almighty dwelleth not in temples y â— are made with mans hands according vnto the prophetes saying Heauen is my seate and the earth is my footestole What house will you builde for me sayth the Lorde which is the place of my reste Did not my handes make all these thinges The Pope and his adhereÌ„tes say that he dwelleth in this place and that place the Friers say we haue hym you must bye hym of vs the Monkes say he is with vs be good to our monastery and you shall be sure to haue hym And so runne the sely soules froÌ„ Herode to Pilate But they finde not Christ for he dwelleth in no place but in the hart of a faithful maÌ„ which is the very temple of God 77. Christes Apostle Paule sayth We ought not to thinke that God is like gold siluer karâ—ed stones or any such thyng as man imagineth The Pope and his adherentes say that he is lyke a stocke and a stone causeth men to make images of hym though God commaunded contrary saying Thou shalt make no grauen image neither any maner of similitude of those thynges whiche are in heaueÌ„ aboue or on the earth beneath Neither of those thynges whiche are in the water or vnder the earth neither shalt thou honour or worshyppe them Good Christen beware of these Idolles as Saint Iohn councelleth thée truely I thinke it be one of the greatest causes of this exceâ—ation which God hath sent into the world for sinne 78. Christ sayd vnto Peter thou art Symon the sonne of Iona thou shalt be called Cephas which if it be enterpreted signifieth a stone as S. Iohn sayth in his Gospell The Pope sayth that Cephas signifieth the head and of that gathereth he to be head of all the Byshops here doth he playnly contrary to Gospell whiche expoundeth Cephas to bee a stone what impudencie is this I thinke he would say also that an Asse were a man if he thought to get any auauntage through it There
remēbraunce of his body breakyng and bloud shedyng and that we shuld eate it together reioysing with ech other declaryng hys benefites Now were the Corinthians fallen from this hunger and came not together to the intent that Gods prayse should bee published by them in the middest of the congregatiō but came to féede their flesh and to make carnal cheare In so much that y t rich would haue meate and drinke inough and take such aboundaunce y t they would be dronke and so made it their owne per not the Lordes as Paule saith and did eate onely the bread meate and not the body breaking as I haue before said the poore which had not that is to say that had no meate to eate were ashamed and hungry and so could not reioyse and prayse the Lord by the reason that the delicate fare of the riche was an occasion for the poore to lament their pouertie and thus the rich dyd neither prayse God them selues nor suffered the poore to doe it but were an occasion to hynder them They should haue brought theyr meate and drinke and haue deuided it with their poore brethren that they might haue been mery together and so to haue geuen them occasion to be mery and reioyse in the Lorde with thankes geuyng But they had neither lust to prayse God nor to comfort their neighbour Their fayth was féeble and their charitie cold and had no regard but to fill their body and féede their flesh And so despised y t poore cōgregation of God whom they should haue honoured for y t spirite that was in them fauour that God had shewed indifferently vnto them in y ◠bloud of hys sonne Christ When Paule perceiued that they were thus fleshly mynded and had no mynde vnto that spirituall maundy which chiefly shuld ther bee aduertised hée reproueth thē sore rehearsing y t wordes of Christ That which I gaue vnto you I receiued of the Lord. For the Lord Iesus the same night in the which hee was betrayed tooke bread and thanked and brake it and said take ye and eate ye this is my bodye which is broken for you this do ye in the remembraunce of me After the same maner hee tooke the cup when supper was done saying this cuppe is the new Testament in my bloud this doe ye as ofte as ye drinke it in the remembraunce of me For as oft as ye shall eate this bread drinke of this cup ye shall shew the Lordes death til he come As though hée should say ye Corinthians are much to blame whiche at this Supper séeke the foode of your flesh For it was institute of Christ not for the intent to norishe the belly but to strēghten the hart and soule in God And by this you may know that Christ so meant For he calleth it hys body which is geuen for you so that the name it selfe might testifie vnto you that in this supper you should more eate his body whiche is geuen for you by digestyng that into the bowels of your soule then the bread which by the breakyng and the distributyng of it doth represent his body breakyng and the distributyng therof vnto all that are faythful And that bée so meaneth is euident by the wordes folowyng which say this do in the remembrance of mee and likewyse of the cuppe And finally concludyng of both Paule sayth as often as ye shall eate this bread drinke of this cuppe in this place and felowshyp ye shall shew y t Lordes death vntill hée come praysing the Lord for the death of his sonne and exhortyng other to doe the same reioysing in hym with infinite thākes And therfore ye are to blame whiche séeke onely to féede the belly with that thyng which was onely institute to féede the soule And theruppon it foloweth Wherfore who soeuer doth eate of this bread and drinke of this cup vnworthely is gilty of the body and bloud of the Lorde He eateth this bread vnworthely which regardeth not the purpose for the which Christ dydinstitute it which cōmeth not to it with spirituall hūger to eate through fayth his very body which the bread representeth by the breaking and disstributing of it which commeth not with a mery hart geuing God harty thankes for their deliueraunce from sinne Which doe not much more eate in their hart y t death of his body then they doe the bread with their mouth Now sith the Corinthyans did onlye séeke their belly and flesh and forgat Gods honour and prayse for which it was instituted y ◠thākes should be geuen by the remembrance of his body breaking for vs they eate it to Gods dishonour to their neighboures hinderaunce to their owne condemnation so for lacke of fayth were giltye of Christes body which by fayth they should there chiefely haue eaten to their soules health And therefore it followeth †Let a man therfore examyne him selfe and so let him eate of the bread and drinke of the cuppe THis prouing or examinyng of a mans selfe is first to thinke with him selfe with what lust and desire he cōmeth vnto the maundy will eate that bread whether he be sure that he is the child of God and in the faith of Christ And whether his cōscience do beare him witnesse that Christes body was broken for him And whether the lust y t he hath to prayse God and thanke hym with a faythfull hart in the middes of the bretheren do driue hym thether warde Or els whether he do it for y t meates sake or to kéepe the custome for then were it better that he were away For he that eateth or drinketh vnworthely eateth and drinketh his owne damnation becaufe he maketh no differēce of the Lordes body That is as it is sayd before he that regardeth not the purpose for which it was instituted putteth no difference betwene his eating and other eating for other eating doth onely serue the bellye but this eating was instituted and ordayned to serue the soule and inward man And therfore he that abuseth it to the flesh eateth and drinketh his owne damnation And he commeth vnworthelye to the maundye where the sacrament of Christes body is eaten ye where the body of the Lord is eaten not carnally with the téeth and bellye but spiritually with the hart and faith Vpon this followeth the text that M. More allegeth and wresteth for his purpose For this cause many are weake sicke among you and many sléepe yf we had truely Iudged our selues we should not haue béene Indged when we are Iudged of the Lorde we are chastened because we should not bée damned wich the world Wherfore my bretheren whē ye come togither to eate tary one for an other Yf a man hunger let him eate at home that ye come not togither vnto condemnation For this cause that is for lacke of good examinyng of our selues as is before touched many are weake and sicke in
after my coūsell say that you can not come for you bée lawfully let It foloweth I shal honourably entreate the popes Legate both going and comming and in his necessitie I shal helpe him I pray you sée and prouide well that hée goe not a begging as Peter did And sée also that he neither preach nor teach but pyll and poull with all mischiefe and vnshamefastnes And why because you are sworne this to maintayne It foloweth I shall visite yearely my selfe or by some other messenger the pope of Rome vnles I bée dispenced with of them I pray you what pertaineth this to the office of a Byshop yearely to visite Rome Christ and the most of his Apostles were neuer at Rome and yet they were méetely good Christen men But I reade in the traditions of the Turke that certayne of them must yearly visite their Mahomet From whom I thinke you haue taken this custome Your owne law saith that vnto this clause must these bishops all only bée boūde that bée immediatly vnderneth the Pope Now are not you such for you sweare in your othe to the kyng that you will immediatly take your Byshopprick of him and holde it all onely of his grace Wherefore then doe you here sweare against your owne lawe And also against your othe made to your prince Moreouer you know that there was an olde custome in the dayes of kyng Henry the second that no Byshop shoulde goe out of the Realme without the kinges licence Are you not bound to kéepe this custome but answere that the Pope hath dispensed with you and that you are not bounde to kéepe any obedience towarde the actes that your prince maketh Moreouer I meruaile sore that you be all so straitly sworne of so long tyme and neuer one of you that euer went in my dayes to Rome to discharge his othe And why because you are dispensed with But were it not as good to leaue it out of your othe at the first séeing you entende not to kéepe it as afterwarde to dispence with you for it No forsothe for than the Pope coulde not bynde you to come to Rome at hys pleasure and betraye your kyng all his counselles But in your othe that is newly made that you haue sworne laste is added That if the pope bée on this side y e mountaines you shall visite him euery yeare But if hée bée beyond the moūtaines then euery three yeares One that knew not your practise and the circumstaūces of your factes y e hath béene done would litle suspect this additiō But the very truth is there is a mischieuous and abhominable treason in it agaynst Princes For if it chaunced the Emperour or els any temporall Prince neare vnto Rome to fall at variaunce with the Pope then dyd y e Pope straight runne into Fraunce that is to say on this side the mountaines where you must visite hym yearely And why Bicause your god is in distresse and hath conceiued a deadly hatered agaynst a Prince and can not bring it to passe without your helpe and counsell Wherefore you must come yearely And also hée must know through your betraying how your Prince is mynded and whether hée bée addicted to his contrary parte or not If hée bée then must you betraye his counsell and that yearely And why bicause the pope is on this side the mountaines But and if hée bée in Rome and hath all Princes neckes vnder hys gyrdell then is it sufficient that you come euery thyrd yeare For you cā at ones commyng deuise as much treason as Princes shall auoyde in fiue yeares But what belongeth this vnto a Bishop that the Pope is on this side the moūtaines or beyonde If ye bée bounde by Gods law yearely to visite the Pope then must you visite him where soeuer hée bée though hée were either with God or the deuill And if you bée not bounde by Gods law what a presumption is it of him to bynde you Yea what an ouersight is it of you to let your selfe thus to bée bounde And what a wickednes is it of you so straitely to kéepe this othe to the which you are not boūde by Scripture against your obedience made to your Prince whiche is commaunded by Gods word But I pray you what example hath either hée or you of blessed S. Peter to bynde by the vertue of an othe the other Apostles yearely to visite him at Rome All the world may perceiue that this othe is inuented of insaciable couetousnes that the Pope and you haue toward honours and dignities And that is well declared by these wordes that foloweth in your othe The possessions of my Church I shal not sell geue lay to morgage or make any feoffement or by any other meanes alienate the same without the counsell of y e pope But I pray you tell me one thing why doe you not sweare that you shall neither bye nor yet receiue any possessions to your church nor you shall neither pill nor poull nor shaue to encrease the possessions of your Church But the truth is all is fish that commeth to the nette with you And if it come ones within your cloukes it neuer cōmeth out agayne thoughe the Kyng and his Realme should stand in neuer so great néede But to receiue all his lande you are alwayes ready and it is not agaynst your othe I do not say thus bicause I would ye should sell or alienate the possessions of the Churche but bicause I sée that there is nothyng maintained by them but all onely your mischeuous pompe and your pride Your owne law commaundeth that the fourth part of the spiritual goodes should bée distributed among poore men And for that cause they bée called Bona pauperum but how litle their part is all the world can testifie Wherfore doe you sweare not to alienate your goodes without the popes licence The pope gaue them not to you but the kyng his subiectes How commeth hée now to bée so neare of your counsell in alienating them and the king is thrust out the whiche hath deserued best to bée of your counsell But doe you not remember your own law the which doth forbid that the pope in any wise or sor any necessitie should alienate the goodes of the Church except it bée old houses whiche can not bée kept without great charges This is your owne law and agaynst this will you sweare Then must you néedes bée periured for if you alienate your goodes with the Popes licence then is this Decrée agaynst you and curseth you Wherfore then put you this in your othe seyng you can not alienate your goodes with his consent nor yet without it It foloweth in your new othe decrées ordinaunces sentences disposions reseruations prouisions and commaundementes apostolike with all my power I will obserue shall and cause other men to obserue them These things were added when this Idole was brought so highe that no man durste wynche
sake onely And that we haue néede of nothyng towardes our saluation but of hym onely and wée desire no other saluatiō nor no other satisfactiō nor any helpe of any other creature eyther heauenly or earthly but of him onely for as Saint Peter sayth there is no other name geuen vnto men wherein they must bée saued And also S. Paule sayth by hym are all that beléeue iustified from all thynges Moreouer S. Iohn witnesseth the same in these wordes Hée it is that hath obtained grace for our sinnes And in an other place He sent his sonne to make agréement for our sinnes Now my Lordes here haue you Christ and his very nature full and whole And hée y e denyeth any thyng or any part of these thyngs or taketh any part of them applyeth them or geueth y e glory of thē to any other person then to Christ onely the same mā robbeth Christ of his honour and denyeth Christ and is very Antichrist Wherfore my Lordes first what say you to this and vnto the propertyes of Christ If you graunt them thē are we at a poynte For they proue that fayth in Iesus Christ onely iustifieth afore God Secondarily if you denye if as I am sure you will for you had leuer deny your Créede thē graūt it How can you thē auoyde but that you bée the very Antichristes of whō S. Iohn speaketh For now haue we tryed your spirites that they bée not of God for you deny Christ That is you deny the very nature the propertie of Christ You graunt y e name but you deny the vertue You graunt that hée descended from heauen but you deny the profite thereof For hée descended for our health this denye you and yet it is your Créede You graunt that hée was borne but you denye the purpose You graunt that he is rissen frō death but you deny the profit therof for hée rose to iustifie vs. You graūt that hée is a Sauiour but you deny that he is alonely y t sauiour I pray you wherfore was hée borne to iustifie vs in part to redéeme vs in part to doe satisfaction for part of our sinnes so y e we must set a payr of old shoes a lompe of bread cheese or a lousie gray coate to make satisfactiō for y t other part Say what you will if you geue not all and fully alonely to one Christ thē deny you Christ and the holy ghost And S. Iohn doth declare you to bée contrary to Christ This may also bée proued by a playne Scripture of the holy ghost which is this No man in heauen nor in earth neither vnder the earth was able to open the booke or to looke on y e booke till the lambe came vnto whom the seniours spake on this maner Thou art worthy to take y t booke to open the seales therof for thou wast killed and hast redéemed vs by thy bloud How say you to this my Lordes In heauen was there none founde neither by the aungels nor yet by the seniours worthy to open the booke but Christ onely And will you finde that they could not finde will you set an helper to Christ whō they set alone But I pray you tel vs what bée shall bée All the world knoweth that they hée good workes But now from whēce come your good workes whether from heauen or out of the earth or frō vnder the earth If they were in any of these places where were they when the aungels and the seniours sought them Haue you founde them whom they could not finde but let this passe I praye you what will you lay for your good workes or by what title will you bryng them in to ioyne them with the lābe in openyng of the booke The seniours haue layd for them that the lābe alonely was worthy to opē the booke because hée was slayne and redéemed them with his precious bloud Now what cause laye you for your good workes The lābe hath alonely dyed for vs The lambe hath alonely shed his bloud for vs The lambe hath alonly redéemed vs These things hath hée done alone Now if these bée sufficient then hath hée alone made satisfaction and is alonely worthy to be our redéemer and iustifier Moreouer they that bée in heauen confesse that this lambe is alonely worthy to redéeme them Bée your workes better then theirs or cā your workes helpe them If they can then is not the lambe alonely worthy to redéeme them Moreouer the seniours fall downe before the lambe geuyng him alonely prayse And shall your good workes stande vp by the lambe Then bée they better then the seniours But let vs proue this thyng by open Scriptures S. Paule tooke so great labours to proue this article as hée neuer tooke in any other all because hée would make it playne and stoppe the mouthes of the agaynesayers But all this will not helpe them that haue not the spirite of God Neuertheles we will by Gods fauour doe the best we can to confounde the crooked enemyes of Christes bloud thoughe we can not make them his frendes yet at the lest we will so handle them that they shall bée ashamed openly so to speake agaynst him as they haue done longe tyme and so will we handle them by Gods helpe that all the world shal know that they glory in Christes name and by hym bée they also so high promoted in this worlde that they can not bée higher And yet deserue they of Christ worst of all men But let vs goe to our purpose S. Paule sayth All men bée sinners and wante the glory of God but they are iustified fréely by his grace thorough the redemption that is in Christ Iesu What is this that all men haue sinned yea and are iustified fréely How shall a sinner doe good workes How can hée deserue to bée iustified what call you fréely if there bée any deseruing lesse or more then is it not fréely What call you by his grace if it bée any part of works then it is not of grace For as Saint Paule sayth Then grace were not grace Here can bée no euasion the wordes bée so playne If you bring in any helpe of workes then for so much is not our redēption fréely nor yet is it of grace as concerning the part that commeth of works but partly of workes and then doe you destroy all Saint Paule and his whole disputation For hée contendeth agaynst workes clearely excludeth workes in iustification and bryngeth in grace onely Nowe that that is excluded in the whole by contention can not bée brought in in parte to the cause This is open in his wordes where hée sayth Where is now thy reioysing It is excluded By what lawe by the lawe of workes Nay but by the lawe of fayth We doe iudge therfore that a man is iustified by fayth without y t workes of the lawe Heare you not that the gloriation
of workes is excluded and yet will you boaste your workes Heare you not playnely S. Paules sentence that iudgeth clearely wyth fayth and agaynst all workes How can this bée auoyded Is it not cleare What can bée aunswere to it Is not thys Paules proposition that hée tooke to prooue faith onely iustifieth It were but lost labour for Paule to proue that workes did helpe to iustification For that the Iewes did graunt and required no more but that workes might not bée clearely excluded They were Christened and content to receiue Christ for their sauiour but not onely and alonely This was the contentation In so much that they gloryed agaynst the Gentiles which had no maner of workes and for that dispised them as people vnworthy to bée iustified But paraduenture here wyll bée sayde that Paule condemneth the workes of the olde lawe but not the workes of the newe lawe Are you nowe satisfied in your conscience Thinke you that you haue well assoyled S. Paules argumeÌ„t Thinke you that this is sufficient to auoyde Saint Paule that hath takeÌ„ so great labour to prooue this cause Thinke you that you shall bée thus discharged afore God If you doe then goe boldly into the straite iudgement of God with this euasion and doubt you not but there shall you finde S. Paule as stifly and as strongly against you and your newe workes as euer hée was agaynst the Iewes and theyr olde workes And if hée did condemne the works of the law that were instituted by the mouth of God and the best workes that euer were Thinke you that those workes that you haue inuented shal be there alowed Briefely what workes can you doe or excogitate that bée good which bée not in the olde lawe and of the olde lawe Ergo hée speaketh of all maner of workes for the lawe includeth all workes that euer God instituted The highest and the best and most of perfection of all workes bée Opera decalogi the workes of the ten Commaundementes And these bée the workes of the olde lawe and can not iustifie after your owne saying Nowe what workes haue you of the nowe lawe other then these or better then these Our mayster Christ sheweth that in fulfilling ij of these Commaundementes bée all workes included What workes then bée of the newe lawe that were not commaunded in the olde Paraduenture you will say All those workes that Christ speaketh of in the v. of Math. bée of the newe lawe and not of the olde For Christ sayth I say vnto you He that calleth his brother foole or that looketh on a woman to desire her and such like doth offend These séeme to bée workes of Christ and not of Moyses Ergo there bée works of the newe lawe that were not coÌ„maunded in the olde and against theÌ„ disputeth not S. Paule say yée To this I aunswere that our maister Christ doth there reprooue y t false interpretation that the Scribes and Pharysies did set to the lawe but hée teacheth no newe workes nor is no geuer of any newe lawe For Saint Iohn sayth The lawe is geuen thorough Moyses but grace and veritie came by Iesus Christ Hée is the géeuer of grace and mercy as all the prophetes testifieth and not an other Moyses And therfore to purchace vs fauour hée dyed on the crosse and so did not Moyses But hée commaundeth vs to doe this and doe that But Christ sayth hange thou on my doing beléeue thou that I haue done for thée for thée and not for mée Now to our purpose Christ I say doth interprete and declare the olde lawe agaynst the Scribes and Pharyses which learned that the lawe was fulfilled and content wyth outwarde workes and that was their iustification This false doctrine doth our mayster Christ reprooue And sayth that the lawe doth require a pure and a cleane hart and will haue hys workes fulfilled out of the hart and not alonely wyth hand and séete and toothe and nayle as the Pharyses sayth and teacheth So that our mayster Christ teacheth no new workes but alonely expresseth the vertue of the olde lawe And thus doth holy Doctours declare this v. chapiter of Math. and specially S. Augustine Wherfore out of that place caÌ„ not bée prooued that there bée certayne workes of the new law that were ueuer commaunded in the olde Moreouer looke in the olde lawe whether these thinges bée forbidden or commaunded and you shall finde that the wordes of the law and Christes exposition doth agrée So that our mayster teacheth no newe thyng nor yet any newe workes But now graunt that there bée certayne workes of the new lawe which bée not of the olde yet haue you not nor caÌ„ not prooue that those shall iustifie For there can bée no more goodnesse in workes then were in workes of the olde lawe for they were to Gods honour and to the profite of our neighbour What goodnes can works haue more And yet you graunt that they can not iustifie How then shall your newe workes iustifie Blessed Saint Paule disputeth agaynst them that were Christened and had both workes of the olde lawe and also of the newe And yet concludeth hee that Christ alonely was their iustifier Marke his argument if righteousnes coÌ„meth of the law then is Christ dead in vayne As hée woulde say if the lawe helpe to iustifie for that was the opinion of the Iewes then is not Christ alonely your iustifier If hée be not your iustifier alonely then is bée dead in vayne How will S. Paule proue this consequent On this maner Eyther Christ doth thys thyng alone or els hée is dead in vayne for hée will haue no helper Thys must néedes bée the meaning of hys argument there Now will I take this argument of S. Paule and likewise dispute agaynst your newe woorkes If newe woorkes doe helpe to iustifie then is Christ deade in vayne But Christ is not dead in vayne Ergo new workes doe not helpe to iustify The first part is Paules The second you graunt Therfore the third must â—â—edes folow But let vs sée how S. Paule proueth this preposition by an example not of the olde lawe as though hée disputed alonely agaynst the works of the ould lawe But by that holy and excellent Patriarch Abraham whoÌ„ no maner of workes coulde iustifye but fayth onely Thynke you y t S. Paule doth speake here of the workes of the ould lawe nay doubtles For how could AbrahaÌ„ doe y t works of lawe there was no lawe geueÌ„ 400. 30. yeares after wherefore S. Paule constrayneth you to conclude that no maner of good workes though they bée soe good as Abrahams workes can helpe to iustificacion Note also S. Paules argument AbrahaÌ„ was instified so many yeares before y t lawe was geuen Ergo saith hée the lawe doth not iustifie So like wise dispute I agaynst your newe workes Men were sufficiently and perfectly iustifyed alonely by fayth afore any new workes were geuen or
byshopryke of the kinges grace How will you bée able by your workes to deserue heauen and iustification before the king of all kynges When you haue aunswered to this before the kinges grace then come and dispute with God the iustification of your workes and yet shall they bée farre vnlike Wherfore I conclud of these scriptures and of these doctours that the fayth that we haue in Christ Iesus and his blessed bloude doth onely and sufficiently iustifie vs béefore God without the helpe of any workes And though y e all scripture bee no thing els but a holle probacion of this article that is alonely a perfect commeÌ„dation and a prayse of Christ and of his blessed merites that hée hath deserued for vs yet will I passe ouer to bryng in any moe places For they y e are not coÌ„teÌ„t with these scriptures wyll not bée satisfied nor yet content to geue al onely glory to God though I brought in all the newe testament Yea Christ hym selfe could not satisfie them if hee were here no nor yet though heauen and earth and all creatures therin were nothyng els but probations of this article it would not helpe Wherefore I let such infidels passe and leue them to the iudgement of God alonely certifieng them of this one thyng that is infallible how the day shall come that it shall repent them yea and that sorer then I can either write or thinke that they did not beléeue the lest pricke of this holy article But vnto our purpose The very true way of iustification is this First commeth God for the loue of Christe Iesus alonely of his mere mercy and geueth vs fréely the gift of fayth wherby we doe beleeue God his holy word and sticke fast vnto the promises of God and beléeue that though heauen and earth and all that is in them should perish and come to nought yet God shall bée founde true in his promises for this faythe 's sake bée we the elect children of God This is not such a fayth as men dreame when they beléeue that there is one God and beléeue that hée is eternall beléeue also that hée made the worlde of naught yea and beléeue that the Gospell is true and all thing that God speaketh must bée true and fulfilled with other such thynges This I say is not the fayth that wée bée iustified by for deuils and infidels haue this fayth â—and also wée may attayne to these thynges by strength of reason But the fayth that shall iustifie vs must bée of an other maner of strength for it must come from heauen and not from the strength of reason It must also make mée beléeue that God the maker of heauen and earth is not alonely a father but also my father yea and that thorow the fauour that Christ hath purchased mée from the whiche fauour neither heauen nor earth tribulation nor persecution death nor hell can deuide mée But to this sticke I fast that hée is not alonely my father but also a mercifull father yea and that vnto mée mercifull and so mercifull that hée will not impute my sinnes vnto mée though they bée neuer so great so long as I hang on the blessed bloud of Christ Iesus and sinne not of malice but of frailtie and of no pleasure Hée is also a lyberall father yea and that vnto mée liberall which will not alonely promise mée all thynges but also géeue them me whether they bée necessary to the body or to y e soule Hée is also not alonely lyberall but myghty to performe all thynges that hée promyseth vnto mée Briefely this fayth maketh mée to hang clearely of God and of his blessed promyses made in Christ and in his swéete and precious bloud and not to feare death nor any affliction nor persecution nor tribulation but to despise all these thynges and not alonely these but to despise also myne own lyfe for Christes sake Finally of a fleshely beast it maketh mée a spirituall man of a damnable child it maketh mée a heauenly sonne of a seruaunt of the deuill it maketh mée a frée maÌ„ of Gods both deliuered from the lawe from sinne from death from the deuill and from all myserie that might hurt mée My Lordes this is the fayth that doth iustifie and that wée do preach And because it is geuen from heauen into our hartes by the spirite of God therfore it can bée no idle thing But it must néedes do all maner of things y e bée to the honour of God and also to the profite of our neighbour In so much that at all tymes necessary it must néedes worke well also bryng forth all good workes that may bée to the profite and helping of any man But these workes bée not done to iustifie the man but a iust man must néedes doe them Not vnto his profite but alonely to other mens profites euen as our maister Christ suffered hunger and thyrste and persecution and tooke great labours in preaching of his worde yea and also suffered death All these thinges I say did hée not to further or to profite himselfe but for our merites and for our profite So likewise doth a iust man his workes And as a good trée in tyme of the yeare bryngeth forth good Apples not to make hym good for hée is good afore nor yet this apple is not to his profite but vnto other mens notwithstanding y e good nature that is in hym muste néedes bring it forth So likewise the iust man must néedes doe good workes not by them to bée iustified but alonely in them to serue his brother for hée hath no néede of them as concerning his iustification Wherfore now here haue you the very true cause of iustification that is fayth alonely And also the very true way and maner of doynge good workes And how that no man can doe good workes but a iustified man as our maister Christ sayth Eyther make the trée good and then his fruite good or els the trée euill and his fruit euill for a good trée must néedes bring forth good fruite and a badde euyll fruite But now let mée aunswere to the Scriptures and to the reasons that they bring to prooue that workes doe iustifie First commeth the fleshly and dampnable reason and shée sayth If wée bée iustified alonely by fayth what néede wée to doe any good workes what néede wée to crucifie or mortifie our fleshe for all these wil not profite vs and wée shall bée saued though wée doe none of theÌ„ all Thus did blinde reason dispute with Saint Paule when that hée had proued that God of his mercy had deliuered vs fréely from the damnable bondage of the law Anone hée iudged that he might do what hée would for hée was no loÌ„ger vnder the law To this S. Paule auÌ„swereth y â— if wée obey vnto y â— workes of sinne then are we the seruauntes of sinne if we obey to the workes of iustice
then are we the seruauntes of iustice So that if we truely haue that same fayth that iustifieth vs we shall desire to doe none other workes but those that belong to iustification not that the workes doe iustifie but that we must néedes do these workes as the very true frutes of iustificatioÌ„ and not as the cause of iustification And therfore those men that will doe no good workes because they be iustified onely by fayth bée not the childreÌ„ of God nor the children of iustificafition For the liuyng spirite of God is none authour of ilnes nor of sinne but hée crieth in our hartes Abbapater And of that is this a sure and an euident token for if they were the very true children of God they would bée the gladder to doe good workes because that they are iustified fréely Therfore should they also bée moued fréely to workes if it were for no other purpose nor profite but alonely to doe y e wil of their mercyfull God y e hath so fréely iustified theÌ„ and also to profite their neighbour whoÌ„ they are bound to serue of very true charitie Take an example here is a théefe that is condemned by right the law to bée hanged whom the kings grace of his mercy doth fréely deliuer from the gallowes and geueth him his pardon Now this théefe thus deliuered will not kéepe hym selfe a true man nor doe those workes that belong to a true man to doe but falleth agayne to stelyng because the kyng pardoned hym so fréely and reckeneth that the kyng is so mercyfull that hée will haÌ„g no théeues but deliuer them all of his mercy without their deseruing Now how thinke you wil y e king bée mercifull vnto this théefe when hée coÌ„meth againe to y e gallowes Nay truely for hée was not deliuered for that cause but for to kéepe hym selfe a true man Then commeth my Lord of Rochester and hée sayth that fayth doth begyn a iustification in vs but workes doe performe it and make it perfite I will recite his owne wordes Per fidem initiari dicitur iusticia solum non autem consummari nam consummata in sticia non aliter quam ex operibus natis in lucem editis acquirâ— potest opera consummatè iustificant Fides primum in choat c. What Christened man would thinke that a Byshop would thus trifle and play with Gods holy word Gods worde is so playne that no man can auoyde it how that fayth iustifieth alonely and now commeth my Lord of Rochester with a litle a â—ayne distinction inuented of his owne brayne without authoritie of Scripture and will clearely auoyde all Scriptures and all the whole disputation of S. Paule But my Lord say to me of your conscience how doe you recken to auoyde the vengeauÌ„ce of God sith you thus trifle despise Gods holy word Thinke you that this vayne distinctioÌ„ will bée alowed afore Iesus Christ for whose glorye wée doe coÌ„teÌ„de striue afore whom we doe handle this matter I doe thinke verely that your owne conscience doth sore accuse you for thus blasphemyng the holy worde of God Wherefore my Lord for Christes sake remember that you bée aged and shall not long tary here and these vayne distinctioÌ„s that you haue inuented to the pleasure of men and to the great peruertyng of Gods holy word shall bée to your euerlastyng damnation And at the lest wayes if you feare not y e terrible vengeauÌ„ce of God remeÌ„ber the shame of y e world thinke not that all men bée so mad and so vnlearned as for to bée deceiued by this triflyng distinction seyng that the worde of God is so playne agaynst it Doth not S. Paule say that our iustification is alonely of fayth not of workes How can you auoyde this same Non ex operibus Not of workes if that workes doe make iustification perfite then are not Saint Paules wordes true Also S. Paule sayth that we bée the childreÌ„ of God by fayth And if we bée the childreÌ„ we are also the heyres Now what imperfection finde you in childreÌ„ and in heyres ChristeÌ„ meÌ„ desire no more but this and all this haue they by fayth onely And will you say that fayth doth but begyn a iustification Beside that you know well that S. Paule doth proue in all the whole Epistles to the Romanes and also to the Galathians that fayth doth iustifie yea and that by contention agaynst workes Now how can you bryng in workes to make iustification perfect And S. Paule hath excluded them Moreouer why did not the Iewes against whose works S. Paule disputeth bryng in this distinction for theÌ„ Briefely what will you say to all the Doctours that I haue here recited which say that Sola fides onely fayth doth iustifie But doubtles if it were not to satisfie other men this distinction were not worthy an aunswere An other damnable reason is made that is an open a playne lye which is this Thou sayst that workes doe not iustifie nor yet helpe to iustification but fayth onely Ergo thou destroyest all good workes and wilt that no man shall worke well but alonely beléeue I auÌ„swere if there were any shame in men they might well bée ashamed of these open lyes Tell me one that is learned that euer did say or teach that men should doe no good workes Many there bée that say workes do not iustifie as S. Paule and all his scholers but no maÌ„ denyeth good workes But I marueile not at them for they doe but the workes of their father whiche was a lyer a murtherer from the begynnyng I pray you what coÌ„sequent is this after your owne Logike works doe not iustifie Ergo wee néede not to doe them but despise them for they bée of no valure Take a like consequent You say that the kinges grace doth not iustifie Ergo you despise him Ergo hée is no longer kyng Also the Sunne and Moone doe not iustifie Ergo you destroy them But such a damnable lye must S Paul néedes suffer wheÌ„ hée had proued that fayth onely did iustifie Then came your ouerthwarte fathers and sayd Ergo thou destroyest the law for thou teachest that it iustifieth not God forbid sayth S. Paule for we doe learne the very waye to fulfill the law that is faith whereby the law alonely is fulfilled and without the whiche all the workes of the law bée but sinne So doe we likewise teach the very true way wherby all good workes must be done As first a man by faith to bée iustified then a iust man must néedes doe good workes whiche afore were but sinne now bée all good yea his eatyng drinkyng sléeping are good But beside all these haue they certayne scriptures First of S. Iames whose wordes bee these Wilt thou vnderstand O thou vayne man that fayth without déedes is dead Was not Abraham our father iustified of his dedes When hée offered his soÌ„ne Isaac on the aulter
Lykewise was not Rahab the harlot iustified when she receiued the messengers and sent them out an other way S. Augustine doth declare in diuers places y t blessed S. Paule and S. Iames semed for to bée contrary in this matter And therefore S. Agustine willing to saue the estimacion of this epistle doth declare how that S. Paule doth speake of workes that goe béefore fayth and S. Iames speaketh of workes that folow fayth And yet S. Agustine will not bée compelled by the wordes of this epistle to graunt y e any workes doe iustifie by the reason that Saint Paules wordeâ— bée so appartly and vehemently to the contrary Wherefore séeing that there sheweth a controuersy here in two places of y e scripture it standeth with all reason and learning that the same place which séemeth for to bée féeblest also darkest should bée expounded and declared by that part of scripture that is clerest and most of autorite Now is this of truth that the auctoritie of S. Paule hath alwayes in the church of God béene more of estimacion and strength then euer was this epistle though that this epistle hath bene receyued and especially in this cause y t we now here speake of For in all the scripture is not this article of iustifycation so playnely and plenteouslye handled as it is by blessed S. Paule this must euery learned man graunt Wherfore it standeth with reason and lerning that this saying of Saint Iames must néedes bée reduced and brought vnto blessed S. Paules meaning not S. Paule vnto S. Iames saying Now therefore in as much that both blessed S. Paule and also Saint Iames meaning is that good workes should bée done and they y e bée christeÌ„ men should not bée idle and doe no good because that they are the childreÌ„ of grace but that they should rather in their lyuynge expresse outwardlye their goodnes receiued of grace and as blessed S. Paule sayth To geue their membres to bée seruantes vnto righteousnes as they were afore seruauntes vnto vncleanes For this cause I say S. Iames saying must néedes bée vnderstanded for to bée wrytten agaynst those men that bosted them selues of an idle and vayne opinion that they thought theÌ„ selues to haue which they reckened to bée a good fayth Now S. Iames to proue that this fayth was but an idle thing of none effect doth declare it clerely by y e that it brought forth in time and place conuenient no good works And therefore hée cauleth it a deade fayth Hée bryngeth in also a naked brother the wich hath néede of clothing vnto these men y t boasted their fayth which hath no compassion of his necessitie Wherefore hée concludeth y e that they haue no true fayth And therefore hée sayth vnto them shew vnto mée thy fayth without workes and I shall shew vnto thée of workes my fayth Heare is it playne that S. Iames would no more but that that fayth is a dead fayth and of no valure y e hath no workes For workes shoulde declare and shew the outwarde fayth workes should bée an outward declaration and a testimonie of y e inwarde iustification receiued of fayth not y e workes can or may take away our synne or els bée any satisfaction for any part of synne for that belongeth all onely to Christ As blessed S. Iohn sayth and also S. Paule hée hath appered once for al to put sinne to flight by the offering vp of hym selfe And that this is S. Iames meaning it is declared by that that foloweth Thou séest sayth hée that fayth wrought in Abrahams déedes through y e déedes was his fayth made perfect Marke how fayth wrought in hys déedes That is his fayth because it was a lyuyng fayth brought forth wrought out y e high worke of oblation Also his fayth was perfect through his déedes That is his fayth was declared and had a great testimonye afore all the worlde y e it was a lyuyng and a perfect and a right shapen faith that Abraham had So y t his inward fayth declared him afore God his outward workes afore the worlde to bée good and iustified And thus was his faith made perfect afore God and man Now vnto this doe we all agrée that y t fayth alonely iustifieth before God whiche in tyme and place doth worke well yea it is a liuyng thing of God which can not bée dead nor idle in man But yet for all that we doe geue to fayth and to Christes bloud that glory that belongeth to them onely that is to say iustificatioÌ„ remissioÌ„ of sinnes satisfieng of Gods wrath takyng awaye of euerlastyng vengeaunce purchasing of mercy fulfillyng of the law with all other like things The glorye of these I say belongeth to Christ onely we are pertakers of them by fayth in Christes bloud onely For it is no worke that receyueth the promise made in Christes bloud but fayth onely Take an example God sayth to Abraham In thy seede shall I blesse all people Now can Abrahams workes doe nothyng to receiuyng of this blessing nor yet can they make him hang on that séede but hée beléeueth God and sticketh fast by fayth to that promise and thinketh that God shall bée true though hée bée a lyer and so is hée partaker of the blessing made in y t séede Note also that this blessing is promised in Abrahams séede and not to Abrahams workes Ergo Abraham is blessed because hée hangeth on the séede not on his workes Also blessed S. Paule doth driue a sore argument agaynst workes in as much as Scripture sayth in semine non in seminibus quasi in multis sed in vno Now if workes doe helpe lesse or more to iustificatioÌ„ then must néedes the promise bée made and pertaine to many and not to one onely y e which were sore agaynste blessed S. Paule Wherefore I conclude that the glory and prayse of iustification belongeth onely to fayth in Christes bloud and not to workes in any wise NotwithstaÌ„dyng we doe also laude and prayse good workes and doe teach diligently to doe good workes in as much as God their maker hath commaunded them yea also to profite their neighbours by their good workes and furthermore that other men which blasphemeth the veritie might bée moued through their vertuous liuyng conuersatioÌ„ to the holy religioÌ„ of Christ For these causes and other moe I say doe I teach good meÌ„ to liue wel and vertuously yea also wée teach that good workes shall haue a reward of God as scripture testifieth but not remission of sinnes nor yet iustication for their rewarde Wherfore this saying of S. Iames must néedes bée verified against theÌ„ that boasted them selues of vayne fayth that was indéede but an idle opinion and no true fayth for it did worke thorough charitie And therfore S. Iames disputeth well agaynst them that this fayth was but a dead fayth and coâ—â— not helpe them no
more then it helpeth the deuill So that this thing of S. Iames maketh nothing agaynst mée but rather wyth mée Also you haue an other Scripture for you which is this Before God they are not iustified which heare the lawe but they which doe the law shalbée iustified Of this texte you glory cry opera opera workes workes But if yee would consider the mynde of S. Paule you should well perceaue that hée meaneth not how workes might deserue iustification for then coulde hée not haue concluded thys agaynste the Iewes for they did the workes of the lawe to the vttermost and yet were they not iustified Wherefore S. Paule meaneth by the hearers of the lawe all them that doe the outwarde workes of the lawe for feare or for rewarde or of hypocrisie or els by them to bée iustified The doers caulleth hée them that doe the workes of the lawe after the intent of y e lawe and as the lawe commaundeth them that is in the true fayth of Christ Iesus which is the very ende of y e lawe and the fulfilling of the law as Saint Paule sayth to all them that beléeue Wherefore all men bée but hearers onely of the lawe till the tyme that that they haue the fayth of Christ Iesus which is imputed vnto them for iustice And the workes of the lawe bée no cause of iustification but alonely an outward testimonie and witnes that the lawe is fulfilled inwardly in their conscience afore God and fulfilled that it hath no accusation against them for Christ hath made satisfactiō for them of the which they bée partakers by their fayth And so the lawe must bée content to admitte all these men to bée fulfillers doers of y e law And now that you shall not say that this is my dreame here bée S. Augustines wordes The doers of the lawe shall bée iustified So must it bée vnderstāded that wée may know that they cā none otherwise bée the doers of the lawe excepte they bée first iustified not that iustification belongeth vnto doers but that iustification doth precéede all maner of doinges c. Heare you not that iustificatiō is first geuen that men might bée able to doe the workes of the lawe This is also the exposition of your glose I haue meruayle you studie it no better Also you haue an other Scripture and that is this Cornelius a Gētile did great almes and prayd vnto God alwayes Vnto whome the Aungell spake on this maner Thy prayer thy almes are come vp into remembraunce in the presence of God Of this texte you gather that hys good workes did helpe to iustifie hym I aunswere The holy ghost hath opēly declared hymselfe there For hée sayth that this Cornelius was a deuoute man and one that feared God How coulde this bée without y e God had taught hym inwardely by fayth Yea how coulde hée know God and that deuoutly but by fayth Ergo hée was iustified afore God by his fayth but y e world knew not his iustificatiō And therfore y t holy ghost doth declare hys inward iustificatiō whē hée saith that hée was deuoute feared God And also doth shew openly the fruits of his iustification when hée sayth that hée did almes Moreouer you haue there that the holy Ghost fell on them afore they were baptised in water the which declareth openly that they were iustified afore God This is well declared also in your owne lawe whose wordes bée these Cornelius Cēturio being yet a Heathē mā was made cleane by y e gifte of the holy ghost Here haue you playnely y t hée was iustified by y t gifte of y t holy ghost afore all good works For hée was an heathē mā An other scripture yée haue which is this If I haue all faith so y t I may trāspose moūtaines and haue no charitie I am nothyng Of this gather you that fayth wythout charitie can not iustifie I aunswere This can you not gather of S. Paule for it is open that hée speaketh not of this thyng whereby that men may bée iustified but alonely hée teacheth how they that bée iustified must worke with charitie It is also plaine that hée speaketh not of fayth that doth iustifie inwardly but of that faith that doth worke outwardely The which is caulled a gifte of the holy Ghost As y t gifte of tounges the gift of prophesies the gifte of healing the gifte of interpretation as it is opē in the chapiter afore Now is this fayth not geuen to iustifie but alonely to doe myracles wonders and signes by And therefore sayth Paule If I had all fayth so that I coulde moue mountaynes Also it is open that certayne men shall say vnto Christ Beholde wée haue done myracles and cast out deuils in thy name And yet hée shall say to them truely I know you not So that this fayth is a gifte of God that iustifieth not no more then the gifte of science or prophesies And sometyme is it in the Church and sometyme not and it is neuer of necessitie there to bée But the faith that wée speake of which doth béeleeue the promises of God and sticketh fast to the bloud of Christ hath none other vertue but to iustifie and must néedes iustifie wheresoeuer hée is and hée sticketh so fast to Gods worde that hée looketh for no myracles Thys fayth is neuer out of the Church for it is the lyfe of the Church and it is that fayth that our mayster Christe prayde for that it myght neuer fayle And therefore S. Paule when he describeth this fayth hée caulleth it a fayth that worketh by charitie not that it iustifieth by charitie For as he sayth there playnely it is neyther circumcision nor yet vncircumcision that is of any valure in Christ Iesu but fayth Here doth hée playnely exclude from iustification the hyghest worke of the lawe circumcision and setteth fayth alone not the gyfte of fayth that doth myracles but the gift of fayth that worketh by charitie And that yée shall not thinke thys to bée a dreame here bryng I you Athanasius sayinge whose wordes bée these There are two maner of saythes one is iustifieng as that of the which is spoken Thy fayth hath saued thée An other is cauled the gyft of God whereby myracles bée done Of the which it is written if you haue fayth as a grayne of mustard séede c. So that here haue you playne that fayth doth iustifie onelye and perfectly before all maner of works that is fayth is geuē of God fréely into our soules vnto the which fayth iustification is all onely promised and is all onely imputed and rekened of God Neuertheles this fayth in tyme and place conuenient is of that strength that hée must néedes worke by charitye not for to bée iustified thereby for if he were not afore iustified it were not possible that hée coulde haue charitie For after your owne schoole men an Infidell cā not
haue charitie but y e iustified mā hée is a frée seruaunt vnto God for the loue y e hée hath vnto him The which loue séeketh not in God his owne profit nor his owne aduaūtage for then were hée wicked but séeketh alonely the wyll of God and the profite of other men and worketh neyther for loue of heauen nor yet for feare of hell For hée knoweth well that heauen wyth all the ioyes thereof is prepared from the begynnyng of the world not by hym but by hys father And it must néedes folow as contrariwyse the Infidell and the wicked man doth not worke hys wicked déedes because hée woulde haue hell or euerlasting dampnation to hys rewarde but hée woulde rather the contrary Notwithstandyng hell and euerlasting dampnation must néedes follow his wicked déedes Finally a righteous man is a frée seruaunt of Gods and worketh not as an hyerelyng For if it were possible that there were no heauen yet woulde hée doe no lesse good for his respecte is to the maker of the worlde and the Lord of all rewardes There is also an other argument and that is thys Fayth is a worke but workes doth not iustifie Ergo fayth doth not iustifie Aunswere Truth it is that we doe not meane how that fayth for his owne dignitie and for hys owne perfection doth iustifie vs. But the Scripture doth say that fayth alonely iustifieth because that it is that thyng alonely whereby I doe hange of Christe And by my faith alonely am I partaker of y e merites and mercy purchased by Christes bloude and fayth it is alonely that receaue the promyses made in Christ Wherefore wée say with blessed S. Paule that fayth onely iustifieth imputatiue that is all y e merites and goodnes grace and fauour and all that is in Christ to our saluation is imputed and reckoned vnto vs because wée hange and beléeue of hym and hée can deceaue no man that doth beléeue in hym And our iustice is not as the schoole men teacheth a formal iustice which is by fulfillyng of the lawe deserued of vs for then our iustification were not of grace and of mercy but of deseruing and of duty But it is a iustice that is reckened imputed vnto vs for y e fayth in Christ Iesus and it is not of our deseruyng but clearely and fully of mercy imputed vnto vs. Now most honorable gracious Prince I haue declared vnto your highnes what faith it is that doth iustifie vs before God and also brought for my sentēce not alonely the blessed word of God the which were sufficient in this cause but the exposition of holy Doctours that your grace might sée that I am not moued to this opinion of a light cause nor that this doctrine of myne is so new as men hath noted it Moreouer I haue declared vnto your grace how that I woulde haue good workes done would not haue a Christen mans life to bée an idle thyng or els a life of vncleannes but I would haue them to bée chaunged into all vertue and goodnes and to liue in good workes after the commaundement will of God So that your grace may well perceiue that myne aduersaries hath not reported truely on me when they haue sayd how that I would that men should neither fast nor pray nor geue almes nor yet bée penitent for their sinnes I haue neuer sayd it nor yet taught no lyke sentence I take God to recorde my workes and my déedes and all my writynges that euer I wrote or made Wherfore I doubt not if it please your grace graciously to here me but that I wil proue them vntrue in this cause many other mo This doth almighty God know to bée true Who euer preserue your moste royall maiestie in honour and goodnes Amen What the Church is and who bee therof and whereby men may know her THe name of the holy church haue those mē of long tyme vsurped presumptuouslye and w t out all shame they were the greatest enemyes that holy church could haue in earth For they did no more agrée w t the maners of holy church then darknes and light then God and y t deuyll For where holy church hard no man but Christ onely They would heare all manner of men sauing Christ and neuer heare him except it weare to to their profit or glory Where as holy church was ruled in this world they would rule all the world where as holy church would bée holy by Christ onely they would bée holy by their owne helpe And where as holy church was allwayes despised and persecuted of the world They would bée honored of y t world and persecuters of all men And where as holy church was inwardly decked with spiritual vertues they would bée outwardly shinyng in spirituall araye And where as holy church would bée chaste in spryte they would with their mouthes vow chastite and spend all their liues in whore dome And where as holy church dyd allwayes shew méekenes in the worlde they would bée so proude y t hart could deuise no more Breifely whatsoeuer thing y e was agreable with the church of that had they neuer a crumme but allonely by violence vsurped the name of holy church So that if a man had had a crowne or a long goune and a white smock ouer his gowne thē was there no remedy but hée must nedes bée of the church yea and holy church her self So y e if a Barber had made a Bul a crowne a Taylor Iack napes a lōg gowne brought an Asse forth in a white rochet thē no mā might dout but y e there were holy church euerye man must fall downe to receyue clene remission a poena and a oulpa toties quoties for there came the successours of Peter Paule and they that haue the despensatiō of Christes bloud and the merites of holy saints and y e suffrages of holy church to distribute and the key bearers of heauē and hell Who can denye but this is truth It is to opē to néede an probation for wee sée it dayly before our eyes So that if a man will compare our M Christ y t is y e very head of holy church vnto these Prelates that call them selues his viccars hée shall finde but smale agréement betwéene the person and the vicar and hée that will consider S. Peter and S. Paule withall other Apostels shall think that eyther they were none of holy Church or els our prelals for they agrée in nothing Yea hée may reckē that S. Peter S. Paule were starke fooles ryght mad men that liued so despectuous a lyfe What néede me to make many wordes or to tell their names that I speake of There is no doubt but that galde horse will béewray hym selfe But shortly if the deuyll would come in his owne person disguised tell me how it were impossible that hée could bée more contrary to Christ and hys apostels
damnation to rewarde Briefly her meditations and her thoughtes are heauenly and all that shée doth is spirituall For shée can not erre shée cleaueth so fast to the worde of God that is the veritie And for this cause S. Paule calleth her the piller and grounde of truth not that shée is so sure of and in her owne strength but that shée sticketh so fast to the lyuyng God and to hys blessed worde that is the very true Church that is scattered thorow all the worlde and is neyther bounde to person by the reason of dignitie nor yet to any place by the reason of fayned holynes but shée is a frée thynge thorow all the worlde as S. Augustine doth witnesse in these wordes The holy Church are wée but I doe not say as one should say wée that bée here alonely that heare mée now but as many as be here faythfull Christened mē in this Church that is to say in thys Citye as many as bée in thys region as many as bée beyonde the sea as many as bée in all the worlde for from the rysing of the sunne till the goyng down is the name of God praysed so is the holy Church our mother c. Here haue you playnely that the holy Church is the congregation of faythfull men wheresoeuer they bée in the worlde And neyther the Pope nor yet hys Cardinalles bée more this Church or of thys Church then the poorest man in earth For this church standeth alonely in the spirituall faith of Christ Iesus and not in dignities nor honours of the worlde as Liranus doth declare in these wordes The Church doth not stand in men by reason of spirituall power or secular dignities For many Princes and many Popes and other inferiour persons haue swerned frō the fayth Wherfore that Church doth stand in those persons in whome is the true knowledge and confession of fayth and of veritie c. O my Lordes what will you say to Lyra I haue great maruayle that you burne hym not It is hye tyme to condemne hym for an heretike for hée speaketh agaynst your lawe xxiiij q. 1. Quodcunque Where as your glose declareth that God suffereth not the church of Rome for to erre And Lyra sayth playnely that many popes haue erred and also that the Church standeth not in dignitie but in confession of Christ and of hys blessed veritie But now here wyll bée obiected that I fayne such a Church as our Logitions doe intentionem secundam that is a thyng y t is no where Where shall a man finde a Church that is so pure and so cleane that hath neyther spot nor wrinckle in her and that is wythout all sinne séeyng that all men must of trueth saye forgéeue vs our trespasse And if any man say bée hée neuer so righteous that hée hath no sinne thē is hee a lyer and there is no veritie in hym To thys I aunswere that thys holy Church hath sin in her yet is shée pure and cleane Marke S. Paules wordes Christe hath geuen hymselfe for her that hée might make her glorious So that the cleannes of this holy church is the mercy of God toward her thorow Christ for whose sake he layeth nothing to her charge yea and if any other person woulde hée is ready to géeue her his cleanes and to let her by fayth clayme of right hys purenes for her owne For betwéene them all is common as betwéene man and wyfe So that if the Church looke on her owne merites and of her owne workes shée is full of sinne and must néedes say demitte mihi debita The which shée néeded not to say if shée had none But if shée referre her selfe vnto the merites of her blessed husbande Christ Iesus and to the cleanes that shée hath in hys bloud thē is shée without spotte For by the reason that shée sticketh by fayth so fast vnto her husband Christ and doth abyde in confession of her sinne requireth mercy for them therfore is there nothing layde to her charge but all thyng is forgéeuen her And therefore sayth S. Paule there is no damnation vnto them that bée in Christ Iesu And that this may bée the playner I wyll bryng you S. Augustines wordes the which was vexed of the Donatistes wyth thys same reason that is layd agaynst mée hys wordes bée these The whole Church sayth forgéeue vs our sinnes wherefore shée hath spottes and wrinckles but by knowledging of them her wrinckles bée extended and stretched out by knowledging her spottes are washed away The church abydeth in prayer that shée myght bée clēsed by knowledging of her sinnes As lōg as we liue hereso standeth it and when wée shall departe out of thys bodye all such thynges bée forgéeuen to euery mā wherfore by thys meane y ◠church of God is in the treasures of God wythout spotte and wrinckles and therefore here doe wée not lyue wythout sinne but wee shall passe from hence wythout sinne c. Here haue you clearely that the church of God is clensed and purified by Christ for knowledgyng of her sinnes and not by her owne purenes Wherefore such a church there must néedes bée though that y e carnall eye can not sée her nor fleshly reason can iudge of her Wherefore wée beléeue thys article by fayth that holy church is a communion or felow shyp of holy men and know it not by séeyng or féelyng as wée doe the felowshyp of Drapers or mercers for then were it none article of the faith And it is playne that all your exterior signes wyth all your holy ornamentes as your holy myters your holy crossestaues your holy pyllers polaxis your holy red gloues your holy ouches and your holy rynges your holy annoynted fingers your holy vestmentes your holy challices and your holy golden showes yea take also to helpe you S. Thomas of Canterburyes holy showe wyth all the holy bootes of holy Monkes and all these togither can not make one crumme of holynes in you nor helpe you one pricke forward that you may bée wythin thys church For if these thynges coulde helpe then were it no mastery to make an Asse to bée of the church of God But our holy mother the Church hath an other holynes that commeth from God the father thorough the swéete bloud of his blessed sonne Iesus Christ in whom is all her confidence and trust Vnto whom she sticketh onely by sted fast fayth by whose purenes shee is also pure in that that she doth confesse her vnclennes for shee beléeueth stedfastly that she hath an aduocate for her sinne to y e father of heauen which is Christ Iesus and hée is the satisfaction for her sinnes hée of his mercy not of her merites hath chosen her for to bée his and because she is his therfore must she bée cleane so long as she abideth in him This is well declared in S. Iohn where our master Christe is
sometime they losse the coate frō his backe Our maister Christe sayth vnto you you haue receiued it frée geue it frée agayne and you geue nothyng frée But I know your aūswere You will say that you sell not your Masse nor Sacramentes nor the word of God but the labour that you haue about them O thou deuill when wilt thou bée without an excuse whē wilt thou graunt thy selfe gilty Tell me ye that bée without shame if you doe sell but your labour is it not sore and an vnlawfull price to sell it so deare what Byshop can deserue by his labour a thousand pound by yeare yet some of them haue a great deale more and labour nothyng at all How deare wil these men sell their labour if they shoulde bée tankerdebearers They would make water dearer thē wyne Yea tel me what labour there is with in the Realme that is halfe so deare sold as their idlenes is But you belly gods did not Christes Apostles take paynes labours about the ministration of the worde and in fulfillyng of their office more in one day then you doe in all your lyues and yet was it not lawfull for them more to receiue then a lyuyng For our maister Christ sayd y t worke man is worthy of his meate so y e our maister wold that they should receiue no more but that was necessarie Also S. Paule sayth our Lord dyd ordeine that they whiche preache the Gospell should lyue on y t Gospell Marke how hée sayth they that preach y t Gospell Now which of you all doth preache y e Gospel not one and yet will you enioye these innumerable possessions S. Hierome sayth on this same text you must lyue on the Gospell but not bée riche also Chrisostome sayth I say boldly that the byshops and Prelates of the Church may haue nothyng but meate and drinke and cloth c. Heare haue you playnely that if you did labour faythfully and truely in the Gospell you could haue but a lyuyng there on and no Lordly possessions but now doe you nothing in the worlde but excercise tyranny on them that would preach the Gospell and make lawes and statutes to destroy them and the holy Gospell of God so that Chrisostome speaketh well of you Beholde I sée men that haue no trew sence of holy scripture yea they vnderstand nothing at all thereof to passe ouer many things for I am ashamed to call thē mad mē triflers wranglers they bée such as know not what they say nor of what thynge they speake but all onely bée they mighty bold to make lawes to curse cōdemne those things of y t which they know nothing at all c. Bée not these your workes who can say but that these wordes be spoken of you who maketh statutes and lawes but you who curseth and condemneth but you how can you lay these thinges from you how can you auoyde thē so long shall they bée layd agaynst you tyll you can bring in one that is gylty of them I think that will bée long And yet will you haue these great possessions and bée also greate Lordes doing nothing therefore at al but al onely play the part of a byshop as a Christmas game player doth of a king and as a Popet which springeth vp and downe and cryeth Peepe Péepe and goeth his way So doe you make a coūtenaūce of great holines of great perfectiō but all y e world can testify what you doe in indeede More ouer you are more bound to the Gospell then all other men bee in y e world for thereby haue you all your honour all your riches all your Lordly possessions and if the gospell were not men would no more regard you then they doe Coblers yet deserue you worst of all men of the Gospell Wherefore I can no more say vnto you but the wordes of our Maister Christ Woe bée vnto you hypocrites the whiche shut heauen gates before other men and as S. Luke sayth you haue taken away y e key of science and neyther enter in your selfe nor yet suffer other that come to enter in Now let mée sée how all your keyes and al your power can assoyle you frō this same woe y t our M. Christ doth heare laye vnto you This worde of God byndeth you to euerlasting damnation let vs sée if your piklocke can open this locke then will I say that you haue the keyes of heauen or els not I thinke you may séeke all your clegge with keyes and fynde not one that will open this locke FINIS ¶ Free will of man after the fall of Adam of hys naturall strength can doe nothyng but sinne beefore God IN this article will wée not dispute what man may doe by the cōmon influence geuen hym of God ouer these inferior and worldelye thinges as what power hée hath in eating and drinking in sléeping and speaking in buying and sellyng and in all other such naturall thinges that bée géeuen of God indifferently to all men both to good and bad But here will wée search what strength is in man of his naturall power without the spirit of God for to will or to doe those thinges that bée acceptable before God vnto the fulfilling of the will of God as to beléeue in God to loue God after his commaundemēts to loue iustice for it selfe to take God for his father to recken him to bée mercifull vnto him to feare God louingly with all other thinges that mē doe call good workes this is the thing that wée will search to knowe Now that hée can doe nothyng in these causes by his frée wil our maister Christ prooueth it in these wordes Hee that abideth in mée and I in him bringeth forth much fruite for without mée cā ye doe nothing if a man abide not in mée hée is cast out as a braunch and shall burne Here it is open that fréewill without grace can doe nothing I doe not speake of eating drinking though that bée of grace but nothing that is fruitfull that is meritorious that is worthy of thanke that is acceptable before God For hee that hath not Christ in hym is cast out this is the first fruite of freewill than wythereth hée that is the second fruite this wythering helpeth hym nothing to goodnesse hée must wither let him doe the best than is hée gathered and cast in the fire this is the thirde fruit What can bée in the fire doe nothing but burne Hée can not lye there as a thing indifferent but hée must néedes burne hée cā not come out of y t fier by his owne strēgth let hym intende as much as hée can his intention can not helpe hym nor yet further hym So that all the might of fréewil when hée is left alone is nothyng els but firste to bée cast out and seconde to wyther so decayeth hée thyrdly to be
there bée a playner example what meaneth Paule in these words when they weare neyther borne nor had done neyther good nor bad but that the election of God myght stand Doth hée not clearely take away all manner of merites both de congruo also de condigno and declare the wyll of God to bée the cause onely But heare will subtyll blyndnes say that God sawe béefore that Iacob should doe good and therefore dyd hée chuse hym Hée sawe also that Esau should doe no good and therefore hée repelled hym Alas for blindenes what will you iudge of that that God saw How know we that God sawe that And if hée sawe it yet how know we that that was the cause of Iacobs election These children bée vnborne and they haue done neyther good nor bad and yet one of them is chosen the other is refused S. Paule knoweth none other cause but the will of God and will you discuse an other And where you say that God did sée afore that one of them should doe good I praye you what was the cause or whereby saw hée that hée should doe good you must néedes say by that that hée would geue hym his grace Ergo the will of God is yet the cause of election for because y e God would geue hym his grace Therefore God saw that hée should doe good and so should also y e other haue done if God woulde haue geuen hym that same grace Wherefore you gyauntes that will subdue heauen and earth leaue your searching of this cause and bée content with the will of God doubt not but the will of God is as righteous and as lawfull a cause as your merites can bée And doubt you not but S. Paule that toke so great labours in this matter dyd sée as farre in mans deseruing as we can doe yet hée concluded with these wordes of scriptures I will shew mercy to whom I shew mercy I will haue cōpassion of whom I haue compassion So lyeth it not in mans will or cunnyng but in the mercy of God Hée sayth not I will haue mercy on hym that I sée shall doe good but I will shew mercy to whom I wil. Hée saith not I will haue compassion of hym y ◠shall deserue it de congruo But of him of whom I will haue cōpassion This doth S. Augustine well proue in these words The disputatiō of thē is vain y ◠which doe defend y e presēce of God agaynst the grace of God and therfore say that we were chosen afore y e making of the world because y e God knew afore that we should bée good not béecause hee should make vs good But hée that sayth You haue not chosen mée sayth not that For if hée dyd therefore chose vs béecause that hée knew before that wée should bée good thē must hee also knowe béefore that wée should fyrst haue chosen hym c. Here is it playne that the election of God is not because hée sawe afore that we should doe well but all onely the cause of election is his mere mercy and the cause of our doing well is his election And therefore S. Paule sayth not of workes but of callynge Now goe to you subtill Duns men with all your carnall reasons search out a cause of his secrete will If you dyd beléeue that hée were good righteous and mercyfull it were a great comfort for you that the electiō stoode all onely by hys will for so were you sure that it should bée both righteously done and mercifully but you haue no fayth therfore must you nedes mystrust God and of that fall you to inuent causes of election of your own strength As one should say béecause God will not of his righteousnes or of his mercy choose vs we will be sure that we shall bée elected For fyrst will we inuent that the election commeth of deseruyng and then will we also dreame certayne workes that shall thereunto bée appoynted of vs and those will we doe at our pleasure so that the election and reprobacion shall stande all in your hands let God doe what that pleaseth him But now béecause there bée certayne open places of scripture that geue onely the cause to God all onely of election also of reprobation therefore are these men sore troubled and can not tell no other remedy but all onely to studye how they may wring wrest the open scriptures to the fortifiing of their errour and to the satisfyinge of their carnall reason so that where the holy Ghost sayth I will obdurate the hart of Pharao they will take vpon them to learne and to teach the holy Ghost to speake better and to say of this maner I will suffer Pharao to bée indurated but I will not doe it but my easynes my softnes whereby that I shall suffer him shall bring other men to repentaunce but Pharo shal it make more obstinate in malice So that God doth indurate as you say when hée doth not chastice a synner but sheweth softnes and easynes and sufferaunce to hym Hée is mercifull when hée doth call a sinner to repentaunce by affiction and scourging So that induration after your exposition is nothing els but for to suffer euyll by softnes and by goodnes To haue mercy is nothing els but to correcte to scourge and to punyshe men for their synnes This is the exposition of induration after S. Hierome and after your common glose S. Hieromes wordes bée these God doth indurate when hée doth not by and by castigate a synner Hée hath mercy when hée doth call a synner by and by vnto repentāce by afflictions c. This is auctoritie inough as you thinke what shoulde you search any farther Dyd not these men vnderstand scripture Is not this exposition playne This taketh away all inconueniēces By this exposition God is not the auctor of euell This is a clarkely exposition Briefly this this must néedes bee the true expositiō Wherfore it weare better for you to erre with S. Hierome and with our oulde schoolemen then for to say true with these newe heretykes so call you all them that will reproue oulde errours Now haue you well defended the matter Now is your cause well proued Now must the holy Ghost chang his wordes For hée hath new schoolemaysters And wheare hée was wont to say I haue hardened Pharos hart Now must hée say Pharao hath hardened hym selfe by my softnes and by my easines but I haue not done it But yet I pray you how woulde you satisfie a weake conscience that stickes faste to the worde of God and reckeneth that the holy Ghost knoweth well what hée shal speake and wil speake nothing without a great cause but that that hée speaketh shall bée so well spoken that you can not amende it How thynke you is it sufficient to say to this poore man S. Hierome and all schoole men say so holde thou thy peace
Wherfore we wil now speake of the other power which men call spirituall Fyrst here is to be noted that this is no power nor none auctoritie worldly but all onely a ministration of the word of God and a spirituall regiment preaching the gouerning of the soule and the mynistration of y e spirit hauing nothing to doe with the erterior Iustice or righteousnes of the worlde and therfore hath it no power by right and law to make any statutes or lawes to order the worlde by but all onely faithfully truely to preach and to minister the word of God ther by instructing the conscience of man nothing addyng thereto nor taking there from but as S. Paule sayth to abyde in those thinges that they haue learned and that bée commytted vnto them for S. Paule as hée hym selfe sayth â—urst speake no other thing but those things which christ had wroght by him For hée curseth him bée he maÌ„ or Angel that preacheth any other gospell then hée had preached Therefore the Prophet commaundeth vs that we should not heare the wordes of those prophetes which disceaue vs for they speake visions of their owne hartes and not out of y â— mouth of god and yet speake they in the name of God Wherefore these men so long as they speake onely y â— worde of God so long are they to be heard as Christ himself after y e saying hée y e heareth you hereth mée also whatsoeuer they say vnto you sytting in the chayre of Moses do it On y e which text speketh S. Augustine By syttyng in y e chayre is to vnderstand the learning of the lawe of God and therefore God doth teach by them but if they will teache their owne doctrine heare it not doe it not for such men séeke that is theirs and not Christes c. These wordes bée playne agaynst all them that preach any thing but the law of God onely Wherfore if these mynysters will of tyranny aboue the worde of God make any lawe or statute it must bee consydered after two maner of wayes fyrst whether it bée openly and derectly agaynst the word of God and to y e destructioÌ„ of y e faith as that statute is whereby they haue condemned the new testament also forbydden certayne men to preach the worde of God hauing no trew cause aganst them but all onely their malicious suspectioÌ„ also y e learning wherby they learne that workes doe iustifye moreouer that statute whereby they bynde men vnder the payne of damnation to bée assoyled of them These statutes I say with other lyke men are not bouÌ„d for to obey neither of charite for here is faith hurt which geueth no place to charitie nor yet for auoyding of sclaunder for the worde of God may not bée auoyded nor yet géeue place vnto sclauÌ„der for then shoulde it neuer bée preached but it must bée faâ—â—e stucke vnto and the more that men bée offended withall and the stiffer that they hée against it the more openly and playnely yea and that to their faces that make such statutes mâ—st wée resiste them wyth these wordes wée are more bounde to obey God then man This is well proued by Hilarius wordes All maner of plantes that hée not planted of the father of heauen must bée plucked vp by the rootes that is to say the traditions of men by whose meanes the coÌ„maundementes of the lawe hée broken must bée destroyed and therefore caulleth hée theÌ„ blynde guides of the waye to euerlasting life béecause they sée not that thyng they promise and for that cause hée sayth that both the blynde guides and they that bee led shall fall into the dyke c. Marke that all traditions of men which are agaynst Gods lawe must be destroyed Therfore let euery man take héede for it longeth to their charge for both the blynde guides and also they that bée led shall fall in the dyke It shall bée none excuse for hym that is led to say that hys guyde was blynde but let them heare the worde of God by his holy prophetes walke not in the preceptes of your fathers nor kéepe not their iudgemeÌ„ts but walke in my preceptes and kéepe my iudgementes The other maner of statutes bée when certaine thinges that bée caulled indifferent bée commaunded as thinges to bée done of necessitie and vnder the paynes of deadly sinne As for an example To eate fleshe or fishe this day or that day is indifferent and frée also to goe in this rayment of this colour or that colour to shaue our heades or not a priest to wear a loÌ„g gowne or a short a gray Fryer to weare a gray coate or a russet a whyte Fryer to weare a white or a blacke a Priest to marry or not to marry an Heremyt to haue a bearde or not These with all other such outwarde workes bée thinges indifferent and may bée vsed and also left Now if the Byshoppes will make any lawe or statute that these thynges shall bée determinately vsed so that it shall not bée lawful for vs to leaue it vndone but that wée must precisely doe them and not the contrary vnder the payne of deadly sinne here must they bée withstanded and in no wise obeyed â—or in this is hurt our fayth and libertie of Christendome whereby wée are frée and not bounde to any exteriour worke but frée in all things and vnto all men at all tymes and in all maner except it bee in such a cause where as brotherly charitie or the common peace should bée offended Therefore in all these thynges bée wée frée and wée must withstand them that will take this libertie from vs with thys texte of Scripture Wée are bought with the price of Christes bloud wée will not bée the seruauntes of men This texte is open against them that will bynde mennes conscience vnto sinne in those things that Christ hath lefte them frée in Of this wée haue an euident example of Saint Paule the whiche would not circumcise Titus when the false brethren woulde haue compelled hym thereunto as a thynge of necessitie vnto whom S. Paule gaue no romthe as coÌ„cernyng to bée brought into subiectioÌ„ S. Paul dyd not withstand them bycause that CircumcisioÌ„ was vnlawfull or might not bée vsed of Christen men but bycause that they would haue compelled hym vnto it as vnto a thyng of necessitie that thyng woulde not Saint Paule suffer for that was agaynst the libertie that we haue in Christ Iesus as hée sayth here playnely Wherfore we bée not alonely by Christe made frée from sinne but also made frée in vsing all maner of thynges that bée in different and vnto them we can not bée bounde as vnto thynges of necessitie as on the Friday to eate fish and thereunto bée bounde in conscience vnder the payne of deadly sinne In this we may not obey for it is against the word of God not béecause it is euill to
a burden of a tyraunt that is layde on vs and neither helpeth to the increasing of gods honour nor to the edifiyng of our brethreÌ„ they them selues kéepe theÌ„ not Of these speaketh our master Christ they binde gréeuous and vntollerable burdens lay them on mens neckes but they themselues will not once set their litle â—inger to them As for an example To eate fleshe on the Fryday is forbidden by the Byshoppes now if they compell thée to it as vnto a thyng necessary and without the which thou canst not bée saued then shalt thou not doe it vnder the payne of sinne but if they will haue thée kéepe this as a thyng of congruence and as a thyng that may bée an exterior meane to mortifie the bodie or an outwarde shyne of holynes and vnto this he will compell thée by outwarde paynes this thyng shalte thou doe of thy charitie béecause thou wilt not breake the outwarde order nor make any disquietnesse for those thinges that neyther make thée good nor yet condemne thee béefore God for as S. Paule sayth if wée eate neither are wée the better nor if wée eate not are wée the worse Alwayes prouided that in these indifferent thynges thou neyther set confidence nor holynesse nor yet offende thy weake brothers charitie for therein though thou bée frée in thy selfe the thyng is also indiffereÌ„t to thée yet of charitie fréely makest thou thy selfe seruaunt to all meÌ„ as S. Paule saith When I was frée from all thynges yet dyd I make my selfe a seruaunte that I might winne many men Note that hée alwayes speaketh of weake brethren and not of obstinate and indurate persons agaynst whome thou shalt alwayes withstand and defende thy libertye as hée dyd hée is thy weake brother that hath a good minde and béeléeueth the worde of God neuerchelesse hée hath not that gifte to perceaue as yet this libertie to vse indifferent thynges fréely wyth thankes Therfore fayth and charitie must bée thy guide in all these thynges and folowing them thou canst not erre FINIS That all men are bounde to receiue the holy Communion vnder both kyndes vnder the payne of deadly sinne IF men had stucke to the opeÌ„ scriptures of God to y e practise of Christes holy church and to y e exposition of olde doctours as it did béecome Christen men to doe then had it not béene néedefull for mée to haue taken these paynes labours in this cause nor yet to haue layd to their charges those thinges y â— Antichrist doth onely But now seeyng that they will doe the open déedes of Antechrist they must bée conteÌ„t that I may also geue them his name And that all the world may openly know y â— Antechrist doth raine in the world yea and that vnder the name of Christ I will heare set you forth an act of his which wheÌ„ it is coÌ„pared to our M. Christes wordes I doe not doubt but all trew Christen men will iudge it to bée of the deuyll as it is in very déede though that the childreÌ„ of the world doe iudge it otherwyse This doe I say of an acte that the Councell of Constance dyd make agaynst the most holy and glorious sacrament of our eternall God Iesus Christ Where in the one kynde of this most blessed sacrament was condemned as vnlawfull for lay men to receiue and y â— euery man may know by what auctoritie they dyd it what thing did moue them to condemne so blessed and so gloryous an ordinance of our Lord Iesus Christ here will I wryte their owne wordes which be these As this custome for auoyding certayne sclaunders and perrils was resonably brought in notwithstaÌ„ding in the béeginning of the Church this sacrament was receiued of Christen men vnder both kindes afterward it was receiued al onely vnder y e kind of bread wherefore séeing that such a custome of the Church and of holy fathers reasonably brought in long obserued must bée taken for a lawe y t which shall not bée lawfull to reprooue nor without auctorytie of the Church to chauÌ„ge it at a maÌ„s pleasure Wherfore to say y â— it is sacrilege or vnlawfull to obserue this coÌ„suetude or law must bée iudged erronius and they that doe pertinaciter defende the contrary of these premissis must bée restrayned as heretikes and greuously punished by the Byshops or their officials or by them that bée inquisitores hereticae prauitatis which that bée in kyngdomes or in prouinces in these men that doe attempt or presume any thyng agaynst thys decrée shall men procéede agaynst them after the holy and lawfull decrées that bée inuented agaynst heretickes and their fauters into the fauoure of the Catholicall fayth c. Now wyll I exhorte all Christen men in y e glorious name of our mightie Lord Iesus Christ which is both their redéemer shall bée their iudge that they wyll indifferently heare this article discussed by the blessed worde of our Maister Christ Iesus whiche was not alonely of God but also very God himselfe and all that hée dyd was done by the counsel of the whole trinitie and not alonely by his by whole counsell all counselles both in heauen and earth must bée ordered and that counsell that is contrary to it whether it bée of Sainte Angel or of man must bée accursed and iudged to bée of the deuil though they bée neuer so mighty neuer so well learned and neuer so many in multitude for there is no power no learning nor yet no multitude neither in heauen nor in earth nor no ieoperdies nor no sclauÌ„ders that may iudge Christ and hys holy worde nor that they may géeue place vnto Wherfore if I can prooue by open Scriptures of our Mayster Christ and also by the practise of holy Church that this counsell is false and damnable then let all Christen men iudge which of vs must bée heard and béeléeued eyther the counsell hauyng no scripture yea contrary to all scripture or els I that haue the opeÌ„ worde of God and the very vse and practise of the holy Apostles of holy church Christ is of God that no maÌ„ doubteth but y e holy counsell though there were fiue thousaÌ„des of byshops therin must proue theÌ„selues to bée of God by the worde of God and by theyr workes the which they can not doe if they bée contrary to Christ and hys blessed worde Moreouer Christ is not true vnder a condition bycause that men doe a low hym for though all the worlde were agaynst hym yet were hée neuerthelesse true but the couÌ„sell is not true but alonely vnder this condition bycause it doth agrée with Christes holy worde and of it selfe it hath no veritie but is of the deuill if it varye from Christ Before the dreadfull trone of God shall y e counsell bée iudged by Christes holy worde Christ shal not bée iudged by the decrée of the counsell but hée shall bée the counsels
institutions Amen To our purpose Other articles that I haue written of bée something harde and obscure sauing all onely to these men that bée learned But as for this article mée thinke it is so playne that I meruayle how any maÌ„ should doubt in it For doubtles it néedeth no learned iudge but onely a Ciuell and a morall good man that is indued with reason and equitie For surely mine aduersaries doth not earnestly defend pure and cleane chastitie for they know how few priestes there bée that kéepeth their chastitie Yea they know how sore they haue punyshed those men that hath broken theyr chastitie So that they doe not defend chastitie but rather fylthines and abhominable lyuing In y e which the most part of the spiritualtie doth liue Of this I will bée reported to the recordes of the kinges courts and also to their owne recordes in y e which if they should bée serched should bée found an innumerable sort detected of vncleanes These matters bée open notwithstanding I am right sory to rehearse it but I am compelled seing there is such intollerable violeÌ„ce vsed agaynst those poore meÌ„ that marry be cause they would not all onely lyue vertuously béefore God but also morally before the world Now let men all onely vse reason in this case and make comparison betwéene these two manner of lyuings and consyder which of them doth béecome a polytike order and a common wealth best Whether is it after reason better for mée to defile shamefully other mens wyues other mens daughters and other mennes maydens that no mans seruaunt shoulde bée in safegarde for mée or els that I should marry a wyfe of myne own as other noble kinges and Dukes and other good men of the world hath done and doth dayly and so to continew my lyfe with myne other neighbours after this maÌ„ner of good neighbourhod Let men heare without malyce iudge indiffereÌ„tly Blessed Saint Paule procéedeth farther with this matter and proueth clearely that no man ought or can bée bound to verginitie farther then y e gift of God doth strengtheÌ„ hym Thus hée sayth as coÌ„cerning virgins I haue no precept of the Lord but all onely I geue you my councell for I thinke it good by y e reason of this present necessitie that a man should lyue so As hée would say Vnto verginitie I can not â—inde yoâ— farther then your gift is nor I doe not recken it a thing necessary to wyn heauen by For heauen is neyther the price of virginity nor yet of mariage But all onely I reken verginitie a good and an expedient thing to liue quietly by in this world For in mariage is many thinges y e doth distracte and disturbeth a mans mynde That this is S. Paules meanyng it is wel proued by y e texte that followeth If a virgin doth marry she doth not sinne vut shée shall haue much teÌ„ptation in the flesh That is to say many occasions of disquietnes But I sayth S. Paule would gladly spare you from such occasions for I would haue you without sorowe And shée that is vnmaried hath no care but how to serue God But shée that is maryed hath much care and sorowe how shée shall dispatch all worldly busines So that S. Paule doth clearely declare his meaning how that virginity is no nearer way to heauen then mariage is sauyng that all onely an vnmaried person hath not so many occasyons to bée disquieted as a maryed hath Wherefore you shall marke of this text Fyrst that S. Paule hath no commaundement to binde men to chastitie How commeth it now therefore y â— the Pope compelleth all those men y â— will â—ée Priestes fyrst to forsweare mariage and to vow chastitie There is no learning that is able to proue how that the pope caÌ„ make more preceptes of God then blessed S. Paule could doe Furthermore what auctoritie hath the Pope to bynde vs to any thyng that God and his holy Apostles hath left frée All learned men that euer wrote doth graunt y e there bee two manner of thinges in this world Some bée called Res necessariae Thinges that bée necessary and must bée done béecause that God hath commaunded them And these things no man is able to make iudifferent but they must néedes bée necessarily done Other thinges there bée which lerned meÌ„ cauleth Res mediae thinges that bée indifferent and these may bée done and may bée left without sinne Now is the nature of these contrary to the other for they can not nor may not bee chauÌ„ged into thinges necessary For that is agaynst their nature as S. Paule declareth to the Romans and in other diuers places Now is this of trueth that virginitie is a thyng of him selfe by Gods ordinaunce indiffereÌ„t and may bée vsed and left without sinne Wherefore it standeth with no learnyng that maÌ„s law should chauÌ„ge the nature of this thyng and make it vnto any man a thyng necessarie whereas after gods commaundement it is a thyng but in different For that were as much as both to chaunge Gods ordinaunce also y e nature of the thing The which staÌ„deth with no learnyng For as the Pope and all the world can not make of Gods commaundement a couÌ„sell no more can they of Gods counsell make a precept Wherfore I coÌ„clude out of blessed S. Paule that no man ought to vow chastitie farther then God hath geuâ—n hym the gift For if chastitie were a thyng that could bée obtayned and kept through vowyng then were it not the gift of God but the gift of vowyng the whiche is agaynst our maister Christ and also agaynst blessed S. Paule Farthermore let euery man now thinke in him selfe séeyng that blessed S. Paule had no commaundement ouer chastitie nor yet would geue any commaundement whether that it bée the surest way and the lawfullest to folow the Popes commaundement or els to folow blessed S. Paules doctrine the which knew the perfection of virginitie and also what dyd béecome Priestes for to doe as well as the Pope doth Moreouer if men will iudge those Priestes that will marry whiche foloweth S. Paules counsell doctrine greuously for to sinne and for to bée heretickes Why should they not rather iudge those men more greuously for to sinne to bée ten tymes worse then heretickes that foloweth the popes commaundement in not marying Is noâ— S. Paules doctrine as lawful to bée keept and as farre from sinne as the Popes coÌ„maundements bée Or is not S. Paule of as great auctoritie in the Churche of God as the Pope is I thinke yes Note also that S. Paule would not bynde the Corinthians to virginity bycause hée would not tangle them in a snare but alonely hée exhorteth them to virginitie as vnto an honest comely thyng that they might y t more quietly serue God VpoÌ„ this same text sayth Athanasius that the Apostle would compell no maÌ„ to kéepe
you persecute it by tyranny to the increase of your damnation Our Lord bée mercyful vnto you But now that you may bee knowen what you bée when you deceiue the people with these woordes fathers fathers holy Doctours holy doctours I shall recite certeine of your fathers and doctours sayinges that you may be knoweÌ„ not alonely open lyers and blasphemers of God and his blessed eternal word but also of his holy saintes fathers vnto whom hée hath reuelated by the Scriptures his veritie First S. Augustine sayth these wordes Let vs haue no deuotion in honoring of dead men for if they lyued well they may not be couÌ„ted for such men as to desire such honours but they will that God shall be honored of vs by whose lightening they reioice that we are made coÌ„panioÌ„s of their glory Wherefore Saintes must be honored by folowing them but not by honoring theÌ„ of deuotyon c. Bée not these plain wordes S. Augustine was a father and a doctour And hée sayth y t saints will not bée honoured of vs but that God shall bée onely honoured Secondarily we may folowe their good lyuing and so honour them but in no wise to pray to them or honour them of deuotion It foloweth in S. Augustine wherfore we doe honour them by loue or charitie but not by seruice nor we build no temples vnto them For they wil not so be honored of vs for they know well that we if we bée good bée the temples of God Wherfore it is well written That man was forbidden of the angell to worship hym but all onely to worship one God vnder whom the angell was also a seruanut c. Can you desire any playner wordes then these we caÌ„ no more doe but loue sayntes of charitie but in no wise to serue them we may also build no temples to the honour of them Marke also how hée bringeth scripture for hym how the Angell of God would not bée honored of man How caÌ„ you auoyde this saying of S Augustine his example of scripture Also Chrisostomes saying on this text woman thy fayth is great Doost thou see this woman which was vnworthy but by her perseueraunce was made worthy wilt thou learne also that we praying vnto God in our owne persons doe more profyt then when other men doe praye for vs. This woman did crie and the disciples came and praied him that he would speed her for shee cryeth on vs. But to them he aunswered I am not seÌ„t but vnto the sheepe whiche are perished of the house of Israell But when shee came her self and did perseuer crying and saying Yes lord for the whelpes doe eate the cruÌ„mes that fall from their masters tables then did he geue her the benefyt said bee it vnto the as thou wilt Doost thou not se how he did repelle her wheÌ„ other men prayed for her but when shee came her selfe and cried hee did graunt her Vnto them hee said I am not sent but vnto the lost sheepe But vnto the womaÌ„ he sayth bee it vnto thee as thou wilt c. Heare you not playnly how we do sooner obtayne our petityon of God our owne selfe theÌ„ by any other midlers Marke also how y t Apostles did pray for this woman and they repelled and shée was heard Also the same Doctour wrighteth these wordes We haue no need of PatroÌ„s afore God nor nede of much processe to speak fayre vnto other men but though they be alone and wantest a patroÌ„ but prayest God by thy selfe yet for all that shalt thou haue thy desire God doth not so lightly grauÌ„t when other men pray for vs as wheÌ„ we pray our selfe yea though we bee full of sinnes c. Bee not these wordes playne that we haue no neede of patrons but God heareth vs soner when we pray in our owne persons then when other meÌ„ pray for vs. Wherefore they that make other mediators then onely Christ doth mistrust Christ and beleueth that he is not omnipoteÌ„t God nor mercifull Lord and therefore flye they vnto this Saint and vnto that Saint trusting to fynde more mercy at their handes then they could fynde at Christes But a trew Christen man leaueth his fantesye and remembreth these wordes of holy scripture Heare thou maÌ„ I am thy God and therfore he setteth all his trust and his confidence all his belief all his hope all his harton him onely And if he wil haue any thing necessary to body or soule of him hee asketh it all onely as the prophet Dauid learneth vs saying I will pray vnto the Lord and in the morning thou shalt here my voyce what is this in the morning but shortly quickly Thou art so mercyfull that thou wilt not prolong the tyme but shortly here me And therefore when I am in any distres of body or soule to thee I call for deliuerace and trust to obtayne it of thee onelye For thou Lord rhou hast set me in thy hope onely Thus doth euery good man pray trust in God for hée taketh him not alonely for his God but also for his merciful God yea and for his father which will deny him nothing But coÌ„trarywise doe the infidels and the fained Christen men for they mistruste hym and recken him to bée a tyraunt and a terrible and a fearefull Iudge which looketh for much intercession and that regardeth persons and therfore runne they hither and thither to séeke an other mediatour to séeke an other helper to séeke an other deliuerer then Christ for with him bée they not satisfied yea they reckeÌ„ him to bée so proude and so stately and so cruell and so hygh that they dare not speake first to him nor desire him for they clearely mistrust him that is the â—uÌ„me therof And for that cause seeke they to this Saint and to that Saint and desire of one riches of an other health of one they will holpen to heauen of an other they will bée deliuered froÌ„ hel Of one they wil haue freÌ„dshyp of this worlde of an other long lyfe of one they will bée saued from sicknes of an other they wil bée made whole all this is bycause they mistrust Christ reckeÌ„ y t hée is either not able or that hée wil not obtaine these thinges for them This is the very grounde of their hartes let them lye with their mouthes what they will of this are they compelled to flye froÌ„ Christ Is not this making of many Godes S. Paule saith that in couetousnes is Idolatrie bycause that maÌ„s hart is of his goodes how much more is here Idolatrie whereas maÌ„s faith hope and trust is set so much on creatures Trueth it is that Saintes bée holy and worthy to bée béeloued in in Christ and for Christ but yet bée they but creatures and no Godes I loue them as wel as you doe prayse and magnifie them but wherfore bycause they haue Christ in them which
persecutour 250 Church truely declared 253. 254. 256 Counsailes haue erred and may erre 255 Councell of Constance forbad the Sacrament in both hyndes 302 Coūcell of Nice thought it meete for a Byshop to haue a wife 320 D. DAyes are no one better nor higher then an other 206 Doctours of the law geue euill counsayle 208 E. ENemy to a true mā is a theef 189 Extreme law is extreme miustice 208 F. FAyth onely iustifieth 226. 235 Fayth without workes iustifieth 228 Fayth is accompted for righteousnes 231 Fayth in Christ attayneth saluation 231 Fayth bryngeth forth good workes 236 Fayth that bryngeth forth frute is the fayth that iustifieth 238 Fayth iustifieth before God good workes declare our iustification to the world 239 Faythes are of two sortes 241 Fayth that iustifieth is geuen vs frely of God 241 Faythfull beleeuers in Christes merites are the right holy Churche of God 244 Faythfull congregation cannot erre 247 Fayth is the mere gift of God 277 Fisher Bishop of Rochester sworne to the Pope 197 Flocke of Christ is litle 247 Fleshly reason refoned frowardly 270 Fridericke the Emper our deposed 191 Freewill of man without Gods grace can doe no good 266. 267. 268 Freewill without grace is sinne 269. 270 Freewill wherein it consisteth 276 Frutes of fayth 235 G. GErmayne a Popes Sainte a straunge hystory 190 George Stafford a learned man 221 God onely is omnipotent and almightie 351 God is to bee obeyed before men 295 God doth wōderfully worke to saue his flocke ibidem Gods commaundements are impossible to our nature to bee kept 272 Gods mercy is the onely cause of our saluation 179 Good counsaile geuē to the Bishops 215 Good workes what goodnes is in them 229 Good workes cannot deserue remission of sinnes 235 Good workes are to be done though they iustifie not 237 Good workes are the frutes of good fayth 249 God disposeth his mercy to whom it pleaseth him 278 Gospell preachyng is no cause of insurrection 184 Gospell profitable to England 194 Grace without deseruyng 224 Grace findeth our hartes stony 273 H. HErode kept his brothers wise 188 Hipocrisie abhominable 189 Holy dayes why they were ordeyned 205 Holy Church truely defined 243 Holy church that is the true church of God is to the worlde inuisible 244 Holy Church is the grounde and piller of trueth 245 Holy Church is built vpon the Apostles and Prophetes 250 I. IAcob is elected and Esau reiected 178 Idols and Images described 344 Idols Images are all one ibidem Ignoraunce made vs worshyppe stockes and stones 341 Images are neither to bee honored nor worshypped 340 Image of God is thy poore Christian brother 345 Images or Idols are not the workers of any miracles 345 Insurrections whereof they came 192 Indifferent thynges are to bee obeyed 298 Iohn kyng of Englād cruelly handled by the Clergy of England 189 Iustification is not by the lawe of of workes but by the law of fayth 234 Iustification how it commeth 236 Iustified personnes cannot abstayne from doyng of good workes 240 K. Kynges ought not to bee deposed though they bee wicked 187 Kyng Iohn was cruelly handled of the Clergy of England 189 Kyng Iohn poysoned 189 Kynges brought by violence vnder the Popes foote 195 Kynges of the kyngdome of heauen what they are 257. 258 Keyes of Christ abused by the Byshops 262. 263 L. LAw why it was geuen 275 Liberties of holy Churche may not bee impugned 217 Losing and byndyng what it is 259 M. MAn is Lord ouer all creatures 274 Mans dominion restreyned 275 Man is the lyuely and true Image of God 346 Mariage of Priestes is allowed of God 317 Mariage hath a greater crosse then virginitie 313 Mariage of Priestes is neither agaynst Gods law nor mans law 328 Mariage is all one beefore Priesthode and after Priesthode 336 Masse made of many patches 357 Masse welbeloued of the Papistes for gaynes sake ibidem Ministers of the Churche ought to bee no Lordes 262 Money is the popes best marchaūt 265 Monkes of the Charterhouse and their superstition 299 Mores holy Church are the Pope Cardinals and Byshops 252 Moses chayre what it is 297 N. NAturall reason is a blynde iudge of the Scriptures 307 Naturally all men desire Mariage 323 O. OBedience to the higher powers taught by Christ and his Apoles 185 Obedience to the Prince wee owe with our bodyes and to God with our soules 300 Officers are Byshops hangmē 211 Offendours of the common weale may not breake prison but paciently suffer that the law doth determine 293 Orders in the Clergy hath two significations 202 Othe the Byshoppes made to the Pope 195 Othe to the Pope last made by the Byshops 200 P. PApistes and Schoolemen peruert the Scriptures 180 ▪ Papistes charge the Preachers of Gods word with heresie 185 Papistes teach disobedience to Princes 185. 186 Papistes shamelesse doynges 186 Papistes and Protestantes wherin they differre 191 Papiste is an vnnaturall subiect agaynst hys soueraigne Lord and Lady 202 Papistes are arrogant and proude 209 Papistes are craftie iugglers 223 Papistes crueltie 225 Papistes are trappers of innocents 223 Papistes are tyrantes 224 Papistes are blasphemers of Gods holy word 286 Papistes preach lyes 287 Papistes and S. Paule are contrary 285 Papistes are the norishers of ignoraunce and darknes 290 Papistes finde faulte with gnattes and swalow Camelles 308 Papistes make blynd reasons 308. 309 Papistes carnall reasons 351 Papistes worshyppers of stockes and stones 352 Papistes blynd and malicious 353 Papistes foolish arguments soluted 354 Paule dispenseth with vnlawfull vowes 314 Peter the Apostle had a wife 325 Petition of Doct. Barnes to kyng Henry the viij 205 Philip the Euangelist was maryed 325 Popes depose kynges 186 Popes shamelesse arrogancy and tyranny ibidem Popes dispense with othes that subiectes make of obedience to theyr Princes 188 Popes procurers of warre and destruction of people 193 Pope agaynst Pope one cursing an other ibidem Popes alter the Byshops othes as semeth best for their purpose 195 Popes and their lewdenes truely described 197 Pope how hee cōmeth by the name of Lord. ibidem Pope Clement excōmunicated kyng Henry the viij 198 Popes what maner of men they are that are chosē to that dignitie 199 Pope Clement the sonne of a Curtisan ibidem Pope a monstruous hypocrite 198 Pope and hys lawes agree not 199 Popes are not chosen after Sainte Paules rule ibidem Power of kynges is immediatly of God 202 Popes Saintes worke straūge miracles 190 Pope absolueth all rebellion agaynst Princes but pardoneth none that hath beene agaynst hym selfe 201 Popes regalles ibidem Pope calleth Councelles as it pleaseth hym 202 Pope hath libertie to say do◠what hee list 204 Popes pardōs haue beene good marchaundise in England 212 Pope may not bee controlled of any man 213 Popish law is tyrannous 218. 219. 220 Pope and the true holy church how farre they differre 242 Pope and his maners agreeth nothyng with the holy Church ibidē Pope
small occasions do rise gret euils EnsaÌ„ples for our â—earnâ—ng Learn here how to read vnderstaÌ„d y â— scripture If we herken vnto the voyce of God and bend our selues to do hys wyl he wyll be our God help vs but otherwise he wyl plague vs as he plagued the vnthankful faythlesse Iewes Trust and beleue in God and care not what the world say The world liketh well all wycked lyuers and vngodly people Here is set forth the office of euery good person TemptatioÌ„ is the triall of true christians The excellency of faith which is the gifte of God Those whoÌ„ God scourgeth he dearely loueth A necessary lesson for a good precher God commaundeth that we shold make no images The worshipping of Idoles or Images was abhorred of god Witchcraft sorcery c. abhorred of God Moses often reherseth the benefites of almighty God to moue vsto feare hym and to loue our neighbour God will haue vs to be merciful to our neighbors All the ceremonies of the olde testament weâ—â— but preachers of Christ that was to come The â—ea◠〈◊〉 of the tabernacle was to keepe the Iewes froÌ„ harkenyng to the heathen God had two Testaments that is the olde and the new The old testament was built vpon the obseruatioÌ„ of the law The law could not geue lyfe The law is the vtterer of sinne The law was geuen by God to shewe what sinne was Ceremonies are not geuen to iustify the hart but to signifie our iustificatioÌ„ by Christ Ceremonies cannot iustify The new Testament are the euerlastyng promises made to vs in Christ Faith only iustifieth Good workes spryng out of the loue we haue to God Where true fayth is there good workes do flow and abound The new Testament was from the beginnyng Our temporall lawes spring out of the law of nature Loue counselleth the faythfull to worke We must nor presume in our well doing not coÌ„deÌ„ne others that run astray the last which turneth to god is as farre forward as the first MaÌ„s wisedome is playn Idolatry it scat tereth diuideth and maketh sectes Ceremonies to the Israelites and â—ewts were as good schole masters are to young scholers All thyngs were first reueled in ceremonies and shadowes vntill it pleased almighty God to reuele hys sonne Iesu Christ Small and litle giftes geueÌ„ by the parentes to their children causeth loue obedience Sacrifices and ceremonies serue for allegories to find out Christ Similitudes proue nothyng but doe more playnly lead thee to vnderstand the text Some ceremonies coÌ„teine whole some and profitable doctrine Ceremonies ordeyned to confirme our fayth Gods secrets were opened but to a fewe The ceremonies of themselues saued not but fayth in Gods promise Our nature is so weake that we must be holpen by outwarde signes and tokens No man is holpen by 〈◊〉 promises but sinners that feele their sinne Sacraments truly ministred are profitable Sacraments truly miniâ—â—res preach vnto vs repeÌ„taunce of our sinnes Noâ— naked or dome ceremonies but the holy ghost throughe fayth washeth away sinnes The difference betwene a sacrifice and a Sacrament What slate we dye in the same wee shall rise agayn either of saluation or damnation The Sacramentes are vnto y e dead no Sacramentes at all Sacramentes abused vp y â— Clergy The Papistes haue had no smal frend and good helper of the masse Hipocrites prayers caÌ„ neither profite them selkes nor any maÌ„â—ls Those that are enemies to the worde of God loue neither god nor his people Allegories are to bee wel weyed and considered The greatest cause of the decay of faith and blindnes that wee were in â–ª was thorough Allegories How allegories are to bee vnderstand The ryght vsed of allegories Baptisme is y e commoÌ„ badge of all true professours of Christ Baptisme teacheth vs repentaunce of sinne The bare washyng helpeth not but throrough the worde of fayth it purifieth vs. How christ boroweth figures of the old Testament to make plain the textes of the new testament Our duety is to do good dedes but saluation we cannot chaleÌ„ge therby A good example taken of the Lepers The true preachyng of Gods word doth bynde and lose consciences In allegories is both hony gall that is to say both good euil All good dedes are gods work manship wee hys instrumeÌ„ts wherby he doth them Freewill and vnbeliefe were the ouerthrow of ouâ— for eâ—athers Then cannot they be the childreÌ„ of God which put more trust in their owne workes then in y e bloud of Iesus Christ Faithlesse workes The Pharises by their free-will excluded them selues from the saluatioÌ„ 〈◊〉 Christ Blasphemy to christes death O subtle Foxes thorow pouertie made themselues Lordes of all Wilfull chastitie is wilful wikednes The Papistâ—… wilful obedience is coÌ„mon disobedience to all princes Our 〈…〉 commeth not by our merites but thorow sayth by the bloud of ouâ— sauiour Iesus Christ Fayth only bringeth vs to christ and vnbeâ—… driueth do from Christ Christ rebuâ—… the Pharises for their holy and 〈…〉 The pharises ascribe righteousnâ—… workes therfore were condemned of Christ The iustifiyng oâ— our selues maketh the diuâ—… more buâ—… then he wold be What to meant in the scripâ—… by this 〈◊〉 vâ—… tymeâ— Meritâ—…gerâ— y e more their blindnes is rebuked the more they rebell against Christ and his golyâ—… The doctrine of the pharises and the doctrine of our papists do well agree The Papistes cannot away with iustification by fayth Of vowes God accepteth for vs none other sacrifice but onely Iesu christ his sonne 〈◊〉 holines in our own imaginatioÌ„ is a robbing of christes honor Faith foloweth repentaunce of sinne RepentaÌ„ce goeth before fayth and prepareth the way vnto Christ How our workes are good in the sight of God The work saueth not but the word that it is to say the promise An apt similitude for reward of good workes All vowes must be made for y â— mortifying or tamyng â–ª of our members or the edifying of our neighbours or els they are wicked How we ought to vowe wilfull pouertie Whether fished the Popes prelates with tâ—… nâ—t or no Our workes do not stand in the wisedome of maÌ„ but in the power of God Desert and free gift are contraries The sight of riches is rather a cause of coueteousnes then a meane to honor God Whether dyd the papist so or no Yet y â— spiritualities pillage was more then theyr standing stipeÌ„d A good vowe is to kepe Gods commaundementes Howe thou mayst lawfully goe on pilgrimage God heareth al that call vppon him in all tymes and at al places alyke God regardeth the hart and not y â— place where wee pray Wilfull chastitie is not mete for all persons to vow False fayned chastitie The Pope restrayned that which God permitted and setteth at liberty that which God forbiddeth A good adminition to such as wil make vowes Wherunto and howe we should apply our vowes How a vow is to be made He that fasteth to any other ende theÌ„ to
by which was at that time nothing signified but an Elder And it was no doubt taken of the custome of the Hebrues where the officers were euer elderly men as nature requireth As it appeareth in the olde testament and also in the new The Scribes Pharises and the elders of the people sayth the text which were the officers and rulers so called by the reason of their age ¶ Why he vseth loue rather then charitie HE rebuketh me also that I traÌ„slate thys greke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into loue and not rather into charitie so holy so knowen a terme Verely charitie is no knowen Englishe in that sence which agape requireth For when we say geue your almes in the worship of God and sweete saint charitie and when the father teacheth his sonne to say blessing father for saint charitie what meane they In good fayth they wot not Moreouer wheÌ„ we say God helpe you I haue done my charitie for this day do we not take it for aâ—…s And the man is euer childing and out of charitie and I beshrew him sauing my charitie there we take it for patience And when I say a charitable maÌ„ it is taken for mercifull And though mercifulnes be a good loue or rather spring of a good loue yet is not euery good loue mercifulnes As when a woman loueth her husband godly or a man his wife or his frende that is in none aduersitie it is not alway mercifulnesse Also we say not thys man hath a great charitie to god but a great loue Wherfore I must haue vsed this generall terme loue in spite of myne hart oftentimes And agape charitas were wordes vsed among the Hetheâ— yer Chrst came and signified therefore more then a godly loue And we may say well inough and haue heard it spoken that the Turkes be charitable one to an other among themselues some of them vnto the christen to Besides all this agape is coÌ„mon vnto all loues And when M. More saith euery loue is not charitie no more is euery Apostle Christes Apostle nor euery Angell Gods Angell nor euery hope christen hope nor euery sayth or beliefe Christes beleife and so by an huÌ„dred thousand wordes So that if I should alway vse but a worde y t were no more generall then the worde I enterprete I should enterprete nothing at all But the matter it selfe and the circumstaunces do declare what loue what hope and what fayth is spokeÌ„ of And finally I say not charitie God or charitie your neighbour but ioue God and loue your neighbour ye though we say a man ought to loue his neighbours wife his daughter a Christen man doth vnderstand that he is commauÌ„ded to defile his neighbours wife or his daughter ¶ Why fauour and not grace ANd with lyke reasons rageth he because I turne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into fauour and not into grace saying that euery fauour is not grace and that in some fauour there is but little grace I can say also in some grace there is little goodnesse And when we say he standeth well in my Ladyes grace we vnderstand no great godly sauour And in Vniuersities many vngracious graces are gotten ¶ Why knowledge and not confession repentaunce and not penaunce ANd that I vse this worde knowledge and not confession and this word repentaunce and not penaunce In which all he can not proue that I geue not the right Englishe vnto the Greeke word But it is a farre other thyng that payâ—eth them and byteth them by the brestes There he secret panges that pinch the very hartes of them wherof they dare not coÌ„playne The sekenesse that maketh them so impacieÌ„t is that they haue lost their iugglyng termes For the doctours and preachers were wont to make many dimisioÌ„s distinctions sortes of grace gratis data gratum faciens preueniens subsequens And with confession they iuggled so made the people as oft as they spake of it vnderstand shrift in the care Wherof the Scripture maketh no mentioÌ„ no it is cleâ—ne agaynst the Scripture as they vse it and preach it and vnto God an abhominatioÌ„ and a soule stinkyng sacrifice vnto the filthy Idole Priapus The losse of those iugglyng termes is the matter where of all these bottes brede that gnaw them by the belyes and make them so vnquiet And in like maner by this word penaunce they make the people vnderstand holy deedes of their enioynyng with which they must make satisfactioÌ„ vnto Godward for their sinnes When all the Scripture preacheth that Christ hath made full satisfactioÌ„ for our sinnes to Godward we must now be thaÌ„kfull to God agayne and kill the lustes of our flesh with holy workes of gods enioynyng to take paciently all that God layeth on my back And if I haue hurt my neighbour I am bounde to shrâ—…e my selfe vnto him and to make him amendes if I haue wherewith or if not theÌ„ to aske him sorgeuenesse and he is bounde to forgeue me And as for their penauÌ„ce the Scripture knoweth not of The Greke hath Metanoia and Metanoite repentaunce and repente â–ª or forthinkyng and forthinke As we say in English it forthinketh me or I forthinke and I repent or it repeÌ„teth me and I am sory that I dyd it So now the Scripture â—ayth repent or let it forthinke you and come beleue the Gospell or glad tydynges that is brought you in Christ and so shall all be forgeuen you and henceforth lyue a new lyfe And it will folow if I repent in the hart that I shall do no more so willingly and of purpose And if I beleued the Gospell what God hath done for me in Christ I should surely loue him agayne of loue prepare my selfe vnto his commaundementes These thinges to be euen so M. More knoweth well inough For he vnderstandeth the Greke and he knew them long yer I. But so blynd is couetousnesse dronkeÌ„ desire of honour Giftes blind the eyes of the seyng and peruert the wordes of the righteous Deut. xvij When couetousnes findeth vauntage in seruyng falsehead it riseth vp into an oâ—…mate malice agaynst the truth seeketh all meanes to resiste it and to queÌ„ch it As Balam the false Prophet though he wiste that God loued Israell and had blessed them and promised them great thyngs and that he would fulfill his promises yet for couetousnesse and desire of honour he fell into such malice agaynst the truth of God that he sought â—ow to resiste it and to curse the people Whiche when God would not let him do he turned him selfe an other way and gaue pestilent counsell to make the people sinne against God wherby the wrath of God â—el vpon them and many thousand perished Notwithstandyng Gods truth abode fast and was fulfiled in the rest And Balam as he was the cause that many perished so escaped he not hym selfe No more did any that
maliciously resisted the open truth agaynst hys owne conscience sence the world began that euer I read For it is sinne agaynst y â— holy ghost which Christ saith shall neither be forgeueÌ„ here nor in the world to come whiche text may this wise be vnderstand that as that sinne shal be punished with euerlastyng daÌ„nation in the lyfe to come euen so shall it not escape vengeauÌ„ce here As thou â—eest in Iudas in Pharao in Balam and in all other tyrauntes whiche agaynst their consciences resisted the open truth of God So now the cause why our Prelates thus rage that moueth them to call M. More to helpe is not that they finde iust causes in the translation but because they haue lost their iugglyng and fayned termes wherewith Peter prophesied they should make marchaundise of the people ¶ Whether the Church were before the Gospell or the Gospell before the Church AN other doubt there is whether the Church or congregatioÌ„ be before the Gospell or the Gospell before the Church Which question is as hard to solue as whether the father be elder then the sonne or the sonne elder then his father For the whole Scripture and all beleuing hartes testifie that we are begotten through the word Wherfore if the word beget the congregatioÌ„ he that begetteth is before hym that is begotten then is the Gospell before the Church Paul also Rom. ix sayth how shall they call on him whom they beleue not And how shall they beleue without a preacher That is Christ must first be preached yer men can beleue in him And then it foloweth that the word of the preacher must be before the fayth of the beleuer And therfore in as much as the word is before the faith and faith maketh the congregation therfore is the word or Gospell before the congregation And agayne as the ayre is darke of it selfe receaueth all her light of the sonne euen so are all mens hartes of theÌ„selues darke with lyes and receaue all their truth of Gods word in that they consent therto And moreouer as the darke ayre geueth the sonne no light but contrarywise the light of the sonne in respect of the ayre is of it selfe and lighteneth the ayre purgeth it from darkenesse eueÌ„ so the lying hart of man can geue the word of God no truth but contrary wise the truth of Gods word is of her self and lighteneth the harts of the beleuers and maketh them true and clenseth them from lyes as thou readest Iohn xv ye be cleane by reason of the word Which is to be vnderstand in that the word had purged their harces from lyes from false opinions from thinking euill good and therfore from consentyng to sinne And Iohn xvij sanctifie them O father thorough thy truth And thy woorde is truth And thus thou seest that Gods truth dependeth not of man It is not true because man so sayth or admitteth it for true But man is true because he beleueth it testifieth and geueth witnesse in hys hart that it is true And Christ also sayth him selfe Iohn v. I receaue no witnesse of maÌ„ For if the multitude of maÌ„s witnesse might make ought true then were the doctrine of Mahomete truer then Christes ¶ Whether the Apostles left ought vnwritten that is of necessitie to be beleued BUt did not y â— Apostles teach ought by mouth that they wrot not I aunswere because that many taught one thyng and euery man the same in diuers places and vnto diuers people and confirmed euery sermoÌ„ wyth a sundry miracle therfore Christ his Apostles preached an â—…red thousaÌ„d sermons and did as many miracles which had bene superfluous to haue bene all written But the pith and substaunce in generall of euery thing necessary vnto our soules health both of what we ought to beleue and what we ought to do was written and of the miracles done to confirme it as many as were nedeful So that whatsoeuer we ought to beleue or do that same is written expresely or drawen out of that which is written For if I were bound to do or beleue vnder payne of the losse of my soule any thing that were written nor depeÌ„ded of that which is writteÌ„ what holpe me the scripture that is written And thereto in as much as Christ and all his Apostles warned vs that false prophetes shoulde come with false miracles euen to deceaue the elect if it were possible wherewith shoulde the true preacher confound the false except he brought true miracles to confound the false or els autenticke scripture of full authoritie already among the people Some man woulde aske how dyd God continue his congregation from Adam to Noe and froÌ„ Noe to Abraham and so to Moses without writing but with teaching from mouth to mouth I aunswere first that there was no scripture all the whyle they shall proue wheÌ„ our Lady hath a new sonne God taught Adam greater thynges then to write And that there was writing in the world long yer Abraham yea yer Noe do stories testifie Notwithstanding though there had bene no writing the preachers were euer prophetes glorious in doing of miracles wherwith they cofirmed their preaching And beyond that god wrote his testameÌ„t vnto them aâ—way both what to do and to beleue eueÌ„ in y e sacramentes For the sacrifices which God gaue Adams sonnes were no dumme popetrie or superstitious Mahometrie but signes of the testament of God And in them they red y e worde of God as we do in bookes and as we should do in our sacraments if the wicked Pope had not taken the significations away from vs as he hath robbed vs of the true sence of all the scripture The testament which God made with Noe that he woulde no more drowne the worlde with water he wrote in the sacrament of the rainebow And the appointment made betwene him and Abraham he wrote in the sacrament of circumcision And therefore sayd Steuen Act. vij he gaue them y â— testameÌ„t of circumcision Not that the outwarde circumcision was the whole testament but the sacrameÌ„t or signe there For circumcision preached Gods worde vnto theÌ„ as I haue in other places declared But in the tyme of Moyses when the congregation was encreased that they must haue many preachers also rulers temporall then all was receaued in scripture in so much that Christ and his Apostles might not haue bene beleued without scripture for all their miracles Wherefore in as much as Christes congregation is spred abroad into all the worlde much broader then Moses and in as much as we haue not the olde testament onely but also the new wherein all thinges are opened so richly and all fulfilled that before was promised in as much as there is no promise behinde of ought to be shewed more saue the resurrection yea and seyng that Christ and all the Apostles with all the Angels of
all thyng for vauntage leadeth in the darkenesse of death M. Tyndall doth knowe how that S. Augustine and S. Hierome do proue with holy Scripture that confessioÌ„ is of necessitie vnto saluation Tyndall That is false if ye meane eareconfession Why alledge ye not the places where But ye know by S. Hierome and other stories and by the conuersation with Erasmus how it came vp and that the vse was once farre other then now M. I meruell that Tyndal denieth Purgatory except he entend to go to hell Tyndall He entendeth to purge here vnto the vttermost of his power hopeth that death will end and finish hys purgation And if there be any other purgyng he will commit it to God take it as he findeth it when he coÌ„meth at it and in the meane tyme take no thought therefore but for this that is present wherewith all Saintes were purged and were taught so to be And Tyndall marueleth what secret pilles they take to purge them selues whiche not onely will not purge here with the crosse of Christ but also bye out theyr Purgatory therof the pope for a groat or vj. pence The xviij Chapter M. The Clergie doth nothyng vnto the heretikes but as the holy Doctours dyd Tyndall Yes ye put them in your prisons and diote them and handle them after your fashion as temporall tyrauÌ„tes and dispute with them secretly and will not come at light And ye slea theÌ„ for rebukyng you with Gods worde and so did not the old holy Doctours If a man slea his father ye care not But if any man touche one of you though he haue neuer so great an occasion geuen him ye curse him and if he will not submitte him selfe vnto your punishmeÌ„t ye leaue him vnto the temporall power whome ye haue hyred with y e spoyle of his goodes to be your hangman so that he must lose his life for geuyng one of you but a blowe on the cheke M. Saint Paule gaue two heretickes vnto the deuill whiche tormented theyr fleshe whiche was no small punishement and haply he slew them Tyndall O expounder of the Scripture like Hugo Charensis which exposideth haereticum hominem deuita take the hereticke out of his lyfe We read of no payne that he had whom the Corinthians excommunicated and gaue to Sathan to slea his fleshe saue that hee was ashamed of hym selfe and repented when he saw his offence so earnestly taken and so abhorred But ye because ye haue no power to deliuer them to Sathan to blynde theyr myndes ye deliuer theÌ„ to the fire to destroy their flesh that no more is seene of them after then the ashes ¶ FINIS ¶ The practise of papisticall Prelates made by Wylliam Tyndall ¶ In the yeare of our Lorde 1530. ¶ William Tyndall to the Christian Reader WHen the olde Scribes and Phariseis had darckned the Scripture wyth their traditions and false interpretacions and wicked perswasions of fleshly wisdome and shut vp the kingdome of heauen which is Gods word that the people coulde not enter in vnto the knowledge of the true way as Christ complayneth in the Gospell Math. x. iij. Then they sat in the hartes of men with their false doctrine in the stead of God and hys word slew the soules of the people to deuoure their bodyes and to robbe them of their worldly substaunce But when Christ and Iohn the Baptiste had restored the Scripture agayne vnto the true vnderstanding and had vttered their falsehead and improued their tradicions and confounded their false interpretations with the cleare and euident textes and with power of the holy Ghost had brought all their iuggling and hypocrisie to light theÌ„ they gat them vnto the elders of the people perswaded them saying this man is surely of the deuill and hys myracles be of the deuill no doubt And these good workes which he doth in healing the people yea and his preaching against our couetousnes are but a cloke to bring hym vnto hys purpose that when he hath gotteÌ„ him disciples ynow he may rise against the Emperour and make hymselfe kyng And then shall the Romaynes come take our land from vs and cary away our people and put other naâ—ions in our realme and so shall we lose all that we haue and the most part of our liues therto Take heede therefore betimes while there is remedy yer he go so far that ye be not able to resiste hym The elders of the people which were rich and welthy though before they in a maner fauoured Christ or at y â— least way were indifferent nor greatly caryng whether God or the deuil raigned so that they might bide in their authoritie feared immediatly as Herode did of the losse of his kingdome when the wise men asked where the new borne king of Iewed was and conspired with the Scribes and Phariseis against Christ and tooke him and braught him vnto Pilate saying We haue â—ounde this fellow peruerting the people and forbidding to pay tribute vnto Cesar and saying that he is king and mouyng the people from Galile vnto this place The Pilate though he likewise was before indifferent put now in feare of the losse of his office thorow such perswasions slew innocent Christ And in very deede as the Scribes Phariseis were all their liues before blynde guides vnto the destruction of their soules euen so were they at their last ende blinde Prophetes vnto the destruction of their bodyes For after that they had slayne Christ and diuers of his Apostles and persecuted those poore wretches that beleued on hym God to aduenge the poore innocent bloude that bare witnes vnto the truth poured hys wrath among them that they theÌ„selues rose against the Emperour And the Romaynes came according as they blyndly prophesied and slew the most part of them and caryed y e rest captiue into all nacions and put other nacions in the Realme But whose fault was that insurrection against the Emperour and mischiefe that followed Christes and his Apostles whom they falsely accused before hand Nay Christ taught that they shoulde geue Cesar that pertayned vnto Cesar and God that which belonged to God EueÌ„ that they should geue Cesar lawfull their bodely seruice God the hart and that they should loue Gods law repent of their euill come and receaue mercy and let the wrath of god be taken from of them And the Apostles taught that all soules should obey the hyer powers or temporall rulers but their obstinate malice that so hardened their harâ—s that they coulde not repent and their raylyng vppon the open and manifest with which they coulde not improue and resisting the holy Ghost and sleying of the preachers of righteousnes brought the wrath of God vpoÌ„ theÌ„ and was cause of their vtter destruction Euen so our Scribes and Pharises now that their hypocrisie is disclosed and there falshead so brought
to light that it can no lōger be hid get thē vnto the elders of the people the Lordes gentlemen and temporall officers and to all that loue this worlde as they do and vnto whosoeuer is great wyth the kyng and vnto the kyngs grace himselfe and after the same ensample and wyth the same perswasions cast them into like feare of losing of their worldly dominions and rore vnto them saying ye be negligent and care nothing ot all but haue a good sport that the heretickes rayle on vs. But geue thē space a while till they be growen vnto a multitude and then ye shall see them preach as fast against you and moue the people agaynst you and do their beste to thruste you downe also and shall cry hauocke and make all common O generation of serpentes how well declare ye that ye be the right sonnes of the father of all lyes For they which ye call heretickes preach nothing saue that which our Sauiour Iesus Christ preached and his Apostles adding nought therto nor plucking ought therfro as the Scripture commaundeth and teach all men repentaunce to God and his holy lawe and fayth vnto our Sauiour Iesus Christ and the promises of mercy made in hym and obedience vnto all that God commaundeth to obey Neyther teach we so much as to resiste your most cruell tyranny with bodely violence saue wyth Gods worde onely entending nothing but to driue you out of the temple of Christ the harts consciences and soules of mē wherein with your falshead ye sit and to restore agayne Iesus our Sauiour vnto his possession and inheritaunce bought with his bloude whence ye haue driuen him out with your manifolde wyles and subtiltie Take heede therefore wicked Prelates blynde leaders of the blynde indurat and obstinate hypocrites take heede For if the Phariseis for their resisting the holy Ghost that is to say persecuting the open and manifest truth and sleying the preachers therof escaped not the wrath vengeaunce of god how shall ye scape which are farre worse thē the Phariseis For though the Phariseis had shut vp the Scripture and set vp theyr owne professions yet they kept theyr owne professions for the most part But ye will be the chiefest in Christes flocke and yet wyll not keepe one iot of the right way of his doctrine Ye haue therto set vp wonderfull professions to be more holy therby thē ye thinke that Christes doctrine is able to make you and yet keepe as little thereof except it be with dispensations in so much that if a man aske you what your maruelous fashioned playing coates and your other popatrye meane and what your disfigured heades all your Apishplay meane ye know not and yet are they but signes of thinges which ye haue professed Thyrdly ye will be Papistes and holde of the Pope and yet looke in the Popes lawe and ye keepe thereof almost nought at all but whatsoeuer soundeth to make for your bellyes and to maintaine your honour whether in the Scripture or in your owne traditions or in the Popes lawe that ye compell the laye people to obserue violently threatening them with your excommunications and cursses that they shal be damned both body and soule if they keepe them not And if that helpe you not then ye murther them mercilesly with the sworde of the temporall powers whom ye haue made so blinde that they be ready to sley whom ye cōmaūde and will not yet heare his cause examined nor geue him roome to aunswere for himselse And ye elders of the people feare ye God also For as the elders of the Iewes which were partakers with the Scribes and Phariseis in resisting the holy Ghost and in persecuting the open truth and sleying the witnesses therof and in prouoking the wrath of God had their parte with them also in the day of wrath and sharpe vengeaunce which shortly after fell vppon them as the nature of the sinne against the holy Ghost is haue her damnation not onely in the worlde to come but also in this life according vnto all the ensamples of the Bible and autenticke stories since the worlde beganne euen likewise ye if ye will wincke in so open cleare light and let your selues be led blyndfold and haue your part with the hypocrites in lyke sinne and mischief be sure ye shall haue your part with them in lyke wrath and vengeance that is like shortly to fall vpon them And concernyng that the hypocrites put you in feare of the rising of your commons agaynst you I aunswere if ye feare your cōmōs so testifie ye agaynst your selues that ye are tyrauntes For if your consciences accused you not of euill doyng what neede ye to feare your commons What commons was euer so euil that they rose against their heads for well doyng Moreouer ye witnesse agaynst your selues also that ye haue no trust in God For he hath promised the temporall officers assistence if they minister their offices truly and to care for the keepyng of thē as much as they care for to kepe his lawes The hypocrites happly byd you take an example of the Vplanoish people of Almany which they lye that Martin Luther styrred vp For first what one sentence in all the writyng of Martin Luther finde they that teacheth a mā to resist his superiour Moreouer if Martin Luther and the preachers had styrred vp the common people of Germany how happened it that Martin Luther other like preachers had not perished likewise with them whiche are yet all alyue at this houre Ye will aske me who styrred thē vp them I aske you Who styrred vp the commōs of the Iewes to resiste the Emperour after that the Scribes and Phariseis with the Elders of the people had slayne Christ his Apostles Verely the wrath of God And euen so here the wrath of God styrred them vp partly to destroy the enemyes and persecutours of the truth and partly to take vengeaunce on those carnall beastes whiche abused the Gospell of Christ to make a cloke of it to defend their fleshly libertie and not to obey it and to saue their soules therby If Kynges Lordes and great men therfore feare the losse of this worlde Let them feare God also For in fearyng God shall they prolong their dayes vpon the earth and not with sightyng agaynst God The earth is Gods onely his fauour and mercy doth prolong the dayes of kynges in their estate not their owne power and might And let all men be they neuer so great hearkē vnto this and let this be an aunswere vnto them Wicked kyng Achab sayd vnto the Prophet Elias Art thou he that troublest Israell And Elias aūswered it is not I that trouble Israell but thou and thy fathers houshold in that ye haue forsaken the commaundementes of the Lord and folow Idoles Euen so the preachers of the truth which rebuke sinne are not the troublers of