ignoraunce of Christ and of his owne sinne and without repentaunce faith that his sinnes be forgeuen him in Christ and therefore is mercilesse vnto hys brother whom Christ commaunded him to pitie and loue And in that ignoraunce he walketh that is worketh euill and loueth the thinges of the worlde and seeketh in them the lustes of the â—lesh which are the quenching of the spirite and death of the soule for loue of them hateth his brother And this ignoraunce of Christ which is vnbeleef is the cause of all the wickednes that we do vnto our brethren I write vnto you little children that your sinnes are forgeuen you for hys names sake I write vnto you fathers that ye know him that was from the beginning I write vnto you yong men how that ye haue ouercome the wicked I write vnto you that are yong in the fayth and yet weake and therefore fall now and then how that your sinnes are forgeuen you as soone as ye repent and reconcile your selues vnto your brethren whom ye haue offended euen for his names sake onely and not for our owne deedes whether afore or after or for any other mans deedes or satisfaction saue for his onely I write vnto you that are fathers in the doctrine of God to teach other how that ye know him that was from the begynnyng is no new thing though he newly receaued our nature And through knowledge of him which is the onely light and the dore vnto the knowledge of God ye are become fathers in the Scriptures Or els ye had neuer vnderstand it though ye had studied neuer so much as it appeareth by the indurate Iewes and also by oure owne new Pharisies which persecute the scripture and the true sence therof because they be drowned in the ignoraunce of Christ as their deedes and contrary liuing well testifie I write vnto you yong meÌ„ that are strong in suffering persecutions and fight for your profession not with the sword but with suffering how that ye haue ouercome that wicked which poisoned the world at the beginning and yet woorketh in the children of darcknesse and vnbeleefe and that in beleuing the woorde of truth as it foloweth anone after I write vnto you yong children howe that ye knowe the Father I write vnto you fathers howe that ye know him that was from the beginning I write vnto you young men that ye be strong and the woorde of God dwelleth in you and that ye haue ouercomme the wicked I write vnto you yong children how that ye know the Father whome yee loue thorough knowledge of the Sonne or els you had neuer knowne him as a father but as a Iudge and a tyrant and had hated him I write vn to you fathers as before howe ye are fathers of all trueth in knowing the Sonne Or els ye had euer continued in darknesse remedilesse I write vnto you youÌ„g men how y t ye are strong and that your strength is the word of God which dwelleth in your brest through fayth in which ye haue ouercome the wicked deuill and all his pompe as it foloweth chapt v. this is the victorye that ouercommeth the world euen our fayth Loue not the worlde nor the thinges that are in the worlde If a man loue the worlde the loue of the Father is not in him For all that is in the worlde as the lust of the fleshe the lust of the eyes and the pride of good are not of the Father but are of the world And the worlde vanisheth away and the lust thereof But he that doth the will of God abideth euer The loue of the world quencheth the loue of God Balaam for the loue of the world closed his eyes at the cleare light which he well saw For loue of the world the olde Pharisies blasphemed the holy Ghost and persecuted the maniâ—est truth which they coulde not improue For loue of the world many are this day fallen away and many which stood on the truthes side and defended it a while for loue of the worlde haue gotten them vnto the contrarye parte and are become the Popes mamalukes are waxed the most wicked â—…s vnto the truth and most cruel agaynst it They know the truth but they loue the worlde And when they espyed the truth could not stand wysh the honoures which they sought in the world they hated it deadly and both wittingly and willingly persecuted it sinning against the holy Ghost Which sinne shall not escape here vnpunished as it shall not be without damnation in the world to come but shall haue an ende here with confusion and shame as had the glory of our right reuerend father in God Thomas Wolfse late cardinall and legate a latere c. whome after his shitten death as the saying is his owne seruauntes which before exalted his glory haue sent to hel with grace and priuiledge By the lust of the flesh is vnderstaÌ„d lechery whiche maketh a man altogether a swine and by the lust of the eyes is vnderstoode couetousnes which is the roote of all euil and maketh â—o erre from the fayth 1. Tim. vlâ— And then followeth pride whiche three are the world and captaines ouer all other vices and occasions of all mischief And if pride couetousnes and lechery be the world as S. Iohn sayth then turne your eyes vnto the spiritualtie vnto the pope cardinals bishops aâ—bates and all other prelates and see whether suche dignities bee not the world and whether the way to them be not also the world To get the olde abbats treasure I thinke it be the readiest way to be the newe How fewe come by promotion except they buy it or serue long for it or both To be wel skilled in war and in polling to maintaine war and lustes and to be a good ambassadour is the onely way to a bishopricke or to pay truely for it See whether pluralities vnions totquets and chainging the lesse benefice bysshoprike for the greater for the contrary chainge I trow was neuer â—ene may be without couetousnes pride And then if such thinges be the world and the world not of God how is our spiritualtie of God If pride be seking of glory and they that seeke glory can not beleue Ioh. 5. How can our spiritualty beleue in Christ If couetousnes turne men from the fayth how are our spiritualty in the fayth If Christ when the deuill proferred hym the kyngdomes of the world and the glorie thereof refused them as thynges vnpossible to stande with hys kyngdome whiche is not of the worlde of whom are our spiritualtie whiche haue receyued them If couetousnes be a traytour and taught Iudas to sell his maister how should he not in so long time teache oure spiritualtie the same craft namely when they be of all kinges secretes and the ambassadours of their secretes and haue thereto thoroughout al ChristeÌ„dome a secret couÌ„sell of their
Princes and to all that are in authoritie how to rule vnto Gods pleasure vnto their owne profite For there is not a perfecter life in this world both to the honor of God and profite of his neighbour nor yet a greater crosse theÌ„ to rule christianly And of Aaron also see that thou make no figure of Christ vntill hee come vnto hys sacrifisyng but an example vnto all Preachers that they adde nothyng vnto Gods word or take ought therefro Note also how GOD sendeth his promise to the people and Moyses coÌ„firmeth it with miracles and the people beleue But when temptatioÌ„ commeth they fall into vnbelief and fewe byde standyng When thou seest that all be not Christen that will be so called and that the crosse tryeth the true from the fayned for if the crosse were not Christ should haue Disciples enough Whereof also thou seest what an excellent gift of God true fayth is and impossible to be had without the spirite of God For it is aboue all natural power that a maÌ„ in time of temtation when GOD scourgeth hym should beleue then stedfastly how that God loueth him and careth for hym and hath prepared all good thyngs for hym and that that scourgyng is an earnest that GOD hath elect and chosen hym Note how oft Moyses styred them vp to beleue and trust in God putting them in remembraunce alway in tyme of temptation of the miracles wonders that GGD hath wrought before tyme in their eye sight How diligently also forbiddeth hee all that might withdraw their hartes from God to put ought to GODS word to take ought from it coÌ„maundyng to do that onely that is ryght in the sight of the Lord that they should make no maner Image to kneele downe before it yea that they should make none aultare of hewed stone for feare of Images to fle the heathen Idolatries vtterly and to destroy their Idols and cut downe theyr groues where they worshypped and that they should not take the daughters of them vnto their sonnes nor geue their daughters to y t sonnes of them and that who soeuer moued any of them to worshyp false Gods how soeuer nighe of kynne he were they must accuse him and bryng him to death yea wheresoeuer they heard of man woman or Citie that worshypped false Gods they should slea them destroy the Citie for euer and not builde it agayne and all bycause they should worship nothing but God nor put confidence in any thing saue in his word Yea and howe warneth he to beware of witchcraft sorcerie enchauntment nicromancie and all craftes of the Deuill and of dreamers â—othsayers and of miracle doers to destroy the word and that they should suffer none such to lyue Thou wilt hapely say they tell a man the truth What then GOD will that we care not to knowe what shall come He will haue vs to care onely to kepe his commaundementes and to committe all chaunces vnto hym He hath promised to care for vs to kepe vs from all ill All thynges are in hys hand he can remedy all thynges and will for his truth sake if we pray hym In his promises onely will hee haue vs trust and there rest and to seke no farther How also doth he prouoke them to loue euer rehearsing the benefites of God done to them already the godly promises that were to come And how goodly lawes of loue geueth hee to helpe one an other and that a man should not hate his neighbour in hys hart but loue him as himself Leuit. 19 And what a charge geueth he in euery place ouer the poore and nedie ouer the strauÌ„ger frendlesse and widowes And when he desireth to shew mercy he rehearseth with all the benefites of God done to them at their neede that they might see a cause at the least waye in GOD to shew mercy of very loue vnto their neighbours at their nede Also there is no lawe so simple in apparaunce thoroughout the v. bokes of Moses but that there is a great reason of y t makyng therof if a man search diligently As that a man is forbyd to sethe a Kydde in hys mothers milke moueth vs vnto compassion and to be pitiful As doth also that a man should not offer the syre or damme the youÌ„g both in one day Leuiticus .xxij. For it might seme a cruell thyng in as much as his mothers milke is as it were his bloud wherfore god wil not haue him sodde therin but will haue a man shew curtesie vppon the very beastes As in an other place hee commaundeth that we mosell not the Oxe that treadeth out the corne whiche maner of threshyng is vsed in hoate countreys and that bycause we should much rather to be liberall and kynd vnto men that do vs seruice Or happely GOD would haue none such wanton meate vsed among his people For the Kydde of it selfe is nourishyng and the Goates milke is restauratiue and both together might be to rancke and therefore forbydden or some other lyke cause there was Of the ceremonies sacrifices and tabernacle with all hys glory and pompe vnderstand that they were not permitted onely but also commaunded of GOD to lead the people in the shadowe of Moyses and night of the olde Testament vntill the lyght of Christ and day of the new Testament were come As children are lead in the phantasies of youth vntill the discretion of mans age be come vpon them And all was done to keepe them from Idolatrie The tabernacle was ordeined to the entent they might haue a place appointed them to do their sacrifices openly in the sight of the people and namely the Priestes whiche wayted thereon that it might bee sene that they dyd all thynges accordyng to Gods worde not after the Idolatry of their owne imagination And the costlinesse of the Tabernacle and the beauty also pertayning therunto that they should see nothyng among the heathen but that they should see thinges more beautiful at home because they shoulde not bee moued to follow them And in lyke maner the diuers fashions of sacrifices and ceremonies was to occupy their minds that they shold haue no lust to follow the Heathen the multitude of them was that they should haue so much to do in keepyng them that they should haue no leysure to imagine other of their owne yea that Gods worde might be there by in all that they did that they might haue their fayth and trust in God which he cannot haue that followeth either hys own inuentions or traditions of meÌ„s makyng without Gods worde Finally God hath two testaments the olde and the new The olde testament is those teÌ„porall promises which God made the children of Israell of a good lande and that he would defend them and of wealth and prosperitie of temporall blessinges of which thou readest ouer all the law of Moses but namely Leuiticus 26. and Deut.
thee whatsoeuer thou art that readest this and note it well The Iewes loke for Christ and he is come xv hundred yeares agoe and they not ware we also haue loked for Antechrist and he hath raigned as long and we not ware and that because eyther of vs looked carnally for hym and not in the places where we ought to haue sought The Iewes had found Christ verily if they had sought hym in the lawe and the Prophetes whether Christ sendeth them to seke Iohn 5. We also had spied out Antechrist long ago if we had looked in the doctrine of Christ hys apostles where because y ◠beast seeth him selfe now to be sought for he roareth and seketh new holes to hyde hymselfe in chaungeth hymselfe into a thousand fashions with all maner wilinesse falshode suttletie craft Because that hys excommunications are come to lyght he maketh it treason vnto the kyng to bee acquaynted with Christe If Christe they may not raigne together one hope we haue that Christ shal liue euer The olde Antichristes brought Christ vnto Pilate saying by our lawe he ought to die and whē Pilate bade them iudge hym after their lawe they aunswered it is not lawfull for vs to kyll any man whiche they dyd to the intent that they whiche regarded not the shame of their false excōmunications should yet feare to confesse Christ because that the temporall sword had condemned hym They do all thing of a good zeale they say they loue you so well that they had rather burne you then y t you should haue fellowship w t Christ They are iealous ouer you amisse as sayth S. Paul Gal. iiij They would deuide you from Christe and his holy Testament and ioyne you to the Pope to beleue in his Testament and promises Some man will aske peraduenture why I take the labour to make this worke in as much as they will burne it seyng they burnt the Gospell I aunswere in burnyng the new Testament they dyd none other thyng then that I looked for no more shall they do if they burne me also if it be Gods will it shall so be Neuerthelesse in translatyng of the Testament I dyd my dutie and so doe I now and will doe as much more as God hath ordeined me to do And as I offered that to al men to correct it who soeuer could euen so do I this Who soeuer therfore readeth this compare it vnto the Scripture If Gods word beare recorde vnto it and thou also feelest in thine hart that it is so be of good comfort and geue God thankes If Gods word condemne it then hold it accursed and so doe all other doctrines As Paule counseleth his Galathians Beleue not euery sprite sodenly but iudge thē by the word of God whiche is the trial of all doctrine and lasteth for euer Amen The Parable of the wicked Mammon THere was a certain rich man whiche had a steward that was accused vnto hym that hee had wasted his goodes And called hym and sayd vnto him How is it that I heare this of thee Geue accoumptes of thy stewardshyp For thou mayst be no longer my steward The steward sayd with in him selfe What shall I do for my master will take away frō me my stewardshyp I can not digge and to begge I am ashamed I wote what to doe that when I am put out of my stewardshyp they may receaue me into theyr houses Then called he all his masters detters and sayd vnto the first how much owest thou vnto my master And he sayd an hūdred tonnes of oyle and hee sayd to hym take thy bill and sit downe quickely and write fiftie Then sayd he to an other what owest thou And he sayd an hundred quarters of wheate He sayd to hym Take thy bill and write foure score And the Lord commended the vniust steward because he had done wisely For the children of this world are in their kynde wiser then the children of light And I say also vnto you make you frendes of the wicked Mammon that when ye shall haue neede they may receaue you into euerlastyng habitations Luke xvi Chapter For as much as with this diuers such other textes many haue inforced to draw the people from the true faith from puttyng their trust in the truth of Gods promises and in the merites and deseruyng of his Christ our Lord and haue also brought it to passe for many false Prophetes shall arise and deceaue many and much wickednes must also be sayth Christ Math. xxiiij And Paul sayth ij Timo. iij. Euell mē and deceauers shall preuaile in euill while they deceaue and are deceaued them selues and haue taught them to put their trust in their owne merites and brought them in belefe that they shal be iustified in the sight of God by the goodnesse of their owne workes haue corrupt the pure word of God to confirme their Aristotle with all For though that y e Philosophers worldly wisemen were enemyes aboue all enemyes to the Gospell of God and though the worldly wisedome can not comprehend the wisedome of God as thou mayst see i. Corint j. and. ij And though worldly righteousnes can not be obedient vnto the righteousnes of God Rom. x Yet what so euer they read in Aristotle y t must be first true And to mainteine that they rent and teare the Scriptures with their distinctions and expounde them violently contrarie to the meanyng of the text and to the circumstaunces that go before and after and to a thousand cleare and euidente textes Wherfore I haue taken in hand to expounde this Gospell certaine other places of the new Testament and as far forth as God shall lende me grace to bryng the Scripture vnto the right sence and to digge agayne the welles of Abraham and to purge cleanse thē of the earth of worldly wisedome where with these Philistenes haue stopped them Whiche grace graunt me God for the loue that he hath vnto his sonne Iesus our Lord vnto the glory of his name Amen THat fayth onely before all workes and without all merites but christes onely iustifieth and setteth vs at peace with God is proued by Paul in the first chapiter to the Roma I am not ashamed sayth he of the Gospell that is to say of the glad tidinges and promises which God hath made and sworne to vs in Christ For it that is to say the gospell is the power of god vnto saluation to all that beleue And it followeth in the foresayd chapiter y ◠iust or righteous must liue by faith For in the fayth which we haue in Christ and in Gods promises fynde we mercy lyfe fauour and peace In the law we fynde death damnation wrath moreouer the curse and vengeaunce of GOD vpon vs. And it that is to say the lawe is called of Paule 2. Corin. 3. the ministration of death and damnation In the lawe we are
man a lier as Scripture sayth For the truth of God lasteth euer to whom onely be all honour and glorie for euer Amen The ende of the Parable of the Wicked Mammon ¶ The obedience of a Christen man and how Christen rulers ought to gouerne Wherein also if thou marke diligently thou shalt finde eyes to perceaue the craftie conueyaunce of all iugglers Set forth by William Tyndall 1528. Octob. 2. William Tyndall otherwyse called Hitchins to the Reader GRace peace and increase of knowledge in our Lord Iesus Christ be with thee reader and with all that call on the name of the Lord vnfaynedly and with a pure conscience Amen Let it not make thee dispayre neither yet discourage thee O Reader that it is forbidden thee in payne of life and goods or that it is made breaking of the Kinges peace or treason vnto his highnesse to read the worde of thy soules health but much rather be bold in the Lorde and comforte thy soule for asmuch as thou art sure and hast an euident token through suche persecution that it is the true worde of God which worde is euer hated of the worlde neyther was euer without persecution as thou seest in all the stories of the Bible both of the newe Testament and also of the olde neyther can be no more then the Sunne can be without his light And forasmuch as contrariwise thou art sure that the popes doctrine is not of God which as thou seest is so agreable vnto the world and is so receiued of the world or which rather so receaueth the world and the pleasures of the worlde and seeketh nothing but the possessions of the worlde and aucthoritie in the world to beare a rule in the world persecuteth the worde of God with all wilinesse driueth the people from it and with false and sophisticall reasons maketh them afeard of it he curseth them and excommunicateth them and bringeth them in beleef that they be damned if they looke on it and that it is but doctrine to deceaue men and moueth the blinde powers of the world to slay with fire water and sworde all that cleaue vnto it For the world loueth that which is his and hateth that which is chosen out of the world to serue God in the spirite as Christ sayth to his Disciples Iohn 15. If ye were of the world the world would loue his owne but I haue chosen you out of the worlde and therefore the world hateth you An other comfort hast thou that as the weake powers of the worlde defende the doctrine of the worlde so the mighty power of God defendeth the doctrine of God Which thing thou shalt euidentlye perceiue if thou call to minde the wonderfull deedes whiche God hath euer wrought for his word in extreame necessitie since the worlde began beyond all mans reason Whiche are written as Paule sayth Roma 15. for our learning and not for our deceauing that we through patience and comfort of the scripture might haue hope The nature of Gods word is to fight agaynst hypocrites It beganne at Abell and hath euer since continued and shall I doubte not vntyll the laste daye And the hypocrites haue alway the world on their sides as thou seest in the time of Christ They had the elders that is to witte the rulers of the Iewes on theyr side They had Pilate and the Emperors power on theyr side They had Herode also on theyr side Moreouer they brought all theyr worldlye wysedome to passe and all that they coulde thinke â–ª or imagine to serue for theyr purpose Fyrst to feare the people withal they excommunicated all that beleeued in him and put them out of the temple as thou seest Iohn 9. Secondly they founde the meanes to haue him condemned by the Emperors power and made it treason to Cesar to beleeue in him Thirdly they obtayned to haue him hanged as a theefe or a murtherer which after theyr belly wisedome was a cause aboue all causes that no man should beleeue in him For the Iewes take it for a sure token of euerlasting damnation if a man be hanged For it is written in theyr lawe Deutero 21. Cursed is whosoeuer hangeth on tree Moyses also in the same place commaundeth if any man be hanged to take him downe the same day and bury him for feare of polluting or defiling the countrey that is least they shoulde bring the wrath and curse of God vpon them And therfore the wicked Iewes themselues which with so venemous hate persecuted the doctrine of Christ and did all the shame that they coulde do vnto him though they would fayne haue had Christ to hang still on the crosse and there to rotte as he shoulde haue done by the Emperors lawe yet for feare of defiling theyr Sabboth and of bringing the wrath and curse of God vpon them begged of Pilate to take him downe Ioh. 19. which was against them selues Finally when they had done all they coulde and that they thought sufficient and when christ was in the hart of the earth so many billes and pollares about him to keepe him down and when it was past mans helpe then holpe God when man coulde not bring him agayne Gods truth fetched him agayne The oth that God had sworne to AbrahaÌ„ to Dauid to other holy fathers Prophetes raysed him vp agayne to blesse and saue all that beleeue in him Thus became the wisedome of the hypocrites foolishnes Loe thys was written for thy learning and comfort How wonderfully were the children of Israell locked in Egipt In what tribulation combraunce and aduersitie were they in The land also that was promised them was farre of and full of great cities walled with high walles vp to the skye inhabited with great giantes yet Gods truth brought them out of Egipt and planted them in the land of the giantes This is also written for our learning For there is no power agaynst Gods neyther any wisedome against Gods wisedomeâ— he is stronger and wiser then all his enemies What holpe it Pharao to drowne the men childreÌ„ So little I feare not shall it at the last helpe the pope and his byshops to burne our men children whiche manfully confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lorde and that there is no other name geuen vnto men to be saued by as Peter testifieth Actes 4. Who dryed vp the red sea Who slew Golias Who did all those wonderfull deedes which thon readest in the Bible Who deliuered the Israelites euermore from thraâ—dom and bondage as soone as they repented and turned to God Fayth verely and Gods truth and the trust in the promises which he had made Read the xj to the Hebrues for thy consolation When the children of Israell were ready to dispayre for the greatnes the multitude of the Giantes Moyses comforted them euer saying RemeÌ„ber what your Lord God hath done for you in Egipt his wonderfull plagues his
to mary and commauÌ„ding to absteine from meates which God hath created to be receaued wyth geuing thaÌ„kes Which two thynges who euer did saue y e Pope Rochesters God makyng sinne in the creatures which God hath created for maÌ„s vse to be receaued wyth thankes The kyngdome of heaueÌ„ is not meate and drinke sayth Paule but righteousnes peace and ioye in the holy Ghost For whosoeuer in these thynges serueth Christ pleaseth God and is alowed of men Rom. xiiij Had Rochester therfore not a coÌ„science marked wyth the hote yron of malice so that he can not consent vnto the will of God and glory of Christ he woulde not haue so alleaged the texte which is contrary to none saue themselues He alleageth an other text of Paule in the second chapter of his second epistle to the Thessalonians Erit dissessiâ— primum that is sayth Rochester before the comming of Antichrist there shall be a notable departing from the fayth And Paule sayth The Lord commeth not except there come a departing first Paules meaning is that the last day commeth not so shortly but that Antichrist shall come first and destroy the faith and sit in the temple of God and make all men worship him and beleue in hym as the Pope doth and then shal Gods worde come to light againe as it doth at thys tyme and destroy hym and vtter his iuggling and then coÌ„meth Christ vnto iudgement What say ye of this crafty coÌ„ueyar Would he spare suppose ye to alleage to wrest other doctours pestilently which feareth not for to iugle wyth y â— holy scripture of God expounding y â— vnto Antichrist which Paule speaketh of Christ No be ye sure But euen after this maner wise peruert they the whole scripture and all doctours wresting theÌ„ vnto their abhominable purpose cleane contrary to the meaning of the text to the circumstaunces that goe before and after Which deuelishe falshod lest the lay men should perceaue is the very cause why y â— they will not suffer the Scripture to be had in the Englishe tounge neither any worke to be made that should bring the people to knowledge of the truth He alleageth for the Popes authoritie Saint Ciprian Saint Augustine Ambrose Hierome and Origene of which neuer one knew of any authoritie that one Bishop should haue aboue an other And Saint Gregory alleageth he which would receaue no such authoritie aboue hys brethren when it was profered hym As the maner is to call Tully chiefe of Oratours for hys singular cloquence and Aristotle chiefe of Philosophers and Virgill chiefe of Poets for thir singular learnyng and not for any authoritie that they had ouer other so was it the maner to call Peter chiefe of the Apostles for his singular actiuitie and boldnes and not that he shoulde be Lord ouer his brethren contrary to hys owne doctrine Yet compare that chiefe Apostle vnto Paule and he is found a great way inferior This I say not that I woulde that any man shoulde make a God of Paule contrary vnto hys owne learning NotwithstaÌ„ding yet this maner of speaking is left vnto vs of our elders that when we say the Apostle sayth so we vnderstand Paule for hys excellency aboue other Apostles I would he would tel you how Hieroin Augustine Bede Origene and other doctours expound this texte vpon this rocke I wyll builde my congregation and how they enterpret the keyes also Thereto Pasce pasce pasce which Rochester leaueth without any Englishe signifieth not Polâ— shere and shaue Vpon which texte beholde the faithfull exposition of Bede Note also how craftely he would enfeoffe the Apostles of Christ with their wicked traditions and false Ceremonies which they themselues haue fayned alleaging Paule ij Thessal ij I aunswere that Paule taught by mouth such things as he wrote in his epistles And his traditions were the Gospell of Christ and honest maners liuing and such a good order as becommeth the doctrine of Christ As that a woman obey her husband haue her head couered keepe silence and goe womanly and christenly apparelled that children and seruauntes be in subiection and that the younge obey their elders that no man eate but he that laboureth and worketh and that men make an earnest thing of Gods word and of hys holy Sacramentes and to watch fast and pray and such lyke as the Scripture commaundeth Which thynges he that woulde breake were no christen man But we may well coÌ„playne and crye to God for helpe that it is not lawful for the Popes tyranny to teach y â— people what prayer is what fasting is and wherefore it serueth There were also certayne customes alway which were not commaunded in paine of hell or euerlasting daÌ„natioÌ„ as to watch all night and to kysse one an other which as soone as the people abused then they brake theÌ„ For which cause the Byshops myght breake many thynges now in lyke maner Paule also in many thynges which God had made free gaue pure and faythfull couÌ„cell without tangling of any mans coÌ„science and without all maner commaundyng vnder payne of cursing payne of excommunication payne of heresie payne of burnyng payne of deadly sinne payne of hell and payne of damnatioÌ„ As thou mayst see i. Cor. 7. Where he counceleth the vnmaried the widowes and virgines that it is good so to abyde if they haue the gift of chastitie Not to winne heaueÌ„ therby for neither Circumcision neither vncircumcision is any thyng at all but the kepyng of the commaundementes is altogether But that they might be without trouble and might also the better wayte on Gods worde and sâ—elyer serue their brethren And sayth as a faithfull seruaunt that he had none authority of the Lord to geue them any commaundement But that the Apostles gaue vs any blynd ceremonies wherof we should not know the reason that I denye and also defie as a thyng cleane contrary vnto the learnyng of Paul euery where For Paul commaundeth that no man once speake in the Church that is in the congregation but in a toung that all men vnderstand except that there be an interpreter by he coÌ„maundeth to labour for knowledge vnderstandyng and feelyng and to beware of superstition persuasions of worldly wisedome philosophy and of hypocrisie and ceremonies and of all maner disguising to walke in y â— playne and open truth Ye were once darkenes sayth he but now are ye light in the Lord walke therefore as the children of light Ephe. v. how doth Paul also wish them encrease of grace in euery Epistle How crieth he to God to augment their knowledge that they should be no more children waueryng with euery winde of doctrine but would vouchsafe to make them full men in Christ and in the vnderstandyng of the mysteries or secretes of Christ so that it should no be possible for any man to disceaue them with any entisyng reasons of worldly wisedom or to beguile them with blind
attrition character Purgatory pickepurse and how through confessioÌ„ they make the SacrameÌ„tes and all the promise of none effect or value There seest thou that absoluyng is but preachyng the promises cursing or excommunicating preachyng the law and of their power of their keyes of false miracles prayeng to Saintes There seest thou that ceremonies dyd not the miracles but faith eueÌ„ as it was not Moses rodde that did y â— miracles but Moses fayth in the promise of God Thou seest also that to haue a fayth where God hath not a promise is Idolatry And there also seest thou how the pope exalteth him self aboue God and commauÌ„deth him to obey his tyraÌ„ny Last of all thou hast there that no maÌ„ ought to preach but he that is called TheÌ„ foloweth the bely brotherhead of Monkes Friers For Christ hath deserued nought with them For his sake gettest thou no fauor Thou must offer vnto their belyes theÌ„ they pray bitterly for thee There seest thou that Christ is the onely cause yea all the cause why God doth ought for vs and heareth our complaint And there hast thou doctrine how to know and to be sure that thou art elect and hast Gods sprite in thee And hast there learnyng to try the doctrine of our spirites Then folow the foure senses of the Scripture of which three are no senses and the fourth that is to wite the litterall sense which is the very sense hath the Pope taken to him selfe It may haue no other meanyng theÌ„ as it pleaseth his fatherhode We must abyde his interpretatioÌ„ And as his belles thinke so must we thinke though it be impossible together any such meanyng of the Scripture Then hast thou the very vse of Allegories and how they are nothyng but ensamples borowed of the Scripture to expresse a text or an open conclusion of the Scripture and as it were to paynte it before thyne eyes that thou mayest feele the meanyng and the power of the Scripture in thyne hart Then commeth the vse of worldly similitudes how they are false Prophetes which bring a worldly similitude for any other purpose saue to expresse more playnly y â— which is coÌ„teined in an open text And so are they also whiche draw the Scripture contrary to the open places and coÌ„trary to the ensample liuyng and practising of Christ the Apostles and of the holy Prophetes And then finally hast thou of our holy fathers power and of hys keyes and of hys bindyng and excommunicatyng and of his cursyng and blessyng with ensamples of euery thyng The end of the obedience of a Christen man ¶ An exposition vppon the v. vi vii chapters of Mathew which three chapters are the keye and the dore of the scripture and the restoring agayne of Moses law corrupte by the Scribes and Pharises And the exposition is the restoring agayne of Christes lawe corrupte by the Papistes ¶ Item before the booke thou hast a Prologe very necessarie contayning the whole summe of the couenaunt made betwene God and vs vppon which we be baptised to kéepe it Set forth by William Tyndall ¶ The Prologe HEre hast thou deare Reader an exposition vpon the v. vi and vij chapters of Mathew wherin Christ our spirituall Isaac diggeth agayne the welles of Abraham which welles y t Scribes Phareses those wicked spitefull Philistines had stopped and filled vp wyth the earth of their false expositions He openeth the kingdome of heauen which they had shut vp that other men should not enter as they themselues had no lust to go in He restoreth the keye of knowledge which they had taken away and broken the wardes with wresting the text contrary to his due and natural course with their false gloses He plucketh away from the face of Moses the vaile which the Scribes and Phareises had spred thereon that no man might perceaue the brightnes of his countenaunce He wedeth out the thornes and bushes of their Pharesaicall gloses wherewith they had stopped vp the narrow way and straight gate that fewe coulde finde them The welles of Abraham are the scripture And the Scripture may well be called the kingdome of heauen which is eternall lyfe and nothing saue the knowledge of God the father and of his sonne Iesus Christ Ioh. xvij Moses face is the law in her right vnderstanding and the law in her right vnderstanding is the keye or at the least waye the first and principall keye to open the dore of the Scripture And the law is the very way that bringeth vnto y â— dore Christ as it is writteÌ„ Gala. iij. The law was our scholemaster to bring vs to Christ that we might be iustified by fayth And Rom. x. the ende of the lawe that is to say the thyng or cause why the law was geuen is Christ to iustifie all that beleue That is to say the lawe was geuen to proue vs vnrighteous and to driue vs to Christ to be made righteous the row forgeuenes of sinne by hym The lawe was geuen to make the sinne knowen sayth Saint Paule Rom. iiij and that sinne committed vnder the law might be the more sinfull Rom. vij The law is that thyng which Paule in his inward maÌ„ grauÌ„ted to be good but was yet compelled oft tymes of his meÌ„bers to do those thinges which that good lawe condemned for euill Rom. vij The law maketh no man to loue the law or lesse to do or commit sinne but gendereth more lust Rom. vij and increaseth sinne Rom. v. For I cannot but hate the lawe in as much as I finde no power to do it and it neuerthelesse condemneth me because I do it not The lawe setteth not at one with God but causeth wrath Rom. iij. The lawe was geueÌ„ by Moses but grace and veritie by Iesus Christ Ioh. j. Behold though Moses gaue the law yet he gaue no man grace to do it or to vnderstand it aright or wrote it in any mans hart to consent that it was good and to wishe after power to fulfill it But Christ geueth grace to do it and to vnderstand it aright and writeth it wyth his holy spirite in the tables oâ— the hartes of men and maketh it a true thing there and none hypocrisie The lawe truely vnderstoode is those fierie serpentes that strong the children of Israell with present death But Christ is the brasen serpent on whom whosoeuer beyng stoge with coÌ„science of sinne looketh with a â—ure fayth is healed immediatly of that stinging and saued from the paynes and sorrowes of hell It is one thyng to coÌ„demne and pronouÌ„ce the sentence of death and to flyng the conscience with feare of euerlastyng payne And it is an other thing to iustifie from sinne that is to say to forgeue and remitte sinne and to heale the conscience and certifie a man not only that he is deliuered from eternall death but also that he is made the
to hurt my neighbour and to shame y t doctrine of Christ And in like maner if I had forsworne flesh al the world had bound me yet if necessitie require it of me to saue my life or my health I ought to breake it And againe though I had sworne chastitie and the cōmon wealth or the necessitie of an other required the contrary I must breake it But on the one side of all that euer burnt in the Popes chastitie he neuer gaue priest licence to take wife but to keepe whores onely And on the other side all that vow any vow do it for the thing it selfe as though it were as I sayd seruice or sacrifice to God that had delite in the deede as young children haue in Apples and that for that deede they shall haue an higher roome in heauē then their neighbours which is the Idolatry of the heathen whē he ought to bestow his vow vppon hys neighbour to bryng him to heauen not to enuie him to seeke thereby an higher roome not caring whether his neighbour come thether or no. And finally to burne and not to vse the naturall remedy that God hath made is but to tempt God as in all other thinges But if God haue brought thee into a straite and haue therto takē the naturall remedy from thee then to resiste and to crie vnto God for helpe to suffer is a signe y t thou louest Gods lawes And to loue Gods law is to be sure that thou art Gods childe elect to mercy For in all his children onely he writeth that token And then he sayth euery man hath his choyce whether he will be Priest or no. But what nettes and snares doth Antichrist lay for them First his false doctrine where with the Elders beguiled cōpell their children and sacrifice them to burne in the Popes chastitie with no other mynde then those olde Idolaters sacrificed their children vnto the false God Moloch so that they thinke by the merites of their childrens burning after the Popes false doctrine to please god and to get heauen cleane ignoraunt of the testament made in Christes bloud Then what a multitude are blinded and drawen into the net with the baite of promotion honour dignitie pleasures freedome and libertie to sinne to do all mischiefe vnpunished things which all euill that feare not God do desire And what a number brought vp idely vnto xx and aboue then put their heades in his halter because they haue no other crast to get their liuinges not because they can liue chast Also some liue chast at xxiiij which same burne at xxx And that to be true dayly experience teacheth and good naturall causes there be And thē looke on the Apostles learning and ordinaunce When one or two young wydowes had brokē their chastitie he would neuer after let any moe bee chosen of the same age How commeth it then that the Pope for so many hundred thousandes that miscary will neither breake the ordinaunce or mitigat it or let any goe backe but if any burne sendeth them vnto the shame of Christes doctrine and offending and hurt of hys Church neuer vnto the lawfull remedie of mariage And when M. More calleth it heresie to thinke that the maried were as pleasaunt to God as the vnmaryed he is surely an hereticke that thinketh the cōtrary Christes kingdom is neither meate nor drinke nor husband nor wife nor widow nor virgine but the keepyng of the commaundementes and seruing of a mans neighbour louingly by the doctrine of S. Paul where not to eate helpeth me to keepe the commmaūdementes better then to eate there it is better not to eate then to eate And where to eate helpeth me to keepe the commaundementes and to do my dutie vnto my neighbour there it is better to eate then not to eate And in like case where to be without a wife helpeth more to keepe the cōmaundemētes and to serue a mans neighboure there it is better to be vnmaryed then maried and where a wife helpeth to keepe the commaundementes better then to be without there it is better to haue a wife then to be wythout That hart onely which is ready to do or let vndone all thinges for his neighbours sake is a pleasaunt thing in the sight of God And when he will haue the Priestes to liue chast for reuerence of the Sacramentes it is deuillishe doctrine hauing the similitude of godlines but the pith marow is away If he meane water oyle salt and such like then is y ◠wyfe with her body and all her vses in the lawes of God incomparable purer holyer If he meane the sacrament of Christes body I aunswere that the handes defile not the man nor ought that goeth thorow the handes be they neuer so vnwashed by the testimony of Christ and much lesse can they then defile Christ Moreouer the Priest toucheth not Christes naturall body wyth his handes by your owne doctrine nor seeth it with his eyes nor breaketh it wyth hys fingers nor eateth it wyth hys mouth nor chāmeth it with his teeth nor drinketh his bloud with his lippes for Christ is impassible But he that repenteth toward the lawe of God and at the sight of the sacrament or of the breaking feling eating chamming or drinking calleth to remembraunce the death of Christ his body breaking and bloud shedding for our sinnes and all his passion the same eateth our Sauiours body and drinketh his bloud thorow fayth onely receaueth forgeuenes of all his sinnes therby and other not And all that haue not this doctrine of the Sacrament come therto in vaine And therfore there is no more cause that he which sayth the Masse should liue chast then he that heareth it or he that ministreth the Sacramēt then he that receaueth it It is to me great maruell that vnlawfull whoredome couetousnes and extortion can not defile their handes as well as law full matrimonye Curssed therefore be their deuillishe doctrine wyth false appearing godlines the fruit and power away out of the hartes of all Christen men And when he bringeth the ensample of the heathen I prayse him For the heathen because they could not vnderstand God spiritually to serue hym in the spirit to beleue in him and to loue his lawes therfore they turned hys glory vnto an Image and serued hym after their owne imagination with bodely seruice as the whole kingdome of the Pope doth hauing lesse power to serue hym in spirite then the Turkes For when the heathē made an Image of the axes or feuers and sacrificed ther to they knew that y e Image was not the feuers but vnder y e similitude of y e Image they worshipped the power of God which plagued them with the feuers with bodely seruice as the Pope doth aboue all the Idolaters that euer were in the worlde As when we paint Saint Machael weying the soules
Christe which wist all thyng before hand sayth Math. xviij Wo be vnto the world by reason of occasions of euill and sayth also that it caÌ„ not be auoyded but that occasions shall come therfore it caÌ„ not be chosen but that many shall ouer fall when a weake brother hath trespassed by what law shall he be punished verely by the law of loue whose properties thou readest in the 1. Cor. xiij If the loue of God whiche is my professioÌ„ be written in myne hart it will not let me hate my weake brother when hee hath offended me no more then natural loue wil let a mother hate her child when it trespasseth agaynst her My weake brother hath offended me he is falleÌ„ his weakenesse hath ouerthroweÌ„ him it is not right by the law of loue that I should now fall vpon hym and treade him downe in the myre and destroy him vtterly But it is right by the law of loue that I runne to him helpe him vp agayne By what processe we should go to law with our trespassers Christ teacheth vs Math. xviij Tell him his faulte betwene him and thee with all mekenesse remembring thou art a man and mayst fall also If he repent and thou loue him ye shal soone agree and then forgeue him And when thou forgeuest thy neighbour theÌ„ thou art sure that God forgeueth thee thy trespasses by his holy promise Math. vj. If hee heare thee not then take a neighbour or two If he heare them not then tell the congregation where thou art and let the preacher pronounce Gods law against him and â—et the sad and discrete men rebuke him and exhorte him vnto repentaunce If he repent and thou also loue him accordyng to thy professioÌ„ ye shall soone agree If he heare not the congregation then let him be taken as an heathen If he that is offended be weake also theÌ„ let them that be stroÌ„g go betwene and helpe them And in lyke maner if any sinne agaynst the doctrine of Christ and the profession of a Christen man so that he be a dronckard and an whore keper or what soeuer open sinne he do or if he teach false learnyng then let such be rebuked opeÌ„ly before the congregation and by the authoritie of Scripture And if they repent not let them be put out of the congregation as heathen people If they theÌ„ be not ashamed we haue no remedy but pacieÌ„tly to abide what God wil do and to pray in the meane tyme that God will open their hartes and geue theÌ„ repentaunce Other law then this Christes Gospel knoweth not nor the officers therof It is manifest therfore that the kingdome of Christ is a spirituall kingdom which no man can minister well and a teÌ„porall kingdome to as it is sufficieÌ„tly proued because that no man whiche putteth his hand to the plow and looketh backe is apt for the kyngdome of heauen as Christ aunswered Luke ix vnto him y t would haue folowed hym but would first haue take leaue of his houshold If a man put his haÌ„d to the plow of Gods worde to preach it and looke also vnto worldly businesse his plow will surely go awry And therefore sayth Christe vnto an other that would likewise folow him but desired first to go and bury his father Let the dead bury the dead but come thou and shew or preach the kyngdome of God As who should say he that will preach the kingdome of god which is Christs Gospell truly must haue his hart no where els What officers the Apostles ordeined in Christes Church and what their offices were to do WHerfore the Apostles folowyng and obeyng the rule doctrine commaundement of our Sauiour Iesus Christ their master ordeined in his kyngdome and congregation two officers One called after the Breeke worde Byshop in English an ouersear which same was called Priest after the Greeke Elder in English because of his age discretioÌ„ and fadnesse for he was as nigh as could be alway an elderly maÌ„ as thou seest both in the new and old Testament also how the officers of the Iewes be called the Elders of the people because as thou mayst well thinke they were ouer old men as nigh as could be For vnto age do men naturally obeye and vnto age doth God commauÌ„de to geue honour saying Leuâ— xix Rise vp before the horehead and reuerence the face of the old man And also experience of things and coldnesse without whiche it is hard to rule well is more in age theÌ„ in youth And this ouersear dyd put hys handes vnto the plow of Gods worde and fed Christes flocke and tended theÌ„ onely without lookyng vnto any other businesse in the world An other officer they chose and called him Deacon after the Greke a minister in English to minister the almes of the people vnto the poore and nedy For in the coÌ„gregation of Christ loue maketh euery mans gift goods commoÌ„ vnto the necessitie of his neighbour Wherfore the loue of God beyng yet hoate in the hartes of men the rich that had the substauÌ„ce of this worldes goodes brought of their aboundaunce great plentie vnto the sustentation of the poore deliuered it vnto the haÌ„ds of the Deacons And vnto the helpe of the DeacoÌ„s were widowes of lx yeare old holy vertuous and destitute of frendes chosen to tende wayte vpon the sicke and to wash the Saints fete that came from one congregation vnto an other whether for any businesse or for feare of persecution And those common goodes of the Churche offered for the succour of the poore grew in all Churches so excedyngly that in some congregation it was so much that it was sufficient to mayntaine an host of men In so much that tyrauntes did oft tymes persecute the Christen for those common goodes as thou seest in the life of S. Laurence the Deacon of Rome And moreouer the couetousnes of the Prelates was the decay of ChristeÌ„dome and the encreasing of the kyngdome of Mahomete For by the first springing of the empyre of Mahomete the Emperours Kynges and great Lordes of Christendome had geuen their treasure so mightely vnto the Church what after great victories what at their deathes that their successours were not able to maintaine battell against the Saracenes Turkes for the world was not yet in such captiuitie that they coulde make theyr subiectes sweare on bookes what they were worth rayse vp taxes at their pleasure so that a certayne writer of stories sayth â–ª The prelates gaped wheÌ„ the laye meÌ„ would take the warre vppon them agaynst the Turkes the laye men looked when the Prelates woulde lay out their money to make the warre withall and not to spend it in worse vse as the most part of them were wont to do spending the money that was gotten with almose bloude of martyrs vppon goodly plate and great vesseles of golde
word testifyeth against vs that wee are all sinners yea and els Christ dyed in vayne Salomon sayth 3. Reg. 8. That there is no man that sinneth not agaynst God And Paule proueth by the authoritie of the Scripture vnto the Romaines that we are all sinners without exception And the scripture witnesseth that we are damnable sinners and that our nature is to sinne Which corrupt and poysoned nature though it be begō to be healed yet it is neuer through whole vntil the houre of death For the which cause with all our best fruites there growe weedes among Neither can there be any deed so perfect that could not be amended When a blind bungler wondreth at his glorious woorkes a cunning workeman y t hath a cleare iudgement perceaueth that it is vnpossible to make a woorke that coulde not bee made better Now the law requireth workes of vs in the highest degree of perfection and ceaseth not to accuse vs vntill our workes flow naturally as glorious in perfection as the woorkes of Christ And Christ teacheth vs to pray in our Pater noster Forgeeue vs our trespasses as we forgeue our trespassers Whereby ye may easelye vnderstande that we sinne dayly one against another and all agaynst God Christ taught also to pray that our Father should not let vs slip into temptation signifying that our nature cannot but sinne if occasions be geuen except that God of his especiall grace keepe vs backe Which readinesse to sinne is damnable sinne in the lawe of God Dauid prayed Psal 68. Let not the tempest drowne me let me not fall into the bottome and let not the pitte shut her mouth vpon me as who shoulde say First keepe me O God from sinning then if I shall chaunce to fall as no flesh can escape one time or other then call me shortly backe agayne and let me not sincke to deepe therein and though I yet fall neuer so deepe yet Lord let not the way of mercy be stopped signifying that it is vnpossible to stand of our selues and much lesse to rise againe Which impotencie and feblenes is damnable in the law of God except that wee saw it and repented and were fled to Christ for mercy Chap. 2. MY little children I write these thinges vnto you that ye sinne not And though any man sinne yet we haue an aduocate with the Father euen Iesus Christ which is righteous I write vnto you on the one syde that God is light and therfore that no man which willingly walketh in the vnfruitfull workes of darknesse hath any felowship with that light or part in the bloud of his Sonne And this I write and testifie vnto you my deare children that ye sinne not that is that ye consent not vnto sinne nor should sinne of lust and purpose maliciously but contrariwise that ye feare God resiste sinne with all your might and power according as ye haue promised For whosoeuer sinneth of purpose after the knowledge of truth the same sinneth against the holy Ghost remedilesse Heb. 6. 10. And on the other side I testifie vnto you that we be alway sinners though not of purpose and malice after the nature of damned deuils but of infirmitie and frailtie of our flesh which flesh not onely let teth vs that our woorkes can not be perfect but also now then through manifold occasions and temptations caryeth vs cleane out of the right way spight of our hartes How be it I say if when the rage is past we turne vnto the right way agayne and confesse our sinnes vnto our Father with a repenting hart he hath promised vs mercie and is true to fulfill it So that if we sinne not deuilishly against the holy Ghost refusing the doctrine which we can not improue that it should not be true but after the frail tie of man there is no cause to dispair For we haue an aduocate and an intercessour with the Father euen Iesus Christ that is righteous The name of our aduocate is Iesus that is to say a sauiour Cal his name Iesus sayd the Angell to Ioseph for he shall saue his people from their sinnes Math. 1. And this aduocate our Iesus to saue vs from our sinnes continueth euer as it is written Heb. 7. and hath Sempiternum Sacerdotium an euerlasting office to make an attonment for sinne by the reason wherof sayth the text he is able euer to saue them that come to God through him with repentance and fayth and liueth euer to speake for vs. And besides that our Iesus is God and almightie He tooke our nature vpon him and felt al our infirmities and sicknesses and in feeling learned to haue compassion on vs and for compassion cryed mightely in prayers to God the Father for vs was heard And the voyce of the same bloud that once cryed not for vengeaunce as Abels but for mercy onely was heard cryeth now and euer and is euer heard as oft as we call vnto remembrance with repenting fayth how that it was shed for our sinnes He is also called Christus that is to say king annoynted with all might and power ouer sinne death and hell and ouer all sinnes so that none that flyeth vnto him shall euer come into iudgement of damnation He is annoynted with all fulnesse of grace and hath all the treasure and riches of the spirite of God in his hande with which he blesseth all men according to the promise made to Abraham and is thereto mercifull to geue vnto al that cal on him And how much be loueth vs I report me vnto the ensamples of his deedes And he is righteous both towarde God in that he neuer sinned and therfore hath obtayned all his fauour and grace and also toward vs in that he is true to fulfill all the mercye that he hath promised vs euen vnto the vttermost iotte And he is the satisfaction for our sinnes and not for oures only but also for all the worldes That I call satisfaction the Greeke calleth Ilasmos and the Hebrue Copar And it is first taken for the swaging of wounds sores and swellings and the taking away of payne and sinarte of them And thence is borowed for the pacifying and swaging of wrath and anger and for an amendes making a contenting satisfaction a raunsome making at one as it is to see aboundantly in the Bible So that Christ is a full contenting satisfaction and raūsome for our sinnes And not for oures onely which are Apostles and Disciples of Christ while he was yet here or for ours which are Iewes or Israclites and the seed of Abraham or for ours that nowe beleue at this present tyme but for all mens sinnes both for their sinnes which went before and beleued the promises to come for ours which haue sene them fulfilled and also for all them whiche shall afterward beleue vnto the worldes ende of what soeuer nation or degree they be For Paule commaundeth 1. Timo.
rayne bow to be a signe of the promises and for to make it the better beleued and to kepe it in mynde for euer he sayd when I bryng cloudes vpon the earth I will put my bow in the cloudes and will looke on it and remember the euerlastyng couenaunt made betwene God and all liuing creatures And Abram whiche signifieth an excellent father he named Abraham the father of a great multitude of people because he had promised to make hym euen so and that his seede should be as the Starres as the sand of the Sea innumerable and that name gaue he him as a seale of the promise to confirme it and to strengthen the fayth of Abrahā and his posteritie and to kepe the promise in minde that they might haue wherewith to binde God and to coniure him as Moyses and the holy Prophetes euer do holdyng hym fast to his owne promise and binding him with his owne wordes and bringyng forth the obligation and seale therof in all tymes of necessitie and temptation After that he made a couenaūt with Abraham to be his God and the God of his posteritie and their shield defender and Abraham promised for him and his seede to be his people and to beleue and trust in him to kepe hys commaundementes which couenaunt God caused to be written in the flesh of Abraham and in the males of all hys posteritie commaundyng the males to be Circumcised the eight day or to be slayne whiche Circumcision was the seale and obligation of the sayd couenaūt to kepe it in minde and to testifie that it was an earnest thyng wherby God chalenged them to be his people and required the kepyng of his lawes of them and fayth to trust in him onely and in no other thyng for helpe and succour and all that can be nedeful and necessarie for man And wherby he cōdemned the disobediēt and rebellious and punished them and whereby also the godly chalenged hym to be theyr God and father and to helpe and succour them at neede and to minister all thyngs vnto them accordyng to all his promises And though the seale of this couenaunt were not written in the flesh of the females yet it serued the womankynd bound them to God to trust in him and to kepe his lawes as well as it dyd the men children the womankynd not Circumcised in the flesh yet through the helpe of the signe written in the males louyng Gods law trustyng wholly in hym were truly Circumcised in the hart and soule before God And as the mayde children beleuyng and louyng God wherunto the outward Circumcision bounde them were truly Circumcised before God Euen so the males hauyng the fleshe Circumcised yet not beleuyng nor louyng God whereunto the outward Circumcision bounde them were vncircumcised before God and God not bounde to them but had good right therby to punish them so that neither Circumcision or to be vncircumcised is ought worth as S. Paule sayth Rom. 2. saue for the keping of the law for if Circumcision helpe not to keepe the law so serueth it for nought but for to condemne And as the womankind vncircumcised were in as good case as the males that were Circumcised euen so the infātes of y t maydēs which dyed vncircumcised were in as good case as the infantes of males whiche dyed Circumcised And in as good case by the same rule were the men children that dyed before the eight day or els let them tell why the couenaūt made betwene God and Abraham saued the manchilde as soone as it was borne yea as soone as it had lyfe in the mothers wombe for the couenaunt that God would be God of Abrahās seede went ouer the frute as soone as it had life and thē there is no reason but that the couenaunt must nedes pertayne to the males as soone as to the females Wherfore the couenaunt must needes saue the males vnto the eight day and then the couenaunt was that the ruler shoulde slay the males onely if their frēdes did not Circumcise them not that the Circumcision saued them but to testify the couenaunt onely And then it foloweth that the infantes that dye vnbaptised of vs Christen that would baptise them at due tyme and teach them to beleue in Christ are in as good case as these that dye Baptised for as the couenaunt made to the faith of Abraham went ouer his seede as sone as it had life before the signe was put on them euen so must needes the couenaunt made to all that beleue in Christes bloud go ouer that sede as soone as it hath lyfe in the mothers wombe before the signe be put on it For it is the couenaunt onely and not the signe that saueth vs though the signe be commaunded to be put on at due tyme to styrre vp fayth of the couenaunt that saueth vs and in stede of Circūcision came our Baptisme wher by we be receaued into the Religiō of Christ and made partaker of his passion and members of his Churche and whereby we are bounde to beleue in Christ and in the father through hym for the remission of sinnes and to kepe the law of Christ to loue eche other as he loued vs whereby if we thus beleue and loue we callyng God to be our father and to do his will shall receaue remission of our sinnes through the merites of Iesu Christ hys sonne as he hath promised So now by baptisme we be bounde to God and God to vs and the bond and seale of the couenaūt is writtē in our flesh by which seale or writting God chalengeth faith and loue vnder payne of iust damnation And we if we beleue and loue chalenge as it is aboue rehearsed all mercy and what soeuer we neede or els God must be an vntrue God And God hath bound vs Christen men to receaue this signe for our infirmities sake to be a witnes betwene hym and vs and also to put this signe vpon our childrē not bindyng vs to any appointed time but as it shal seme to vs most conuenient to bring them to the knowledge of God the father and of Christ and of their dutie to God and his law And as the Circūcised in the flesh and not in the hart hath no part in Gods good promises euen so they that bee baptised in the fleshe and not in hart hath no part in Christes bloud And as the Circumcised in the hart and not in the fleshe had part in Gods good promises Euen so a Turke vnbaptised because he either knoweth not that he ought to haue it or cannot for tyrānie if he beleue in Christ and loue as Christ did and taught then hath he his part in Christes bloud And though the outward Circumcision by the whiche God chalengeth them to do him seruice yea whether they would or not and by the whiche they were taught to beleue in God in the seede of Abraham
beleued in Christ to bee incarnated and to suffer death what els meant the poore woman of Lanane by eating then to beleue whē she aunswered Christ saying Ye say soth my Lorde But yet doe the little whelpes eate of the crummes that fall from their maisters table This dyd she aunswere in an allegory accordyng to Christes first aunswere vnto her she meanyng by y t eatyng of the crummes the belief of his woordes and Gospell to be scattered among the Gentils as Christ aunsweryng cōfirmed her meanyng saying O woman great is thy fayth He sayd not thou art a great eater and deuourer of bread Here it is playne that to eate in the Scripture is taken to beleue as Christ him selfe expoundeth it so oft and so plentuously And I am here compelled to inculke iterate it with so many wordes to satisfie if it were possible this carnall fleshvowerer and fleshly Iew. Now to examine and to discusse this matter more depely playnly I shall compare the old passeouer with the new and supper of the Lord. And to shew you how the figures correspond their verities I will begyn my comparison at Baptisme comparyng it with the Lordes Supper which be the two Sacramentes left vs now vnder the grace of the Gospell And afterward to set foorth both these Sacramentes playnly I wil compare Circumcision with Baptisme the passe lambe with Christes Supper We by Baptisme as we testified vn to the congregation our entryng into the body of Christ take here Christes body as doth Paule for his congregation to dye to be buried and to ryse with him to mortifie our flesh and to be reuiued in spirite to cast of the old man and to do vpon vs the new euen so by the thankes giuyng for so did the old Greke doctours cal this Supper at Gods bourde or at the Lordes Supper for so doth Paule call it we testifie the vnitie and communion of our hartes glued vnto the whole body of Christ in loue yea and that such loue as Christ at this his last Supper expressed what tyme he sayd his body should be broken and his bloud shed for the remission of our sinnes And to be short As Baptisme is the badge of our fayth so is the Lordes Supper the token of our loue to God our neighbours where vppon standeth the law and the Prophetes For the end of the precept is loue out of a pure hart and good conscience and fayth vnfayned So that by baptisme we be initiated cōsigned vnto the worship of one God in one fayth And by the same faith and loue at the Lordes Supper we shew our selues to cōtinue in our possession to bee incorporated and to be the very members of Christes body Both these Sacramentes were figured in Moyses law Baptisme was figured by Circumcision the Lordes Supper by the eatyng of the passelambe Where lyke as by Circumcisiō the people of Israell were rekened to be Gods people seueral from the Gētiles so be we now by Baptisme rekened to bee consigned vnto Christes Church seuerall frō Iewes paynyms c. And as their passeouer that is to say their solēne feast yearely in eatyng their passelambe was an outward token of their perseueraunce in their religion and in remembraunce of their passage out of Egypt into the lande of Chanaan so is now the eatyng of the Lordes Supper whiche Christ and Paule called our passeouer a token of our perseueraunce in our Christen profession at Baptisme and also thankes giuyng with that ioyfull remēbraunce of our redemption frō sinne death and hell by Christes death Of the figure of this Supper our new passeouer thus it is written After ye be entred into that land whiche the Lord God shall giue you accordyng to his promise ye shall kepe this ceremonie And when your children aske you what Religion is this ye shall aunswere them It is the sacrifice of the passyng ouer of the Lord when the Lord passed foorth by the houses of the children of Israell in Egypt smityng the Egyptiās and deliuering our houses This eatyng therfore of the passe lambe was the figure of the Lordes Supper ▪ whiche figure when the houre was come y ◠he would it to ceasse and giue place vnto the veritie as the shadow to vanish away at the presence of the body He sayd thus with a feruent desire do I long to eate this passeouer with you ere I suffer Agayne let vs compare the figure with the truth the old passeouer with the new and diligētly consider the propertie of speakyng in and of either of thē Let vs expende the succession imitation and tyme how the new succeding the old mediatour Christ betwen both sitting at the Supper celebrating both with his presence did put out the old and bryng in the new For there is in either of them such like composition of wordes such affinitie and proportiō of spech such similitude and propertie in them both the new so correspōdyng in all thynges to the old that the old declareth the new what is it wherfore it was instituted and what is the very vse therof And to begyn at Circumcision the figure of Baptisme ye shall vn derstand that in such rites and Sacramētes there are two thinges to be considered that is to wit The thyng and the signe and of thyng The thynge is it wherfore the signe is instituted to signifie it as in Circumcision the thyng is the couenaunt to be of the people of God and the signe is the cuttyng of the foreskinne of the preuy mēber In the passeouer the thing was the remēbraunce with thankes giuyng for the deliueraunce out of the hard seruitude of Egypt but the signe was the lambe rosted with such ceremonies as were there prescribed them So in baptisme The thyng is the promise to be of the Church of Christ the signe is the dippyng into the water with the holy wordes In our Lordes Supper the very thing is Christ promised and crucified and of faith with thankes giuing vnto the father for his sonne giuen to suffer for vs. But the signe is the dealyng and distributing or reaching forth of the bread and wyne with the holy wordes of our Lord spoken at his supper after he had thus dealt the bread wyne vnto his Disciples And here is it diligently to be noted That in all such rites ceremonies or Sacramentes of God thus instituted these two thinges that is to witte the thyng signified and the signe that signifieth be concurraunt and inseparable It is the common vse and propertie of spech in the Scripture to call the signe the thyng As is Circumcision called the couenaunt Euery manchild must be circumcised that my couenaunt might be in your flesh for a perpetuall bande And yet was it onely but the outward signe seale of the couenaūt that the sede of Abraham should be his especial chosen people that he would
the Lord as it is also written Dani. iij. And Paule sayth Roma 8. All maner of creatures long for our redemption and prayse God for it yea and mourne that the last day is not yet come that the elect children of God might enter into rest for then shall also those creatures be deliuered frō their corruptiō and bondage into the libertie and glory of the children of God Now iudge Christen reader whiche sentence standeth most with the Scripture and glory of God Doth not the blessed Apostle S. Peter as it appeareth Actes ij say of our Sauiour Christe in this wise Quem Deus suscitauit solutis doloribus inferni In these woordes he shewed that paynes of hell were losed but those paynes were not the paynes of damned soules And in limbo patrum there was no payne Ergo it was the payne of Purgatory which he loosed Alas what shall I say I am in a maner compelled to say that this mā wandreth in wilfull blindnesse For els were it not possible that he should erre so far as to bring in this text for hys purpose The woordes of Peter are these Ye men of Israell heare these wordes Iesus of Nazareth a man set foorth of God for you wyth powers wonders and tokens which God hath done by hym among you as you your selues know after he was deliuered by the purposed counsell and foreknowledge of God and you receyued hym of the handes of the wicked ye crucifyed and kylled him whom God hath raysed dissoluing the paynes of death for it was imposible that he should be subdued of it Here in stead of these wordes The paynes of death he setteth the paynes of hell as it is most like euē of a purposed deceit For albeit the mā would not take the payne to read the gréeke yet if he had but once looked vpon the translation of hys olde frende and companion Erasmus it would haue taught him to haue sayd solutis doloribus mortis that is dissoluing the paynes of death according to the Gréeke and very woordes of Luke which wrote these actes in the gréeke tongue And albeit the old translation vseth thys worde Infernus which is diuersly taken in scripture both for death for a graue for hell yet in this place is maister More wythout excuse which calleth it hell in our English tongue For albeit the woord of it self were indifferent in the Latine yet it is not indifferent in the English for there is no English man that taketh thys woord hell eyther for death or for a graue no not maister More himself For first he translateth the text falsely calling it hell and then he descanteth on a false ground and calleth hell not death but purgatory when S. Peter brought in these wordes for no other purpose but to proue y t Christ was risen from death through the power of hys Father meaning that God the Father dyd rayse hys Sonne Christ notwythstanding the sorowfull paynes and panges which he suffred vnto y t death for it was impossible that Christ should be vtterly subdued of death So that thys text proueth no more purgatory then it proueth that maister More was hyred of the spiritualty to defend purgatory Besides that if it should serue for Purgatory which no wise man wil graunt whē he séeeth the processe of the Text it should proue nothing but that Christ should lye in the paynes of purgatory vntill God hys Father had holp him out for the paynes ▪ which he speaketh of were Christes paynes which no man can deny if he read the Text. But what a fond opinion were that to fayne that Christ which was without sinne should be tormented in the paynes of purgatory The blessed Apostle Paule in his first epistle to the Corinthians the third chapter speaking of our sauiour Christ the very and only foundation of all our fayth and saluation sayth If any man builde vpon this foundation gold siluer precious stones wood hay or strawe euery mans worke shall be made open for the day of the Lord shall declare it for in the fire it shal be shewed the fire shall proue what maner of thyng euery mans worke is If any mans worke that he hath builded thereon do abide he shall haue a reward if any mans worke burne he shall suffer harme but he shal be safe but yet as by fire And finally he concludeth that thys woord fyre must néedes signifie the fyre of Purgatorye He that considereth the order or proces of the text shall easely perceiue that thys man erreth for the Text speaketh of the preachers blameth the Corrinthians that they made such sectes and dissentions among them selues for one sayd that he was Paules man and held on hys side an other sayd that he was Peters man the thirde did sticke to Apollo and so foorth euen as our friers do now a dayes one sect holdeth on S. Fraunces an other of S. Dominike the thyrd of S. Austen c. S. Paule rebuketh these sectes called the persons carnall commaunding them to take Christ for theyr head to cleaue onely to him and as for Apollo Peter and Paule he sayth that they are but ministers of the woord ▪ euery mā according to the gyfte geuen hym of God the one more the other lesse Paule planted Apollo watred that is Paule set the Corinthians in the ground of Christes fayth and then came Apollo and preached them further of Christ and comforted them to abide in the way which they walked in howbeit it was onely God that made them prosper in the woord and gaue the encrease Neuertheles euery man shall receaue according to his labour if he preach much the more shall be his reward if he preach litle therafter shall he be rewarded For we are Gods workmē to preach hys worde and you are Gods husbandry whom we must till and dresse in declaring you the woord and perpetuall will of God you are become Gods building thorough the grace of God which he hath geuen me whome we must frame and so couch by the word of God that we may make of you a temple of liuing stones Lyke a wise woorkemaister haue I layd the foundation for I first beganne to preach you Christ Now commeth there an other and buildeth vpon this my foūdation entendyng to instruct you further in the wayes of Christ But let euery mā take hede how he buildeth or preach vnto you for no man cā lay any other foundation then is layed already for all our buildyng and preachyng leneth onely on this pointe and principall stone to declare vnto you what Christ hath done for you If any builde on this foundation gold siluer or precious stones that is if any man preach purely the word of God which is likened to gold siluer and precious stones because that as these are not consumed with matteriall fire but rather made more pure euen so the pure word of God suffreth neither hurt
grace whiche is done and geuen through the gentlenesse of God By this may we perceiue how grosse theyr ignoraunce is which without discretion condemne the infantes that departe out of this worlde not baptised in our materiall water For if that water geue no grace as I haue sufficiently proued why should they condemne more before that washyng then after Beside that the election of God is frée and foloweth not our fayth but fayth foloweth the electiō as it is writtē And there beleued euen as many as were ordeined vnto euerlastyng lyfe for they that are chosen frō y e beginnyng are no doubt chosen before they had fayth we ought not therfore to geue such vnaduised iudgement on these children which by their age haue not yet heard our fayth seyng Gods election is hidde from our eyes The children of Israell were a people which God had chosen from among all nations of the worlde and gaue them Circumcision for a token and memoriall of that election which circumcision was a figure of our baptisme and they thought that the gentiles which were not carnally circumcised had bene all condemned But their opinion deceiued them for there were also of the Gentiles which although they were not circumcised outwardly were electe of God were spiritually circumcised which onely is the thing that God regardeth as Paule testifieth saying He is not a Iew which is a Iew outwarde neyther is that circumcision any thing which is outward in the flesh but he is a Iew which is hid within the circumcision of the hart which is the cutting off of carnall desires and is the true circumcision This circumcision was in price with God wyth the which the gentiles as Iob were circumcised And in like maner may we say of our Baptisme he is not a Christen man which is washed wyth water neither is that baptisme which is outwarde in the flesh but that is the very baptisme which God alloweth to be baptised spiritually in the hart that is to subdue and wéed out the braunches of sinne that it raigne not in your mortall bodies and bring thē into bōdage vnder it of y e which our Baptisme is but a signe And there are many I doubt not which are thus spiritually baptized although theyr bodies touch no water as there were gentiles thus spiritually circumcised and yet neuer cutte of the foreskinne of theyr priuy members Furthermore the children of the vncircumcision are of the people and congregation of God aswell as the children of the Hebrewes vnder the law were members of theyr congregation I take the congregation of God in thys place euen somewhat largely that is for all them that are thought or coūted to be the members of Christ as it is taken Mathew 13. where Christe compareth it vnto a nette which receyueth both good fish and euill and agayne Mathew 25. where he likeneth the kingdome of heauen that is to say the congregation of God vnto x. virgins of the which v. were wise and v. foolish but I speake not in this place of the elect sanctifyed and inuisible congregation which is wythout spotte and wrinckle and onely knowne vnto God which hath chosen her before the foundations of the worlde were layde neyther is it to be estéemed but that God is as mercyfull vnto vs which are of the spirituall Israell as he was vnto the carnall Israell S. Iohn S. Paule and such other were they not being infantes of the cōgregation of God elect in Christ Iesu before the creation of the worlde howbeit in theyr infancy they neither had fayth nor yet knew any thing of this election Mathew Zacheus the théef and Mary Magdalene were they not likewise so chosē yet they themselues knew it not vntill they were lightened of the holy Ghost and drawne vnto Christ by our heauenly Father neyther knoweth any man of an others election but euery man may knowe hys owne through hys fayth and will that he hath to fulfill the law of God Of this sensible congregation of Christ was Iudas yea and all the other which after forsooke Christ neither wist the Apostles but that Iudas had bene of the elect sanctifyed and inuisible congregation of Christ as well as Peter or Iohn so that our iudgement recounteth all faythfull and chosen that séeme to be but Christ knoweth them that are hys and them that shall forsake him Nowe is there an opinion risen amōg certaine which affirme y e childrē may not be baptised vntill they come vnto a perfecte age and that because they haue no faithe but verely me thinketh that they are farre from the méekenesse of Christe and his spirite which when children were broughte vnto him receiued them louingly and embraced them in his armes Mat. 9. and when his Disciples blamed the bringers he called them vnto hym saying suffer children to come vnto me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of heauen Luk. 18. And albeit they haue no faith but are only of that inuisible congregation that is w t out spot or wrinkel yet as I haue saide they haue a promisse as well as the children of the Hebrewes by the which they are of the visible congregation which thing only is testified in theyr baptisme So it appeareth that these men are ignorāt what baptisme is For oure baptisme doth not testifie that we are of that pure congregation which was chosen and sanctified in Christe before the worlde began which haue theyr names wrytten in the booke of life of the which it is not possible that one shoulde perishe for then were it a false testimonie séeing many whiche are baptised fall afterward into perillous heresies and vtter desperation which bringeth them vnto deathe euerlasting And as for faith if they haue none when they are baptised lette them pray vnto God to giue it them afterwarde for the lacke of fayth hurteth not the sacramente but the sacrament may be as well ministred vnto a miscreant as to a faithfull if he say that he hathe faythe or haue any promise of God but thys matter will I passe ouer for I truste the English vnto whō I wryte this haue no such opinions Nowe will I procéede wyth the second poynte of this sacrament which is the signification The signification of baptisme is described of Paule in the. 6. of y e Romaines that as we are plunged bodily into the watēr Euen so we are dead buried with Christe from sinne and as we are lifted again out of the water euen so are we risen with Christe from oure sinnes that we mighte héereafter walke in a newe conuersation of lyfe So that these two things that is to be plunged in the water and lifte vp againe doe signifie and represent the whole pith and effect of baptisme that is the mortification of our olde Adam the rising vp of our new man What is y ◠old Adam verely euē that by
king to kéepe thys contracte But yet you were not so content but afterward you found the meanes that this good kyng was poysoned by a traytorous Monke of Swinested because he should say that hée would make a halfepeny loafe worth xx shillinges if hée liued a yeare For the whiche word your holy Monke was moued and went and confessed hym selfe to the Abbot how that he would poyson the king for thys and the one deuill as good as the other the holy traytor absolued the holy murtherer before the déede was done and for thys holy murtherer is there founded v. masses for euer This is the blessed obedience of your holy Church How would you cry how would you yaulpe if wée had handled a gentlemans dogge on this fashion but you can call vs poore men traytors and in the meane season you bring both king kingdome into seruitude and bondage What is treason if this bée no treason to bring so honourable a kinge and hys lande into such bondage and compell hym to receiue his naturall and frée kingdome of such a vyllayne and lymme of y e deuell What can bée said or thought to defend this matter you haue not all onely done wrong to the kinge but vnto the yongest childe y e lyeth in the cradell y e which by your meanes is bonde And thinke it not sufficient to say that it is not your déede for first you are the children of these fathers and you haue alwayes alowed this acte This hath béene blased blowen preached and cryed out and all your bookes full of this matter and many a true mans bloud hath béene shed for speaking agaynst thys And yet was there neuer none of you y e did euer preach against this damnable facte but with full consent with full agréement both in worde déede and in wrytyng you haue alowed this treason Therfore I take you for the auctors as well as your forefathers I would not speake how dampnable it is to institute masses for a willing traytor and murtherer there was neuer no learninge that could allow this But there is no remedy hée that dyes agaynst his king and for the maintayning of your treason must néedes bée a saynt if masses blessinges and myracles wil helpe for all these bée at your commaundement to geue where you list So that we pore men must bée accused of insurrection and treason and we must bere al the blame we must bée driuen out of y e realme we must bée burned for it and as God knoweth there is no people vnder heauen that more abhorreth and with earnester hart resisteth more diligenly doth preach agaynst disobedience then we doe Yea I dare say boldely let all your bookes bée serched that were written this 500. years all they shall not declare the auctorite of a prince and the true obedience towarde hym as one of our litle bookes shall doe that bee condemned by you for heresy and all this will not helpe vs. But as for you you may preach you may wryte you may doe you maye sweare against your Princes and also assoyle all other men of their obedience towardes their princes You may compell princes to bée sworne to you and yet are you children of obedience and good christen men And if ye dye for this doctrine then is there no remedy but you must bée saintes and rather then fayle ye shall doe myracles To proue this I will tell you of a holy saynt of yours of whom your legend and cronicles maketh mencyon hys name as ye call him is s Germayne So it chaunced y e in the tyme of king Vortiger he came into England into a place where the king lay desired for hym his company lodging The king because hée kept no cōmō Inne would not receiue hym So hée departed very angerly and went to the kinges Neteherdes house and there desired lodginge and meate and drinke for hym and his companye The Neteherde was contēt to lodge him but hée sayd hée had no meate for hym sauyng a yong calfe that stode suckyng of the damme by the crybbe The byshop commaunded the calfe to bée slayne and to bée drest brought afore hym and hée and his company eate it vp and after commaunded the bones of the calfe to bée gathered togither and put in the calues skinne agayne and to bée layde in the cribbe by the damme and by and by y e calfe starte vp aliue agayne The next day the byshop went to king Vortiger reprooued him merueilous straightly because hée would not lodge hym and sayde that hée was vnworthey to bée kyng and therefore deposed hym made his Neteherde kyng in hys stede Of the which Neteherde as y e cronicles maketh mension came afterward many kings This is writen by one called Petrus de netalibus the which writeth the liues of all saintes I thinke no man will binde mée to proue this thing a lye but yet it must bee preached taught in your church it must bée writtē in holy saints liues hée must bée a saynt that did it and why because hée deposed a king and set in a Neteherde These shamefull and abhominable thinges doe you prayse and alowe and in the meane season condemne vs for heretickes and for traytours And if we chaunce moued by the abhomynablenes of your doctrine to geue you but one euyll worde then all the world rekoneth vs vncharitable But as for my parte I take God to recorde afore whome I shall bée saued or damned that though you haue done mée shamefull wronge and intollerable violēce yet with your owne persons am I neuer displeased nor angry but agaynst that horrible deuyll y e dwelleth in you that is the causer auctor and mayntayner of such abhominable doctrine that is against God and his blessed worde agaynst hym I say is my quarell and agaynst hym doe I striue this is the truth let men take my wordes as they will Is it not abhominable thinke you so shamfully to depose princes so to rebuke them so to handle them to compell them to bée sworne to you and to holde their lands of you to bée your ministers to the greate dishonour of the liuyng God and blaspheming of his blessed worde and to the great dispight of all noble potentates Ye remember the facte that is declared in your lawe of the noble Emperour Friderike and that wretch Innocent the fourth the thing was this The Pope by y e reasō of certayne complaintes made by the Emperours enemyes cited the Emperour to appeare at Rome and because the Emperour would not appeare he cursed hym with booke bell and candell and afterwarde deposed hym and commaunded the electours to chose an other This is the cause of your lawe briefely But your text declareth certayne artycles agaynst the Emperour which bée these The first that hée had sworne to kéepe peace with y e church of Rome which oth hée brake sayth y e
iustification Is not this open lyeng on fayth to geue all to him yet as you say hée is not worthy of all for workes bée worthy of parte If fayth bée not worthy alone confesse it openly and gene workes his prayse and faith her prayse say not one thyng with your mouth and thinke an other in your hart For God searcheth the priuities of hartes Who hath required of you such a méekenes But I praye you how can workes helpe to iustification lesse or more when they bée neyther done nor yet thought of Who is iustified but a wicked mā which thinketh nothing of good works But these méeke lyes deserue none aunswere Wherefore let vs heare what holy Doctours say on this texte To hym that worketh not c. Saint Ambrose sayth on this maner It was so decréed of God that after y e lawe the grace of God should require vnto saluation alonely fayth Which thyng hée prooueth by the example of the prophet saying Blessed is that man to whom God doth impute iustification without workes Hée sayth that they bée blessed of whom God hath determined without labour without all maner of obseruation alonely by faith that they shal bée iustified before God Blessed are they whose sinnes bée forgeuē Clearly they are blessed vnto whom without labour or without any worke their iniquitios be remitted and their sinnes bée couered and no maner of workes required of them but alonely that they should beleeue c. Bée not these wordes playne God hath decréed that hée shall require nothyng to iustification but fayth And hée is blessed to whom God imputeth iustification without all manner of works without all maner of obseruations Also their sinnes bée couered no maner of works of penaūcered of them but alonely to beléeue Here haue you Sola fides and Tantum fides and here can you not say that S. Ambrose speaketh alonely of workes of the law but of all maner of works of all maner of obseruations yea and also of penaunce Peraduēture it will bee sayd as a great doctour sayd once to me that S. Ambrose dyd vnderstād it of young children that were newly baptised them their fayth should saue alonely without workes How thinke you is not this a likely aunswere for a great Doctour of Diuinitie for a great Duns man for so great a preacher Are not S. Paule and S. Ambrose wel auoyded and clerkely But I made him this aunswere that this Epistle was written of S. Paule to the Romanes which were men and not children and also the wordes of Scripture speake of the man and not of the childe And S. Ambrose sayth blessed is that man But at this aunswere hée was not a litle moued and sware by the blessed God let Ambrose Augustine say what they will hée would neuer beléeue but that workes dyd helpe to iustificatiō This was a Lordly word of a Prelate of a pyller of Christes Churche But what medlyng is with such mad men But yet peraduenture you will say how that I take a péece of the Doctour as much as maketh for my purpose Notwithstandyng hée sayth otherwise in an other place which I doe not bryng What is that to me yet is not my Doctour thus auoyded For you cā not deny but this is his saying and vppon this place of Scripture and this doth agrée with Scripture or els hée doth expounde Scripture euill Wherfore you must aunswere to the saying of the Doctour in this place for this is the place that is layd agaynst you and this is y e place whereby other places must bée expounded And if you dare deny him in this place then will I deny him in all other places by that same authoritie then bée the holy doctours clearely gone Neuertheles holy Scripture standeth openly agaynst you which if you deny then haue I a cause to suspect you Wherefore take héede what you doe But yet peraduenture will ye say that I vnderstand not S. Ambrose nor holy Doctours as my Lord of Rochester sayd howe I vnderstode not Tertullian hée had none other euasion to saue his honour with But this is not inough so to say but you must proue it other mē must iudge it betwéene you and me Here haue I translated a great many of their sayinges into English let other men iudge whether I vnderstand them or not Go ye to the Latin and let vs sée what other sense you cā take out But my Lordes remember that our God is alyue whose cause we defende afore whom I dare well say you are already confounded in your conscience wherfore doubt you not but that terrible vengeaunce han geth ouer you if you repēt not which whē it cōmeth cōmeth sharpely How are ye able to defend a thing that you cā not proue opēly by holy scripture Say what you will your conscience will murmour and grudge and will neuer bée satisfied with mēs dreames nor yet with tyranny Thinke you that your lawes and your inuentiōs can bée a sufficient rule for Christen men to liue by and to saue their conscience therby Thinke you that your cause is sufficiently proued when you haue compelled poore men by violēce to graūt it Then may we destroy all Scriptures and receiue alonely your tyranny But my Lordes this matter is not righted by your iudgemēt but by our master Christ and his blessed worde afore whose strayte iudgement you shall bée iudged and that straytly For when all your grace all your honour all your dignitie all your pompe and pride briefly all that your hartes doe nowe reioyse in shall lye in the dust then shall you bée called to a strayte rekening It is no light game nor no childes playe Marke it well for it lieth on your necke But what nedeth me to loose many wordes for if you be halfe so full of grace as you say you bée of good workes then will you recken it better then I can moue you But againe to our purpose S. Paule proueth the iustification of faith onely in these wordes No man is iustified by the workes of the law but by the faith of Iesus Christ and we doe beléeue in Iesus Christ that we may bée iustified by the fayth of Christ not by the workes of the law Marke how hée sayth that no man is iustified by the workes of the law no not S. Peter Howe thinke you doth not S. Paule exclude workes bringeth in alonely faith yea and that the workes of the law whiche were the best workes in the world and hée beleeueth to bée iustified onely by the fayth of Iesus Christ and not by workes and that proueth hée in these wordes of the Prophet A righteous man lyueth by fayth Here you not how a righteous man liueth by faith What call you liuing by fayth If hée liue any part by workes then lyueth hée not by fayth but partly by workes Thē is S. Paules probation vnperfite But let vs sée how your Doctours doe
but also his blessed worde all that longeth to hym Take awaye Christes word and what remayneth béehynde of Christ nothing at all I pray you my Lorde to whome was this worde fyrst preached to whome was this written all onely to priestes and not vnto lay men yea was it not written to all the worlde yes truely Wherby will you conuerte a Turke or an Infidell not by holy Scripture When they bée conuerted what wil you learne them what wyll you géeue them to reade any other thing then holy Scripture I thinke nay Now will you make your owne countreymen your owne citizens your owne subiectes yea your owne brethren redéemed with Christes blessed bloud worsse then Iewes and Infidels But there is no reason nor no brotherhod nor no Christen charitie that can mooue you or that can helpe you for you are so blynded and so obstinate against Christ that you had rather all the worlde shoulde perishe then his doctrine shoulde bee brought to light but I doe promyse you if God doe spare mée lyfe and géeue mée grace I shall so set it out if you doe not reuoke it that it shall bée to your vtter shame and confusion finde the best remedye that you can I doe beléeue stedfastly that god is mightier then you and I doe recken and faythfully beléeue that you are ten tymes worsse then the greate Turke for hée regardeth no more but rule and dominiō in this worlde and you are not therewyth content but you will also rule ouer mēs consconsciences yea and oppresse Christ and his holy worde and blaspheme and condemne his worde Was it not a holy connsell of the Chaunceler of London to counsell a certaine marchaunt to buye Robyn hoode for his seruauntes to read What should they doe wyth vitas patrum and with bookes of holy Scripture Also the same Chauncelour sayde to an other man what findest thou in the Gospell but a story what good canst thou take there out O Lord God where art thou why sléepest thou why sufferest thou this blasphemy Thou hast defended thy Prophetes with wild fire from heauen and wilt thou suffer thy onely fonne and thy heauenly word thus to bée despised and to bée reckened but as a story of Robin hoode Rise vp good Lorde Rise vp thy enemyes doe preuayle Thy enemyes doe multiplye shew thy power defend thy glory It is thy contumely and not ours what haue we to doe with it but alonely to thy glory Reuenge this cause or thy enemyes shall recken it not to bée thy cause O thou eternall God thoughe our sinnes haue deserued this yet looke on thy name yet looke on thy veritie Sée howe thou art mocked Sée how thou art blasphemed yea that by them that haue taken on them to defend thy glory But now heauenly father séeyng that thou hast so suffered it yet for the glory of thy name geue some man strength to defend it or els shalt thou bée clearely taken out of the hartes of all men Wherefore most gracious Lord of thy mercy and grace I beséech thée that I may haue the strength to defend thy godly word to thy glory and honour and to the vtter confusion of thy mortall enemyes Helpe good Lorde helpe and I shall not feare a thousande of thyne enemyes In thy name will I begyn to defend this cause First commeth thy faythfull seruaunt Moses true and iust in all thy workes and hée commaundeth faithfully truely with great threatnings that man woman and child should diligently read thy holy word saying Set your harts on all my wordes the which that I doe testifie vnto you this day that you may commaunde them vnto your children to kéepe to doe to fulfill all thynges that bée written in the booke of this law Marke how hée commaūded them to learne their children all thynges that bée written in this booke and so to learne thē that they might kéepe and fulfill all things that were written in y t booke Moses made nothing of secretnes will you make secretes therin how shall men fulfill those wordes that they knowe not How can men knowe the very true way of God haue not the word of God is not all our knowledge therin The Prophet sayth thy word is a lanterne vnto my féete and a light vnto my pathes Hée calleth it a lanterne and light yea and that vnto all men and you call it but a story darkenes and a thyng of secretnes yea and occasion of heresie how can the occasion of darknes geue light how can a lanterne bée a thing of secretnes how can the veritie of God bée occasion of heresie The holy Prophet sayth blessed is the man that setteth his delectation in the will of God and his meditation in Gods law night and day Here sayeth the spirite of God that men bee blessed that study the word of God and you say that men bée heretickes for studying of it How doth the spirite of God and you agrée Also S. Paule commaundeth vs to receiue the helmet of health and the sword of the spirite the whiche is the worde of God I pray you to whom doth hée here speake to Priestes onely How many of your Priestes dyd hée knowe yea was not this Epistle written to the whole Churche of the Ephesians And dyd not they read it were not they lay men and why shall not our lay men read that they red Moreouer doth not Paule call it the sword of the spirite is it not lawfull for lay men to haue the spirit of God Or is the spirite of God not frée but bound alonely to you Also S. Iohn sayth if any man come to you bring not this doctrine receiue him not into your house nor yet salute hym Here the holy ghost would we should haue no other doctrine but holy scripture and you will take it alonely from vs. Furthermore this was written vnto a woman and to her children and you will y t no other man wyfe nor childe shall reade it But if we should receiue your Priestes into our houses after this rule I thinke we should not bée greatly cōbered with them for their are few of them that haue this word Also our M. Christ saith vnto the pharesies search you scriptures for in them you thinke to haue eternall life Our Maister sent the Pharisies to scriptures and you forbyd Christen men to reade them who had a worse sprite then they and yet they iudged better of holy scriptures thē you doe For they iudged to haue lyfe in thē you iudge to haue heresyes in thē so that you bée ten tymes worse to scriptures thē euer were they Also Paule saith all scripture geuen by insperation of God is profitable to teach to improoue to enforme io enstruct in righteousnes that the man of God may bée perfect and prepared vnto all good workes You will not denye but but scripture is geuē vs of God Ergo
sacred Now let euery Christen maÌ„ iudge whether it bée better or surer to follow the Pope hauing none auctoritie for hym and béeyng also but one maÌ„ then to follow thys holy Counsel hauyng for it the auctoritie of the holy Apostles and of other blessed men Finally marke how that this blessed counsell doth depose all those that doth priuate Priestes from the companye of a lawfull wyfe Out of the which doth follow that the Pope all hys adherentes bée ipso iurâ— deposed And if they reâ—… their errour they bée excoÌ„municated Wherfore I conclude out of this counsell that Priestes may lawfully haue wiues Wée haue also euen there these wordes It is open that neither Deacons nor subdeacons ought to bée forbidden from maryage c. If thys bée not playne I can not tell what is playne Wherfore Gracianus concludeth that whether hée bée Priest Deacon subdeacon hée may lawfully vse matrimony If men will not bée content wyth these sayinges I can not tell what will satisfie them Reasonable men ought not to fight both agaynst God and man But yet let vs goe farther and sée what the Popes lawe sayth more Innocent the thirde writeth in his decretalles on thys maner Those Priestes that after the maner of the countrey hath not forsaken the coniunctioÌ„ of maryage if they doe breake their wedlocke ought greuously to bée punished séeyng that they may vse lawfully matrimony Marke how that this was the maner of certayne countryes that Priestes might mary Therefore it must néedes follow that Priestes matrimony is not forbidden by Gods lawe And if it bée not forbidden â—p Gods lawe what charitie is in the Pope to compell meÌ„ so violently vnto the thyng y t which God hath not bounde theÌ„ to Is it not a cruell thyng for the Pope to burne a man as an hereticke because that hée kéepeth not his commanndement and lyueth not in open whoredome Why doth hée not commaunde hym as well neyther to hunger nor yet to thyrst And if hée eyther hunger or thyrst why doth hée not forbid hym to eate and to drinke It is as much in our power to vowe chastitie and to kéepe it if wée haue not the gift of God as it is to vowe that wée wyll neyther hunger nor thyrst for they are both inclinations of nature implanted of God For as Cicero sayth and also the Emperour in hys lawe wée are naturally inclined vnto the coniunction that is in matrimony for cause of propagation And it is as much in our handes neyther to hunger nor to thyrst as it is to chaunge this naturall inclination And as wée when wée are hungry and thirsty caÌ„ not abstayne from eatyng and drinking no more can wée kéepe our chastitie notwythstanding our vowe if God haue not geuen vs the gyft MeÌ„ may here please somthyng theÌ„selues and stand in theyr owne conseyte say how they can inuent many remedies to kéepe their chastitie by But I dare say they woulde not for all the clothes that belongeth to their backes that the purenes and cleannes of their hartes were writteÌ„ in great letters set vp on y t church dore Wherfore I woulde desire meÌ„ to bée contented and to set aside all hipocrisie and speake the trueth as it is written in theyr hartes for God wyll not bée deceaued nor yet mocked And doubtles if I coulde not shewe infinite examples how that Priestes neyther doe nor yet caÌ„ kéepe theyr chastitie meÌ„ myght well blame mée for mouyng thys article But now séeyng that theyr lyuyng doth testifie my doctrine and that to y t great offence and sclaunder of Christes holy Church and also to the great rebuke and shame of many a good mans childe yea finally to the dampnation of many a deare soule Mée thynke men ought to bée conteÌ„t and to thaÌ„ke mée for takyng of so great labours for deliueraunce of theyr soules and also for mayntenauÌ„ce of honesty and and good morall vertue according to Gods lawe and mans lawe But let vs procéede farther to prooue thys matter The maister of the senteÌ„ces wryteth on thys maner Our weakenes is prone to fall into filthynes but it is helped wyth honest maryage And the thyng that is vnto whole men an offeÌ„ce is vnto sicke meÌ„ a remedy Marke how the M. of the Sentences sayth that wée are ready to fall into filthynes And how that maryage is an honest remedy How can men then after theyr owne learning condemne mariage as no honest thyng séeyng that theyr owne Clarkes cauleth it honest Moreouer the mayster of the SenteÌ„ces will that both perfect and vnperfect may vse this honest thyng for to the first it is an offeÌ„ce to the other it is a necessary remedy Iesus how woulde men cry agaynst vs poore men if they had halfe so much against vs as wée haue agaynst them But our Lorde sende them hys grace and molisie theyr hartes Amen We haue also in the Popes law a title De filijs Presbyterorum in the which there bée many chapters written to the Byshops of Englande as concernyng Priestes children Wherfore it is to hée supposed that Priests had then wyues And if they had theÌ„ why may they not now By what authoritie are our Priests now more compelled then they were Haue our Priestes nowe more articles of theyr fayth then they had But yet here wil bée sayd that the Popes law speaketh of bastardes and not of lawfull children Mée thynketh that this same is not charitably aunswered for here they doe accuse of fornication many an honest Priest agaynst whom they haue alonely but a light supposition For they that made this aunswere knew not those men nor yet theyr lyuyng And the text speaketh but of Priestes children not of bastardes Farthermore by this solution is many an honest man defamed for to â—ée a bastaâ—d the whiche is an euill name and me thinke vncharitably layd by these men vnto their charges Wherefore note that these men doth sore defame priesthode that agaynst the order of charitie that had rather graunt all these Priestes that the law speaketh of which is no small noÌ„ber for to bée breakers of theyr vow and to bée open whoremaisters yea and also theyr children to bée bastardes rather then they would grauÌ„t that those Priestes had lawfull wyues The which were neither agaynst honesty nor yet the order of priesthode Wherfore if I shoulde thus haue defamed Priestes theyr children men would â—ore haue beene greued with me yea I am afrayde that some men will bée displeased with me alonely bycause I doe write agaynst those priestes whoÌ„ I know of surety to bée naught if hauyng of children can testifie it But what will they say to y t popes law in the same place whose wordes bée these Thou doest aske of vs saith the Pope to the Byshop of Cassell whether that these men that hath Priestes to theyr fathers may bée promoted to holy orders or not
xxiiij Policrates Ephes Epis Siluerius Papa Felix iij. Deus dedit Theodorus i Hadrianus ij IohaÌ„nes xv Agapitus i. Siluerius Bonifacius i. Osius Gelasius i. Iohannes x. Dist â—…i â–ª ca. Osius Croni â–ª Faâ—i Abbot SaÌ„â—te of Readyng Priestes hath maryed after their priesthode Nâ—… generatione xl Cransius Canutus was seuen yeares a Monke ¶ Iuniacensis and yet the Pope dispenseth with hym to marry a wife Mariage of Priestes is neither agaynst Gods lawe nor mans lawe Nicholaus 1 Compelled chastitie is against the institution of the Gospell To compel Priestes to vowe chastitie that hath not y t gifte is halfe brother vnto heresie A lamentable and horrible sight O Lord God that our Byshoppes woulde nowe bee so charitable A frute of chastitie A horrible tale An other trabbe of y t same tree I will not speake of the litle prety â—oyes that folow Priestes in long doublets â–ª and short hosen The chastitie of the court of Rome froÌ„ the whiche God defend vs all M. spare me a little to speake but one word more An hystory sprong out of the chastitie of Priests This man intended to declare to this holy father what honestye was mayntayned by Priestes chastitie A prety practise to finde out a naughty concious Byshop Dist 〈◊〉 ca. Ante trienium The world will lye I haue meruayle why men are ashamed to come lay this thing to my charge now that I am here D. Barnes lyued sole vnmaryed Dist 82. ca. Plurimos Dist 31. ca. Ante trieâ—ium Dist 31. ca. Omnino Dist 28. ca. Docerni 〈◊〉 Nauclerus Alberâ—â—s Hirsucidâ—â—sis Here beganneth priests chaâ—… get the oâ—… hand For this was a captaine for the noâ—ce Peâ—…am 〈◊〉 gem Quos deus coÌ„â—uÌ„xâ—… homo noÌ„ seperet Et nemo dimittat vxoreÌ„ excepta fornicationis causâ— Who caÌ„ require a better auÌ„swere then these Byshops make their wordes beâ— Gods wordes Math. 9. 1. Cor. 〈◊〉 This hath alwayes beene the Popes maner of teachyng other doctrine had hee neuer A tumulte for priestes wyues The deuill sleepeth not nor geueth not gladly place to Christ What shall men doe agaynst violence and tyranny Dist xxxiiâ—… cap. Tenere Solutions to their reasons The popes arguments for y t maintenaunce of their constrained chastitie Adam Eua. The Leuitirall cleannes lyeth to much in the Popes head 1. Tim. 4. Alwayes Somtime Why hath â—ot our Priestes sometyme wyues as the olde Priestes had Dist 31. câ— â–ª Nam sicut Abstinete ad tempus vt vacet is orationi The popes doctine is repugnaunt to the doctrine of S. Paule The Pope is a tearer â—nd wrester of Scriptures The Pope maketh a hotchpot of mariage Lay men are bounde to prayer as well as Priestes Dist. xxxi ca. Omnino 1. Cor. 9. Nunquid noÌ„ habemus potestateÌ„ muliereâ—… sorâ—reâ—… circunduceÌ„di c. 1. Cor. 9. 1. Cor. 7. How many factes could I recite here of amplecteÌ„di if children that bee gotten might beare witnes Dist lxxxiâ—… c. Proposuâ—sti Qui in carne sunt Deo placerâ— non possunt The Pope accompteth whoredom to bee more cleane then holy matrimony The Pope blasphemeth God Men that haue wiues may bee Priestes but after their priesthode they may not marry Dist xâ— viij c. Nullum c. Assumi ca. Preterea c. Prâ—usquam Remember the tyranny of Gregory the vij which compelled priestes to forsake their wiues Mariage is all one before priesthode and after Dist xxviâ—… cap. Nullâ—… The Pope mainteineth his constreined chastity agaynst the institution of Christ Priestes may get chastitie by praying fastyng A Notary of London sayd to me openly that hee had written a thousand dispensations for Priestes children in his dayes How many then haue all Notaries writteÌ„ Priestes shall fast and pray But what if all that will not helpe God is bound to as much as he hath promised Math. 4. Psal 90. The deuill tempteth God God chaungeth not his order for our pleasure God hath ordeined euery thyng to a purpose and thereunto must they bee vsed Priestes haue a priuilege beefore other men The flesh would gladly haue a quyet lyuyng pleasaunt Had the world continued they would haue made vs poore men beleeue that they had gotten children w t fastyng praying Christ ascended into heauen by his owne power Exod. 20. Deut. 5. Wee are forbidden of God to make Images Wee must neither honour Images nor worshippe them Duns 3. Distin 9. Esay 44. Vayne ImaginatioÌ„s of men 3. Kyng 12. Howe wee haue beene by ignoraunce led to worship stockes and stones Stockes stones the Papistes honour as Gods Practise of Papistes to cause Images to worke myracles The hipocrisie of the Papistes hath greatly preuailed in the practysyng and aduauncing of Idolatry Baruch 6. A notable declaration of Baruch the Prophet against Idols and Idolatry There is no diâ—fereÌ„ce betweene an Idoll on Image The description of an Idoll or Image Deut. 13. Idolles or Images worke no myracles Hipocrites fayne them to bee the workers of myracles A notable myracle done by false gods in Turkie A stinking myracle Libro 5. ad Iacob To relieue thy poore neighbour that is Gods Image is to honour God There is no true Image but onely the Image of man which few doe honour Of the liuely Images of man many haue the Byshops burned But of theyr worme eaten images not one Clemens in codeÌ„ libro De â—erâ— roli ca. vlti Super Dani Saintes sayth Papistes are to bee worshypped for they pray for vs Roma 8. God hath geuen vs one mediatour which is Iesus Christ and not appoynted any Saint to bee our mediatour The mediatour betweene God man is named Iesus but there is no Saint so named Esay 7. How God by Christ is euer with vs. 1. Iohn 2. Saintes caÌ„ obteine nothyng for vs. Roma 8. 1. Cor. 1. Christ is all in all for vs and therefore wee neede not y t helpe oâ— Saints Iohn 14. Saintes can not bryng vs to the father of heauen but it must bee Christ onely Iohn 14. Iohn 16. If wee aske in Christes name wee shal obteine but so shall wee not in any other name Luke 18. Iaco. 1. Saintes receaued Gods goodnes for theÌ„ selues and not for vs. Psal 119. Psal 120. A fond prayer made to our Lady August dâ— vera relig cap. vlti The right honoring of Saintes Apoc. 19. and. 22. Mat. 15. tom 6. ho. de profect â—…nge An authoritie declaration that Christ heareth vs for our selues and not the Apostles for vs. Chri. Toâ— 6. ho. de profectâ— euangeliorum We neede no patrons for God heareth Exod. 20. Psal 5. Psal 4. The Christen maÌ„ putteth his trust in God that hee will heare him If we mistrust not Christe there is no cause why we should runne a gadding to this Saint for any thyng that is necessary for vs. Saints are holy but yet are they no Godes Christ is our onely intercessor The Papistes carnall reasoÌ„s God onely is omnipotent and almighty The Papistes geeue