whitsondaye the Churche knowes no fastinge daye Marke what the churche vsed in his time and what it is growen to since Howe many fasting dayes in that space haue Popes broughte in synce from whence came all the gang dayes to bee fasted in the crosse weke was it from the church or no if the churche didde it than the latter churche and Popes were contrarye to the old church in Ambro. time or els the church is free in all ages to disanull that whiche was done afore them If it be free why than may not the churche nowe disanull that whiche was done afore oure tyme as well as they brake the custome of the chuch in Ambrose time afore them hais not the Churche lyke power in all ages to decree or dysanulle what they luste Are we more bounde that wee shall not breake olde customes than they were What is the reason that wee shoulde bee so or where is it so wrytten If the Churche bee ruled by generall counselles where is that counsell that decreed so many fasting dayes to be betwix Easter and Whitsunday Ambrose says none was afore hys time Is counsell so contrarye to counsell or does one counsell deface that whiche an other determined Than is that true where I saide afore that their counsels were like oure Parliamentes and they are no longer to be obserued than other couÌ„sels folowing shal think mete Whiche being true graunted who wilbe so mad to bild his faith vpon couÌ„cels whiche haue so often chaunged and one sort beleue contrarye to another And althoughe Ambrose saye that the churche knewe no fastinge day betwix Ester and whitsonday yet beside these manye fastes in the Rogation weke oure wise Popes of late yeares haue deuysed a monstrous fast on Saint Markes daye All other fastinge daies are on the holy day even only Saint Marke must haue his day fasted Tell vs a reason why so that wil not be laughen at We knowe wel ynough your reasoÌ„ of Tho. Beket and thinke you are ashamed of it tell vs where it was decreed by the churche or generall counsell Tell vs also if ye can why the one side of the strete in Cheapeside fastes that daye beinge in London diocesse and the other side beinge of Canturbury diocesse fastes not and so in other townes moe Could not Beckets holynes reache ouer the strete or woulde he not If he coulde not he is not so mighty a saint as ye make hym if he would not he was malicious that woulde not doe so muche for the Citye wherin he was borne This is his great auncient holy churche that he crakes so much Becket was liuinge sins the conquest vnder king Henry the second not â—iii C. yeares sins and yet all as they thynke that wyll not beleue their trumpry to be M. D. yere old and ought not to be broken is an hereticke disobeyes the vniuersall Churche and not mete to liue Monica Saint Austins mother seing them fast at Rome on the saturday and coming to Millan see them not fast there maâ—uailed at it and asked Austin her sonne the cause of suche diuersity of fastinge thinking that both didde not well Austin beinge yet but a yonge scholer in Christes schole asked Ambro. the cause Ambro. said Fastinge was free and therfore whan he came to Rome he fasted and dyd as they done Whan he was at Millan be fasted not but did as they did Afterwarde Austin beinge better learned gaue this lesson in the same Epistle and sayde that he found written in the newe testament that we ought to fast but he neuer fouÌ„d it there writen what dayes we should faste Therfore the time is free to all christians by the scripture to eat or not eat but they must eat so soberly euerye day as though they fasted and see that they surfet not Montanus an hereticke was the first that made lawes for fasting and they like good children make it heresy to breake their dayes or fast otherwayes than they appoint There be ii sortes of fasting from meat whiche we be bound vnto The one voluntary whan we fele our selues by to muche eatinge giuen to anye kinde of sin than the fleshe must be bridled by abstinence that it rebell not against the spirit but the minde may more frely serue the lorde The other is by commaundement on suche dayes as be appointed by commen order of the countrye wherein we must beware that we be not breakers of polities These kindes of fasting stande in outwarde disciplyne and are to be obserued with fredom of consciens so farre as the helthe of the bodye maye beare and supersticion be not maintayned There is a. iii. sort whiche Esai speakes of that standes not in forbearynge meates onely but in exercisinge the workes of mercy Is this the fast that I choose sais the Lorde that a man shoulde punishe him selfe pynche hys belye and pull downe himselfe so that for hunger and paine he crie out or fall into sickenes that he wrythe and lappe hys heade in huddes and Kercheffes No says the Lorde but thys is the fast that I haue chosen bring the poore and straungers to thy house feede the hungrye clothe the naked c. God is not delyted with a hungrye belly for meat but wyth the soule that hungers for his righteousnesse Furthermore this generall kinde of fastinge whiche standes in forbearynge fleshe and eatynge but one meale a daye to many it is no grefe nor a bridelinge to the lust of the flesh Some loue fyshe so well that they had rather feede of that than of other meat and some haue so weake stomackes or lyue so ydle lyues that they can scarce dygest one meale a daye Agayne other some haue so costlye and greate dinners that they eat more at that one dynner than the poore man can get at three scamlinges on a day Therefore I can not say that he punishes his bodye by abstinence that eates fyshe whyche he loues nor that for weakenes of stomacke can not eat more althoughe his appetite desire it nor he that gorges himselfe so ful at one meale that he can not be hungry of a whole daye after Hard it is therfore to appoint to euerye particuler manne what whan or how seldome he shal eate when he fastes but bicause generally euery man loues flesh better than fishe and eates twise a daye at the least generallye it was well appointed in fasting to forbeare flesh and eate but ones a daye thoughe it faile in many particulers Therfore whan anye is to be charged with breaking his fast the person is to be considerd whither he may doe it with the health of his body the kinde of fastynge whether it be supersticious to bye forgeuenes of sinnes and righteousnesse the time that it be not wyth Iewyshe obseruatyon of daies and the meate it selfe that it be not thought vnclean by nature and vnlawfull and the cause that it be for taminge the fleshe and not to compound with God or bargaine that
the xxxii yeare of king Henrye the first Of this kinred came that goodlye impe Tho. Beket In the yeare M. C. xxxvii and the first yeare of kynge Steuen began a fire at London bridge and burned all the Citye and Churche of Paules vnto ye come out at Temple barre to Saint Clementes church whiche was than called the Danes churche In the yeare M. iii. lxxxii and the xxi daye of Maye with a greate earth quake through the Realme the crosse in Paules Church yard was ouerthrowen in the. vi yere of Richard the. ii To the bylding of that crosse againe Willyam than Byshoppe of Cantorb gathered greate summes of money and enriched him selfe And because menne should be more willinge and liberal to giue he the rest of such holy Byshops graunted manye dayes of pardon to theym that would frely geue money to the bilding of that crosse again Cantor grauÌ„ted xl days London Ely Bathe Chichester Carleil LaÌ„daff Bangor euery one xl dayes the summe in all iii. C. rr dayes of pardon but not one dodkin of money came out of their purse All which thinges and more the Deane of Paules declared wel at the crosse out of the recordes of their church and Citye iii. yeare afore Lanfranc was made Byshoppe of Cantorb as Legenda sanctorum writes the hole city of Cantor almost and Christs church there was burned vp with fire in the beginninge of Willyam conquerours days Polychr tels lib. vii ca. iiii that a great piece of London and Paules Churche with the principall Cities of Englande were burned Ca. vii he sais a whirle winde threw downe a. C. houses in London and many churches also lib. viii ca. i. Basil a great Citie with many towres fel with earthquake in Edward the. iii. days and in Naples xl thousande were killed Ca. xâ—viii on Candelmas euen in mid winter Paules steple was burned wyth lyghtninge in the tyme of Henrye vi Ca. xxii the church of DurraÌ„ likewise about xl yere sins w t many other like But why shuld I stand to proue that which euerye man knowes to be true if he be of any lerning knowledge as thoughe it were a doubt or straunge thing What great town or church can ye recken within the realme or w tout almost that hais not sufferd the lyke why shuld we thaÌ„ meruail of this cal to remembrans y e late dais of popery here w e vs not vii yere sins see what horrible stormes thunders and lightninges was here by Notingam where houses Churches belles woodes and loden cartes were ouerthrowen and caried awaye But he sais these chaunced some in time of Ciuill warre and not all with fire from heauen What than what helpes that his case all were in the time of poperye and many mo like And thoughe all these were not wyth fire from heauen yet it is as great a token of Goddes anger as well as the other or more Sais not Dauid Fire haile snowe yse and windy stormes do his coÌ„maundement If they do his commaundement than the one is his doing aswell as the other Does not god rule the earth as well as the heauen These fires from heauen chaunce more seldom than the other and therefore more fearfull whan they come yet these on earth obey his word as well as the other and are not done withoute him And not without a cause it maye be a token of gods greater anger to punish vs rather with those thinges that be daily among vs and were ordeyned to serue vs for our helth than to corect vs with those that fall so seldome and are made to feare vs and declare Gods great fearefull maiestie But this greues him to call that the time of supersticion ignoraunce whan God was serued night and daye so deuoutly as he thinkes and euery one liued quietly without reasoning of y e scripture and beleued what so euer the pope sent them serued god after their owne diuise not as god himselfe taught the so that the belly were ful al was wel thoughe they maintained ideli lubbers which was no more almes afore god thaÌ„ their praitinge was praying For their munkishe night prayer how vain lippe labour it was and mumbled vp of an vnlearned sort I said inough afore and declared how farre it differed from true prayer but this is that maye not be borne whan the people haue the scripture in their owne tonge for than they are able to tell the Priestes their dutye and correcte their supersticious Idolatry It skilles not muche thoughe the Papistes would haue the people to liue in blyndnesse still for in that the Pope and the Turke agrees well that their people shalbe vnlerned and vnderstand nothing but what so euer it pleases the Priestes to teach them which is neither much nor good but God in his word the auncient fathers in their writinges do teache christian people otherwaies Dauid sais the father shoulde declare his truth to their children Moyses sais Aske thy father and he will tel thee demaunde of the elders and they will declare vnto thee Paul sais wiues if they woulde know any thing let them aske their husbandes at home If fathers must teache their children and children learne of their fathers and wyues of their husbandes howe shoulde eyther party be ignoraunt Ierom. sais men are wont women are wont and Munkes are wont to striue amonge themselues who should learne most scriptures and thinks them best that learnes most but he learned most that does most Chriso in his xxxi Homily on S. Ioan rebukes the people that were so vnwillinge to learne the scriptures seing the woman of Samaria of whom there he writes was so desirous that at home in their houses they hadde Tables and Chesses rather than bookes and if they had anye bookes they were not occupied c. In his ii Homilie on Matth. In declaringe howe the scriptures refresh the minde as a holesome aer does the bodye he moues them to the readinge of it and rebukes theym that saye it belonges to munkes and Priestes to read it and studie it and not to the people Thus in corners these ennemyes of god and hys woorde woulde drawe the people from their saluation and woulde make them beleue that it were not their duty to learne What blindnes is this to thinke ignoraunce better than learninge and blindnes than sight Saint Paul sais the Gospel of God is the power of god to saue them that beleue Saint Ia. sais the worde of god is able to saue oure soules Than surelye those theues that woulde robbe Gods people of Gods worde woulde robbe theym of their saluation by christ and sell theym such filthye salues as the Pope woulde heale his scabbed shepe withall whiche stinkes in Gods sight Christ oure lorde sais if the blinde leade the blinde bothe fall into the ditch than it is not inough to saye Sir Iohn our Priest taught me thus For
as the succession of good kinges standes not onely in enioyinge the landes goodes possessions and pleasures of the Realme but in the painefull ministrynge of iustyce defendinge hys subiects from straungers maintaining the good and punishinge the euill by holsome and godly lawes so standes the succession of the Church not in miters palaces landes or lordships but in teachinge true doctrine and roting out the contrarye by sharpe discipline to correct thoffendours and godly exhortacion to stirre vp the slouthfull and encourage the good to raise them that be fallen by comfortable promises to strengthen them that stande and bring home them that runne astraye He that does these is the true successour of the Prophetes and Apostles though he liue in wildernes as Elias did Or be tied in cheanes as Peter and Paule He that does not is not their successour in dede but in name onlye though he haue the Popes blessinge cruche and miter landes and palaces halowinges and blessinges or all that the Pope hais deuised for hys Prelates To be a Byshop is to be an officer a ruler a guide a teacher of Gods flocke in Gods Church and to be a true successour in a Bishopricke is to succede in like paines care and diligent regarde of Gods people Is he an officer that does not his office nay surelye but onelye in name for he is a thefe in his office and an vsurrer that takes the profet and not the paine An office standes properlye in doynge the duty of it and not in talkinge of it settinge in deputies bearinge a shewe bragge and face of a Byshop Whan they can bring Thapostles doctrine or life for example to be like their life and teachinge they maye say they folowe Thapostles but because they seeke to be Lordes ouer the flocke contrary to Peters doctrine and be enemies to the Gospell and murtherers of the professours of it they be traitours to their lorde God What does Tertul. make for his pourpose If he walk not in his fathers steppes sais he he is a bastard Content who be the fathers surely Thapostles for in his time the Pope had no such autority nor ther were any such horned cattell of the Popes made Bishoppes Proue than that the Pope walkes in Thapostles steps and we will reuerence him Surelye he is like no Apostle except Iudas these Popish Prelates so as the father is suche is the sonne Iudas solde and betrayed his maister for xxx pieces of syluâ—r and our Papistes sel their purgatory for xxx grotes the price of a trental Or â—ls for their pleasure I will graunt theym some thing The Pope maye be like to Peter in suche case as christ our lord said to him go after me Satan for thou vnderstandes not the thynges of god Peter was ambitious and therfore our Lorde cald him deuill and bade him go backe so the Pope desiringe to be aboue all folowes the deuill his father and therefore we maye iustlye saye to them with Christ â–ª come after me thou deuill But I put case a manne shoulde graunt that the fathers which Tertul. speakes of be the popes in dede of Ro. what thaÌ„ what makes it for this mans purpose Tertul. liued within C. lxxvii yeres after christs death why thaÌ„ proue that any of these popes and their trashe whiche he esteames so highlye to be of that autoritie and auncientye that he woulde and than lette him beginne to crake some thing He is not able to do it XXX of the first popes which liued almost iii. C. yeres after Christ were persecuted sufferd death for their religion liued in caues and had none of the rialtie of the worlde but were subiectes to princes accordinge to their dutye than these latter proude popes that woulde rule bothe God and the world by Tertullians saying be bastardes and folow not their auncient fathers the first popes And thus he hais brought a good reason agaynst hym selfe Does Cyprian make anye more for his purpose Marke his woordes and iudge They that be made Byshoppes sayes he oute the order of the Churche and not by tradicion of Thappostles by succession are not Bishops but theues c. I am content to be iudged by these wordes I proued afore by Paule and Timothe by Dyonise c. that the order by whiche oure Byshops and Priestes are made nowe is more agreeing to the order of the churche in Ciprians time and tradition of Thapostles than that misorder wherby the Popish prelates order their clergy Let theÌ„ proue by good writers that their oiling shauing vowing sacrificinge apparel c. was vsed in the Churche in Cyprians time and I submitte my selfe Ciprian was liuinge more than ii C. l. yeare after Christ in whiche time was no suche proud Pope nor Popishe order vsed in the Churche as he requires of vs but onelye suche a simplicitye as I spake of afore Thus like a tolyshe boye he hais gotten a rod to beat him selfe withall God send him more wit Where the sayde Preacher does affyrme greater matters than the burnyng of Paules to haue chaunced in the time of supersticion and ignoraunce as the church of Paules was brent in the first yeare of Steuen and the steple of Paules sette on fyre by lighthing in the tyme of kynge Henrye the vi they that count that to be the time of superstycyon and ignoraunce whan god was serued deuoutly nyght day the people lyued in the feare of god euery one in his own vocation wythout reasonynge and contention of matters of relygion but referred all suche thynges to learned menne in generall counsels and vnyuersyties there to be disputed than was the commaundementes of god and vertue expressed in lyuyng now all is in talke and nothyng in liuing than was prayer now is praytyng than was vertue now is vice than was bildyng vp of Churches houses of religion Hospitals where prayer was had night and daye hospitalitye kept and the poore releued now is pullyng downe and destroyinge such houses where god shoulde be serued hospitality kept and the poore releued By meanes wherof gods glory is destroyed and the commen wealth impoueryshed than was plenty of all thinges nowe is scarcenes Therefore Operibus credite If I shoulde fall into a comparison of the plagues in the time of popecye and the Gospell although both were great yet in supersticious times were the greater Many did not beleue that these other brennynges of Paules were true which the Byshoppe declared whan he spake it openlye there but it was eyther for ignoraunce or malice or both for all these were true as appeares in recordes many mo In the yere of our lorde M. lxxxvii and the vii day of Iuly the Church of Paules and all that was in it with a great part of the City were burned Maurice than beinge byshop of London and the. xxi yeare of Willyam Conquerour In the yeare M. C. xxxii the moste parte of the Citye of London was burned by the fire of Gilbert Beket and in
The burnynge of Paules church in London in the yeare of oure Lord 1561. and the iiii day of Iune by lyghtnynge at three of the clocke at after noone which continued terrible and helplesse vnto nyght VVERE THESE GREATER SINners than the rest No I saye vnto you except ye repent ye shall all lykewyse peryshe Luc. 13. ¶ Imprinted at London by Willyam Seres dwellynge at the west ende of Powles at the Sygne of the Hedge-hog AN ADDICION VVITH AN APpologie to the causes of brinnynge of Paules Church the which causes were vttred at Paules Crosse by the reuerend Bysshop of Duresme the. viii of â—une 1561. ALthough almighty God be pacyente mercifull and longe sufferinge wyllinge all sinners to repent their wickednes to rise from sinne and come to his mercye yet if sinners wil not amend after monition and warninge hadde at the last God strikes sodainly and sore as appeares in the Scripture by Sodom and Gomorra vpon the whyche Cytyes God rayned fire and bremstone wherewith the fyue Cities were destroyed miserably Also Pharao and the Egiptians that wold not be moued by the wordes of Moises and Aaron nor wyth the tenne plages at last were sodainlye drowned in the Sea Also Chore Dathan and Abiron with a greate number of people that woulde not obey the ministration of Aaron and the Priestes appoynted by God but went from them seking a newe waye to serue God part of them were sodenlye swallowed vp of the earth and part brent sodainlye with fire from heauen in the tabernacle After when the people of Hierusalem would not heare the true Prophets of god but would beleue false liyng Prophetes so declined from the steps of Dauid Ezechias and Iosias which walked in the feare of god â–ª bicause they forsoke their fathers steps and fell to Idolatrye the Temple was brent the Citie destroyed and the people taken Captiues to Babilon Also our sauiour Christ for the tender â–ª loue he had to mankind came into this world by his doâ—trine he gathered xij Apostles Disciples a great multitude of people in one vnity of faith sanctified them his church by his precious bloud sheding committing the rule and gouernment of his Churche to the Byshops after his Ascencion he sende the holye Ghost in Hierusalem in lykenes of firie tongues amonge the Apostles and streight waye they preached as the holy Ghost taught them and there in Hierusalem Saint Peter conuerted a great multitude to the faith which faith at Hierusalem was first taught declared vpon by a counsel of the Apostles and Seniors there Saint Iames being Bishop and afterwarde the same faith was taught in all landes as the Prophet Dauid sayes In omnem terram exiuâ—t sonus eorum The faith of Christes Church hath bene from time to time establyshed by generall councels the whiche faith what Countrye so euer hath forsaken it hath bene miserably scourged and plaged as about fourtie yeares after the Assention of our Sauiour Christ bicause the Iues would not abide in that religion that was decreed by the Apostles and walke in their steps miserably Hierusalem was plaged with fire pestilence famine battell and murther Also in all other Countries as wel with the Grekes as other partes of the world when the people haue declyned from the feare of God forsakinge the steppes of blessed fathers miserably they haue bene plaged And in Englande where the faith of Christe and true religion was planted about the yeare of oure Lord. Cixxxij by Elutherius Pope sending Legates to Lucius then Kinge of Englande whiche conuerted this Realme to the fayth and establysshed true religion in Englande whiche continued CC. yeares but when the people dyd declyne from the feare of God and the steps of God and blessed fathers they came to greate calamitye and misery by the scourge of God Cadwaliader last kinge of the Britans did confesse by the hand of God with pestilence and famine they were dryuen out of this lande After that againe this land beinge inhabyted wyth Saxons beynge pamius Saint Gregorye Pope of Rome aboute the yeare of our Lorde God D. xcv sent Saint Augustine and other Monkes wyth hym into Englande Ethelbert being king and then Saint Augustine and his company by their doctrine and vertuous liuinge planted the faith and so establyshed a true religion in England the which faith and religion euer when the people haue declyned from it they haue felde great calamities as wel by the hande of God as by the conquest of the Danes and after by the Normans and sith the conquest from time to time God hath plaged this Realme for Synne and infidelitye And nowe whether the people of this Realme be declyned from the steps of Saint Augustine and other blessed fathers and Saintes which had Masse and seuen Sacramentes in the Church and God was honoured night and daye in the Church with deuine seruyce I thinke there is no man so simple but he may easely perceiue except malice haue blynded his heart As in Saint Paules Church in London by the decrees of blessed fathers euery night at midnight they had Mattines all the fore noone Masses in the Church with other deuine seruice and contynuall prayer and in the steple Antimes and prayers were hadde certayne tymes but consider howe farre nowe contrarye the Churche hais bene vsed and it is no maruaile yf God haue sende downe fire to brinne parte of the Churche as a signe of his wrath And where a reuerende Byshop at Paules crosse did exhort the people to to take the brinninge of Paules to be a warninge of a greater plage to folowe to the Citye of London if amendment of life be not had in all estates it was well said but we muste adde Accidentem ad deum opportet credere the Scripture sais he that will come to God muste first beleue Saint Paule sais without faith it is impossible to please God and the Prophet Hieremi saith by the sprite of God speakinge State super vias interrogate de semitis antiquis que sit bona ambulate in ea inuenietis refrigerium animabus vestris that is stand vppon the wayes of blessed fathers and consider and aske of the olde pathes and highe wayes which is the good way and walke therin and ye shal finde refreshing to youre soules First searche whether the faith and religion nowe vsed was taught with the blessed fathers in Chrystes Church in times past ye shal proue by no recorde of authoritie or Chronicle that this maner of seruice now vsed in the Churche was euer hard tell of afore Luthers time which is not xl yeares old Therefore it is to be reiected and put awaye as a newe fangled doctrine and scismaticall therefore come backe againe into the old fathers steppes as well in faith and religion as godlye conuersation and liuinge or a greater plage is at hande Also where the said Preacher did recite certain abuses of the said Church as talking biyng and