men The litterall sense killeth say sophisters The letter killeth expound this To loue the law is righteousnes The litterall sense is spirituall What is to be sought in y â— Scripture and in the litteâ—… sense The story of Ruben Swearâ— they by their honour thâ—â— are they not ready to suffer shame for Christes sake The adultery of Dauid The difference betwen gods sinners the deuils Nos The Pope is likened to Ham. They will to heauen by away of their owne makyng The vse of similitudes A similitude without Scripture is a sure token of a false Prophet Paul preached not worldly wisedome Similitudes and reasons of mans wisdome make no faith but waueryng opinions onely Goddes word maketh surâ— fayth for God can not lye Peter preached not fables and false similitudes but the playne Scripture ☞ Schole do 〈◊〉 Similitudes are no good argumentes among the sophisters owne selfe We must â—ure our in 〈…〉 with the remedies that God hath ordeined not tempt god What 〈…〉 ☞ ☜ In expoundyng of the Scripture we must haue a respect vnto the liuyng and practising of Christ and of his Apostles and Prophetes The scripture was geuen to leade vs vnto Christ ☞ Settes or orders Couetousnes desire of honour is the ende of all false doctrine and that which false prophets seke Purgatory Pardons Praying to saintes Confession An example of false expouÌ„ding y â— scriptures Christ the â—ayth and Gods word is the rocke and not the Pope The auctority of Peters successour â—o but to preach That expositioÌ„ to false which is agaynst thâ— oâ—en scripture or agaynst thâ— practising of Christ and of hys Apostles Binding 〈◊〉 lowsing is one power What Iesus signifieth What bynding meaneth What cursing meaneth What lowsing meaneth ☜ The Pope is Robyn goodfelow Of our selues we can performe nothâ—ng further theÌ„ God â—…ll geue vs power Another example To sit on Christes seaâ—e is to preach and confesse Christ Christ rebuked desire of preheminence in his Disciples but the Pope chalengeth it aboue all men as hyâ—… owne inheritaunce Fathers fathers Miracles miracles The womaÌ„ of Lemster was a solempne miracle The armour of the spiritualtie The armour of a Christe maÌ„ is Gods word and fayth ☜ Gods woorde about all mens iudge mentes Fryers be not bound to preach How God ought to be serued In Christ to rest of conscience onely Do good deedes and trust in Christ Gods worde is the rule of childreÌ„ seruauntes wyues subiectes â—o please God â—o to beleue hys promises to loue hys commaundementes He that will aueÌ„ge robbeth God of his honour How 〈◊〉 soeuer the kyng is 〈…〉 vnto thâ—… great gift of God The Pope hath a law that none of his sprites may be suerty The kyng is but a seruaunt to execute the lawes of God How farre a kyng ought to seeke at his commons handes Note 4 Confession The manifolde enormities which their auricular confession did breede The Pope and his chapteyns were the fountaines of all euils in spiritualâ— regiment or teÌ„porall Vnder an outwarde pretence of Gods honor the poâ—â—â— Clergie procured their owne dignitie The keepyng down of Gods word promoted the Popes spiritualties honour The Byshop of Rochester as a fit paterna to 〈…〉 â—ll y ◠〈…〉 aâ—… The cause why kings coulde not come to the knowledge of y â— truth Miracles are done by fayth and not by ceremonies The vse of Allegories The vse of similitudes â–ª To digge the welles of AbrahaÌ„ is to open and to make plaine the scriptures which is the kingdome of God Abrahams welles The kingdome of heauen what it 〈◊〉 Moses face The keye what it is The lawe is the way that leadeth to Christ Lawe what her office is The law 〈…〉 â—â—reth sinne condemneth our deedes drinketh vs to Christ Moses 〈◊〉 the law but Christ onely geueth grace to do it and vnderstand it aright The 〈◊〉 serâ—ent Num. 〈◊〉 The 〈◊〉 〈…〉 contraâ—… peâ—acioâ—s The 〈◊〉 â—ure 〈◊〉 is looked vp Christ is the doore the way and foundation of all the Scriptures When by gloses of out owne imaginacioÌ„ we darken the cleare text of gods word theÌ„ is the Scripture locked by from vs. Christ vsed 〈◊〉 temporal regiment Christ is a gâ—… geuen onely to theÌ„ that loue the law and professe it He that professeth not the law hath 〈…〉 in the promises Workes do not iustifie 2. Cor. 〈◊〉 The law By keepyng the lawe we continue in grace Fayth loue and hope are insepararable in this lyfe They that loue not the law cannot vnderstand the Scripture to saluation Care How God careth for the weake By bearyng eche other weakenes we fulfil the lawe of Christ Rulers why they were ordayned Why God scourgeth hys The conditions of the couenaunt Flesh and spirite Crosse Euill lustes and affections are to be purged with the crosse of Christ To sinne vnder grace and to 〈◊〉 vnder the lawe Lambes Swyne Dogges Swyre haue â—o fayth Dogges loue not the lawe True fayth to coupled with loue to the lawe The difference of faythes and how it is to be vnderstoode fayth iustifieth Fayth of hipocrites fayth of 〈◊〉 The â—ight baptâ—… The church of Christ Whosoeuer derogate any thyng froÌ„ the 〈◊〉 of Christ are not of the church They that haue not the lawe writeâ— in their harts â–ª caÌ„not vnderstand the passion of Christ to saluation A 〈◊〉 re peting What the inward baptisme of the soule iâ— Thau Faith â—ope and charitie are inseperable Faith hope and charitie are knowen one by the other The office of fayth The office of loue The office of hope The anker of our saluation is perfect faith in Christes bloud 1. Pouerth in spirite Riches Neither riches or pouertie exclude or assure vs of Gods blessing Who are poore in spirite is here pithely declared Riche in spirite Couetousnes is a thyng contraris to the worde of God and to the ministers of the same By couetousnes is a false Prophet chiefly knowen 2. Some cry the world is nought not â—or their owne and others iniquitie but for waywardnes they caÌ„ not enioye theyr owne lusles Godlye mournyng As warmeth accoÌ„panieth the sâ—nne so foloweth the crosse a true Christian man K. Iohn Henry the second The promise of Goddes word is y â— coÌ„fort of y â— afflicted in this world for Christs sake Faith is our victory By persecution and death for y â— truthes sake we obteine lyfe get the victory The mourners for righteousnes are saued when God taketh vengeance on y â— vnright 〈◊〉 wise 3. Mekenes possesseth the earth Referre y â— reuenge of thy cause to the Magistrate whoÌ„ God appointeth to forbyd such violence Hundred folde The priuat person may not aduenge but the officer must 4. Righteousnesse How this word righteousnes ought here to be vnderstode Monkes Monkes why they runne into Religion Luc. vi Monkes be cursed 5. To be mercyful what it is how manye wayes mercy may be shewed Monkes Couent Oâ—le Holy oyle must bee aduenged Zeale
of loue which springeth out of Christes bloud into the hartes of all them that haue their trust in him No man needeth to bidde a Christen man to pray if he see his neighbours neede if he see it not put him in remembraunce onely then he can not but do hys dutie Now as touching we desire one an other to pray for vs that do we to put our neighbour in remēbraunce of his dutie not that we trust in his holines Our trust is in God in Christ and in the truth of Gods promises we haue also a promise that when ij or iij. or moe agree together in any thing according to the will of God God heareth vs. Notwithstanding as God heareth many so heareth he fewe and so heareth he one if he pray after the will of God and desire the honour of God He that desireth mercy the same feeleth his owne misery sinne mourneth in his hart for to be deliuered that he might honour God and God for his truth must heare him which sayeth by the mouth of Christ Mat. v. Blessed are they that honger and thyrst after righteousnes for they shall be filled God for his truthes sake must put y t righteousnes of Christ in hym and washe his vnrighteousnes away in the bloud of Christ And be the sinner neuer so weake neuer so feeble and frayle sinne he neuer so oft and so greuous yet so long as thys lust desire and mourning to be deliuered remaineth in him God seeth not his sinnes reckoneth them not for his truthes sake and loue to Christ He is not a sinner in the sight of God that would be no sinner He y t would be deliuered hath his hart loose already His hart sinneth not but mourneth repenteth and consenteth vnto the law will of God and iustifieth God that is beareth record that God which made the lawe is righteous iust And such an hart trusting in Christes bloude is accepted for full righteous And his weakenes infirmitie and frailetie is pardoned and his sinnes not looked vppon vntill God put more strength in him and fulfill his lust When the weake in y t faith vnexpert in the misteries of Christ desire vs to pray for them then ought we to lead them to the truth and promises of God and teach them to put their trust in the promises of God in loue that God hath to Christ and to vs for hys sake and to strength their weake consciences shewing and prouing by the Scripture that as long as they follow the spirite and resiste sinne it is impossible they shoulde fall so deepe that God shall not pull them vp agayne if they holde fast by the anker of fayth hauing trust and confidence in Christ The loue that God hath to Christ is infinite and Christ did and suffered all thinges not for himselfe to obtaine fauour or ought els for he had euer the full fauour of God and was euer Lord ouer all thinges but to reconcile vs to God and to make vs heyres with him of his fathers kingdome And God hath promised that whosoeuer calleth on hys name shall neuer be confounded or ashamed Rom. ix If the righteous fall sayth the Scripture he shall not be broused the Lord shall put his hand vnder him Who is righteous but he that trusteth in Christes bloude be he neuer so weake Christ is our righteousnes and in him ought we to teach all men to trust and to expound vnto all men the Testament that God hath made to vs sinners in Christes bloud This ought we to do and not make a pray of them to leade them captiue to sit in their consciences and to teach them to trust in our holines good deedes and prayers to the entent that we would fede our idle and slow bellies of their great labour and sweate so to make our selues Christes and sauiours For if I take on me to saue other by my merites make I not my selfe a Christ a sauiour am in dede a false Prophet and a true Antichrist and exalt my selfe and sitte in the temple of God that is to wytt the consciences of men Among Christen mē loue maketh all thinges common euery man is others debter and euery mā is bound to minister to his neighbour and to supply his neighbours lacke of that wherewith God hath endued hym As thou seest in the world how the Lordes and officers minister peace in the common wealth punishe murtherers theeues and euill doers and to maintayne their order estate doe the commons minister to them againe rent tribute tole and custome So in the Gospell the curates which in euery parishe preach the Gospell ought of outie to receiue an honest liuing for them and their housholds euē so ought the other officers which are necessarily required in the common wealth of Christ We neede not to vse filthy lucre in the Gospell to chop chainge and to play the Tauernars altering the word of God as they do their wines to their most aduaūtage and to fashion Gods worde after euery mans mouth or to abuse the name of Christ to obtaine thereby authoritie and power to feede our slowe bellies Now seest thou what prayer is the ende thereof and wherfore it serueth If thou geue me a thousand pound to pray for thee I am no more bound then I was before Mans imagination can make the commaundement of God neither greater nor smaller neither can to the lawe of God eyther adde or minishe Gods commaundement is as great as himselfe I am bounde to loue the Turke with all my might and power yea and aboue my power euen from the ground of my hart after the ensample that Christ loued me neither to spare goods body or life to winne him to Christ And what can I doe more for thee if thou gauest me all the world Where I see neede there can I not but pray if Gods spirite be in me Almes is a greke worde and signifieth mercy One Christian is debter to an other at his neede of all that he is able to do for him vntill his neede be sufficed Euery Christian mā ought to haue Christ alwayes before his eyes as an ensample to counterfeite and follow and to do to his neighbour as Christ hath done to him as Paule teacheth in all his epistles and Peter in his first and Iohn in his first also This order vseth Paule in all his Epistles First he preacheth the law proueth that the whole nature of man is damned in that the hart lusteth cōtrary to the will of God For if we were of God no doubt we shoulde haue lust in his will Then preacheth he Christ the Gospell the promises and the mercy that God hath set forth to all men in Christes bloud Which they that beleue take it for an earnest thing turne themselues to God beginne to loue God agayne and to prepare themselues to his will by the
he breake his fathers cōmaundementes though he be not vnder damnatiō yet is he euer child and rebuked and now then lasshed with the rod by the reason wherof he is neuer bold in his fathers presence But y t childe that kepeth his fathers commaūdements is sure of himselfe and bolde in his fathers presence to speake aske what he will They that minister well get them good degree and great confidēce in the fayth that is in Christ Iesu sayth Paule 1. Tim. 3. He that worketh is bold before God and man For hys conscience accuseth hym not within neither haue wee ought to wyte hym withall or to cast in his teeth And as without the sight of the woorkes Iacob the Apostle can not see thy fayth Iaco. 2. no more shalt thou euer be sure or bold before God or man But if our hartes condemne vs God is greater then our hart and knoweth all thyng If our conscience accuse vs of sinne God is so great and so mightie that it can not be hid Dearely beloued if our hartes condemne vs not then we trust to Godward And whatsoeuer wee aske that shall we receaue of him because we keepe his commaundementes and do the thynges whiche are pleasaunt in his sight Kepyng of the commaundementes maketh a man see his fayth and to bee bold therein And fayth when it is without conscience of sinne goeth into God boldly and is strong and mighty in prayer to coniure God by all hys mercyes therewith obtayneth what soeuer hee asketh of all his promises And the text sayth because we kepe his commaundementes Yea verely hys commaundemētes make vs bold But the keepyng of mens traditions and domine ceremonies make vs not bold before God nor certifie our conscience that our faith is vnfayned Thou shalt not know by sprynkling thy selfe with holy water nor kyssing the pax nor with takyng asshes or though thou were annoynted with all the oyle in Thames strete that thy fayth is sure But and if thou couldest finde in thyne hart to bestowe both lyfe and goodes vpon thy neighbour in a iust cause and hast proued it then art thou sure that thou louest Christ and feelest that thou hast thy trust in his bloud And this is his commaundemēt that wee beleue in his sonne Iesus Christ and loue one another as he gaue commaundement Fayth is the first and also the roote of all commaundementes And out of fayth spryngeth loue and out of loue workes And when I breake any commaundemēt I sinne agaynst loue For had I loued I had not done it And when I sinne agaynst loue I sinne agaynst fayth For had I earnestly and with a full trust remembred the mercy that Christ hath shewed me I must haue loued Wherefore when we haue broken any commaundement there is no other way to bee restored agayne thē to go through repētaunce vnto our fayth agayne and aske mercy for Christes sake And assoone as we haue receaued faith that our sinne is forgiuen wee shall immediatly loue the commaundemēt agayne and through loue receaue power to worke And he that keepeth his commaundemētes abideth in him and he in hym And hereby we knowe that there dwelleth in vs of hys spirite which he gaue vs. Through the woorkes we are sure that we continue in Christ and Christ in vs and that his spirite dwelleth in vs. For his spirite it is that kepeth vs in fayth and through fayth in loue and through loue in workes The fourth Chapter DEarely beloued beleue not euery spirit but proue the spirits whether they bee of God For many false Prophetes are gone out into the world Spirites are taken here for preachers because of the preachyng or doctrine which if it be good is of the spirite of God and if it be euill of the spirite of the deuill Now ought we not to beleue euery mans doctrine vnaduisedly or condeinne any mans preachyng yer it be heard and sene what it is But a Christen mās part is to examine iudge trie it whether it be true or no. Quench not the spirit saith Paul i. Thess the last Neither despise prophesiynges but proue all thyng and kepe that whiche is good Destroy not the giftes of the spirite of God but trie whether they be of God and good for the edifiyng of his congregation and keepe that whiche is good and refuse that whiche is euill And suffer euery person that hath any gift of God to serue God therin in his degree and estate after a Christen maner and a due order Why shall we try the doctrines Verely for there bee many false Prophetes abroad already We told you before that Antichrist should come as our master Christ told vs that he shuld come But now I certify you that Antichristes kyngdome is begon already And his Disciples are gone out to preache Trie therefore all doctrine wherewith shall we trie it with the doctrine of the Apostles and with the Scripture which is the touchstone ye and because ye loue compendiousnes ye shall haue a short rule to trie them with all Hereby knowe ye the spirite of God Euery spirite that confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the fleshe is of God And euery spirite that cōfesseth not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God And the same is that spirite of Antichrist of whō ye haue heard that he should come And euen now he is in the world already Whatsoeuer opinion any member of Antichrist holdeth the ground of all his doctrine is to destroy this article of our fayth that Christ is come in the flesh For though the most part of all heretickes confesse that Christ is come in the flesh after their maner yet they deny that he is come as the Scripture testifieth the Apostles preached hym to be come The whole study of the deuill and all his members is to destroy the hope and trust that we should haue in Christes flesh and in those thynges which he suffered for vs in his flesh in the Testament and promises of mercy which are made vs in his flesh For the scripture testifieth that Christ hath taken away the sinne of the world in his flesh and that the same houre that he yelded vp his spirite into the hands of his father hee had full purged and made full satisfaction for all the sinnes of the world So that all the sinne of the worlde both before his passion and after must be put away through repentaunce toward the law and fayth and trust in his bloud without respect of any other satisfactiō sacrifice or worke For if I once sinne the law rebuketh my consciēce and setteth variaunce betwene God and me And I shal neuer be at peace with God agayne vntill I haue heard the voyce of hys mouth how that my sinne is forgiuen me for Christes bloud sake And assoone as I that beleue I am at peace with God Rom. v. and loue his law agayne and of loue
that we should haue confidence in the day of Iudgement Howsoeuer this text sounde this me thinketh should be the meanyng that we should prouoke ech other to loue and euer haue those examples of edifieng before our eyes that should most moue vs to loue For perfite loue serueth to make a man bold because it is the kepyng of the cōmaundements And therfore he that is perfect in loue when hee seith hym selfe yet in this world to be vnto his neyghbour as God is vnto hym and to be lyke hys heauenly father in all example of kyndnesse is bold in the presence of God yea though he come to iudge synners When on the other side they that continue euer in their wickednes grow not in loue fall often And therefore their cōscience euer accuseth them and putteth them in feare by the reason of the fresh memory of the offence that they can not at once be bold though they haue neuer so great promises of mercy There is no feare in loue But perfect loue casteth out feare For feare hath paynefulnes He therefore that feareth is not perfect in loue Loue is not paynefull but maketh all thyng easie and pleasaunt feare of punishmēt for y e trespasse newly committed is paynefull Therfore where loue is perfect there is no such feare Loue is the fulfillyng of all commaundementes And therfore where loue is perfect there is no sinne And where consciēce doth not accuse of sinne there is faith bold to go into God to stand before hym and looke hym in the face and to coniure him by all his mercies and to aske the petitions of his desire Lacke of loue is the breakyng of the commaundements and cause of sinne And where the conscience accuseth of sinne their fayth is abashed dismayed ashamed affrayed to go in for feare of rebuke Loue therefore serueth to make a man bold in the day of iudgement and in all temptations Iohn speaketh not generally of all maner feare but of that onely whiche the consciēce of sinne putteth a man in For diuers feares there be that accompany loue and grow as she doth The more a woman loueth her child the more she careth for it and feareth lest ought should chaunce it a misse Euen so the more we loue our brethren the more we care for them and feare lest any temptation should trouble them As Paule sayth ij Cor. xj who is sicke and I am not sicke who is offended or hurt and mine hart burneth not How cared he for Timothe for Titus and for all that were weake for the Corinthians Galathiās and for all congregations and how diligently wrote he to them in his absence and the more we loue God the more diligent and circumspect are we that we offēde hym not And tell me I pray thee whosoeuer hast had experience what a payne and grief yea and what a freatyng coresey is it vnto the hart of a true louer of God to here the poyson generation of vipers the pestilent sect of hypocritish Phariseis wittingly and willingly to blaspheme and rayle on the open and manifest truth of the holy ghost If ye will see how bold loue is go to Moyses Exod. 32. and Numeri 14. And there behold how hee coniureth God and amōg all sayth Forgiue this people or put me out of the booke that thou hast written As who should say they be thy people and thou commaūdest me to loue them And for thy sake I loue them and teach them and care for them as a mother that had borne them and loue them no lesse then my selfe Wherfore if thou loue me as thou promisest me then saue them with me or if not thē cast me away with them and let me haue such part as they take And Paule sayd asmuch Roma ix Looke vpō worldly loue and see what pageantes she playeth now and then and how dronken a thyng it is and be sure where the loue of God is perfect she will not onely go betwene bodely death and her louer but also betwene hym and hell If a man would take of this that a man might be so perfect in this lyfe that he might not be perfecter it would not folow For though the spirite at a tyme get the vpper hand of the flesh wynneth her self to God that she can not tell whether she be in the body or no yet the flesh will pull her downe agayn and not let her continue and now and thē plucke of some of her feathers for mountyng so hygh againe For Moses fell through vnbelefe well inough after that seruentnes We loue hym because he loued vs first We deserue not y e loue of God first but he deserueth our loue and loueth vs first to wynne vs and to make vs his frendes of his enemyes And as soone as we beleue his loue we loue agayne And so fayth is mother of all loue And as great as my fayth is so great is loue though fayth can not be perfectly sene but through the workes of loue and in the fire of temptation If a man say I loue God and hateth his brother he is a lyer For how cā he that loueth not his brother whom he seeth loue God whō he seeth not And this commaūdemēt haue we of him that he which loueth God loue his brother also To loue a mans neighbour in God is a sure rule to know that we loue God and not to loue him is a sure token that we loue not God and to hate our neighbour is to hate God For to loue God is to do hys commaundements as Christ sayth Iohn xv ye are my louers if ye do those thinges which I haue commaūded you and the commaūdemēt is to loue our neighbours then he that loueth not his neighbour loueth not God And likewise to hate the commaundement is to hate God that commaunded it and the cōmaundement is to loue our neighbours hee then that hateth his brother whō God biddeth hym loue hateth God The fift Chapter ALl that beleue that Iesus is Christe are borne of God And al that loue him whiche begat loue hym that is begotten of him In this wee knowe that wee loue the sonnes of God when we loue God and kepe his commaundementes For this is the loue of God that we kepe his commaundementes This is a sure cōclusion that we be borne of God through fayth And that fayth maketh vs Gods sonnes in that we beleue that Iesus is Christ as the first chapter of Iohn also testifieth hee gaue them power to be the sonnes of God in that they beleued in his name What it is to beleue that Iesus is Christe may bee vnderstand by that which is aboue rehearsed It is a farre other thyng then as the deuill beleued it agaynst his will and to hys greate payne or as they beleue it which to fulfil their sinne enuie the glory of Christ and persecute his Gospell forbydding to preach
28. the auoyding of all threatenynges and curses of which thou readest likewyse euery where but specially in the two bookes aboue rehearsed and the auoiding of all punishment ordeyned for the transgressours of the law And the olde Testament was builte altogether vpoÌ„ the kepyng of the lawe and ceremonies and was the rewarde of kepyng them in this lyfe onely and reached no farther then this lyfe this world As thou readest Leuit. 18. A maÌ„ that doth them shall lyue therin which text Paule reherseth Rom. 10. Gal. 3. That is he that keepeth them shall haue his lyfe glorious according to all the promises and blessings of the law and shal auoyde both all temporal punishments of the law all the threatnynges and cursinges also For neyther the lawe of the tenne commaundementes nor yet the ceremonies iustified in the hart before God or purified vnto the lyfe to come In so much that Moses at his death euen fourtye yeares after the lawe and ceremonies were geuen complaineth saying God hath not geuen you an hart to vnderstande nor eyes to see nor eares to heare vnto this day As who shoulde haue sayd God hath geuen you ceremonies but ye knowe not the vse of them and hath geuen you a lawe but god hath not writen it in your hartes Wherfore serueth the law then if it geue vs no power to do the law Paul answereth them that it was geuen to vtter sinne onely and to make it appeare As a corosie is layd vnto an old sore not to heale it but to stirre it vp and make the disease alyue that a man myght feele in what â—eopardie he is how nye death and not aware and to make a way vnto the healing playster Euen so sayth Paul Gal. 3. The law was geuen bycause of transgression that is to make the sinne alyue that it might be felt and sene vntill the seede came vnto whome it was promised that is to saye vntill the children of fayth came or vntill Christ that sede in whom God promised Abraham that all natioÌ„s of the world should be blessed came That is the law was geuen to vtter sinne death damnation and cursse and to driue vs vnto Christ in whom forgeuenes lyfe iustifiyng and blessynges were promised that we might see so great loue of God to vs ward in Christ that we hence forth ouercome with kindnes might loue agayne and of loue kepe the commaundementes Now he that goeth about to quiet his conscieÌ„ce and to iustifie him selfe with the law doth but heale hys woundes with freatyng coroseis And hee that goeth aboute to purchase grace with ceremonies doth but sucke the ale pole to quench his thyrst in as much as the ceremonies were not geuen to iustifie the hart but to signifie the iustifiyng and forgeuenesse that is in Christes bloud Of the ceremonies that they iustifie not thou readest Hebr. x. It is impossible that sinne should be done away with the bloud of Oxen and Goates And of the law thou readest Galla. iij. If there had bene a lawe geuen that could haue quickened or geuen lyfe then had righteousnes or iustifiyng come by the lawe in deede Now the law not onely quickeneth not the hart but also woundeth it with conscience of sinne and ministreth death and damnation vnto her ij Cor. iij. So that she must nedes dye and be damned except she find other remedy So farre it is of that she is iustified or holpen by the law The new Testament is those euerlastyng promises whiche are made vs in Christ the Lorde throughout all the the Scriptures And that Testament is built on fayth and not in workes For it is not said of that Testament He that worketh shall lyue but he that beleueth shall lyue As thou readest Iohn iij. God so loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten sonne that none that beleue in hym should perishe but haue lyfe euerlastyng And when this Testament is preached and beleued the spirit entreth the hart and quickeneth it geueth it life iustifieth her The spirite also maketh the law a liuely thyng in the hart so that a man bringeth foorth good workes of his owne accord without compulsion of the lawe without feare of threatenynges or cursings yea and without all maner respect or loue vnto any teÌ„porall pleasure but of the very power of the spirite receiued thorough fayth as thou readest Iohn i. He gaue them power to be the sonnes of God in that they beleued on his name And of that power they worke so that he which hath the spirit of Christ is now no more a child he neither learneth nor worketh any loÌ„ger for payne of y t rod or for feare of bugges or pleasure of apples but doth all thynges of his owne courage As Christe sayeth Iohn vij He that beleueth on me shall haue riuers of liuyng waters flowyng out of hys belly That is all good workes and all giftes of grace sprynge out of hym naturally and by their owne accord Thou nedest not to wrest good woorkes out of hym as a man would wryng veriuce out of crabbes Nay they flowe naturally out of hym as sprynges out of rockes The new TestameÌ„t was euer euen from the begynnyng of the world For there were alwaies promises of Christ to come by fayth in which promises the elect were then iustified inwardly before God as outwardly before the world by kepyng of the law and ceremonies And in conclusion as thou seest blessynges or cursynges folowe the breaking or keping of the law of Moyses euen so naturally do the blessynges or cursynges folowe the breakyng of keping of the law of nature out of which spryng all our temporall lawes So that when the people kepe the temporall lawes of their land temporal prosperitie and all maner of such temporall blessynges as thou readest of in Moyses do accompany them and fall vpon them And contrarywise when they sinne vnpunished and when the rulers haue no respect vnto equitie or honestie then God sendeth his cursse among them as hunger dearth morein bannyng pestilence warre oppression with straunge and wonderful diseases and new kyndes of misfortune and euill lucke If any man aske me seing that faith iustifieth me why I worke I aunswere Loue coÌ„pelleth me For as loÌ„g as my soule feeleth what loue GOD hath shewed me in Christ I can not but loue God agayne and his wil and commaundements and of loue worke them hor can they seme hard vnto me I thinke not my selfe better for my woorkyng nor seeke heauen nor an higher place in heaueÌ„ bycause of it For a ChristiaÌ„ worketh to make his weake brother perfecter and not to seeke an higher place in heauen I compare not my selfe vnto hym that woorketh not No hee that worketh not to day shall haue grace to turne and to woorke to morow and in the meane tyme I pitie hym and pray for hym If I had wrought the will of
passion Peter was angry and rebuked Christ and thought earnestly that he had raued and not wist what he sayde as at another time when Christ was so feruently busied in healyng the people that he had no leisure to eat they went out to hold him supposing that he had bene beside hymselfe And one that cast out diuels in Christes name they forbade because he wayted not on them so glorious were they yet And though Christ taught alway to forgeue yet Peter after long goyng to schole asked whether men should forgeue seuen tymes thinkyng that viij tymes had bene to much And at the last supper Peter would haue dyed with christ but yet within few houres after he denyed him both cowardly and shamefully And after the same maner though he had so long heard that no man might auenge him self but rather turne the other cheeke to then to smite agayne yet when Christ was in takyng Peter asked whether it were lawful to smite with the sword and taried none aunswere but layed on rashly So that though when we come first vnto knowledge of the truth and the peace is made betwene God and vs and we loue his lawes and beleue and trust in him as in our father and haue good hartes vnto him and be borne a new in the spirite yet we are but childrē and young scholers weake and feble and must haue leysure to grow in the spirite in knowledge loue and in the ded◅ therof as young children must haue tyme to grow in their bodies And God our father and scholemaster feedeth vs and teacheth vs accorcordyng vnto the capacitie of our stomackes and maketh vs to grow and waxe perfect and fineth and trieth vs as gold in the fire of temptations and tribulations As Moyses witnesseth Deutero viij saying Remember all the way by whiche the Lord thy God caried thee this xl yeares in the wildernesse to humble thee and to tempte or prouoke thee y t it might be knowen what were in thine hart He brought thee into aduersitie and made thee an hungred then fed thee with Manna which neither thou nor yet thy fathers euer knew of to teach that man lyueth not by bread onely but by all that procedeth out of the mouth of GOD. For the promises of God are lyfe vnto all that cleaue vnto them muche more then breade and bodyly sustenaunce as the iourney of the children of Israell out of Egipt into the land promised them ministreth thee notable ensamples and that aboundantly as doth all the rest of the Bible also Howbeit it is impossible for flesh to beleue and to trust in the truth of Gods promises vntil he haue learned it in much tribulation after that God hath deliuered him out therof agayne God therefore to teach Ionas and to shew him his owne hart to make him perfect and to instruct vs also by his ensample sent him out of the lande of Israell where he was a Prophet to go among the heathen people and to the greatest and mightiest Citie of the world then called Niniue to preache that within xl dayes they should all perish for their sinnes and that the Citie should be ouerthrowen Whiche message the free will of Ionas had as much power to doe as the weakest harted womā in the world ▪ hath power if◅ were commaunde◅ to leape int◅e of lyuyng snakes and adders as happely if God had cōmaunded Sara to haue sacrificed her sonne Isaa◅ as he did Abraham she would haue disputed with him yer shee had done it or though she were strong enough yet many an holy Saint could not haue founde in their hartes but would haue runne away from the presence of the commaundement of God with Ionas if they had bene so strongly tempted For Ionas thought of this maner loe I am here a Prophet vnto Gods people the Israelites Whiche though they haue Gods worde testified vnto them dayly yet despise it and worshyp God vnder the likenesse of calues and after all maner fashions saue after hys owne word and therfore are of all nations the worst and most worthy of punishment And yet God for loue of fewe that are among them and for his names sake spareth and defendeth them How then should GOD take so cruel vengeaunce on so great a multitude of them to whō hys name was neuer preached to and therfore are not the tenth part so euill as these If I shall therfore go preach so shal I laye and shame my selfe and God thereto make them the more to dispise God and set the lesse by him and to bee the more cruell vnto his people And vpon that imagination he fled from the face or presence of God that is out of the coūtrey where God was worshipped in and from the prosecutyng of Gods commaundement and thought I will get me an other way among the heathen people and be no more a prophet but liue at rest and out of all combraunce Neuerthelesse the God of all mercy which careth fo◠his elect children turneth all vnto good to them and smiteth them to heale thē againe and killeth them to make them aliue agayne and playeth with them as a father doth some tyme with his young ignoraunt children and tempteth them and proueth them to make them see their owne hartes prouided for Ionas how all thinges should be When Ionas entred into the shyp he layd him down to slepe and to take his rest that is his conscience was tossed betwene the commaundement of God which sent him to Ninine and his fleshly wisedome that dissnaded counselled him the contrary and at the last preuailed against the commaundement and caryed him an other way as a shyp caught betwene two streames as Poetes faine the mother of Meliager to be betwen diuers affections while to aduenge her brothers death shee sought to slea her owne sonne Whereupon for very paine and tediousnes he lay down to slepe for to put the commaundement which so gnewe and fret his conscience out of mynde as the nature of all wicked is when they haue sinned a good to seke all meanes with riot reuell and pastime to driue the remembraūce of sinne out of their thoughtes or as Adam did to couer their nakednes with apornes of Pope holy workes But God awoke him out of his dreame set his sinnes before his face For when y t lot had caught Ionas then bee sure that his sinnes came to remembraunce agayne and that his cōscience raged no lesse then the waues of the Sea And then he thought that he onely was a sinner and the heathen that were in the shyp none in respect of him and thought also as veryly as he was fled from God that as veryly God had cast him away for the sight of the rodde maketh the naturall child not onely to see and to knowledge his faulte but also to forget all his fathers old mercy and kindnesse And then he confessed his sinne openly
teacheth to deale soberly with the consciences of the weake in the fayth whiche yet vnderstand not the libertie of Christ perfectly enough and to fauour them of Christen loue and not to vse the libertie of the faith vnto hinderāce but vnto the furtheraunce and edifiyng of the weake For where such consideratiō is not there foloweth debate and despising of the Gospell It is better there to forbeare the weake a while vntill they waxe strong then that the learnyng should come altogether vnder fote And such worke is singular work of loue ye and where loue is perfecte there must nedes be such a respect vnto the weake a thing that Christ commaunded and charged to be had aboue all thinges In the 15. Chapter he setteth forthe Christ agayne to be counterfaited that we also by hys ensample should suffer other that are yet weake as them that are fraile open sinners vnlearned vnexpert and of lothesome maners and not to cast thē away forthwith but to suffer thē til they waxe better exhort them in the meane tyme. For so delte Christ in the gospel and now dealeth with vs dayly suffering our vnperfectnes weaknes conuersation maners not yet fashioned after the doctrine of the Gospell but smell of the flesh ye and sometyme breake forth into outward deedes After that to conclude withall he wisheth them encrease of fayth peace and ioye of conscience prayseth them and committeth them to God and magnifieth his office and administration in the gospell and soberly and with great discretion desireth succour and ayde of them for the poore sayntes of Ierusalem and it is all pure loue that he speketh or dealeth withall So fynde we in this Epistle plentuously vnto the vttermost whatsoeuer a christen man or woman ought to know that is to witte what the law the gospell sume grace fayth righteousnes Christ god good workes loue hope hope and the crosse are and euen wherin the pith of of all that pertayneth to the Christen fayth standeth and how a christen mā ought to behaue himselfe vnto euery man be he perfect or a sinner good or bad strong or weake frend or foe and in conclusiō how to behaue our selues both towarde God and toward oure selues also And all thynges are profoundly grounded in the Scriptures and declared with ensamples of hymselfe of the fathers and of the prohets that a man can here desire no more Wherfore it appeareth euidently that Paules mynde was to comprehende brieflye in hys Epistle all the whole learnyng of Christes gospell and to prepare an introduction vnto all the olde testament For without doubte whosoeuer hath this Epistle perfectly in hys harte the same hath the light the effect of the olde Testament wyth hym Wherfore let euery man without exception exercise himselfe therein diligently and recorde it night and day continually vntill he be full acquainted therwith The last chapter is a chapiter of recommendation wherein he yet mingleth a good monition that we should beware of the traditions and doctrine of men which beguile the simple with sophistry and learnyng that is not after the Gospell and draw them from Christ and noosell them in weake and feble and as Paul calleth them in the epistle to the Gallathians in beggerly ceremonies for the entent that they would lyue in fat pastures and be in authoritie and be taken as Christ ye and aboue Christ and sitte in the temple of God that is to witte in the consciences of men where God onely his worde his Christ ought to sit Compare therfore all maner doctrine of mē vnto y t scripture and see whether they agree or not And commit thy selfe whole and all together vnto Christe and so shal he with his holy sprite and withal his fulnes dwell in thy soule Amen The Prologue vppon the first Epistle of S. Paule to the Corinthians by William Tyndall THis Epistle declareth it selfe from chapter to chapter that it nedeth no Prologue or introduction to declare it When Paul had conuerted a great number at Corinthum as ye read Act. 18. and was departed there came immediatly false Apostels and sectmakers and drew euery mans disciples after hym so that the people were whole vnquieted deuided and at variaunce among themselues euery man for the zeale of hys doctour those newe Apostles not regardyng what diuision what vncleannesse of liuing or what false opinions were amonge the people as long as they might bee in authoritie and well at ease in theyr bellies But Paul in the first foure chapiters with great wisdom and sobernesse rebuked first the diuision the authors therof and calleth the people to Christ agayne and teacheth howe and for what the preacher is to be takē In the 5. he rebuketh the vncleanes that was amongst them In he 6. he rebuketh the debate and goyng to law together pletyng their causes before the heathen In the 7. he reformeth them concernyng chastitie and mariage In the 8. 9. 10. and 11. he teacheth y ◠strong to forbeare the weake that yet vnderstand not the libertie of the gospell and that with the ensample of him self which though he were an apostle and had authoritie yet of loue he abstayned to winner other And he feareth them with the ensamples of the olde Testament and rebuketh diuers disorders that were among them concernyng the Sacrament and the goyng barehedded of maried women In the 12. 13. and 14. he teacheth of the manifold gyftes of the spirite and proueth by a similitude of the bodye that all giftes are geuen y t eche should helpe other and through loue do seruice to other and proueth that where loue is not there is nothing that pleaseth God For that one should loue an other is all that God requireth of vs and therfore if we desire spiritual gifts he teacheth those giftes to bee desired that helpe our neighbours In the 15. he teacheth of the resurrection of the body And in the last he exhorteth to helpe the poore sayntes A Prologue vpō the second Epistle of S. Paul to the Corinthians by W. Tyndall AS in the first epistle he rebuketh the Corinthians sharpely so in this he comforteth them and prayseth them and commaūdeth him that was excommunicate to be receiued louingly into the congregation agayne And in the 1. and 2. chapiters hee sheweth his loue to them warde how that all that he spake did or suffered was for their sakes and for their saluation Then in the 3. 4. and 5. he prayseth the office of preaching the gospell aboue y t preaching of the law sheweth that the Gospel groweth through persecution throughe the crosse whiche maketh a man sure of eternall lyfe and here and there he toucheth y t false prophetes which studied to turne the faith of the people from Christe vnto the workes of the law In the 6. and 7. chapters he exhorteth thē to suffer with the gospell to lyue as it becommeth the Gospell and prayseth hym
commeth it that they will pay none at all But to pay tribute is a signe of subiectiō verely the cause why Christ payed was because he had an houshold and for the same cause payed Peter also For he had an house a shippe and nettes as thou readest in the Gospell But let vs go to Paul agayne Wherfore ye must needes obey not for feare of vengeaunce onely but also because of conscience That is though thou be so naughty as nowe many yeares our Pope and Prelates euery where are that thou nedest not to obeye the temporall sword for feare of vengeaunce yet must thou obey because of consciēce First because of thine owne conscience For though thou be able to resiste yet shalt thou neuer haue a good cōscience as lōg as Gods word law and ordinaunce are against thee Secondarily for thy neighbours conscience For though through craft and violence thou mightest escape and obteyne libertie or priuilege to be free from all maner dueties yet oughtest thou neither to sue or to seeke for any such thing neither yet admit or accept if it were profered lest thy fredome make thy weake brother to grudge rebell in that he seeth thee go emptie and he him selfe more ladē thy part also layd on his shoulders Seest thou not if a man fauour one sonne more then an other or one seruaunt more then an other how all the rest grudge and how loue peace and vnitie is broken What Christenly loue is in the to thy neighbour ward when thou canst finde in thyne hart to go vp and down empty by him all day long and see him ouer charged yea to fal vnder his burthen and yet wilt not once set to thyne hand to helpe him What good conscience cā there be among our spiritualtie to gather so great treasure together and with hypocrisie of their false learnyng to robbe almost euery man of house and landes and yet not therewith content but with all craft and wilenes to purchase so great liberties and exemptions from all maner bearyng with their brethren seekyng in Christ nothyng but lucre I passe ouer with silence how they teach Princes in euery lande to lade new exactions and tyranny on their subiectes more and more dayly neither for what purpose they do it say I. God I trust shall shortly disclose their iugglynge and bryng their falshode to light and lay a medecine to thē to make their scabbes breake out Neuerthelesse this I say that they haue robbed all Realmes not of Gods word onely but also of all wealth and prosperitie and haue driuen peace out of all landes withdrawen them selues from all obediēce to Princes and haue separated them selues from the lay men countyng thē viler thē dogges and haue set vp that great Idole the whore of Babylō Antichrist of Rome whom they call pope and haue conspired agaynst all common wealthes haue made them a seuerall kyngdome wherin it is lawfull vnpunished to woorke all abhomination In euery Parish haue they spyes and in euery great mans house and in euery tauerne and alchouse And thorough confessions knowe they all secretes so that no man may open his mouth to rebuke what soeuer they do but that he shal be shortly made an hereticke In all Coūcels is one of them yea the most part and chief rulers of the Councels are of them But of there Councell is no man Euen for this cause pay ye tribute that is to witt for consciences sake to thy neighbour and for the cause that foloweth For they are Gods Ministers seruyng for the same purpose Because God will so haue it we must obey We doe not looke if we haue Christes spirite in vs what is good profitable glorious and honorable for vs neither on our owne will but on Gods will onely Geue to euery man therefore his dutie tribute to whom tribute belongeth custome to whom custome is due feare to whō feare belongeth honour to whom honor perteineth That thou mightest feele the workyng of the spirite of God in thee and lest the bewtie of the deed should deceaue thee and make thee thinke that the law of God whiche is spirituall were contēt and fulfilled with the outward and bodyly dede it foloweth Owe nothyng to any mā but to loue one an other For he that loueth an other fulfilleth the law For these commaundementes thou shalt not commit adultery thou shalt not kill thou shalt not steale thou shalt not beare false witnes thou shalt not desire and so forth if there be any other commaūdement are all comprehended or contained in this saying loue thy neighbour therfore is loue the fulfillyng of the law Here hast thou sufficient agaynst all the sophisters workeholy iustifiers in the world which so magnifie their dedes The law is spirituall and requireth the hart is neuer fulfilled with the dede in the sight of god With y e dede thou fulfillest the law before the world liuest thereby that is y ◠enioyest this presēt life and auoydest the wrath and vengeaunce the death and punishment which the law threatneth to them that breake it But before God thou keepest the law if thou loue onely Now what shal make vs loue Verely that shall fayth do If thou behold how much God loueth thee in Christ and from what vengeaunce he hath deliuered thee for his sake and of what kyngdome he hath made thee heyre then shalt thou see cause inough to loue thy very enemie without respect of reward either in this lyfe or in the lyfe to come but because that God will so haue it and Christ hath deserued it Yet thou shouldest feele in thyne harte that all thy deedes to come are abundantly recompensed all ready in Christ Thou wilt say haply if loue fulfill the lawe then it iustifieth I say that that wherewith a man fulfilleth the law declareth hym iustified but that which geueth him wherewith to fulfill the law iustifieth hym By iustifiyng vnderstande the forgeuenesse of sinnes and the fauour of God Now sayth the text Roma x. the ende of the law or the cause wherfore the law was made is Christ to iustifie all that beleue That is the law is geuen to vtter sinne to kill the consciences to damne our deedes to bryng to repentaunce and to driue vnto Christ in whō God hath promised his fauour and forgeuenesse of sinne vnto all that repente and consent to the law that it is good If thou beleue the promises then doth Gods truth iustifie thee that is forgeueth thee and receaueth thee to fauour for Christes sake In a suretie wherof and to certifie thine hart he sealeth thee with the spirite Ephe. i. and. iiij And. ij Cor. v. sayth Paul whiche gaue vs his spirite in earnest How the spirite is geuen vs through Christ read the viij chapter of the Epistle to the Romaines and Gallat iij. and. ij Cor. iij. Neuerthelesse the spirit and his frutes
they had blynded y ◠Scripture whose knowledge as it were a keye letteth into God with gloses and traditions Likewise findest thou Math. xxiij As Peter aunswered in the name of al so Christ promised him the keyes in the person of all Math. xvj And in the. xx of Iohn he payed them saying receaue the holy Ghost who soeuers sinnes ye remitte they are remitted or forgeuen who soeuers sinnes ye retaine they are retained or holden With preachyng the promises loose they as many as repent and beleue And for that Iohn sayth receaue y t holy ghost Luke in his last Chapter sayth then opened he their wittes that they might vnderstand the Scriptures and sayd vnto them thus it is written And thus it behoued Christ to suffre and to rise agayne the thyrd day And that repentaunce remission of sinnes should be preached in his name amōg all nations At preachyng of the law repent men and at the preachyng of the promises do they beleue are saued Peter in the second of the Actes practised his keyes and by preachyng the law brought the people into y t knowledge of them selues and bound their consciences so that they were pricked in their hartes and sayd vnto Peter and to the other Apostles what shall we doe Then brought they foorth the keye of the swete promises saying repent and be Baptised euery one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sinnes and ye shall receaue the gift of the holy ghost For the promise was made vnto you and vnto your children and to all that are a farre euen as many as the Lord shal call Of like examples is the Actes full and Peters Epistles and Paules Epistles and all the Scripture neither hath our holy father any other authoritie of Christ or by the reason of his predecessor Peter then to preach Gods word As Christ cōpareth the vnderstandyng of Scripture vnto a keye so compareth he it to a net and vnto leuen and vnto many other thinges for certeine properties I maruell therfore that they boast not them selues of their nette and leuen as well as of their keyes for they are all one thyng But as Christ biddeth vs beware of y ◠leuē of the Phariseis so beware of their counterfeted keyes and of their false nette which are their traditiōs and ceremonies their hipocrisie false doctrine wherewith they katch not soules vnto Christ but authoritie and riches vnto them selues Let christen kynges therefore keepe their fayth and truth and all lawfull promises and bondes not one wyth an other onely but euen wyth the Turke or whatsoeuer infidell it be For so it is right before God as the scriptures and exāples of the Bible testifie Whosoeuer voweth an vnlawful vow promiseth an vnlawfull promise sweareth an vnlawful oth sinneth against God and ought therfore to breake it He nedeth not to sue to Rome for a licence For he hath Gods word not a licēce onely but also a commaundement to breake it They therefore y ◠are sworne to be true vnto Cardinals Byshops that is to say false vnto God the king and the realme may breake their othes lawfully without grudge of conscience by the aucthoritie of Gods worde In makyng them they sinned but in repētyng and breakyng them they please God hyghly and receaue forgeuenes in Christ Let kynges take their dutie of their subiectes and that is necessary vnto y t defence of the realme Let them rule their Realmes them selues wyth the helpe of laye men that are sage wyse learned and expert Is it not a shame aboue all shames a monstrous thing that no man should be founde able to gouerne a worldly kyngdome saue byshops and prelates that haue forsakē the worlde and are taken out of the worlde and appoynted to preach the kyngdome of God Christ sayth y t hys kingdome is not of this world Iohn 18. And Luk. 12. vnto y ◠young mā that desired hym to bid his brother to geue hym part of the inheritaunce he aunswered who made me a iudge or a deuider among you No man that layeth his hand to the Plowe and looketh backe is apt for the kingdome of heauen Luke ix No man can serue two maisters but he must despise the one Math. vj. To preach Gods worde is to much for halfe a man And to minister a temporall kingdome is to much for halfe a man also Either other requireth an whole man One therfore can not well do both He that auengeth himselfe on euery trifle is not mete to preach y t pacience of Christ how that a man ought to forgeue and to suffer all thynges He that is ouerwhelmed with all maner riches and doth but seeke more dayly is not meete to preach pouertie He that will obey no man is not mete to preach how we ought to obey all men Peter saith Act. vj. It is not meete that we should leaue the word of God and serue at the tables Paule sayth in the ix chapter of the first Corinthe Wo is me if I preach not a terible saying verely for Popes Cardinals and Byshoppes If he had sayd wo be vnto me if I fight not moue Princes vnto warre or if I encrease not S. Peters patrimonie as they call it it had bene a more easy saying for them Christ forbiddeth hys disciples and that oft as thou mayst see Math. xviij And also xx Mark ix and also x. Luk. ix and also xxij Euen at his last supper not onely to clime aboue Lordes kynges and Emperours in worldly rule but also to exalt themselues one aboue an other in y e kingdome of God But in vayne for the Pope would not heare it though he had commaunded it tenne thousand tymes Gods worde should rule onely and not Byshoppes decrees or the Popes pleasure That ought they to preach purely and spiritually and to fashion their liues after wyth all ensample of godly liuyng long suffering to draw all to Christ and not to expounde the Scriptures carnally and worldly saying God spake thys to Peter and I am his successour therefore thys aucthoritie is myne onely and then bring in the tyranny of their fleshly wisdome in praesentia maioris cessat potestas minoris that is in the presence of the greater y ◠lesse hath no power There is no brotherhod where such philosophy is taught SVch philosophy and so to abuse the scriptures and to mocke with Gods word is after the maner of the Byshop of Rochesters diuinitie For he in hys Sermō of the condemnation of Martin Luther proueth by a shadow of the olde testament that is by Moyses and Aaron that Sathan and Antichrist our most holy father the Pope is Christes vicare head of Christes cōgregation Moyses sayth he signifieth Christ and Aaron the Pope And yet the epistle vnto the Hebrues proueth that the hye Priest of the olde lawe signifieth Christ and his
commit greuous murther also It is vnright in y e sight of God and man that thy child should be at an other mans cost be an other mans heyre Neither canst thou or thy mother haue lightly a quyet conscience to God or a merie hart as long as it so is Moreouer what greater shame caÌ„st thou do to thy neighbour or what greater displeasure what if it neuer be knowen nor come any child thereof The preciousest gift that a maÌ„ hath in this world of God is the true hart of his wife to abyde by him in wealth wo to beare all fortunes with him Of that hast thou robbed him for after she hath once coupled her selfe to thee she shal not lightly loue him any more so truly But haply hate him and procure hys death Moreouer thou hast vntaught her to feare God and hast made her to sinne agaynst God For to God promised she and not to man onely for the law of Matrimonie is Gods ordinaunce For it is written Genes xxxix When Putiphars wyfe would haue had Ioseph to lye with her he answered how could I do this wickednesse and synne agaynst God yea verely it is impossible to sinne agaynst man except thou sinne agaynst God first Finally read Chronicles stories and see what hath folowed of adulterie What shall we say that some Doctours haue disputed and douted whether single fornication should be sinne when it is condemned both by Christ and Moses to And Paule testifieth 1. Cor. 6. that no fornicatour or whore keeper shall possesse the kyngdome of God It is right that all thâ— that hope in God should bryng vp their trute in the feare and knowledge of God and not to leaue his seede where he careth not what come therof Wherefore if thy right eye offende thee plucke it out and cast it froÌ„ thee for it is better for thee that one of thy meÌ„bers perish theÌ„ that thy whole body should be cast into hell And euen so if thy right hand offende thee cut it of and cast it froÌ„ thee For it is better for thee that one of thy members perishe then that thy whole bodye should be cast into hell This is not meant of the outward meÌ„bers For then we must cut of nose eares hand and â—ote ye we must procure to destroy the seing hearing smelling tasting and tealing and so euery man kill himselfe But it is a phrase or speach of the Ebrue tongue and will that we cut of occasions daunsing kissing riotous cating and drinking the lust of the hart and filthy imaginations that moue a man to coucupiscence Let euery man haue his wyfe and thinke her the fayrest and the best conditioned and euery woman her husband so to For God hath blessed thy wife and made her without sinne to thee which ought to seeme a beautifull fayrenes And all y â— ye suffer together the one with the other is blessed also and made the very crosse of Christ and pleasauÌ„t in the sight of God Why should she theÌ„ be lothsome to thee because of a little suffering that y u shouldest iust after an other that should defile thy soule â—lea thy conscience and make thee suffer euerlastingly It is sayd whosoeuer putteth away his wife let him geue her a testimoniall of the deuorcemeÌ„t But I say vnto you who soeuer putteth away his wife except it be for fornication maketh her to breake wedlocke and who soeuer marieth the deuorced breaketh wedlocke Moses Deut. xxiiij permitted hys Israelites in extreame necessitie as when they so hated their wiues y t they abhorred the company of them then to put them away to auoyde a worse inconuenience Whereof ye read also Mat. xix And he knitte thereto that they might not receaue them agayne after they had bene knowne of any other persons Which â—cence y e Iewes abused and put away their wiues for euery light or fayned cause and whensoeuer they lusted But Christ calleth backe agayne and enterpreteth y e lawe after the first ordinaunce and cutteth of all causes of deuorcement saue fornication of the wiues partie wheÌ„ she breaketh her matrimony In which case Moses law pronouÌ„ceth her dead and so do y e lawes of many other couÌ„treyes which lawes where they be vsed there is the man free without all question Now where they be let liue there the man if he see signe of repentaunce and amendment may forgeue for once If he may not finde in hys hart as Ioseph as holy as he was coulde not finde in his hart to take Christes mother to hym when he spied her with childe he is free no doubt to take an other while the lawe interpreteth her deede for her sinne ought of no right to bynde him What shall the woman doe if she repent and be so tempted in her fleshe that she cannot liue chaste verely I can shew you nothing out of the scripture The office of the preacher is to preach the x. commaundements which are the lawe naturall and to promise them which submitte themselues to keepe them of loue and feare of God euerlasting life for their labour thorow fayth in Christ and to threateÌ„ the disobedient with euerlasting payne in hell And his punishment is if any man haue offended thorow frailtie when he is rebuked turne and repent to receaue him vnto grace and absolue hym and if any will not amende wheÌ„ he is rebuked to cast him out among the infidelles This I say if the temporall power shut her vp as a conuict person appointing her a sober liuyng to make satisfaction to the congregation for her dampnable example they did not amisse It is better that one misdoer suffer then that a common wealth be corrupt Where the officers be negligent the woman not able to put her selfe to penaunce it she went where she is not knowen and there marry God is the God of mercy If any man in the same place where she trespasseth pitied her and maryed her I coulde suffer it were it not that the libertie woulde be the next way to prouoke all other that were once weary of their husbandes to commit adultery for to be deuorced from them that they might marry other which they loued better Let the temporall sworde take heede to theyr charge therefore For this is truth all the temporall blessings set in the lawe of Moses for keeping their lawes as wealth and prosperitie long life the vpperhand of their enemies plenteousnesse of fruites and cheape of all thyng and to be without pestilence warre and famishment and all maner other abhominable diseases plagues pertayne to vs as well as to them if we keepe our temporall lawes And all the cursses and terrible plagues which are threatned throughout the law of Moses as hunger dearth warre and dissentioÌ„ pestilence feuers and wonderfull and straunge fearefull diseases as the sweate pockes and falling sicknesse shortyng of dayes that the sworde hunger and such diseases
be weake sicke and wounded and not cleane dead As a good childe whom the father mother haue taught nurtoure and wisdome loueth his father and all his commaundementes and perceaueth of y t goodnes shewed him that his father loueth him and that all hys fathers preceptes are vnto hys wealth and profite and that his father commaundeth him nothing for any neede that his father hath thereof but seeketh his profite onely and therefore hath a good fayth vnto all his fathers promises and loueth all his coÌ„maundementes and doth them wyth good will with good will goeth to schole And by the way haply he seeth coÌ„pany play and with the sight is taken and rauished of his memory and forgetteth himselfe and standeth and beholdeth and falleth to play also forgetting father and mother all their kindnes all their lawes and his owne profite thereto Howbeit the knowledge of his fathers kindnesse the fayth of hys promises and the loue that he hath agayne vnto hys father and the obedient minde are not vtterly queÌ„ched but lye hid as all thynges do when a man sleepeth or lieth in a traunce And as soone as he hath played out all his lustes or be warned in the meane season he commeth againe vnto his olde profession Neuer the later many temptations goe ouer his hart and the law as a right hangman tormenteth hys conscience and goeth nye to perswade him that his father will cast him away and hang hym if he ketch hym so that he is like a great while to runne a way rather then to returne vnto his father agayne Feare and dread of rebuke of losse of his fathers loue and of punishment wrastle with the trust which he hath in his fathers goodnesse and as it were geue his faith a fall But it riseth againe assoone as the rage of the first brunte is past and his minde more quiet And the goodnesse of his father and his olde kindnesse commeth vnto remembraunce eyther of his owne corage or by the comfort of some other And he beleueth that his father wyll not cast him away or destroy hym and hopeth that he will no more do so And vpoÌ„ that he getteth him home dismayed But not altogether faythlesse The olde kindnesses will not let him dispayre Howbeit all the world cannot set his haâ—t at rest vntyll the payne be past and vntill he haue heard the voyce of his father that all is forgeuen ¶ The maner and order of our election EVen so goeth it with Gods electe God chuseth theÌ„ first and they not God as thou readest Iohn xv And then he sendeth forth and calleth them and sheweth them his good wil which he beareth vnto them and maketh theÌ„ see both their owne damnation in the lawe and also the mercy that is layde vp for them in Christes bloude and therto what he wil haue them do And then when we see his mercy we loue him agayne and chuse him and submit our selues vnto his lawes to walke in them For when we erre not in wit reason and iudgement of thynges we can not erre in will and choyse of thinges The choyse of a mans will doth naturally and of her owne accorde follow the iudgement of a mans reason whether he iudge right or wrong So that in teaching onely resteth the pyth of a mans liuing How be it there be swine that receaue no learning but to defile it And there be dogges that rent all good learning wyth their teeth And there be Pope holy which following a righteousnes of their owne faining resiste the righteousnes of God in Christ And there be that cannot attend to harken vnto the truth for rage of lustes which when lustes abate come and obey well inough And therefore a Christen man must be patient and suffer long to win his brother to Christ y t he which atteÌ„deth not to day may receaue grace heare to morowe we see some at their very latter ende when colde feare of death hath quenched the heate of their appetites learne consent vnto the truth wherunto before they could geue none care for the wylde rages of lustes that blynded their wittes And though Gods elect can not so fall that they rise not agayne because that the mercy of God euer wayteth vpon them to deliuer them from euil as the care of a kynde father wayteth vppon his sonne to warne him and to keepe hym from occasions and to call him backe againe if he be gonne to far yet they forget themselues ofttymes sinke downe into traunces and fall a slepe in lustes for a season But assoone as they be awaked they repent come agayne without resistaunce God now and theÌ„ withdraweth his hand and leueth them vnto their own strength to make theÌ„ feele that there is no power to do good but of God onely lest they shuld be proude of that which is none of theirs God layd so sore awaight of persecution vppâ—n Dauids backe that passed his streÌ„gth to beare So that he cried oft out of his Psalmes saying that he had liued well and folowed the right way of God in vayne For the more he kept him selfe from sâ—nne the worse it weÌ„t with him as he thought and the better with his enemy Saul the worse he was Yet God left hym not there but coÌ„forted him shewed him thinges which before he wist not of how that the Saintes must be pacient and abyde Gods hauest vntill the wickednesse of vngodly sinners be full ripe y t God may ripe it in dew season God also suffered occasions stronger then Dauid to fall vpon him to carie him cleane out of the way Was he not ready for a churlysse aunswere to haue slayne Naball all the males of his house so much as the child in the cradell howbeit God with held hym and kept him backe froÌ„ that euill thorough the wisedome of Abigall How long slomberd he or rather how hard in slepe was he in the adultery of Beth sabe And in the murther of her husbaÌ„d Vriah But at both times assoone as he was rebuked and his fault told him he repented immediatly turned agayne mekely Now in all that long tyme from the adultery of Bethsabe vntill the Prophet Nathan rebuked him he had not lost his fayth nor yet his loue vnto the lawes of God no more then a man looseth his wittes when he is a slepe He had forgot him self onely and had not maliciously cast of the yocke of Gods commaundements from of his necke There is no man so good but that there commeth a tyme vpon hym when he feeleth in him selfe no more faith or loue vnto God then a sicke maÌ„ ofttymes feeleth the tast of hys meate which he eateth And in like maner the Apostles of Christ at his passioÌ„ were astonyed and amased and in such a storme of temptations for the soden chaunge from so great glorie into so vyle and shamefull death that they
his sonnes their fathers must geue them as mynt doth me Go now ye Popish bond seruauntes and receaue your reward for your false workes and robbe your brethren and raigne ouer them with violence and cruell tyranny and make thē worship your pillars polaxes images and hattes And we will receaue of the mercyfull kyndnesse of our father and will serue our brethren freely of very loue and wil be their seruauntes suffer for their sakes And there to our good deedes whiche we do vnto our neighbours neede spryng out of our righteousnesse or iustifying which is y ◠forgeuenesse of our sinnes in Christes bloud of other righteousnesse know we not before God And contrarywise your righteousnes or iustifying which standeth as your fayth doth with all wickednesse springeth out of your holy workes which ye do to no man srely saue vnto paynted postes And when he alledgeth the sacrifices of the old law I say they were Sacramentes and preached vnto the people as no doubt our candels once were and were no holy workes to be referred vnto Gods person to obtaine hys fauour and to iustifie the people and that the people should do them for the workes selues And when the people had lost the significations and looked on the holynesse of the dedes to be iustified thereby they were image seruice and hateful to God and rebuked of the Prophetes as it is to see throughout all the old Testament Then he iuggleth with a text of S. Paule Rom. xiiij let euery man for his part abounde one in this Idolatrie an other in that when the sense of the text is let euery mā be sure of his own conscience that he do nothyng except he know well and his conscience serue him that it may be lawfully doue But what care they to abuse Gods word to wrest it vnto the contrary And in the last end to vtter his excel lent blindnesse he sayth the wiseman Luther thinketh that if the gold were takē from the reliques it would be geuen vnto the poore immediatly when he seeth the contrary that they which haue their purses full wil geue y ◠poore if they geue ought either an halfe peny or in his countrey the iiij part of a farthyng Now I aske M. Mores conscience seyng they haue no deuotion vnto the poore which are as Christes own person and for whom Christ hath suffered his passion that we should be kynd to them and whom to visite with our almes is Gods commaundement with what minde do they offer so great treasure to the garnishyng of shrines images reliques It is manifest that they which loue not Gods cōmaundement can do nothing godly Wherfore such offrynges come of a false fayth so that they thinke thē better thē workes commauaded by God and beleue to be iustified therby And therfore are they but image seruice And when he sayth we might as well rebuke the powryng of the annoyntment on Christes head Nay Christ was thē mortall as well as we and vsed such thynges as we do and it refreshed his body But and if thou woldest now poure such on his image to do him pleasure I would rebuke it The third Chapter IN the third Chapter he bryngeth in miracles done at S. Steues tombe I aunswere that the miracles done at Saintes tombes were done for the same purpose that the miracles which they dyd when they were aliue were done euen to prouoke vnto the faith of their doctrine and not to trust in the place or in bones or in the Saint As Paul sent his napkē to heale the sicke not that mē should put trust in his nap kin but beieue his preachyng And in the old Testament Eliseus healed Naaman the heathen mā in the water of Iordayne not to put trust in the water or to pray in that place but to wonder at the power of God to come beleue as he also did And that his bones when he was dead raysed vp a dead man was not done that mē shuld pray to him for y ◠was not lawfull the by their own doctrme neither to put theyr trust in hys bones For God to anoyde all such Idolatrie had poluted all dead bones so that whosoeuer touched a dead bone was vncleane and all that came in his company vntil he had washed him selfe in so much that if a place were abused with offering vnto Idoles there was no better remedie then to scatter dead bones there to driue the people thēce for beyng defiled and poluted But his boues did that miracle to testifie that he was a true Prophet to moue men vnto the fayth of his doctrine And euen so miracles done at the holy crosse were done to moue men vnto fayth of him that dyed thereon not that we shuld beleue in the wood He saith that pilgrimes put not trust in the place as Nicromancers do in their circles and sayth he wotteth not what to mocke out the text of our Sauiour of praying in the spirite And in the end he confoundeth him selfe saying we reken our prayers more pleasaunt in one place thē in an other And that must be by the reason of the place for God is as good in one place as in an other and also the man Moreouer where a mā pleaseth God best thether is he most bound to go And so that imagination byndeth a mā to the place with a false fayth as Nicromancers trust in their circles And agayne if God had sayd that he would more heare in one place then in an other he had bound him selfe to the place Now as God is like good euery where generally so hath hee made his Testament generally wheresoeuer myne hart moueth me am quyet to pray vnto hym there to heare me like graciously And if a man lay to our charge that God boūd them vnto the tabernacle after to the Temple in the old Testament I say that he dyd it not for y e places sake but for the monumentes and testimonies that their preached the word of god vnto them so that though the priests had bene negligēt to preach yet should such things that there were haue kept the people in the remembraunce of the Testamēt made betwen God and them Which cause and such like onely should moue vs to come to Church and vnto one place more then an other And as lōg as I come more to one place then an other because of y e quietnesse or that some thing preacheth gods word more liuely vnto me there then in an other the place is my seruaunt and I not bound to it whiche cause and such like taken away I can not but put trust in the place as Nicromancers do in their circles and am an image seruer walke after myne own imagination not after Gods word And when he sayth we might as well mocke the obseruaūce of the Paschall Lambe I aunswere Christ our
inch of her honour or Saint Peters seate one iot of her right And Anselmus that was Byshop in short tyme after neuer left striumge with that mighty prince kyng William the second vntill he had compelled him maugre his teeth to deliuer vp the inuestiture or election of Byshops vnto Saint Peters vicar which inuestiture was of olde tyme the kynges dutie And agayne when the sayde kyng William woulde haue had the tribute that Priestes gaue yearely vnto theyr Byshoppes for their whores payde to hym did not Rāfe Byshop of Chichester forbid Gods seruice as they call it and stoppe vp the Church doores with thornes thoroughout all his diocesse vntill the kyng had yelded hym vp his tribute agayne For when the holy father had forbode Priestes theyr wyues the Byshop permitted them whores of their owne for a yearely tribute do still yet in all landes saue in England where they may not haue any other saue mens wiues onely And agayne for the election of Steuē Langton Archbyshop of Canterbury what mysery and wretchednes was in the realme a long season Then was y e land interdited many yeares And whē that holpe not then Ireland rebelled agaynst kyng Iohn immediatly not without the secrete workinge of our Prelates I dare well say But finally when neither the interditing neither that secrete subtiltie holpe and when Iohn would in no meanes consent that Saint Peters vicar should raigne alone ouer the spiritualtie and ouer all that pertayned vnto them and y t they should sinne and do all mischiefe vnpunished the Pope sent remission of sinnes to the kyng of Fraunce for to goe and conquere his land Whereof kyng Iohn was so sore afrayde that he yelded vp his crowne vnto the Pope and sware to holde the land of him and that his successours should do so likewyse And againe in king Richardes dayes the second Thomas Arundell Archbyshop of Canterbury and Chauncellar was exiled wyth the Earle of Darby The outward pretence of the variaūce betwene the king and hys Lords was for the deliueraunce of the towne of Breste in Britayne But our prelates had an other secrete mistery a bruyng They could not at their owne lust slea the poore wretches which at that tyme were conuerted vnto repētaunce to y t true fayth to put their trust in Christes death bloud sheding for the remissiō of their sinnes by the preaching of Iohn Wiclefe As soone as the Archbyshop was out of the realme the Irishmen began to rebell agaynst kyng Richarde as before agaynst kyng Iohn But not hardly without the inuisible inspiration of thē that rule both in the courte and also in the consciences of all men They be one kyngdome sworne together one to helpe an other scatered abroad in all realines And howbeit that they striue amōg themselues who shal be greatest yet agaynst the temporal power they be alwayes at one though they dissemble it faine as though one helde agaynst the other to know their enemies secretes to betray them withall They can enspyre priuely into the brestes of the people what mischiefe they liste no man shall know whence it cōmeth Their letters go secretly from one to an other thoroughout all kingdomes Saint Peters vicar shall haue worde in xv or xvj dayes from the vttermost part of Christendome The Byshops of Englande at their neede can write vnto the Byshops of Ireland Scotland Denmarke Douchland Fraūce and Spayne promising them as good a turne an other tyme putting thē 〈◊〉 remembraunce that they be all one holy Church and that the cause of y t tone is the cause of the tother saying if our iugglinge breake out youres can not belong hid And the other shall serue their turne and bring the game vnto their handes and no man shall know how it commeth about Assoone as kyng Richard was gone to Ireland to subdue these rebellions the Byshop came in againe and preuēted the kyng and tooke vp his power agaynst hym and tooke him prisoner and put him downe and to death most cruelly and crowned the Erle of Darbye Kyng O mercifull Christ what bloud hath that coronacion cost England but what care they their causes must be auenged He is not worthy to bee kyng that will not auenge their quarels For do not the kyngs receaue their kyngdome of the beast sweare to worship hym and maintayne hys throne And thē whē the Erle of Darbye which was king Henry the fourth was crowned the prelates tooke hys sworde and his sonnes Henry the fift after hym as all the kynges swordes since and abused them to shed Christē bloud at their pleasure And they coupled their cause vnto the kynges cause as now and made it treasō to beleue in Christ as the scripture teacheth and to resiste the Byshops as now and thrust them in the kinges prisons as now so that it is no new inuention that they now do but euen an olde practise though they haue done theyr busie cure to hide their sciēce that their conueyaunce should not be espyed And in kyng Henry the sixt dayes how raged they as fierce Liōs against good Duke Humfrey of Glocester the kynges vncle and protectour of the realme in the kynges youth and childhod because that for him they myght not slea whom they would and make what cheuysaunce they lusted Would not the Byshoppe of winchester haue fallen vpon him and oppressed him openly with might and power in the citie of London had not the Citizens come to his helpe But at the last they founde y t meanes to contriue a drift to bring their matters to passe and made a Parlyament farre from the Cityzens of London where was slayne the good Duke and onely wealth of the realme and the mighty shylde that so long before that kept it from sorow which shortly after his death fell theron by heapes But the chronicles can not tell wherfore he dyed nor by what meanes No maruell verely For he had neede of other eyes then such as y e worlde seeth withall that should spye out their priuy pathes Neuerthelesse the chronicles testifie that he was a vertuous man a godly and good to the commō wealth Moreouer the proctour of purgatory saith in his Dialoge quod I and quod he and quod your frende how that the foresayd Duke of Glocester was a noble mā and a great clarcke and so wise that he coulde spye false myracles and disclose them and iudge them from the true which is an hatefull science vnto our spiritualtie and more abhorred amongest them then Necromancye or witchcrafte and a thyng wherfore a man by their lawe I dare well say is worthy to dye and that secretly if it be possible Now to be good to the common wealth and to see false myracles and thyrdly to withstand that Fraūce then brought vnder the foote of the Englishmen should not be set vp agayne by whose power the
And all that be confederate with the Cardinall and with the Bishops vpō any secret appointment be they neuer so great I rede thē to break their bondes and to follow right by the playne and open way and to be content and not too ambitious for it is now euill climing the boughes be brittle And let them looke well on the practise of Bishops how they haue serued all other men in tunes past and into what troubles they haue brought them that were quiet Many a man both great small haue they brought to death in England euen in my dayes beside in times past whose bloud God wil seek once Let them learne at the last that it is but the cast of the Bishops to receaue the sacrament with one man secretly vpon one purpose and with an other man as secreatly vppon the contrary to deceaue al parties For of periury they make as much conscience as a dog of a bone for they haue power to dispence with all thing thinke they At the beginning of the warre betwene the Frenchking and the Emperour the prognostication said yeare by yeare that there should be great labor for peace but it shall not come to passe for there is Bicorporeū or Corpus neutrum that commeth betwene and letteth it that is to say a body that is neither nother or holdeth on neither part and that body is the spiritualtie which hold but of thēselues onely For when any Ambassadors goe betwene to entreat of peace the bishops are euer the chief which though they make a goodly oration for the peace openly to deceaue the lay men yet secreatly by the bisshops of the same countrie they cast a bone in the way and there can be no peace vntill the peace be for their profite let it cost in the meane season what bloud it will And as for them which for luker as Iudas betraye the truth and write agaynst their consciences and which for honour as Balaam enforce to curse the people of God I would fayne if their hartes were not to hard that they dyd repent And as fayne I would that our prelates did repent if it were possible for them to prefer Gods honour before their owne And vnto all subiectes I say that they repent For the cause of euill rulers is the sinne of the subiectes testifyeth the Scripture And the cause of false preachers is that the people haue no loue vnto the truth sayth Paule 2. Thes 2. We be all sinners an hundred times greater then all that we suffer Let vs therfore ech forgeue other remembring the greater sinners the more welcome if we repent according to the similitude of the riotous sonne Luc. 15. For Christ dyed for sinners and is their sauiour and hys bloud theyr treasure to pay sor their sinnes He is that fatted calf which is slaine to make them good cheare withall if they will repent and come to their father again And his merites is that goodlye rayment to couer the naked deformities of our sinnes These be sufficient at this time although I could say more and though other haue deserued that I more sayd yea and I could more deeply haue entred into the practise of our Cardinall but I spare for diuers considerations and namely for his sake which neuer spared me nor any faythfull frende of his owne nor any that told him truth nor spareth to persecute the bloud of Christ in as cleare light as euer was and vnder as subtile colour of hypocrisie as euer was any persecutiō since the creation of the world Nether haue I sayd for hate of any person or persons God I take to recorde but of their wickednes onely and to cal them to repentaunce knowledging that I am a sinner also and that a greeuous Howbeit it is a deuilish thing and a merciles to defend wickednes against the open truth and not to haue power to repent And therefore I doubt not if men will not be warned hereby but that God will vtter more practise by whome he will and not cease vntill he haue broken the bonde of wilie hypocrites which persecute so subtelly And finally if the persecution of the kinges grace and of other temporall persons conspiring with the spiritualtie be of ignoraunce I doubt not but that theyr eyes shall be opened shortly and they shal see repent God shall shew them mercy But and if it be of a set malice against the truth and of a grounded hate against the law of God by the reasō of a full consent they haue to sinne and to walke in their olde wayes of ignorauncie wherunto being now past all repentance they haue vtterly yelded themselues to follow w t ful lust without bridle or snaffle which is the sinne agaynst the holy Ghost then ye shall see euen shortly that God shall turne the poynt of the swoorde wherewith they now shedde Christes bloud homeward to shed their owne again after the ensamples of the bible And let them remember that I well toward iij. yeares agone to preuent al occasions and all carnall beastes that seeke fleshly liberty sent forth the true obedience of a christen man which yet they condemned but after they had condemned the New Testament as right was whence the Obedience hath his authoritie Now then if when the light is come abroad in which theyr wickednes cā not be hid they finde no such obedience in the people vnto their old tyranny whose fault is it This is a sure conclusion none obedience that is not of loue can not long endure and in your deedes can no man see any cause of loue and the knowledge of Christ for whose sake onely a man wold loue you though ye were neuer so euill ye persecute Now thē if any disobedience rise ye are the cause of it your selues Say not but that ye be warned A Pathway into the holy Scripture made by William Tyndall I Do maruell greatly derely beloued in christ that euer any mā shuld repugne or speake against the Scripture to be had in euery lāguage and that of euery man For I thought that no man had bene so blinde to aske why light should be shewed to thē y t walke in darkenes where they cā not but stomble and where to stomble is the daunger of eternall damnation other so despightfull that he would enuie any mā I speake not his brother so necessary a thyng or so Bedlem mad to affirme that good is y t naturall cause of euill and darkenes to procede out of light that lying should be grounded in truth and verity and not rather cleane contrary that light destroyeth darkenes and veritie reproueth all maner lying Neuerthelesse seyng that it hath pleased God to send vnto our English men euen to as many as vnfaynedly desire it the Scripture in their mother toūg cōsidering that there be in euery place false teachers and blind leaders that ye should be deceaued of no man I supposed it very
therof and our neighbours yea our enemies as our selues inwardly from the grounde of the hart because God hath made them after the likenesse of his owne image they are his sonnes as well as we and Christ hath bought them with his bloud and made them heyres of euerlastyng lyfe as well as vs And how we ought to do what soeuer God biddeth and absteine from what soeuer God forbiddeth with all loue and mekenes with a feruent and a burnyng lust from the center of the hart then begynneth the conscience to rage against the law and against God No sea be it neuer so great a tempest is so vnquiet For it is not possible for a naturall mā to cōsent to the law that it should be good or that God should be righteous which maketh the law in as much as it is contrary vnto hys nature and damneth him and all that he cā do neither sheweth him where to fetch helpe nor preacheth any mercy but onely setteth mā at variaunce with God as witnesseth Paule Rom. iiij and prouoketh hym and styrreth hym to rayle on God and to blaspheme him as a cruell tyraunt For it is not possible for a mā till he be borne agayne to thinke that God is righteous to make hym of so poyson a nature either for his own pleasure or for the sinne of an other man and to geue him a law that is impossible for him to do or to cōsent to his witte reason and will beyng so fast glued yea nayled and chayned vnto the will of the deuill Neither can any creature louse the bondes saue the bloud of Christ onely This is captiuitie and bondage whence Christ deliuered vs redemed and loused vs. His bloud his death his pacience in suffering rebukes and wronges his prayers and fastynges his mekenes and fulfillyng of the vttermost point of the law peased the wrath of God brought the fauour of God to vs agayne obteined that God should loue vs first and be our father and that a mercyfull father that will consider our infirmities and weakenes and wil geue vs his spirite agayn which was taken away in the fall of Adam to rule gouerne strength vs and to breake the bondes of Sathan wherein we were so straite bounde When Christ is thus wise preached the promises rehearsed which are contained in the Prophetes in the Psalmes and in diuers places of the fiue bookes of Moses which preachyng is called the Gospell or glad tydinges then the hartes of them which are elect and chosē begyn to waxe soft and melt at the bounteous mercy of God and kyndnes shewed of Christ For when the Euangelion is preached the spirite of God entreth into them which God hath ordeined and appoynted vnto eternall lyfe and openeth their inward eyes and worketh such belefe in them When the wofull consciences feele and tast how swete a thyng the bitter death of Christ is how mercyfull louing God is through Christes purchasyng and merites they begin to loue gayne and to consent to the law of God how that it is good and ought so to be and that God is righteous which made it and desire to fulfill the law euen as a sicke man desireth to be whole and are an hungred and thirst after more righteousnes and after more strength to fulfill the law more perfectly And in all that they do or omit and leaue vndone they seke Gods honour and his will with meekenesse euer condemnyng the vnperfectnes of their deedes by the law Now Christ standeth vs in double stede and vs serueth two maner wise First he is our redemer deliuerer reconciler mediator intercessor aduocate atturney soliciter our hope comfort shield protectiō defender strēgth health satisfaction and saluation His bloud his death all that he euer dyd is ours And Christ him self with all that he is or can do is ours His bloud shedyng and all that he dyd doth me as good seruice as though I my selfe had done it And God as great as he is is myne with all that he hath as an husband is his wiues through Christ and his purchasing Secondaryly after that we be ouercome with loue and kindnes and now seke to do the will of God which is a Christen mans nature Then haue we Christ an exāple to counterfeit as saith Christ him selfe in Iohn I haue geuen you an example And in an other Euāgelist he sayth He that wil be great among you shal be your seruaunt and Minister as the sonne of man came to minister and not to be ministred vnto And Paule sayth Counterfeit Christ And Peter sayth Christ dyed for you and left you an example to folow hys steppes What soeuer therefore fayth hath receaued of God through Christs bloud and deseruyng that same must loue shed out euery whit and bestow it on our neighbours vnto their profite yea and that though they be our enemyes By fayth we receaue of God and by loue we shed out agayne And that must we do frely after the example of Christ without any other respect saue our neighbours wealth onely neither looke for reward in earth nor yet in heauen for the deseruyng merites of our deedes as Friers preach though we know that good deedes are rewarded both in this lyfe and in the lyfe to come but of pure loue must we bestow our selues all that we haue all that we are able to do euen on our enemyes to bryng them to God consideryng nothyng but their wealth as Christ dyd ours Christ dyd not hys deedes to obteyne heauen therby that had bene a madnes heauē was his all ready he was heyre therof it was his by inheritaunce but dyd them frely for our sakes consideryng nothyng but our wealth and to bryng the fauour of God to vs agayne and vs to God As no naturall sonne that is his fathers heyre doth his fathers will because he would be heyre that he is already by byrth his father gaue him that yer hee was borne and is lother that he should go without it then he him selfe hath wit to be but of pure loue doth he that he doth And aske him why he doth any thing that he doth he aunswereth my father bade it is my fathers will it pleaseth my father Bond seruauntes worke for hyre Children for loue For their father with all he hath is theirs already So doth a Christen man frely all that he doth considereth nothyng but the will of God his neighbours wealth onely If I liue chaste I do it not to obteine heauen therby For then should I doe wrong to the bloud of Christ Christes bloud hath obteined me that Christes merites haue made me heyre therof He is both doore and way thether wardes Neither that I loke for an higher roume in heauē thē they shal haue which liue in wedlocke other thē a whore of the stewes if she repēt for that were the pride of Lucifer But frely to wayte on the Euangelion and
heretickes and corrupteth with false opinions contrarie vnto the professiō of their Baptisme and the light wherewith they should expounde the Scripture is turned into darkenes in their hartes the doore of the Scripture locked the welles stopped vp yer they come at it And therfore because their darknes can not cōprehend the light of Scripture as it is writtē Iohn i. The light shyned in darknes but the darknes could not comprehēd it they turne it into blynd ridles and read it without vnderstandyng as lay men do our Lady Mattines or as it were Marlynes prophecies euer their myndes are vppon their heresies And when they come to a place that soūdeth like there they rest and wring out wonderfull expositions to stablishe their heresies with all after the tale of the boy that would fayne haue eaten of the pastie of lamprese but durst not vnto the belles sang vnto him Sit downe Iacke boy and eate of the lamprey to stablishe his waueryng conscience withall Is it not a great blyndnes to say in the begynning of all together that the whole scripture is false in the litterall sence and killeth the soule Whiche pestilent heresie to proue they abuse the text of Paule saying The letter killeth because that text was become a ridle vnto them and they vnderstode it not When Paule by this word letter vnderstode the law giuen by Moyses to condēne all consciences and to rob them of all righteousnes to compell them vnto the promises of mercy that are in Christ Heresie springeth not of the Scripture no more then darknes of the Sunne but is a darke cloude that springeth out of the blynde hartes of hypocrites and couereth the face of the Scripture and blyndeth their eyes that they can not behold the bright beames of the Scripture The whole summe then of all together is this If our hartes were taught the appoyntment made betwene GOD and vs in Christes bloud whē we were Baptised we had the kay to open the Scripture and light to see and perceiue the true meaning of it and the Scripture should be easie to vnderstand And because we be not taught that professiō is the cause why the Scripture is so darke and so farre passyng our capacitie And the cause why our expositions are heresies is because we be wrong taught corrupt w t false opiniōs before hand and made heretickes yer we come at the Scripture and haue corrupt it and it not vs as the tast of the sicke maketh holesome and well seasoned meate bitter werish and vnsauery Neuertheles yet the Scripture abydeth pure in her selfe and bright so that he which is sounde in the faith shall at once perceiue that the iudgemēt of the hereticke is corrupt in their expositions as an whole man doth feele at once euen with smelling to the meate that the tast of the sicke is infected And with the Scripture shal they euer improue heresies and false expositions for the Scripture purgeth her selfe euen as the water once in the yeare casteth all filthynes vnto the sides Which to be true ye see by the authoritie of Paule 2. Timo. 3. saying All the Scripture was giuen of God by inspiration and is good to teach with all to improue and so foorth And by the example of Christ and the Apostles how they confounded the Iewes with the same Scripture whiche they had corrupt vnderstode them amisse after their own darknes and as ye see by the example of vs now also how we haue manifestly improued the hypocrites in an hūdre h textes which they had corrupt to proue their false opinions brought in besides the Scripture and haue driuē them of And they be fled and openly confesse vnto their shame that they haue no Scripture and sing an other song and say they receaued them by the mouth of the Apostles Vnto whiche stopping oyster I aunswere here grosly seyng they are aunswered before That as he were a foole which would trust him to tell his money in his absent that hath pyked his purse before his face euen so sithe ye haue corrupt the open Scripture before our eyes and takē with the maner that ye cā not denie we were madde to beleue that which hath lyen xv C. yeares as ye say in your rottē mawes should now be holesome for vs ye haue chewed and mingled it with your poyson spetel Can ye beare vs in hand and perswade vs thinke ye with your sophistry to beleue that ye should minister your secrete traditions without grounde truly when we see you minister the open Scripture falsly Can ye bewyche our wittes with your Poetry to beleue that ye should minister your secret traditions for our profite when wee see you corrupt the open Scripture to the losse of our soules for your profite Nay it is an hundreth tymes more likely y ◠ye should be false in secret things thē in open And therefore in the very Sacramentes whiche the Scripture testifieth that Christ him selfe ordeined them we must haue an eye vnto your hand how ye minister them And as wee restore the Scripture vnto her right vnderstandyng from your false gloses euen so deliuer we the Sacramentes and ceremonies vnto their right vse from your abuse And that must we do with the Scripture which can corrupt no mā that commeth therto with a meke sprite sekyng there onely to fashion him selfe lyke Christ accordyng to the profession and vowe of our Baptisme But contrarywise hee shall there finde the myghtie power of GOD to alter hym and chaunge hym in the inner man a litle and litle in processe vntill he be full shappen after the image of our Sauiour in knowledge loue of all truth and power to worke therafter Finally then for as much as the Scripture is the light and life of Gods elect that mightie power wherewith God createth thē and shapeth them after the similitude likenes and very fashion of Christ and therfore sustenaunce comfort and strength to courage them that they may stād fast and endure and meryly beare their soules health wherewith the lustes of the flesh subdued and killed and the spirite mollified and made soft to receiue the print of the image of our Sauiour Iesu And as much as the Scripture is so pure of it selfe that it cā corrupt no man but the wicked onely which are infect before hand and yer they come at it corrupt it with the heresies they bryng with them And for as much as the complaynt of the hypocrites that the Scripture maketh heretickes is vayne and fayned the reasons wherewith they would proue that the laye people ought not to read the Scripture false wicked and the frute of roten trees therefore are they faythfull seruauntes of Christ and faythfull Ministers dispēsers of his doctrine and true harted toward their brethren which haue giuen them selues vp into the hand of God and put them selues in ieoperdy of al persecutiō their very lyfe
and he will therto consider our mekenes and what soeuer chaunceth neuer taketh away hys mercy till we cast of the yoke of our profession first and runne away with vtter defiaunce that we will neuer come more at schole Then our stubburne and hard hartes mollifie waxe soft and in the confidēce and hope that we haue in Christ and his kindnes we go to God boldly as vnto our father and receaue life that is to say loue vnto God and vnto the law also That whiche we haue seene and heard we declare vnto you that ye may haue felowshyppe with vs and that our felowshyppe may be with the father and with his sonne Iesus Christ And these thynges we write vnto you that your ioye may be full To bryng vnto the felowshyp of God and Christ and of them that beleue in Christ is the finall intent of all the Scripture why it was giuen of God vnto man and the onely thyng which all true preachers seke wherby ye shall euer know and discerne the true word of God from all false and counterfayted doctrine of vayne traditions the true preacher from the wylie hypocrite We preache vnto you sayth Iohn y t euerlastyng lyfe which we haue heard and in hearyng receaued through fayth and are sure of it to draw you to vs out of the felowshyp that ye haue with the damned deuils in sinnefull lustes and ignoraunce of God for we seeke you and not yours as sayth Paul ij Cor. xij We loue you as our selues in God therfore wold haue you felowes and equall with vs build you vpon the foundation layd of the Apostles and Prophetes which is Christ ▪ Iesus and make you of the houshold of God for euer that ye and we felowes and brethren and coupled together in one spirit in one fayth and in one hope might haue our felowship thereby with God and become his sonnes heyres with Iesus Christ beyng his brethren and coheyres and to make your ioy ful through that glad tydinges as the aungell sayd vnto the shepheardes Luke ij Behold I shew you great ioye that shal be vnto all the people how that there is a Sauiour borne vnto you this day whiche is Christ the Lord. And these tydinges we bryng you with the worde of God onely which we receaued of his spirit and out of the mouth of his sonne as true messengers We preach not our selues but Christ our Lord and vs your seruauntes for hys sake we do not loue our selues to seke yours vnto vs that after we had with wiles robbed you of all ye haue we should exalte our selues ouer you separate our selues frō you and make our selues a seuerall kyngdome free and frāke raygnyng ouer you as heathen tyrauntes holdyng you in bondage to serue our lucre and lustes tanglyng your conscience with doctrine of man whiche draweth from God and Christ and fearing you with the bugge of excommunication agaynste Gods word Or if that serued not shakyng a sword at you And this is the tydinges whiche we haue heard of hym and declare vnto you that God is lyght and in hym is no darknes at all If we say that we haue felowshyp with hym and yet walke in darkenes we lye and do not the truth But and if we walke in light as he is in light then haue we felowshyp together and the bloud of Christ his sonne clenseth vs from all sinne As the deuill is darknes and lyes so is God light and truth onely and there is no darknes of falshead consentyng to wickednes in hym And the brightnes of his light is his word and doctrine as the. C. and. xix Psalme sayth Thy worde is a lanterne vnto my feete a light to my pathes And Christe is the light that lightneth all men And the Apostles are called the light of the world because of the doctrine And all that knowe truth are light Ye were once darkenes sayth Paule Ephes v. but now light in the Lord walke therfore as the children of lyght And good workes are called the frutes of light And all that lyue in ignoraūce are called darknes as he sayth afterward he that hateth his brother walketh in darknes For if the light of the glorious Gospell of Christe dyd shyne in his hart he could not hate his brother By walking vnderstande consenting doing and working If then we walke in darcknes that is consent and worke wickednes and say we haue felowship with God we ly For to haue felowship with him is to knowe and consent and professe his doctrine in our hartes Now if the commaundementes of GOD bee written in our hartes our members can not but practise thē shew the fruite So whether light or darknes be in the hart it will appeare in y t walking For though our members be neuer so dead vnto vertue yet if our soules knowledge the truth consent vnto righteousnes we haue the sprite of life in vs. And Paule sayth Rom. viij If the spirite of him y t raysed vp Iesus from death be in you thē wil he y t raised vp Iesus frō death quicken your mortall bodies by the reasō of the spirit that dwelleth in you So that it is not possible for him that knoweth the truth consenteth thereto to continue in sinne And then finally if we haue the light in our harts and walke therein then we haue fellowship with God and are his sonnes and heires and are purged from all sinne through Christes bloud If we say we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues and trueth is not in vs. If we think there is no sinne in vs we are beguiled and blinde and the light of Gods word is not in vs and eyther folow sinne as beastes without consciēce at all Or if we see the grosse sinnes as murther theft and adultery yet we haue hanged a vayle of false gloses vpon Moses face and see not the brightnes of the law how that it requireth of vs as pure an hart to God and as great loue vnto our neighbours as was in our sauiour Iesus ceaseth not before to condemne vs as sinners If we knowledge our sinnes he is faythfull and iust to forgeeue vs our sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrigh teousnes If we confesse our sinnes not in the preistes eare though that tradition restored vnto the right vse were not dānable but in our hartes to God with true repentaunce and fast beleife then is he faythfull to forgeue and to purge vs because of his mercifull truth and promise For he promised Abraham that in his seede all the worlde should be blessed from the curse of sinne And hath aboundantly renued his euerlasting mercy vnto vs in the new testament promising that our sinnes shall be forgeuen vs in Christes bloud if we repent and trust thereto If we say we haue not sinned we make him a lyer and hys woord is not in vs. For his
was and how such ceremonies came vp and whence they had their begynnyng and what the frute thereof is and what is therin to be sought And though this were inough so that I might here wel cease yet because the vnquiet scrupulous and superstitious nature of man wholy giuen to Idolatrie hath styrred vp such traditions about this one Sacrament most specially I cannot but speake therof somewhat more and declare what my conscience thinketh in this matter Ye shall vnderstand therfore that there is great dissention and three opinions about the woordes of Christ where he sayth in pronouncyng the testament ouer the bread This is my body And in pronouncyng it ouer the wyne This is my bloud One part say that these woordes This is my body This is my bloud compell vs to beleue vnder payne of damnation that the bread and wyne are chaunged into the very body and bloud of Christ really As the water at Cana Galilee was turned into very wyne The second part sayth we be not bound to beleue that bread and wyne are chaunged but onely that his body and bloud are there presently The thyrd say we be bound by these woordes onely to beleue that Christes body was broken and hys bloudshed for the remissiō of our sinnes and that there is no other satisfaction for sinne then the death and passion of Christ The first say these woordes This is my body This is my bloud compell vs to beleue that thynges there shewed are the very body and bloud of Christ really But bread and wyne say they cannot be Christes naturall body ther fore the bread and wyne are chaunged turned altered and transubstantiated into the very body bloud of Christ And they of this opinion haue busied them selues in seekyng subtilties and similitudes to proue how the very body and bloud might be there vnder the similitude of bread and wine onely the very bread and wyne beyng thus trāsubstantiated And these men haue ben so occupyed in slaying all that wil not captiue their wits to beleue them that they neuer taught nor vnderstode that the Sacrament is an absolution to all that therby beleue in the body bloud of Christ The second part graunt with the first that the wordes compel vs to beleue that the things shewed in the Sacrament are the very body and bloud of Christ But where the first say bread and wine cannot be the very body and bloud of Christ There they vary and dissent from them affirming that bread and wine may and also is Christes body really and very bloud of Christ and say that it is as true to say that bread is Christes body and that wyne is hys bloud as it is true to say Christ beyng a very mā is also very God And they say as the Godhead and manhode in Christ are in such maner coupled togegether that mā is very God and God very man Euen so the very body and the bread are so coupled that it is as true to say that bread is the body of Christ and the bloud so annexed there with the wyne that it is euen as true to say that the wyne is Christes bloud The first though they haue slayne so many in and for the defence of their opinion yet they are ready to receiue the second sort to fellowshyp not greatly striuyng with them or abhorryng the presence of bread and wyne with the very body and bloud so that they yee by that meanes may keepe hym there still and hope to sell hym as deare as before and also some to bye hym and not to minish the price The thyrd sort affirme that the wordes meane no more but onely that we beleue by the thyngs that are there shewed that Christes body was brokē and his bloud shed for our sinnes if we will forsake our sinnes turne to God to kepe his law And they say that these sayinges This is my body and This is my bloud shewyng bread wyne are true as Christ meant them and as the people of that countrey to whō Christ spake were accustomed to vnderstand such wordes and as the Scripture vseth in a thousand places to speake As when one of vs sayth I haue dronke a cup of good wyne that saying is true as the mā meant that he dranke wyne onely and not the cup whiche wordes happely in some other nations eares would sound that he dranke the cuppe And as when we say of a child This is such a mans very face the wordes are true as the maner of our land is to vnderstand them that the face of the one is very like the other And as whē we say he gaue me his fayth and hys truth in my hand the wordes are true as we vnderstand them that he stroke handes with me or gaue earnest in signe or token that he would byde by his promise For the fayth of a mā doth alway rest in his soule and cannot be giuen out though we giues signes and tokens of them Euen so say they we haue a thousād examples in the Scripture where signes are named with names of thynges signified by them As Iacob called the place where hee saw the Lord face to face Phenyell that is Gods face when he saw the Lord face to face Now it is true to say of that field that it is Gods face though it be not his very face The same field was so called to signifie that Iacob there saw God face to face The chief hold and principall ancre that the two first haue is these words This is my body This is my bloud Vnto these the third aunswereth as is aboue sayd other textes they alledge for them selues whiche not onely do not strength their cause but rather make it worse As in y e sixt of Iohn which they draw and wrest to the carnall and flesh ly eating of Christes body in y e mouth when it onely meaneth of this eatyng by fayth For when Christ sayd except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of mā and drinke hys bloud ye haue no lyfe in you This cannot be vnderstanded of the Sacrament For Abraham had life and all the old holy fathers Christes mother Elizabeth Zacharias Iohn Baptist Symeon Anna and all the Apostles had lyfe already by fayth in Christ Of which not one had eatē hys flesh and dronke his bloud with theyr bodily mouthes But truth it is that the righteous liueth by his fayth Ergo to beleue and trust in Christes bloud is the eatyng that there was meant as the texte well proueth if they say we graunt that life commeth by faith but we all that beleue must be Baptised to keepe the law and to keepe the couenaunt in mynde Euen so all that lyueth by fayth must receiue the Sacrament I aunswere The Sacrament is a confirmation to weake consciences and in no wise to be despised howbeit many haue lyued by fayth in the wildernes whiche in 20. 30.
Christes Church 345. b Officer not the priuate person must aduenge 191. a Offryng dayes and priuey tithes 136. a ffrings what they meant 204. a. of ripe fruites 424. b. at first masses of Priestes 336. b. maintaine Po Opish miracles 159. b ffenders open openly to be rebuked 345. a Old translation 318. b Old commaundement what 403. b Old ceremonies preachers to the people 273. a Old Pharisaicall practise now practised by Papistes 340. a Old â—estament wherupon built 9. b Old man must be put of 80. b Old Adam byndâ—tl â–ª our consciences 47. a Opinions Popish waueryng how bred 329. a. and 170. b Opinions iij. touchyng the Sacrament of the last Supper 445. a Oppresâ—ion of sure doctrine 289. a Opportunitie 455. a. and b Orders 322. a. in teachyng 103. b. of iustifiyng 330. b. of Scholemen ouerthwart 103. b. of S. Paules doctrine 43. b Orders how euery man may preach and how not 198. a. Papall compared with orders Apostolical 354. b compared with Christes doctrine 353. b Ordinaries hangmen to the faithfull 319. a Ordinaunce of rulers 186. a Ornamentes 273. b Originall of good workes whence 10. b Oth of a witnes may be taken 309. b. vnlawfull may be broken 137. a agaynst charitie to be broken 315. b Otho kyng of Saxons 252. a Ouercommers of the world who 421. a Ouerthrow of our forefathers was freewill 16. a Oules and Papistes alike in abhorryng light 1. b Outward Popery is the worshyp of the vnfaythfull 422. b Outward signes required of Christ by the Iewes 457. b Outward deede fulfilleth not the law 117. a Outward oyle not auaylable 409. a P. PAce an Ambassadour 372. a Paâ—…e taking how delightsome to God 229. a Paphnutius his opinion concernyng mariage 317. b Papisticall schole doctrine corrupteth youth 103. b Papisticall Doctours repugnaunt 102. b. their argumentes 88. a. their gloses conâ—uted 474. b. their workes 79. a Papistes caÌ„ do miracles 300. b. teach with the mouth onely 267. b still purge their patientes 166. a. of the carnall opinion of the Iewes 459. b. cannot abide Scripture 287. b. 319. a. wrest the Scriptures 466. b. perâ—ert the Scripture ibid. suppressors of Scriptures 1. b. walke in shadowes 125. a Papistes great iugglers 201. a. persecutours 448. b. furious agaynst their aduersaries 447. a. persecutyng tyrauntes 319. b. blousheders 363. b. children of this world 268. b throw downe Kynges and Emperours â—27 a. heare not Christes voyce 126. b. fruites of their earthly Gods 126. b. why they will not haue Scriptures in English 128. a. preach woorkes for their owne profite 334. b. trust in workes as they should in Christ 246. a Papistes and Phariseis make sinne of no sinne 29. b Papistes will louse nothyng 305. a. forecasters of perils 370. a. make no accompt of periury 376. a. abolish the true doctrine of Sacramentes 422. a. enemyes to all good learning 278. a. know all other meÌ„s counsell 102. a Papistes haue a way of their owne to heauen 170. a. their malicious pratyng 475. b. haue robbeâ— many realmes of the Gospel and all goodnes 116. b. Churchtheiues 20. a. winne what others loose 165. b Papistes abuse the Sacramentes 13 b. agaynst the Popes lawes 341. a. hate Scriptures as oules do light 1. b. their contrary preachyng 102. b locke vp the Scripture that they onely may expounde the same 23. b. their grounde for vnwritten verities 473. b. cannot expounde their ceremonies 131. b. sworne to theyr wicked liuyng 305. a Papistes and peripatetiques theyr doctrine 88. b Parable how to vnderstaÌ„d it 78. b. of the Samaritane expounded 285. b Parcialitie in Erasmus 2. a Parcialitie in a preacher for feare of persecutioÌ„ odious 196. b. in iudges is wicked 122. b Pardons 173. a Pardons surer then the Popes pardon 223. a Parentes to vs in Gods stede 107. a how they trye their childrens loue 12. a Parish Priest 102. b Parliament 314. b. at Bury 363. b Paschall lambe 282. a. 273. b. figured the Lordes Supper 468. a. how spiritually fulfilled in Gods kyngdome 440. a Paschall lambe and Christes death compared together 440. a Patience in sufferyng 454. a. bryngeth libertie 119. a Paule 103. a. a persecutour 39. b. 275. a. a carefull preacher 402. a. describeth the Pope 290. a. aunswereth the Papistes concernyng iustification 44. knew not Masse 287. a. preached Christ and not him self 391. b. how he rebuketh hypocrites 44. a. condemneth all hypocrisie ibid. no preacher of worldly wisedome 170. b. gaue faythfull counsâ—… without vexyng mens consciences 129. a. teacheth mariage of Priests 312. b. calleth the Sacrament bread after the consecration 472. a. a fatherly instructor to Timothy 252. rebuked Peter to his face 344. b. his Epistles are the Gospell 127. a his traditions were the doctrine of the Gospell 286. b. the order of hys doctrine 43. b Paule and Peter equals 359. a. aboue Peter in Apostleshyp 126. a. his Apostleship how proued 126. a Paul excommunicated but Papistes burne 339. b. lacked Ministers 109. a. retayned not Onesâ—…us froÌ„ his master 109. a Pax. 276. a Peace makyng 193. b Peace of conscience 194. b Pelagius his heresie 407. b Penaunce 426. b. profitable to Papistes 254. a. abused by shauelyngs 397. b Penaunce put for repentauÌ„ce 146. a People of two sortes deceiued 379. b People why called to the teÌ„ple 282. a People beleue in the worke without the promise 153. a Persecution for the truth obtayneth lyfe 190 b Persecution of Papistes 195. a. at Rysellâ—s in Flaunders At Saint Luke 454. b Persecutors of the spirituall 308. a. of the word threatned 100. b Perfect Christians in no daunger 48. a Perfect kepyng of the law 40. a Perfection 216. b. ioyned with repentaunce and strong fayth 386. b Performance of mans pretense not of hym selfe but of God 17. a. of an euill oth double sinne 209. a Persuasions of Papistes 448. a. of hypocrites 341. b Partakers of Gods promise professe the law 185. a Pestilence of Princes what 123. a Peter his patrimonie 124. b. was neuer scholer in the Arches 135. b Peter rebuked openly of Paule 344. b Peter and Iohn their puttyng on of handes 152. b Peter shewed Gods power 344. a. called chief of the Apostles why 343. b. in what respect so called ibidem preached but so doth not the Pope 357. a. practised his keyes 123. b. sent to preach in Samaria 344. a. preached playne Scripture 170. b. his seat and his keyes are his doctrine 359. a. his seate Christes Gospell ibid. his submission to his brethren 344. a. prophesieth of the popes spiritualtie Epist 2. cap. 2. 55. a. his fayth strong 261. a. his possessions 352. a Pety pillage 136. a Phariseis applyed all to their deedes 205. condemned of Christ 17. a Phariseis nearer the true Churche then Papistes 201 b Phariseis rebuked 17. a. agree with Papistes in doctrine 17. b. clense their soules with theyr owne workes 30. a. their actes all outward 202. b. their freewill 16. b Pharao confessed his
ready fully purged in their hart and their rebellious meÌ„bers through death are wholly subdued These men shall geue no reckoning neyther of idle woorde nor euill déed for all theyr sinnes are couered of Christ and hys bloud shall geue the whole accomptes for them The vnfaythfull to theyr vtter confusion shall haue the booke of theyr conscience opened and there shall be presented before them all theyr euill deades woordes and thoughtes And these are they that Christ speaketh of which shall geue thys great accompt Note also that in the text they are called men which woord in Scripture is euer for the most part taken in the worste sense and signifieth wicked men fleshly men and men that folow their own lustes and appetites THen confirmeth he purgatory out of the 66. Psalme which sayth we haue gone through fire and water and thou hast brought vs into colenesse I am sure you haue not forgotten that M. More alledgeth the Prophet Zachary in the ix and affirmeth that thâ—re is no water in Purgatory It were hard to make these two agrée for when meÌ„ ground them on a lye then for the most part theyr tales and probations are coÌ„trary and will not well stand together Neuerthelesse in one poynte they agrée full well that is both of them say vntruly for neither nother text serueth any whit for Purgatory And as concernyng the place of Zachary it is sufficieÌ„tly declared what it meaneth And now wil I also declare you the vnder standyng of this text and first that it can not serue for purgatory I besech you that haue the psalter once to read the Psalme I thinke you shal wonder at their doâ—yng dreames and ignoraunce which allege this text for Purgatory The text of y e Psalme is this Thou hast brought vs into a straite laden our backes with trouble or heuynesse Thou hast set men vpon our heades we haue gone through fire water and thou hast led vs out agayn into a place of refreshyng The textes before and after in the same Psalme will not suffer that this place should be vnderstand of Purgatory For the text immediately before sayth thou hast set men vpon our heades But the chiefest defenders of Purgatory and eueÌ„ M. More hym selfe say that they are not men but deuils which torment the soules in Purgatory notwithstandyng my Lord of Rochester good man affirmeth that they are aungels whiche torment the soules there but neuer man doted so farre as to say that men torment the soules in Purgatory wherefore I may conclude that this text is not ment of purgatory but that the Prophet meÌ„t that men ranne ouer the childreÌ„ of Israell subdued them and wrapped theÌ„ in extreme troubles which in the Scripture are signified by fire and water Besides that the textes folowyng wil not admit that this should be vnderstaÌ„d of Purgatory for it foloweth immediatly I will enter into thy house with â—urt offrynges I shall offer vnto thée fat sacrifices with the reke of wethers I shall burne to the Oxen Goates Now is there no maÌ„ so mad as to thinke that the soules of Purgatory should offer vnto God any such sacrifices So that the text is playnly vnderstand of the children of Israell which through the Lord were deliuered from their afflictioÌ„s and enemies then offred theyr loyall sacrifices of prayse and thankes to the Lord theyr shield and protection NOwe flyeth my Lorde vnto the Church sayth that because the Churche hath affirmed it we must needes beleue it for the Church caÌ„ not erre As touchyng this poynte I will referre you vnto a woorke that William Tyndal hath writteÌ„ agaynst M. More wherin ye shal wel perceiue what the Church of Christ is that hys Churche neuer determined any such thyng But that it is the Sinagoge of Sathan that maketh articles of the fayth bindeth meÌ„s conscieÌ„ces further then the Scripture will THen waxeth his Lordshyp somewhat hote agaynst Martine Luther because he would that no man should be compelled to beleue Purgatory For my Lord sayth that it is profitable and wel done to compel men to beleue such thynges whether they will or will not And to stablishe his opinion hée plucketh out a word of the parable of Luke xiiij that a certayne man made a great supper and sayd vnto his seruauÌ„tes go forth quickly into the wayes and compell them to enter in Verely there Christ ment no other thyng but that his Apostles should go forth into all the world and preach his word vnto all nations openyng vnto them the miserable state and conditioÌ„ that they be in and agayne what mercy God hath shewed theÌ„ in his sonne Christ This would Christ that his Apostles should expound and lay out so euidently by reasons Scriptures and miracles vnto the Gentils that they should eueÌ„ by their manifest persuasions be compelled to graunt vnto them that he was Christ and to take vpon them the fayth that is in Christ On this maner did Christ compel the Saduces to graunt the resurrection Math. xxij And by these meanes compelled hee the Phariseis to graunt in theyr consciences that he dyd his miracles with the power of God yet afterward of very hate knowyng in theyr hartes the contrary they sayd y e he dyd them by the power of the deuill Math. xij But to say that Christ would haue his Disciples to compell men with prisonment fetters scourgyng sword and fire is very false and farre from the mildenesse of a ChristeÌ„ spirite although my Lord approue it neuer so much For Christ dyd forbyd his Disciples such tyraÌ„ny yea and rebuked them because they would haue desired that fire should descende from heauen to consume the Samaritanes which wold not receiue Christ Luke ix But he commaunded them that if meÌ„ would not receiue their doctrine they should departe from thence and spryncle of the dust of their féete to be a testimony agaynst the vnfaythfull that they had bene there preached vnto them the word of life But with violence will God haue no man compelled vnto his law Paule also testifieth 2. Cor. 1. that he had not rule ouer the CorinthiaÌ„s as touchyng theyr fayth By our fayth we stand in the Lord by our infidelitie we fall from hym As no man can search the hart but onely God so can no man iudge or order our fayth but onely God thorough his holy spirite Furthermore fayth is a gifte of God which he distributeth at hys owne pleasure 1. Cor. 12. If he geue it not this day he may geue it to morow And if thou perceaue by any exterior worke that thy neighbour haue it not enstruct him with Gods word and pray God to geue hym grace to beleue that is rather a poynte of a christen man then to compell a man by death or exterior violence Finally what doth thy compulsion and violence
me so vile a creature which thing I greatly bewayle and mine vnkindenesse tauseth me now thus to wéepe Wyth y t the Bishop departed and I trust learned to do thereafter And I beséeth God that we may so do and be the faythfull folowers of our Sauiour Christ Iesu to whom be prayse honour and glory for euer Amen A myrrour or lookyng glasse wherin you may beholde the Sacrament of Baptisme described Anno. M. D. xxxiij By me Iohn Frith COnsideryng the manifold lamentable errours wherewith not the ignoraunt people onely but also the learned as they séeme haue bene seduced long as touchyng the blessed Sacrament of Baptisme I thought it expedient therin to write my mynde Trustyng by that meanes to bryng agayn the blynde hartes of many vnto the right way and I doubt not but that the elect and chosē of God that know their shepheardes voyce and haue the spirite to iudge all thynges shall easely perceiue whether this be conformable to their masters voyce and shall hereby bee monished to leaue their wanderyng in the darke lothsome wayes which leade vnto death and to walke without stumblyng in the comfortable light which bringeth their consciences to rest such peace that passeth all vnderstandyng One errour is this They put so great confidence in the outward signe that without discretion they condēne the infantes whiche dye or they be Baptised vnto euer lastyng payne an other is this They cleaue so strongly vnto the weake ceremonies that they thinke if a dronken Priest leaue out a word as Volo say ye or Credo say ye or forget to put spittell or salt in y e childes mouth that y e child is not christened yea so much giue they thereunto the beggerly salt that they will say spill not the salt for it is our Christendome and vse also to sweare by it Saying by this salt that is my Christendome Alas what blyndnesse is this these two errours are the principall that I do entend at this tyme to confute For when they are fallen the other that are grounded on these must néedes decay First we must marke thrée thynges in euery Sacrament to be considered the signe the signification and the fayth whiche is geuen vnto the wordes of God The signe in Baptisme is the ploungyng downe in the materiall water and liftyng vp agayne by the whiche as by an outward badge we are knowen to be of the number of them which professe Christ to be theyr redemer and Sauiour This outward signe doth neither geue vs the spirite of God neither yet grace that is the fauour of God For if thorough the washyng in the water the spirite or grace were geuē then should it folow that who soeuer were baptised in water should receiue this precious gift but that is not so wherfore I must néedes conclude that this outward signe by any power or influence that it hath bryngeth not the spirite or fauour of God That euery man receiueth not this treasure in Baptisme it is euidēt for put the case that a Iew or an infidell should say that he dyd beleue beleued not in déede and vpō his wordes were baptised in déede for no man cā iudge what his hart is but we must receiue him vnto Baptisme if he confesse our fayth with his mouth albeit his hart be farre from thence this miscreant now thus Baptised hath receiued this outward signe and Sacrament aswell as the most faythfull man beleuyng Howbeit he neither receiueth the spirite of God neither yet any grace but rather condemnation Wherefore it is euident that the exterior signe giueth not this gift whiche is also as certaine in all other Sacramentes yea in the Sacrament of the altare whiche may be called a double Sacrament For it is not onely a remembraunce that the naturall body of Christe was broken and hys bloud shed for our redemption as the Euangelistes do testifie but also it is his spirituall body whiche is the congregation of the faythfull as S. Paul testifieth saying the bread which we breake is it not the partaking that is to say we that are partakers of the body of Christ For we sayth hée though we be many yet are we one bread one body But for all that the receiuyng of this Sacrament giueth vs not the spirite of God neither yet his fauor for the wicked receiueth it as well as y e good Howbeit that receiuyng is to theyr dānation Wherfore it foloweth that the outwarde signe giueth no mā any grace Moreouer if the spirite of God and his grace were bounde vnto the Sacramentes then where y e Sacramēts were ministred there must y e spirit of grace waite on and where they were not ministred shuld be neither spirit nor grace But that is false for Cornelius all his houshold receiued y e holy ghost before they were Baptised In so much that Peter sayd may any man forbyd that these should be baptised with water whiche haue receiued the holy ghost as well as we And so he commaunded them to be baptised in the name of the Lord here may we sée that as the spirite of God lighteth where he will neither is he boūde to any thing Yea and this example doth well declare vnto vs that the Sacramentes are geuen to be an outward witnesse vnto all the cōgregation of that grace whiche is geuen before priuatly vnto euery man So is Baptisme giuen before the congregation vnto hym which before he receiue it hath either professed the Religion of Christ or els hath the word of promise by the whiche promesse he is knowen to be of the sensible congregatiō of Christ and for this cause when we baptise one that is come vnto the age of discretiō we axe of hym whether he beleue if he aunswere yea and desire Baptisme then is he baptised so that we require faith in hym before he be baptised whiche is the gift of God and commeth of grace and so it is an outward signe of hys inuisible fayth whiche before was giuen hym of God If an infant be brought vnto baptisme whom his frendes offer vp willyng to sanctifie and fulfill the commaundement and ordinaunce of God we enquire of his frendes before the congregatiō whether they will that theyr child be baptised and when they haue aunswered yea thē receiueth he Baptisme Here also went before the promise of God that hee of his grace reputeth our infantes no lesse of the congregation then the infantes of the Hebrues and thorough Baptisme doth the congregation receiue him whiche was first receiued thorough grace of the promise thus may we sée that Baptisme bryngeth not grace but doth testifie vnto the congregation that he which is baptised had such grace geuen hym before so is Baptisme a Sacrament that is the signe of an holy thyng euē a token of the grace and frée mercy whiche was before geuen hym a visible example of inuisible
of their deliueraunce and toke in his hande bread blessed brake it and gaue it to his disciples saying this is my body which shal be geuen for you For this night shall y ◠power of Pharao y e diuell be distroyed and to morow shall you be deliuered from Egypt y e place of sinne and shall take your iourney towardes the heauenly mansion which is prepared of God for all that loue him Now cōpare them togeather 1 The paschall lābe was instituted eaten the night before the children of Israell were indeede deliuered from Egipt Likewise was the sacrament instituted and eatē y t night before we were deliuered from our sinnes 2 The pascall lambe was a very lambe in deede And so is the sacrament very bread in déede 3 The pascall lambe was cauled the passing by of y e Lord which destroyed the power of Pharao and deliuered thē The sacrament is called the body of y e Lord whiche destroyed y e power of the deuill and deliuered vs. 4 ¶ As many as did eate the pascall lambe in fayth were very mery and gaue God greate thankes For they were sure the next day to be deliuered out of Egipt as many did eate his sacrament in fayth were mery gaue God great thākes for they were sure the next day to be deliuered frō there sinne 5. They that did not eate the pascall lambe in fayth could not be merye For they were not so sure of deliueraunce from the power of Pharao They y ◠did not eate this Sacrament in fayth could not be mery For they were not sure of deliueraunce from the power of the deuill 6. They that beleued the worde of the Lord did more eate the passing by of the Lord which should deliuer thē then they did the lambe They that did beleeue the word of the Lord did more eate y e body of the Lord which should be geuen for their deliuerance then they did the bread For y ◠thing doth a man moste eate y t he most hath in memory most reuolueth in mynd as appeareth by Christ Iohn 4. I haue meate to eate y t ye know not 7. They that beléeued not y e next day to be deliuered from Egipt did not eate y e passing by of y e Lord although they did eate the lambe They y ◠beleued not the next day to be deliuered from sinne dyd not eate the body of the Lorde although they eate the breade 8. The children of Israell were but once deliuered from Egypt notwithstanding they did euery yeare eate y e lambe to kéepe that facte in perpetuall remembraunce Euen so Christ bought and redemed vs but once for all and was offered and sacrificed but once for all though y e sacrament therof be daylye broken amonge vs to kéepe that benefite in continuall memorye 9. As many as dyd eate y e Paschall Lambe in fayth and beleued Gods word as touching their deliueraunce from Egypt were as sure of their deliueraunce through fayth as they were sure of the Lambe by eating it As many as doe eate this sacrament in fayth and beleeue Gods word as touching their deliueraūce frō sinne are as sure of their deliueraunce through fayth as they are sure of the bread by eating it 10. As many as did eate of that Paschall Lambe did magnifie theyr God testifying that he onely was the God almighty and they his people sticking to hym to be deliuered by his power from all daunger As many as do eate of thys sacrament doe magnifie their God testifying that he only is the God almighty and they his people sticking by him to be deliuered by hys power from all danger 11. When the Israelites were deliuered frō Egypt they eate neuerthelesse the Paschall Lambe which was still called the passing by because it was y e remēbraunce of the passing by of y e Lord and hartely reioyced offering hym sacrifice acknowledgyng w t infinite thākes that they were the fellowship of thē that had such a mercifull God Now Christes electe are deliuered frō sinne they eate neuerthelesse the sacramēt which is still called hys body that once dyed for their deliueraunce and hartely reioyce offering to hym the sacrifice of prayse knowledging with infinite thākes that they are of the fellowship of thē that haue such a mercifull God 12. The Paschall Lābe after their deliueraunce it was yearely eaten brought as much myrth and ioye vnto them that did eate it in fayth as it did to their fathers which felt Pharao hys fury and were not yet deliuered For they knew right well that except God of his mercy and wonderful power had so deliuered them they shoulde also them selues haue been bond in the land of Egypt and vnder that wicked prince Pharao of which bondage they greatly reioyced to bee rid already and thanked God highly because they found thē selues in that plenteous land which God prouided for them The sacrament which after our deliueraunce is yearely and dayly eaten bringeth as much myrth and ioye vnto vs that eate it in fayth as it did to the Apostles which were not yet deliuered For we know right well that except God of hys mercye through y e bloud of hys sonne had so deliuered vs we shoulde also our selues haue been bonde in Egypt the place of sinne vnder y t wicked prince the deuill of which bōdage we greatly reioyce to be rid already thanke God highly because we finde our selues in y e state of grace haue receaued through faith the first fruites and a taste of the spirite which testifyeth vnto vs y ◠we are the childrē of God ¶ Thys Maundy of remēbraunce was it that Paule receaued of the Lorde and deliuered to the Corinthians in the xi chapter For though he borrowe one propertie and similitude of the sacrament in the x. chapter that in my minde maketh neither with vs nor against vs albeit some thinke that it maketh whole for the exposition of Christes wordes this is my body But in my minde they are deceaued For y e occasion that Paule spake of it in the x. chapter was thys The Corinthians had knowledge that all meates were indifferent and whether it were offered to an Idole or not that the meate was not the worse and they might lawfully eate of it whether it were solde thē in the Shambles or set before them when they dyned and supped in an vnfaithfull mans house asking no questions except some man did tell them that it was offered to an Idoll and then they should not eate of it for offendyng his conscience that so tolde them albeit they were els frée and the thing indifferent thys knowledge because it was not annexed with charitie was the occasion of great offending For by reason thereof they satte downe among the Gentiles at their feastes where they eate in the honor of their Idols and so did not onely wound the conscience of their weake brethrē but
sonne whiche was shed for our sinnes So that in this place and felowshyp may no mā eate nor drinke with vs but he that is of our fayth and knowledgeth the same God that we doe As by example if a mā were well beloued among hys neyghbours albeit he haue some enemyes and were long absent from hys frendes in a straunge countrey when he were come home his neighbours that loued hym would greatly reioyse and peraduenture would bye a Capon or an other péece of meate to geue hym his wellcom home and get them to some honest mans house or to a Tauerne and make good cheare together to testifie openly that he is welcome home that they all which are at y t banket reioyse of his cōming home Now I say that this banket is more then an other meale for at this banket hys enemies may be loth to come because they can not reioyse at his comming home and therfore can not make good chere among thē testifiing that he is welcome home but rather abhorreth the meate and drinke y t is there eaten because their hart doth not fauour the person for whose sake it is prepared Notwithstanding if a capons legge were reserued for one of his enemies and afterward geuen him when the banket were done he might lawfully eate it For then it were but bare meate such as he eateth at home And likewise y e enemies of Christ which beléeue not that they haue remission of sinnes through his bloudsheding can not reioyce of his body breaking And therfore can make good chere among thē but if any be reserued after the maundy he may lawfully eate it for is but bread And his louers that are there presēt do rather come thether to geue him his welcome home then for the meate and they more eate his welcome home then the meate But if anye of his enemies fortune to be there they eate onely the meat and not his welcome home For they reioyce not at his comming home Likewise the faythfull that are there present do rather come thether to reioyce in y e faith of his body breaking thē in breaking or eating of the bread or meate But if any of the vnfaythfull fortune to be there they eate onely the bread and not his body breaking For they reioyce not at his bodie breaking Here peraduenture some will suppose that I were cōtrary to my self For before I sayd y t it was more then meate y t was eaten at y e gentiles feast more then meate y t was eaten at my neighbors welcome home more thē bread that is eaten at the receiuyng of the sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ And now I say that if a mās enemye be there he eateth onely the meate and not y e welcome home And lykewise the vnfaythfull eateth onely breade and not the body and bloud of Christ How may these wordes stand together I aunswere that they eate but ouely bread or meate y t profiteth them but indeede they eate more to their hinderaunce euen their owne damnation For they that did eate in y t fellowship of y t gentiles did but onlye eate the meate to there profite but in eating theyr meate their facte dyd openly testyfye that they honoured y t Idole for their God although their hart were otherwise wherein they committed idolatry And besides that they wounded the cōsciences of their weake brethren and so sinned against God Besides that he that enuyeth hys neighbour and commeth to that banket eateth but onely y e meate that profiteth hym notwithstandyng in hys owne hart he eateth the rancor malice of his mynde to his great greuaūce when he séeth them so reioyse And of hys owne companions which are also these mans enemyes he doth purchase hym selfe hatred because with his fact hee testifieth that hee loueth him although his hart be otherwise and of God shal be condemned For hee that hateth his brother is a murtherer Furthermore he that is vnfaithfull and commeth to the maūdy eateth but onely y t bread that profiteth hym notwithstādyng he eateth beside that his owne damnation because he beleueth not that the body of our Sauiour whiche the Sacrament representeth is brokē for hys sinnes and his bloud shed to washe them away This I am compelled to doe to stop the chateryng mouthes of Sophisters albeit to them that be sober it bad been inough to haue sayd they eate onely bread not the body broken c. For they right well vnderstand it by the contrary Antithesie know that I meant not by that onely that he should eate the bread nothyng els but onely bread but that I meant by this worde onely that hee should eate the bread without the body And so lykewise in other exāples Thus haue we sufficiently declared Paules mynde in the. 10. Chapter In the xj chapter Paule maketh much mencion of the maundye dyscribeth it to y t vttermost Frst he saith when ye come together in one place a man can not eate the Lords supper For euery man beginnyth afore to eate his owne supper and one is hungry and an other is dronken Haue ye not houses to eate and drinke in or els despise ye the congregation of God and shame them that haue not what shall I saye vnto you shall I prayse you In this I prayse you not Paule did instruct according to Christes mynde y t the Corinthians should come togither to eate the Lordes supper Whiche lyeth not so much in the carnall eatyng as in the spiritual and is greatly desired to be eaten not by the hunger of the body but by the hūger of the faithfull hart which is gredy to publishe the prayse of the Lord and geue hym harty thankes moue other to the same that of many praise might be geuen vnto our most mercyful father for the loue which he shewed vs in the bloud of his owne most deare sonne Christ Iesu Wherewith we are washed from our sinnes and surely sealed vnto euerlastyng lyfe With such hūger dyd Christ eate the Paschall lambe saying to hys Disciples I haue in wardly desired to eate this Easter lāde with you before that I suffer Christes inward desire was not to fill hys belly with his disciples but hee had a spirituall hūger both to prayse his father with them for theyr bodely deliueraūce out of the land of Egypt and specially to alter the Pasichall lambe and memory of the carnall deliueraunce into the maundy of myrth and thākesgeuyng for our spirituall deliueraunce out of the bondage of sinne In so much that when Christ knewe that it was his fathers will and pleasure that he should suffer for our sinnes wherin his honor glory and prayse should be published then was it a pleasure vnto hym to declare vnto his Disciples that great benefite vnto his fathers prayse and glory so did institute that we should come together and breake the bread in the
of the worlde to enioye these worldly thinges Not withstandyng they are not ashamed thus falsly to laye it to the preachers charge and all because they would make your grace to mayntayne their maliciousnes So that vnder the pretence of treason they myght execute the tyranny of their harts For who is hée that would bee a traytour or mayntaine a traytour agaynst your most excellent and noble grace I thinke no mā yea I know surely that no man can doe it without the great displeasure of the eternall God For S. Paule cōmaundeth straightly vnto all christians to bee obedient in all thinges on this manner Let euery man submyt himselfe to the auctoryte of the higher power For whosoeuer resisteth the power resisteth y t ordinaunce of God And they that resist shall receiue to them selues damnation Also S. Peter confirmeth this saying Submit your selues vnto all manner of ordinaunce of mā for y t Lords sake whether it be vnto the king as vnto their chiefe head eyther vnto Dukes as vnto them that are sent of hym for the punishment of euell doers but to the prayse of them y e doe well wherfore if euery man had the scriptures as I would to god they had to iudge euery mans doctrine then were it out of question that the preachers therof eyther would or could make or cause to bée made any insurrection against there Prince séeyng the selfe same scriptures straytely commaundeth all subiectes to bée obedient vnto their Princes as Paule witnesseth saying warne them sayth hée that they submit them selues to Prynces and to powers to obey the officers Now how cā they that preach and exhort all men to thys doctrine cause any insurrection or disobedience against their prince But let vs goe further and consider the preachers which onely haue preached the word of God and marke if euer they were occasion of disobedience or rebellion agaynst princes First call to mind y e old Prophets and with a single eye iudge if any of thē eyther priuely or apertly sturred vp the people agaynst their Princes Looke on Christ if hée submitted not hym self to y e hye powers Payde hée not tribute for all hée was frée and caused Peter likewyse to pay Suffered not hée with all pacience the punishmentes of the princes yea death most cruell although they did hym open wrong and could finde him gilty in no cause Looke also of the Apostles which both taught and wrote the doctrine of Christ and in their liuing followed hys steppes and if euer they sturred by any occasion the people agaynst their princes yea if they themselues obeyed not to all princes although the most part of them were tyrauntes and infidels Consider likewyse those Doctors which purely and sincerely hath hādled the worde of God either in preaching or writing if euer by theyr meanes any insurrection or disobedience rise among the people agaynst their princes But you shall rather finde that they haue béen ready to lay downe their owne heades to suffer with all pacience whatsoeuer tyranny any power woulde minister vnto them geuing all people example to doe the same Now to conclude if neither the Scriptures neither the practise of the preachers thereof teacheth or affyrmeth that y e people may disobey their princes or their ordinaūces but contrarywyse teacheth all obedience to bée done vnto them it is playne that those Byshops or rather Papistes doe falsely accuse those true preachers and subiectes which thyng woulde appeare in euery mans sight if by their violence the word of God were not kept vnder Now is this y e doctrine that I doe preach and teach and none other as concerning thys matter God I take to recorde and all my bookes writinges that euer I wrote or made And onely I allow and fauour them whiche furthereth thys doctrine of Christ and of thys I am sure myne aduersaries or rather aduersaryes to Christes doctrine must beare mée witnesse But now as wée haue bréefly touched the doctrine that the true preachers preach to the people both by worde writing and practise of them So let vs somewhat touch y e doctrine and practise of the Pope and the Papisticall Bishops and then let euery man séeke out y e heretickes and traytors to their princes First where the preachers onely of the worde of God preacheth and teacheth all men to obey their princes and their ordinaunces according to the wordes of S. Peter There the Pope and the Papisticall Bishops contrary vnto the minde and facte of Saint Peter expoundeth S. Peters wordes saying that S. Peter meaned not hym selfe nor his successors but hys subiectes And by this false interpretatiō excludeth him selfe with hys frō all obedience to princes And yet not so content but craftely drawing all other subiectes from the obedience of their princes sayth to them also that y e wordes of S. Peter were not spoken as a cōmaundement but as a counsell And by this crafte if any prince espye hys falsehode and of conscience goe about to reproue him then by his false preachers and maintainers of hym he lightly withdraweth y e hartes of the commons from their prince affirming the cōmaundement of God to bée but a counsell and at the least wyse his authoritie to bée sufficient to dispence with all y e cōmaundementes of God And thus the people being ignoraunt because they lacke y e word of God to iudge euery doctrine by they delude their wittes And if any man that perceaueth their crafte of very loue that hée hath to God and hys commaundementes exhorteth the people to iudge the doctrine of those Papistes by the worde of God Anone they lay heresie vnto hys charge laying for thē there Gods lawe saying No man may iudge the Pope no mā also may géeue sentence aboue hys iudgement but hée shall iudge all men vpon earth Item the seate of Rome géeueth strength and might to all lawes but it is subiecte to none Item that the subiectes may bée disobedient to their own Lordes and that hee may depose kinges Item that hée hath authoritie to breake all othes bondes and obligations made betwéene any man of hye or lowe degrée Item that the Pope hath power to interprete declare and to lay forth the holy scripture after hys own will and to suffer no man to expound it contrary to hys pleasure Item that the Pope is a God vpon earth ouer all heauenly earthly ghostly and worldly and hée is all hys owne and no man may say to hym what doost thou Item though the Pope were so euill that hée lead innumerable mē by great heapes to hell yet shall no man reproue him therefore ¶ Now after that they had sytten in the consciences of men with these such like abhominable doctrines and had excluded mē frō y e scriptures as an vnlawfull thing to haue in their mother tonge lest they should espye their
bee and as you haue wel deserued that I should bée I could so set out this matter that all mē should spytte at you but I will vse my selfe charitable toward you and if the matter had not béene so haynously and so violently hādled of you I would not haue geuen you one ill woorde But now let no man require of me that I should vnto such an abhominable detestable deuill as hath brought in this wicked and shamefull learnyng and maners put of my cappe make low curtesie and geue fayre wordes and say God geue you good morow syr deuill how fare you I am glad of your welfare and prosperity your Lordship doth rule very graciously and all men prayseth you I doubte not but God shall prosper you I say let no man require this of me for I am and will bée so taken for his mortall enemy whersoeuer I doe finde hym whether hée bée Lord or Byshop sauing peraduenture if I spye hym dwelling in a Byshoppe I wyll not hādle him with so rough wordes for the weaknes of certayne men as I would if I founde him in an other place It were not vncharitable if I recited here by name the innocent bloud that you haue shed in my time for the speaking against your vnlawfull doctrine Alas what fault coulde ye sinde in good mayster Bylney whō ye haue cast away so violently I dare say there is not one among you that knew hym but must commende and prayse his vertuous lyuinge And though you had founde him with a litle faulte the which I thinke and hée were now aliue should be no faulte alas would you cast away so cruelly so good a man and so true a mā both to God and to his kyng But I will returne agayne to my purpose and shewe an other example how you haue learned and taught to set kings and kingdomes togither by y e eares for the maintenance of your dignities and doctrines Pope Vrban the vj. which was chosē in the yeare of our Lord 1378. by sedition violence of Romaines which would haue no Cardinall of Fraunce because they woulde the Pope shoulde bee resident in Rome This Vrban I say deuising how to mayntaine his secte and part agaynst his aduersary which was called Clement of whose side y e kyng of Fraūce helde sent to the kyng of England Ed. the 3. the which as than was not well content with the Frenche kyng certayne Bulles contaynyng cleane remission a poena a culpa for all them that would wage battayle against the kyng of Fraunce against them that were of Clementes side And because the kyng and his Lords shoulde bée the willinger to take battayle on them hée sent a commaundement to the Byshops to rayse of the spiritualtie a taxe for to pay the souldiours wyth Moreouer because the Duke of Lancaster had a tytle to the kyngdome of Castell the which helde of Clementes side therefore y e Pope graunted that part of this money should also bée deliuered to hym if hée would wage battayle agaynst y e kyng of Castell promysing hym also that hée would styrre the kyng of Portyngale which than had also varyaunce with the sayde kyng of Castelll to warre agaynst the sayd kyng and to the mayntaynyng of his warre hée would graūt y t kyng of Portyngale a demy of his spiritualty thorow all his Realme How much was gathered in Portyngale our stories maketh no mension but in London and in the diocese was gathered a tūne of golde and in the whole realme of England was gathered xxv C. M. frankes whiche makes in Englishe money CC. lxxvij M. vij C. lxxvij 〈◊〉 And because this money was gathered of y e spiritualitie and by their diligence therefore the Pope ordayned Henry Spenser the Byshop of Norwych to bée the chiefe captayne of this warre but or euer the Pope coulde brynge this matter to passe he sent to y e king to his Lordes and to his Byshoppes xxx Bulles So that at the last thys foresayd Byshop of Norwyche was sent foorth with a greate number of men in the wages of the Church And the Duke of Lankester likewise agaynst the kyng of Castell Theyr oth was geuen them to fight agaynst no man nor countrey that helde with Pope Vrban And our chronicle saith that Pope Vrban would haue made peace betwene the Frēch king and ours at the last How thinke you is not this a pretie practise to set men together by the eares and than to make them beleeue that he woulde make a peace Fyrst we must haue cleane remission to fight and thā wée shall bée curssed as blacke as a potte if wée will make no peace And why because the Pope hath hys purpose Is not this a goodly packyng of spirituall men Is not here goodly obedience taught toward Princes Bée not mens soules well fed wyth thys doctrine Bée not these good fathers that thus watcheth nyght and daye for y t cure and charge that they haue of mens soules Marke how charitable and liberall that the holy Fathers bée in distributing of Christes merites Euery man that fighteth in his cause shall haue cleane remission a pena a culpa and must néedes bée the childe of saluation Let Christ say and doe what hée can for the holye Church hath so determined And that no man shoulde doubt of it there bée xxx Bulles graunted and that vnder leade And the Church of Rome can not erre for the spirituall lawe sayth what the sea of Rome doth approue that must néedes bée allowed and that that she reproueth must bée of no strength Likewise in an other place So must the decrées of the sea of Rome bée accepted as though they were spoken by the godly voyce of Peter hymselfe Agaynst these thinges dare I not speake for I would fayne bee taken for a Christen man but yet I muste bee so bolde to speake one worde the truth is the deuill himselfe hath blowen out these presumptuous voyces And yet mē must set both life soule on these wordes For there bée xxx Bulles of leade to confirme the matter And that is a weightye thynge But when kyng Iohn our naturall prince shoulde haue had of the pyed Mōkes for the defēce of this realme but a small summe of money Than was there neuer a Bull to gette nor yet one Byshop in Englād to preach on his side But now CC. M. pound gathered in one Lent and a greate deale more for the maintainaūce of y e pope his holy flesh Was not this a marueilous subiectiō that we should suffer our selues so lightly to bée moued to geue not onely so greate a sūme of money but also to send forth in the defence of such a wicked person our naturall brethren kinsemen and countreymen I dare say of my conscience that in fiue hūdred yeares there was not such a summe of money so lightly graunted were the cause neuer so great vnto our right naturall and
agaynst hym and when hée might saye and doe what he would And as your lawe commaundeth no man so hardye to aske hym why hée doth so Then began decrées ordinances depocytions disposycyons reseruations prouysions with like shamefulnes sor to spring and there is no remedy but they must contynue And why Because you are sworne to kéepe them your selfe and to compel other men also to kéepe them And out of the kéepinge of this part of your othe springeth out an other sentence that foloweth which is this All heretykes sysmatikes and rebelles towardes our sayd Lorde y e Pope to my power I shall persecute and withstand This is the cause that hath made vs poore men so great heretykes For it can neuer bée proued that euer we spake agaynst God or our king and yet bée we heretikes And why Forsooth because the Byshops are sworne to the Popes decrées the which condemneth all them for heretikes that speaketh against his holynes though hée bée as holy as my horse For hée sayth hym selfe in his lawe that hée nedeth not to bée holy hym selfe but it is sufficient that hée sytteth in an holy seat These be his wordes who doubteth but hée is holy y e which is exalted to so great a dignitie In whō though good workes of his owne merites be wantinge yet are those good workes sufficyent the which were done by his predecessours Vpon the which texte their glose sayth that if it bée openly knowen that the Pope bée an aduoulterer or a murderer yet ought hée not to bée accused c. Now we poore men can not suffre such myscheuous vyces wherefore we must bée heretikes But why because my lords y e byshops are sworne to persecute vs. But neuertheles I trust to Gods grace and the Kinges that my Lordes the Byshops wyll not bée so hard in this poynt of their othe as they haue béene And why Because mē may nowe come to their aunswere Surely there bée many clauses in his last othe added that bée cleare iniury vnto princes against Gods lawe and mans lawe And yet our Byshops will swere them yea that which is worst of all they will accuse other men of treason rebelliō And there is no mā sworne to treason nor rebellion but they onely ¶ Wherfore most gracious prince with all mekenes and lowlynes that is due to soe noble a prince and also that doth béecome a true subiecte to doe I lowly and méekely require and desire your grace to Iudge betwéene the Byshops and me whiche of vs is trewest and faythfullest to God and to your grace I speake all onelye of those that hath and also would nowe if they durste defende the Pope and his lawes Agaynst them I make this supplication and agaynst them haue I declared the learning and doctrine that I haue both taught and wrytten And as for my factes déedes what I haue done agaynst God and your grace I require them to say their vttermost that they can proue or elles by your gracious fauour I am bere presente and offer my selfe to proue thē lyars And that vnder any maner of payne that your grace shal assigne And agaynst them I haue declared the learnyng and doctrine of theyr Churche and also brought examples of their factes and déedes with the whiche they haue put theyr doctrine in exercise Nowe if they bée gréeued or thinke thē selues wrongfully handled of mée then I require no more of your grace but indifferētly and graciously to here both them and me the which thing no doubt as your grace doth knowe our heauēly father doth require of you who preserue your highnes in all honor dignite Amen The cause of my condemnation MOste gracious Prince y e your grace shoulde knowe what cause of heresye the Byshops had agaynst me for y e which they so vncharitablye and so cruelly hath cast me away Therefore haue I set out y e articles y e were layde agaynst me And as they were layd agaynst me as I will bée reported by their owne actes and bookes The which articles doubtles were vncharitably falsly gathered agaynst me in a sermon y e I made in Cābridge in S. Edwardes Churrh Wherfore I will beséech your grace with all méekenes lowlynes to bée my gracious Lord Prince And not to suffer me thus shamefully cruelly agaynst all law conscience vtterly to bée vndone cast away But of your most highe goodnes to suffer me to come to mine aunswere and then if I can not iustifie my cause I will be at your gracious commaundement to bée punished after right and conscience IF thou beléeue that thou art more boūd to serue God to morow which is Christmas day or of easter day or of whitsonday for an holynes that is in one day more then in an other then art thou no faythfull christean man but supersticious And S. Paule is against thée saying You doe obserue dayes yeares monthes and tydes For vnto a faythfull christean man euery day ought to bée Christmas day Easter day and whitsonday The which thinge the fathers considering that thou diddest not obserue yea that thou wouldest neuer obserue if it were lefte to thy iudgmēt because thou art geuen so much to worldly businesses For that cause they haue assigned thee certaine dayes to come to the certayn dayes to come to y e church to pray togither to heare the worde of God togither and to receaue the blessed sacramēt togither what faulte fynde you in this article because I say that one daye is not holyer then an other I pray you what is y e cause or what nature is in one day that is not in an other wherby that it should bée holyer then the other Because you will say that we halowe the remembraunce of Christes birthe and of Christes resurrection in one day and not in an other This thing I say must you doe euery daye for Christe is euery day borne euery day rysen euery day ascended vp And this must you beléeue euery day stedfastly This must you sanctifie in your hartes dayly and not one day ¶ Now vary we but in this thing You say that we are bound to sanctifie but one Christmas day in the yeare and that is supersticiousnes heresy say I not that I condemne your one day but that you set it to one daye all onely that we are bound to do euery daye Briefely my Lord of Rochester alowed this article saying he would not condemne it for heresy for an C. li. this was a great sūme of money but it was folishely sayde quod hée to preach this afore the butchers of Cambryge As who say they were all butchers that were at the sermon And not y e most parte of y e vniuersity But the byshop of Bathe asked me whether we mighte labour on the holy dayes or not séeing it is written Thou shalt obserue thy holy day I aunswered
of workes is excluded and yet will you boaste your workes Heare you not playnely S. Paules sentence that iudgeth clearely wyth fayth and agaynst all workes How can this bée auoyded Is it not cleare What can bée aunswere to it Is not thys Paules proposition that hée tooke to prooue faith onely iustifieth It were but lost labour for Paule to proue that workes did helpe to iustification For that the Iewes did graunt and required no more but that workes might not bée clearely excluded They were Christened and content to receiue Christ for their sauiour but not onely and alonely This was the contentation In so much that they gloryed agaynst the Gentiles which had no maner of workes and for that dispised them as people vnworthy to bée iustified But paraduenture here wyll bée sayde that Paule condemneth the workes of the olde lawe but not the workes of the newe lawe Are you nowe satisfied in your conscience Thinke you that you haue well assoyled S. Paules argumeÌ„t Thinke you that this is sufficient to auoyde Saint Paule that hath takeÌ„ so great labour to prooue this cause Thinke you that you shall bée thus discharged afore God If you doe then goe boldly into the straite iudgement of God with this euasion and doubt you not but there shall you finde S. Paule as stifly and as strongly against you and your newe workes as euer hée was agaynst the Iewes and theyr olde workes And if hée did condemne the works of the law that were instituted by the mouth of God and the best workes that euer were Thinke you that those workes that you haue inuented shal be there alowed Briefely what workes can you doe or excogitate that bée good which bée not in the olde lawe and of the olde lawe Ergo hée speaketh of all maner of workes for the lawe includeth all workes that euer God instituted The highest and the best and most of perfection of all workes bée Opera decalogi the workes of the ten Commaundementes And these bée the workes of the olde lawe and can not iustifie after your owne saying Nowe what workes haue you of the nowe lawe other then these or better then these Our mayster Christ sheweth that in fulfilling ij of these Commaundementes bée all workes included What workes then bée of the newe lawe that were not commaunded in the olde Paraduenture you will say All those workes that Christ speaketh of in the v. of Math. bée of the newe lawe and not of the olde For Christ sayth I say vnto you He that calleth his brother foole or that looketh on a woman to desire her and such like doth offend These séeme to bée workes of Christ and not of Moyses Ergo there bée works of the newe lawe that were not coÌ„maunded in the olde and against theÌ„ disputeth not S. Paule say yée To this I aunswere that our maister Christ doth there reprooue y t false interpretation that the Scribes and Pharysies did set to the lawe but hée teacheth no newe workes nor is no geuer of any newe lawe For Saint Iohn sayth The lawe is geuen thorough Moyses but grace and veritie came by Iesus Christ Hée is the géeuer of grace and mercy as all the prophetes testifieth and not an other Moyses And therfore to purchace vs fauour hée dyed on the crosse and so did not Moyses But hée commaundeth vs to doe this and doe that But Christ sayth hange thou on my doing beléeue thou that I haue done for thée for thée and not for mée Now to our purpose Christ I say doth interprete and declare the olde lawe agaynst the Scribes and Pharyses which learned that the lawe was fulfilled and content wyth outwarde workes and that was their iustification This false doctrine doth our mayster Christ reprooue And sayth that the lawe doth require a pure and a cleane hart and will haue hys workes fulfilled out of the hart and not alonely wyth hand and séete and toothe and nayle as the Pharyses sayth and teacheth So that our mayster Christ teacheth no new workes but alonely expresseth the vertue of the olde lawe And thus doth holy Doctours declare this v. chapiter of Math. and specially S. Augustine Wherfore out of that place caÌ„ not bée prooued that there bée certayne workes of the new law that were ueuer commaunded in the olde Moreouer looke in the olde lawe whether these thinges bée forbidden or commaunded and you shall finde that the wordes of the law and Christes exposition doth agrée So that our mayster teacheth no newe thyng nor yet any newe workes But now graunt that there bée certayne workes of the new lawe which bée not of the olde yet haue you not nor caÌ„ not prooue that those shall iustifie For there can bée no more goodnesse in workes then were in workes of the olde lawe for they were to Gods honour and to the profite of our neighbour What goodnes can works haue more And yet you graunt that they can not iustifie How then shall your newe workes iustifie Blessed Saint Paule disputeth agaynst them that were Christened and had both workes of the olde lawe and also of the newe And yet concludeth hee that Christ alonely was their iustifier Marke his argument if righteousnes coÌ„meth of the law then is Christ dead in vayne As hée woulde say if the lawe helpe to iustifie for that was the opinion of the Iewes then is not Christ alonely your iustifier If hée be not your iustifier alonely then is bée dead in vayne How will S. Paule proue this consequent On this maner Eyther Christ doth thys thyng alone or els hée is dead in vayne for hée will haue no helper Thys must néedes bée the meaning of hys argument there Now will I take this argument of S. Paule and likewise dispute agaynst your newe woorkes If newe woorkes doe helpe to iustifie then is Christ deade in vayne But Christ is not dead in vayne Ergo new workes doe not helpe to iustify The first part is Paules The second you graunt Therfore the third must â—â—edes folow But let vs sée how S. Paule proueth this preposition by an example not of the olde lawe as though hée disputed alonely agaynst the works of the ould lawe But by that holy and excellent Patriarch Abraham whoÌ„ no maner of workes coulde iustifye but fayth onely Thynke you y t S. Paule doth speake here of the workes of the ould lawe nay doubtles For how could AbrahaÌ„ doe y t works of lawe there was no lawe geueÌ„ 400. 30. yeares after wherefore S. Paule constrayneth you to conclude that no maner of good workes though they bée soe good as Abrahams workes can helpe to iustificacion Note also S. Paules argument AbrahaÌ„ was instified so many yeares before y t lawe was geuen Ergo saith hée the lawe doth not iustifie So like wise dispute I agaynst your newe workes Men were sufficiently and perfectly iustifyed alonely by fayth afore any new workes were geuen or
then are we the seruauntes of iustice So that if we truely haue that same fayth that iustifieth vs we shall desire to doe none other workes but those that belong to iustification not that the workes doe iustifie but that we must néedes do these workes as the very true frutes of iustificatioÌ„ and not as the cause of iustification And therfore those men that will doe no good workes because they be iustified onely by fayth bée not the childreÌ„ of God nor the children of iustificafition For the liuyng spirite of God is none authour of ilnes nor of sinne but hée crieth in our hartes Abbapater And of that is this a sure and an euident token for if they were the very true children of God they would bée the gladder to doe good workes because that they are iustified fréely Therfore should they also bée moued fréely to workes if it were for no other purpose nor profite but alonely to doe y e wil of their mercyfull God y e hath so fréely iustified theÌ„ and also to profite their neighbour whoÌ„ they are bound to serue of very true charitie Take an example here is a théefe that is condemned by right the law to bée hanged whom the kings grace of his mercy doth fréely deliuer from the gallowes and geueth him his pardon Now this théefe thus deliuered will not kéepe hym selfe a true man nor doe those workes that belong to a true man to doe but falleth agayne to stelyng because the kyng pardoned hym so fréely and reckeneth that the kyng is so mercyfull that hée will haÌ„g no théeues but deliuer them all of his mercy without their deseruing Now how thinke you wil y e king bée mercifull vnto this théefe when hée coÌ„meth againe to y e gallowes Nay truely for hée was not deliuered for that cause but for to kéepe hym selfe a true man Then commeth my Lord of Rochester and hée sayth that fayth doth begyn a iustification in vs but workes doe performe it and make it perfite I will recite his owne wordes Per fidem initiari dicitur iusticia solum non autem consummari nam consummata in sticia non aliter quam ex operibus natis in lucem editis acquirâ— potest opera consummatè iustificant Fides primum in choat c. What Christened man would thinke that a Byshop would thus trifle and play with Gods holy word Gods worde is so playne that no man can auoyde it how that fayth iustifieth alonely and now commeth my Lord of Rochester with a litle a â—ayne distinction inuented of his owne brayne without authoritie of Scripture and will clearely auoyde all Scriptures and all the whole disputation of S. Paule But my Lord say to me of your conscience how doe you recken to auoyde the vengeauÌ„ce of God sith you thus trifle despise Gods holy word Thinke you that this vayne distinctioÌ„ will bée alowed afore Iesus Christ for whose glorye wée doe coÌ„teÌ„de striue afore whom we doe handle this matter I doe thinke verely that your owne conscience doth sore accuse you for thus blasphemyng the holy worde of God Wherefore my Lord for Christes sake remember that you bée aged and shall not long tary here and these vayne distinctioÌ„s that you haue inuented to the pleasure of men and to the great peruertyng of Gods holy word shall bée to your euerlastyng damnation And at the lest wayes if you feare not y e terrible vengeauÌ„ce of God remeÌ„ber the shame of y e world thinke not that all men bée so mad and so vnlearned as for to bée deceiued by this triflyng distinction seyng that the worde of God is so playne agaynst it Doth not S. Paule say that our iustification is alonely of fayth not of workes How can you auoyde this same Non ex operibus Not of workes if that workes doe make iustification perfite then are not Saint Paules wordes true Also S. Paule sayth that we bée the childreÌ„ of God by fayth And if we bée the childreÌ„ we are also the heyres Now what imperfection finde you in childreÌ„ and in heyres ChristeÌ„ meÌ„ desire no more but this and all this haue they by fayth onely And will you say that fayth doth but begyn a iustification Beside that you know well that S. Paule doth proue in all the whole Epistles to the Romanes and also to the Galathians that fayth doth iustifie yea and that by contention agaynst workes Now how can you bryng in workes to make iustification perfect And S. Paule hath excluded them Moreouer why did not the Iewes against whose works S. Paule disputeth bryng in this distinction for theÌ„ Briefely what will you say to all the Doctours that I haue here recited which say that Sola fides onely fayth doth iustifie But doubtles if it were not to satisfie other men this distinction were not worthy an aunswere An other damnable reason is made that is an open a playne lye which is this Thou sayst that workes doe not iustifie nor yet helpe to iustification but fayth onely Ergo thou destroyest all good workes and wilt that no man shall worke well but alonely beléeue I auÌ„swere if there were any shame in men they might well bée ashamed of these open lyes Tell me one that is learned that euer did say or teach that men should doe no good workes Many there bée that say workes do not iustifie as S. Paule and all his scholers but no maÌ„ denyeth good workes But I marueile not at them for they doe but the workes of their father whiche was a lyer a murtherer from the begynnyng I pray you what coÌ„sequent is this after your owne Logike works doe not iustifie Ergo wee néede not to doe them but despise them for they bée of no valure Take a like consequent You say that the kinges grace doth not iustifie Ergo you despise him Ergo hée is no longer kyng Also the Sunne and Moone doe not iustifie Ergo you destroy them But such a damnable lye must S Paul néedes suffer wheÌ„ hée had proued that fayth onely did iustifie Then came your ouerthwarte fathers and sayd Ergo thou destroyest the law for thou teachest that it iustifieth not God forbid sayth S. Paule for we doe learne the very waye to fulfill the law that is faith whereby the law alonely is fulfilled and without the whiche all the workes of the law bée but sinne So doe we likewise teach the very true way wherby all good workes must be done As first a man by faith to bée iustified then a iust man must néedes doe good workes whiche afore were but sinne now bée all good yea his eatyng drinkyng sléeping are good But beside all these haue they certayne scriptures First of S. Iames whose wordes bee these Wilt thou vnderstand O thou vayne man that fayth without déedes is dead Was not Abraham our father iustified of his dedes When hée offered his soÌ„ne Isaac on the aulter
there bée a playner example what meaneth Paule in these words when they weare neyther borne nor had done neyther good nor bad but that the election of God myght stand Doth hée not clearely take away all manner of merites both de congruo also de condigno and declare the wyll of God to bée the cause onely But heare will subtyll blyndnes say that God sawe béefore that Iacob should doe good and therefore dyd hée chuse hym Hée sawe also that Esau should doe no good and therefore hée repelled hym Alas for blindenes what will you iudge of that that God saw How know we that God sawe that And if hée sawe it yet how know we that that was the cause of Iacobs election These children bée vnborne and they haue done neyther good nor bad and yet one of them is chosen the other is refused S. Paule knoweth none other cause but the will of God and will you discuse an other And where you say that God did sée afore that one of them should doe good I praye you what was the cause or whereby saw hée that hée should doe good you must néedes say by that that hée would geue hym his grace Ergo the will of God is yet the cause of election for because y e God would geue hym his grace Therefore God saw that hée should doe good and so should also y e other haue done if God woulde haue geuen hym that same grace Wherefore you gyauntes that will subdue heauen and earth leaue your searching of this cause and bée content with the will of God doubt not but the will of God is as righteous and as lawfull a cause as your merites can bée And doubt you not but S. Paule that toke so great labours in this matter dyd sée as farre in mans deseruing as we can doe yet hée concluded with these wordes of scriptures I will shew mercy to whom I shew mercy I will haue cōpassion of whom I haue compassion So lyeth it not in mans will or cunnyng but in the mercy of God Hée sayth not I will haue mercy on hym that I sée shall doe good but I will shew mercy to whom I wil. Hée saith not I will haue compassion of hym y ◠shall deserue it de congruo But of him of whom I will haue cōpassion This doth S. Augustine well proue in these words The disputatiō of thē is vain y ◠which doe defend y e presēce of God agaynst the grace of God and therfore say that we were chosen afore y e making of the world because y e God knew afore that we should bée good not béecause hee should make vs good But hée that sayth You haue not chosen mée sayth not that For if hée dyd therefore chose vs béecause that hée knew before that wée should bée good thē must hee also knowe béefore that wée should fyrst haue chosen hym c. Here is it playne that the election of God is not because hée sawe afore that we should doe well but all onely the cause of election is his mere mercy and the cause of our doing well is his election And therefore S. Paule sayth not of workes but of callynge Now goe to you subtill Duns men with all your carnall reasons search out a cause of his secrete will If you dyd beléeue that hée were good righteous and mercyfull it were a great comfort for you that the electiō stoode all onely by hys will for so were you sure that it should bée both righteously done and mercifully but you haue no fayth therfore must you nedes mystrust God and of that fall you to inuent causes of election of your own strength As one should say béecause God will not of his righteousnes or of his mercy choose vs we will be sure that we shall bée elected For fyrst will we inuent that the election commeth of deseruyng and then will we also dreame certayne workes that shall thereunto bée appoynted of vs and those will we doe at our pleasure so that the election and reprobacion shall stande all in your hands let God doe what that pleaseth him But now béecause there bée certayne open places of scripture that geue onely the cause to God all onely of election also of reprobation therefore are these men sore troubled and can not tell no other remedy but all onely to studye how they may wring wrest the open scriptures to the fortifiing of their errour and to the satisfyinge of their carnall reason so that where the holy Ghost sayth I will obdurate the hart of Pharao they will take vpon them to learne and to teach the holy Ghost to speake better and to say of this maner I will suffer Pharao to bée indurated but I will not doe it but my easynes my softnes whereby that I shall suffer him shall bring other men to repentaunce but Pharo shal it make more obstinate in malice So that God doth indurate as you say when hée doth not chastice a synner but sheweth softnes and easynes and sufferaunce to hym Hée is mercifull when hée doth call a sinner to repentaunce by affiction and scourging So that induration after your exposition is nothing els but for to suffer euyll by softnes and by goodnes To haue mercy is nothing els but to correcte to scourge and to punyshe men for their synnes This is the exposition of induration after S. Hierome and after your common glose S. Hieromes wordes bée these God doth indurate when hée doth not by and by castigate a synner Hée hath mercy when hée doth call a synner by and by vnto repentāce by afflictions c. This is auctoritie inough as you thinke what shoulde you search any farther Dyd not these men vnderstand scripture Is not this exposition playne This taketh away all inconueniēces By this exposition God is not the auctor of euell This is a clarkely exposition Briefly this this must néedes bee the true expositiō Wherfore it weare better for you to erre with S. Hierome and with our oulde schoolemen then for to say true with these newe heretykes so call you all them that will reproue oulde errours Now haue you well defended the matter Now is your cause well proued Now must the holy Ghost chang his wordes For hée hath new schoolemaysters And wheare hée was wont to say I haue hardened Pharos hart Now must hée say Pharao hath hardened hym selfe by my softnes and by my easines but I haue not done it But yet I pray you how woulde you satisfie a weake conscience that stickes faste to the worde of God and reckeneth that the holy Ghost knoweth well what hée shal speake and wil speake nothing without a great cause but that that hée speaketh shall bée so well spoken that you can not amende it How thynke you is it sufficient to say to this poore man S. Hierome and all schoole men say so holde thou thy peace
would condeÌ„ne it or els to mooue hym to condemne that thyng that coÌ„meth from heauen yea and that froÌ„ the father of heanen and sent and learned by his eternall sonne which hath sealed it wyth hys most precious bloude and also commaunded his glorious Apostles to preach it and confirmed it wyth so many myracles and did also géeue to the confirming and the writing of it the glorious consolatour of the holy Ghost So that it is open that the father of heauen did not send this godly worde with a small diligence or as though hée cared not whether it shoulde remayne in earth or not But so hath hée declared this holy worde wyth such a prosses that heaueÌ„ earth hell should know y â— it is his worde and that it is his will that all men shoulde haue it and that hée woulde defende it and bée enemy vnto all theÌ„ that woulde ouerpresse it Wherfore let them that bée cappitall enemies vnto his grace both in hart and in déede susspect that of his grace and moue him vnto it for doubtles I will neuer doe it For I dare boldely say that the deuill of hell which is enemy vnto his grace both of body and soule will moue hym vnto no other thing but alonely so to condemne Gods worde and this thing doth his grace know well and therefore I doubte not but that hée hath and also will auoyde the daunger thereof Neuerthelesse it may please God to take so great veÌ„geauÌ„ce for our abhominable sinnes that after hys graces dayes hée may sende vs such a tyraunt that shall not alonely forbid the Newe Testament but also all thynges that may bée to the honour of God yea and that paraduenture vnder such a coâ—llour of Gods name that all men shall recken none other but that hée is Gods frende This will bée a great scourge and an intollerable plague the father of heauen of hys infinite mercy defende vs from such a terrible vengeaunce For it is the greatest plague that can come in earth as S. Paule doth declare to the Romaynes when that Gods veritie is condemned in Gods name and meÌ„ bée so blynde that they can not perceaue it for they bée géeueÌ„ into a peruerse seÌ„ce This plague neuer coÌ„meth but it is a tokeÌ„ of euerlasting reprobatioÌ„ Our most merciful redéemer Christ Iesus defeÌ„de vs froÌ„ it AmeÌ„ But if it come that wée must néedes suffer this plague howe shall Christen men vse themselues to this Prince that will so condemne Gods worde My Lordes the Byshoppes woulde depose hym with shorte deliberation and make no conscience of it They haue deposed Princes for lesser causes theÌ„ this is a great deale But against them will I alwayes lay Christes facte and his holy Apostles and the worde of God whom Christen men must alonely follow Therfore the kynges commanndement must bée considered on this maner If the kyng forbid the newe Testament or any of Christes SacrameÌ„ts or the preaching of the worde of God or any other thynge that is agaynst Christ vnder a temporall payne or els vnder y e payne of death men shall first make faythfull prayers to God and then diligent intercession vnto y e kynges grace with all due subiection that hys grace woulde relealse that commaundement If hée will not doe it they shall kéepe their Testament with all other ordinaunce of Christ and let the kyng exercise his tyranny if they can not flée in no wise vnder the payne of damnation shall they withstand him with violence but suffer patiently all the tyranny that hée layeth on them both in their bodyes goodes and leaue the vengeaunce of it vnto their heauenly father whiche hath a scorge to tame those bedlames with when hée séeth his tyme. But in no wise shall they resiste violeÌ„tly neither shall they deny Christes veritie nor yet forsake it béefore the Prince lest they runne in the dauÌ„ger of these woordes hee that denyeth me and my woorde béefore men I shall deny hym béefore my father in heauen And let not men regarde this matter lightly and thinke that they may geeue vp their testamentes and yet not denye Christ For what so euer hée bée that geeueth vp his Testament as a thyng worthye to bée condemned hee doth béefore God denye Christ though his testameÌ„t bée peraduenture hée not knowyng false and vntruly Printed or vntruly traÌ„slated yet vnto him is it a true testament and therfore shall hée not deliuer it to any that will condemne it as vnlawfull But this shall hée doe If any man that is learned doe finde any faulte there in hée shall bée glad to ameÌ„de that faulte but not to suffer in any wise for that or for those faultes the whole testament to bée condemned as vnlawfull For if that should bée suffered then should we haue no testameÌ„t for there is no testament y t is so true but either there bée faultes in déede or els men by cauilations may inuent y t there bée defaultes For this dare I say boldly that the new testament in Englishe is ten tymes truer then the old transtion in Latin is in the which bée many places that doe want whole senteÌ„ces and many places that no man caÌ„ defend without heresie as this texte Non omnes immutabimur Also this Sedere ad dexteram meam vel sinistram non aest meum dare vobis Also these places want Commorati sumus trogilij Seiungere ab is qui huiusmodi sunt with many other places more that no man can say but they bée euidently false yet we may not burne our bookes for all that but kéepe them and amende them Neither shall they goe about to depose their Prince as my Lordes the Byshops were wont to doe but they shall boldely confesse that they haue the veritie and will there by abyde and alonely shall they praye to their heauenly father to chaunge the hart of their Prince that they may lyue vnderneth hym after Christes worde in quietnes as Paul exhorteth vs saying I exhorte that prayers supplications petitions and geuyng of thankes bée had for all men for Kynges for all that are in preheminence that we may lyue a quyet and a peaceable lyfe in all goodnesse and honesty This shal men behaue them selues towarde their Prince and in no wise shall they denye Christes worde or graunt to the burning of their testamentes but if the kyng will doe it by violence they must suffer it but not obey to it by agréement This may bée prooued by y e examples of the Apostles when the hie Priestes of the temple commaunded Peter and Iohn that they should no more preach and teach in the name of Iesus But they made them aunswere it was more right to obey God then man Also the Pharyses came and commaunded our M. Christ in Herodes name That hée should depart froÌ„ thence or hée would kyll hym but hée would not obey but made them aunswere to Herode with a
eate fishe for in tyme conuenient and when thou art disposed it is good but bycause that they will in this thyng bynde our consciences and make that thynge of necessitie that God had hath left frée Therfore speaketh Paule agaynst them in these wordes In the latter dayes certeine men shal swarue from the fayth applying them selues to the spirites of errours and doctrines of the deuill forbiddyng Mariage and to absteine from meates that God hath created to bée receiued of faythfull mē with thanks for all creatures of God bée good and nothyng to bée refused that is receiued with thākes Marke how Paule sayth nothyng is to bée refused that may bée receiued with thankes this is openly agaynst thē that will forbid either fish or flesh this day or that day as a thynge vnright for a Christē man to eate for as S. Paule sayth meate doth not commende vs vnto God Also in an other place the kyngdome of heauen is neither meate nor drinke Therfore they doe vnright to bynde our conscience in such thynges and to thinke vs vnfaythfull bycause we obserue thē not Now let our holy hypocrites of the Charter house looke on their cōsciēce whiche recken to buy and to sell heauē for a péece of fish or flesh but they recken it no vyce to lyue in hatred rākour and malice neither to serue God nor their neighbour but with such an hypocrites seruice as they haue inuēted of their own hypocrisie not receiued of God They thinke it a great perfection to absteine from béefe and mutton and to eate pike tenche gurnarde and all other costly fishes and that of the dentiest fashion dressed but a péece of grosse béefe may they not touche may they not smell for then they lose heauen and all the merites of Christes bloud Is not here a goodly fayned hypocrisie béefore the world it shynneth bryght but compare it vnto Christes Scripture and there can not bée a greater blasphemy For here in they clearely damned Christ and his ordinaunce make that of necessitie y e Christ left as indifferent Agaynst these holy hypocrites writeth S. Paule saying we ought not to be led with the traditiōs of men that say touche not tast not handle not which thyngs perish with vsing of them and are after the commaundements and doctrine of men whiche thynges haue the similitude of wisedome in superstitious holynes and hūblenes in that they spare not the body and doe the flesh no worshyp vnto his néede Here is clearely condemned all supersticiousnes and fayned holines that men haue inuented in eating or drinking in touching or in handling or in any other such thinges not that we may not doe them but that we doe them as thinges of necessitie and recken our selfe holy whē we doe thē and to synne deadly when we doe thē not This is by the dānable institutions of men The which S. Augustine condemneth in these wordes The Apostle sayth Touche not handell not c. Because that those men by such obseruations were led from the veritie by y ◠which they were made frée whereof it is spoken the veritie shall deliuer you It is a shame sayth hée and vnconuenient and farre from the noblenes of your libertie séeing you bée the body of Christ to bée disceaued with shadowes and to bée iudged as sinners if you dispise to obserue these things Wherfore let no mā ouercom you seing you are the body of Christ that will séeme to be meeke in hart in the holynes of Aungels and bringing in thinges which he hath not séene c. Here haue wée playnely that those thynges which bée of the inuention of man doe not bynde our conscience though they séeme to bée of neuer so great holynes and of humblenes and holynes of Angels as Paule sayth Wherefore let them make what statutes they will and as much holynes as they can deuise Inuent as much Gods seruice as they can thinke and lye that they haue receaued it frō heauen and that it is no lesse holynesse then Angels haue and set thereunto all their mandamus remandamus excōmunicamus sub pena excommunicationis maioris minoris Precipimus Interdicimus sub indignatione dei omnipotentis Apostolorū Petri Pauli ligamus with all other such blasphemies that they haue for doubtles if their bellies were ripped there should bée nothing found but blasphemes of God and of his holy word detractions oppressions Confusyons damnations of their poore brethren Other good haue we none of them let all Christen men aunswere to this of their conscience if it be not trew And yet are we frée in our conscience and all these can neyther bynd nor damne our conscience for we are frée made thorow Christ And in conscience nor bound vnder y e paine of deadly sinne to nothing that mā can order or set except it be conteined in holy scripture But in body we are bound to euery man This doth S. Augustine proue in these wordes Seing that we bée made of soule and of body as long as we doe liue in this temporall lyfe we must vse to the noryshing of this lyfe these tēporall goodes Therefore must we of that part that béelongeth to this lyfe bée subiect vnto powers that is vnto men that doe minister worldly things with some honour but as concerning that part wherby we beléeue in God and bée cauled vnto hys kingdome we ought not to bée subiect vnto any mā that will peruert that same thing in vs that hath pleased God to geue vs to eternall lyfe c. Here is it playne that we in conscience by Christ bée made frée nothyng can bynd vs vnto sinne but his word onely Now is it clearely open that if any power of heauen or earth commaunde any thyng against Gods worde or to the destruction or minishing of the same no mā may obey in any case vnder the payne of damnation for Gods veritie is not indifferent to bée lefte or not to bée lefte Agayne if man commaunde any thyng to bée done that may bée done in time and place conuenient if hée wll binde vs vnto indifferent thinges as vnto a thing of necessitie then shall wée not doe it not béecause it is euill to doe but that it is damnable to bée done as a thyng of necessitie Neuerthelesse if any of these thynges bée commaunded of the Byshops as burdens and as thinges indifferent then shall wée kéepe them in tyme and place conuenient as where I may by them serue my brother or edifie hym or doe him any good or that it may bée vnto hym any meanes to come to the verity neuerthelesse at an other tyme when I am in place conuenient where I shall not offende my brother nor ingender no sclaunder nor any disquietnes in the common wealth There may I fréely without any charge of conscience and without all maner of sinne breake the Byshops commaūdement For it is but as
many excellent and holy fathers and great Doctours of Diuinitie and so many noble Princes and wise men of the worlde and bée with these two poore men which bée of no reputation in this worlde Wherefore my Lordes procéede against them after the holy decrées that bée inuented agaynst heretickes sticke not for their names for it is neither Christ nor Paule that cā hurt you you haue also condemned theyr learning and preuailed against them why should you not condemne them as well you bée Lords and you haue the strength and the wisdome of the worlde with you and as a certayne Doctour of the law sayde they haue no man to holde with them but a sorte of beggers and despised persons of the worlde wherfore spare them not bée bolde Implete numerum patrum vestrorum All tyrantes bée not yet dead But now when you haue condemned them yet haue you as muche to doe as euer you had for your owne lawe is openly agaynst you in these wordes Wée vnderstand that certayne men receauing alonely the portion of the blessed body doe abstaine from the chalice of the holy bloud the which doubtles séeing I can not tell by what superstition they are learned to abstayne let them eyther receaue the whole Sacrament or els let them bée forbidden from the whole Sacrament for the diuision of one and of y e same mistery can not bée done wythout great sacrilege c. How thynke you by these wordes bée they not playne that all men shall eyther receaue both kyndes or none Here haue you an other hereticke for hée iudgeth and sayth that it is a sacrilege which is openly agaynst your Counsell to receaue it in one kynde But paraduenture you wyll say this law was written to priestes I aunswere to whomsoeuer it was writtē it maketh no matter for these wordes bée plaine the diuision of one misterye can not bée done without great sacrilege These words bée not spoken of the persons that shall receaue it but of the deuiding of the sacrament whosoeuer shall receaue it it is sacrilege to deuide this thynge aunswere you to that Marke also that your owne lawe cauleth it superstition to receaue but one kynde and no doubt they that did receaue it so were blynded by this damnable reason of yours that there is no body without bloude and yet hée calleth it superstition But let vs sée what your glose saith on this texte it is not superfluously sayth hée receaued vnder both kindes for the kynde of bread is referred vnto the fleshe and the kynde of wyne vnto the bloude The wyne is the Sacrament of bloude in the which is the seate of the soule therfore it is receiued vnder both kindes to signifie that Christ did receiue both body and soule and that the partaking thereof doth profite both bodye and soule Wherefore if it were receiued alonely vnder one kynde it shoulde signifie that it did profite allonely but one part c. How thinke you doth this glose vnderstand it of preistes onely haue lay men no soules May not this Sacrament profite them both bodye and soule Marke also that hée sayth it is not superfluously nor without a cause receiued vnder both kyndes Also an other lawe When the host is brokē and the bloude shed out of the chalys into the mouthes of faythfull men what other thyng is there signified but the immolation of our Lords body on the crosse and the shedding of hys bloud out of his side c. Here is it plaine that the bloud is géeuen out of the chalys and not out of the body and into faythfull mens mouthes and not alonely into priests mouthes Also an other lawe If that the bloud of Christ bée shed for remission of sinnes as oftē as it is shedde then ought I lawfully for to receaue it I which doe alwayes sinne must alwayes receaue a medecyne c. Here your owne lawe sayth that the receiuing of the bloude is a medycinall way to bée receiued of thē that sinne you will not denie but that lay men sinne Wherefore shoulde they not then receiue a medicyne for their sinne you may perceiue that thys is not alonely spoken of Priestes but of sinners c. Furthermore S. Ciprian sayth How doe wée teach or how can wee prouoke men to shed their bloude for the cōfession of Christes name if wée doe denye them the bloude of Christ when they shall goe to battayle Or how dare wée able them vnto the victordum of martyrdome if wée doe not firste by right admitte them to drincke the cuppe of our Lorde in the congregation c. Here is Cyprian openly against you which will that as many shall receiue y e bloud of Christ as doe confesse the name of Christ yea and that out of the cuppe and not out of the body Also S. Ambrose sayth to the Emperour Theodosius how shalt thou lift vp thy handes out of y t which doth yet droppe vnrighteous bloud how shalt thou with those handes receaue the body of God with what boldnes wilt thou receaue into thy mouth the Cup of the precious bloud séeing that through the wodnes of thy wordes so great bloud is shed wrongfully c. Marke that the manner was in Saint Ambrose tyme that lay men should receiue y t blessed bloud of Christ yea and that out of the cup seuerally and not out of the body onely wherefore my Lords see to your conscience how you can discharge your self before the dreadfull trone of Christ Iesus for making this detestable dānable statute agaynst y t heauēly word of God ▪ and agaynst the vse of holy Church ▪ contrary to the exposition of all holy doctours It were to great a thing for you so presumptuously to breake the statute of your mortall prince howe much more of your immortall God which will not bée auoyded with a carnall reason nor with condemnation of heresye nor yet with saying there bée ieoperdies perils and sclaūders for these proud crakes can not there excuse you nor yet helpe you For I doubt not but the great Turke hath as good reasons for hym as these bée also as proude crakes as you haue though peraduenture hée vseth them not so hipocritely agaynst God omnipotent as you doe but yet it will not helpe hym Wherefore now most excellent and gracious Prince I doe with all méekenes with all due subiection admonysh exhorte your most noble grace yea and y e father of heauen doth openly commannd you vnder the payne of his displeasure and as you will auoyde the daunger of eternall damnation and also by the vertue of Christes blessed bloud and as you will receiue remission from all your sinnes thorow the merites of his gloryous bloud that you doe defēd with all your might Christes blessed worde and his swéete bloud and his holy ordinaunce and suffer them not so lightly to bee oppressed and troden vnder
more ieoperdye to geue the pure body of Christ Iesus into a foule soule then y t a drop of bloud by negligence should fall on the ground for there falleth but a drop and here is y t whole body in a foular place then the ground is Also that may bée auoyded with good diligence and wisedome of the Priest but that the sacrament shall alwayes bée receiued into a pure conscience there is no dilygence of the priest that can make it How thinke you now now is all the whole sacrament Christes blessed ordinaunce clearely taken away and all for auoyding ieoperdies and perells Thus trifle you with Christes holy word yea and y t in your great and holy counsels Other reasons my Lorde of Rochester bringeth that bée worthy of no solution for hée doth but mocke scorne and trifle with Gods word Hée bringeth y t myracle of y t fiue loues where there is no mentioÌ„ made of wyne therefore lay men must bée houseled in one kinde is not this madnes What meane these men y t neyther feare God nor yet bée ashamed of man what is this to the purpose Christ dyd a myrackle of fyue loues where is no mencion made of wyne what is this to the sacrament If the bread fygnifyed one part of the sacrament what sygnifyed the 2. fyshes they that were there These 2. things must néedes signifye the other part Also lay men did touch this breade Moreouer in an other place Christ geueth all onely wine Therefore the sacrament must bée receiued in the kinde of wine al onely of the lay men Bée not these goodly argumentes yea and that of bishops it were madnes to aunswere to them That by Gods worde it is lawfull for Priestes that hath not the gift of chastitie to marry Wiues I Haue séene and heard in diuerse countryes where I haue béene intolerable persecutioÌ„ agaynst Priestes that were compelled by weakenes of nature to mary wyues for that intent that they might after Gods law and mans law vse an honest coÌ„uersation in this world For the which thyng I say they haue béene sore persecuted some cast out of their countrey some drowned some burned and some beheaded Finally all the cruelnes that could bée excogitated against them men thought it to litle Wherfore I that recken my selfe a debtour and a seruaunt vnto all meÌ„ in all thynges wherein I may profite them and specially in thynges that apperteine to instructioÌ„ of their conscience hath taken vpoÌ„ me in this cause to shew my litle and small learnyng charitably desiryng theÌ„ that bée some thing yet against this thyng that they will let them selues bée taught and instructed by Gods word and not to set themselues obstinately agaynste the verity of Gods blessed word For our Lord can easely beare and suffer an vnwilled ignoraunce but a peruerse malice and a froward resistyng of his veritie can hée not suffer but thereunto is hée a mortall and an extreme enemy Wherefore let men consider that if this article doth stand with Gods word â—ith Christes holy doctrine that if then they resiste and set themselues agaynst it how that they doe resiste God the which no man is able to performe Certaine men there bée that of a very peruerse froward and obstinate mynde doth set them selues agaynst this article other moe And will in no wise admit either reason or learnyng but still remaine in theyr old errour that they haue conceiued in their braynes whiche is neither grounded in Gods holy word nor yet in the holy conuersation or lyuyng of blessed and vertuous meÌ„ Vnto these men will I write nothyng bycause I will not trouble them and bycause I would bée loth to bée torne with dogs téeth or elles to cast pearles béefore swyne An other sorte of meÌ„ there bée that doth not admit this article by the reason that they bée ignoraunt in Scriptures and know not the very grouÌ„de therof but alonely are led by an old custome that they haue béen brought vp in Yet neuerthelesse they are not obstinate enemyes vnto the veritie but would gladly geue place to learnyng and reason And all that they doe is to search with a sober méekenes what y e truth is The which thing they are glad to embrace as soone as it is layde to them Vnto these men is my writyng and my labour spent whom I doe charitably beséeche that they will fauourably and indifferently iudge this my writyng This doe I bynde my selfe to prooue this thing by Gods grace out of Christs holy worde by the sayinges of holy Doctours by the authoritie of autheÌ„ticall stories by the examples practise of holy and vertuous men And if I doe not this I will bée contented not to bée beléeued which thyng if I can performe I thinke all reasonable men will géeue credence to mée Finally and laâ—t of all I will shew those reasons and authorities wherby that the Pope hath bounde hys Priestes to kéepe as hée calleth it pure chastitie And in conclusion after my poore learnyng I will assoyle all those Scriptures and reasons and prooue that in this thyng they caÌ„ haue no place Vnto the performyng of the whiche Iesus of his infinite mercy graunt me of his holy spirite Amen FIrst coÌ„meth blessed Saint Paule whom the Church of God hath alwayes had in reuerence and hée approueth this doctrine of mine saying Let euery man for auoyding of fornication haue his wife and euery woman haue her husband Marke how blessed S. Paule coÌ„maundeth where as any daunger of fornication is that euery man in auyoding of vicious lyuyng should take a wife Here is no man excepted for the text is for euery man and specially for them that can not lyue sole Vnto theÌ„ it is a streight commaundement to marry there is none other remedy ordeined of God to auoyde fornication but mariage Yea and if there were ten other remedies more then mariage yet must mariage bée as lawfull as they to bée vsed yea and a great deale more séeyng that it is specially appoynted of God for a remedy in this case For as for all other remedyes as fastyng watchyng labouryng chastising of a mans body though they bée lawfull laudable and good yet bée they not appropriately and onely appoynted of God to bée remedies agaynst fornication as blessed S. Paule doth here appoynt mariage for to bée Wherefore if it bée lawfull for Priestes for to fast and watch to auoyde fornication it must néedes bée more lawful for theÌ„ to marry wiues if they bée in daunger of fornication For mariage in this case is not alonely commaunded of God but it is appointed of God for an especiall and singular medecine for this disease Marke also the occasion that S. Paul had to write this text to the Corinthians There were certeine men amoÌ„g them that reckened it an holines and a perfectioÌ„ as certeine meÌ„ doth now for Priestes that Christen meÌ„ should lyue sole without wiues as
that those calues were Goddes but they did honour them in the honour of God and that was well declared in their sacrifice whiche was none other but such as God had commaunded in the law Ergo after your rule they might law fully honour these calues referryng it to God They had also a great collour for them for all the old fathers did alwayes offer to god calues as Abrahā w t many other which oblatiō was accepted of God Wherfore they might well thinke that God would bée honoured in the images of Calues Now what thing can you lay to them whereby you will prooue that they honoured their stocks and their stones and their Calues but those same thinges shall also bée layde vnto you and vnto yours to prooue that you doe likewise honour your stocks and your stones First you runne frō place to place to séeke them which is a tokē that you doe honour the stocke or stone for there haue you nothynge of the Sainte more then in an other place sauing onely the stocke stone Now when you haue founde thē then pray you béefore them and that with knéelinges and knocking 's and shaking of your heades and lookyng deuoutly and pitiously then kisse you their féete or their shoowes for they bée seldome barefooted least they shuld haue the murre or the coaffe by the reason they bée not vsed to coulde as you may sée by their smooked scolions faces handes and féete with all the place where they stande and wipe your napkyns and rubbe your beads on them and licke them with your tounges and lay your eyes on them Then set you lightes béefore them then offer you to them though in y t M. Doctour your person is nothyng giltie great oblations so that they shine in golde and siluer and precious stones yea and not thus content but also promise to visite that stocke once a yeare if God and that good Sainte sende you life and health c. I pray you is not this honourynge of the stocke and stone what did Cicero with all the Romaines to their stockes and stones what did Roboam to his Calues if this bée not honouring define mée what honouring is what more exteriour honour can you deuise then this is and yet you doe say y t you honour no stockes nor stones But worldly shame and inuincible Scriptures haue brought you to make this damnable euasion béecause you sée men now waxe wyse in the Lorde by the which they sée clearely your false dissimulation and hypocrisie But if you were the true honourers of God as you bée secret hypocrites you would not make this damnable euaston to stablish vphold and maintaine your Idolatry nor yet suffer so much as laye in you any thynge to bée done that hath any collour or shadow of holynes that might bée an occasion of Idolatry But béecause you bée hypocrites and vnsaciable belly Gods you care not so you may deceaue the simple people lead them with blynd shadowes therby to fill your offeryng boxes and chéestes to maintaine your vnsaciable carnall appetites how the honour of God bée saued or how your poore brethrēs conscience bée deceaued Thinke you that this is inough to say that no mā is so mad nor so foolishe as to honour the stockes and stones And yet to suffer and dayly béefore your eyes to sée so great exteriour honour geuen vnto them That no toung can expresse nor hart can deuise more yea if you will béeleue your subtile Duns they geue vnto them as I shall well prooue by his diffinition honour whiche is called Latria the which Latria after your owne learnyng ought to bée geuen to God onely This sayth Duns Latria is called an exteriour honouryng or a bodely seruice c. Now if that bée trewe it followeth that they geue that honour to stockes and stones that onely pertayneth to God which doe any exterior honour whether it bée offering of candels or kissyng of their showes or any other thing to them Make you the conclusion for I néede not to say that they doe Idolatrye Farthermore this word Latria wher with you deceaue the symple people is a Gréeke word and after S. Augustine it signsfyeth no more but seruice the which you cā not denye but that you geue to your stockes and stones Cōclude now this proposytyon after M. subtill doctour Dunces diffinition I pray you for I haue no leasure Thinketh your doctourhed that the children of Israell w t their hie Priest Aaron could not haue made this Pope holy excuse that they were not so mad nor so foolyshe as to honour the golden Calfe but rather to refer that honour to y e lyuing God They had a good colour for them For they knewe none other God nor saint but hym and yet this excuse was not lawful nor could not bée alowed whē Moses came with the word of God Marke also what hée was that made this Calfe not a foole nor ignorāt person among the people or one of none auctoritie But the most wisest eloquenst and chiefe amonge them yea hée was that tyme the very hed of the Church or congregation Also note y e intent which was to kéepe the people togither in good order Hée also made a Calfe with the which thing all their fathers had pleased God in doing sacrifyce with them so that they might well thinke y ◠it might bée acceptable to God to bée honoured in the image of a Calfe before any other Image But all these colours bée naked béefore the worde of God Brieflye would you alowe that the people should geue that same honour to mée y e they doe géeue to your stokes and stones And vnder y ◠same colour that it should bée in y e name honour of God you can not say but I am as good as your best stocks stones and if they bée the Images of sayntes and represent sayntes after your fayning I am the Image of God and represent hym so long as I beléeue in hym according to the holy scriptures And if a conning and an artificyall grauer made them God made mée And I haue ij thinges aboue them which all your caruers and you with all your distinctions can not géeue to your stockes nor stones That is I am a liuinge creature and your stockes bée deade I am created to lyue with the euerlasting God and your stockes bée made to the fyer I am sure you nor no man wil alowe it But there is one merueilous wōder That if the best and most holy of all your new gods yea one that doth myracles euery day were taken out of your hands set againe in y e Caruers his makers house hée should bée no better thē a stock or a stone nor could doe no myracles yea if hée were prayed neuer so much no not so much as if y e house were a fyer to saue either y e house or hym selfe Also it is not lawful so longe as hée there
Apostles Paule is greater theÌ„ Peter Paul proued his Apostleshyp with preachyng and sufferyng The Byshops proue there Apostleshyp w t bulles shadowes The Apostles were sent of Christ w t like authoritie The authoritie that Christ gaue was to preache Christes word ☞ ☞ Why Byshops make them a god on earth AaroÌ„ made a calfe And the Pope maketh Bulles The shaueÌ„ nation hath put Christ out of hys â—owme and all kinges and the Emperour Christ is but a vaine name Proper ministers Rochester is proued both ignorant and malicious The Epistles of Paule are the Gospell What Gospell signifieth One Gospell one spirite one truth The authoritie of Paule and of hys Gospell Rochester playeth boâ— pepe Neuer maÌ„ for bad to marry saue the Pope The cause why they will not haue the scripture in Englishe Tully chiefe of Oratours Rochester alleageth Paule for his blinde ceremonies contrary to Paules doctrine It is not lawfull for vs to tell what prayer is what fasting is or wherefore it serueth Payne of cursing damnatioÌ„ and so forth If Paule had none authoritie theÌ„ had Peter none where had then the Pope this authoritie Rochester is improued Wherefore the spirituall officers are ordayned Rochester alleageth heretikes for his purpose for lacke of scripture Robynhode is of authoritie enough to proue the Pope withall Rochester is an Oratoure Rochester is cleane beside hymselfe If Rochester be such a iuggler What suppose ye of the rest let Rochester be an example therfore to iudge them all Faith is the roote and loue springeth of fayth Though Rochester haue not the spirite to iudge spirituall thinges yet ought reason to haue kept him from so shameful lying But God hath blynded him to bring their falshod to light The controuersy betwene Iames Paule Why deuils haue none of Paules fayth nor sinners that repent not A maÌ„ may beleue that Christ died and many other thynges 〈◊〉 not beleue in Christ What it is to beleue in Christ Why say men can not rule Men feare the Popes oyle more then Gods coÌ„maundement Fayth driueth y â— deuilâ— away Why doe not the Byshops make hym flee from shotyng of gunnes Ceremonies dyd not the miracle but fayth Let them tell what the ceremony meaneth The priest disguiseth hym selfe with the passion of Christ Domme ceremonies quench fayth and loue and make the infidels to mocke vs. The prophesie of Christ is fulfilled The testament of the obseruauntes False annoynted Christes prophesis â–ª be it neuer so terrible must be yet fulfilled Christ was neither shanen nor shorne nor annoynted with oyle Hee that doth ought to make satisfaction or to get heauen hath lost his parte of Christes bloud To our neighbour make we amendes The Apostles were neither shaue nor shoren nor annoynted with oyle Byshop an ouersear The true annoynting old Priest This oyle is not among our Byshops Priestes ought to to haue wiues why What the Priestes dutie is to do what to haue Men are not bound to pay the Priest in tithes by Gods law Deacon what it signifieth and what is his office No beggers How holy dayes and offerynges came vp Saintes were not yet Gods Why laÌ„des were geueÌ„ vnto the spirituall officers befor we fell from the fayth False annoynted Shauyng is borowed of the heathen and oylyng of y â— Iewes False names Lying signes No wife but â—n whore Take a dispensation Knaueate Bootes Miters Cite them Pose theÌ„ Make theÌ„ heretickes Burne theÌ„ Curse theÌ„ Feare theÌ„ All in Latine Rolle theÌ„ Syng Ryng Lulle theÌ„ Rocke theÌ„ a slepe Pray in Latin Say them a Gospell What quod my Lord of Canterbury Crosse Turmoylers The craft of the Prelates Interdict Peter 〈◊〉 neuer to schole at the arches The Pope hath one kyngdome more then God hymselfe Shering what it signifieth Tot quot Bishops that preach not Tithes Temporall landes Frechappell Testamentes Offering dayes Priuy tythes Mortuaries If he die froÌ„ home Thou must paye ere thou passe Pety pillage Confession First Masse Professinges Conturations Parson Vicare Parishe priest Fryers Spirituall lawe A proper commoditie of confession Laye your hand on the booke No man may aueÌ„ge saue the kyng â–ª and he is bound by his office Kinges are in captiuitie The dutie of kynges Vnlawfull othes ought to be broken and may without dispensation The kyng only ought to punish sinne I meane that is broken forth the hart must remaine to God The sprite perteineth vnto the shauen onely The kings law is Gods law How men ought to iudge questions of the scripture We come oft to schole But are neuer caught Kinges ought to see what they doe and not to beleue the Byshoppes namely seing their liuing is so sore suspects It perteineth vnto all men to know the scriptures ☞ Be learned ye that iudge the earth The kings are become Antichrists hangmen Be learned ye that iudge the earth Who slew the prophetes Why were the prophetes slayne What deedes of mercy teach the hipocrited Why flew they christ The keyes Christ is a traitor and a breaker of the kynges peace How the hypocrites bynde and lose ☞ Be learned ye that iudge the earth â—or rebukyng this 〈…〉 And for the same cause are we persecutes They bee 〈…〉 Purgatory that make perpetuâ—… Why it is 〈◊〉 Pur gatory Scala Câ—… The doore is stopt vys ye must clyme and scale the walles Some are prayed for and prayed to also The craft that helpeth other helpeth not his owne master Prayer was not sold in the old tyms Their prayer breaketh the great commaundement of God It is tyme that they were tyed by therfore The burdens of our spirituall lawyers Confession tormenteth the conscience robbeth the purse of money and the soule of fayth Bagges or bables to be knowen by Glorious names How are they estemed Kinges are down they can not go lower Our hypocrites lyue by theft ConscieÌ„ces that are so narrow about traditions haue wyde mouthes about gods coÌ„maundementes As the Iewes are the childreÌ„ of AbrahaÌ„ so are the Byshops the successours of the Apostles The spiritualty haue taught to feare their traditions They wynne somewhat alwayes ☜ They that seke honor haue no fayth neither can they do Gods message Be learned Gods wordought all men to know They do all secretly ☞ Gods wordought so iudge â—he right way to vnderstaÌ„d the scripture The kings haue a iudge before whom my soule for yours helpeth not Preach what thou wilt but rebuke nor hypocrisie The Prelates are clothed in red Pollaxeâ— Iudge the free by hys fruite and not by his leanes Sacramentes are signes of Gods promises The promise which the Sacrament preacheth iustifieth onely How the sacrameÌ„tes iustifie Matrimony was not ordeined to signifie any promise If wedlocke be holy why had they leuer haue whores theÌ„ wines Character Sacerdos Presbiter Priestes now ought not to be annointed with oyle The office of a Priest They will be holier but their deedes be not holy at all Compare their dedes to the doctrine end deedes of Christ
is built Bindyng and losyng how it is to be vnderstand The keyes Behold here Antichrist how he wresteth the Scriptures Christes power is 〈◊〉 saue sinners Of this maner iuggleth â—ee with all textes At the sufferyng of Christ the offeryng of sacrifices ceremonies â–ª ceassed for Christ offered hym selfe once for all Christ gaue all his Apostles like authoritie To bynde and lose is to preach Christ sent out all hys Apostles not Peter â—â—â—nâ— Note We are bound to forgeue our neighbours aswell as Peter was Christ builded his Churche vpon the confession of Peter not vppon Peter A woman hath power to bynd How 〈…〉 man may bynde and lose To bynde the conscience and to reproue opeÌ„ sinners perteineth to the congregation Reasons that Peter was not y â— greatest by authoritie geuen hym of Christ Peter had first his seate at Antioche Christes power is in the Gospel Paul is called to helpe In the presence of the greater the power of the lesser doth 〈◊〉 Paule is made equal felow with Peter Peters seate what it is Peters seate Peters doctrine Peters keyes are all but one thyng Peters seate is Christes Gospell The Pope sitteth in thâ— deuils seate whose Vicare he is Purgatory The Pope sayth that Purgatory â—s in â—arth Vowes Othes TestameÌ„ts The Pope altereth meÌ„s willes testameÌ„ts at his pleasure The popes marchaundise Vnion The great and shamefull abuse of â—bbeyes DispeÌ„sations purchased of the Pope Choppyng and chaungyng vsed by the pope The wicked bestowing of benefices by the Pope The church can â—ot erre The Pope sayth that the Scripture is true not of it selfe but because he alloweth 〈◊〉 approueth it A similitude This doctrine the papistes vsed in those dayes The câ—â—mon and 〈◊〉 and â—…ching of â—he Papistes The Abbotes keep the monks in ignoraÌ„ce and the bisshops y e priestes â—alne ioyned w t pain maketh â—â—yne nothing The vse of vniuersities â–ª Prouiso S. Tho. de Aquino Saintes Thomas of Canterbury Tho. â—eâ—ket Tho. Wolsey copared together The Pope rewardeth his seruaÌ„ts highly wheÌ„ they be dead Policie The practise of little master parson K. Herold Robert of CaÌ„terbury Remission of sinnes to conquere England Note here how well Christ and the pope agre Christ biddeth saue the pope biddeth kill The pope is a cruell mercilesse tyrant Anselmus a chapleine of y e popes ☜ The pope is well pleased to admit priestes to haue whores but not wiues Note here the pryde and wickednes of the Pope Remission of sinnes to coÌ„quere England Thomas Arundell Practise of Prelates The popes clergy are secret and subtile conspirators ☞ A trayterous practise ☜ The Papistes are styrers vppe of warres sheders of bloud Duke HuÌ„frey Papistes are cruell A Parliament kept at Bury The death of Homfrey Duke of Gloucester protectour of the Realme of England This is Syr Tho. More The Clergy cannot abyde them that can iudge talse miracles Thre causes why the Duke of Gloucester was murthered The Pope is the whore of Babylon An other practise of Prelates Popes haue deposed Emperours and lykewise Emperours haue deposed Popes No man may rebuke the Pope for any mischief that he doth Venetians The Pope may geue and take agayne at hys will pleasure The Venetians â—aâ—e not for the popes cursing nor blessing FrenchmeÌ„ EnglishmeÌ„ The practise of the pope with all kinges princes The pope a breaker of peace The abuse of the sacrament How y â— sacrament should be broken betwene kinges and princes The Pope would not haue the Emperour to strong Remission of sinnes cleane deliuerance out of puâ—gatoâ—ye A frier Forest or a vicar of Croiden Popish practises Dissembled â—ruce Henry v. K. Henry v. conquered more then the prelates thought he would do Henry vi The crafty practise of the popes legate The mariage of king Henry vi The Duke of Glocester trayterously murthered ☜ Frier Bongaye Cruel war betwene k. Henry and the erle of Warwike Confession in the eare was a wicked inuention Lycence of the Pope for xiiij to study Nicromancy A subtile practise of Prelates He meaneth Cardinal Wolâ—ey Leut. 2â— Deut. 28. 29. A practise of the Prelates with their poore Priestes Thomas Wolffe The description of Cardinall Wolsey The kings byrth calked by the Cardinall Byshops talke kings natiuities Kyng Henry the viij had Cardinall Wolsey in great estimation The maner practise of Cardinal Wolsey The kyng is betrayed The quene is betrayeâ— Note this deuilish practise The Byshop of Lyncolne Cardinall Wolsey ruled altogether K. Lewes Pope Iulye This is a true story The new Thomas Maximilian the Emperour was K. Henry 〈◊〉 his souldier Remission of sinnes Note here the subtletie craft of the pope Now King Henry 8. with aâ— his army was abused The Prelates see euer before-hand what is like to folow Papistes are great forecasters of perils Practise The kinges sister 〈◊〉 to Fraunce Traiterous Prelates ☜ The pomp and apparell of the Cardinall his chapâ—aines passed the xij Apostles Prelates SalutatioÌ„ Cardinall Wolsey was a subâ—… worker A certaine secreat Milane Turnay The Emperor came thorough England Nurturing of kinges Practâ—â—e The french king sendeth a defiance to K. Henry viâ— Armies sée into stance The Cardinal was the Emperours freÌ„d openly and the french kinges secreatly The sege of Pauie Pauie A false pope and leud Cardinall Pace the 〈◊〉 of Englands Ambassadour Burbon The Emperour setteth vpon y â— french king by night These shippes were english Angels of gold At the taking of the french king Te Deum was song and great triumph made in England Subtile practises of the Cardinall The marte shold haue bene at Cales A ruffelar The pride and arrogancie of Cardinall Wolsey Cardinall Wolsey a great traytor Cardinall Wolsey coÌ„mitted treason agaynst the Emperour Cardinall Wolsey preferred More to he Chauncelour Treason layd to the Cardinall charge Mortunries probate of Testamentes Pluralitie of benefices Tithes The Churchewardens haue bene accustomed to gather the tithes and to geue the Paâ—â—o his reasonable stipend and to geue the reâ— to the poore Princes haue herein much to aunswere The loane first forgeuen by the Clergie The loane forgeueÌ„ by the temporalitie The Byshoprieke of DurhaÌ„ Tunstall Byshop of Durham brent the new Testament A Bishopricke is a superfluous honor and a lew de liberty The Carnall clearely discharged DefeÌ„der of the fayth The title of the defeÌ„dour of the fayth came froÌ„ Rome The Popishe and vayne glorious maner of Cardinal Wolsey The Cardinals hat The falsest and vainest Cardinall that euer was The chirch erreth if y â— pope and bishops be the chirch Marten Luther submitted him self to king Henry viij More is proued a lyer Sir Thomas HittoÌ„ A daunce in Paris Here Tindal prayeth for y â— ceasing of persecution Tindall proâ—eth the vnderstanding of such as of right should succeed to the crowne Tindall warneth al the Cardinals secretaries to repent and turne to God A generall exhortation to all kinds of people Popish
shamefully abuseth the holy Church 243 Popes Church glory in trash 251 Popes Clergy is condemned by S. Augustine as heretickes 264 Pope and Christ are contrary 284 Pope and his Clergye are the very Antechristes 288 Pope a persecutour of holy church 242 Pope selleth God and all hys ordidinaunces 265 Popes condeÌ„ned for heretickes 247 Popes own lawes both agaynst him selfe and his Clergy 305 Pope defameth Priesthode 324 Pope and his Clergye feare not to breake Christes institution 306 Pope forbyddeth mariage 315 Pope accompteth whoredome matrimony to bee all one 321 Popes doctrine condeÌ„ned by a CouÌ„cell 322 Popes lawes agaynste mariage of Priestes 316 Pope alloweth y t kepyng of whores 317 Pope wil not suffer any persoÌ„s maryed to bee Byshops 320 Pope is a renter and tearer of the Scriptures 334 Pope maketh a hotchpot of mariage ibidem Pope accompteth whoredome better then Matrimony 335 Pope a blasphemer of God ibidem Practise of Prelates 203 Practises of Papistes to cause Images to worke miracles 343 Preachers of true doctrine teach obedience 185 Preachers of true doctrine are sufferers 184 Preachers of false doctrine are persecuters 184 Preachers agaynst the Pope are accompted heretickes 205 Prelates caÌ„not vse obedience to their Prince 202 Prelates are blynd guides ibidem Prelates will obey the pope but not the Prince 203 Priestes rore and mumble out their Diriges and Masses 216 Priestes may marry wyues by the law of God lawfully 309 Priestes must marry for auoydyng of fornication 310 Prophetes neuer styrred the people agaynst the Prince 184 ProtestaÌ„tes and Papistes how they differre 191 Power temporall described 292 R. REason deuotion that is agaynst the will of God is mere blyndnes 307 Righteous man lyueth by fayth 233 Rochester agaynst Winchester 206 Rochesters great iudgement ibidem Rochesters vayne distinction 237 Rochesters rule to know the difference betweene the Pope and the Councell 247 Rochesters wordes vppon Christes wordes 303 S. SAcrament forbydden to bee receaued in both kyndes 301 Sacrament vnder both kyndes 305 Saintes can obteine nothyng for vs. 347 Saintes how they ought to bee honored 349 Saintes are boly but they are no Gods 351. Scriptures are to be read of all men 182 Scriptures in the common tounge teach all obedience 184 Scriptures iudge the true Church 250 Scroupe Richard Archbyshoppe of yorke a rebell 188 Scriptures are the iudges of Councels 248 Scriptures not suffered by the Popes Clergye to bee in the mother toung 283 Scriptures teache the commaundementes of God 288 Scripture is profitable to bee read 289 Scriptures is to bee made knowen to all men 291 Solutions and argumentes to the Scriptures 236 Spiritualtie ready to helpe the pope 194 Spirituall power 297 Stafford George a learned maÌ„ 22â— Stokesly Byshop of London a foolish and malicious Papist 291 Stockes and stones the Papistes honor as Goddes 342 Subiectes must obey and in what maner 294. 295 Supplication made by D. Barnes to kyng Henry the viij 183 Supersâ—â—tion of the Monkes of the Charterhouse 299 T. TRaditions agaynst God are to be rooted vp by the rootes 298 Tunstall Byshop of London 215 V. VIrginitie is a state indiffereÌ„t 313 Vncharitable sutes are to bee reproued 209 Vniuersall Church is not a generall Councell 248 Vowes that haue vnlawfull conditions are not to bee obserued 319 Vrbane Pope agaynste Clement Pope 193 W. WOrkes which bee of greatest value and are accompted for the best 228 Workes are good and helpe to iustification 231 Workes without fayth are but sinne 233 Workes of the new law 234 Whoredome is lawfull in no case 311 ¶ FINIS AT LONDON Printed by Iohn Daye and are to bee sold at hys shop vnder Aldersgate An. 1572. ¶ Cum gratia Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis A liuely picture describyng the authoritie and substaunce of Gods most blessed word weyghing agaynst Popish traditions ☞ Iudgement indifferent How light is chaffe of Popish toyes if thou desire to trye Loe Iustice holdes true beame without respect of partiall eye One ballance holdes Gods holy word and on the other parte Is layde the dregs of Antichrist deuisde by Popish arte Let Friers and Nunnes and baldpate Priestes with triple crowne of Pope The Cardinals hatt and deuill him selfe by force plucke downe the rope Bryng bell booke candle crosse beades and mitred Basan bull Bryng buls of leade and Popes Decrees the ballance downe to pull Yet shall these tares and filthy dregs inuented by mans brayne Through force of Gods most mighty word be fouÌ„d both light and vayne Magna est veritas preualet Great is the trueth and preuayleth 3. Esdra 4. Tyndall a vertuous and godly man Wilfull malice agaynst opeÌ„ trueth The authors that Popishe Pristes doe studie Vniust dcaling of the Papistes Notorious blasphemy of a Papist Tyndall remoueth from M. Welshe Tyndall sueth to be with Tonstall Byshop of London but coulde not obtayne The Scripture in the vulgare tongue a speciall manifesting of the trueth IgnorauÌ„ce of Scripture cause all mischife erroures in religion The reprobate are alwayes offended at y e trueth Henry Phillippes a wicked and dissembling Iudas Tyndals simplicitie pitied of the officers Tyndals godly zeale to his Prince A testimony of Tyndals godly life euen by his aduersarye The fayth of Tyndall shewed by a manifest myracle The reason that the papistes make agaynst the translation of the scripture into English A subtile shift of the popes clergy to couer their euill How the Papistes were vexed with Tindals translation of the new testament The Papistes shamed not to wrest the scriptures The Papistes haue wrought wonderfully to haue suppressed y â— scripture As owles abide not the brightnes of the day so cannot the papists abide the lyght of the gospell What first moued W. Tyndale to translate y â— Scripture into englssh This bishop of LoÌ„don was then Tunstall which afterward was bishop of Durham The popes chaplens pulpet is the alâ—house Christes apoitles dyd mekely admonish but the Popes sectaryes dyd braule and skold Parcialitie sometyme in men of great learnyng How Tindale was deceaued Roome enough in my Lordes house for belly chere but none to translate the new testament Tindale could get no place in the bishop of LondoÌ„s house Tyndals submission is to all such as submit themselues to God Not the toung but the life proueth a true Gospeller The truest touchestone or Religion is Christes Gospell The scripture of god is y â— sworde of the Spirite TribulatioÌ„ is the gifte of God What we ought to seeke in the Scriptures A goodly comfort agaynst desperation EnsaÌ„ples of their euils not to bolden vs but to feare vs froÌ„ sinne and desperation Howe we ought to prepare our selues to the reading of the scriptures Fayth our surest shield in all assaultes We may not trust in our workâ— but in the word and promise of God God burdened with hys promise The holy ghost breateth where and when it pleaseth hym Conscience of euill doynges fyndeth out 〈◊〉 ‑ 〈◊〉 men Of
small occasions do rise gret euils EnsaÌ„ples for our â—earnâ—ng Learn here how to read vnderstaÌ„d y â— scripture If we herken vnto the voyce of God and bend our selues to do hys wyl he wyll be our God help vs but otherwise he wyl plague vs as he plagued the vnthankful faythlesse Iewes Trust and beleue in God and care not what the world say The world liketh well all wycked lyuers and vngodly people Here is set forth the office of euery good person TemptatioÌ„ is the triall of true christians The excellency of faith which is the gifte of God Those whoÌ„ God scourgeth he dearely loueth A necessary lesson for a good precher God commaundeth that we shold make no images The worshipping of Idoles or Images was abhorred of god Witchcraft sorcery c. abhorred of God Moses often reherseth the benefites of almighty God to moue vsto feare hym and to loue our neighbour God will haue vs to be merciful to our neighbors All the ceremonies of the olde testament weâ—â— but preachers of Christ that was to come The â—ea◠〈◊〉 of the tabernacle was to keepe the Iewes froÌ„ harkenyng to the heathen God had two Testaments that is the olde and the new The old testament was built vpon the obseruatioÌ„ of the law The law could not geue lyfe The law is the vtterer of sinne The law was geuen by God to shewe what sinne was Ceremonies are not geuen to iustify the hart but to signifie our iustificatioÌ„ by Christ Ceremonies cannot iustify The new Testament are the euerlastyng promises made to vs in Christ Faith only iustifieth Good workes spryng out of the loue we haue to God Where true fayth is there good workes do flow and abound The new Testament was from the beginnyng Our temporall lawes spring out of the law of nature Loue counselleth the faythfull to worke We must nor presume in our well doing not coÌ„deÌ„ne others that run astray the last which turneth to god is as farre forward as the first MaÌ„s wisedome is playn Idolatry it scat tereth diuideth and maketh sectes Ceremonies to the Israelites and â—ewts were as good schole masters are to young scholers All thyngs were first reueled in ceremonies and shadowes vntill it pleased almighty God to reuele hys sonne Iesu Christ Small and litle giftes geueÌ„ by the parentes to their children causeth loue obedience Sacrifices and ceremonies serue for allegories to find out Christ Similitudes proue nothyng but doe more playnly lead thee to vnderstand the text Some ceremonies coÌ„teine whole some and profitable doctrine Ceremonies ordeyned to confirme our fayth Gods secrets were opened but to a fewe The ceremonies of themselues saued not but fayth in Gods promise Our nature is so weake that we must be holpen by outwarde signes and tokens No man is holpen by 〈◊〉 promises but sinners that feele their sinne Sacraments truly ministred are profitable Sacraments truly miniâ—â—res preach vnto vs repeÌ„taunce of our sinnes Noâ— naked or dome ceremonies but the holy ghost throughe fayth washeth away sinnes The difference betwene a sacrifice and a Sacrament What slate we dye in the same wee shall rise agayn either of saluation or damnation The Sacramentes are vnto y e dead no Sacramentes at all Sacramentes abused vp y â— Clergy The Papistes haue had no smal frend and good helper of the masse Hipocrites prayers caÌ„ neither profite them selkes nor any maÌ„â—ls Those that are enemies to the worde of God loue neither god nor his people Allegories are to bee wel weyed and considered The greatest cause of the decay of faith and blindnes that wee were in â–ª was thorough Allegories How allegories are to bee vnderstand The ryght vsed of allegories Baptisme is y e commoÌ„ badge of all true professours of Christ Baptisme teacheth vs repentaunce of sinne The bare washyng helpeth not but throrough the worde of fayth it purifieth vs. How christ boroweth figures of the old Testament to make plain the textes of the new testament Our duety is to do good dedes but saluation we cannot chaleÌ„ge therby A good example taken of the Lepers The true preachyng of Gods word doth bynde and lose consciences In allegories is both hony gall that is to say both good euil All good dedes are gods work manship wee hys instrumeÌ„ts wherby he doth them Freewill and vnbeliefe were the ouerthrow of ouâ— for eâ—athers Then cannot they be the childreÌ„ of God which put more trust in their owne workes then in y e bloud of Iesus Christ Faithlesse workes The Pharises by their free-will excluded them selues from the saluatioÌ„ 〈◊〉 Christ Blasphemy to christes death O subtle Foxes thorow pouertie made themselues Lordes of all Wilfull chastitie is wilful wikednes The Papistâ—… wilful obedience is coÌ„mon disobedience to all princes Our 〈…〉 commeth not by our merites but thorow sayth by the bloud of ouâ— sauiour Iesus Christ Fayth only bringeth vs to christ and vnbeâ—… driueth do from Christ Christ rebuâ—… the Pharises for their holy and 〈…〉 The pharises ascribe righteousnâ—… workes therfore were condemned of Christ The iustifiyng oâ— our selues maketh the diuâ—… more buâ—… then he wold be What to meant in the scripâ—… by this 〈◊〉 vâ—… tymeâ— Meritâ—…gerâ— y e more their blindnes is rebuked the more they rebell against Christ and his golyâ—… The doctrine of the pharises and the doctrine of our papists do well agree The Papistes cannot away with iustification by fayth Of vowes God accepteth for vs none other sacrifice but onely Iesu christ his sonne 〈◊〉 holines in our own imaginatioÌ„ is a robbing of christes honor Faith foloweth repentaunce of sinne RepentaÌ„ce goeth before fayth and prepareth the way vnto Christ How our workes are good in the sight of God The work saueth not but the word that it is to say the promise An apt similitude for reward of good workes All vowes must be made for y â— mortifying or tamyng â–ª of our members or the edifying of our neighbours or els they are wicked How we ought to vowe wilfull pouertie Whether fished the Popes prelates with tâ—… nâ—t or no Our workes do not stand in the wisedome of maÌ„ but in the power of God Desert and free gift are contraries The sight of riches is rather a cause of coueteousnes then a meane to honor God Whether dyd the papist so or no Yet y â— spiritualities pillage was more then theyr standing stipeÌ„d A good vowe is to kepe Gods commaundementes Howe thou mayst lawfully goe on pilgrimage God heareth al that call vppon him in all tymes and at al places alyke God regardeth the hart and not y â— place where wee pray Wilfull chastitie is not mete for all persons to vow False fayned chastitie The Pope restrayned that which God permitted and setteth at liberty that which God forbiddeth A good adminition to such as wil make vowes Wherunto and howe we should apply our vowes How a vow is to be made He that fasteth to any other ende theÌ„ to