¶ An Apologie or defence agaynst the calumnacion of certayne men which preferring wylfull wyll and carnal reason before the playn trueth of Gods gospel do sclaundre those men which for the better seruinge of God with a more pure conscience according to his holy word haue abandoned theyr liuinges and vocacion abydinge as exyles in poore estate oute of theyr natyue couÌtrye â ¶ Exodi .xxxiij. â O Lord let our hartes euermore ioye in thy testimonies folowe not the multitude to doe euyll ¶ Psalm .lxxiij. â Lyke as when a man waketh there remayneth nothing of his slepe how pleasaunt soeuer it was to the sleper So shall there be nothing left of theyr Goddes Where through they thought theÌ selues happy in this worlde But thou O Lord shalt rather make eueÌ theyr pictures to be abhorred of euerye man in the Cytie ¶ 1555. The mercy and fauour of God oure heauenly father purchased to vs by the merites of our Sauiour Christe Communicated to vs by his holy spirite I. T. Wisheth to the gentle Reader THe thing that moued me to vndertake to auÌswere this sclauÌdre good frende was not That I either thought or iudged my self so wyse or so learned as the I could set it forth with such wysdom or eloquenche as so good a matter and trewe cause requyred or as yf some learned maÌ had vndertaken it neyther do I write it to th ende it should be comen and receyued of all men or haue free accesse into all places but onelye to you my frend and to that towne where ye presently habyte the place of my birth and educacion As also for the excuse of those good mâr of that towne whiche in lyke maner with me haue abandoned geuen ouer theyr rowmes which men as in Greke and Latyn auctours they be ignoraunt By reason whereof they caÌ not explicate nor make knoweÌ to you the cause why they haue chosen this paynefull exyle so they wishe you and all other honeste men to know and vnderstand that neyther lightnesse rashe wyll or iâconstancie hath moued them there vnto as some of that towne vntruely agaynst theyr owne knowledge doe surmyse blowe abroaâe But a good zeale grouÌded vp on Gods trueth confyrmed by the opinion of all good and godly learned men and that they might with the more pure conscience serue god in the congregacion of the godly where Gods moste holy worde and Sacramentes are purely preached and ministred In the which place as the Prophete Dauid saythe It is better to dwel in a most poore degree then to abyde in wealth and prosperous estate among the wicked Which mynd and good purpose of theirs as a iuste excuse to satisâye the mindes of good and godly men which principally they desyre They haue earnestly desyred me to make knowen and to put forth the same in writinge and to adresse this Apologie to you Knowig right well that although for lacke of learninge and wysoom I shall not be able to satisfye theyr expectacion or set it forth according to the worthynes of the matter For that I neuer haunted scoles or anye vniuersities Nor neuer was brought vp in any other state then with them as a most poore man and Souldiour simple and vnworthye yet because they shall aswell perceyue my good wyll and preste seruyce towardes them as charitie and our consuete familiaritie woulde and compelleth me as also for that my parte is in it participating the life obloque and sclaundre with them For that we haue wrought al one lyke facte and attempted one entrepryse These thinges wayed and proponed I haue the more gladly graunted to ful fyll theyr requestes praying you my frend of charitie to graunt me thus much fauour That yf I ether shal write or peÌne any thig the agreeth not with your mind the opinioÌ of other meÌ not to coÌdeÌne it at the first sight because it maketh not for your purpose but rather coÌfarre it with the scriptures of God the trew touchstone which al meÌs workes ought to be iudged by to the which I pray you submit your coÌscieÌce yf ye find that it varie not froÌ the sacred word of god nor dissent froÌ the mynde of good godly learned meÌ TheÌ embrace it as a manifest trueth desyring god the father of al mercy for his soÌnes sake Christ in the worke of his holi spirite to make you consent to it And to testifye our doynges to be lawful and consonante to Gods gospell Staying your opinioÌ with this our aunswere putting other men to silence by the same And now to come to the causes which ye proponed to meÌ in my house saying ye were sente froÌ many good honest godly me which not a litle merueled that I had set away into flauÌders my wife childreÌ much more that I my self was also delibered to folow Wherin as ye alledged they iudged I wrought vnwisely not according to knowledge but rather preferred a wil more wilful theÌ godli wise knowig aswell my poore estate litle riches with my great family as also the inciuil nature of this nacioÌ with finale relief saying wtin a short time begging to ouer take me for the I nether had arte faculte or occupacioÌ to liue by More the if god should tourne the impietie of this time I should neuer be able to recouer the like rowme or office so al my life waÌder in misery which they as my very frendes much lameÌted with many other causes by you alledged thereby to staye my iourneye Which perswasioÌs as to the fleshe they semed harde and vneasi to be borne and tollerated of any worldly man So I for my parte do moste hartely praise God whose good worke it was they not abashed me nor altered my purpose as ye my frende know right well Secondlye ye alledged agaynst me the doynges of other meÌ which ye named both good honest and godly and of an vpright pure conscience which men obserued the ordre of thys tyme. Thyrdely ye sayd that yf my coÌscience were so strayght laced as that I could not consente to the putting of my name into the boke among others you for your parte iudged it no synne nor felte any repugnauÌce of coscience for your so doyng whérby ye iudged it no offence And yf it were sinne as ye sayde ye doubted yet it was a light synne and easy to be forgeueÌ saying God must remitte greater offences or els ye should neuer come in heauen Well now my frend accordinge to my conscience little knowledge receyued froÌ Gods word I wyll aunswere youre three causes alledged agaynst me Prayinge you to accept theÌ in as good parte as with an vnfayned harte good mynde I doe adresse them to you And as to the fyrste cause which ye preferred to staye my goynge whereas you manye good men lameÌted that misery should oppresse me and that specially in a straunge land farre froÌ frendes Where I should be compelled eyther to begge or
those holy men to coÌmauÌde vs to auoyde the coÌpany of Idolaters is written in vayne to no purpose Truely in my simple iudgement as my conscience testifieth to me ruled by Gods holy spirite They ar written specially for our dayes that we shoulde be without al excuse wheÌ as God shal lay make open euery mans dedes ij Cor. vi S. Paul hath the lyke saying Come out froÌ amonge them separate your selues froÌ them saith the Lord reade out the Chap. and note the wordes well And lette your conscience witnesse with you who hath the right It is a thig very difficile to touche pitch Eccl. xiij and not to be defyled I wylknitte vp the first parte of your matter obiected against me with this coÌclusioÌ The. viij Chap. to the Romains and so consequentely all the whole Scripture through doth teache these two poinctes That fyrst God the father in his free mercy by hyâ sonne Christ hath chosen vs withoute any deseruing on oure partes accordinge to this sayinge Those which he appoynted before them also he called which he called them also he iustified which he iustified them also he glorifyed Secondly he dyd it to this ende that as the scripture sayth they might be made like to the Image of his sonne in suffring with him Now my freÌd yf we wil persâade our selfes to be chosen in Christ and wyl not suffre with him and yet thinke to raygne with him I pray God we beguyle not our selues To come to the second part In that ye layd agaynste me the doynges of other men which being both good and godlye obserued the order of this tyme. Laying to my charge why I shoulde be more precyse and scrupule of conscience then other men they beyng godly To that sayinge I aunswere The doynges of men is no presidente for a Christen man to folowe how good soeuer they be called onles they dyrecte theyr wayes according to Gods holy worde Howbeit folowing the counsayle of S. Paule I wyll reporte well of them as Christen charitie woulde to iudge the beste in hid thinges Therfore for that I can not know with what mynd they do it I muste folow the admonicioÌ of the Apostle to thinke wel of theÌ Onely this I know am not ignoraunte of by experience do proue taste in my fraile life and corrupt nature which is altogether sinneful that terrour of lawes maketh vs to stoupe and decline to thinges sinning agaynst knowledge for the preseruacion of this vncertayne life keping of our goodes O that we would remembre this saying i. Petri. i. All fleshe is as grasse all the glorie of man is as the flowre of grasse which sentence wel wayed would kepe vs froÌ dissembling in that thing whereof our coÌscieÌce accuseth vs to the which my harte in no wise can agree to consent Mat. xvi Christ sayeth who soeuer shal lose his life for my fake shal find it More I am a ialous God Exod. xx that cannot suffre my honour to be geuen to any other nor no part therof The Lord in these wordes doeth accommodate him selfe to vs as oure weake nature can know him Our fleshe is in no one cause so sone moued or prouoked to wrath as in that fighte that may styrre vs to ialowsye which offence we can almost by no intercession or sute skantly remitte or pardon And God which seeth al our doynges before whose presece al thiges are open beholdeth howe we dissemble with hys loue makinge familiar freÌdship league with his enemies Wel these wordes I am a ialous god require in vs an vpright pure vndefiled couer sacioÌ lest by our dissimulacion we prouoke the lord to anger i. Petri. i. O my frend the god which in hys mercy hath so dearely bought vs not with corruptible gold or syluer but with his moste holy precious harte bloud requyreth of vs our whole maÌ with mind coÌuersacion to serue him âccording to this saying âe holy Leuit. xix i. Petri. 1. ij Cori. vi for I am hoââ be not partakers with the vngodly for what âncorde hath Christ with Belial ãâã or howe aâreeth darkenes with light Now thy frende âamen these wordes well iudge whether it âe the acte or parte of him that would âe repuâd taken for a perfect Christen man to comâunicáte be partaker with ydolaters and to ââire his âaââe into the boke among them to yeâreat sclaundre of Gods Gospell In that the âapistes may triumphe that all me and speciâlly such as were called Feruent gospellers do âmbrace and folow the order of this vnhappy âyme whereby they boasââ glorie their reliâion to be most trew On the other part consyââe how ye wound offende the conscience of âour weake brother not yet growen to ful perâection of knowledge who hath his eyes open âpon you who seyng you to do the same thinâeth it a lawful acte so ye are the cause of his âall S. Paul sayth when ye sinne agaynst the ârethren wounde their weake conscience i. Cor. viij ye finne agaynst Christ Reade the Chapt. yf S. âaul had that mynde in lawfull thinges that âather then he would offend the conscience of âis weake brother he woulde neuer âate fleshe while he liued how much more my freÌd ought âe to haue a conscience to offend your brother ân an vnlawefull thinge We be to him sayeth âhrist that offendeth one of these little ones It were better for him to haue a mylstone tied ât his necke so cast into the sea Luk. xvij Cal to youre remembraunce digest well the worthy commendacion geueÌ to Eleaâaâ in Gods boke called the Bible That were as his freÌdes moue with peuishe pitie hauinge no taste of an vp right conscience perswaded him for the sauâ garde of his lyfe to eate swynes fleshe 2. Mac. 6 whicâ in no wise he would do for that it was againâ the lawâ of God his conscience And whââ his frendes perceyned that for no perswasioâ he would not eate it they earnestly oportunââ and counsayled him to make a countenauÌce aâ though he had eaten some which dissimulaciâ EleÌazar knowing it to be against Gods woââ aswel fearing the yll president example thâ might grow thereof to other men beyng yoâ weake and vnperfect in Gods worde as alâ remembring his honorable lyfe good conueâ sacion old age would in no case make counâ nannce to eate nor vse any such dissimulacioâ but rather presarâed to dye theÌ he would coâ terfect suche hypocâisie Loke reade the terâ calling for wysoo knowledge to God Coâming to the boke with a pure myâde ye shaââ easely perceaue whether the obseruers of thâ tyme walke in that puritie of lyfe whiche ãâã châfely requyrâd in him that in time past haââ bene called a gospeller There is another noâ and lesson in Eleagar to be marked ⪠that whââ his frendes paâaiued the constancie and
puââ mynde of him that he would in no case coÌsenâ to theyr perswasions counsayl they conuââted theyr amytis ⪠frandyship into malice Sââ yf that Elâââar had consented to that unpietâ they had had a goodly close to maynteyne aâ coloure theyr between to be good with thy saying Lo such a man doth dissemble who âoth good learned and so they woulde haue âustifyed theyr doynges to be lawefull by hyâ example which Elearâr âerceyâing constantây to the death withstode that coloured conscience and vnpure mynde of theyrs My frende I wryte this because some men of that towne wyll reporte euyll of me and other men which âe gone awaye not for that they can laye anye wictednesse or vngodlye conuersacion to oure charge God be glorified therefore but only of an yll mynd because we wyl not consente to âheyr doynges and ioyne with them in obserâinge the ordre of this religion Well let them âay what they lift ãâ¦ã God from whom no secrete âs hyd which knoweth the hartes of al men âan iudge with what conscience we haue abandoned our vocacions countrey howe glad we would be to haue theyr good wyl coÌmenâacion doyng also as they dâ so we knew and were assured to please god But thus much for ân aunswere to the second poynâ I woulde yf ãâã pleased God I had sufficient learning and âype knowledge in his holy word ãâ¦ã by the same âo argue their âoynges But this much I write and thinke that yf they be good men fearinge God and of a good conscience as ye saye they âe which obserue the ordre of this tyâe and ârnely I thinke they be so a greate noumbre of âhem then I say they haue a pricke of conscience which âestifyeth to them theyr doynges âo be vnlawfull And which before God with âeares and sorowe of harte they doe dewayle ãâ¦ã âot standinge in defence of theyr doynges as âe my frende doe which in my ãâ¦ã dââth agrauate ⪠the offence before God ãâã man To aunswere the thyrde poynte in that yâ make it so facill and light beleuing it to be noâ sinne saying ⪠The Lorde must remitte greateâ offences Well I pray God ye presume not toâ much in his mercy for he is not mercy full buâ to them that repent theyr wickedues I coulâ somewhat more by the scriptures dilate approue the same as vnlearned as I aââbut theââ fewe leaues areynoughe to hym that hath ãâã good conscience ⪠The Byble sayeth there is ãâã waye which semeth right vnto a man but thâ ende of it leadeth to destructioÌ Deu. 5.12 Ye shall not ãâ¦ã euery one of you the seâeth right in your owne eyes but that which ââgumaund you sayethâ the Lord because thy syââe is forgeuen theeâ Be noâ therfore withoutââare Ecclesi v neyther heapââ one synne vpon another And saye not tuââe the mercye of the Lorde is great he shall forâ geue me my sinnes be they neuer so many Foâ lyke as he is merciful so goeth wrath froÌ hynâ also Esaye v. his indignacion cometh down vpoÌ synâneâs Wo be to them that call euyll good and good euyll which make darkenes light lighâ darkenes that make sowre sââete and swetââ sowre Now my frend yf ye may doe the which ye coÌmit without offence theÌ ye haue scripturâ to assure warrant youre dâynge Or els you nor no maÌâls be he neuer so wel learned caââ defend the same but to be sinnefull For sainââ Paulâ sayââh Roma 14 Whatsoeuer is not of faith thaâ same is synne Reade the. xâ and .xix. Psalm oâ Dauid iudge your selfe by them And wherâ ãâ¦ã beâwene sinnes of ãâ¦ã the ãâ¦ã Kemâââbââ ãâ¦ã âsau sought ãâ¦ã âeares and found it not Iustiâââ ãâ¦ã least ye prouoke the Lord. ãâ¦ã Lu. xviij The Publican confessinge his fawte ãâ¦ã but the Pharise iustifying him ãâ¦ã ⪠was condemned The Prophete Dauid ãâ¦ã âsalmes desyâeth God to parâââ ãâ¦ã of those which fall of frayltie ãâ¦ã for vengeaunce to fal vpon ãâ¦ã ââfolde which synne of obstina ãâ¦ã I pray ⪠God the father of al mercy Lord ãâ¦ã consolacioÌ for his mercy sake in the bloud ãâ¦ã his sonne Christ to make you withal them ãâ¦ã in this tyme of impâete fall through frail ãâ¦ã and for feare âf lawes in the noumbre of ãâ¦ã man which ⪠ãâã xxxij Psalm speaketh of ãâ¦ã thus an endâ ⪠according to my one talente ãâ¦ã Fare well in the Lorde Iesâ withall ãâ¦ã that vnfayâedlye call vpon the name of ãâ¦ã Lorde And thus my frende I ende this ãâ¦ã ââple wryting prayingâââânot to ãâ¦ã with the same And yf ye ãâ¦ã in it whiche agreeth not with youre ââânion and wherein ye thinke I erre straye ãâ¦ã the scriptures aduertyse me âând I shall âââste gladly reuoke and recante the same But ãâ¦ã fynd that it agreewith the word of God ãâ¦ã I pray you câase to saye or thinke our do ãâ¦ã to be yll beyng a ãâã aduocate for ãâ¦ã to all good men which through ignoraunce ãâ¦ã all sinesterly reporte of our goynge awaye ãâ¦ã quiet my conscience and assure my ãâ¦ã then the sclaundeÌrous ãâ¦ã table ãâ¦ã