To whome quoth Christ O mother I am not able to denie it thee then Marie put in the ballance the droppe of bloud togither with hir merits and then that part weyed downe to the grounde so that the deuils went crying away Our Ladie is too mercifull to Christians we euer fayle where she medleth with vs O Ladie it is not good contending with thee What a derogation is this to Chist And where ye graunt most to the bloud of Christ where ye would salue the matter with intercession euen there ye say not that he will vouchsafe to graunt hir petition but that he is not able to gainesay it yea that it is not lawfull for him to denie it For sayth Cardinall Uigerius Dixit Salomon c. Salomon sayd to his mother aske mother what you will for it is not lawfull for me to turne away my face from hir that bare me VVhat shall wee thinke other than this the Lorde Iesus Christ to say to his mother who is farre wiser and iuster than Salomon And his reason is this Salomons mother had midwiues nources bearers of the child and instructours but Marie was all this hir selfe and so Christ is more bounde to his mother than Salomon to Bethsabée And therefore if we will worship Christ wée must first go to his mother For as sayth Iacobus de Voragine as Eue was in the middest betweene the serpent and the man so Marie making our reconciliation is in the midst betwene God and man. What a dubble blasphemie is this First that our reconciliation is made by any other than Christ of whom the Apostle sayth If when we were yet enimies we were reconciled to God by the death of his sonne much more seeing we are reconciled we shall be preserued by his life nor yet onely so but also glorying in God through our Lorde Iesus Christ by whome we haue nowe obteyned reconciliation Secondly that we haue any other mediatour than Christ wher as the apostle sayth Unus deui c. There is one God and one mediatour of God and man the man Christe Iesus neyther will your shift serue you to cloake youre blasphemie that ye make hir a mediatour of intercession for lo here he maketh hir a mediatour of making the attonement and reconciliation betwene mankinde and God which as it is our very redemption so is it the proper office of Christ alone â—…pse est pax nostra c. He is ouâ—… peace whiche hath made one of both hath broken downe the wall that was a stop betweene vs and also hath done away through his flesh the cause of hatred that is to say the lawe of commaundements conteyned in the lawe written for to make of twaine one new man in himselfe so making peace and to reconcile both vnto God in one bodie through his Crosse and slue hatred thereby For through him we both haue an open way in one spirite vnto the father Wherevpon sayth S. August Nes per mediatorem Christum reconciliamur deo VVe are reconciled to God by Christ being the mediator What blasphemie then is this in you to spoyle Christ hereof and giue it to the virgine Marie and make hir as much the instrument and meane of our reconciliation as Eue was the instrument and meane of our perdition But in this entrance of our perdition though both Adam Eue were culpable and both being one flesh are comprehended vnder the name of one and that of Adam the husband as the Apostle sayth Death reigned from Adam to Moses eueÌ„ ouer them also that sinned not with like traÌ„sgression as did Adam which is the similitude of him that is to come Yet afterward S. Paule noting the meane by whome properly the sinne entred first affirmeth that Adam was not deceyued but the woman was deceyued and was in transgression If then ye make the like proportion of our reconciliation froÌ„ Adam to Christ from Eue to the virgin then as Eue properly was the very originall and cause of the transgression though Adam being the assenter bare the name therof then properly the virgin is the very original cause of our reconciliation and Christ is but an assenter so beares but the name thereof What a wicked doctrine is this M. S. â–ª and is this now nothing els but ora pro nobis Might not Christ rather say ora pro nobis to hir syth ye giue hir all him a bare name only Now to the confirming of this blasphemous doctrine commeth in another of hir Chaplayues crying O foemina super omma c. O woman that art aboue all things and blessed of all things the fore elect and most worthie vessell framed of the first artificer the treasorie of the diuine giftes god hath chosen forechosen thee that God and man might dwell nine Monethes in thy tabernacle I dare boldly say that euen for the Virgin conceyued in Gods minde many thousande yeares before shee was borne mankinde was preserued in his beeing For it is euident that for their first transgression Adam and Eue deserued not onely death but euen the vtter rooting them out to nothing And the diuine vengeance which knoweth not the accepting of persons as it left not vnpunished the aungels offence so woulde it not haue left vnpunished mankindes offence but our first parents were preserued that they were not consumed to nothing for the chiefest reuerence that he had to the virgin for he loued hir aboue all creatures that should be created and not vnited vnto god The reason is that this Mayden was in the loynes of Adam as concerning the sede And the power of bringing forth the mayden was imprinted in the first father tyll shee were in deede brought foorth But of hir Iesus ought to be borne who was in Adam onely after his bodily substance to be brought forth of the virgin and of none other God therefore did spare oure first parentes nor consumed them to nothing bicause that so shee had not beene borne and by consequence Iesus neyther nor God had put on flesh Therefore by this noble creature God did saue our first parentes from the transgression and Noe from the floud and Abraham from the slaughter of the Kinges Isaac from Ismaell Iacob from Esau the Iewish people from Aegypt from Pharaos hande from the redde Sea from the force of dyuerse Kinges and Tyrauntes from Nabuchodonozor and from the captiuitie of Babilon Dauid from the Lion from Goliah and from Saule And to conclude all the fauourings and deliuerances made in the olde testament I doubt not but God did them for the loue of this mayden and for the worship of hir whom God had from without beginning foreordeyned to be set aboue all his workes O outragious blasphemie where is Christ How agréeth this with S. Paules doctrine that Christ is the image of the inuisible god the first begotten of all creatures for by him were all things created things that are
as ye sayde before disposing otherwyse than Christ hath done your Priestes do so but they ought not to do so The Prince can not do it nor he dothe it nor claymes to doe it nor it is ascribed vnto him Yea thoughe you meane by disposing no alteration yet is this an harde phrase to say that Princes or priestes either dispose of the Churche of Christe but rather dispose of matters in the Church of Christ. And this as the Priest may doe in his vocation so may the Prince in his estate Which though it be not expressed by name but comprehended in the newe Testament yet is it euen by name expressed in the olde Testament in diuers places of the disposing of Church matters by Moyses Iosue Dauid Salomon Iosaphat Ezechias c. And since your selfe confesse the one gouernment is a figure of the other And that the gouernment before Christ he neither brake it nor diminished it it followeth that theÌ„ he left it entire and confirmed it And therfore although the Princes disposing of Churche matters be not by name expressed yet is it by your reasoÌ„ necessarilie comprehended and so you answere your selfe Now after he hath thus as he supposeth debarred Princes from all warrant oute of the law of God and the newe Testament he examineth the other lawes saying Except therefore by the lawe of nature the law of nations or the lawe ciuill such power be permitted too the king it is cleare that he hath no power at all ouer these things But certaine it is that those lawes cannot giue to the king any power ouer things that are not subiect to those lawes For no law can establishe ought either of other things or persons or actions than those things that fall vnder the compasse of it But Ecclesiasticall matters do infinitly excede the power of the lawe of Nature of nations and the ciuill For of these three the law of nature is the first and greatest But neither that sith it begaÌ„ in the earth can decree ought vpon the mysteries of Christe which draw their originall from heauen onely For that I may speake nothing of the force of nature being yet entire truely after that the nature of all mankynd by the sinne of Adam was corrupted and death entring by one man passed into al it can not be that from that infected originall any good thing shoulde come forth For an ill tree can not bring forth good fruites neither doth the fleshely man such as we all be by nature perceiue those things that are of the spirite of God. All this labor is a néede not M. Saunders to run for confirmation of a Christian doctrine from the law of God to the lawe of nature and the lawe of man we vse not so to doe Neither desire we anye doctrine to be admitted that is not proued by the lawe of God reuealed in his worde vnto vs it is you the Papists that stand on such proues and grounds not we Howbeit you do iniurie to the law of nature to measure it altogether by the corruption of our nature For howsoeuer we be degenerate from it the law of nature remaineth in it selfe both good and perfect and is called likewise the law of God. Neither can I thinke that euery ecclesiasticall thing as ecclesiasticall things are commonly vnderstoode is infinitely aboue the power of the law of nature By which reason many petit matters would be farre aboue great principles Yea many great Ecclesiasticall matters doe fall within the compasse of the lawe of nature It is true that you say of the corruption of our nature that by the fall of Adam sin hath infected the Masse of all mankinde Death by one man hath entred into all men No goodnesse can come of such a corrupted originall An ill tree can not bring forth good fruite and that the fleshely man perceiueth not the things that are of the spirit of God. All this is true but is it not as much against a Priest as a Prince for the Priest in that he is a man is borne in sinne and dyeth by death the reward of sinne nor caÌ„ bring forth any good fruites nor perceiue the things of the spirit of God. And the prince in that he is a ChristiaÌ„ is washed from his sinne The sting of death hath no power ouer him but is a passage to eternall life He is regenerate by a newe originall from aboue He is a good tree and bringeth good fruits and is become a spirituall man perceiuing and working the things that are of the spirite of God and that perchaunce a great deale better than many a good Priest and without all doubt farre more spirituall than any Popishe priest And therefore that ye speake of the corruption of nature is nothing to the purpose excepte it be to confute your errors of pura naturalia fréewill preparatiue workes c. But Maister Saunders drist is this that onely the Priests are spirituall men and so may onely Iudge of spiritual things and Princes are but naturall fleshely and sinnefull men and so can giue no Iudgement of spirituall matters But howe vntrue this is how presumptuous on his partie and iniurions to all Christian Princes and how contrary to his owne selfe that faith else where Christian Princes are spirituall I thinke anye that haue but meane Iudgement may easily Iudge it But Maister Saunders procéedeth saying But to Iudge of Ecclesiasticall matters is no small good thyng but one of the chiefest that Christe hath gyuen vnto his Church bycause he hath gyuen the power of feeding of losyng and bynding to his Apostles that is to the chiefest Magistrates of hys Churche euen as the greatest gifte VVhich gifte they coulde neuer well exercise but wyth Iudgement eyther goyng before or goyng with it For he that shall binde nothing but that that shoulde be bounde and shall lose nothing but that that shoulde be losed must of necessitie before hande deliberate and decree that this is to bee bounde and that is to bee losed But to decree suche a thing to bee done or not to be done in Christian Religion this is euen that that we call to Iudge in matters of Faith. Syth therfore a power so heauenly and notable can not spring oute of the beginnings of our corrupte nature it followeth that it commeth onely of the free mercie of god But that mercie of God is made manifest vnder the time of the new Testament partlye by the lawe written partly not written but neyther waye anye povver is gyuen to Kyngs in Ecclesiasticall causes This argumeÌ„t M. SauÌ„ders is like the hopping of a reuÌ„d that from the law of the new Testament went about to infirme it by the lawe of nature and so fetching a circumquaque commeth in again with this conclusion that it is not by the law of the newe Testament So that where we thought we had procéeded â—…urder wée are nowe where wée were before But to let goe the
in heauen things that are in earth things visible things inuisible whether they be Maiestie or Lordship either rule or power al things are created by him and in him be is before all things and in him all things haue their being and he is the head of the bodie that is to wit of the congregation he is the beginning and first begotten that in all thinges he might haue the preheminence for it pleased the father that in him all fulnesse should dwell and by him to reconcile all things to him selfe and to set at peace by him through the bloud of his Crosse both things in heauen and things in earth Here is no mencion at all of hir but all of him master Stapleton for whome all things were made But euen these properties of Christ this blasphemous doctour applieth to hir and sayth your Church doth so For a little before he sayth Sed hoc loco c. But in this place is to be asked whether the blessed virgin were brought forth before all creatures For of hir sayth the Church that saying Eccle. 24. Ab initio ante secula creata sum From the beginning and before the worlde was I made and againe in the Epistle of this solemnitie the Virgine is brought in saying that sentence Prou. 8. The Lord hath possessed me from the beginning of his wayes before he made any thing euen from the beginning from euerlasting I was ordeyned and from of olde before the earth was made as yet the depthes were not and I was alreadie begotten as yet the fountaynes flowed not with water nor as yet the mountaynes in their great compasse were setled before all the hilles was I begotten VVhich wordes doe seeme so to sounde that she was brought forth before the bringing forth of any other thing Who is he that knoweth not that these wordes are spoken of the eternall sonne of God begotten before all ages and is euen one wyth that S. Iohn sayth In the beginning was the worde and yet bicause it is spoken in the feminine gender vnder the name of the eternall wisedome of God he most ignoranâ—…ly and Idolatrously transferreth it to the virgin Marie Neyther he alone but he sayth your Church doth so so that all your whole Church is a blasphentous Church And thus ye ascribe the promise of the blessed seede to the blessed virgine saying not it but shee shall tread downe the serpents heade So where Dauid sayth Non est qui se abscondat à â—…alore 〈◊〉 None can hide him from his heate ye say none can hide him from hir heate Likewise where the wisedome of God sayth In the welbeloued Citie gaue he me rest in Hierusalem was my power Iacobus de Udragine applieth it to hir saying Primo pater c. First the father hath made hir mightie to helpe Eccle. 24. in Hierusalem was my power for she is made so mightie that she can help vs in life in death and after death c. Againe where Christe sayth I am exalted like a Palme tree aboute the bankes and as a rose Palme in Hierico as a fayre Oliue tree in a pleasant fielde that ascribeth he to hir saying Sunt enim quidam c. There are some Saints who when they are prayed vnto follow the information of their conscience and therefore often tymes they will not pray to God for vs bicause they haue a conscience that they are not worthie to be heard Other Saintes there are that when they are prayed vnto they follow the streightnesse of Gods righteousnesse And therefore if they be desired and knowe that this is not fitte for Gods iustice they dare not aske but the blessed Virgin neither looketh to conscience nor to iustice but to mercie As who should say let them keepe their consciences to themselues that lust and let them that will loke to Gods iustice I will alwayes hold me to mercie and for this so excellent Modestie shee sayth of hir selfe Eccle. 24. I am as a fayre Oliue in the fieldes Yea you say shée hath such excéeding and excelling mercie that not onely it passeth all the Saints but that illud quod dicitur Eccl. 18. de Domino potest dici etiaÌ„ de Domina c. That the which is spoken Eccle. 18. of the Lorde may be spoken of the Ladie The mercie of a man is towarde his neighbour but the mercie of the Lorde is ouer all flesh Thus ye robbe God of his glory to adourne hir attributing all to hir And say that the father hath written in hir his power where Christ sayth contrarie all povver is giuen me of my father in heauen and earth c. that the sonne hath vvritten in hir his vvisedome that the holy ghost hath vvritten in hir his goodnesse and mercie Againe the father hath made hir his Treasorer vvhereby shee hath conquered the Deuill and povvreth into cur mindes diuine knovvledge The sonne hath made hir his Chamberlayne The holy ghost hath made hir his Cellerer The vvhole Trinitie hath made hir Almosiner of heauen Shee is Chauncellour to the holy ghost shee is Porter of Paradise Ipsa nanque est ostium c. For shee is the doore by the vvhich vve enter into Paradise vvhich by Eue vvas shutte and by hir is opened Ipsa enim est quae nos suis meritis in atrium principis introducit For it is shee that by hir merits bringeth vs into the porch of the Prince VVhervpoÌ„ Ioh. 18 it is sayde A Damsell that was the doore keeper the blessed virgine calleth hirselfe an handemayde or Damsell let in Peter into the Princes porche Ipsa nanque virgo For euen the virgin is the vvindovv vvherby God beholdeth vs vvith the eie of mercie Uirgo autem Maria. The Virgin Marie is the throne of mercy grace and glorie she is the Sunne to the iust the Moone to the Saints the faithful vvitnesse to sinners the aduocate of mankinde the drop that softneth all hardnesse There vvere three things that once vvere hard God that receyued none to mercie Death that svvalovved vp all to hell the Deuill that enraged vvith enmitie But the Virgin Marie so mollified God that he receiued all men to mercie She so trodde death vnder foote that novve he can not take avvay the Saints Shee ouercame the Deuill that he can novve â–ª deceyue none but him that lust to be deceyued that novv shee may say I forsake you not but as a drop I abyde vvith you bicause my odour abydeth vvith you vvherevvith I haue mollifyed God I haue troden dovvne death I haue ouercome the Deuill This is one droppe of hir grace master Stap. but what can ye ascribe more to al the droppes of the bloud of christ To conclude ye make hir all in all Shee â—…lenseth vs from our sinnes â–ª shee lightneth vs from ignorance she strengthneth vs from our infirmities Et per ipsam virg c. and by the blessed
virgin Marie Quilibet tanque per portam in coelum ascendit Euery man euen as by a gate ascendeth to heauen By these immoderate prayses or rather outragious blasphemies Master Stapleton ye stirred the people quite neglecting Christ to inuocate the Uirgine Marie And ye exemplifie it by fables to confirme the people therein Ye tell vs how an Abbot and his holy Couent sayling in a tempest one called on Saint Nicholas an other on Saint Andrewe and euerie one vppon his peculier Patrone but none called vpoÌ„ God the Abbot chod them all and bad them call on the mother of mercie Which when they did forthwith the Seas were calme Ye tell vs of many other that being vexed with spirites haue sought manye remedies nowe holy water nowe one thing nowe another yea they haue called vpon Christ vpon the Trinitie and haue had so little helpe that they haue rather bene much worse onely when they were taught to lift vp their handes and crie Saint Marie helpe me then forthwith the spirite hath fled away all afrayde as he had beene smitten with a stone and sayde the cursed deuill enter into his mouth that hath taught thee that and so being vanquished neuer came againe Ye tell vs a noble Storie of a Spanish woman called Lucie to whome for saluting the virgin Marie the virgin at the deliuerance of hir childe came and was the midwife and at the Christning the Godmother and Christ the Godfather and the childe was named after the Godmother and called Marianus And how at hir Churching Christ himselfe sang Masse and how at the offertorie Lucie was preferred to go and offer and kisse the Priestes hande before the virgine Marie and what honour the Uirgin gaue hir aboue hir selfe saying This is your day of Churching now I was churched long ago And all for saying the Aue Marie Ye tell vs of a Strumpet that all hir life did no good work saue that she would say an Aue Marie and heare a Masse on Saterday which ye call our Ladies day as Sunday is called the Lordes day and on hir death bed this harlot sayde O Ladie Queene and mother though I did neuer any good yet I trust to thy mercie and to thee I commende my spirite And when the fiends would haue taken hir soule the mother of mercie tooke hir soule from them saying do ye not knowe that shee saluted me dayly and euery Saterday heard a Masse and at hir death commended hir soule to me And when they alleaged hir sinnes I tell you quoth shée that soule was neuer damned that serued mee and commended it selfe to me and so she draue them away and caryed the soule with hir Ye tell vs of a knight that neuer did other good but at morning and Euening say an Aue Marie and by the grace of the Virgin he was saued And hereon ye conclude a rule Quod orandum sit c. That at the poynt of death we must pray mother of grace mother of mercie defende thou vs from the enimie and keepe vs in the hower of death And then we are safe Yea as Anselme sayth Impossibile est vt pereat It is impossible hee should perish syth by the vertue of the Aue Marie the worlde was renued And that Redempturus deus genus humanuâ—… vniuersum precium contulit in Mariam sine ea nihil possumuâ—… sine ea miseri sumus sine ea factum est nihil God going about to redeeme mankinde conferred al the price therof vpon Mary VVithout hir we caÌ„ do nothing without hir we are wretches without hir nothing was made To conclude ye make hir to be all in all And as Albertus Magnus in his booke of hir prayses saith Est autem opus c. The booke of the beginning of the Lordes incarnation describing the mysterie of our redemption to the prayse honour and glorie of the most glorious and alonly truly honorable aboue euery Creature the virgin mother of god By the most speciall confidence of whole helpe we take this worke in hande And in the mercie of hir euen as in the most firme anchore of our hope we looke for the ende of the perfourmance and the rewarde of the labour VVho is the moouer of the wil the cause of the worke and the beholder of the intention Thus blasphemously ascribeth Albertus all these things to hir euen in the Preface of his booke But what excéeding more blasphemies he filleth his volume withall were infinite to recite Looke your selfe M. St. if with shame ye can sustaine to reade them Neither is all this the errours of priuate men but the dooing of all your whole Church For euen in the solemnities of your Masse haue ye not in the Sequences of our Ladies Masses as ye cal them Aue terrarum domina c. Haile ladie of the earth holy queene of heaueÌ„ let the heauens and all the company of saincts bring forth melodie to thee the laÌ„ds the floudes the woods and groaues resound c. By thee mother we craue that the childrens sinnes be abolished and we be all brought to the euerlasting ioyes of Paradise Againe Seda nobis bella Appease thou warres hayle starre of the seas thou mother giue to vs the true peace giue vs help changing the name of Eue. Driue away our euils drawing vs without bitternesse forgiue vs our crimes aske al good things let the Sonne and the Father be giuen by thee O mother c. that which Eue hath taken away thou only O mother giuest Through thee the people recouer their former lost strength thou art the gate of the high King by the which gate we enter into the court c. And againe The ladie of the world c. is the cause of our saluation the gate of life Againe Pray euery man to hir in euery houre and call thou vppon hir defence Sing sing Aue Maria with the force of thy harte â–ª with thy voice with thy vow c. And in the third reason that ye giue why ye dedicate the Saterday to hir as the Sonday to the Lord ye say in redde letters Tertia ratio est c. The third reason is bicause the Saterday is the gate and entraÌ„ce to the Sonday but the Sonday is the day of rest and betokeneth eternall life VVherevpon when we be in the grace of our Ladie we are as it were in the gate of Paradise Therefore bicause euen she is to vs the gate to the kingdome of heauen which is figured by the Sonday we keepe for the solemnitie of hir the Seuenth day which goeth before the Sonday Thus doth your whole Church yea and that in your holy Masse booke ascribe to hir euen as much as any of the other What say ye now to all this M. Stap. haue ye any shifte of descant to runne vnto any distinction behinde to alleage any figge leafe to couer your shame that all this kinde of inuocation may be thought
see whether you with Pigghius or we with S. Aug. shall come nearer to the Messalians Heresie Your Capitaine Pigghius saith that originall sinne is in deede no sinne at all in infants before nor after baptisme But baptisme taketh away froÌ„ them only original sinne Ergo Baptisme taketh no sinne from them Againe you â–ª say the childe that is not baptised shall be condemned But his sinnes which are the cause of his condemnation are not taken away by baptisme for how can it take away that that is not Ergo ye make the infant to be neuer the better for baptisme Nowe what was the saying of the olde Heretike Adelphius vnto the godly Bishop Flauianus Os venenum ê™ celauit euomuit atque dixit nullam quidem vtilitatem ex sancto baptismate baptisatis accedere His mouth cast out all the venome which it hid and sayde there commeth no profite at all by holy baptisme to those that are baptised And hath Pigghius parbreaked vp agayne this olde poyson of the Messalians and you haue lapped vp this Pigges most filthie vomite But woulde to God this went no further and that ye were not herein worse poysoned than euer the Messalians were and that it were not directly agaynst God himselfe and quite disanulling the death and bloâ—…dshed of Iesus Christe For whereas the infant sayth Pigghius hath no sinne in him and yet God cendemneth him if he be not baptized then doth GOD condemne him that iâ—… aâ—… innocent from sinne God condemneth where no offence nor transgression is Nowe doth this agrée with the iustice of God to condemne an infant for no sinne or for a bare name of sin or for another mans sin it selfe being nothing culpable thereof for all this Pigghius sayth But God is â—…ust and righteous in all his doinges then is the infant borne in very sinne and hath but the rewarde of sinne if he bée condemned The rewarde of sinne is death And by sinne and verie sinne not a name of sinne came death into the worlde and so hath ouerrunne all men for as muche as all haue sinned Againe ye say that the death of Christ taketh away only the originall sinne of Infants baptized as for other sinnes after baptisme our selues must make satisfaction for them But originall sinne sayth Pigghius is in déede no sinne for all it is called sinne as my writing is called my hande bicause my hande wrote it but it is not in deede my hande The death of Christ therefore taketh away the onely bare name of a thing And so our satisfactions do not onely more than the death of Christ but in very déede our satisfactions do all and the death of Christ doth nothing And thus as ye ascribe to the vertue of his death a bare name so make ye him a redemer in bare name and make an Idoll of the bare name of Iesus and take away the purport and effect thereof giuing him baptisme that ye call Primam gratiam to take away a bare name of sinne but not to take away that which ye call sinne in déede This is the doctrine master Stapleton of your doctours and if ye agrée with them of yours Who are now the Messalians who deface baptisme who blaspheme God who disanull and make of none effect the death of Christ and all the benefite of washing vs from our sinnes so fully in baptisme represented and exhibited vnto vs Pigghius or S. Augustine you or we For shame M. Stap. leaue your lying nay rather for shame learne to knowe shoulde I say the righteousnesse of God and the benefit he hath wrought by Christe But howe shoulde ye knowe this when yée knowe not your selues ye féele not your owne corruption ye acknowledge not your sinnes but make them no sinnes ye vnderstande not yet your principles and rudimentes of Christianitie and perceyue not what Baptisme is which ye receyueâ—… being infantes and nowe taking on you to be writers Doctours and teachers of other ye had more néed go to a yong scholler againe and learne your Cathechisme better to know what ye were deliuered from and what remayneth in you Is it any maruayle though ye haue such a number of other errours that haue as it were thus sucked error from your infancies he can neuer be good reader that can not spell nor good Gramarian that neuer learned hys rules but often breake Priscians head and so do you breake Christes so much as lyeth in you If your vnskill be not of malice learne to knowe your selues that before baptisme ye were children of wrath old Adam a lumpe and Masse of verie sinne in déede that that is borne of the flesh is flesh And that all euen the thoughts and affections of the fleshe are very enemities agaynst God. And that this leauen of sinne hath sowred the whole dough That we are not sicke but Mortui in delictis Starke dead in wickednesse and sinnes that all are thus The Scripture sayth S. Paule hath shut vp all vnder sinne There is not one hath done good no not one All are borne and begotten of vncleane seede Yea Dauid himself confesseth his mother coÌ„ceiued him in sin Where he accuseth not his mother for an harlot or himself of bastardie or the act of matrimonie to be sinful But that euen the masse substance of himselfe conceyued was corrupt with sin bicause they were sinners of whose seede he came For such as is the tree such fruite it bringeth forth we cannot saith Christ haue grapes of thornes nor figges of briers By one man sin entred into the world by sin death so death passed through all bicause al haue sinned Thus plainly as ye may sée that originall sinne and concupiscence is very sinne before baptisme so learne of the Apostle to know what sâ—…ill remaineth in you after baptisme For ye are not better than he that sayde I know that in me that is in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing he knewe no pure naturall qualities remayning in his flesh as your schoolemen say they know in theirs And thinke ye he mitigated the matter or was ashamed to confesse that it was euen sinne in him after Baptisme Nay he not onely calleth it peccatum sinne But inhabitans peccatum sinne inhabiting corpus peccatuÌ„ the body of sinne legeÌ„ peccati the law of sinne legem rebellanteÌ„ a rebelling law and is rebellioÌ„ no sin with you fighting agaynst the spirit of God in him yea leading him captiue insomuch that thereby he sayth he was solde vnder sin yea it is the very body of death vpon which he stil cried out Miserum me quis â—…e liber abit a corpore mortis huiuâ—… Vvretch that I am who shal deliuer me from the body of this death Dare you M. St. bicause Pigghius and other popish flatterers tell ye it is no sinne so exalt your selfe aboue the holy Apostle S. Paule to thinke it is no sinne at
all in you that he confessed to be so great and grieuous a sinne in him Now and there were no other place in the scripture to proue it sinne but euen this were not this plaine ynough that the Apostle sayth NesctebaÌ„ concupiscentiam esse peccatiâ—… nisi lex dixisset non concupisces I had not knowne coÌ„cupiscence to be sinne but that the law said thou shalt not lust Wherin he nameth it not onely sinne for that ye count no sufficient argument but say it is so named for that it commes of sinne and disposeth and inclines to sinne therefore is called improperly by the name of sin but the Apostle addeth a strong reason to proue it sinne in very déed bicause by the flat commaundement of God it is forbidden therefore it is a transgâ—…ession of Gods commaundement and displeasing God for otherwise God would not by his law forbid it Which expresse law against concupiscence when S. Paule regarded better than it appeareth you dothe then coÌ„fessed it to be sin which before he knew not by ignorance of the law Although your ignorance be of wilfull malice that will neither know Gods law nor your owne transgression of it nor all these euident confessions of the Apostle obiect S. Aug. against the Messalians to vs and yet are you both agreeing with the Messalians and flat agaynst S. August your selues For what could Saint August write more plaine than this Sicut coecitas cordis c. EueÌ„ as the blindnesse of tâ—…e hart is both sinne wherewith we beleue not in God and the punishment of sinne wherwith a prowde heaâ—…t is punished with worthie correction the cause of sinne when ought is committed by the errour of a blinde heart so concupiscence of the flesh against the which the good spirite doth lust is both sin bicause there is in it a disobedience against the rule of the mind and the punishment of sinne bicause it is giuen for the deseruings of the disobeyer and the cause of sinne by the defection of the consenter or the contagion of him that is borne In which wordes as he plainely speaketh both of the state of the birth before baptisme and of the consent defection and deseruings after baptisme so he maketh concupiscence not to be sinne it selfe onely but also the punishment and the cause of sinne Neither is S. August alone herein for S. Hierom doth not onely call it sinne but least ye shoulde dally about the name he sayth Habitans in sua carne peccatum hoc est vitia corporis desideria voluptatis c. But if my outwarde man do that he would not and worke that whiche he hateth hee sheweth the commaundement to bee good and that he worketh not that which is euill but sinne inhabiting in his flesh that is the vices of the bodie and desires of pleasure the whiche for the posteritie and ofspring is euen grafted in mennes bodyes Thus maketh he concupiscence not sinne inhabiting onely but euen verye vice it selfe engrafted in vs speaking not onely on himselfe but euen on Saint Paule also And are you better â—…ordâ—… all these What procéedeth this vpon but plaine arrogancie ioyned with obstinacy to conceale your shame and flatter your selues in your sinfull burning lusts which rather than ye would with humilitie acknowledge and confesse ye spare not so to exalt your selues that ye deface the glorie of God so to vaunte your pâ—…ra naturalia your frée will and merits that ye quite take away euen the death of Iesus Christ and to establishe your owne righteousnesse ye disdaine to be subiect to the righteousnesse of God and making vs beleue we had no sin at all while we were infants newly regenerate to deceyue our selues and to haue no more truth in vs than is in you Go now Master Stapleton and boast that we be Messalians or rather clere your selues of their Heresies besides that ye be not onely Messalians but Missalians or Massalians which is a great deale worser Heresie Your next obiection is of Images And bicause say you ye shall not say I suppresse conceale or obscure the chiefe and most notable persons of your auncestrie how say ye to the Emperors Philippicus Leo CoÌ„stantinus coÌ„demned with their adherents by the 7. generall CouÌ„cell at Nice that villained by defacing breaking and burning the Images of all the holy Hallowes of Christ Christs too If your guiltie conscience M. Stap. do misgiue you that ye haue hitherto charged vs falsly and haue suppressed concealed and obscured our true auncestours and in stead therof haue obiected Heretikes it were some token of grace and repentance in you that ye say yet now at the length ye will not suppresse conceale or obscure the chiefe and notable persons of our auncestrie Where ye aske vs what we say to these thrée Emperors Philippicus Leo Constantinus that ye say villained Images whatsoeuer we say to them Master Stapelton some good fellowe perhaps will say this to you that if they bée suche most notable persons ye might haue spared such villainous language except it be naturall to you to vse villaynes Rhetoricke on chiefe Princes and most notable personages But I will not meddle with your well nurtured termes onely I desire you as ye pretend not â—…o suppresie conceale nor obscure indeede the chiefe and most notable persons of our auncestrie whereby ye meane the auncient Emperors If ye will not in very déed how chaunce ye name but these thrée for taking away of Images why suppresse ye the names of the Emperors Ualens Theodosius that made a plaine decrée agaynst all maner of Imagâ—…rie of all the holy Hallowes of Christ as ye call them Christes to and yet your seuenth generall Councell condemned theÌ„ not yea your selfe as after shal appéere do highly coÌ„mend them What ment ye to suppresse the name of Carolus Magnus commended likewise highly euen by your selfe and yet he abolished all Images also Why name ye Philippicus Leo Constantinus onely and tell not of all the other Emperors before these after these euen til the time of Theodorus Lascaris that yelded to your Pope herein at Lions Councell therfore the Gréekes depriued and expelled him for his labour Syth then so many chief and most notable persons of the auncient Emperors of which your self graunt some to be as godly as notable being before that CouÌ„cell were not condemned by it being as ye say our auÌ„cestors herein are altogither quite suppressed concealed obscured is not this very partiall and vnfaithfull dealing in reiecting our honourable pedegree M. St But I see you will neuer leaue your lying Nowe where ye say these thrée Emperors were condemned by the seuenth generall Councell at Nice True in déede they were so euen as you condemned all Godly Princes at your last Trident Councell that abolishe your Idolatrie What maner a Councell it was and what maner of reasons they haue in it for the
etiam abusus But sithe muche abuse hath also by little and little crept in about the worshippe of Images that the Images also of those thinges haue beene brought into the Churche whiche haue no testiminie of the Scripture or of approued authors That many carued Images beyonde measure with great sumptuousnesse and coste were sette vp so faste in Churches as thoughe heerein a great parte of godlinesse consisted the poore people of Christ being in the meane while neglected which are the liuely Images of Christe Furthermore that we beholde the Images so paynted and expressed that they seemed to bee forged not after the fourme of Christian honestie but after the enticementes of the vanitie of the worlde To conclude that the rude people was suffred to worshippe the Images with a certayne truste reposed in them the which is not altogither free froÌ„ Idolatry so that they can not be excused of Idolatry that haue chosen to them selues any Image to be worshipped and that either for the fairenesse therof or the foulnesse or the newnesse or the oldnesse beleeuing that Image to haue some vertue yea or some godhead or diuinitie more than the rest VVhich error is to be playnly damned Thus do your owne mouthes coÌ„demne your selues that not of trifling points nor of any extraordinary chance but of open and ordinary Idolatrie I omitte suche casualties of Idolatrie as are obiected in Biga salutis if the people should worship the diuell for God in any forme in any reuelation or in the consecrate hoste which ye made the people worship since the diuel can traÌ„sforme him selfe to any such shape yea of an angell of light whether the peoples worship be Idolatrie or no. I wil rather detecte your more grosse idolatrie althoughe that of your honoring the cake were grosse inough Neither can it be but manyfest idolatrie sithe there is no proportion betwéene the body of Christ and suche a likenesse whereas in euery Image a right and true portrature is to be required But into that Idolatrie I will not nowe enter onely I will come to your next obiection of the crosse To the whiche ye committed most open idolatrie not only worshipping with cappe knée with crouching knéeling knocking blessing kissing gréeting and praying vnto but ascribing the merite of saluation to suche your worship of the crosse Ye tell vs how a théefe that continuing an arrant théefe all the dayes of his life Orauit vnum Pater noster ante crucifixum sic saluatus est He saide one Pater noster before the crucifix and so he was saued And therefore saith Discipulus Christo valdè placet cum quis orat prâ—…tereundo Crucifixum in publica strata vnum Pater noster vnum Aue Maria. VVhen one passing by in the open streete saythe one Pater noster and one Aue Mary Christe is highely pleased But not content with this Idolatrie ye make humble prayers vnto it as though it had life and soule as though it were God it selfe O Crux 〈◊〉 cunctis astris c. O Crosse more cleare than all the starres famous to the worlde very louing vnto men whiche onely wast worthy to beare the price of the worlde saue this present company gathered togither this day in thy prayses Thus prayed you to the crosse in your olde primer Haue you neuer sayd this prayer to the crosse O Crux benedicta c. O blessed Crosse bicause the Sauiour of the worlde did hang on thee and the king of Angels triuÌ„phed on thee I adore thee I prayse thee I blesse thee with all my senses be thou our consolation in our trouble c. Agayne Oro te sancta Crux c. I pray thee holy crosse by the omnipotent God that thou wilt deliuer and pull me out of all my necessities and greeues and defende me from the wrath of God and from the vengeaunce of all my enemies and from sodayne death and from all shame perill and blasphemie and from all sinnes wherewith mans frayltie may sinne agaynst god I beseeche thee holy crosse by the loue of Iesus Christe our Lorde who hath exalted thee maruellously aboue all thinges earthly that thou wilte protecte and defende me from the Diuell and from all daungers and euils of minde and body Agayne Salue gloriosa splendidissima Crux Aue inuincibilis insuperabilis dilectissima Crux Salue preciosissima vere digne in aeternum beatissima Crux Aue sanctissima sine fine digne veneraÌ„da praeclarissima Crux Salue preciocissiâ—…a vere deuote adoranda sacratissima crux Lo master Stap. what gallant Rhethorike is hâ—…re to the Crosse. And as with these idolatrous prayers ye worshipped the picture of the Crosse so with the like or worse ye worshipped the picture of the face of Christe which yet by the auncient describers thereof was nothing like his face Neither can ye say ye prayed not to it but vnto Christe whom the face in the cloath represented for euen vnto the paynted face it selfe ye prayed in this Rime dogrell Salue sancta facies nostri Redemptoris in qua nitet species diuini splendoris impressa panniculo niuei candoris dataque Ueronicae signum ob amoris salue decus saculi speculum sanctorum quòd videre cupiunt spiritus Coelorum nos ab omni macula purga vitiorum atque nos consortio iungâ—… beatorum Salue nostra gloria in hac vita dura labili fragili cito transitura nos perduc ad patriam O foelix figura ad videndum faciem quae est Christi pura â–ª c. Ye can not say héere ye spake this to Christe him selfe or to the very face of Christe but your prayer is euen to the very figure or paterne of the face in the linnen cloth and ye desire that paynted face to exalt vs to the very face it selfe The lyke Idolatrous prayer and adoration ye make to the fiue wouÌ„ds Salue vulnus dextrae manus c. God speede wounde of the right hande c I adore thee I honour thee I require thee I beseeche thee that I a wretche nowe dying c. may neuer fayle Hayle thou right hande wounde of Christe thou whiche waste pearced with a moste harde nayle c. VVe adore thee O wounde to thee we encline our head as to a moste sweete fountayne by thee let it be giuen that we may ouercome our enimies and reioyce in the laste day God speede wounde of the righte foote c. God speede wounde of the lefte foote O sweete syde wound c. Aue salue gâ—…ude vale Hayle God speede thee reioyce farewell What foolishe prayers and beastly Idolatrie was this master StapletoÌ„ and yet were these prayers counted suche notable stuffe that they are enfraunchised with great priuiledges and pardons Set in golden letters for more estimation and credite Ye haue a goodly rubrike that sayth Fuit quaedam foemina solitaria reclusa c. There was a
same booke on these verses Lanceâ—… Crux claus tua pertuls corde 〈◊〉 c is this Quicunque arma Domini c. VVho soeuer shall looke deuoutly vpon the weapons of our Lord Iesus Christ and shall deuoutly say this prayer he shall haue of his sinnes beyng truly confessed and repenting of them sixe thousand seuen hundred and fiue yeeres of pardons of S. Peter the Apostle graunted him and graunted of 30. Popes after him How agreeth this with the former M. Stapleton or did S. Peter giue this pardon twisâ—… and augment the summe bicause of the excellencie of those verses But these are trifles to the thirde that followeth Crux coronae spinae flagellis clauis lanciae marcellae spongae laqueae columpilae vesti purpuriae aâ—…undinae honorem impendamus This is good Latine I warrant ye and as good as the matter euery whit and so good that saith the Rubrike ouer it VVho soeuer say this Orison here following shall haue great grace of almighty God and sixe thousand thousande and threescore and ten yeeres of very pardon This was lustely multiplied Sitte downe Master Stapleton sith ye pretende to be so perfect an Arithmetrician and cast your accountes and ye shall sée a fayre muster of pardons to comforte your sprites with all Feare not man the Diuell so long as these last and many thousandes more there are besides but these are easily gotten euen for worshipping the Iewes Ropes Halters Hammers Râ—…iues Swordes their Fistes yea their spettle and all But if ye be ashamed and thinke scorne to worship these thinges as in déede ye may well be ashamed of them yet I haue suche holy Reliques for you to worship that ye can hardely finde any higher But I tell ye you must take vp your hand and blisse you at the sight of them and so they worke meruailes as your holy bookes recorde And that not for the Images of all Hallowes but of Christes Image or rather of him selfe that ye should know euen the iuste length of him as they pretende Among the good prayers aforesaide is this Rubrike Qui cupit cognoscere longitudinem c. He that desireth to know the length of Christ being God let him take this line here drawne forth twoo and thirtie times measured which line was brought out of the Citie of Constantinople in a certaine Grosse of Golde VVhiche line who soeuer in the day doth deuoutly looke vppon and say the Antiphona with a Collect and shall signe him thrise with the signe of the holy Crosse he shall not that daye die any suddayne death nor be vexed with Diuell nor with any tempest nor any euill nor any Creature shall hurte him And this line was brought by an Angell to King Charles the great This is a fayre grace M. Stapl. for looking vppon and worshipping a line of the length of Christ. But I haue another length and Rubrike that hath more Iolie promises to stirre vs vp to worship it Which sayeth This Crosse fiftene times measured is the length of our Lorde Iesu Christe and that day ye looke thereon blesse ye therewith There shall no wicked spirite haue power to hurt you nor thunder ne lightning sleeping ne waking shall not hurt you nor winde nor blasting on lande nor on water shall not hurt you nor in battayle ye shall not be ouercome with your enimies bodely ne ghostly nor die no shamefull death nor suddayne death nor of the pestilence nor in water be drowned nor in fire be brente and if yee be in deadly sinne ye shall not die therein and you shall increase in worldly goodes nor ye shall not die of woundes nor of stroake nor without confession nor ye shal not be combred with no fiendes and if a woman haue this Crosse and lay it on hir woÌ„be when she traueleth with childe she shall soone be deliuered and the childe shall haue Christendome and the mother purification of holy Church S. Ciriake and S. Iulite desired this gifte of almightie God and he graunted them as it is registred in Rome at S. Iohn Lateranence Here are many moe fayre graces if all were true But some of them your Papistes them selues haue â—…ounde starke lies And some of them as that he shall not be combred with no fiende c. I thinke may well be true as you will graunt I dare say resoluing them by your Equipollences on which ye stande so much in your fourth booke As for the assurance of the truth of these lengthes that I remit to you M. St. to reconcile them togither how the one came froÌ„ Constantinople the other froÌ„ Rome how the one was grauÌ„ted of God to S. Ciriake and S. Iulite the other brought by an Angell to king Charles the great and yet as appeareth by the prayer it came first to S. Ciriake and S. Iulite too With other such circumstances as arise in the conference of them Onely I note the lengths them selues and I pray you M. St. if ye haue as good skill in Geometrie as in Arithmetike to measure these two lengths the one xxxij the other xv times as they require and see how properly they will agree I thinke ye shall finde them differing little lacking the length of both Crosses ioyned togither So that the one light on which it shall must needes be a very lie and haue no vertue in it at all but those that worship it be Idolaters worshipping a false thing If ye replie an inche breakes no square although it breake no square yet it breakes leÌ„gth M. St. neither ought ye to misse one inche in this matter wherein ye pretende is such vertues and so exactly take vpon ye to describe euen the iumpe length and say it came from God and his Angell brought it knew not the Angell the iumpe length or would he not giue it truly and would haue it so precisely worshipped surely then he was no good Angell But the difference is more thaÌ„ an inch M. St. or 6. or 7. inches either And would ye haue Christ cut shorter by the head to make your leÌ„gths euen were it not better that a great many such liers as you hopâ—…â—…edlesse before which of these two shall we beléeue M. Stapleton or is it not best by your counsell to let them both goe in the â—…irrops name and all their forged vertues with them than for gréedinesse of their gaye promises endanger to lose bodie and soule by worshipping a lie and committing foule Idolatrie Well let them goe for me if ye he agreed thereto M. Stapâ—… But yet ye haue one excuse as ye thinke to mitigate the matter that how soeuer they missed in the Figure eyther of the Crosse or the Crucifixe of the which some was long some was shorte this hindred not the peoples deuoute meditation thereon Although M. Stapleton this nothing excuse the former manifest lie where ye misse of the leÌ„gth that so iustly ye pretende to set out and yet ascribe the vertue to
Crosse yea euery péere of wood formed lyke a Crosse is to be worshipped and that with diuine honour Although other make a great difference of worship betwéene the Crosse that Chryst died on and other Crosses Cardinal Uigeriuâ—… maketh this a principal argumeÌ„t to haue touched the bleâ—…d of christ And wrote theron béeing desired of the College of Cardinals Bishops at what time as the great Turke for a token of friendship had sent to the Pope as he telleth the speare head that wounded Christ kéeping still the coate of Christ with him in Turkey Herevpon arose a question among al the Prelats whether the Coate or the Speare head were more precious and worthy greater honor Uigerius reasoneth muche of Christes shirte hauing touched his sweate and his 〈◊〉 of the Nayles that perced his handes and the other instruments postes cordes roddes c. and woulde haue them worshipped more as they touched him more néere or more principall partes of christ By which rule he mighte make the stones holy Reliques that he trode vpon and why not since your foresayde prayers confesse that euen the handes of the Iewes that sâ—…ote him and the spettle that they spit on his face are holy Reliques and to be worshipped with diuine honour also bicause they touched Christe if thys kinde of reasoning were good diuinitie Alanus de Rupe sayth Imago Christi c. The Image of Christ is not to be worshipped with the worship of Latria The Image of the virgin Mary with the worship of Hyperdulia the Images of other with the worship of Dulia Attributing that worship to the Image of euery thing in his degrée that you attribute to the thing it self And the reason is as he sayth Cum stabu coram Imaginibuâ—… c. VVhen thou standest before the most holy Images of Christ and the virgin Mary thou oughtest to thinke that there is the blessed Trinitie and Christ with Mary whiche see thee vnder the eyes of the Image and heare thee vnder the Images eares and loue thee vnder the Images hearte and speake with thee vnder the mouth of the Images not according to the artificiall essence of the Image but according to the imaginatiue therof or the diuinitie of the Trinitie most blessed and present And that there is suche a powre in this sighte hearing vnderstanding loue and so of the other as the most blessed Mary hath reuealed that if infinite worldes with all their power shoulde see â–ª thee heare loue vnderstande and conserue thee they should not do so much vnto thee as is done vnto thee by the representing of such an Image c. Therfore before such Images as beeing ordeyned by the diuine ordinaunce of the Church and of the holy fathers and the especiall ordinance of Angels represent high things beyonde other creatures thou oughtest to behaue thy selfe with all reuerence and feare and al fayth and loue euen as if the diuine things represented were there present Neither do ye make them bare representations but that euen in the Images the things them selues represented are Yea sayth Alanus Tota Trinit as beata per essentiaÌ„ praesentiam potentiam est in â—…a aequaliter quantum est ex parte deitatis noÌ„ ex parte operis c. The whole blessed Trinitie is in the Image by essence by presence and by power equally so farre foorth as in respect of the deitie not in respect of the worke And by such a maner that is in respect of the deitie with the Ideaes or formes imagined the virgin Mary is in such an Image according to hir whole life hir nature hir grace and hir glory most really most truely and most principally by reason of hir Idea or imagined forme and diuine part which is infinitely greater after Albertus Aug. thaÌ„ is hir creature it selfe Therfore the most mercyful Mary shal alway be present most really in such an Image not by bodily presence but by diuine presence according to Dionisius and Boëce And this is the maner of worshipping the Images of saincts and of worshipping by signification the Image of the Lord Iesus Christ which is now whole euen the selfe same thing in his Image Therfore in these Images thou oughtest to beleue that the Lady Mary doth there see thee heare thee loue thee and prouoke thee to all goodnesse Thus say your subtil Scholemen with their ideities essencies realities diuinalities quiddities qualities and such other Sim suttle title tumtatleâ—…ies the effect wherof is this that the Images must haue the same honor that the things should haue which they represent be Images of Wherby not speaking of the manifest idolatrie coÌ„mitted to saincts their images but only of the image of Christ to whoÌ„ ye say the same honor is due that is due to Christ him self But to Christ him self this honor is due not only alexternall worship of the body but inuocatioÌ„ faith trust hope ascribing al our help saluatioÌ„ thaÌ„ks giuing c. al which ye coÌ„prehend vnder Latria as due to be reÌ„dred to Christ the image therfore besides the bodily worship must be inuocated beléeued trusted hoped in al our help saluatioÌ„ thaÌ„ksgiuing must be ascribed to the image of Christ so wel as to himselfe How can ye excuse this M. Stap. from 〈◊〉 shamefull idolatrie euen by your owne distinction Was it now any maruel if the people that knew not these scholepoynts were not acquaynted with these distinâ—…tioÌ„s but weÌ„t plainly to work doing al the worship they could deuife more would they haue done coulde they haue deuised more gaue Duliam Hyperduliam Latriam all that ye can els inuent to Images since your Scholemen euen by the distinctions that they would couer and shift off the matter withal confesse as grosse idolatrie ought to be done as the people did coÌ„mit to images neither did your preachers blame theÌ„ but cite the scholemeÌ„ incite the people setting theÌ„ more a gogge Yea your selues from Louayne sende vs ouer a licence not to care how much honour is due vnto them nor curiously to discusse whether any more may be giuen them than is giuen when so muche bothe of the learned vnlearned was giueÌ„ as more though ye would ye can not deuise to giue for ye gaue no more but all Nowe where we crie out vpon this as apparant Idolatrie you crie out agayne vpon vs for heretikes and liken vs to Iulianus the Apostata writing agaynst the Christians for the Crosse of Chryst. But lyke renegate Apostataes your selues it is not we but you that renie forsake and deface the vertue effecte and merites of his deathe that dyed vpon the Crosse. Who offred him selfe a full propiciatorie euerlasting and perfecte sacrifice of redemption and attonement once for all our sinnes before or after Baptisme And you in his place offer the Crosse and other his Images to be thus worshipped of the ignorant people Affirming that Hoc modo vt
carnal sold vnder sinne bicause I wot not what I do For what I would do that I do not but what I hate that I do If I do now that which I would not I graunt to the law that it is good So then now it is not I that do it but sinne that dwelleth in me For I know that in me that is to say in my flesh dwelleth no good thing To will is present with me but I finde no meanes to performe that which is good For I do not that good thing which I would but that euil do I which I would not Finally if I do that which I would not then it is not I that do it but sinne that dwelleth in me doth it I finde then by the lawe that when I would do good euill is present with me I delight in the lawe of God concerning the inwarde man but I finde another lawe in my meÌ„bers rebelling against the lawe of my minde and subduing me vnto the law of sinne which is in my members O wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me froÌ„ this bodie of death I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lorde So then I may selfe in my minde serue the lawe of God and in my flesh the lawe of sinne Lo M. St. this is all the will that S. Paule felt confessed to be in him selfe while he liued euen in respecte of the inward man But God wot this is farre from free will. If then the will of the Saincts of God be thus hindred by the flesh that it can not freely will nor worke what shall we thinke of the will of the fleshly man forsoth saithe S. Paule Animalis homo non percipit â—…a quae sunt spiritus Dei The fleshly man vnderstandeth not those things that are of the spirite of God for they are follie to him neither can he perceyue them bicause they are examined spiritually But what will hath man in that whereof he hath no perceyuing Yea is he not rather altogither vnwilling to that which séemeth follie to him and for this cause the flesh striueth and rebelleth against the spirite He hath therefore no will to any goodnesse at all Where are then those Pura naturalia the pure naturall qualities of inclination conuersion and wil in man of himselfe to moue God with all that you and your Schoolemen crake so much vppon The question here is this whereas our first parentes before their fall had in them selues free will to haue sinned or to haue not sinned and misusing them selues their free will to sinne lost them selues and their free will to haue not sinned also whether after this corruption of mans nature it hath yet free will will to good or not to sinne as it had before it fell To this question if ye had as I said mounted so high as the Apostle he would haue answered you that we were dead in sinne Cum mortui essetis in delictis peccatis When ye were dead in offences and sinnes but a dead thing hath no will at all When therefore we were dead to sinne we had no will at all to goodnesse He would haue answered you that we are not able of our selues to think any good thought at all but if we haue a will to any good thing we must néedes thinke some thought thereon we are not therefore of our selues sufficient to haue a will to any good thing And if we haue any good will this coÌ„meth not of our selues but of God not of old Adam but of new Adam it is not a naturall vertue of man but a supernaturall gifte of god Deus est enim qui operaturâ—…n vobis velle perficere pro bona voluntate It is God that worketh in you both to will to performe it according to his good will. If then it be Gods gift Quid gloriaris quasi non acceperis why boastest thou O proud Papist as though thou receiuedest it not of God but thou hadst it of thine owne to moue God as thou saist Ex congruo ex parte liberâ—… arbitâ—…ij of congruitie to deserue heauen for thy workes in consideration of thy free will. If ye had mounted thus high M. Stapl. you may sée how S. Paule woulde haue pulled downe this surmounting pride of yours But had ye sâ—…oonke by him neuer so frée and mounted vp to Christ he would haue tolde you in playne speach that ye were but thornes briers ill trées of your selues on which no grapes nor 〈◊〉 nor any good fruite can be gathered That ye were but flesh and that nothing but fleshe could come of fleshe and that flesh and bloud reuealeth not christ He would for your frée will say vnto you as he said to the craking Phariseis â–ª Uox ex patre Diabolo estis desideria patris vestrâ—… vultis facere You are of your father the Diuel and your will is to do the lusts of your father This is all the free will that he ascribeth to man of him selfe And if he haue any better will it is not but of him that saith Sine me nihil potestis facere without me ye can do nothing We can not do nor will ought that good is without him Yea we are before he giue vs a will thereto so vnwilling that we are euen drawne thereto Nemo venit ad me nisi pater meus traxerit eâ—…m No man coÌ„meth to me saith Christ vnlesse my father draw him Omnia traham ad meipsâ—… I will draw all things to me We came not theÌ„ of our own free will if we were drawne to him Ensample of this draught eueÌ„ in S. Paule himself I grauÌ„t our vnwillingnes is changed to an obedient willingnesse to a frée will also We are frée in respect of deliuerie froÌ„ the chaines of darknes bondage of sinne Sâ—… vâ—…s filiuâ—… liber auerit vere liberi erâ—…is If the sonne make youâ—… free then are ye free in deede but this is the fréedome of the spirit the spirit helpeth our infirmities which infirmities yet hinder the fréedome of this will euen in the Saincts of God as I noted in Sainct Paules complaint before Yea euen Christ our Sauiour who tooke our infirmities without sinne in his agonie to his Father sayde Non sicut ego volâ—… sed sicut tâ—… vis Not as I will but as thou wilt subduing his owne will for our ensample to his fathers will and will you wilfull Papistes crake of your free will But if ye let passe Christ also as ye vse to do and fetching a furder race of all mankinds mounting so highe as Adam the first man of all you should there haue founde in déede this your frée will. But there ye should haue séene it lost againe and in his loines all our free willes with all and him selfe and vs also Sauing that a second Adam hath founde vs quickened vs and made vs free againe of
in these wordes following vnto Pilate after he had denied his kingdome to be of this world when Pilate replyed Arte thou then a King he answered thou saist that I am a king Ne tamen c. vvhiche notvvithstanding saithe Ferus least Pilate should be more offended vvith the name of a King Christe proceedeth to declare his kingdome more plainely as thoughe he shoulde say Pilate vnderstande thou this for troth and cast out of thy mynde all suspition of a vvorldly kingdome or of tyrannie This is the case I vvill not at al denie my spiritual kingdome vvhether it be before thee or before Caesar. Onely knovve thou this thing that it is not my purpose to inuade any man vvith Armes or after the manner of other Kings to raigne pompously but to erecte and establishe in earth the Diuine truth To this purpose vvas I born â–ª and to this purpose came I into the vvorlde that I might beare vvitnesse to the truth Therfore I say came I therfore was I borne not to fight with the svvorde but that I might teach and declare the truth and the Gospell vvhiche is the povver of God to saluation to all that beleeue And as I declare the Gospell so I rule by the Gospell in the heartes of the beleeuers ouer sinne death and the Deuill and for sinne vvill I giue righteousnesse for death life for the Crosse ioye for hell I vvill giue heauen these are feofments of my kingdome Of these things none can be pertaker excepte he heare my voyce and beleeue in his heart I enrich not mine vvith ryches vvith cities and other feofmeÌ„ts but by my vvords I communicate vnto them ioye life peace and to conclude heauen it selfe The Gospell therefore is the Scepter of my kingdome But what are these things against the Emperor of Rome Thus againe we sée that Christe is not such a King nor his kingdome suche as you dreame of Whiche in the ende your selfe contrarie to your selfe confesse that his kingdome is not suche an one that he euer mingled himselfe in earthly things Then Master Saunders those thinges belonged not to his Kingly office nor to his kingdome For in suche things euery King ought not onely to mingle but chiefly to occupie himselfe But strait you haue an exception at hand that he mingled not himself in earthly things except whereas they might be profitable to a spirituall ende and this your selfe before confessed was the finall ende of all the ciuill power and that all faythfull Kings ought to directe all those thinges in their kingdomes vnto spirituall endes bicause they themselues are spirituall And so what letteth but that Christe should haue raigned as a worldly King and gouerned an earthly kingdome But say you This kingdome of Christ therfore both came from heauen tendeth vnto heauen For both al povver is giueÌ„ vnto â–ª him as he vvas man and died and rose againe that he shoulde rule ouer the lyuing and the deade and that he should be set ouer the vvorkes of the handes of God and that all things should be cast vnder his feete sheepe and Oxen and moreouer the beastes of the fielde And also Saint Cyrill saith that euen the wicked in the laste daye shall arise to their punishement for Christe vvho rose firste and contained as man al men in him self Sith therefore earthly Kings administer those things that pertain to sheepe and Oxen and beasts of the fielde although they remaine Eâ—…hnikes and Infidels yet are they truely vnder Christe the King as the most vvorthy man â–ª that hath receiued the principalitie ouer all thinges of this vvorlde not from the earth but from heauen and for the same shall giue an accouÌ„t to him of their common vveale euil ordered bycause they referred not their kingdomes to a spirituall ende that is to the glorie of one god But Christ so far as appertineth to his humaine â—…atuÌ„re being lesse than Angels seemeth to me to haue receiued that kingdome that Adam first should haue administred among all creatures to the glorie of one God if he had not falne from grace and to haue renued it in himselfe and to haue directed it to a spiritual end that vvhen all things should be subiect to the Sonne of man then should the Sonne also be subiecte vnto him that hath subdued all thinges to him that God might be all in all Sith therefore Christ by his humaine nature is the King of all he truely directeth al things to a spiritual end that is to the glorie of God for God deserueâ—…h glorie yea euen in those that are damned bothe for his povver and for his iustice The effecte hereof is this that God hath giuen to the humain nature of Christ as to the principal of al his creatures al povver iudgement to direct them to a spiritual end that is to his glorie But what is this to the purpose that Christes kingdome is after the fashion of a vvorldly kingdome he gouerneth all creatures we graunt with his power and prouidence yea the sheepe Oxen and cattail that he speaketh on But dothe the kingdome of Christe consiste in these things Numquid Deo cura de bobus hath God saith Sainte Paule care of Oxen in the coÌ„sideration of his heauenly kingdome He telleth vs howe all Kings shall answere for the â—…busing of their kingdomes vnto Christ at the day of dome bycause they referre them not to a spirituall ende But he telleth not howe muche more the Pope shall aunswere for â—…surping kingdomes and abusing the spirituall kingdome of Christe to vvorldly endes But shall this iudgemente of Christ be in a vvorldly coÌ„sistorie He telleth vs how he thinketh that Christe receiued that kingdome that Adam should haue had had he not falne But thinketh he that Christe should haue ruled in an earthly Paradise or that Christ came to restore vs to no better kingdome than Adam was in before he sinned He telleth vs Al things shal be made subiect to Christe and Christe to God and God shall be all in all But thinketh he this kingdome shall be in this worlde and militant Church while the euimies striue and are not yet al subdued he telleth vs the glorie and iustice of Christ shineth in the condemnation of them that are damned But dothe he thinke this is a vvorldly glorie and humaine iustice it is true that the glorie and iustice of Christe shal shine ouer theÌ„ And so shal it in the righteouse condemnation of the Popish Church that séeketh such a vvorldly kingdome and calleth it the spiritual kingdome of Christe to cloake their pryde withall But what can Master Saunders conclude hereon for Byshops to possesse kingdoms to rule Kings to sette vp or to depose them Neither say I these thinges saithe he to shevve herevpon that povver is ouer the vniuersal vvorld giuen to the Bishops of the Chnrch as though they in all things are the Ministers and Vicars
of Europe that neuer obeyed him and yet are Christian Kings then is not the obedience of the Pope necessarie to christianitie else not some but al Christian kings obey him he that obeyed him not were no Christian King. But novv say you there is no neede of myracles Then say I there is no need of such examples But if you deny the need of myracles why doth your Churche pleade vpon them abuse the world so much by them what be you become a Bogomile M. Sant nay then I wilturne you lose to M. Stapl. But why wil you not stand on myracles now Nowe say you want not faithful Princes whiche may performe and execute all this Then say I faithfull Princes haue authoritie to destroy false Pastors and not false Pastors no nor true Pastors to destroy neyther faythfull nor yet vnfaythfull Princes You cite the Prophecie of Zacharie That so great a fouÌ„taine of grace shoulde be open to all after the comming of Christe that euen ones father and mother should thrust him through vvhome they should vnderstande to speake a lye Truâ—… M. Saunders suche a prophecie there is in déede But had your selfe not bene giltie in your conscience to haue bene one of these lyers that the Prophete speaketh of you would not thus haue snatched at the sentence here and ther a piece like the Egiptian Dogge that M. Stapleton telleth vs of drinking in Nilus ryuer and dare not drinke a full draught for feare he be caught by the lyppes And so woulde you be caught by those lying lippes of yours if you hadde so fully set downe the prophecie that the Reader might haue perceiued who the lier is The wordes are these In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of Dauid and to the inhabitants of Hierusalem for sinne and for vncleannesse And in that daye saith the Lord of Hostes I vvill cut off the names of the Idols out of the land they shall no more be remembred And I vvil cause the Prophetes and the vncleane spirites to depart out of the lande And vvhen any shall yet prophecie his father and his mother that begat him shall say vnto him thou shalt not liue for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lorde And his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through vvhen he prophecieth and in that daye shal the Prophetes be ashamed euery one of his vision when he hath prophecied Neither shall they weare a rough garment to deceiue but he shal say I am no Prophet I am a husbandman For man taught me to be an herdman from my youth vp And one shall say vnto him vvhat are these vvoundes in thy handes then shall he ansvvere thus vvas I vvounded in the house of my friendes By this sentence it appeareth that by this lier is not ment a Prince but a false Prophete Whereby you can not infer the present question that Priestes may punishe Princes but the contrary that Princes may punish priests may wel be inferred theron For by the fathers mothers thrusting through is not ment priuate punishment eche one to kil another nor that â—…his thrusting through belongeth to the Priests who take vpon theÌ„ to be the Prophets themselues to whose calling killing beloÌ„geth not but it appertaineth to Kings Quéens to ciuil Princes Magistrats that are the fathers mothers of gods people â—…o whom of right as hauing the sword from God the punishment of false Prophets appertaineth But who be these false prophets M. Saunders that the Prince shall punishe First all they which denie that fountayne of grace to be the only washing away of sinne and vncleannesse Whether your Pope your Prelats and you seke not other things besides this fountain of grace for the washing awaye of sin vncleannesse all the world knoweth and your owne practise confessions as is before proued to M. Stapleton charge you therwith Secondly these false prophets are those that mainteine Idolatrie which whether the popishe Priests maintaine or no as it is so apparant that no figge lease can hyde it so we haue harde your owne testimonies openly coÌ„fesse it Thirdly the false prophets are they that teach lyes in the name of the Lorde which what is it else but to teache other doctrines as necessarie to saluation than Christ and his Apostles taught their owne traditions and constitutions in the steade of the worde of god Howe this also toucheth the Popishe pastors besides the apparance therof we haue hard alreadie their owne witnesse Fourthly these false Prophetes were such that for their blinde and grosse ignorance they were more fitte to goe to carte than to schole to holde the plowe than to holde the place of a pastor suche blinde guides leadyng the blynde that a Childe scarce seuen yeere olde can giue more readily a better aunswere of the Christian fayth than many a Popishe Priest yea than some Doctors in diuinitie of twentie yeares continnance coulde haue done Fiftly these false Prophetes were such hipocrits as with counterfeit austeritie with sacke hearecloth with linsywooâ—…ie with long graue disguised prescribed rough garments haue borne to the simples eyes the counseâ—…ance of holy fathers and onely religious men These M. Saunders these are the lyers these are the false prophets that the true Prophet Zatharie here describeth foretelleth of their destruction How the fountaine of grace should be opened that you had stopped howe the death of Christ not such meanes as you had deuised should wash away all sinnes and vncleanneste how your Idolacrie should be pulled downe the very names of your Idols become odious How your lyes forgeries should be espied howe Princes should punishe you eueÌ„ to death how you should be so athamed of your lyes trumperies that you should cast of your cowles hyde your markes for shame say you were neuer Priests Monkes nor Friers but husbandmen â–ª All which how it hath come to passe all the worlde séeth and many of your owne side haue confessed and be ashamed and cry God mercie and haue forsaken their superstitious prelaties and haue chosen rather to liue like husbandmen than to deceiue the people and abuse gods name with lies any longer And if this prophecie haue not wrought this effect in you but that you remaine yet a shamelesse lying Prophet and would obstinately â—…naintaine these things it is a shrewd token you be giuen vp to a reprobate sense are blynded by gods righteous Iustice for refusing his mercie and that godly Princes should runne you through and execute the seueritie of gods iustice vpon you Now all this that detected you to be these lying prophets and that shewed the Princes authoritie and office to punishe you as you steightly passe it ouer so you wreste it cleane to another purpose as though they shuld be runne through that would not obey the Pope For so you
hindreth the matter offendeth and abaseth God and maketh all those playne traytors to God that vse it But to be euen with him M. St. for calling you traytors call you him agayne heretike call him a Vigilant an for it But then must ye make Chrisostome a Uigilantian with him that is euen as earnest agaynst this shifte of intercession as he For writing vpon the womaÌ„ of Canaan calling vpon Christ for hir daughters health he â—…arth 〈◊〉 meâ—… c. Haue mercy vpon me Beholde the phisosophical minde of the woman saying haue mercy vpon me I haue not sayth she a conscience of good workes nor a trust to godly lyfe to mercy I flee to the calme hauen of those that sinne to mercy I flee where iudgement ceasseth where vnspeakable saluation is Tell me O thou woman how art thou so bolde sithe thou arte a sinner and wicked to come vnto God I know sayth she what I will do Behold the womans wisdome she requireth not Iames she besecheth not Iohn she goeth not to Peter nor regardeth the company of the Apostles She sought not a mediator but in place of all them she tooke repentance to be hir companion which repentance filled the roome of an Aduocate and so she went vnto the chiefe fountayne For this cause sayth she he came downe from heauen for this cause he was incarnate and made man and I dare speake vnto him Aboue in the heauens the Cherubins dread him the Seraphins feare him and heere beneath euen a common woman sayth vnto him haue mercy vpon me A very bare saying but conteyning euen the mightinesse of saluation haue mercy vpon me For thys sayth she thou camest for this cause thou took est fleshe for thys cause thou wast made euen that which I am O wonderfull matter aboue is trembling beneath is confidence haue mercy vpon me I haue no neede of a mediatour haue mercy vpon me VVhat hast thou neede of mercie I seeke sayth she c. haue mercie vpon me If my daughter were dead she shoulde not suffer such things for then vvould I haue deliuered hir bodie into the bosome of the earth and in processe of time I should haue forgotten these euilles and my griefe vvoulde haue paused â–ª c. Marke the philosophie of the woman behold hir noble courage she went not to soothsayers shee called not wise men she sought not charms to tie about hir she fetched not those â—…orceresse women that vse to prouoke Diuels and augment the â—…ore vvith theyr enchauntmentes Shee lette go all suche falsehoodes of the Diuell shee contemned all purgings and shee came vnto the healthefull porte of oure soules c. The iudge commeth to thee flee thou to God the Iudge doth call for thee doe thou inuocate God whiche is on thy syde Is he farre from thee that thou shouldest goe to any place for him God is not included in place but he is always euen present at hand euen he that is not shut vp in place is holden yet by faith For if thou wilt enquire a man and demaund what he doth thou shalt heare he sleepeth or he is not at leysure â–ª or in deede euen his seruant vvill disdayne to answere thee But vnto God there is no nede of any of these things But wheresoeuer thou shalt be or wheresoeuer thou shalt inuocate him he hereth thee ther nedes no porter ther needes no mediatour there needes no seruant but say thou Haue mercie vpon me and by and by God will be present yea whyle thou yet speakest he sayeth here I am c. Let vs followe then this woman of Cananâ—…e And like wise on the same storie in an other place Mauult 〈◊〉 nostram c. God had leauer haue our own prayer which are guiltie than the prayer of other for vs. And again Non est opuâ—… paâ—…ronis apud deiâ—… c. There is no neede of patrons before God nor nede of gadding vp and down to flatter other But although thou art alone and haste no patrone and prayest by thy selfe yet shalt thou certainly obtain thy request for God doth not so easily graunt when other pray for vs as when our selues do pray yea though we be replenished with many euils And to conclude he saith Haecigitur scientes c. Knowing therfore these thinges let vs euermore flee to God who is both willing and able to deliuer vs of oure grieues But as for men if at any tyme we shoulde entreate them it behoueth first to meete with the porters to moue their parasites and iesters and oftentymes to goe along way about but in God there is no suche matter he is intreated without mediator without money without cost he graunteth our prayers Now although we sée by the Scripture and by these fathers being yet therfore no Heretikes that we néede not nor oughte to seeke so muche as any intercessoures by whiche terme ye woulde shifte off all the matter saying ye make them no helpers but intercessors only yet herein your shifte is not so miserable as your lie is manifest You inuocated Saintes as healpers yea and Sauioures also Your Primers can witnesse againste you youre Antiphonaes your Grayles your Massebookes Hyuâ—…als Legendes Portasses c. Haue ye forgotten this hymne to the blessed virgine Marie Virgo singularis inter omnes mitis nos culpa solutos 〈◊〉 sac et castos vitaÌ„ prâ—…fta puraÌ„ iter para tutuÌ„ vt videntes Iesum semper collaetemur O thou virgin singular among also meke make vs loose from sinne make vs meeke and chast giue vs a pure lyfe and make our iourney safe that beholding Iesus we may alwayes ioy Do ye not pray in your primer to S. Iohn and the virgin Mary Te etiam inuoco c. I inuocate thee also with Marie the mother of the same our sauiour that thou wouldest vouchsafto giue me thy helpe with hir O you two precious stones O heauenly Marye O Iohn O you two lightes from God shining before God with your rayes driue away the cloudes of my sinnes Doe ye not there pray to S. Christofer O thou martyr Christofer with the godlie honor of our Sauiour make thou vs in mind to deserue the loue of God Christ hath promised that what thou askest thou haste obtained giue vnto the sory people those things that at thy death thou askedst giue thou comfort to vs and take away the grief of our mynde make thou the accompt of the iudge to be milde to all men Pray ye not to S. George on horsebacke O George the noble martyr prayse and glory becommeth thee c. we beseeche thee with the bottome of our hart that our sinnes being washed away we may be ioyned with al the faithfull citizens of heauen Pray ye not to the. 11000. virgins O you eleuen thousande maidens Lilies of glorious virginitie and Roses of martyrdome defende you me in my life giuing to me your helpe and in my death shew your selues vnto
me in bringing euerlasting comforte Do ye not pray to the virgin Mary Exaudi me salua me custodi me Heare me saue me keepe me Do not ye pray to the Apostles O blessed Apostles of God loose me from my sinnes defende me from the paynes of hell and deliuer me from the power of darknesse and bring me to the euerlasting kingdome Do ye not pray to all the virgins I beseech you all holy virgins helpe me that I may haue of hart good will of body health humilitie chastitie and after the course of this lyfe the felowshippe of euerlasting blisse Do ye not pray to all the hée saincts and she saincts euen where ye mention their intercession O all you hee and shee sainctes of God I beseeche you and make supplication to you succour me haue mercy vpon me mercifully and pray for me instantly that by your intercession a pure conscience a compunction of harte and a laudable consummation of euerlasting lyfe may be giuen me of God that throughe your merites I may come to the countrey of euerlasting blisse Dyd ye neuer say this prayer in your Primer O moste noble moste excellent and euer glorious Virgin c. O Lady my Queene and Lady of all creatures whiche forsakest none dyspysest none nor leauest anye desolate that wyth a good and pure hearte humbly and deuoutly runneth to thee despise me not for my moste greeuous sinnes forsake me not for myne innumerable iniquities nor for the hardnesse and vnclennesse of my harte caste me not away from the face of thy grace and loue but for thy moste greate mercie and moste sweete pitie heare mee putting firme confidence in thy mercy and succour mee most holy and most glorious virgin Marie in all my tribulations griefes and necessities and also giue me councell and helpe in all my woorkes and deliuer mee from all mine enimies visible and inuisible giue me vertue strength agaynst the temptations and deuises of the worlde the fleshe and the deuill c. And in my last dayes be vnto me my helper and comforter and deliuer my soule and the soule of my Father and of my mother of my brothers and my sisters of my parentes my friendes and my benâ—…factours and of all faithfull both liuing and dead from the mist of eternall death he helping thee whom thou hast borne Iesus Christ thy sonne Prayed ye not to S. Erasmus Receyue me S. Erasmus into thy holy fayth and grace and conserue me from all euill by these eight dayes and giue vnto me that I may passe them ouer with a right fayth and with all prosperitie vnto the ende of my life and that ought of mine enimies will preuaile not agaynst me to thee to thy prayse and honour to me to my consolation and grace to thee S. Erasmus I doe commende my body and my soule all that are ioyned vnto â—…in confession and prayer or consanguinitie and all my doiâ—… that I may liue with all prosperitie peace and ioy now and for euer Ye haue in the Primer a notable prayer to the blessed virgin Aue domina sancta Maria c. Haile Lady S. Marie mother of God Queene of heauen port of Paradise Ladie of the world eternall light Empresse of hell c. Ouer the head of this prayer is set in red letters Quicunque orationeÌ„ sequeÌ„tem deuotè dixerit promeretur quadraginta millia annorum indulgentiarum per tot dies videbit beatam virginem ante dieÌ„ exitus sui per quot annos continuauerit VVhosoeuer sayth this prayer following deuoutly shall haue fortie thousand yeares of pardon and for so many dayes as he hath continued yeres he shall see the blessed virgin before the day of his departure Likewise ouer the head of the prayer to the virgin Marie called Aue rosa sine spiâ—…is c. Haile rose without thornes c. is printed in red letters in English This prayer shewed our Ladie to a deuoute person saying that this golden prayer is the most swetest and acceptablest to me And in hir appearing she had this salutation and prayer written with letters of gold in hir brest How say ye to these prayers inuacatioÌ„s M. St. is here nothing but Ora pro nobis do they make saints only intercessours as ye now would beare the simple in hande the prayers to them were nothing els but to desire them to be our intercessours is this the comming betwene vs God not rather the placing them in Gods seat what left they out that they fully ascribed not vnto them â–ª could they do any greater blasphemie to God and defacing to his Saints than this but perhaps ye wil say this was done in the time of too grosse ignorance and idolatrie Now things are more opened the people pray not after so grosse a maÌ„ner Who were they M. St. that taught them thus to pray was it we or you whose plackardes pardons of sinnes are prefixed to entise tickle the people to say these prayers ours or yours Ha M. St. for shame yet at the length blushe at the reading of them All godly will tremble with horrour to heare and sée how they blasphemed God vnwittingly being deceiued by such blinde leaders of the blinde the thick rymine of whose ignorance is not yet taken away froÌ„ the eies of a great many I promise you M. St. this Primer since I tooke in hande to answere you I sounde deuoutly occupied in the Church of a priuy friend of yours I dare say had you séene it in his hands ye would not haue taken it from him but haue commended his Idolatrie And shall we thinke that in your late time of Quéene Maries raigne your selfe vsed any better Primer Haue ye not in your English Latine primer printed An. Dom. 1557. by the assignes of Iohn Waylande all other primers forbidden to be printed in your Mattins to the virgin Marie Thou art the dore of the heauenly king And the gate of life replenishing Since a virgin life doth bring ye redeemed people reioyse and sing And againe O gloriouse mother c. we besech thee of thy pitie to haue vs in remembrance and to make meanes for vs vnto Christ that we being supported by thy help may deserue to obtaine the kingdome of heauen Hereâ—…e pretende hir to be but a meane maker yet ye ascribe supporting and helpe of saluation to hir and to your selues most arrogantly deserte of heauen Do ye not pray to S. Michael O Archangel Michael come for to succour the people of God and I shall giue thee prayse in the presence of Angels Versicle In thy holy temple I shall to thee pray Answere And thy blessed name confesse alway and yet who knoweth not that Dauid ascribeth those wordes onely to God Do ye not say in the prime Wee do praise thee and do pray thee mother of God most mercifull that thou entend vs to defend from death that is most sorowfull In