neighbour and the order of our iustifying saluation for as much as all such thynges were played before the peoples faces dayly in the ceremonies euery child wist the meanyng but got them vnto allegories faynyng them euery maÌ„ after his owne brayne without rule all most on euery silable and from thence vnto disputyng and wastyng their braynes about wordes not attending the significations vntill at the last the laye people had lost the meanyng of the ceremonies the Prelates the vnderstandyng of the playne text and of the Greke Latin and specially of the Hebrue whiche is most of nede to be knowen and of all phrases the proper maner of speakynges and borowed speach of the Hebrues Remember ye not how within this xxx yeares and farre lesse and yet dureth vnto this day the old barkyng curres Dunces disciples lyke draffe called Scotistes the children of darkenesse raged in euery pulpit agaynst Greke Latin and Hebrue and what sorrow the Scholemasters that taught the true Latin toung had with them some beatyng the pulpit with theyr fistes for madnesse roaryng out with open and somyng mouth that if there were but one Tirence or Virgil in the world and that same in their fleues a fire before them they would burne them therein though it should cost theÌ„ their liues affirming that all good learnyng decayed was vtterly lost sence men gaue them vnto the Latin touÌ„g yea I day say that there be xx thousand Priests Curates this day in England and not so few that caÌ„ not geue you the right English vnto this text in the Pater noster fiat voluntas tua sicut in coelo in terra aunswere therto And assoone as the signification of the ceremonies was lost and the priestes preached Christ no longer then the common people began to wax mad out of their mindes vpon the ceremonies And that trust and confidence which the ceremonies preached to be geuen vnto Gods worde and Christes bloud that same they turned vnto the ceremonie it selfe as though a man were so mad to forget that the bushe at the tauerne dore did signisse wine to be solde within but would beleue that y â— bushe it selfe would quench his thirste And so they became seruauntes vnto y â— ceremonies ascribing their iustifying and saluation vnto them supposyng that it was nothing else to be a christeÌ„ man then to serue ceremonies him most christen that most serued them contrary wise him that was not Popishe and ceremoniall no christeÌ„ man at all For I pray you for what cause worship we our spiritualtie so highly or wherefore thinke we their prayers better then the poore laye mens then for their disguisings and ceremonies yea and what other vertue see we in y â— holiest of them then to waite vppon dumme superstitious ceremonies Yea and how coÌ„meth it that a poore laye man hauing wife and xx children and not able to finde them though all his neighbours know his necessitie shal not get with begging for Christes sake in a long sommers day inough to fynde them two dayes honestly when if a disguised monster come he shall wyth an houres lying in the pulpit get inough to finde thirty or forty sturdy lubbers a moneth long of which y â— weakest shall be as strong in the belly when he commeth vnto the manger as the mightâ—est porter in y â— weyhouse or best courser that is in y â— kynges stable Is there any other cause then disguising and ceremonies For y e deedes of the ceremonies we count better theÌ„ the deedes which God coÌ„maundeth to be done to our neighbour at hys nede who thinketh it as good a deede to feede the poore as to sticke vp a candle before a post or as to sprinckle himself with holy water Neither is it possible to be otherwise as long as the signification is lost For what other thyng can the people thinke then that such deedes be ordeyned of God and because as it is euident they serue not our neighbours neede to be referred vnto y e person of God and he though he be aspirite yet serued therewyth And then he can not but forth on dispute in his blynde reason that as god is greater then man so is that deede that is appointed to serue God greater then that which serueth man And then when it is not possible to thinke them ordeyned for nought what can I other wise thinke then that they were ordeyned to iustitie and that I should be holy therby according to the popes doctrine as though God were better pleased when I sprinkle my selfe with water or set vp a candle before a block then if I fed or clothed or holpe at his neede him whom he so tenderly loueth that he gaue his owne sonne vnto the death for hym and commaunded me to loue him as my selfe And when the people beganne to run that way the prelaces were glad and holpe to heue after with subtill allegories and falsifying the scripture went and halowed the ceremonies to make them more worshipfull that the laye people should haue them in greater estimation honour and to be afrayde to touch them for reuerence vnto the holy charme that was sayd ouer them and affirmed also that Christes death had purchased such grace vnto y â— ceremonies to forgeue sinne and to iustifie O monster Christes death purchased grace for mans soule to repent of euill and to beleue in Christ for remission of sinne and to loue the lawe of God his neighbour as himselfe which is the true worshipping of god in the spirite and he dyed not to purchase such honour vnto vnseÌ„sible thinges that maÌ„ to his dishonour should do them honourable seruice receaue his saluation of them This I haue declared vnto you y t ye might see and feele euery thing sensibly For I entend not to leade you in darcknesse Neyther though twise ij Cranes make not iiij wilde Gees woulde I therefore that he shoulde beleue that twise two made not foure Neither entend I to proue vnto you that Paules steple is the cause why Temmes is broke in about Erith or y â— Teinterden steple is the cause of the decay of Sandwich hauen as M. More iesteth Neuerthelesse this I woulde were perswaded vnto you as it is true that the building of theÌ„ and such like thorow y â— false fayth that we haue in them is the decay of all the hauens in England of al the cities townes hye wayes and shortly of the whole common wealth For since these false monsters crope vp into our consciences and robbed vs of the knowledge of our sauiour Christ makyng vs beleue in such popeholy workes and to thinke that there was none other way vnto heauen we haue not ceassed to build theÌ„ abbeyes cloysters coledges Chauntries and cathedrall churches with hye steples striuing and enuying one an other who shoulde do most And as
necessary to prepare this Pathway into the Scripture for you that ye might walke surely euer know the true frō the false And aboue all to put you in remembraunce of certaine pointes which are that ye well vnderstand what these wordes meane The old Testament The new Testament The law The Gospell Moses Christ Nature Grace Workyng and beleuing Dedes and faith Lest we ascribe to the one that which belongeth to the other and make of Christ Moses of the Gospell the Law despise grace and robbe fayth fal from meke learnyng into idle despitions brawlyng and scoldyng about wordes The old Testament is a booke wherein is written the law of God the dedes of them which fulfill them of them also which fulfill them not The new Testament is a booke wherein are conteined the promises of God and the dedes of them which beleue them or beleue them not Euangelion that we call the Gospel is a Breke word and signifieth good mery glad and ioyfull tydinges that maketh a mans hart glad and maketh him sing daunce and leape for ioy As when Dauid had killed Goliath the gyaunt came glad tydinges vnto the Iewes that their fearefull and cruell enemy was slayne and they deliuered out of all daunger for gladnes wherof they song daunced and were ioyful In like maner is the Euangelion of God which we call Gospell and the new Testament ioyfull tydinges and as some say a good hearing published by the Apostles throughout all the world of Christ the right Dauid how that hee hath fought with sinne with death and the deuil ouercome them wherby all men that were in bondage to sinne woūded with death ouercome of the deuill are without their owne merites or deseruinges losed iustified restored to life and saued brought to libertie and reconciled vnto the fauour of God set at one with him agayne whiche tydinges as many as beleue laude prayse thanke God are glad syng and daunce for ioy This Euangelion or Gospell that is to say such ioyfull tydinges is called y ◠new Testament Because that as a mā whē he shall dye appointeth his goods to be dealt distributed after his death among them whiche he nameth to bee his heyres Euen so Christ before hys death commaūded and appointed that such Euangelion Gospell or tydynges should be declared throughout all the world and therewith to geue vnto all that repent and beleue all his goodes that is to say his lyfe wherewith hee swalowed and deuoured vp death hys righteousnes wherewith he banished sinne his saluatiō wherwith he ouercame eternall damnation Now cā the wretched man that knoweth him selfe to be wrapped in sinne and in daūger to death hell heare no more ioyous a thyng them such glad and comfortable tydinges of Christ So that he can not but be glad and laugh frō the low bottome of his hart if hee beleue that the tydinges are true To strēgth such sayth with all God promised this his Euangelion in the old Testament by the Prophetes as Paul sayth Rom. 1. How that he was chosē out to preach Gods Euāgeliō which he before had promised by the Prophetes in the Scriptures that treate of his sonne which was borne of the sede of Dauid In the Gene. iij. God sayth to the Serpent I wil put hatred betwen thee and the woman betwen thy seede and her sede that selfe sede shall treade thy head vnder foote Christ is this womās seede he it is that hath troden vnder foote the deuils head that is to say sinne death hell all his power For without this seede can no man anoyde sinne death hell and euerlasting damnation Agayne Gene. xxij God promised Abraham saying in thy seede shall all the generations of the earth be blessed Christ is that seede of Abraham sayth S. Paule Gala. iij. He hath blessed all the world through the Gospell For where Christ is not there remaineth the curse that fell on Adam as soone as he had sinned so that they are in bōdage vnder the damnation of sinne death and hell Against this curse blesseth now the Gospell all the world in asmuch as it cryeth opēly vnto all that knowledge their sinnes and repēt saying who soeuer beleueth on the sede of Abraham shal be blessed that is he shal be deliuered from sinne death and hell and shall hence forth continue righteous and saued for euer as Christ hym selfe sayth in the xj of Iohn He that beleueth on me shall neuer more dye The law sayth Iohn i. was geuē by Moses but grace and verity by Iesus Christ The law whose minister is Moses was geuen to bryng vs vnto the knowledge of our selues that we might thereby feele and perceaue what we are of nature The law cōdemneth vs and all our deedes and is called of Paule in the ij Cor. iij. the ministration of death For it killeth our consciences and driueth vs to desperation in as much as it requireth of vs that which is vnpossible for our nature to do It requireth of vs the deedes of an whole man It requireth perfect loue from the low bottome and grounde of the hart as well in all thinges whiche we suffer as in the thinges which we do But sayth Iohn in the same place grace and veritie is geuē vs in Christ So that when the law hath passed vpō vs and condemned vs to death which is his nature to do then haue we in Christ grace that is to say fauour promises of life of mercy of pardon freely by y e merites of Christ in Christ haue we veritie truth in that God for his sake fulfilleth all his promises to them that beleue Therfore is y ◠Gospell the ministration of life Paule calleth it in the fore rehearsed place of the Cor. ij the ministration of the spirite and of righteousnes In the Gospell when we beleeue the promises we receaue the spirit of life and are iustified in the bloud of Christ from all thyngs wherof the law condemned vs. And we receaue loue vnto the law and power to fulfill it and grow therein dayly Of Christ it is written in the fore rehearsed Ioh. i. this is he of whose aboundaunce or fulnes all we haue receaued grace for grace or fauour for fauour That is to say for the fauour that God hath to his sonne Christ he geueth vnto vs his fauour good wil al giftes of his grace as a father to his sonnes As affirmeth Paule saying whiche loued vs in his beloued before the creation of y ◠world So y ◠Christ bringeth the loue of God vnto vs and not our owne holy woorkes Christ is made Lord ouer all and is called in Scripture Gods mercy stole who soeuer therfore flyeth to Christ can neither heare nor receaue of God any other thyng saue mercy In the old Testamēt are many promises which are nothyng els but the Euāgelion or Gospel to saue those
ignoraunce of Christ and of his owne sinne and without repentaunce faith that his sinnes be forgeuen him in Christ and therefore is mercilesse vnto hys brother whom Christ commaunded him to pitie and loue And in that ignoraunce he walketh that is worketh euill and loueth the thinges of the worlde and seeketh in them the lustes of the â—lesh which are the quenching of the spirite and death of the soule for loue of them hateth his brother And this ignoraunce of Christ which is vnbeleef is the cause of all the wickednes that we do vnto our brethren I write vnto you little children that your sinnes are forgeuen you for hys names sake I write vnto you fathers that ye know him that was from the beginning I write vnto you yong men how that ye haue ouercome the wicked I write vnto you that are yong in the fayth and yet weake and therefore fall now and then how that your sinnes are forgeuen you as soone as ye repent and reconcile your selues vnto your brethren whom ye haue offended euen for his names sake onely and not for our owne deedes whether afore or after or for any other mans deedes or satisfaction saue for his onely I write vnto you that are fathers in the doctrine of God to teach other how that ye know him that was from the begynnyng is no new thing though he newly receaued our nature And through knowledge of him which is the onely light and the dore vnto the knowledge of God ye are become fathers in the Scriptures Or els ye had neuer vnderstand it though ye had studied neuer so much as it appeareth by the indurate Iewes and also by oure owne new Pharisies which persecute the scripture and the true sence therof because they be drowned in the ignoraunce of Christ as their deedes and contrary liuing well testifie I write vnto you yong meÌ„ that are strong in suffering persecutions and fight for your profession not with the sword but with suffering how that ye haue ouercome that wicked which poisoned the world at the beginning and yet woorketh in the children of darcknesse and vnbeleefe and that in beleuing the woorde of truth as it foloweth anone after I write vnto you yong children howe that ye knowe the Father I write vnto you fathers howe that ye know him that was from the beginning I write vnto you young men that ye be strong and the woorde of God dwelleth in you and that ye haue ouercomme the wicked I write vnto you yong children how that ye know the Father whome yee loue thorough knowledge of the Sonne or els you had neuer knowne him as a father but as a Iudge and a tyrant and had hated him I write vn to you fathers as before howe ye are fathers of all trueth in knowing the Sonne Or els ye had euer continued in darknesse remedilesse I write vnto you youÌ„g men how y t ye are strong and that your strength is the word of God which dwelleth in your brest through fayth in which ye haue ouercome the wicked deuill and all his pompe as it foloweth chapt v. this is the victorye that ouercommeth the world euen our fayth Loue not the worlde nor the thinges that are in the worlde If a man loue the worlde the loue of the Father is not in him For all that is in the worlde as the lust of the fleshe the lust of the eyes and the pride of good are not of the Father but are of the world And the worlde vanisheth away and the lust thereof But he that doth the will of God abideth euer The loue of the world quencheth the loue of God Balaam for the loue of the world closed his eyes at the cleare light which he well saw For loue of the world the olde Pharisies blasphemed the holy Ghost and persecuted the maniâ—est truth which they coulde not improue For loue of the world many are this day fallen away and many which stood on the truthes side and defended it a while for loue of the worlde haue gotten them vnto the contrarye parte and are become the Popes mamalukes are waxed the most wicked â—…s vnto the truth and most cruel agaynst it They know the truth but they loue the worlde And when they espyed the truth could not stand wysh the honoures which they sought in the world they hated it deadly and both wittingly and willingly persecuted it sinning against the holy Ghost Which sinne shall not escape here vnpunished as it shall not be without damnation in the world to come but shall haue an ende here with confusion and shame as had the glory of our right reuerend father in God Thomas Wolfse late cardinall and legate a latere c. whome after his shitten death as the saying is his owne seruauntes which before exalted his glory haue sent to hel with grace and priuiledge By the lust of the flesh is vnderstaÌ„d lechery whiche maketh a man altogether a swine and by the lust of the eyes is vnderstoode couetousnes which is the roote of all euil and maketh â—o erre from the fayth 1. Tim. vlâ— And then followeth pride whiche three are the world and captaines ouer all other vices and occasions of all mischief And if pride couetousnes and lechery be the world as S. Iohn sayth then turne your eyes vnto the spiritualtie vnto the pope cardinals bishops aâ—bates and all other prelates and see whether suche dignities bee not the world and whether the way to them be not also the world To get the olde abbats treasure I thinke it be the readiest way to be the newe How fewe come by promotion except they buy it or serue long for it or both To be wel skilled in war and in polling to maintaine war and lustes and to be a good ambassadour is the onely way to a bishopricke or to pay truely for it See whether pluralities vnions totquets and chainging the lesse benefice bysshoprike for the greater for the contrary chainge I trow was neuer â—ene may be without couetousnes pride And then if such thinges be the world and the world not of God how is our spiritualtie of God If pride be seking of glory and they that seeke glory can not beleue Ioh. 5. How can our spiritualty beleue in Christ If couetousnes turne men from the fayth how are our spiritualty in the fayth If Christ when the deuill proferred hym the kyngdomes of the world and the glorie thereof refused them as thynges vnpossible to stande with hys kyngdome whiche is not of the worlde of whom are our spiritualtie whiche haue receyued them If couetousnes be a traytour and taught Iudas to sell his maister how should he not in so long time teache oure spiritualtie the same craft namely when they be of all kinges secretes and the ambassadours of their secretes and haue thereto thoroughout al ChristeÌ„dome a secret couÌ„sell of their
it or to read in it To beleue that Iesus is Christe is to beleue in Christ that is to beleue earnestly and to put all thy trust therein and to lay the price of thy soule therupon that the sonne of Marie whom the aungell coÌ„maunded to be called Iesus because he shuld saue his people froÌ„ their sinnes is that Christ that Messias and that annoynted whiche God promised the fathers should come and blesse all nations and annoynt them with the oyle of his spirite with mercy and grace and to deliuer them froÌ„ death of their soules whiche is the consentyng to sinne and to make them a lyue with consentyng vnto the law of God and in certifiyng theÌ„ that they be the sonnes of God And to put the whole trust in all that he suffred in his fleshe for thy sake and in all promises of mercy that are in hym and that thou be full persuaded that there is no other name vnder heauen giuen vnto men to be saued froÌ„ sinne by or to purchase forgiuenesse of the lest synne that euer was coÌ„mitted An other conclusion is this whosoeuer loueth God loueth all that beleue in God For all that loue hym that begetteth loue them that are begotten of him and all that beleue in God are begotten of God through that belefe and made his sonnes theÌ„ al that loue God loue all that beleue in God An other conclusion is this When we loue God and his law theÌ„ we loue the sonnes of God Which is this wise proued The loue of God is to keepe the law of God by the text before and after the law of GOD is to loue our neighbours therfore if we loue God in kepyng his lawes we must needes loue the sonnes of God But Iohn should seme to be a very negligeÌ„t disputer to many men in that he here certifieth vs of the loue of our neighbours by the loue of God when aboue hee certifieth vs that we loue God because we loue our neighbours Hee semeth to doe as I heard once a great Clerke in Oxford stand halfe an houre in a pulpit to proue that Christ was a true Prophet by the testimonie of Iohn Baptist and an other halfe houre to proue Iohn y t Baptist a true Prophet by the authoritie of Christ as we say claw me claw thee and as euery these might lightly proue him selfe a true man in bearyng recorde to an other as false as he and takyng recorde of the same agayne Which kynde of disputyng schole men call Petitiâ— prâ—ncipij the prouyng of two certaine thynges eche by the other and is no prouyng at all as our holy father proueth the authoritie of Scripture by hys decrees for the Scripture is not autentike but as his decrees admit it to make his decrees shyne and appeare glorious and to obtaine authoritie he allegeth the Scripture after his iugglyng maner to make fooles starke mad But it is not so here for both the demonstrations are certaine both the proffe of the loue of God and his law by the loue of my neighbour and the proofe of the loue of my neighbour by the loue of God and his law For wheÌ„ ij thynges are so ioyned together that they can not be separated then the presence of the one vttereth the presence of the other whether soeuer thou first seest As if I see fire I am sure that some thyng doth burne And if I smell burnyng I am certified of fire Euen so the loue of God is the cause why I loue my neighbour and my loue toward my neighbour is the effect of the loue of God And these two loues are euer inseperable so that whether soeuer I feele first the same certifieth me of the other Iohn calleth the loue of a maÌ„s neighbour the deedes of loue after the Hebrue speach as to helpe at neede For the deede declareth what the man is within Neither can my loue to God fayth be sene to the world saue thorough the workes And by the workes doth Christ commaunde vs to iudge So that if a maÌ„ haue euill workes and continueth therin he loueth not God nor knoweth God no though he call hym selfe master doctour or Gods vicare Neither vnderstandeth he Gods word for all his high diuinitie but is in all hys preachyng an hypocrite a false Prophet and a lyer though hys preachyng please the world neuer so well Neuerthelesse a man is certified that he loueth God yer he come at the worke by the testimonie of the spirite which is giueÌ„ him in earnest The spirite sayth Paule Roma viij testifieth vnto our spirite that we be the sonnes of God and then it testifieth that we beleue in God for thorough fayth are we sonnes And then it certifieth me that I loue God For fayth and loue are inseparable The spirite thorough fayth certifieth my conscience that my sinnes are forgiueÌ„ and I receaued vnder grace and made the very sonne of God and beloued of God And theÌ„ naturally myne hart breaketh out into the loue of God agayne I seke how to vtter my loue and to do God some pleasure And because I can neither do seruice or pleasure vnto his owne person my neighbour is set before me to do God seruice and pleasure in him to be to him as Christ is to me because he is my brother bought with Christs bloud as I am And I consent vnto that law and loue it yer I come at the dede and long after the dede And then wheÌ„ I loue my neighbour in the deede accordyng to this law I am sure that I loue hym truly Or els if I examined not my loue by this law I might be deceaued For some loue their neighbours for pleasure profite glorie and for their doyng seruice onely as our spiritualtie loue vs and of that blessed loue do their busie cure to keepe vs in darkenes which loue is a signe that a man hateth God and hys neighbour therto and loueth him selfe onely But Gods law is that I should absteine from myne owne pleasure and profite and become my neighbours seruaunt and bestow lyfe and goodes vpoÌ„ hym after the example of Christ Wherfore if I loue my neighbour out of the loue of Christ and after the example of hys law I am sure that I loue him truly And his commaundementes are not greuous For all that is borne of God ouercommeth the worlde and this is the victory that ouercommeth the world eueÌ„ our faith To loue is not paynefull the commaundementes are but loue therfore they be not greuous because loue maketh the commaundements easie The seruice that a mother doth vnto her child is not greuous because she loueth it But if she should do the tenth part vnto one that she loued not her hart would brast for impacience Vnto a maÌ„ that fetleth not the loue of Christ it is as impossible to keepe the commaundementes as for a Camell to enter through the eye of a nedle But
swete water and bloud of very agonie conceiued of his passioÌ„ so nighe at hand The bloud stricken on the postes saued theÌ„ that they were not plagued with the Egyptians deliuered them out of the captiuitie of Pharao And the bloud of Christ strickeÌ„ on the postes of our consciences deliuereth vs from the captiuitie of Pharao the deuill and smitting of his auÌ„gels c. There might not a bone thereof be broken no more were there of Christes though the ij that were hanged with him had either of them his legges his armes brokeÌ„ Moreouer that it was a very prophecie of y e death of Christ of the vertue of his passion it is made the more manifest by the woordes of Christ himselfe Luke 22. for the night before hys passion when he had eaten Pesah with his Disciples he sayd I will no more â—ate of it henceforth till it be fulfilled in the kyngdome of GOD. As who should say This memoriall which we yearely haue hetherto obserued was once fulfilled in the kyngdome of this world when your fathers were deliuered out of bondage and seruitude of the Egyptians But it hath yet an other signification hetherto vnknowen vnto you which must be fulfilled spirituallie in the kingdome of God by my passion that is at hand and bloud that now shall shortly be shed by the which ye shal be deliuered out of the power of Sathan sinne and hell made heyres of the kyngdome of heauen Neither was it the lambes bloud that deliuered you then For what regarde hath God in the bloud of shepe and calues but the bloud of Christ whom that lambe figured and described his innocencie purenes and obedience to hys father and compassion to mankynde ward whose feble nature he had put on with all the infirmities of the same saue sinne did then deliuer you to bryng you to the fayth of this deliueraunce and to make you through faith partakers therof Many things there be in the Scripture whiche haue a carnall fulfillyng euen there where they be spoken or done and yet haue an other spirituall signification to be fulfilled long after in Christ and his kyngdome and yet neuer knowen till the thyng be done As the Serpent of Brasse which Moses haÌ„ged vp in the wildernes though it tooke effect carnally in the wildernes yet it so describeth the liftyng vp of Christ vpon the crosse the vertue of his passion that no touÌ„g could better declare it to make the hart feele it If ye aske why they may not be knowen till they be done and what prophecie may helpe I aunswere If men dyd vnderstand them before they were done they would endeuour to let the fulfillyng of them and when the significatioÌ„ is fulfilled then to see how playnly it was described in the Scripture doth excedyngly coÌ„firme the fayth thereof and make it better to be vnderstand And when this Pesah was fulfilled spirituallie in the kyngdome of heaueÌ„ by the death and bloud â—heddyng of Christ it ended there And in y t roome therof coÌ„cernyng that spirituall significatioÌ„ came the signe of the SacrameÌ„t of the body and bloud of our Sauiour Christ as Baptisme came in stede of CircuÌ„cision thyngs more easie lesse paynefull and tedious to be obserued and more gentle to prouoke and entise the Heathen For as the lambe describeth the death of Christ to come and the maner of his passion by which we should be deliuered euen so doth the ceremonie of the body and bloud of Christ testifie vnto vs that he hath giuen him selfe to death for vs and redemed vs already if we beleue and cleue 〈◊〉 to the profession of our Baptisme 〈…〉 thâ—â—in or will if any tempest had 〈◊〉 vs out of the right course returne to the right way agayne This to be so the wordes of the Instituâ—â—d declare which are these 1. Cor. 11. The Lord Iesus the night that he was betraâ—ed tooke bread and gaue thankes and brake it and sayd Take eate this is my body that shal be giuen for you this doe in remembraunce of me And likewise he tooke the cup wheÌ„ Supper was done saying This cup is the new TestameÌ„t in my bloud this do as often as ye shall drinke it in the remembraunce of me Here ye see by these woordes that it was ordeined to kepe the death of Christ in minde and to testifie that his body was giueÌ„ and his bloud shed for vs. And Luke 22. This is my body that is giueÌ„ for you do this in remembraunce of me And this cup is the new Testament in my bloud whiche shal be shed for you Loe here ye see agayne that it was instituted to kepe y t death of Christ in minde and to testifie wherfore he dyed eueÌ„ to saue vs from sinne death and hell that we should seeke none other meanes to be deliuered with for there is none other name for vs to be saued by but onely by the name of Iesus Actes 4. And as the children of Israell stong of the firie Serpents could haue none other remedy to saue them from present death then to go and behold the brasen Serpent hanged vp by Moses in the wildernes whiche lookyng on onely healed them Euen so if the styng of death whiche is sinne haue wounded their soule with the workyng of the law in the consciences there is none other remedy then to runne to Christ which shed his bloud hangyng vpon the Crosse and to his euerlastyng Testament and mercyfull promise that it was shed for vs for the remissioÌ„ of our sinnes If thou be stong with conscieÌ„ce of sinne the Cockatrice of thy poysoned nature hath beheld her selfe in the glasse of the righteous law of GOD there is none other salue for remedie theÌ„ to runne to Christ immediatly and to the father through him And to say father I haue sinned agaynst thee and thy godly holy and righteous law agaynst my brother whom I ought of all right to loue for thy sake as well as my selfe forgeue me O father for thy sonne Iesus Christes sake accordyng to thy most mercyfull promises Testament I will aske my brother forgiuenes if the peace I meane be not made already and will make to my power such satisfaction to hym as shall seme right in his eyes if he be reasonable or as the congregatioÌ„ shall assigne or faythfull men thereunto appointed by the congregation or such as I and he will agree vpon and will endeuour my self to do so no more with the helpe of thy grace And will submit my selfe to the wholesome ordinaunce of the coÌ„gregation accordyng the doctrine of thy sonne Iesus and of his faithful Apostles For there is none other name giuen vnder heauen wherby we shal be saued but onely the name of Iesus Hereof ye see that the SacrameÌ„t is an absolutioÌ„ of our sinnes as often as we receiue it where it is truly
also coueteth to counterfayte his kinsmaÌ„ although the beames of his braines be nothyng so radiaunt nor his coÌ„ueyaunce so commendable in the eyes of the wise Notwithstandyng this Rastell hath enterprised to dilate this matter and hath diuided it into three Dialoges imaginyng that two men dispute this matter by natural reason and Philosophie secludyng Christ and all Scripture The one of them that should dispute this matter he calleth Gingemen fayneth hym to be a Turke and of Mahometes law The second he nameth Comingo an Almany of Christes fayth And he maketh the Turke to teach the Christen maÌ„ what he should beleue The first Dialoge goeth about to proue by reason that there is a God which is mercyfull and righteous The second entendeth to proue that the soule of a man is immortall Agaynst these two Dialogues I will not dispute partly because this treatise should not be ouer long and tedious and partly because that those twoo poyntes which he there laboureth to proue are such as no Christen man will deny although many of his probations are so slender that they may well be improued but as concerning his thyrd Dialogue wherin he would proue Purgatory it is wholly iniurious vnto the bloude of Christe and the destruction of all Christen fayth if men were so mad as to beleue his vayne persuasions And therfore I thought expedient to coÌ„pare this third Dialoge with all the deceitfull reasons vnto the true light and pure worde of God that at the least Rastell hym selfe might perceiue his owne blind ignoraunce and returne agayne into the right way And if any man haue bene deceiued through his booke as I trust there are but few except they bee very ignoraunt that they may repent with hym and glorifie GOD for his inestimable mercy which hath sent his light into this world to disclose and expell theyr darke and blynd ignorauncy that they may see his wayes and walke in them praysing the Lord eternally Amen The first Booke whiche is an aunswere vnto Rastelles Dialogue THere is no man as I thinke that hath a naturall wytte but hee will graunt me that this booke of Rastels making is either true or false If it be false theÌ„ how so euer it séeme to agrée with naturall reason it is not to be allowed if it be true then must we approue it Naturall reason must bee ruled by Scripture If naturall reason conclude agaynst the Scripture so is it false but if it be agréeyng to Scripture then is it to be heard Of this may I conclude that if Rastels booke be agréeyng to Scripture then is it true and to be allowed if it determine coÌ„trary to the Scripture then is it false and to bee abhorred how soeuer it séeme to agrée with naturall reason Now is there no Christen maÌ„ but hee beleueth surely that if Christ had not dyed for our sinnes we should all haue bene damned perpetually neuer haue entred into the ioyes of heauen whiche thyng is easie to be proued for Paule sayth Rom. 5. As thorough one maÌ„s sinne that is AdaÌ„ ensued death in all meÌ„ vnto condeÌ„natioÌ„ Euen so thorough one mans righteousnes which is Christ came righteousnes in al men vnto y e iustification of lyfe Also Iohn xi It is necessary that one man dye for the people that all the people perishe not so that we had ben condemned and had perished perpetually if Christ had not dyed for vs. But Rastel with his Turke Gingemin excludeth Christ and knoweth not of his death wherfore al y t reasoÌ„s that they can make vnto domesday caÌ„ neuer proue Purgatory except they imagine y â— we must first go to Purgatory and then after to hell for this is a playne coÌ„clusioÌ„ that without Christ whom they exclude we can neuer come to heauen what fondnes were it then to inuent a Purgatory Now may you sée that Rastels booke is fully aunswered and lieth already in the dyrte and that his thyrd Dialogue is all false and iniurious vnto the bloud of Christ As for the first and second Dialogue although there be some errours both agaynst Diuinitie and all good Philosophy yet wil I passe them ouer for they are not so blasphemous agaynst God and his Christe as the thyrd is Notwithstandyng I will not thus leaue his booke although I might full well but I will declare vnto you what solutions he maketh to these seueÌ„ weake reasons which he hath propounded hym selfe for hee auoydeth them so slenderly that if a man had any doubte of Purgatory before it would make hym sweare on a booke that there were none at all Besides that it hath not one solutioÌ„ but there are in it certaine pointes repugnauÌ„t vnto Scripture so that it is greate shame that any Christen man should Printe it and much more shame that it should be Printed with the kynges priuilege The first and chiefest reason that moueth this man yea and all other to affirme Purgatory is this whiche he putteth both in the first Chapter of his third Dialogue and also in y â— last Man sayth he is made to serue and honour God now if man be negligent about the commaundements of God and committe some veniall sinne for which he ought to be punished by the iustice of God dye sodenly without repentaunce and haue not made sufficieÌ„t satisfactioÌ„ vnto God here in the worlde hys soule ought neither immediatly to come into the glorious place of heauen because it is somewhat defouled with sinne neither ought it to go to hell vnto eternal daÌ„natioÌ„ but by al good order of iustice that soule must bee purged in an other place to make satisfactioÌ„ for those offences that it may afterward â—ee receiued into the glorious place of heaueÌ„ And so by the iustice of God there must nedes be a Purgatory Forsoth this reason hath some apperaunce of truth and the similitude of wisedome howbeit in déede it is nothyng but mans imagination and phantasie For if we compare it vnto Gods word then vanisheth it away But we regarde not the word of the Lord and therfore chaunceth eueÌ„ the same thyng vnto vs that happened before vnto the children of Israell Psal 81. My people regarded not my voyce and Israell gaue no bede vnto me therfore let I them go after the appetites of their owne harts They shall wander in their owne imaginations Now what goe they about in this their inuention and imaginatioÌ„ of Purgatory but to ponder the iustice of God in the balance of maÌ„s iustice saying It is no reason that we should enter into heauen which haue not here satisfied vnto God for our iniquitie except that we should be tormeÌ„ted and purified in an other place We were surely in euill takyng if God were of mans coÌ„plection which remitteth the fault and reserueth the payne Nay nay Christ is not gredy to be auenged He thirsteth not after our bloud but suffered all
from our sinne If we beleue that he imputeth not our sinnes vnto vs but y â— his wrath is pacified in Christ and his bloud If we beleue that hée bath â–ª fréely geuen vs hys Christ and with him all thinges so that we be destitute in no gift Roma viij then are we righteous in his sight and our coÌ„science at peace with God not thorough our selues but thorough our Lord Iesu Christ Roma v. So mayst thou perceaue that thou art a sinner in thy selfe yet art thou righteous in Christ for through him is not thy sinne imputed nor rekened vnto thée And so are they to whom God imputeth not their sinnes blessed righteous without spot wrincle or blame Roma 4. Psal 31. And therfore will he neuer thrust theÌ„ into Purgatory Paule sayth there is no difference for all haue sinned and lacke y â— glorye whiche before God is allowed but they are iustified fréely by his grace through y â— redemption y â— is in Christ Iesu Roma iij. what saye you now shall they yet go into Purgatory Cal ye that iustificatioÌ„ fréely by his grace to lye in the paynes of Purgatory Surely that were a newe kynde of spéech whiche I thinke Paule neuer vnderstode Peraduenture some man will thinke myne Argumentes to bee of small pyth and to dissolue them by a distinction saying It is truth y t God hath so purged and clensed vs from all our iniquities neuerthelesse hys mercy purgyng forgeuenesse haue onely purified vs from the faulte and crime but not from the payne which is due to the crime To this obiection I aunswere that if God of his mercy and thorough the bloud of his sonne Iesus haue not remitted y t payne due vnto that crime then shall we all be damned for the payne due vnto euery disobedience that is agaynst God is eternall damnation And therefore if this payne were not forgeuen vs then are we still vnder coÌ„demnation and so were Christes bloud shed in vayne could saue no man If they will say that this euerlastyng payne is not wholy forgeuen vs but that it is altered into the temporall payne of Purgatory out of which the Pope may deliuer them by his pardon for els haue they no euasâ—on at all then may we soone confute them and that by diuers reasons First y t their wordes are nothyng but euen their own imagination for they cannot confirme their sayinges by the Scripture neither ought we to accept any thyng as an article of our fayth whiche is not approued by Gods word for we may neither decline vnto the right hand nor vnto the left but onely do that the Lord commaundeth vs. Deut. 4. 5. 12. 13. And agayne if a man should aske them by what authoritie the pope geueth such pardon They aunswere that it is out of y t merites of Christes passioÌ„ And so at the last they are compelled to grauÌ„t euen against them selues that Christ hath not onely deserued for vs the forgeuenes of y t cryme but also of the payne If Christ haue deserued all for vs who geueth the Pope authoritie to reserue a part of his deseruynges from me and to sell me Christes merites for money Besides that euery Christen man ought to apply vnto God all thynges whiche should employ his honour as farre forth as the Scripture will suffer Now seyng it is more vnto the honour of God that he should deliuer vs in his bloud both from the cryme and from the payne and also not repugnauÌ„t vnto the Scripture but that he hath relesed vs from the payne as well as from the sinne for what entent should we bee so vnkynde as to despoyle him of this great honour without any authoritie of Scripture imagine that he hath not deliuered vs from the payne as well as from the sinne Moreouer if he should reserue the payne then were it no full remission and forgeuenesse but what blasphemy is that to thinke y â— Christes bloud was not sufficient to geue full remission vnto his faythfull Furthermore for what entent should the payne be reserued to satisfie towardes God for their offences Nay verely for all meÌ„ liuyng are not able to satisfie towardes God for one sinne Neither are all the paynes of hell able to purge one sinne or satisfie for it for then at the length the damned soules should bee deliuered out of hell Finally I thinke that there was neuer any temporall punishment institute of God to be any satisfactioÌ„ for sinne but the vse of all teÌ„poral paines and chiefest cause why they were ordeyned is this Temporall paynes are profitable for the commoÌ„ wealth that they may be examples to learne the vnfaithfull which els feare not God that they may at the lest for feare of punishmeÌ„t absteine from committyng like offences for if theyr sinne were vnpunished then should all vice raigne to the vtter subuersioÌ„ of the coÌ„mon wealth They are also profitable for the faythfull for they try and purifie the fayth of Gods elect and subdue and mortifie their carnall members that they may bee the more able to serue their brethren and to withstand the vehemeÌ„t assaultes of teÌ„ptation which are euer at hand and lest they should waxe prowde and boast them selues for those giftes which they haue receiued of God Furthermore they set out and aduaunce the glory of God For after that we be put in remembraunce and made to féele our fraile nature that so continually displeaseth God our father then haue we occasion to ponder and compare this traÌ„sitory payne which we here suffer with those enor mous trespasses that we haue coÌ„mitted and so to espy the infinite mercy and fauour of God and euen in our aduersities to be compelled to prayse God our mercyfull and tender father whiche scourgeth vs so fauorably for those greuous offences that haue deserued a thousande tymes more punishment Howbeit to say truth there is no man that can take any such profite of them that men fayne to be punished in Purgatory For we neither sée it nor heare it neither haue we any meÌ„tion made of it in Scripture that we may be sure that it so is Now sith we haue no infallible euidence but onely phantasticall imaginatioÌ„s it is plaine inough that there was no such thyng ordemed neither to aduaunce Gods honour nor yet to the profit of the cominaltie or els of Gods elect for then I am sure that Christ and al his Apostles would not haue forgotteÌ„ to haue remembred vs of it NOw let vs sée some of Rastels reasons which he sayth that fond felowes lay for them selues to proue that there should be no Purgatory They say sayth Rastell that contrition which some call repentauÌ„ce is that whiche is the very payment and satisfaction for sinne and they say that when a man committeth a sinne and after is repentaunt therfore that God of his
out thine iniquities for mine own sake sayth God the father and thy sinnes will I no more remember Esay xliij Ergo then hee putteth them not away for broylyng in Purgatory He addeth also that hee will no more remember our sinnes call ye that no remembraunce to cast vs into Purgatory for them Whom God predestinated them he called and whom hée called them he iustified and what dyd he with thē then Dyd he cast them in Purgatory there to be clēsed forsooth the Apostle maketh no mentiō therof but addeth immediatly whom he iustified them he glorified Roma viij Wherfore let not vs put such obstacles and be vnkynde vnto the gracious fauour of God Besides that Paule forbidedth vs to be carefull for them that slepe that is to say for y t dead as they that haue no hope But surely if he had knowne of any Purgatory hee would haue bene carefull for them sith they fayne them in such miserable tormentes Now seyng he had occasion to make mention of the dead and spake not one word of Purgatory it is playne inough that he knew nothyng of it or els was hee very negligent to ouerhyppe it But yet had I leuer say that Purgatory were but a phantasie of mans imagination then to ascribe such forgetfulnes or negligence vnto that Apostle THe thyrd reason that Rastell allegeth is in the vj. chapter the sūme is this There are degrees of ioye in heauen and degrees of payne in hell And therefore may God passe euery mā and geue him accordyng to his deserte either more or lesse and neuer neede Purgatory Well let vs graūt these degrées for Rastels pleasure although the question be s◠disputable that I am sure be can not defend it What foloweth on this for sooth he bryngeth in proper examples if they could serue for y e purpose But let vs passe ouer to his solutiō which is in the end of the vij chapter Whē a man sayth Rastell is infected with a great mortall sinne and so depart then his soule ought not to doe seruice in heauen vnto God because it is putrified with that foule sinne But if that man had taken the medicine of full repentaunce in hys lyfe that medicine would haue restored him againe to his soule health and vertue But here you must remember that Christ is dead in vayne for if repentaunce be the medicine that restoreth agayne the health vertue of the soule what néedeth Christ Now forth But if he haue taken sayth Rastell some repētaunce for that sinne and not sufficient and had not sufficient tyme to make sufficient satisfaction therfore yet by the takyng of that medicine of repentaunce that sinne is expelled and gone and the soule of that sickenesse and sinne is clearely whole but yet the spottes and tokens of the sinne which is a deformitie to the soule doe still remayne till the soule haue a time to be purged from those tokens and spottes to make it pure and cleane of that deformitie This man is euer in one supposition which is both false and iniurious vnto the precious bloud of Christ I wonder who taught him that conclusion and why hee graunteth so soone vnto it for he would not haue graunted that there were a God neither that y ◠soule was immortall although they were both true vntil he had proued it as he thought him self by good naturall reason But as for this that is starke false that is to say that repentaūce while he excludeth Christ doth satisfie for our sinne hee neuer putteth in question but graunteth it by and by belike the Turkes haue such an opinion But let him go with his Turke and let vs Christen men graunt nothing contrary to the scripture but euer captiuate our reason vnto that for it is the infallible reasō and wisedome of God passeth our reason farre THe fourth reason is propounded in the viij chapter whiche is this that the soule vnpurged maye doe some meane low seruice to God in heauen though it bee not the highest best which thing is false agaynst Scripture Ephes v. Cāt. iiij But let vs sée what aunswere he maketh vnto it His aūswere begynneth in the ix chap. the summe is this Heauen is so pure and cleane of nature that it must expell all maner of impuritie and vnclennes neither can it suffer any thyng therin that is of any maner vnclennesse or euill or other thyng vnpleasaunt So now it foloweth that when a mā hath cōmitted a mortall sinne and after taketh repentaunce by the whiche he is healed of the foule infirmitie Sée how he harpeth all of one string whiche is also so farre out of tune that I wonder how any man cā abyde him For if I can heale mine infirmitie through repentaūce wherfore dyed Christ But yet sayth he the spots and tokens remayne for lacke of ful satisfaction I aunswere that it remaineth euery whitte sinne spottes tokens all together except Christ haue takē it frō of vs through his death and bitter passiō Therfore saith Rastel God of his iustice may not condemne his soule to eternall paine in hell for that offence which is purged and put away Wherwith is it purged and put away There is no remission of sinne without bloud Hebr. ix If there be no remissiō without bloud what shall repentaunce doe where the bloud of Christ is excluded yea or what shall thy Purgatory doe for there is no bloudshed So is there nothyng that taketh awaye sinne but onely the bloud of Christ Iesu shed for our redemption And yet sayth Rastell God by his iustice and by hys discrete wysedome and goodnes ought not immediatly to receaue that soule into that cleane and most pure place in heauen to accompany the pure aungels c. No mary I waraunt thée be not afrayde of that for neither Gyngemin thy companyon nor thou neither shall enter in there either immediatly or mediatlye if ye exclude Christ as ye haue done hetherto no not if ye had taken all the repentaūce in the world and would thereto imagine as many Purgatoryes as will pesen into a Monkes coule But it is Christ the lambe of God that taketh awaye the sinne of the world Iohn i. It is he that hath purged our sinne and now sitteth on the right hand of the father Hebr. i. It is he that hath purged our sinne hath made vs in hys own sight in y t sight of his father without spot or wrincle Ephes i. All beit in our own sight we finde our selues sinners i. Iohn i. But he maketh vs blessed and righteous and imputeth not our sinnes vnto vs. Roma iiij Then what néedeth Purgatory THe fift Argumēt that he bryngeth agaynst Purgatory is touched in his x. chapter the summe is this It should seeme conuenient that this Purgatory
If he can deliuer them for money then may he also deliuer them wythout money And then is he a very cruel tyraunt which kéepeth them in paynes so intollerable as he imagineth him selfe vntill they pay money THe first hee soluteth on this maner Sith our Lord sendeth them thether for satisfaction to be made in some maner for their sinne the Pope should rather agaynst Gods purpose delyuer them free then chaunge the maner of their satisfaction frō payne into prayer almose or other good workes to be done by their frendes for them in some pointe profitable and necessary for the whole corps of Christēdome or some good member of the same As concernyng satisfaction I haue spoken sufficiētly before agaynst Rastell The Scripture knoweth no other satisfaction to be made for sinne towardes God but onely the bloud of his sonne Iesu Christ for if there were an other satisfaction then dyed Christ in vayne yea and he that séeketh any other satisfactiō for his sinne towardes God then Christes bloud which must be receiued with a repētyng hart through fayth doth despise Christes bloud and treade it vnder his féete And so is the first part of M. Mores solution false that they should be shut in Purgatory to make satisfaction Besides that where hee sayth that if the Pope should so deliuer them he should deliuer them free I say nay For the Pope can deliuer no mā from thence vntil satisfactiō be made as both he all his adherentes graūt And therefore to finde away how he might seme to deliuer thē he fayneth that he hath in his hands the merites of Christes passion and the merites of all Saintes to destribute them at his pleasure And therfore might the Pope apply the merites of Christes passion of other Saintes vnto these sely soules and so deliuer them For those merites ar inough to satisfie for y t soules in purgatory if there were ten tymes so many And so should the Pope deliuer them not frée but chaūgyng the maner of their satisfaction from payne into merites of Christes passion and of all Saintes And so is this reason not abated but rather strōger thē it was before Howbeit to say the truth the merites of Christes passion are onely distributed vnto the faythfull and tha◠by God and his spirite and not by the Pope And as for the merites of Saintes can not helpe other for they haue to litle for them selues if God should enter into iudgement with them Psalme 104. And Christ sayth Luke 17. when you haue done all that is commaunded you say we are vnprofitable seruauntes To this well agréeth the parable of the x. Virgins Math. 25. whiche could not depart with any of theyr oyle for feare that they should not haue had inough for them selues THe second reason byteth him somwhat and therefore he calleth it vnreasonable and would auoyd it by an example on thys wise Presuppose that the Pope may deliuer al soules out of purgatory yet if he were therfore cruell as oft as he leueth any there This vnreasonable reason layeth cruelty vnto the blame of God which may vndoubtedly deliuer al soules thence and yet he leaueth thē there This blasphemye should also touch hys hye maiestie for keeping any soule in hell from whence no man doubteth but that he might if he list deliuer them all for euer I aunswere that the example is nothing like for God can deliuer no man neither from hell nor from purgatory if such one were vntill hys iustice be counterpaysed as I haue sufficiently proued agaynst Rastell And if you obiect his absolute power then aunswer I that he hath an absolute iustice as well as an absolute power and so can hys absolute power do nothing vntill hys absolute iustice be satisfyed And agayne I say that God hath no power nor lust to do agaynst hys scripture and himself but his power lust is to fulfill that he hath promised vnto the faythfull euerlasting glory and vnto the wicked eternall damnation So that god by hys scripture can deliuer no man out of hell for then had he power to make himselfe a lyer so were he no God neither can he deliuer any man out of purgatory supposed that there were one vntill hys iustice be pacified But the pope as he sayth himselfe hath the full satisfaction in hys own hand wherby Gods iustice must be pacified wherfore it is onely the popes fault which hath the satisfaction in his power and will not geue it till he haue money not Gods fault which must néedes tary vntill satisfaction be made And so is thys reason as strong as it was before the pope proued a cruell tyraunt BVt yet to excuse the pope he sayth It is not meete that the Pope should be so quicke in deliueraūce for so should he geue a great occasion to mē boldly to fall into sinne and litle to care or feare how slowly they ryse agayne and that were not mete for his office Forsooth this is a gentle reason He may not be quicke in deliueraūce because he should geue men occasion of sinne But for one peny he will quyte deliuer you and that with spede For if ye offer a peny into S. Dominikes boxe assoone as ye heare y e peny ryng in the boxe euen so soone is the soule in heauē Call you not that quicke deliueraūce If you geue not that peny then may he not deliuer the soule for it should be an occasion of sinne But if you geue that peny thē is there no such occasiō of sinne Such great vertue hath that one peny in M. Mores sight that it cleane wypeth away the occasion of sinne Furthermore if this redemption may be done for money it shall be still an occasion vnto the rich that they regard not sinne and yet they had more néed to be brydeled then the poore for where riches aboundaunce is there raygneth sinne most of all Howbeit I haue shewed sufficiently before agaynst Rastell that they which feare not to sinne but for feare of purgatorye shall neuer come into it but be damned in hell For we should not abstaine from sinne for any feare but for the pure loue that we haue to god our most mercifull Father c. THen commeth maister More to this imagination that we should say how no mans prayer or good deed can help an other And saith he if that were true thē could not Christes bitter passion prosite vs. Sir mine opiniō of Christes death is this 1 We haue al sinned in Adam without our own consent and worke 1 And we are loosed from sinne thorough Christ without our workes or deseruinges 2 Sinne is come into the world thorow Adam and is punished w t death 2 The death through Christ is turned into a medicine and cleane finisheth sinne 3 One mans sinne whiche is Adam hath condemned many men 3 One mans grace which is Christ hath
vanquished sinne and holpen many 4 If one mans sinne be able to condemne vs without our workes 4 Then much more is Gods grace of power to saue vs without our workes 5 Sinne thorough Adam was planted in vs. 5 Grace thorough Christ is planted in vs. 6 Sinne hath had dominion ouer all men through Adam 6 Grace preuaileth ouer vs through Christ 7 Death thorough sinne is planted in vs. 7 Life through grace is plāted in vs. 8 Death thorough sinne hath dominion ouer vs. 8 Lyfe through grace preuayleth ouer vs. 9 Synne and death haue cōdemned all men 9 Grace and life haue saued all men 10 Thorough Adam Adams synne was counted our owne 10 Thorough Christ Christes righteousnesse is reputed vnto vs for our owne ¶ Of this may you perceaue that we thinke that Christes death profiteth vs for we take hys death and resurrection for our whole redemption and saluation Now as concernyng mens good déedes and prayers I say that they profite our neighbours yea and good woorkes were ordeined for that entent that I should profite my neighbour through them And prayer ought to bee made to God for euery state But if I should graūt that such workes prayers should helpe them that are departed thē should I speake cleane without my booke for the word of God knoweth no such thyng Let them therefore that pray for the dead examine them selues well with what fayth they do it for fayth leaneth onely on the word of God so that where his worde is not there can be no good fayth and if their prayer procede not of fayth surely it can not please God Hebrues xj NOw suppose sayth M. More that Purgatorye could in no wise be proued by Scripture and that some wold yet say plainly that there were one and some would say playnly nay let vs now see whether sorte of these twayne myght take most harme if their parte were the wrong First he that beleued there were Purgatory that his prayer and good workes wrought for his frendes soules might relieue them therein and because of that vsed much prayer and almose for them he could not lese the reward of his good wil although his opiniō were vntrue and that there were no Purgatory at all But on the other side he that beleueth there is none and therfore prayeth for none if his opiniō be false and that there be Purgatory in deede hee leseth much good and getteth hym also much harme For hee both feareth much lesse to sinne and to lye lōg in Purgatory sauing that his heresie shall keepe hym thence and sende hym downe deepe into hell I aūswere that he should take most harme that beleued there were a Purgatory if his opiniō were wrong and could not be proued by the Scripture as M. More supposed for he should sinne and transgresse agaynst the law of God which sayth Deut. xij That I commaunde thée that onely do vnto the Lord neither adde any thyng nor diminish And before in the iiij chap. of the same booke ye shall not adde vnto the woorde that I speake vnto you neither shall ye take any thyng from it And agayne in the v. chapter ye shall not decline neither to the left hād doyng that which is good in your owne sight neither yet vnto the right hand doyng that which I manifestly forbyd you as though he should say doe that onely whiche I commaunde thée And where M. More sayth that hee can not lese the rewarde of hys good will although his opinion be vntrue I aunswere yes for it is but chosen holynesse which Paule condēneth Collos 2. which surely shall rather be imputed vnto hym for synne then for any good worke And because as I sayd before it can not be done through fayth I say that it is vtterly reproued of God And on the other side he that beleueth it not sith it can not be proued by Scripture cā catch no harme at all although his opinion were false but rather much good and prayse both of God and all good men because he feareth to swerue frō the word of God and had leuer not to be leue that thyng which is true be it in case that purgatory were and not set forth in Scripture for so shall he be sure not to sinne then to beleue for an article of y t fayth that thyng which is false in déede for so should he surely sinne and transgresse agaynst God and his holy woorde And so is there great perill to beleue a thyng for an article of the fayth whiche is not opened nor spoken of in Scripture But if I beleue it not although it were true yet is there no ryght nor law that can condemne me Now may you sée that to beleue for an article of the fayth that there is a Purgatory sith it can not be proued by Scripture may condemne a man and make hym lye for euer in the paynes of hell where as the other shoulde but a litle lenger lye in the paynes of Purgatory if there were one and so shal he be sure to catch most harme that beleueth there is a Purgatory Sauyng sayth Master More that hys heresie shall keepe hym from thence and sende him downe depe into hell Before he supposed y t it could not be proued by scripture And now standing the same suppositiō he calleth it an heresie anheresie is a stiffe holdē opinion repugnant vnto Scripture If Purgatory can not bee proued by Scripture as he maketh his supposition then cā not the contrary opiniō be repugnaunt to Scripture thus of his own suppositiō he doth euill to cal it an heresie And where he sayth that his opiniō shall sende hym down déepe into hell verely he steppeth to farre in Gods iudgement to conclude and determine so cruelly specially in the same argument where he supposeth that it can not be proued for if it can not bee proued by Scripture whereby will ye condemne hym so déepe that holdeth the contrary forsooth you are a fierce iudge God geue you eyes to sée FInallye if ye pitie any man in payne neuer knewe ye payne comparable to ours whose fire passeth as farre in heate all the fires that euer burned vppon earth as the hotest of all those passeth a fayned fire paynted on a wall Verely among all his other Poetrie it is reason that we graunt hym this Yea and that our fire is but water in comparison to it For I ensure you it hath alone melted more gold and siluer for our spiritualties profite out of poore mens purses then all the gold smithes fires within England neither yet therewith can the ragyng heate be aswaged But it melteth castels harde stones landes and tenementes innumerable For all your sectes of Religion Monkes Friers Chanons and Nunnes with other Priestes regulare seculare by this fire multiplication and alcumye haue obtayned their whole riches and pleasures euen the swete of England
the olde doctoures which séeme contrary to our sentēce And therefore marke it well Thus haue you my mynde farther vppon the Sacrament of the bodye and bloud of Christ Wherein if you recken that I haue béene too long in repeating one thing so often I shall pray you of pardon But surely mée thought I coulde not bée shorter For the worlde is such now a dayes that some woulde heare and can not and some doe heare and will not And therfore I am compelled so oftē to repeate that thing which a wise man woulde vnderstand with halfe the wordes ¶ Praye Christen reader that the worde of God may encrease and that God may bee glorified thorough my bondes Amen The Articles wherfore Iohn Frith dyed whiche hee wrote in Newgate the. 23. day of Iune the yeare of our Lord. 1533. I Doubt not deare brethren but that it doth some deale vexe you to sée the one part haue all the wordes and fréely to speake what they lifte and the other to bée put to silence and not to bée heard indifferently But referre your matters to God whiche shortly shall iudge after an other fashiō But in the meane reason I shall rehearse vnto you the articles for which I am condemned ¶ They examined me but of two articles which are these FIrste whether I thought there were no Purgatory to purge the soule after this present lyfe And I sayd that I thought there was none For man is made but of two partes the body and the soule And the body is purged by y t crosse of Christ which hée layeth vpon euery child that hée receaueth as affliction worldly oppression persecution imprisonment c. and death finisheth sinne And y t soule is purged by the word of God which we receaue thorough fayth vnto the health saluatiō both of body soule Now and if I did know any thyrd part wherof we are made I would also gladly graunt the thyrd Purgatory but seyng I know none such I must deny the Popes Purgatory Neuertheles I count neither part a necessary article of our faith necessarely to bée beléeued vnder payne of damnation whether there bée such a purgatory or not The second article was this whether that I thought that the Sacrament of the aulter was the body of Christ And I sayd yea y t I thought that it was both Christes body and also our bodye as S. Paule sayth 1. Cor. 10. chapter In that it is made one bread of many graynes it is our body signifying that we though we bée many are yet one body and likewise of the wyne in that it is made one wyne of many grapes And agayne in that it is broken it is Christes body signifying that his body should bée broken that is to say suffer death to redeme vs from our iniquities In that it was distributed it was Christes body signifying that as verely as that Sacrament is distributed vnto vs so verely is Christes body the frute of his passiō distributed vnto all faithfull men In that it is receaued it is Christes body signifying that as verely as outward man receaueth the Sacrament with his téeth and mouth so verely doth the inward man through fayth receaue Christes body frute of his passion and is as sure of it as of the bread that hée eateth Well sayd they do you not thinke that his very naturall body both flesh and bloud is really contained vnder the Sacramēt and there actually present beside all similitudes No said I I do not so thinke Notwithstandyng I would not that any should counte that I make my saying whiche is the negatiue any article of the fayth For euen as I saye that you ought not to make any necessary article of y t fayth of your part which is y t affirmatiue So I say agayne that we make none necessarye article of the fayth of our parte but leaue it indifferent for all men to iudge therein as God shall open his hart and no side to condemne or despise the other but to nourish in all thynges brotherly loue to beare others insirmities The text of S. Augustine which they there alleged agaynst mee was this that in y t Sacramēt Christ was borne in his owne handes Whereunto I sayd y t S. Augustine doth full well expoūd him selfe For in an other place hēe sayeth Ferebatur tanq in manibus suis That is hee was horne after a certeine maner in his owne handes And by that hée sayth after a certeine maner ye may soone perceaue what hée meaneth Howbeit if S. Augustin had not thus expounded himselfe yet hée sayth ad Bonifacium that y t Sacrament of a thyng hath a similitude or propertie of the thyng whiche it signifieth And for that cause it hath many tymes y t name of y t very thyng which it signifieth And so hée sayth y t he bare himself because hée bare y t Sacramēt of his body bloud which did so earnestly expresse him selfe that nothyng might more doe it If you read y e place of S. Augustine ad Bonifacium which I alleage in my last booke ye shall soone sée them aunswered An other place they alleaged out of Chrisostome which at the first blush séemeth to make well for them But if it bée well wayed it maketh much lesse for them then they wéene The wordes are these Doest thou see bread and wine doe they depart from thee into the draught as other meates doe God forbid for as in waxe when it commeth to the fier nothing of the sub staunce remayneth nor aboūdeth so lykewise thinke that the mysteries are cōsumed by the substaunce of the body These wordes I expounded by the wordes of the same Doctour S. Chrisostome whiche in an other Homilie sayth on this maner The inwarde eyes as soone as they see the bread they flye ouer all creatures and thinke not of the bread that is baken of the baker but of the bread of euerlastyng life whiche is signified by the mysticall bread Now conferre these places togither and you shall perceaue that the last expoūdeth the first clearely First hée sayth wilt thou sée bread wyne I aunswere by the second nay For the inward eyes as soone as they sée y e bread thinke not of it but of y t thyng it self y t is signified therby And so hée séeth it séeth it not He séeth it with his outward and carnall eyen but his inward eyen séeth it not That is to say regarde not the bread or thinke not on it Euen as we commonly say when we play a game negligētly by my truth I sée not what I doe meanyng that our myndes is not vppon that thing which we sée with our outward eyen And lykewise we may aūswere the next part where he sayth Doe they depart from thée into the draught as other meates doe Nay forsooth sayd I for other meates doe onely come to nourish y t body to depart into the
shewe your mercy do a deede of mercy meanyng thereby y t our deedes declare how we loue our neighbours how much we haue compassion on theÌ„ at their neede Moreouer it is not possible to loue except we see a cause Except we see in our hartes y t loue kyndnes of God to vs warde in Christ our Lord it is not possible to loue God aright We say also he that loueth not my dogge loueth not me Nor that a maÌ„ should loue my dogge first But if a man loued me the loue wherewith he loueth me would compell him to loue my dogge though the dogge deserued it not yea though the dogge had done him a displeasure yet if he loued me the same loue would refrayne hym from reuenging himselfe and cause him to referre the vengeaunce vnto me Such speakinges finde we in scripture Iohn in the fourth of hys first epistle sayth He that saith I loue God and yet bateth his brother is a lyar For how can he that loueth not his brother whom he seeth loue God whom he seeth not This is not spoken that a man should first loue hys brother and then God but as it foloweth For this commaundement haue we of hym that he which loueth God should loue his brother also To loue my neighbour is the commaundemeÌ„t which commaundement he that loueth not loueth not GOD The keeping of the commaundemeÌ„t declareth what loue I haue to God If I loued God purely nothing that my neighbour coulde do were able to make me eyther to hate him eyther to take vengeaunce on hym my selfe seing that God hath coÌ„maunded me to loue him to remitte all veÌ„geaunce vnto hym Marke now how much I loue the coÌ„maundement so much I loue God how much I loue God so much beleue I that he is mercifull kynde and good yea and a father vnto me for Christes sake how much I beleue that God is mercifull vnto me and that he will for Christes sake fulfill all his promises vnto me so much I see my sinnes so much do my sins greue me so much do I repent and sorrow that I sinne so much displeaseth me that poyson that moueth me to sinne and so greatly desire I to be healed So now by the naturall order first I see my sinne then I repeÌ„t and sorrow then beleue I Gods promises that he is mercifull vnto me and forgeueth me and will heale me at the last then loue I and then I prepare my selfe to the commaundement THis do and thou shalt liue Luc. x. that is to say loue thy Lord God with all thy hart with all thy soule with all thy strength and with all thy mynde and thy neighbour as thy self As who should say if thou do this or though thou canst not do it yet if thou â—ealest lust thereunto and thy spirite sigheth mourneth and longeth after strength to do it take a signe and euident token thereby that the spirite of life is in thee and that thou art electe to life euerlasting by Christes bloude whose gift and purchase is thy fayth and that spirite that worketh the will of God in thee whose gift also are thy deedes or rather the deedes of the spirite of christ and not thine and whose gift is the reward of eternal life which foloweth good workes It followeth also in the same place of Luke When he shoulde departe he plucked out two pence and gaue them to the host and sayde vnto him Take the charge or cure of him and what soeuer thou spendest more I wil recompeÌ„ce it thee at my coÌ„ming agayne Remember this is a parable and a parable may not be expounded worde by worde but the intent of the similitude must be sought out onely in the whole parable The intent of the similitude is to shew to whom a man is a neighbour or who is a mans neighbour which is both one what is to loue a mans neighbour as him selfe The Samaritane holpe him and shewed mercy as long as he was present and when he could be no longer present he left his money behind him and if that were not sufficient he left his credence to make good the rest and forsoke him not as long as y â— other had need TheÌ„ sayd Christ goe thou and do likewise that is without difference or respectioÌ„ of persons whosoeuer needeth thy helpe him count thy neighbour his neighbor be thou and shew mercy on him as long as he nedeth thy succour and that is to loue a mans neighbour as him selfe Neighbour is a word of loue and signifieth that a man shoulde be euer nigh and at hand and ready to helpe in tune of neede They that will enterpret parables worde by worde fall into straights oft-times whence they can not rid themselues And preach lyes in stead of the truth as do they whiche enterpret by the ij pence the old testament and the new and by that which is bestowed Opera supererogationis howbeit Superarrogantia were a meeter terme that is to say deedes which are more then the law requireth deeds of perfection and of liberalitie which a man is not bouÌ„d to do but of his free will And for them he shal haue an higher place in heauen and may geue to other of his merites or of whiche the pope after his deathe may geue pardons from the paines of purgatorye Against whiche exposition I aunswere first a greater perfection then the law is there not A greater perfection then to loue God and his will which is the commaundementes with all thine hart with all thy soule with all thy strength with all thy minde is there none And to loue a mans neighbour as himselfe is like the same It is a wonderfull loue wherewith a man loueth himselfe As glad as I woulde be to receiue pardon of mine owne life if I had deserued death so glad ought I to be to defend my neighboures life without respect of my life or of my good A man ought neither to spare his goods nor yet himselfe for his brothers sake after the ensample of Christ 1. Iohn 3. Herein sayth he perceiue we loue in that he y t is to say Christ gaue his life for vs. We ought therefore to bestowe our liues for the brethren Nowe sayeth Christ Iohn xv There is no greater loue then that a man bestow his life for his frend Moreouer no man caÌ„ fulfil the law For Iohn sayth i. Chapter of the said epistle if we say we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues and truth is not in vs. If we knowledge our sinnes he is faithfull and righteous to forgeue vs our sinnes and to purge vs from all iniquitie And in the Pater noster also we say father forgeue vs our sins Now if we be all sinners none fulfilleth the lawe For he that fulfilleth the lawe is no sinner In the lawe may neither Peter nor Paule nor any other creature saue Christ onely reioyce In the bloud of
Christ which fulfilled the lawe for vs may euery parson that repenteth beleueth loue-eth the law and mourneth for streÌ„gth to fulfill it reioyce be he neuer so weake a sinner The two pence therefore and the credence that he left behynde him to bestowe more if neede were signifieth that he was euery where mercifull both present and absent without fayning cloking complayning or excusing and forsoke not his neighbour as long as he had nede Which example I pray God men may followe and let opera supererogationis alone MAry hath choseÌ„ a good part which shall not be taken from her Luk. x. She was first chosen of God and called by grace both to know her sin and also to heare the worde of fayth health and glad tidinges of mercy in Christ and fayth was geuen her to beleue the spirite of God loosed her hart from the bondage of sinne Then consented she to the will of God againe and aboue all thinges had delectation to heare the worde wherein she had obtayned euerlasting health and namely of his owne mouth which had purchased so great mercy for her God chuseth vs first and loueth vs first and openeth our eyes to see his exceeding aboundaunt loue to vs in Christ and then loue we agayne and accept his will aboue all thinges and serue him in that office whereunto he hath chosen vs. Sell that ye haue and geue almes And make you bagges which waxe not olde and treasure which faileth not in heauen Luke xij This such like are not spoken that we shoulde worke as hyrelinges in respect of rewarde and as though we shoulde obtayne heauen with merite For he saith a little afore feare not little flocke for it is your fathers pleasure to geue you a kingdome The kingdome commeth then of the good will of almighty God thorough Christ And such thinges are spoken partly to put vs in remembraunce of our dutie to be kynde agayne As is that saying let your light so shine before men that they seyng your good workes may glorifie your father which is in heaueÌ„ As who shoulde say if God hath geuen you so great giftes see ye be not vnthankefull but bestow them vnto his praise Some things are spoken to moue vs to put our trust in God as are these Beholde the Lyllies of the fielde Beholde the byrdes of the ayre If your children aske you bread will ye proffer them a stone and many such lyke Some are spoken to put vs in remeÌ„braunce to be sober to watch pray and to prepare our selues agaynst teÌ„ptations and that we should vnderstand and know how that temptations and occasion of euill come then most when they are least looked for least we should be carelesse and sure of our selues negligent and vnprepared Some thinges are spoken that we should feare the wonderfull and incoÌ„prehensible iudgementes of God lest we should presume Some to comfort vs that we dispayre not And for lyke causes are all the ensamples of the old TestameÌ„t In conclusion the scripture speaketh many thynges as the world speaketh But they may not be worldly vnderstand but ghostly and spiritually yea the spirite of God onely vnderstandeth them and where he is not there is not the vnderstandyng of the Scripture But vnfrutefull disputyng and braulyng about wordes The scripture sayth God seeth God heareth God smelleth God walketh God is with them God is not with them God is angry God is pleased God sendeth his spirite God taketh his spirite away and a thousande such like And yet is none of them true after the worldlye manner and as the wordes sound Read the second chapter of Paule to the Corinthians The naturall man vnderstandeth not the thinges of God but the spirite of God onely and we sayth he haue receaued the spirite whiche is of God to vnderstand the thynges which are geuen vs of God For without the spirite it is impossible to vnderstand them Read also the viij to the Romaines They that are led with the spirite of God are the sonnes of GOD. Now the sonne knoweth his fathers will and the seruauÌ„t that hath not the spirite of Christ sayth Paule is none of his Likewise he that hath not the spirite of GOD is none of gods for it is both one spirite as thou mayst see in the same place Now he that is of God heareth the word of God Iohn viij and who is of God but he that hath the spirite of God Furthermore sayth he ye heare it not because ye are not of God that is ye haue no lust in the word of God for ye vnderstand it not that because his spirite is not in you For as much then as the Scripture is no thyng els but that which the spirite of GOD hath spoken by the Prophetes and Apostles can not be vnderstand but of the same spirite Let euery man pray to God to send him his spirite to loose him from his naturall blindnes and ignoraunce and to geue him vnderstandyng and feelyng of the thynges of God of the speakyng of the spirite of GOD. And marke this processe First we are damned of nature so coÌ„ceaued and borne as a Serpent is a SerpeÌ„t and a tode a tode a snake a snake by nature And as thou â—eest a youÌ„g child which hath pleasure in many thynges wherein is present death as in fire water and so foorth would slea hym selfe with a thousand deathes if he were not wayted vpon and kept therfro Euen so we if we should liue these thousaÌ„d yeares could in al that tyme delite in no other thing nor yet seeke any other thyng but that wherein is death of the soule Secondarily of the whole multitude of the nature of man whom God hath elect and chosen and to whom he hath appointed mercy and grace in Christ to them sendeth he his spirite whiche openeth their eyes sheweth them their miserie and bryngeth them vnto the knowledge of them selues so that they hate and abhorre them selues are astonyed and amased and at their wittes endes neither wot what to do or wher to seeke health Then lest they should flee from God by desperation he comforteth theÌ„ agayne with his swete promises in Christ certifieth their harts that for Christes sake they are receaued to mercy and their sinnes forgeueÌ„ and they elect and made the sonnes of GOD and heyres with Christ of eternall lyfe thus through fayth are they set at peace with God Now may not we axe why GOD chuseth one and not an other eyther think that God is vniust to damne vs afore we do any actual dede seyng that god hath power ouer all hys creatures of right to do with theÌ„ what he lyst or to make of euery one of them as he listeth Our darknes can not perceaue his light God wil be feared and not haue his secret iudgementes knowen Moreouer we by the light of fayth see a thousand thynges which are impossible to
is for Christes sake deceaueth him selfe and maketh a mocke of himselfe vnto the godles hipocrites infidels No man can serue two maisters God and Mammon that is to say wicked riches also Mathew vj. Thou must loue Christ aboue all thing but that doest thou not if thou be not ready to forsake all for hys sake if thou haue forsaken all for his sake then art thou sure that thou louest him Tribulation is our right baptisme and is signified by plunging into the water Wee that are baptized in the name of Christ sayth Paule Rom. vj. are baptized to dye with him The spirite through tribulation purgeth vs and killeth our fleshly witte our worldly vnderstādyng and belly wisedome and filleth vs full of the wisedome of God Tribulation is a blessing that commeth of God as witnesseth Christ Math. v. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theyrs is the kyngdome of heauen Is not this a comfortable word Who ought not rather to chuse and desire to be blessed w t Christ in a little tribulation then to be cursed perpetually with the world for a little pleasure Prosperitie is a right curse and a thing that God geueth vnto his enemies Wo be to you ritch sayth Christ Luke vj. loe ye haue your consolation wo be to you that are ful for ye shall hunger wo be to you that laugh for ye shall weepe wo be to you when men prayse you for so did theyr fathers vnto the false prophetes yea and so haue our fathers done vnto the false hypocrites The hipocrites with worldly preaching haue not gotten the prayse onely but euen the possessions also and the dominion and rule of the whole worlde Tribulation for righteousnes is not a blessing onely but also a gift that God geueth vnto none saue his speciall frendes The Apostles Act. v. reioyced that they were counted woorthy to suffer rebuke for Christes sake And Paule in the second epistle third chapter to Timothe sayth All that will liue godly in Christ Iesu must suffer persecutiō And Philip. j. he sayth Vnto you it is geuen not onely to beleue in Christ but also to suffer for his sake Here seest thou that it is Gods gift to suffer for Christes sake And in the 1. Pet. 4. sayth Happy are ye if ye suffer for the name of Christ for the glorious spirite of God resteth in you Is it not an happy thing to be sure that thou art sealed with Gods spirite vnto euerlasting life And verily thou art sure therof if thou suffer patiently for his sake By suffring art thou sure but by persecuting canst thou neuer be sure For Paule Rom. 5. sayth Tribulation maketh feeling that is it maketh vs feele the goodnesse of God and his helpe and the working of his spirite 2. Cor. 12. the Lord sayd vnto Paul My grace is sufficiēt for thee for my strēgth is made perfect through weaknes Lo Christ is neuer strong in vs till we be weake As our strength abateth so groweth the strength of Christ in vs when we are cleane emptied of our own strength then are we ful of Christes strength looke how much of our owne strength remayneth in vs so much lacketh there of y ◠strength of Christ Therfore sayth Paule 2. Cor. 12. Very gladly will I reioyce in my weaknes that the strength of Christ may dwell in me therfore haue I delectation sayth Paule in infirmities in rebukes in need in persecutions and in anguish for Christes sake for when I am weake then am I strong Meaning that the weaknes of the fleshe is the strength of the spirite And by flesh vnderstand wit wisedome and all that is in a man before the spirite of God come and whatsoeuer springeth not of the spirite of God and of Gods woorde And of like testimonies is all the scripture full Behold God setteth before vs a blessing and also a curse A blessing verely and that a glorious and an euerlasting if we will suffer tribulatiō and aduersity with our Lord and sauiour Christ And an euerlasting curse if for a little pleasure sake we withdrawe our selues from the chastysing nurture of God wherewith he teacheth all his sonnes and fashioneth them after his godly will and maketh them perfect as he did Christ and maketh them apte and meete vessels to receiue his grace and hys spirite that they might perceaue and feele the exceeding mercy which we haue in Christ the innumerable blessinges and the vnspeakeable inheritance whereunto we are called and chosen and sealed in our sauiour Iesus Christ vnto whome be prayse for euer Amen Finally whome God chuseth to raigne euerlastingly with christ him sealeth he with his mighty spirite and poureth strength into his hart to suffer afflictiōs also with Christ for bearing witnesse vnto the truth And this is the difference betwene the children of God and of saluation and betwene the children of the deuyll and of damnation that the children of God haue power in theyr hartes to suffer for Gods worde which is theyr life and saluatiō their hope and trust and whereby they liue in the soule and spirite before God And the children of the deuyll in time of aduersity flye from Christ whome they followed faynedly theyr hartes not sealed with hys holy mighty spirite and gett them to the standerde of theyr right father the Deuyll and take his wages the pleasures of this world which ar the earnest of euerlasting damnation which conclusion the xij chap. to the Hebrues well confirmeth saying My sonne despise not thou the chasticing of the Lord neither faint whē thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loueth him he chasticeth yea he scourgeth euery sonne whome he receaueth To persecution and aduersitie for the truthes sake is Gods scourge and Gods rod and pertaineth vnto all his children indifferently for when he sayth he scourgeth euery sonne he maketh none exception Moreouer sayth the text If ye shall endure chasticing God offreth hymselfe vnto you as vnto sonnes what sonne is it that the father chasticeth not If ye be not vnder correction whereof all are partakers then are ye bastardes and not sonnes Forasmuch then as we must needes bee baptised in tribulations and through the red sea and a great and a fearefull wildernes a land of cruell Giantes into our naturall coūtrey ▪ yea and in asmuch as it is a playne earnest that there is no other way into the kingdome of life then through persecution sufferyng of payne of very death after the ensample of Christe therefore let vs arme our soules with the comforte of the Scriptures How that God is euer ready at hand in time of neede to helpe vs and how that such tyrants and persecutors are but gods scourge and his rod to chastice vs. And as the father hath alway in time of correction the rod fast in his hand so that the rod doth
by blessing vnderstand not the wagging of the popes or Bishops hand ouer thyne head but prayer as when we say God make thee a good man Christ put his spirite in thee or geue thee grace and power to walke in the truth to folow hys coÌ„mauÌ„dementes c. As Rebeccas frendes blessed her wheÌ„ she departed Gene. xxiiij saying Thou art our sister grow vnto thousand thousandes and thy seede possesse the gates of their enemies And as Isaac blessed Iacob Gene. xxvij saying God geue thee of the dew of heauen and of the fatnes of the earth aboundaunce of corne wyne and oyle c. And Gene. xxviij Almighty God blesse thee and make thee grow and multiply thee that thou mayst be a great multitude of people and geue to thee and to thy seede after thee the blessings of Abraham that thou mayst possesse the land wherin thou art a strauÌ„ger which he promised to thy graundfather and such lyke Last of all one singular doubt they haue what maketh the Priest the annoynting or puttyng on of the handes or what other ceremonie or what wordes About which they braule and scolde one ready to teare out an others throte One sayth this an other that but they caÌ„ not agree Neither caÌ„ any of them make so strong a reason which an other can not improue For they are all out of the way and without the spirite of God to iudge spirituall things Howbeit to this I auÌ„swere that wheÌ„ Christ called xij vp into the mouÌ„taine and chose them then immediatly without any annointing or ceremony were they his Apostles that is to witte ministers chosen to be sent to preach his Testament vnto all the whole world And after the resurrection wheÌ„ he had opened their wittes and geuen them knowledge to vnderstand the secretes of hys Testament how to bynde loose and what he would haue theÌ„ to do in all thynges then he sent them forth with a commaundemeÌ„t to preach and bynde the vnbeleuyng that continue in sinne and to loose the beleuyng that repent And that commaundemeÌ„t or charge made theÌ„ Byshops priestes Popes and all thyng If they say that Christ made theÌ„ priestes at his Maundey or last Supper when he sayd do this in the remembrauÌ„ce of me I aunswere though the Apostles wist not then what hee ment yet I will not striue nor say that agaynst Neuer the latter the commaundement and the charge which he gaue them made theÌ„ Priestes And Actes the first when Mathias was choseÌ„ by lotte it is not to be douted but that the Apostles after their common maner prayed for him that God would geue him grace to minister his office truely and put their handes on him and exhorted him and gaue him charge to be diligent faithfull and then was he as great as the best And Actes vj. When the Disciples that beleued had chosen vj. Deacons to minister to the widdowes the Apostles prayed and put their handes on them and admitted them without more adde Their putting on of hands was not after the maner of the dome blessing of our holy byshops with two fingers but they spake vnto them and tolde them their dutie and gaue them a charge and warned them to be faythfull in the Lordes busines as we chuse temporall officers and read their duty to them and they promise to be faythfull ministers and then are admitted Neither is there any other maner or ceremonie at all required in makyng of our spirituall officers then to chuse an able person and theÌ„ to rehearse him his dutie and geue him his charge and so to put him in his rowme And as for that other solemne doubte as they call it whether Iudas was a Priest or no I care not what he then was but of this I am sure that he is now not onely Priest but also Byshop Cardinall and Pope ¶ Of Penaunce PEnaunce is a word of their owne forgyng to disceaue vs with all as many other are In the Scripture we finde panitentia repentaunce Agite poenitentiam do repent Poeniteat vos let it repeÌ„t you Metanoyte in Greeke forthinke yo or let it forthinke you Of repentaunce they haue made penaunce to blinde the people and to make them thinke that they must take payne and do some holy dedes to make satisfaction for their sinnes namely such as they enioyue them As thou mayst see in the Cronicles when great kynges and tyrauntes which with violence of sword conquered other kynges landes and slew all that came to hand came to them selues and had conscience of their wicked dedes then the Byshops coupled them not to Christ but vnto the Pope and preached the Pope vnto them and made them to submit them selues and also their realmes vnto the holy father the Pope and to take penaunce as they call it that is to say such iniunctions as the Pope and Bishops would commaund them to do to build Abbays to endote them with liuelode to be prayed for for euer and to geue them exemptions and priuilege and licence to do what the lust vnpunished Repentaunce goeth before faith and prepareth the way to Christ and to the promises For Christ commeth not but vnto them that see their sinnes in the law and repent Repentaunce that is to say this mornyng and sorrow of the hart lasteth all our liues long For we finde our selues all our liues long to weake for Gods law and therfore sorrow morne longyng for strength Repentaunce is no Sacrament as faith hope loue and knowledge of a mans sinnes are not to be called Sacramentes For they are spirituall and inuisible Now must a Sacrament be an outward signe that may be sene to signifie to represent and to put a man in remeÌ„braunce of some spirituall promise which can not be sene but by faith onely Repentaunce and all the good dedes which accompanie repentaunce to slay the lustes of the fleshe are signified by Baptisme For Paule sayth Roma vj. as it is aboue rehearsed Remember ye not saith he that all we whiche are baptised in the name of Christ Iesus are baptised to dye with him we are buryed with him in Baptisme for to dye that is to kil the lustes and the rebellion which remayneth in the flesh And after that he sayth ye are dead as concernyng sinne but lyue vnto God through Iesus Christ our Lord. If thou looke on the profession of our harts and on the spirit and forgeuenes which we haue receaued thorough Christes merites we are full dead but if thou looke on the rebellion of the flesh we do but begyn to dye and to be baptised that is to drowne and quench the lustes and are full baptised at the last minute of death And as coÌ„cernyng the workyng of the spirite we begyn to lyue grow euery day more and more both in knowledge and also in Godly lyuyng accordyng as the lustes abate As a child receaueth yeâ—ull soule at the first day yet
for his death sake and neuer thinke on thē more then it serueth me I not it doth me y e same seruice as if I read the Testament in a booke or as if the preacher preached it vnto me And in lyke maner if I make a crosse in my forehead in a remembraunce that God hath promised assistaunce vnto all that beleue in him for his sake that dyed on the crosse then doth the crosse serue me and I not if And in like maner if I beare on me or looke vpon a crosse of what soeuer matter it be or make a crosse vpon me in remembraunce that who soeuer wil be Christes Disciple must suffer a crosse of aduersitie tribulations and persecution so doth the crosse serue me and I not it And this was the vse of the crosse once and for this cause it was at the begynnyng set vp in the Churches And so if I make an image of Christ or of any thyng that Christ hath done for me in a memory it is good and not euill vntill it be abused And euen so if I take the true lyfe of a Saint and cause it to be painted or carued to put me in remembraunce of the Saintes lyfe to folow the Saint as the Saint did Christ and to put me in remembraunce of the great fayth of the Saint to God and how true God was to helpe him out of all tribulatiō and to see the Saintes loue towardes his neighbour in that he so paciently suffered so paynefull a death so cruell Martyrdome to testifie the truth for to saue other and all to strength my soule with all and my fayth to God and loue to my neighbour then doth the image serue me and I not it And this was the vse of images at the begynnyng of reliques also And to knele before the crosse vnto the word of God which the crosse preacheth is not euill Neither to knele downe before an image in a mans meditations to call the liuyng of the saint to mynde for to desire God of lyke grace to folow the exāple is not euill But the abuse of the thing is euill and to haue a false fayth as to beare a pece of the crosse about a mā thinking that so long as that is about him spirites shall not come at hym his enemyes shall do hym no bodely harme all causes shal go on his side euen for bearing it about him and to thinke that if it were not about hym it would not be so and to thinke if any misfortune chaūce that it came for leauing it of or because this or that ceremonie was left vndone and not rather because we haue broken Gods cōmaundemēts or that God tēpteth vs to proue our patience This is playne idolatry here a man is captiue bond seruaūt vnto a false fayth a false imagination that is neyther God nor his worde Now am I Gods onely and ought to serue nothing but God and his worde My body must serue y t rulers of this world and my neighbour as God hath appointed it and so must all my goods but my soule must serue God onely to loue his lawe and to trust in hys promises of mercy in all my deedes And in like manner it is that thousandes while the Priest pattereth S. Iohns Gospell in Latine ouer their heades crosse themselues with I trow a legion of crosses behynde and before and wyth reuerence on the very arses and as Iacke of napes when hee claweth himselfe plucke vp their legges and crosse so much as their heeles and the very soles of their fete and beleue that if it be done in the time that he readeth the gospel and els not that there shal no mischaunce happen them that day because onely of those crosses And where he should crosse hymselfe to be armed and to make himselfe strong to beare the crosse with Christ be crosseth himselfe to driue the crosse from hym and blesseth hymselfe with a crosse frō the crosse And if he leaue it vndone he thinketh it no smal sinne and that god is highly displeased with him and it any misfortune chaunce thinketh it is therefore which is also Idolatry and not Gods worde And such is the confidēce in the place or image or whatsoeuer bodely obseruaunce it be such is S Agathes letter written in the Gospell tyme. And such are y e crosses on palmesonday made in the passion tyme. And such is the bearing of holy waxe about a man And such is that some hang a pece of S. Iohns Gospell about their neckes And such is to beare y e names of god with crosses betwene ech name about them Such is the saying of gospels vnto women in childbed Such is the limeteriers saying of in principio erat verbum from house to house Such is the saying of Gospels to the corne in the field in the procession weeke that it should the better grow And such is holy bread holy water and seruing of all ceremonies and sacramentes in generall without signification And I pray you how is it possible that y e people can worship images reliques ceremonies and sacramentes saue superstitiously so long as they know not the true meaning neyther wyll y e Prelates suffer any man to tell them yea and the very meaning of some and right vse no man can tell And as for the riches that is bestowed on images and reliques they can not proue but that it is abhominable as long as the poore are dispised and vncared for and not first serued for whose sakes and to finde preachers offeringes tithes landes rentes and all that they haue was geuen the spiritualitie They wil say we may do both May or not may I see that the one most necessary of both is not done but the poore are bereued of the spiritualtie of all that was in tyme passed offered vnto thē Moreouer though both were done they shall neuer proue that the sight of golde and siluer and of precious stones should moue a mās hart to dispise such thinges after the doctrine of Christ Neither can the rich coat helpe to moue thy mynde to follow the ensample of the Saint but rather if he were purtrayde as he suffered in the most vngoodly wise Which thing taken away that such thynges with all other seruice as sticking vp candels moue not thy mynde to follow the ensample of the Saint nor teach thy soule any godly learning thē the image serueth not thee but thou y t Image and so art thou an Idolater that is to say in Englishe a serue Image And thus it appeareth that your vngodly and belly doctrine wherwith ye so magnifie the deedes of your ceremonies and of your pilgrimages and offering for the deede it selfe to please God and to obtaine the fauour of dead Saintes and not to moue you and to put you in remembraunce of the lawe of God and of the promises which are in his sonne
desperation and partly that he fall not into hate of his father and of his commaundement thereto and thinke that his father is a tyraunt and his law but tyranny M. More seleth with his good endeuour inspiration together that a man may haue the best fayth coupled with the worst lyfe and with consentyng to sinne And I feele that it is impossible to beleue truly except a maÌ„ repent and that it is impossible to trust in y â— mercy y â— is in Christ or to fele it but y â— a man must immediatly loue God his commaundementes and therfore disagree disconsent vnto the fleshe and be at bate therewith and fight agaynst it And I feele that euery soule that loueth y â— law and hateth his fleshe and beleueth in Christes bloud hath his sinnes which he committed and payne which he deserued in haryng the law and consentyng vnto his flesh forgeuen him by that fayth And I feele that the frailtie of the flesh agaynst whiche a beleuyng soule lighteth to subdue it is also forgeuen and not rekened or imputed for sinne all the tyme of our curyng as a kynde father and mother reken not or impute the imposuÌ„bilitie of their youÌ„g children to consent vnto their law and as when the children be of age and consent theÌ„ they reken not nor impute the impossibilitie of the flesh to folow it immediatly but take al a worth and loue them no lesse but rather more tenderly then their old and perfect children that do their commaundemeÌ„tes so long as they go to schole learne such thynges as their fathers mothers set theÌ„ to And I beleue that euery soule that repeÌ„teth beleueth and loueth the law is thorough that fayth a member of Christes Churche and pure without spot or wrincle as Paule affirmeth Ephe. v. And it is an Article of my beleffe that Christes elect Church is holy and pure without sinne and euery meÌ„ber of the same thorow faith in Christ and that they be in the full fauour of God And I feele that the vncleanesse of the soule is but the consent vnto sin and vnto the fleshe And therefore I feele that euery soule that beleueth and consenteth vnto the lawe and here in this life hateth his flesh and the lustes therof and doth his best to driue sinne out of his flesh and for hate of the sinne gladly departeth from his flesh when he is dead and the lustes of the fleshe slaine with death needeth not as it were bodely tormenting to be purged of that wherof he is quit already And therfore if ought remaine it is out to be taught and not to be beaten And I feele that euery soule that beareth fruit in Christ shal be purged of the father to beare more fruit day by day as it is written Ioh. xv not in the Popes Purgatory where no man feeleth it but here in this life such fruit as is vnto his neighbours profite so that he which hath his hope in Christ purgeth himselfe here as Christ is pure 1. Ioh. 3. and that euer yet the bloud of Iesus onely doth purge vs of all our â—…s for the imperfectnes of our woorkes And I feele that the forgeuenes of sinnes is to remitte mercifully the payne that I haue deserued And I do beleue that the payne that I here suffer in my fleshe is to keepe the body vnder and to serue my neighbour and not to make satsfaction vnto god for the sore sinses And therfore when the Pope describeth God after his couetous complexion and when M. More feleth by inspiration and captiuating his wittes vnto the Pope that God forgeueth the euerlasting payne and will yet punish me a thousand yeares in the Popes purgatory that leauen sauoreth not in my mouth I vnderstand my fathers wordes as they sound and after the most mercifull maner and not after the Popes leauen and M. Mores captining his wittes to beleue that euery Poetes fable is a true story There is no father here that punisheth his sonne to purge hym when he is purged already and hath vtterly forsaken sinne and euâ—â—l and hath submitted himselfe vnto his fathers doctrine For to punishe a man that hath forsaken sinne of his owne accorde is not to purge him but to satisfie the lust of a tyrant Neyther ought it to be called Purgatory but a Iayle oftormenting and a satisfactory And when the Pope sayth it is done to satisfie the righteousnes as a iudge I say we that beleue haue no iudge of him but a father neither shal we come into iudgemeÌ„t as Christ hath promised vs but are receaued vnder grace mercy and forgeuenes Shew the Pope a litle money and God is so mercifull that there is no Purgatory And why is not the fire out as well if I offer for me the bloud of Christ If Christ hath deserued all for me who gaue the Pope might to keepe part of his deseruinges from me and to buy sell Christes merites to make marchaundise ouer vs wyth fayned wordes And thus as M. More feleth that y â— Pope is holy church I feele that he is Antichrist And as my feeling can be no proofe to him no more caÌ„ his wyth all his captiuating his wittes to beleue phantasies be vnto me wherefore if he haue no other probation to proue that the Pope is holy church then that his hart so agreeth vnto hys learning he ought of no right to coÌ„pell with sword vnto his sect How be it there are euer two maner people that will cleaue vnto God a fleshly and a spirituall The spirituall which be of God shall heare Gods woorde and the children of the truth shall consent vnto the truth And contrary the fleshly and children of falshead and of the deuill whose harts be full of lyes shall naturally consent vnto lyes as young children though they haue eate themselues as good as dead with fruit yet will not nor caÌ„ beleue him that telleth them that such fruit is nought but him that prayseth them wyll they heare and eate themselues starcke dead because their harts be full of lyes and they iudge all thinges as they appeare vnto the eyes And the fleshly mynded assoone as he beleueth of God as much as the deuill doth he hath inough and goeth to and serueth God with bodely seruice as he before serued his Idoles and after his owne imaginacion and not in the spirite in louing his lawes and beleuing his promises or longing for them no if he myght euer liue in the fleshe he would neuer desire them And God must do for him againe not what he hath promised but what he lusteth And his brother y â— serueth God in y e spirit according to Gods word hym will the carnall beast persecute So that he which will godly liue must suffer persecution vnto the worldes end according vnto the doctrine of Christ and of his Apostles and according vnto the
a signe of y e loue of myne hart which reioyseth and is glad that he is come home safe and sounde And euen so is this but the memoriall of the very sacrifice of Christ once done for al. And if ye wold no otherwise meane ye shal haue my good will to call it so still or if ye can shew me a reason of some other meanyng And therfore I would that it had bene called as it in deede is and as it was commaūded to be Christes memoriall though that I doubt not but that it was called Masse of his He brue woord Misach which signifieth a a pension geuyng because that at euery Masse mē gaue euery man a portiō accordyng vnto his power vnto the in stentation of the poore Which offering yet remayneth But to a false vse and profite of them that haue too much as all other thinges are peruerted Finally it is the same thinge that it was when Christ institute it at hys last supper If it were then the very sacrificing of Christes body and had that same vertue and power with it that his very passion after wrought why was he sacrificed so cruelly on the morow and not holde excused therwyth seyng he was there verely sacrificed M. Item that there remayneth bread and wine in the sacrament Tyndall Improue it What is that that is broken and that the Priest eateth wyth hys teeth ayre onely if a childe were fed with no other foode he should wax haply as long as his father Wherof then should his body his flesh and bones grow wherof should that come with reuerence I speake it that he pisseth and so forth all by miracle will they say O what wonderfull miracles must we faine to saue Antichristes doctrine I might wyth as good reason say that the hoste is neyther rounde nor white but that as my mouth is deceaued in the tast of bread euen so mine eyes are in the syght of roundnes and so is there nothing at all Which all are but the disputations of men with corrupt myndes without spirite to iudge Neuer the later when the Priest hath once rehearsed the testament of our sauiour thereon I looke not on bread and wine but on the body of Christ broken and bloud shed for my sinnes and by that fayth am I saued from the damnation of my sinnes Neyther come I to Masse for any other purpose then to fet forgeuenes for Christes deathes sake nor for any other purpose say I Confiteor knowledge my sinnes at the beginning of Masse And if ye haue other doctrine teach vs a reason leade vs in light we will follow Christ sayth Iohn xi it is the spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing at all the woordes which I speake saith he are spirite and lyfe That is the fleshely eatyng and drinking of Christes body and bloude profit not as his carnall presence profited not by the reason of his presence onely as ye see by Iudas and y ◠Phariseis and the souldiours that touched hym and how his bodely presence did let the disciples to vnderstand spiritually But to eate and drinke in the spirite that is to harken vnto his wordes and with a repenting hart to beleue in hys death bringeth vs all that Christ can do for vs. More Item that the masse auaileth no man but the Priest Tyndall If ye speake of the prayers his prayers helpe vs as much as ours him If ye speake of y e sacramēt it helpeth as many as be present as much as hym if moued therby they be leue in Christes death as well as he If they be absent the sacrament profiteth them as much as a sermon made in the church helpeth them that be in y ◠fieldes And how profiteth it the soules of the deade tell me vnto whome it is no signe If ye meane the carnall eating and drinking then it profiteth the Prieste onely for he eateth and drinketh vppe all alone and geueth no man parte wyth hym More Item that a man should not be howseled till he lay a dying Tynd. That is to shamelesse a lye M. Item that men and women should not spare to touch it Tynd. A perillous case Why Because the Pope hath not oyled them Neuerthelesse Christ hath annointed them wyth hys spirite and wyth hys bloud But wot ye why The Pope thinketh if they should be too busie in handeling it they woulde beleue that there were bread and for that cause to strength their faythes he hath imagined little prety thinne manchetes that shine thorow and seeme more lyke to be made of paper or fine Parchement then of wheate floure About which was no smale question in Oxforde of late dayes whether it were bread or none some affirming that the floure with long lying in water was turned to starch and had lost his nature M. Item that the sacramēt should not be worshipped Tyndall It is the Sacrament of Christes body and bloud And Christ calleth it the newe and euerlasting testament in hys bloud and commaunded that we shoulde so do in the remembraunce of hym that hys bodye was broken and his bloude shed for our sinnes And Paule commaundeth thereby to shewe or preach the Lords death They say not pray to it neither put any fayth therein For I may not beleue in the sacramēt but I must beleue the Sacrament that it is a true signe and it true that is signified therby which is the onely worshippyng of the Sacrament if ye geue it other worship ye plainly dishonour it As I may not beleue in Christes Church but beleue Christes Church that the doctrine which they preach of Christ is true If ye haue any other doctrine teach vs a reason and lead vs in light and we will follow More Item that a Christē is not bound to keepe any lawe made by man or any at all Tynd. You say vntruely a Christē man is bound to obey tyranny if it be not agaynst hys fayth nor the lawe of God vntill God deliuer him thereof But he is no Christen man that byndeth hym to any thing saue that which loue and his neighbours necessitie requireth of them And when a lawe made is no longer profitable Christen rulers ought to breake it But now a dayes whē tyraunts haue gotten the simple people vnder they compell thē to serue theyr lustes and wyly tyranny without respect of any common wealth Which wyly tyranny because the truth rebuketh it is the cause why they persecute it least the common people seing how good they should be and feeling how wicked they are shuld withdraw their neckes frō their vnrighteous yooke As ye haue ensample in Herode in the Scribes and Phariseis and in many other More Item that there is no Purgatory Tyndall Beleue in Christ and thou shalt shortly finde purgatoryes inow as ye now make other feele M. Item that all soules lye and sleepe
came to destroy the workes of the deuill in vs to giue vs a new byrth a new nature and to sow new seede in vs that we should by the reasoÌ„ of that byrth sinne no more For the seede of that byrth that is to wete the spirite of God and the liuely seede of his word sowen in our hartes kepeth our harts that we can not consent to sinne as the seede of the deuill holdeth the hartes of his that they can not consent to good This is coÌ„trary vnto the Pope in two poyntes in one that he sayth that our good deedes make vs first good and teacheth vs not to beleue in Christes bloud there to be washed made first good And in an other that he sayth God choseth vs first for our good qualites properties and for the enforcement and good endeuour of our frewill What good endeuour is there where the deuill possesseth the whole hart that it can consent to no good And finally there is great difference betwene the sinne of them that beleue in Christ vnfaynedly and the sinne of them that beleue not For they that beleue sinne not of purpose and of coÌ„sent to wickednesse that it is good castyng and compassyng afore hand without grudge of coÌ„science to bryng their purpose about As ye see our hypocrites haue vexed all Christendome this xx yeares to bryng a little lust to effect Their fathers conceiued mischief viij hundreth yeares ago And the sonnes consent vnto the same haue no power to depart therefrom And therfore their sinne is deuilishe and vnder the damnation of the law But if he that beleueth sinne he doth it not of purpose or that he consenteth vnto the life of sinne But of infirmitie chauÌ„ce and some great temptation that hath ouercome him And therefore his sinne is veniall and vnder mercy and grace though it be murther theft or adulterie and not vnder the daÌ„nation of the law So that his father shall scourge hym but not cast hym away or damne hym Marke in the sinne of Saule of Dauid Saule euer excused his sinne and could not but persecute the will of God And Dauid confessed his sinne with great repentauÌ„ce at the first warnyng whensoeuer he forgot him selfe All that worke not righteousnes are not of God Nor hee that loueth not his brother For this is the tydinges which ye heard at the begynnyg that we should loue one an other and not be as Cain which was of the deuill and slew his brother And wherefore slew he him for his deedes were euill and hys brothers righteous Maruell not my brethren thoughe the worlde hate you The law of righteousnes is that we loue one an other as Christ loued vs and he that hath not this law liuyng in his hart and when the tyme is bringeth not forth the frutes therof the same is not of God but of the deuill whose byrth and properties of the same ye see described in Cain how he resisted God and persecuted the childreÌ„ of God for their belefe workes therof And as ye see in Cain and his brother Abell so shall it euer continue betwene the children of God and of the deuill vnto the worldes ende Wonder not therefore thoughe the worlde hate you We know that we are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren He that loueth not his brother abydeth in death All that hate theyr brethren are murtherers and ye know that no murtherer hath eternall lyfe abydyng in hym If thou loue thy brother in Christ and art ready to do to suffer for him as Christ dyd for thee then thou art sure thereby that thou art the sonne of God and heyre of life and deliuered froÌ„ death and damnation So haue Christen men signes to know whether they be in the state of grace or no. And on the other side he that hath no power to loue his brethren may be sure that he is in the state of death and damnation An other is this let euery man looke vpoÌ„ his hart and be sure that he which hateth his brother hath slayne hym before God is a murtherer And murtherers shal not obteine the kingdome of God Gala. 5. But are Caines brethren and the deuils children and are heyres of death and euer vnder damnation Compare the regiment of the spiritualtie which haue had the temperall sword in their handes now aboue viij hundreth yeares vnto this doctrine of Iohn Iudge whether they haue led vs truely after the steppes of Christes doctrine Hereby we are assured of loue because hee left his lyfe for vs and therfore ought we to leaue our lyues for our brethren He then that hath the substaunce of the worlde and seith his brother haue neede and shutteth vp his compassion froÌ„ him how dwelleth the loue of God in hym If we felt the loue of Christes death it would sure set our hart on fire to loue hym agayne and our brethren for his sake and should neuer cease to sâ—ay our resisting members vntill we could not onely be wel content that our brethren were in a more prosperous state then we but also vntill we could blesse them wheâ—â— they curse vs and pray for them when they persecute vs and to suffer death for theÌ„ to testifie the worde of their soules health vnto them and with loue to ouercome them and to wynne them vnto Christ If now euery Christen man ought to haue this rule of his profession before his eyes to learne it that hee should loue his brother as Christ dyd hym to depart with his lyfe for his brothers example how farre are they of from good scholers that can not finde in their hartes to depart with a litle of the aboundaunce superfluitie of their temporall goodes to helpe their neighbours neede My litle children let vs not loue in worde nor with the toung but with the dede and of a truth For thereby we know that we be of the truth and so shall we certifie our hartes in his sight If we haue power to worke then doth the worke certefie our hartes that our fayth in Christ and loue to God and our neighbour for his sake are vnfayned and that we are true children and no hypocrites And then are we bold in our coÌ„science before God And this is it that Peter meaneth 2. Pet. 1. where he biddeth vs minister in our fayth vertue godly liuing and all maner of good workes and therewith to make our vocation and election or our calling add chosing sure For the sight of the worke doth certify vs that God hath called vs and chosen vs vnto grace and mercy But and if when the time of woorking is come I fly and haue no power to worke then will our conscience accuse vs of sinne and transgressioÌ„ within the hart before God and so for feare of the rodde we dare not be bolde but draw backe and stand alooâ—e Let a childe haue neuer so mercifull a father yet if
to me as vnto the very onely anker of his saluation Not that any man hath sene the father lest peradnenture ye mistake these wordes to heare and to learne as though they pertemed to the outward senses and not rather to the mynde and inward illuminyng of the soule For no man euer saw the father although he worke secretly vpon his hart so that what so euer hee willeth we must heare and learne No man I say seeth him but he that is sent of God as I sayd before of my selfe he it is that seeth the father Now therfore say I vnto you verely verely as playnly y t who so beleueth trusteth in me he hath life euerlasting Now haue ye y t summe of this my doctrine euē my very gospel y e whole tale of all my legacy and message wherfore I am sent into the world Had M. More vnderstode this short sentence who so beleueth in me hath life euerlastyng knowne what Paule with the other Apostles preached especially Paul being a yeare a halfe amōg the Corinthiās determinyng not neither presumyng to haue knowē any other thyng to be preached them as him selfe saith then Iesus Christ that he was crucified Had M. More vnderstand this point he should neuer haue thus blasphemed Christ his sufficiēt Scriptures neither haue so belyed his Euāgelistes holy Apostles as to say they wrote not all thinges necessary for our saluation but left out things of necessitie to be beleued makyng Gods holy testamēt insufficient vnperfite First reueled vnto our fathers written oft sence by Moyses and then by his Prophetes and at last written both by his holy Euangelistes and Apostles to But turne we to Iohn agayne let More mocke still lye to I am y ◠bread of life saith Christ And no mā denyeth y ◠our fathers elders did eate Manna in the desert yet are they dead But he that eateth of this bread that is to say beleueth in me he hath life euerlastyng For it is I that am this liuely bread which am come from heauen of whom who so eate by faith shal neuer dye Here therfore it is to be noted diligently y ◠Christ meaneth as euery mā may see by y ◠eating of this bread none other thyng then the belefe in him self offred vp for our sinnes whiche faith onely iustifieth vs. Whiche sentence to declare more playnly that he would haue it noted more diligently he repeteth it yet agayn saying It is I y t am the liuely bread which am come down frō heauē who so eateth of this bread shall liue euerlastingly And to put you cleare out of doubt I shall shew you in few wordes what this matter is by what wayes I must be the Sauiour redemer of the world to giue it this life so oft rehearsed therfore now take good heede This bread which I speake of so much shall giue it you it is myne owne flesh which I must lay forth pay for the life of y ◠world Here it is now manifest that he should suffer death in his own flesh for our redēptiō to geue vs this life euerlastyng Thus now may ye see how Christes fleshe which he called bread is the spirituall foode meate of our soules Whē our soules by fayth see God the father not to haue spared his onely so deare beloued sonne but to haue deliuered him to suffer that ignominious so paynefull death to restore vs to lyfe thē haue we eaten his flesh and dronken his bloud assured firmely of the fauour of God satisfied certified of our saluation After this communication that he sayd The bread whiche I shall geue you is my flesh whiche I shall pay for the lyfe of the world yet were the carnall Iewes neuer the wiser For their vnbelief and sturdy hatred would not suffer the very spirituall sence mynde of Christes wordes to enter into theyr hartes They could not see that Christes flesh broken and crucified and not bodely eaten should be our saluation and this spiritual meate as our soules to bee fed and certified of the mercy of God and forgiuenes of our sinnes thorough his passion and not for any eatyng of his fleshe with our teeth The more ignoraunt therfore fleshly they were the more fierce were they full of indignatiō striuyng one agaynst an other saying How may this felow geue vs his flesh to eate it They stoke fast yet in his fleshe before their eyes those fleshly Iewes Wherfore no maruell though they abhorred the bodely eatyng thereof although our fleshly Papistes beyng of the Iewes carnall opinion yet abhorre it not neither ceasse they dayly to crucifie and offer him vp agayne which was once for euer and all offred as Paule testifieth And euen here sith Christ came to teache to take away all doubt and to breake strife he might his wordes otherwise declared then he hath will here after expounde them haue soluted their question saying if he had so ment as More meaneth that he would haue bene conuayed and conuersed as our iugglers sleighly can conuaye him with a few woordes into a singyng loafe or els as the Thomisticall Papistes say bene inuisible with all his dimensioned body vnder the fourme of bread transubstantiated into it And after a like Thomisticall mystery the wyne transubstantiated to into hys bloud so that they should eate his flesh and drinke his bloud after their owne carnall vnderstanding but yet in an other forme to put away all grudge of stomacke Or sith S. Iohn if he had vnderstode his maisters minde and tooke vpon hym to write his wordes would leaue this Sermon vnto the world to be read he might now haue deliuered vs and them frō this doubt But Christ would not so satisfie theyr question but aunswered Verely verely I say vnto you except ye eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye shall not haue that life in your selues He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath lyfe euerlasting and I shall styrre him vp in the last day for my flesh is very meate and my bloud the very drinke He saith not here that bread shal be transubstanciated or conuerted into his body nor yet the wyne into his bloud But now cōferre this saying to his purpose at the begynnyng where he had them worke for that meate that should neuer perish tellyng them that to beleue in hym whom God hath sent was the worke of God And who so beleueth in hym should neuer thyrst nor hunger but haue lyfe euerlastyng Conferre also this that foloweth and then shalt see it playne that his wordes be vnderstand spiritually of the belefe in his flesh crucified and his bloud shed for which belefe we bee promised euerlastyng lyfe hym selfe saying Who so beleueth in me hath life euerlastyng Here therfore their questiō how may this man giue vs his
b Dead men 408. a. not holpen by man 13. b. rewarded of the Pope 362. a Dead Saintes their miracles in the Popish Church 302. a Death of Christe why so necessary 462. a. way to saluation 257. b Death and resurrection of Christe shewed by Ionas 27. b. figured by the paschall lambe 439. b Death of Christ purchased grace for our soules 279. a Death of Christ blasphemed by Papistes 16. b Deceauyng of our selues 392. b Declaration of Adames heyres 381. b. of Christ in the old Testament 23. a Decrees deuilish 262. a Decrees of Byshops aboue Gods word 124. b Deedes not allowed without fayth 85. b. how farreforth acceptable to God 154. b Deedes of ours why euill 328. b. procedyng and not procedyng of our selues 47. b Deedes of Christ and ours their effectes 35. b Deedes not iustified by fayth are sinne 155. a Definition of the Church 250. a. of fayth in generall 42. b. of â—rue faith 64 b Definition of Popish penauÌ„ce 398. a Defender of the fayth 374. b Defiance sent from the French kyng to kyng Henry the viij 371. b Degrees of nature altered by mariage 108. b Deliueraunce by Christ why 22. a DeliuerauÌ„ce out of purgatory 366. a Deliberation of Princes in makyng warre 193. b Delight of the faithfull 379. b Deniaâ—l of helpe to our neighbour dishonoreth hym 270. a Derogation froÌ„ the dignitie of Christes bloud 70. a Derogation from Christes fayth is agaynst hys Church 187. b Description of swyne 238. a DescriptioÌ„ of Baptisme 14. b. of our iustification 330. b Desert and free gift are contraryes 19. b Desperation how it commeth 219 â–ª a. assayleth fayth 259. a Despere of mans helpe bryngeth Gods helpe 454. a Desiderius 359. a Deuilish doctrine 415. a. practises 368. b. pride 353. a. expoundyng the Scriptures by Papistes 175. a Deuill is darknes 392. a. blyndeth vs from Gods wil. 329. a. to be resisted with the sheild of fayth 62. b. euerthrowen by Christ 278. b Deuill driuen away by fayth 131. b. aduauncer of Popes 301. b Deuils and stifnecked sinners destitute of the fayth that Paule speaketh of 130. b Deuils confessed Christe to bee the sonne of God 95. b Deuils wages 100. a Deuises of the Cardinall 372. b Deuteronomium a booke of Moses commended 21. b Differences of fayth 197. a. betwene the old and new Testament 444. a. betwene the Iewes and the 〈◊〉 â—ls 44. a. betwne true faith and fayned 66. b. betwene false fayth and right 66. a Differences betwene Goddes children and the deuils 99. b. betwene Gods sinners and the deuill 199. b. betwene the fall of Peter Iudas 337. a. betwene true Sacramentes and false 156. betwene Sacramentes and sacrifices 13. b. betwene Christes naturall body and a paynted Image 281. b. betwene teachyng the people and a preacher 252. b Difference none of dayes to do good 237. a Diggyng of AbrahaÌ„s welles 184. a Dignities of shauelynges 353. a Diligence althoughe in vayne towardes our neighbour to be excused 203. b Direction of our lyfe to what ende 387. b Disciples of Antichrist 134. a Disciples of Christe were worldly mynded 106. a. had a wicked opinion of hym 25. b. doubtfull in fayth 261. a Disciples of Christe vnderstoode Christ spiritually 465. a. refuse not death for his sake 199. a Discipline vsed in y e primitiue church 496. b Dishonour of God and neighbour 269. b Dispensations purchased of the pope 329. b Dispensations for concubines 134. a Disobedience 290. b. counted a spirituall thyng 109. a Disputations backward 67. a. for superioritie 347. a Disputations of predestination not rashly to be enterprised 48. b Dissimulation of the Pope 352. a. of Papistes 19. a Dissimulation not culpable in some causes 209 a Dissembled truce 366. a Distemperaunce in eatyng and drinkyng 227. b Distrust ought not to bee in Gods prolongation of helpe 240. a Diuersities of fayth 331. b Diuision in the Church 347. b Doctrine of the Pope 412. a. 415. b. abhominable 316. b. wicked 29. b. Papisticall 360. b. of Phariseis blynd 30. a. of shauelynges vayne and obstinate 137. b. of More superstitions 317. a. of Papistes concernyng Purgatory 306 b Doctrine false causeth euill workes 199. b Doctrine of hypocrites 87. a. of Papistes nedeth miracles 301. b. with out Scripture not to be beleued 304. b Doctrine vniuersally must be examined by Gods word 414. b Doctrine of Christ peaceable 106. b Doctrine Apostolicall 408. b. of the true Church 304. a. of the Scripture 388. b. and. 304. b. of Sacramentes 320. a Doctrine of the Apostles confirmed with miracles 298. b Doctrine sincere causeth good workes 199. b Doctrine of Christ must be defended of euery man in hys owne person 198. b Doctours doubt at Christes playne wordes 205. b. differ in the opinion of the Sacrament 446. b Doctours generally call the Sacrament a sacrifice 447. b Doctour Colct 318. b Doctour Ferman a vertuous man and godly 330. a Documentes of Scripture necessary 389. b Dogges 187. a. who they be 238. a Downe fallyng sinner hath a false fayth 432. a Double signification of this woorde Church 250. a Dregges of Papistes 406. b Duns 302. a. his doctrine aduaunced 278. a Dunsticall dreames and termes 104. a Duke Hâ—â—frey 363. b. hys death 364. a Duty of kynges 137. a. of Priestes 133. b. of Ministers at the communion 476. b Duty must be done with loue 212. a E. EAre confession 339. a. a wicked deuise 367. a. destroyeth Christes benefites 320. a Eare confession and pardons neuer confirmed by miracle 319. b Earth geuen to man of God 121. b Eatyng Christes fleshe is beleuyng in Christ 467. a Eatyng Christes body bloud truly what it meaneth 463. a Eatyng y e whores flesh what 455. b Ecclesia 250. b Effect of Christe bloude 380. b. of Gods word 247. a. of his lawes 22. b. of our good deedes 158. b Effectes of fayth spirituall 43. b Elders haue erred 303. b Elders and Priestes why so named 38. a Eldest sonne of the holy seat 349. b Elect must be patient and tryed 260. a. b. haue Gods will writteÌ„ in your hartes 255. b Elect euer meditate vppon Christes kyndnes 382. b Election of the Pope confirmed by the Emperour 346. a Elias and More contrary 284. a Emanuell 408. a Emperours election to whom beloÌ„gyng 352. a Emperours haue deposed Popes Popes Emperours 364. b. theyr oth to the Pope 352. a. must not be very strong by the Popes will 365. b. abused by the Pope 350. b. not estemed of the Pope ibidem doteth 350. a Emperour setteth on the French kyng by night 372. a. came through England 371. a End of the law 193. a. of all lawes 240. b. of hypocrites 306. a End must be cast before we begyn 99. a Enemyes to Gods word 14. a Enemyes of the truth to be hated 216. a Enemyes must be ouercome with well doyng 117. b Englishmen 365. a English Byshops 114. a Enormities of auricular confession 180. b Enormities
and glory that we owe to God Therfore it foloweth in the same texte vnto hym that worketh not but beleueth in him that iustifieth the wicked is his faith imputed for righteousnes Now if our saluatioÌ„ come of fayth and not through our workes desertes then is Purgatory shut out of doore quite vanisheth away Christ sayth So hath God loued the world that hee would geue hys onely sonne that all whiche beleue in him should not perishe but that they should haue euerlasting life Iohn iij. TheÌ„ what néedeth Purgatory Thou wilt peraduenture say it is true they shall haue euerlastyng lyfe but they must first go through Purgatory I aunswere nay verely But Christ affirmeth and that with an oth that he which heareth his word and beleueth his father which sent him hath euerlastyng life Yea and that he is gone already from death vnto life Iohn v. wilt thou now say that hee shall into Purgatory forsooth if that were true and the fire also so hote as our Prelates affirme then went he not from death vnto lyfe but rather froÌ„ a small death vnto a greater death The Prophet sayth precious is in the sight of the Lord the death of his Saintes Psal C. xvi And S. Iohn sayth blessed are the dead whiche dye in the Lord. Apocal. 14. but surely if they shoulde goe into the paynefull Purgatory there to be tormented of fendes theÌ„ were they not blessed but rather wretched God sayth by Moses Exod. 33. I will shewe mercy to whom I shewe mercy and will haue compassion on whom I haue compassioÌ„ Now if our saluation be of mercy and compassioÌ„ then caÌ„ there be no such Purgatory For y t nature of mercy is to forgeue but Purgatory will haue all payde satisfied so that they twayne bee desperate and can in no wise agrée And looke how many textes in Scripture commende Gods mercy euen so many deny this paynefull Purgatory The Prophet sayth hee hath not dealt with vs after our sinnes neither hath rewarded vs accordyng to our iniquities but looke how high heauens are aboue the earth eueÌ„ so high hath he made his mercy to preuayle ouer them that worshyppe him And looke how farre the East is from the Weast euen so farre hath he set our sinnes from vs. Psal Citj And before in the same Psalme y e Prophet exhorteth his soule to prayse the Lord saying Prayse the Lord O my soule whiche forgeueth thée all thyne iniquities and healeth all thy diseases Now if this be true that he ordereth vs not accordyng to our sinnes but powreth his mercy so plenteously vppon vs if also he forgeue vs all our iniquities why should there be any such Purgatory to purge and tormeÌ„t the sely soules specially sith all was for geuen them before Wilt thou not call him a shrewed creditour whiche after he hath fréely forgeueÌ„ his debtour will yet cast him in prison for the same debt I thinke euery man would say on this maner â–ª It was in his own pleasure whether hee would forgeue it or not and then of fauour and compassion he forgaue it But now he hath forgeuen it hee doth vnrighteously to punish his debtour for it And albeit man repente his forgeuyng and afterward sue for his debt yet God can neuer repeÌ„t him selfe of his mercyable gifts Roma xi And therefore will he neuer torment vs for our trespasses no nor yet once remember them Ezech. xviij Heb. x. Sith God forgeueth the greater offences why shal he not also forgeue y t lesse He forgaue fréely much greater offeÌ„ces vnto the Publicane which knowleged him selfe to bee a sinner Luke xviij then those be for whiche men fayne that we must be tormeÌ„ted in Purgatory For there is no soule as they graunt them selues that suffreth in purgatory for great crimes mortal sinnes But onely for litle pretie pecca duliaÌ„s if a maÌ„ may be bold to vse M. Mores word and for venial sinnes Dis xxv Cap. qualis He forgaue much greater enormities vnto the théefe to whom hee sayd this day shalt thou be with me not in Purgatory but in Paradise Luke 23. He forgaue much greater to Marie Magdalene Luke vij Is his hand now shortned Is not his power as great as it was Is he not as mercyfull as euer he was why leaue we y t cisterne of liuyng water and digge vs pittes of our owne which can hold no pure water Iere. â—j why forsake we Christ which hath wholly purged vs séeke an other Purgatory of our own imaginatioÌ„ If thou beleue that Christes bloud is sufficient to purge thy sinne why sekest thou an other purgatory S. Paul sayth I desire to be losed from this body and to be with Christ Phil. i. Verely if hee had thought to haue gone thorough Purgatory hee would not haue bene so hasty For there shoulde hee haue had an hote broth and an hartlesse and so might he rather haue desired long to haue liued And therefore I suppose that he knew nothyng of Purgatory but that he rather thought as y e truth is that death should finish all his euils and so rowes and geue hym rest in losing hym from his rebbellious members whiche were solde and captiue vnder sinne All ChristeÌ„ meÌ„ should desire death as Paule doth Phil. 1. not because of their crosse and trouble whiche they suffer in this present worlde for then they sought theÌ„ selues and their own profite and not the glory of God But if we will well desire death we must first consider howe sore sinne displeaseth God our father then our owne nature and frailtie and our members so bounde vnder sinne that we caÌ„ not doe nor yet thinke a good thought of our selues 2. Cor. 3. Then shall we finde occasion to lament our lyfe not for the troubles that we suffer in it but because we be so prone vnto sinne and so continually displease God our father What desireth he that would loÌ„g lyue but dayly to heape sinne vppon sinne And therefore should we haue a will to dye bycause y t in death our sinne is finished and theÌ„ shall we no more displease God our father Now if we should fayne a Purgatory it were not possible to imagine a greater obstacle to make vs feare flye from death For sith euery man must knowledge him self a sinner 1. Iohn 1. And not beleue that Christes death were sufficieÌ„t but that he must also go to Purgatory who should depart this world with a quiet mynde The wiseman sayth The soules of the righteous are in the hande of God They séemed to dye in the eyes of the foolish their end was thought to be payne and afflictioÌ„ but they are in peace Sapi. 3. There is no maÌ„ but he must néedes graunt me that euery faythfull is righteous in the sight of God as it
the eyes of thy mynde and haue geuen thée spirituall wisedome thorough the knowledge of his word boast not thy selfe of it but rather feare and tremble for a chargeable office is committed vnto thée whiche if thou fulfill it is lyke to cost thée thy life at one tyme or other with much trouble and persecution But if thou fulfill it not then shal that office be thy damnation For S. Paule sayth Wo is to me if I preach not And by the Prophet Ezechiel God saith If I say vnto the wicked that he shall dye the death thou shew hym not of it the wicked shall dye in his iniquitie but I shal require his bloud of thy hand But peraduenture our Diuines would expounde these textes onely vpon them that are sent and haue cure of soules Wherunto I answere that euery man whiche hath the light of Gods worde reuelated vnto hym is sent when soeuer he séeth necessitie hath cure of his neighbours soule As by example If God haue geuen me my sight and I perceiue a blynde man goyng in the way which is ready for lacke of sight to fall into a pytte wherein he were lyke to perish then am I bounde by Gods commaundement to guide hym till hee were past that ieopardy or els if he perish there in where I might haue deliuered hym his bloud shal be required of my hand And lykewise if I perceiue my my neighbour lyke to perish for lacke of Christes doctrine then am I boūd to instruct hym with the knowledge that God hath geuen mee or els hys bloud shal be required of my hand Paraduenture they will say that there is all ready one appoynted to watch the pitte and therefore if any man fall into it he shall make it good and that therfore I am discharged néede to take no thought Wherunto I aunswere I would be glad that it so were Notwithstandyng if I perceaue that the watchman be a sléepe or runne to y t ale house to make good cheare or gone out of the countrey a whorehunting and thorough his necligence espy my neighbour in daunger of the pitte then am I neuerthelesse bounde to leade hym from it I thinke that God hath sent me at that tyme to saue that soule frō perishyng And the law of God and nature byndeth me therto which chargeth me to loue my neighbour as my selfe and to doe vnto hym as I would be done to And I thinke there is no mā that is in this case but he would haue hys neighbour to helpe hym and therfore is he bound to helpe his neighbour if he be in lyke ieopardy And euen thus art thou bound to geue good counsell to hym that lacketh it to distribute what soeuer talent thou hast receiued of God vnto the profite of thy neighbour Moreouer besides that ye can not auoyde this my solution yet I desire you to note how the text it selfe which I alleged doth condemne your vayne obiection the wordes are these Ezech. iij. If I say vnto the wicked that he shall dye the death and thou shewe him not of it the wicked shall die in his iniquitie but I shall require his bloud of thy hande Marke I pray you that the Prophet saith not as you obiect that he which should shewe the wicked his iniquitie and doth not so shall perish only and the wicked hym selfe to be saued bicause his faut was told him by him which take charge to teach him But contrarywise y e wicked shall perishe in his iniquitie saith God by his prophet Ezechiel and his bloud shall be required of the hand of him which should haue instructed him in the truthe If God haue geuen thée faythe in Christes bloude be not proude of it but feare for sith God hathe not spared the naturall braunches I meane the Iewes which were hys elect people sith he spared not the angels that sinned but hath cast them into hell to be reserued vnto iudgement sithe he spared not the olde worlde but ouerwhelmed them with waters deliueryng Noe the preacher of righteousnes take héede lest he also spare not thée Truth it is that where fayth is present no sinne can be imputed but this faith is not in thy power for it is the gift of God And therfore if thou be vnkynde endeuour not thy selfe to walke innocently to bryng forth the fruites of fayth it is to be feared that for thyne vnkyndnesse God will take it from thée and hyer out his vyneyard to an other whiche shall restore the fruite in due seasō and then shall thyne end be worse then thy begynnyng Let vs therfore with feare and tremblyng séeke our health and make stable our vocation and electiō mortifiyng our members and man of sinne by exercising our selues in Christes preceptes that we may be the children of our father that is in heauen and felow heyers with our Sauiour and brother Christ Iesu If God haue geuen thée riches thou mayst not thincke that he hath committed them vnto thée for thine owne vse only but that he hath made thée a stuard ouer them to destribute them to the profite of the commontie For indéede thou art not the verye owner of them but God is the owner whiche sayth by the Prophet Agge Golde is mine and siluer is mine and he hath committed them for a ceason to thy hande to sée whether thou wilt be faythfull in distributing thys wicked Mammon according to his commaundementes And that it so is thou mayst well note by the parable of the riche man whych was clothed in silke and fared delicately in this worlde and after was buryed in hell Wheruppon S. Gregory noteth that he was not damned because he despoiled any other mans but because he did not distribute his own as y t processe of y ◠Text doth also well declare Wherefore if we must geue accompts of all that is geuē vs then haue we litle cause to glory but rather to feare and tremble and to count him most happy to whom least is committed For God to whom this accomptes must be made can not be deluded although the world may be blinded If God haue geuen thée thy perfite limmes and members then gette to some occupation and woorke wyth thyne owne handes that thy members which are whole and perfite may minister to theyr necessitie that lacke theyr members for that is acceptable in the sight of God and the contrarye so detestable that if thou withdraw thy members from ayding thy neighboures thou shalt of God be recounted for a théefe and a murtherer And therfore I affirme that all our holy hypocrites and idle bellyed Monkes chanons and priestes whether they be regulare or seculare if they laboure not to preache Gods woorde are théeues and also murtherers for they maintaine their strong members in idlenesse which ought to labour for the profite of theyr neyghboures that theyr perfite members might minister vnto the necessitie
manducauit Moses manna māducauit Aaron manducauit Phinees manducauerunt ibi multi qui Deo placuerūt mortui non sunt Quare quia visibilem cibum spiritualiter intellexerunt spiritualiter esurierunt spiritualiter gustauerunt vt spiritualiter satiarentur Omnes eandem escam spiritualem manducauerunt omnes eūdem potum spiritualem biberunt spiritualem vtique eandem nam corporalem alteram quia illi manna nos aliud spiritualem vero eandem quam nos Vt omnes eundem potum spiritualem biberunt aliud illi aliud nos sed specie visibili quod tamen hoc idem significaret virtute spirituali Quomodo eundem potum bibebant inquit Apostolus de spirituali sequenti petra petra autem erat Christus That is to say Moses also dyd eate Manna and Aaron and Phinées dyd eate of it and many other dyd there eate of it whiche pleased God and are not dead Wherefore Because they vnderstode the visible meate spiritually They were spiritually an hungred they tasted it spiritually that they might spiritually be replenished They dyd all eate y e same spirituall meate and all dranke the spirituall drinke Euen the same spirituall meate albeit an other bodely meate for they dyd eate Manna and we eate an other thyng but they dyd eate the same spirituall which we do And they all dyd drinke the same spirituall drinke They drāke one thyng and we an other but that was in the outward apparence which neuerthelesse dyd signifie the same thyng spiritually How dranke they the same drinke They sayth the Apostle dranke of y e spirituall stone folowyng them and that stone was Christ And thereunto Beda added these wordes Videte autem fide manente signa variata That is to say Beholde that the signes are altered and yet the fayth abydeth one Of these places you may playnly perceiue not onely that it is no article necessary to be beleued vnder payne of damnation seyng the old fathers neuer beleued it And yet dyd eate Christ in fayth both before they had the Manna more expresly through the Manna with no lesse frute when the Manna was ceassed And albeit the Manna was to them as the Sacrament is to vs and they eate euen the same spirituall meate that we do yet were they neuer so mad as to beleue that the Manna was chaunged into Christes owne naturall body But vnderstode it spiritually that as the outward man dyd eate the materiall Manna which comforted the body so dyd the inward man thorough fayth eate the body of Christ beleuyng that as that Manna came down from heauen and comforted their bodyes so should their Sauiour Christ which was promised them of God y e father come downe from heauen strength their soules in euerlastyng life redeming them from their sinne by his death and resurrection And likewise do we eate Christ in fayth both before we come to the Sacrament and more expressely through y e Sacrament and with no lesse fruite after we haue receaued the sacramēt and néede no more to make it his naturall body then the manna was but might much better vnderstand it spiritually that as the outwarde man doth eate the materiall breade which comforteth the bodie so doth the inwarde man through fayth eate y ◠bodye of Christe beleuyng that as the the bread is broken so was Christes bodye broken on the crosse for our sinnes whiche comforteth our soules vnto life euerlasting And as y e fayth did saue them without beleuyng that the manna was altered into his bodie euen so doth thys fayth saue vs although we beleue not that the substaunce of bread is turned into hys naturall bodye For the same fayth shall saue vs which saued them And we are bound to beleue no more vnder payne of damnation then they were bound to beleue They beleued in God the father almighty maker of heauen and earth and all that is in them They did beleue that Christe was the sonne of God They did beleue that he shoulde take our nature of a vyrgin They beleued that he should suffer the death for our deliueraunce which thyng was signified in all the sacrifices and besides that testified in euery Prophet for there was verely not one Prophet but he spake of that poynt They beleued y t his soule should not be left in hell but that he should arise frō death and reigne euerlastyng with hys father And to be short there is no poynt in our Créede but y ◠they beleued it as wel as we do those articles are onely necessary vnto saluatiō For them am I bound to beleue am damned without excuse if I beleue them not But the other pointes contayned in scripture although they be vndoubted verities yet may I be saued without them As be it in case y ◠I neuer heard of them or when I heare of them I can not vnderstand them nor comprehēd them or that I feare them and vnderstād them and yet by the reason of an other texte misconstrue them as the Bohemes do the wordes of Christ in the 6. chapter of Iohn All these I say may bee done without any ieoperdie of damnatiō In euery text is but onely one veritie for which it was spoken and yet some textes there be whiche of Catholicke Doctours are expounded in vj. or vij sondry fashions Therfore we beleue these articles of our Crede in the other is no perill so that we haue a probable reason to dissent from them But now to returne to our purpose if we will examine the authorities of S. Austen Beda before alledged we shall espy that beside the probation of this foresayd proposition they opē the mistery of all our matter to them that haue eyen to sée For S. Austen sayth that we and the old fathers do differ as touchyng y e bodely meate for they dyd eate Manna and we bread but albeit it varyed in y e outward appearaunce yet neuerthelesse spiritually it dyd signifie one thyng For both the Manna and bread do signifie Christ And so both they and we do eate one spiritual meate that is to say we both eate the thing which signifieth and representeth vnto vs the very one spirituall meate of our soules whiche is Christ And Beda doth playnly call both the Māna and the bread signes saying behold that the signes are altered and yet y e fayth abideth one Now if they be signes then they do signifie are not the very thing it selfe which they do signifie for y e signe of a thyng differeth frō the thyng it selfe which it doth signifie and represent As the alepole is not the ale it selfe which it doth signifie or represent Here thou wilt obiecte agaynst me that if this faith be sufficient what néedeth the institutiō of a Sacrament I aunswere that Sacramentes are instituted for thrée causes The first is assigned of S. Austen which sayth on this maner In nullum autem
were in number but 25. thousand And the Israelites were 400. thousand fighting men which came into Silo and asked of God who should be theyr Captaine agaynst Beniamin And they being but 25. thousand slue of the other Israelites 12. thousand in one day Then fledde the children of Israell vnto the Lord in Silo made great lamentation before hym euen vntill night and asked hym counsell saying shall we go any more to fight agaynst the tribe of Beniamin our brethren or not God sayd vnto them yes goe vp and sight agaynst them Thē went they the next day fought agaynst them and there were slaine agayne of the Israelites 18. thousand men Then came they backe agayne vnto the house of God and sat down and wept before the Lord and fasted that day vntill euen and asked hym agayn whether they should any more fight agaynst theyr brethren or not God sayd vnto them yes to morrow I will deliuer them into your handes And the next day was y e tribe of Beniamin vtterly destroyed sauyng 600. men which hid thē selues in the wildernes Here it is euident that the children of Israell loste the victorye twise and yet notwithstanding had a iust cause and fought at Gods commaundement Besides that Iudas Machabeus was slaine in a righteous cause as it is manifest in the first booke of the Machabées And therfore it can be no euident argument of the vengeance of God that he was slaine in battell in a righteous cause and therefore me thinketh that thys man is too malaparte so bluntly to enter into Gods iudgement and geue sentence in that matter before he be called to counsell Thus haue I sufficiently touched hys Preface for those pointes y e he afterward touched more largely haue I willingly passed because I shall touch thē earnestly hereafter Now let vs sée what heproueth ¶ It ys a great wonder to see vppon how light and sleight occasiōs he is fallē vnto these abhominable heresies For he denieth not nor cā not say nay but that our Sauiour sayd him selfe my fleshe is verely meate my bloud is verely drinke he denieth not also that Christ him selfe at his last Supper takyng the bread into his blessed handes after that he had blessed it sayd vnto his disciples Take you this and eate it this is my body that shal be geuen for you And likewise gaue thē the chalice after his blessyng and consecracion and sayd vnto them this is the chalice of my bloud of the new testament which shal be shed out for many do ye this in remembrance of me ¶ It is a great wonder to see how ignoraunt their proctour is in the playne textes of scripture For if he had any Iudgmēt at all he might wel perceiue y ◠when Christ spake these wordes my flesh is verely meate and my bloud is verely drinke he spake nothing of y e sacramēt For it was not institute vntill his last supper And these wordes were spokē to y e Iewes long before ment them not of y e carnall eatyng or drynking of his bodye or bloud but of the spirituall eating which is done by fayth and not with tothe or bellye Wherof S. Austyn sayth vppon his gospell of Iohn why preparest thou other tothe or bellye beleue and thou hast eaten him So y e Christes words must here be vnderstāded spiritually And that he calleth hys fleshe very meat because that as meate by the eating of it disgetting it in our bodye doth strengthen these corruptible mēbres so likewise doth Christes fleshe by the beleuing that it taketh our sinne vpon it selfe suffered the death to deliuer vs strengthen our immortall soule And likewise as drinke when it is dronken doth comfort and quicken our frayle nature So likewise doth Christes bloud by the drinkyng of it into the bowelles of our soule that it is by the beleuing and remembring that it is shed for our sinnes comfort and quicken our soule vnto euerlasting lyfe And this is the eating and drinking y e he speaketh of in that place And that it is so you may perceaue by the text following which sayth he that eateth my body drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him which is not possible to be vnderstād of the sacrament For it is false to say that he y e eateth the sacrament of his body and drinketh the sacrament of his bloud dwelleth in Christ and Christ in hym For some man receiueth it vnto his condemnation And thus doth Saint Austen expound it sayinge Hoc est enim Christum manducare in illo manere illum manentem in se habere This is the very eating of Christ to dwell in him to haue him dwelling in vs So y e who so euer dwelleth in Christ y e is to say beleueth y ◠he is sēt of God to saue vs from our sinnes doth verely eate and drinke his body and bloud although he neuer receiued the sacrament This is y e spirituall eating necessary for all y ◠shal be saued for there is no man that cōmeth to God wtout this eating of Christ that is the beleuing in hym And so I denye not but that Christ speaketh these wordes but surely he ment it spiritually as Saint Austen declareth and as the place playnely proueth And as touching y e other wordes y e Christ spake vnto hys disciples at the last Supper I deny not but y ◠he sayd so but y ◠he so fleshly ment as ye falsly faine I vtterly deny For I say y e his wordes were then also sprite life were spiritually to be vnderstāded y e he called it his body For a certaine propertie euen as he cauled him self a very vyne his disciples dery vine braunches and as he cauled himselfe a dore not y e he was so in dede but for certaine properties in the similytudes as a mā for some propertie sayeth of his neighhours horsse this horsse is mine vp and downe meaning that it is in euery thing so like And lyke as Iacob builded an aulter and cauled it the house of God as Iacob called y e place where he wrastled with the aungell the face of God and as the pascall lambe was cauled the passing by of the Lord. And as a broken potsherd was cauled Hierusalem not for that they were so in dede but for certaine similitudes in the properties and that the very name itself might put men in remēbraunce what is ment by the thing as I sufficiently declared in my first treatise He must nedes confesse that they that beleue that it is the very body and his very bloud in dede haue the playne wordes of our sauiour him selfe vpon their side for the ground foundacion of their fayth That is very true and so haue they y e very wordes of god which say that a broken potsherd is Hierusalem and that Christ is a stone
and that Christ is a vine and a dore And yet yf they should beleue or thinke that he were in dede any of these things they were spirituall and neuerthelesse deceiued For though he so sayd yet I say hys woordes were spiritually to bee vnderstanded And where you say that I flye from the fayth of playne and open scriptures for the allegory destroy the true sence of the letter I aūswere that some textes of Scripture are onely to be vnderstand after the letter as when Paule sayeth Christ died for our sinnes and arose agayne for our iustification And some textes are onely to be vnderstand spiritually or in the way of allegory As when Paule sayth Christ was the stone when Christ sayth him selfe I am a very vyne I am the doore and some must be vnderstand both litterally spiritually As when God sayd out of Egipt cauled I my sonne which although it were literally fulfilled in the childrē of Israell whē he brought them out of Egipt with great power and wonders yet was it also ment verified in Christ hymselfe his very spirituall sonne which was cauled out of Egipt after y e death of Herod And agayne it is very spiritually fulfilled in vs whiche through Christes bloud are deliuered frō the Egypt of sinne from the power of Pharao y ◠deuil And I say that this text of scripture This is my body is onely spiritually to be vnderstand not litterally And y e doth S. Austen also cōfirme which writeth vnto Adamantus and sayth These sentenses of scripture Christe was the stone the bloude is the soule and this is my body are figuratiuelie to bee vnderstande that is to say spiritually or by the waye of an allegorie and thus haue I Saint Augustin wholly on my side whiche thing shall yet heare after more plainly appeare Now his example of his bridegromes ring I very well alow for I take the blessed sacrament to beleft with vs for a very token and a memoriall of Christ in dede but I say that the hole substaunce of the same token and memoriall is his owne blessed bodie And so I say that Christ hath left vs a better token then this man would haue vs take it for therin he fareth like a man to whō a bridgrome had deliuered a goodly gold ryng with a riche rubie therein to deliuer his bride for a tokē And thē he would like a false shrewe keepe away that gold ring geue the bride in stede therof a proper ring of a rishe and tell her that the bridgrome would send her no better Or els like one that when the bridgrome had geuē such a ryng of golde to hys bride for a token will tell her plaine and make her beleue that the ring were but coper or brasse to minishe the bridgromes thanke I am right glad y e ye admit myne example and graunt that the sacrament is left to be a very token and a memoriall of Christ in déede But where you say that the whole substaunce of the same token and memoriall is his owne blessed bodye that is soner sayd then proued For S. Austen sheweth the cōtrary as it is partly before touched and here after shal be declared more plainelye where you say that we fare like a false shrew that would kepe the gold ring from y e bride and geue her a ring of a rishe or tell her that her golde ring were copper or brasse to minish the bridegromes thanke I aunswere that we denye not but that the ring is most fine gold and is set with as rich Rubyes as can be gotten For that ryng I meane the Sacrament is not onely a most perfite token and a memoriall of the bridgromes benefites and vnfayned fauour on his partie but it is also on the other partie Eucharistia that is to say a thankes geuyng for the gracious giftes which she vndoubtedly knowledgeth her selfe to haue receiued For as verely as that bread is broken among them so verely was Christes body brokē for their sinnes And as verely as they receiue that bread into their bellye thorough eating it so verely do they receiue the frute of his death into their soules by beleuyng in hym And therefore they assemble to that Supper not for the valure of the bread wyne or meate that is there eaten but for the entent to geue hym thankes commonly among thē all for his inestimable goodnes But to procéede vnto our purpose if a man would come vnto the bryde and tel her that this goodly gold ryng were her owne bridgrome both flesh bloud and bones as you do thē I thinke if she haue any wytte she might aunswere him that he mocked and the more he sayd it the lesse she might beleue him and say that if that were her owne bridgrome what should she then néede any remēbraūce of hym or why should hee geue it her for a remembraunce For a remembraunce presupposeth the thyng to be absent and therefore if this be a remembraunce of hym then can he not here be present I maruell me therfore much that hee is not afearde to affirme that these wordes of Christ of his body and of his bloud must needes be vnderstand by waye of a similitude or an allegorye as the woordes bee of the vyne and the doore Nowe this he wottes well that though some wordes spoken by the mouth of Christ be to be vnderstand onely by way of a similitude or an allegory yet foloweth it not thereupon that euery like word of Christ in orher places was no other but an allegory for such was the shift and cauillation that the wicked Arrians vsed which tooke frō Christes person his omnipotent Godhead I graunt that the Arrians erred for as M. More sayth though in some place a word be taken figuratiuely it foloweth not therfore in euery other place it should likewise be taken But one question must I aske his mastershyp how doth he know that there is any worde or text in Scripture that must be taken figuratiuely that is by the way of a similitude or as hee calleth it a necessary allegory I thinke though some men may assigne other good causes and euidences that the first knowledge is by other textes of Scripture For if other textes be conferred vnto it and wil not stand with the litterall sence thē I thinke it must néedes be takē spiritually or figuratiuely as there are infinite textes in Scripture Now when I sée that S. Thomas which felt christ his woūds and put his finger in his side called hym his Lord and God and that no text in scripture repugneth vnto the same but that they may well stand together me thinketh it were foly to affirme that this worde God in that text should be taken figuratiuely or by way of an allegory But now in our matter the processe of Scripture will not stand with the litterall sense as
dare presume so to depresse hys prerogatiue and not onely to say but also to publishe it in Print that notwithstanding his graces safe conduite they might lawfully haue burnt hym But here he would say vnto me as he doth in his booke that hee had forfayted his safeconduite and therby was fallen into his enemyes handes Whereunto I aunswere that this your saying is but a vayne glose For I my selfe dyd read the safeconduite that came vnto hym which had but onely this one condition annexed vnto it that if he came before the feast of Christmasse then next insueing he should haue frée libertie to departe at his pleasure And this condition I know was fulfilled how should hée then forfayte his safeconduite But M â–ª More hath learned of his masters our Prelates whose proctour he is to depresse our Princes prerogatiue that men ought not to kéepe any promise with heretickes And so his safe conduite could not saue hym As though the Kynges grace might not admitte any man to go and come fréely into his graces realme but that he must haue leaue of our Prelates For els they might lay heresie agaynst the person and so slay hym coÌ„trary to the Kyngs safeconduite which thyng all wise men do know to be preiudiciall to his graces prerogatiue royall And yet I am sure that of all y â— tyme of hys beyng here you caÌ„ not accuse hym of one cryme albeit vnto your shame you say that hee had forfaited his safe conduite These wordes had ben very extreme and worthy to haue bene looked vpon although they had bene written by some presumptuous Prelate But that a lay man so hyghly promoted by his Prince should speake them and also cause them openlye to be published among his graces commons to reiect the estimation of hys royall power doth in my mynde deserue correction Notwithstandyng I leaue the iudgement and determination vnto the discretion of his graces honorable counsell And as for that holy prayer that this deuote young man as a newe Christ teacheth to make at the receiuyng of this blessed Sacrament all his congregation I would not geue the paryng of a peare for hys prayer though it were better then it is pullyng away the true fayth therefro as he doth How beit hys prayer there is so deuised and penned and paynted with laysure and study that I trust euery good Christen woman maketh a much better prayer at the tyme of her housell by faythâ—ull affection and by Gods good inspiration sodenly Frith is an vnmete master to teach vs what we should pray at the receiuyng of the blessed Sacrament when he wil not knowledge it as it is but take Christes blessed body for nothyng but bare bread and so litle esteme the receiuyng of the blessed Sacrament that he forceth litle whether it be blessed or not Where he discoÌ„mendeth my prayer sayth that I am an vnméete master to teach men to pray seing I take away the true faith from it and sayth that euery woman can make a better when she receiueth the Sacrament I would to God that euery woman were so well learned that they could teach vs both And surely I intended not to prescribe to all men that prayer onely but hoped to helpe the ignoraunt that they might either speake those wordes or els takyng occasion at them to say some other to y e laude and prayse of God And as for your fayth which you call the true fayth must I néedes improue For it will not stand with the true text of Scripture as it playnly appeareth But to the fayth in Christes bloud I exhorte all men and teach them to eate hys body with fayth and not with téeth which is by hauyng hys death in continual remembraunce and digestyng it into the bowels of theyr soule And because you so sore improue my prayer to conclude my aunswere agaynst you I will write agayne And let all men Iudge between vs. Blessed be thou most deare mercyfull father whiche of thy tender fauour and benignity notwithstaÌ„ding our greuous enormities committed agaynst thée vouchsauedst to sende thyne owne and onely deare sonne to suffer most vyle death for our redemption Blessed be thou Christ Iesu our Lord and Sauiour whiche of thyne aboundaunt pitie consideryng our miserable estate willingly tookest vppon thée to haue thy most innocent body broken and bloud shed to purge vs and wash vs which are laden with iniquitie And to certifie vs thereof hast left vs not onely thy word which may instructe our hartes but also a visible token to certifie euen our outward seÌ„ses of this great benefite that we should not doubt but that the body and fruite of thy passion are ours through faith as surely as the bread whiche by our senses we know that we haue with in vs. Blessed be also that spirite of veritie whiche is sent froÌ„ God our father through our Sauiour Christ Iesu to lighteÌ„ our darke ignoraunce leade vs through fayth into the knowledge of hym whiche is all veritie Strength we beseech thée our frayle nature and increase our fayth that we may prayse God our most mercyfull father and Christ hys sonne our Sauiour and redemer Amen The Pascall lambe and our sacrament are here compared togither NOw we shall shortly expresse the pith of our matter and borow the figure of the Pascall lambe which is in all pointes so lyke that the offeryng of the Pascall lambe did signisie the offering of Christes body is playne by Paul which sayth Christ our paschall lambe is offered vp for vs. When the children of Israell were very sad and heuye for their sore oppression vnder the power of Pharao for the more myracles were shewed y e worse were they handeled God sent vnto them by Moyses y t euery houshold should kill a lambe to be a sacrifice vnto God and that they should eate him with their staues in their handes their loynes girded showes on their féete eueÌ„ as meÌ„ y t were going an hasty Iorney This lambe must they eate hastely and make a mery maundye Now because they should not say that they could not bee mery for their oppression and what could the lambe helpe them he added glad tydynges vnio it and sayd this is the passing by of the Lord. Which this night shall passe by you and slay all y e first begotten with in the Land of Egipt shall deliuer you out of your bondage and bring you into y e land that hée hath promised vnto yourfathers Marke the processe and conueyaunce of this matter for euen likewise it is in our sacrament The Apostels were sad and heauie partlye coÌ„sidering y e bondage of sinne wherwith they were opressed partly because hee told them that he must departe froÌ„ them in whoÌ„ they did put all their hope of their deliueraunce While they were in this heauynes Christ thought to coÌ„fort theÌ„ to geue them the seale
also committed Idolatry in déede And therfore S. Paule said vnto thē My deare beloued flée from worshipping of Idols I speake vnto them which haue discretiō Iudge ye what I say Is not y e cup of blessing which we blesse the fellowship of the bloud of Christ Is not the bread which we breake the fellowship of the bodye of Christ For we though we be many are yet one bread and one body in as much as we are partakers of one bread Christ did call him selfe bread and the bread his bodye And here Paule calleth vs bread and the bread our body Now may you not take Paule that he in thys place should directly expound Christes minde And that the very exposition of Christes wordes when he sayd this is my body should be that it was the fellowship of hys body as some say which seeking the key in this place of Paule locke them selues so faste in that they can finde no way out For Christ spake those wordes of his owne body which should be geuen for vs but the fellowship of Christes body or congregation was not geuē for vs. And so he ment not as Paule here sayth but ment his owne bodye For as Paule calleth the bread our body for a certaine propertie euen so doth Christ call it his body for certaine other properties In that y e bread was broken it was Christes owne body signifying that as that bread was broken so should hys body be broken for vs. In that it was distributed vnto hys disciples it was hys owne bodye signifying that as verely as y ◠bread was distributed vnto them so verely should the death of his body and fruit of his passion bee distributed to all faythfull folke In that the bread strengtheneth our bodyes it is hys own body signifying that as our bodyes are strengthened and comforted by bread so are our soules by y t fayth in hys body breaking And likewyse of the wine in that it was so distributed and so comforteth vs and maketh vs mery Furthermore the bread and wine haue an other propertie for the which it is called our body For in that the bread is made one bread of many graines or cornes it is our body signifying that we though we bee many are made one bread that is to say one body And in that the wine is made one wine of many grapes it is our bodye signifying that though we are many yet in Christ through Christ we are made one body members to ech other But in thys thyng Paule and Christ agrée For as Paul calleth the bread our body and vs the bread because of thys propertie that it is made one of many euen so doth Christ call it hys body because of the proporties before rehearsed Furthermore in thys they agrée that as Paules wordes must be taken spiritually for I thinke there is no man so mad as to iudge that the breade is our body in deede although in that propertie it representeth our body euen so must Christes wordes be vnderstand spiritually that in those properties it representeth his very body Now when we come together to receaue thys bread then by the receauing of it in the congregation we doe openly testifie that we all which receaue it are one body professing one God one fayth and one baptisme and that the body of Christ was broken and his bloud shed for remission of our sinnes Now sith we so do we may not company nor fit in the congregation or fellowship of them that offer vnto Idols and eate before thē For as Paule sayth ye cā not drinke the cup of the Lorde and the cup of the deuils ye can not be partakers of the table of the Lord and of the table of the deuills I would not that you should haue fellowship with deuills The heathen which offered vnto Idolls were the fellowship of deuils not because they eate the deuills body or dranke the deuils bloud but because they beleued put their confidence in the Idoll or deuill as in their God and all that were of that fayth had their ceremonies and gaue hartye thākes to their God with that feast which they kept They came to one place and brought their meate before the Idoll and offered it and with their offering gaue vnto the deuill godly honour And then they sat down and eate the offering together geuing prayse and thankes vnto their God and were one body and one fellowship of y t deuill which they testify by eating of that offering before that idole Now doth S. Paule reprehend the Corinthians for bearyng the gentiles companye in eating before the Idole For they know that the meate was like other meate And therefore thought them selues frée to eate it or leaue it But they perceiued not that that congregregation was the fellowship of deuiles which were there gathered not for the meat sake but for to thanke and prayse the Idole there God in whō they had their confidēce And all that there assembled and dyd there eate and did openly testifie y t they al were one body professing one fayth in their God that Idole So Paule rebuked them for because y t by there eating in that place and fellowship they testefied openly that they were of the deuils body and reioysed in the Idole their God in whō they had fayth and confidence And therfore fayth Paule that they cā not both drinke the cup of the Lord testifying hym to be their God in whom onely they haue trust and affiaunce the cup of the deuill testifiyng y t Idole to bée their God and refuge Here you may note that the meate and the eatyng of it in this place fellowshyp is more theny t cōmon meate and eatyng in other places For elles they myght lawfully haue dronkē the deuils cup with them the one day the cup of the Lord the next day with hys Disciples What was it more verely it was meate which by the eatyng of it in that place and felowship dyd testifie openly vnto all men that he was their God whose cuppe they dranke and before whom they eate in that felowshyp and so in their eating they praysed and honored the idole And therfore they that had their trust in the lyuing God and in the bloud of his sonne Christ might not eate with them And lykewise it is the in sacrament the bread and the eatyng of it in the place and felowshyp where it is receiued is more then common bread What is it more Verely it is bread which by y t eatyng of it in that place and felowshyp doth testifie openly vnto all men that he is our very God whose cup we drinke and before whom we eate in that felowship that we put all our afsiaūce in hym and in the bloud of hys sonne Christ Iesu geuyng God all honour infinite thankes for his great loue wherwith he loued vs as it is testified in the bloud of hys
remēbraunce of his body breakyng and bloud shedyng and that we shuld eate it together reioysing with ech other declaryng hys benefites Now were the Corinthians fallen from this hunger and came not together to the intent that Gods prayse should bee published by them in the middest of the congregatiō but came to féede their flesh and to make carnal cheare In so much that y t rich would haue meate and drinke inough and take such aboundaunce y t they would be dronke and so made it their owne per not the Lordes as Paule saith and did eate onely the bread meate and not the body breaking as I haue before said the poore which had not that is to say that had no meate to eate were ashamed and hungry and so could not reioyse and prayse the Lord by the reason that the delicate fare of the riche was an occasion for the poore to lament their pouertie and thus the rich dyd neither prayse God them selues nor suffered the poore to doe it but were an occasion to hynder them They should haue brought theyr meate and drinke and haue deuided it with their poore brethren that they might haue been mery together and so to haue geuen them occasion to be mery and reioyse in the Lorde with thankes geuyng But they had neither lust to prayse God nor to comfort their neighbour Their fayth was féeble and their charitie cold and had no regard but to fill their body and féede their flesh And so despised y t poore cōgregation of God whom they should haue honoured for y t spirite that was in them fauour that God had shewed indifferently vnto them in y ◠bloud of hys sonne Christ When Paule perceiued that they were thus fleshly mynded and had no mynde vnto that spirituall maundy which chiefly shuld ther bee aduertised hée reproueth thē sore rehearsing y t wordes of Christ That which I gaue vnto you I receiued of the Lord. For the Lord Iesus the same night in the which hee was betrayed tooke bread and thanked and brake it and said take ye and eate ye this is my bodye which is broken for you this do ye in the remembraunce of me After the same maner hee tooke the cup when supper was done saying this cuppe is the new Testament in my bloud this doe ye as ofte as ye drinke it in the remembraunce of me For as oft as ye shall eate this bread drinke of this cup ye shall shew the Lordes death til he come As though hée should say ye Corinthians are much to blame whiche at this Supper séeke the foode of your flesh For it was institute of Christ not for the intent to norishe the belly but to strēghten the hart and soule in God And by this you may know that Christ so meant For he calleth it hys body which is geuen for you so that the name it selfe might testifie vnto you that in this supper you should more eate his body whiche is geuen for you by digestyng that into the bowels of your soule then the bread which by the breakyng and the distributyng of it doth represent his body breakyng and the distributyng therof vnto all that are faythful And that bée so meaneth is euident by the wordes folowyng which say this do in the remembrance of mee and likewyse of the cuppe And finally concludyng of both Paule sayth as often as ye shall eate this bread drinke of this cuppe in this place and felowshyp ye shall shew y t Lordes death vntill hée come praysing the Lord for the death of his sonne and exhortyng other to doe the same reioysing in hym with infinite thākes And therfore ye are to blame whiche séeke onely to féede the belly with that thyng which was onely institute to féede the soule And theruppon it foloweth Wherfore who soeuer doth eate of this bread and drinke of this cup vnworthely is gilty of the body and bloud of the Lorde He eateth this bread vnworthely which regardeth not the purpose for the which Christ dydinstitute it which cōmeth not to it with spirituall hūger to eate through fayth his very body which the bread representeth by the breaking and disstributing of it which commeth not with a mery hart geuing God harty thankes for their deliueraunce from sinne Which doe not much more eate in their hart y t death of his body then they doe the bread with their mouth Now sith the Corinthyans did onlye séeke their belly and flesh and forgat Gods honour and prayse for which it was instituted y ◠thākes should be geuen by the remembrance of his body breaking for vs they eate it to Gods dishonour to their neighboures hinderaunce to their owne condemnation so for lacke of fayth were giltye of Christes body which by fayth they should there chiefely haue eaten to their soules health And therefore it followeth †Let a man therfore examyne him selfe and so let him eate of the bread and drinke of the cuppe THis prouing or examinyng of a mans selfe is first to thinke with him selfe with what lust and desire he cōmeth vnto the maundy will eate that bread whether he be sure that he is the child of God and in the faith of Christ And whether his cōscience do beare him witnesse that Christes body was broken for him And whether the lust y t he hath to prayse God and thanke hym with a faythfull hart in the middes of the bretheren do driue hym thether warde Or els whether he do it for y t meates sake or to kéepe the custome for then were it better that he were away For he that eateth or drinketh vnworthely eateth and drinketh his owne damnation becaufe he maketh no differēce of the Lordes body That is as it is sayd before he that regardeth not the purpose for which it was instituted putteth no difference betwene his eating and other eating for other eating doth onely serue the bellye but this eating was instituted and ordayned to serue the soule and inward man And therfore he that abuseth it to the flesh eateth and drinketh his owne damnation And he commeth vnworthelye to the maundye where the sacrament of Christes body is eaten ye where the body of the Lord is eaten not carnally with the téeth and bellye but spiritually with the hart and faith Vpon this followeth the text that M. More allegeth and wresteth for his purpose For this cause many are weake sicke among you and many sléepe yf we had truely Iudged our selues we should not haue béene Indged when we are Iudged of the Lorde we are chastened because we should not bée damned wich the world Wherfore my bretheren whē ye come togither to eate tary one for an other Yf a man hunger let him eate at home that ye come not togither vnto condemnation For this cause that is for lacke of good examinyng of our selues as is before touched many are weake and sicke in
of Iuye it is a signe and signifieth that there is wine to bee sold And this sacrament signifieth vnto vs and poynteth out before our eyes that as verely as that bread is broken so verely was Christes body broken for our sinnes and as that bread is distributed vnto vs so is his body fruite of hys passion distributed vnto all his faythfull And as the bread comforteth the body so doth y e fayth in Christes death comfort our soules And as surely as we haue that bread and eate it with our mouth and téeth know by our senses that we haue it within vs are partakers therof no more néede we to doubte of hys body and bloude but that thorough fayth wee are as sure of them as we are sure of that bread As it is sufficiently declared in my booke Agayne you may perceyue how wickedly they report on vs which affirme that we dishonour it whiche geue it the right honour that it ought to haue And you doe playnly dishonour it whiche geue vnto it the honor that is onely due vnto God We geue it the same honour that we geue vnto the holy Scripture and word of God because it expresseth vnto our senses the death of our Sauiour and doth more déepely Print it within vs. And therefore we call it an holy Sacrament as we call Gods word holy Scripture And we receiue this Sacrament with great reuerence euen as we reuerently read or heare preached the holy word of God which cōteineth the health of our soules And we graunt that his body is present with the bread as it is with the word and with both it is verely receiued eaten through faith But if we should knéele downe and pray vnto the holy Scripture men might coūt vs fooles might lawfully say that we doe not honour the scripture by that meanes but rather dishonour it For the right honour of a thyng is to vse it for that intent that it was instituted of God And hee that abuseth it to any other purpose doth in déede dishonour it And lykewise it is in the Sacrament which was instituted to kéepe in memory the death of Christ which if we doe any otherwise honour then we doe the holy Scripture vnto y t which we may in no wise make our prayers I say that then we should vtterly dishonour it Auoyde therfore this poynt of Idolatry and all is safe Finally we say that they speake well faythfully whiche say that they goe to the body and receiue the body of Christ and that they speake vilanously and wickedly whiche say that they onely receiue bread or the signe of hys body for in so saying they declare their infidelitie For the faythful will reckon that hée is euill reported of and reputed for a traytour and an other Iudas if mē should say of hym that hée dyd onely receiue the Sacrament and not also the thyng whiche the Sacrament doth signifie For albeit hée onely eateth the bread and sacrament with hys mouth and téeth yet with hys hart and fayth inwardly hée eateth the very thyng it selfe which the Sacramēt outwardly doth represent And of this spryng the maner of speakynges that the olde fathers doe sometyme vse which at the first sight mought séeme contrary to our senses But if they bée well pondered it may soone bée séene how they should be taken For many times when they speake of the Sacramēt and outward eating they apply vnto y e Sacrament and outward eatyng the fruite conditions of the inward eatyng thyng it selse because that in a faythful man they are so ioyntly ioyned that the one is neuer without the other As by example Mary is named the mother of God and yet she is not the mother of hys Godhead by the which part onely he is called God but because she is his mother as touching his māhode the Godhead is so annexed with the māhode that they both make but one person therfore is shée called the mother of God whiche in déede if it bée wisely weyed shalbée founde to bée abused speach And yet neuerthelesse it may very well bée vsed if men vnverstand what is ment thereby but if thorough the vse of this speach men shoulde fall into such an errour that woulde affirme our Ladye to bée in déede the mother of his Godhead thē necessitie should compell vs to make a distinction betwéene the nature of his Godhead and the nature of hys manhode and so to expoūde the matter vnto them and bryng them home agayne into the right vnderstanding As we are now constrayned to doe in this Sacrament because you misconstrue the sayinges of the Scripture Doctours Which notwithstandyng if a man vnderstand them say very well And many such maner of speaches are contayned in the Scripture As where Christ sayth Ioh. 3. There shall noman ascend into heauen but hée that discendeth from heauen the sonne of man which is in heauen This text doth say that the sonne of man was then in heauen when hée spake these wordes vnto Nicodemus here on earth which thing all wise men cōsent to bée vnderstanded propter vnitatem personae That is to say for the vnitie of the person For albeit his godhed was in euery place at that time yet was not his manhode by the which hée was called the sonne of man in heauen at that time And yet Christ sayde that it was in heauen for the vnitie of his person For his Godhed was in heauen and because the Godhed and manhode made but one person therefore it was ascribed vnto y t manhode which was onely verified vppon the Godhed as S. Augustine ad Dardanum doth diligently declare And likewise in the sacrament of Baptisme because the inwarde working of the holy ghost is euer annexed in the faithfull vnto the outwarde ceremony therefore sometime the fruite of the inwarde Baptisme is ascribed vnto the outward worke And so the scripture vseth to speake of the outward baptisme as though it were the inwarde that is to say the sprite of God And therfore S. Paul saith that we are buried with Christ thorough baptisme And yet as S. Augustine expoundeth it y t outward Baptisme doth but signifie this buriall And agayne Paule sayth as many as are baptised haue put Christ vppō them And yet in déede our outward baptisme doth but signifie that wée haue put Christ vppon vs. But by the inwarde baptisme which is the water of life and spirite of God wée haue in déede put him vpon vs liue in him and hée in vs. Which notwithstanding is very false for all the outwarde baptisme in them that receiue it not in fayth And vnto them it is but a bare signe whereof they get no profite but damnation And here you may euidently perceiue how it is sometyme in scripture ascribed vnto the inwarde worke and ceremony which is onely true in the outwarde veritie And this place shall expounde all
scriptures The sacramentes are signes to fayth The Pope will by his reasoÌ„ make Christ and all his Apostles heretiques The Pope and his 〈◊〉 would if they could destroy the scripture as well as they destroy the preachers thereof Talmud Duncâ— Question answere A good answere to be made to the Papistes Iohn 1◠☜ Ioh. 1â— Esa 1. Rom. 9. Augustine The true meaning of the wordes of S. Augustine 〈◊〉 Cor. 1. 〈◊〉 Pet. 3. 〈◊〉 Cor. 7. There are two maner of faithes An historicall fayth A feeling fayth Iohn 6. Rom. 8. The true sure feeling fayth Ioh. 4. The feling fayth doth farre excell the historicall fayth Cursed is he that trusteth in maÌ„ Lechery The abhomination of y â— Romish Church Mariage forbidden whoredom moued Couetousnesse Vnions 〈◊〉 quottes ☜ The Pâ—… 〈…〉 with the 〈…〉 so the 〈…〉 〈…〉 Iewes The Turkes and Iewes beleue that they caÌ„ not erre because they beleue as their Elders dyd God reserued a litle flocke Rom. 9. ☞ Who they be that are of â—oâ—â— true Church The fleshly persecute the spirituall Aâ—… The childreÌ„ of this world are the Papistes Questions AuÌ„sweres AuÌ„sweres to be made to captions Papistes Iohn 4. Teachers of GraÌ„mer vnderstode not the Latine toung The fayth 〈◊〉 Christ loue of our neighbors to all that is required of a Christian man The vse of signes ceâ—…nyes Worshipâ—… and 〈…〉 are â—â—th one The true wordes that expresse the God What it is to honour God The true honour of God What it is to honour rulers What it is to honour 〈◊〉 maÌ„s neighbour What it is to dishonour God and dishonour our neighbour To deny to helpe my neighbour is to dishonour hym To do that God forbiddeth is to dishonour God I true officer in the sight of God All creatures are oâ—…ed to â—…ue 〈◊〉 Images Images are seruauÌ„tes to man and not maÌ„ to images ☜ The vse of creatures inferiours to man The worshipping of the crosse How a maÌ„ may vse Images well The worshyppyng of images Images reliques at the first were well vsed but now shame fully abused False worshypping 〈◊〉 The abuse of Images My body must serue the Prince o my neighbour but my soule must serue God onely S. Iohns Gospell This is y e true crossing that we should vse A great noÌ„ber of superstitious baggages Riches bestowed on images or reliques Obiection Solution To worshyp Images is Idolatry True Pilgrimage is to walke from place to place the better to serue God to helpe my neighbour ☜ God dwelleth not in Temples made with mennes handes Psal 49. Iohn 16. Iohn 4. Sacramentes Circumcision All the ceremonies of the olde lawe were preachers to the people The â—tâ—es by sayth were iustified not by the deedes of the lawe Paschall lambe First frutes Sacrifices Ornamentes Worked must serue vs and not we the workes Luke 18. The Iewes became seruauntes captiues to theyr workes The blinde reason of hipocrites ☞ O blinde â—â—ll the imagination Holy day Exod. 31. The Saboth day must serue vs and not we the Saboth day How the Saboth day should be occupyed Luke 13. The brasen Serpent The teÌ„ple Prayer without fayth is nâ— prayer Psal 46. God despiseâ— the sacrifices of y â— vnfaithfull â—ewes Fastyng Superstious falling doth God abhorre Esa â—8 True fasting what it is Temple Actes 7. Actes 17. Paâ—…e a truell persecutor Many Iewes were conuerted to yeâ—aith of Christ All that came of Israell are not â—sraelites Math. 22. The Iewes cam◠〈◊〉 to vnâ—… of Christ of loue bu◠〈◊〉 inforced theâ— unto by the scriptures The Turkâ—â— are a â—…re greater number then the Papistes Ceremonies set vp in the newe testament What holy water signifieth The Pax. Confirmation CoÌ„firmation how it came first vnto the church The maner of confirming of children This is a right confirmation The abuse of confirmation The fruts of ignoraunce ConfirmatioÌ„ is made now a confirmyng in all superstition ignoraunce and popery The Papisticall tyranny How the ceremonies about the ministration of the Lordes Supper came first into the Church â—mice The flappe on the amice The albe The flappes on the albe The fanon The stole The corpâ—rescloth The altar Candels Math. 5. Salt ☜ All ceremonyes at the begynnyng had significations Austine The state of y e Iewes more easie then the Christians vnder traditions Out of the ceremontes sprang the ignoraunce oâ— the scripture The multitude of ceremonies put away preachyng Ceremonies are the chirt cause of ignoraunce The doctrine of Dunce aduaunced The blynd Papistes are enemies to all good learnyng and knowledge Igaoraunt Priestes ☜ IgnorauÌ„ce made vs seruauntes to ceremonies The sole Papistes are preserred by ceremonies Is long as we had the significatioÌ„ of the ceremonies so long they were sufferable but yâ—â—…canâ—…tion beyng gone the ceremony is mere superstuioÌ„ When the people by ignoraunce waxed superstitious then y â— clergie holpe them forward with falsifiyng the scripture Christes death purchased grace for maÌ„s soule Teinterden steple The building of â—…beies clopsters religious houses haue bene 〈◊〉 great decay to the good state of this realing Worshipping Subtile suggling 〈◊〉 wordes True worshipping of Saintes True worshipping of God Bodely exercise They that are in heaueÌ„ do chiefly desire that we harken to God do hys wyll All popishe imaginations are I dolatry Candle we receaue all thinges of God out father for Iesus Christes â—ake hys sonne and our onely Sauiour We must dot all thyuges of loue Sacrifices Rom. 14. A sure â—…ken of a selfe fayth and â—…seruice A dissereÌ„ce betwene Christes naturall body and a paynted Image Miracles Miracles were done by y â— sainâ—… to confirme theyr doctrine Helisens Dead bones may not be worshypped Pilgrimages More reasoneth vntowardly God is like good in euery place Temple The people were specially called to y e Temple to behold the monumeÌ„ts there wherby they might the better learne the mighty power of God Paschall Lambe 1. 〈…〉 Holy straunge gestures is like anapes play 1. Cor. 11. Pitie The true be holdyng of the signe of the crosse The Church is a place of prayer God heareth our prayer in all places Actes 17. Actes 7. 3. Reg. 8. Ierusalem and the teÌ„ple is destroyed The piller of fire God is present in all places alike All places are to be preferred where we may worship God most quietly M. More teacheth false doctrine Math. 24. Miracles were not done for y e place but for the people Siloe Ioh. 4. 9. Miracles done to draw y e people to heare the worde of God All places must serue man a not man bound to serue any place God is worshipped in our hartes not in any other place The father â—…th most for the youÌ„gest Ephes 4. God caÌ„not be serued with bodely seruice Our fayth may be grounded vpon men Aâ— true miracles prououe vs to fayth and trust in God The may be of Ipswich True miracles are done to prouoke vs to the hearing of Gods worde and the false do y e
good worke except we beleue that our sinnes are forgeueÌ„ in Christ More Sinne. Tyndall More Vnbelâ—efe Tyndall More Frewill Tyndall We haue no freewill to preuent grace prepare our selues Math. 12. Iohn 5. 1. Cor. 6. The hearing of gods word causeth repentaunce Iohn 19. There can be no repeÌ„taunce in vs but god doth first worke in vs by hys grace More Tyndall All power that we haue to good or euil is of God But y e croked and naughty vsage of the same is of our owne câ—â—kerd corrupt nâ—ture More Matrimonye Tyndall Matrimony caÌ„ be no SacrameÌ„t except a doctrine be added therunto that the people may know the benefite of Christ that we haue by matrimony More Orders Tyndall No Sacrament is wtout signification More CoÌ„secrate Tyndall WomeÌ„ that are vertuous and discrete may in cases of necessitie minister the Sacramentes as well as the Priest More Sacrifice Tyndall In ensample The supper of the Lord is geuen vs to be a memoriall of his death once offered for all Christes memoriall Masse More Bread Tyndall The corrupt and vayne disputations of men to proue christ to be really in the Sacrament Iohn 〈◊〉 More Masse Tyndall The Sacrament of Christes body when it is faithfully ministred doth profite as many as do beleue in Christes death More Tyndall More Touch. Tyndall More Worship Tyndall The true worshipping of the SacrameÌ„t is to beleue that it is a true signe that Christ suffered death for vs. More Tyndall More Purgatory Tyndall More Soules sleepe Tyndall The soules departed rest at Gods will pleasure Deut. 2â— More Saintes Tyndall More Tyndall More Tyndall Saintes are not to be called vpon for we haue no promise nor assuraunce that either they heare vs or can profite vs. The children of god are obedieÌ„t to hys lawes Images Hierome Images were not allowed in the primitiue church Epiphanius cut the Image Gregory Cirenus A Councel gathered in Grece dyd put downe all Images Ezechias Images are not to be had in Churches More Our Lady Tyndall More Salue Regina Tyndall â–ª Mors. Tyndall Math. 12. Luke 1â— The prayers of all good womeÌ„ are aswell accepted of God as the prayers of our Lady More Crosse Tyndall More Tyndall More Vow Tyndall More Martine Tyndall Martine All falsehode is not espyed on in one 〈◊〉 More Tyndall ☜ More Martine Tyndall More Martin Tyndall â–ª Vnâ—â—n More Tyndall How far a Christen man is bounde to suffer More Tyndall More Tyndall More Tyndall More Tyndall More Tyndall More Tyndall More Tyndall Vnlawfull vowes are not to be obserued Vowes All vowes are to be made wyth great aduisement We mâ—st vse Gods creatures for our necâ—…e All our abstinence chastising of our selues is to our owne profite Freewiâ—t More blasphemeth God Our dedes are euill because we lacke know ledge to referre them vnto the glory of God 2. Cor. 4. The deuill is the blinder kepee of vs froÌ„ y â— vnderstanding of gods wyll The deuill is the blindeâ— and keper of vs from the vnderstandyng of Gods wil. We may not be curious to search gods secretes A Papisticall opinioÌ„ Witte reason iudgement goeth before will Faith is the gift of God commeth not by free wil. Phil. 1. Phil. 2. God is the first worker bringger to passe of our well doynges Math. 24. The Christians seeke helpe of Christ O abhominable blasphemy Doct. Ferman Master doctour Fermon was a vertuous godly and learned maÌ„ A true note to know hypocrites M. More 〈◊〉 a iuggleâ— with termes The order of iustifying A lyuely descriptioâ— of our 〈◊〉 fication The great mercy and kindenes of God moueth maÌ„ to repeÌ„tauÌ„ce The right order of our iustificatioÌ„ 1. Iohn 4. Faith only apprehendeth our iustification what faith iustifieth There are diuersities of faith and but one faith that iustifieth vs. Workes Out of a liuely and iustifiyng faith springeth good workes Fayth alone iustifieth A similitude More is maliciously blynde An apâ— and proper exsample of loue Rom. 5. God loued vs first that we should loue him againe ☜ He that loueth God loueth hys neighbour Note here the mercy goodnes of God Faith may be had wtout loue but it is a barreine naked faith Ciprian Martyrs that suffered all a yeare long The deuils Martyrs We must doe good workes of loue and not for reward Our doynges can deserue nothyng but Christe hath deserued for vs. Iames. 〈◊〉 Iames â—eproueth selâ—â—â—â—â—tes and not a true and liuely sayth Fayth that will not woorke when oportunitie serueth caÌ„ not iustifie How workes iustifie Rom. 4. Iohn 8. AbrahaÌ„ beleued gods promises therefore was iustified Hee that seeth hys neighbour in necessitie hath no compassion on him hath no fayth The Papistes preach workes that are profitable to them selues More Dauid Tyndall Psal 51. When we haue offended God we must returne quiâ—kly by repentaunce and call vpon God to heare vs for Christ our Sauiours sake Poena culpa As we haue receaued at the haÌ„d of God mercy so must we shewe mercy to our neyghbours Workes of them selues iustifie not He that loueth hys neighbour for Christs sake the same is righteous All our workes if they procede not of loue are nothyng Fayth in Christ maketh our small workes acceptable ☞ The righteous lyueth by â—aith Faith in Christes bloud doth onely iustifie vs. More Tyndall Iohn Baptist and our Lady also were sinners looked for the redemptioÌ„ in Christ Chrisostomus There was neuer any but Christ that was without sinne 1. Iohn 1. Workes are vnder the law Fayth is vnder no law More Tyndall More Tyndall The blinde and â—ond reasoning of More Luke 22. Iohn 17. The difference betwene Peters fall the fall of Iudas Iudas Iudas perished in desperatioÌ„ By Adam we are all made the children of the wrath of God Rom. 9. God worketh by diuers to make vs to call vpoÌ„ and to trust in his mercy Frewill The witte leadeth the will Mores wittes are captiuated A prety example ☞ King Henry the. v. King HeÌ„ry the 4. was an vsurper of y e crowne ☜ The Turk is to be resisted The vnion of Doctors a good booke ☜ More Tyndall sweareth More Tyndall Eare confession More Purgatory Tyndall More Clergy Tyndall Note More Tyndall Paule dyd excommunicate but our Byshops do burne Math. 23. An old practise of the Phariseis newly practised by the Pope his Prelates Wordly prefermentes are leâ—â—es to true Christianitie The Jewâ—◠〈◊〉 accuâ—ed Christ The câ—â—ell Iewes by persecutyng Christ his Apostles procured the vengeaunce of God to lighten vpoÌ„ them selues The Apostles 〈…〉 all oâ—… The practise of our Prelates in these dayes The geneâ—ation of Seâ—pentes A good admunition to all blynde guides Our Prelates seeke to be chiefe and highest Swarmes of sectes set vp by the Pope his Prelates Our Prelates professethe Pope to be their Lord but yeâ— keepe no part of hys lawe The Popes clergie are murtherers A good admonition to all rulers The commoÌ„ perswasion