Prophetes with the sayinges of Dauid or of this holy sainct of God Iohn the Baptist but with our sauiour Christs two most swete parables of the two sonnes and of the tilme to whome he set his vineyard I will labour to set before your eyes your rebellion hypocrisie and crueltie if so I caÌ„ bring any of you to repentance Our sauiour Christe putteth furth this parable A certaine man had two sonnes aÌ„d he came to the first and said soÌ„ne go aÌ„d worke to day in my vineyard Who answered I will not but afterward repeÌ„ted and went Then came he to the second and said likewise and he answered I will syr but went not Wherein a wonderful comforte first is to be coÌ„sidered how the Lord our God maker of heaueÌ„ aÌ„d earth doth huÌ„ble him selfe not only to be called a maÌ„ a husbaÌ„d man a housholder aÌ„d such like but he abaseth hiÌ„selfe of mercie to vs vile earth and asshes that his sonne becometh maÌ„ to make mankynd glorious in his sight to make all those that do not refuse his grace offred of the slaues of Satan his sonnes by adoption You are his sonnes you are his vineyard you are as dear vnto hym as the apple of his eye as Moses speaketh if you can beleue it he sweareth that you shall be his inheritaÌ„ce and he will be yours if ye will only receiue his grace and beleue hym when he sweareth Will ye call his trueth into doubt his glorie into shame by your misbelefe Better it were that all creatures should perish heauen man and angels then that God should not haue credit or that his glorie in the least iote should be diminished He hath called you by his worde now many a tyme to worke in his vineyard I aske what you haue answered your conscience can witnesse and all the world seeth it SoÌ„me of you haue said plaine lyke rebellious childreÌ„ that ye would not do it that ye would not worke in your fathers vineyarde Shall I applie this part to Scotland I may right well do it and also to a greate parte in England But Scotland in dede called most plainely and euidently through the mercies of God both by their own faithfull countrie men and also by earnest trauail of our English nation to comme to the Lords vineyard in the tyme of king Edward hath to the domage of both coÌ„tinually refused as the coÌ„science of many this day beareth witnesse That tyme as ye know the vineyarde in EnglaÌ„d by the children of God was not all togither neglected and theÌ„ most earnestly were ye O Brethren of Scotland required to ioyne haÌ„des with vs iÌ„ the Lords worke but Satan alas would not suffer it His old fostred malice and Antichrist his sonne could not abyde that Christ should grow so strong by ioynynge that ile togither in perfect religioÌ„ whome God hath so many waies coupled aÌ„d streÌ„gthended by his worke in nature the papistes practised all theyr fyne craftes in England Scotland and in France that the Ghospellers should not with so strong walles be defensed lest this one iland should becoÌ„me a safe sanctuarie as it began to be to all the persecuted in all places They moue sturdie stomackes they dispens with periuries they worke by theyr craftie coÌ„fessions they raise vp warre in the end whereby ye deare Brethren of Scotland were sore plaged Of all these traiterouse sleghtes ye can not be ignorant For yet it is not passed the memorie of man that your king made promisse to haue mett king HeÌ„rie the eght att Yorke â–ª whose purpose albeit in other things I do not alow him in that case was most godlie and praise worthie For it was to make an end of that vngodlie warre and cruell murther which loÌ„ge had coÌ„tinued betwixt the two realms Your king I say made promisse to mete him the breche whereof as it was the occasion of much trouble so is it euidently knowen that your Cardinal and his clergie laboured and procured the same For it is not vnknowen to somme amongest you how many thousand crownes the churchmen did promisse for maintenance of the warre which king Henrie did denouÌ„ce by the reason of that breche Superfluous it were to me to recite all the causes mouing your pestilent preestes to solicitat your king to that infidelitie But this is moste euident that they feared nothing but the fall of their glorie and the trouble of their kingdome which then in England beganne to be shaken by suppressing of the abbaies This moued your preestes ernestly to labour that your kinge should falsly breake his promisse But what affliction ye sustained by that and other their practises your selues can witnesse For your borderrs were destroyed your nobilitie for the most parte were takeÌ„ prisoners and your king for sorowe sodenly died But these your miseries did nothing moue your preestes to repentance but rather did inflame them against God and against the ê“pfit of their natiue realme For when againe after the death of your kiÌ„ge your freÌ„dship and fauours were soght first by king HeÌ„rie and after his death by king Edward his sonne aÌ„d by him who theÌ„ was chosen Protectour how craftely I say did theÌ„ your preestes vndermine all ye are not ignoraÌ„t When your Gouernoure with the consent of the most part of the nobilitie had soleÌ„nely sworne iÌ„ the abbay of Haliroode house syr Raphe Sadler theÌ„ being embassadour for EnglaÌ„d to perfurm the mariage coÌ„tracted betwixt king Edward and your yonge quene and faithfully to stand to euerie point coÌ„cluded and agreed 〈◊〉 perfurmaÌ„ce of that vnioÌ„ when seales were interchanged and the embassadour dimissed what sturr tumult and sedition raised your Cardinal in that your realme it is not vnknowen To witt how that by his craft and malice the realme was deuided the Gouernour compelled to seke his fauour to violate his oth and so to becomme iÌ„famous for euer And finally by the pride of the papistes was that leage broken But what did thereof ensue Edinburgh Leith DuÌ„die yea the most part of the realme did fele Your shippes were stayed your gooddes were lost your chefe townes were burned and at the end the beautie of your real me did fall in the edge of the sworde the hand of God manifestly feghting against you because against your solemne oth ye did feght against them who soght your fauours by that godlie coÌ„iunction which before was promised But still proceaded your ennemies the clergie and theire adhereÌ„tes in theyr purposed malice WoÌ„der not that I terme them your ennemies For albeit they be your countrie men yet because they seke nothing more then the maiÌ„tainaÌ„ce of their owne kiÌ„gdome which is the power of darckns aÌ„d the king dome of Antichrist they are becomme coÌ„iured ennemies to euerie citie nation or man that labour to comme to the knolledge of the trueth That pestilent generation I say did not cease till they obteined their purpose by deliueringe your yonge quene to the handes of the French king assuredly
power of Antichrist And therefore my Lordes I can not cease in the name of Christ Iesus to require of you that the matter may coÌ„me in examination and that ye the estates of the realme by your auctoritie compell such as will be called bishoppes not only to desist from their cruell murthering of such as do studie to promote goddes glorie in detecting and disclosing the damnable impietie of that man of syn the Romane Antechrist but also that ye coÌ„pell them to answer to suche crimes as shall be laid to their charge for not righteously instructing the flock committed to their cares But here I know two thinges shalbe doubted The former whether that my appellation is lawfull and to be admitted seing that I am damned as an heritike and secondarely whether your honours be bound to defeÌ„d such as call for your support in that case seing that your bishoppes who in matters of religion claime all auctoritie to appertaine to them haue by their sentence allredy condemned me The one and the other I nothing doubt most clerely to proue Fyrst that my appellation is most Lawfull and iust and secondarely that your honours can not refuse to defend me thus calling for your aid but that in so doing ye declare your selues rebellious to God mentainers of murtherers and shedders of innocent blood How iust cause I haue by the ciuile law as for their canon it is accursed of God to appeale from their vniust sentence my purpose is not to make long discourse Onlie I will touche the poyntes which all men confesse to be iust causes of appellation Fyrst laufully could I not be sommoned by them being for that tyme absent from their iurisdiction charged with the preachiÌ„g of Christes EuaÌ„gill in a free citie not subiect to their tyrannie Secondarely to me was no intimation made of their sommondes but so secrete was their surmised malice that the copie of the sommondes being required was denyed Thirdlie to the realme of Scotland could I haue had no free nor sure accesse being before exiled froÌ„ the same by their vniust tyrannie And last to me they nether could nor can be competent and indifferent iudges for that before any sommondes were raised against me I had accused them by my lreÌ„s published to the quene dowagier and had intended against them all crimes offring my selfe with hasard of life to proue the same for the which they are not onlie vnworthie of ecclesiasticall auctoritie but also of any sufferance within a commune welthe professing Christ. This my accusatioÌ„ preceding their soÌ„moÌ„des neither by the law of God neither yet by the law of man can they be to me competent iudges till place be graÌ„ted vnto me opeÌ„lie to proue my accusatioÌ„ intended against them and they be compelled to make answer as criminalls For I will plainelie proue that not onlie bishoppes but also Popes haue bene remoued froÌ„ all auctoritie and pronouncing of iudgement till they haue purged them selues of accusations layd against them Yea further I will proue that bishoppes and Popes most iustly haue bene depriued froÌ„ all honours and administration for smaller crimes then I haue to charge the hole rable of your bishoppes But because this is not my chefe grounde I wil stand coÌ„tent for this present to shew that lawfull it is to Goddes Prophetes and to preachers of Christ Iesus to appeall froÌ„ the sentence and iudgement of the visible churche to the knolledge of the temporall Magistrate who by Goddes law is bound to hear their causes and to defend them from tyrannie The Prophete Ieremie was coÌ„mmaÌ„ded by God to stand in the courte of the house of the Lord and to preach this sermon in effect That Ierusalem should be distroyed and be exponed in opprobrie to all nations of the earth and that also that famous teÌ„ple of God should be made desolate like vnto Sylo because the preestes the Prophetes and the people did not walk in the Law which God had ê“posed vnto theÌ„ neither wold they obey the voyces of the Prophetes whome God sent to call them to repentance For this sermon was Ieremie apprehended and a sentence of death was pronounced against hym and that by the preestes by the Prophetes and by the people which thinges being bruted in the eares of the Princes of Iuda they passed vp froÌ„ the kinges house to the teÌ„ple of the Lord and sat down in iudgement for further knowledge of the cause But the preestes and Prophetes continued in theyre cruell senteÌ„ce which before they had pronouÌ„ced saying This man is worthie of the death for he hath prophesied against this citie as your eares haue hard But Ieremy so moued by the holie Ghost began his defence against that their tyrannous sentence in these wordes The Lord saieth he hath sent me to prophetie against this house and against this citie all the wordes which you haue hard Now therefore make good your wayes aÌ„d hear the voyce of the Lord your God and then shall he repent of the euill whiche he hath spoken against you As for me behold I am in your handes so doth he speak to the Princes do to me as you think good and righteous Neuertheles know you this most assuredly that if ye murther or sley me ye shall make your selues this citie and the inhabitants of the same criminall and gyltie of innocent blood For of a trueth the Lord hath sent me to speak in your eares all those wordes Then the princes and the people saieth the text said this man is not worthie of death for he hath spoken to vs in the name of the Lord our God And so after somme coÌ„tention was the Prophete deliuered froÌ„ that daÌ„ger This fact and historie manefestly proueth whatsoeuer before I haue affirmed To wit that it is Laufull for the seruantes of God to call for the help of the ciuile magistrate agaiÌ„st the seÌ„teÌ„ce of death if it be vniust by whome soeuer it be ê“nounced aÌ„d also that the ciuile sword hath power to represse the furie of the preests and to absolue whome thei haue coÌ„deÌ„ned For the prophete of God was damned by those who then only in earthe were knoweÌ„ to be the visible churche to wit preestes prophetes who theÌ„ were in IerusaleÌ„ the successours of AaroÌ„ to whome was geueÌ„ a charge to speak to the people in the name of God aÌ„d a precept geueÌ„ to the people to heare the lawe froÌ„ their mouthes to the which if any should be rebellious or iÌ„obedieÌ„t he should die the death without mercie These men I say thus auctorised by God first did excoÌ„municat Ierimie for that he did preache other wise then did the coÌ„mune sort of prophetes in Ierusalem and last apprehended him as you haue hard ê“nouncing against hym this seÌ„teÌ„ce afore writen froÌ„ the which neuertheles the prophete appealed that is sought help and defence against the same and that most earnestly did he craue of the princes For albeit he
the three children were deliuered from the fornace of fyer and Daniel from the den of liōs to the confusion of their ennemies to the better instruction of the ignorant kinges and to the perpetuall comfort of goddes afflicted children And Abdemelech in the day of the Lordes visitation when the kinge and his counsil did drink the bitter cupp of goddes vengeance did fynde his life for a praye and did not fall in the edge of the sword when manie thousandes did perishe And this was signified vnto him by the prophet him self at the cōmaundemēt of God before that Ierusalem was destroyed The promesse and cause were recited vnto him in these wordes I will bring my wordes vpon this citie vnto euill and not vnto good but most assuredly I shal deliuer thee because thou hast trusted in me sayeth the Lord. The trust ād hope which Abdemelech had in God made him bold to oppone him selfe being but a man to the king and to his hole coūsill who had cōdemned to death the Prophet whome his cōscience did acknolledge to be innocent For this did he speak in the presence of the king sitting in the port of Beniamī My Lord the kinge saith Abdemelech these men do wickedly in all thinges that they haue done to Ieremie the Prophet Aduert and take hede my Lordes that the men who had condemned the Prophet were the king his prīces and counsill and yet did one man accuse them all of iniquitie ād did boldly speak in the defēse of hī of whose innocētie he was persuaded And the same I say is the duetie of euery man in his vocation but chefely of the nobilitie which is ioyned with theyr kinges to bridel and represse that folie and blind rage Which thing if the nobilitie do not neither yet labour to do as they are traitours to their kings so do they prouoke the wrath of God agaīst them selues and against the realme in which they abuse the auctoritie which they haue receaued of God to mentaine vertue and to represse vice For hereof I would your Honours were most certainly persuaded that God will neither excuse nobilitie nor people but the nobilitie least of al that obey ād folow theyr kinges in manifest iniquitie but with the same vengeāce will God punishe the Prince people and nobilitie conspiring togither against him and his holie ordenances as in the punishment taken vpon Pharao Israel Iuda and Babylon is euidently to be sene For Pharao was not drowned alone but his captayns charetes and greate armie drank the same cup with him The kinges of Israel and Iuda were not punished whitout cōpagny but with them were murthered the counsilers theyre Princes imprisoned and theire people ledd captiue And why because none was found so faithful to God that he durst enterprise to resist nor against and the manifest impietie of theyr Princes And therefore was Gods wrath powred furth vpon the one and the other But the more ample discource of this argument I differ to better opportunitie onely at this tyme I thoght expediēt to admonysh you that before God it shall not excuse you to alledge We are no kinges and therefore neither can we reforme religion nor yet defend such as be persecuted Consider my Lordes that yee are powers ordened by God as before is declared ād therefore doth the reformation of religion and the defense of such as iniusty are oppressed appertaine to your charge and care which thinge shall the law of God vniuersally geuen to be kept of all men most euidently declare which is my last and most assured reason why I say yee oght to remoue from honours and to punish with death such as God hath condemned by his owne mouth After that Moses had declared what was true religiō to wit to honor God as he commaunded adding nothing to his worde neither yet diminishinge any thīg from it and after also that vehemently he had exhorted the same law to be obserued he denounceth the punishment against the trāsgressours in these wordes Yf thy brother sonne doghter wife or neghbour whome thou louest as thyne own life solicitate thee secretly saying Let vs go serue other goddes whome neither thou nor thy fathers haue knowen consent not to hym hear hym not let not thyne eye spare hym shew hym no indulgentie or fauour hide him not but vtterly kill hym let thy hād be the first vpon hym that he may be slaine and after the hāde of the hole people Of these wordes of Moses are-two things apperteanīg to our purpose to be noted Former that such as solicitate only to idolatrie oght to be punished to death without fauour or respect of person For he that will not suffer mā to spare his sōne his daughter nor his wife but straitly commaundeth punishmēt to be taken vpon the idolatours haue they neuer so nie cōiunction with vs will not wink at the idolatrie of others of what estate or condition so euer they be It is not vnknowen that the prophetes had reuelations of God which were not commune to the people as Samuel had the reuelation that Eli and his posteritie should be destroyed that Saul should first be king and thereafter that he should be reiected that Dauid should reign for him Micheas vnderstode by vision that Achab should be killed in battaile against the Sirians Elias saw that dogges should eat Iesabel ī the fortres of Iesrael Eliaesus did see hunger come vpon Israel by the space of seuen yeares Ieremie did foresee the destruction of Ierusalem and the tyme of their captiuitie and so diuerse other prophetes had diuerse reuelations of God which the people did not otherwise vnderstād but by their affirmatiō and therefore in those dayes were the prophetes named Seears because that God did opē vnto thē that which was hid from the multitude Now if anie man might haue claimed anie priuiledge from the rigour of the Law or might haue iustified his fact it should haue bene the Prophete For he might haue alledged for hym selfe his singular prerogatiue that he had aboue other men to haue goddes will reuealed vnto hym by visiō or by dream or that God had declared particularely vnto hym that his pleasure was to be honoured ī that maner in such a place ād by such meanes But all such excuses doth God remoue cōmaūdīg that the Prophete that shall solicitate the people to serue strange goddes shall die the death notwithstanding that he alledge for hym selfe dream vision or reuelation Yea althogh he promisse miracles and also that such thinges as he promiseth come to passe yet I say commaundeth God that no credit be geuen to hym but that he die the death because he teacheth apostasie ād defection frō God Hereof your Honours may easely espie that none prouoking the people to idolatrie oght to be exempted from the punishmēt of death For if neither that inseparable cōiunction which God hym selfe hath sanctified betwixt man and wife neither that vnspeakable
EnglaÌ„d vnto such a noÌ„bre I say it is Laufull to punish the idolatours with death if by anie meanes God geue them the power For so did Iosua and Israel determine to haue done against the childreÌ„ of RubeÌ„ Gad aÌ„d Manasses for their suspected apostasie aÌ„d defectioÌ„ from God And the hole tribes did in verie dede execute that sharpe iudgemeÌ„t agaiÌ„st the tribe of BeÌ„iamin for a lesse offeÌ„ce then for idolatrie And the same oght to be done whersoeuer Christ Iesus aÌ„d his EuaÌ„gill is so receaued iÌ„ any realme ê“uince or citie that the Magistrates aÌ„d people haue solemnely auowed aÌ„d promised to defeÌ„d the same as vnder king Edward of late dayes was done in EnglaÌ„d In such places I say it is not only lawful to punish to the death such as labour to subuert the true religioÌ„ but the magistrates aÌ„d people are bouÌ„d so to do onles they wil prouoke the wrath of God agaiÌ„st theÌ„ selues And therfor I fear not to affirm that it had bene the duetie of the nobilitie iudges rulers aÌ„d people of EnglaÌ„d not only to haue resisted and againstanded Marie that Iesabel whome they call their quene but also to haue punished her to the death with all the sort of her idolatrous Preestes together with all such as should haue assisted her what tyme that shee and they openly began to suppresse Christes Euangil to shedd the blood of the saiÌ„cts of God ad to erect that most diuellish idolatrie the papistical abominatioÌ„s aÌ„d his vsurped tyrannie which ones most iustly by coÌ„mune oth was banished from that realme But becaus I caÌ„ not at this present discusse this argument as it appertaineth I am coÌ„pelled to omitt it to better opportunitie and so returning to your Honours I say that if ye confesse your selues baptised in the Lord Iesus of necessitie ye must confesse that the care of his religion doth appertaine to your charge And if ye know that in your haÌ„des God hath put the sworde for the causes aboue expressed theÌ„ caÌ„ ye not denie but that the punishement of obstinate and malepert idolatours such as all your bishoppes be doth appertaine to your office yf after admonition they coÌ„tinew obstinat I am not ignoraÌ„t what be the vaine defeÌ„ses of your proude prelates They claime first a prerogatiue and priuiledge that they are exempted and that by consent of Councils and Emperours from all iurisdiction of the temporaltie And secoÌ„darely when they are coÌ„uicted of manifest impieties abuses and enormities aswell in their maners as in religion neither fear nor shame they to affirme that thinges so longe established can not suddenly be reformed althogh they be corrupted but with processe of tyme they promisse to take order But in few wordes I answer that no priuiledge graunted against the ordenance and statutes of God is to be obserued althogh all Councils and men in the earth haue appointed the same But against goddes ordenance it is that idolatours murtherours fals teachers and blasphemers shall be exeÌ„pted from punishement as before is declared and therefore in vaine it is that they claym for priuiledge when that God sayeth The murtherer shalt thou riue from my alter that he may die the death And as to the order and reformatioÌ„ which they promisse that is to be loked or hoped for when Satan whose children and slaues they are can chaÌ„ge his nature This answer I doubt not shall suffice the sober aÌ„d godlie reader But yet to the end that they may further see their own confusion and that your Honours may better vnderstaÌ„d what ye oght to do in so manifest a corruption and defectioÌ„ from God I aske of them selues what assurance they haue for this their immunitie exemption or priuiledge who is the auctour of it and what frute it hath produced And fyrst I say that of God they haue no assurance neither yet can he be proued to be auctour of anie suche priuiledge But the contrarie is easie to be seen For God in establishing his orders in Israel did so subiect Aaron in his preesthode being the figure of Christ to Moses that he feared not to call him in iudgement and to constrain hym to giue accomptes of his wicked dede in consenting to idolatrie as the historie doth plainely witnesse For thus it is written Then Moses toke the calf which they had made and burned it with fier and did grind it to powder and scattering it in the water gaue it to drink to the children of Israel â–ª declaring herebie the vanitie of their idol and the abomination of the same and thereafter Moses said to Aaron what hath this people done to the that thou shouldest bring vpon it so great a syn Thus I say doth Moses call and accuse Aaron of the destruction of the hole people and yet he perfectly vnderstode that God had appointed hym to be the high Preest that he should bear vpon his shoulders aÌ„d vpoÌ„ his breast the names of the 12. tribes of Israel for whome he was appointed to make sacrifice praiers aÌ„d supplications He knew his dignitie was so great that only he might entre within the most holie place but neither could his office nor dignitie exempt hym from iudgemeÌ„t when he had offended Yf any obiect Aaron at that tyme was not anointed aÌ„d therefore was he subiect to Moses I haue answered that Moses being taught by the mouth of God did perfectly vnderstaÌ„d to what dignitie AaroÌ„ was appointed and yet he feared not to call hym in iudgement and to coÌ„pell hym to make answer for his wicked fact But if this answer doth not suffice yet shall the holie Ghost witnesse further in the matter SalomoÌ„ remoued from honour Abiathar being the high preeste and coÌ„maunded him to cease from all function and to liue as a priuate man Now if the vnction did exempt the preest from Iurisdiction of the ciuile Magistrate Salomon did offend and iniured Abiathar For he was anoynted and had caried the ark before Dauid But God doth not reproue the fact of Salomon neither yet doth Abiathar claime anie prerogatiue by the reason of his office but rather doth the holie Ghost approue the fact of Salomon sayinge SalomoÌ„ eiected furth Abiathar that he should not be the Preest of the Lord that the word of the Lord might be perfurmed which he spake vpon the house of Eli. And Abiathar did think that he obtained great fauour in that he did escape the present death which by his conspiracie he had deserued Yf anie yet reason that Abiathar was no otherwise subiect to the iudgement of the king but as he was appointed to be the executour of that sentence which God before had pronounced as I will not greatly denie that reason so require I that euerie man consider that the same God who pronounced sentence against Eli and his house hath pronounced also that idolaters hooremongers murtherers and blasphemers shall neither haue portion in the kingdome of God neither oght to be
THE APPELLATION OF IOHN KNOXE FROM the cruell and most iniust sentence pronounced against him by the false bishoppes and clergie of Scotland with his supplication and exhortation to the nobilitie estates and cōmunaltie of the same realme Printed at GENEVA M.D.LVIII TO THE NOBILITIE AND ESTAtes of Scotlād Iohn Knoxe wisheth grace mercie and peace from God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ with the spirit of righteous iudgement IT is not only the loue of life temporall right honorable neither yet the fear of corporall death that moueth me at this present to expone vnto you the iniuries done against me and to craue of you as of laufull powers by God appointed redresse of the same but partly it procedeth from that reuerence whiche euerie man oweth to Godds eternal trueth and partly from a loue which I beare to your saluation and to the saluation of my brethren abused in that realme by such as haue no fear of God before their eyes It hath pleased God of his infinite mercie not onlie so to illuminate the eyes of my minde and so to tuche my dull hart that clearly I se and by his grace vnfeanedly beleue that their is no other name geuen to men vnder the heauen in whiche saluation consisteth saue the name of Iesus alone Who by that sacrifice which he did once offer vpon the crosse hath sanctified for euer those that shall enherite the kingdom promised but also it hath pleased him of his superaboundant grace to make and appointe me most wretched of many thousandes a witnes minister and preacher of the same doctrine the somme whereof I did not spare to communicate withe my brethren being with them in the realme of Scotland in the yeare 1556 because I know my selfe to be a steward and that accompts of the talēt cōmitted to my charge shalbe required by him who will admit no vaine excuse which fearfull men pretend I did therefore as God did minister during the tyme I was conuersant with them God is record and witnesse truely and syncerly according to the gift grāted vnto me deuide the worde of saluation teachinge all men to hate Syn whiche before God was and is so odious that none other sacrifice coulde satisfie his iustice except the death of his onlie sonne and to magnifie the greate mercies of our heuenlie Father who did not spare the substāce of his own glorie but did giue hym to the world to suffer the ignominious and cruell death of the crosse by that meanes to reconcile his chosen children to hym selfe teaching further what is the duetie of such as do beleue them selues purged by such a price from their former filthines To wit that they are bound to walke in the newnes of life fighting against the lustes of the fleshe and studyinge at all tymes to glorifie God by such good woorkes as he hath prepared his children to walke in In doctrine I did further affirme so taught by my master Christ Iesus that whosoeuer denieth hym yea or is ashamed of hym before this wicked generation hym shall Christ Iesus denie and of hym shall he be ashame whē he shall appeare in his maiestie And therefore I feared not to affirme that of necessitie it is that suche as hope for life euerlasting auoide all superstition vaine religion and idolatrie Vaine religion and idolatrie I call what soeuer is done in Goddes seruice or honour without the expresse commaundement of his own worde This doctrine did I beleue to be so cōformable to Goddes holie scriptures that I thoght no creature could haue bene so impudent as to haue dāned any point or article of the same Yet neuerthelesse me as an heritike and this doctrine as heriticall haue your fals bishoppes and vngodlie clergie damned pronouncing against me a sentence of death in testification wherof they haue burned a picture From which fals and cruell sentence and from all iudgement of that wicked generation I make it knowen to your honours that I appeal to a laufull and generall counsil to suche I mean as the most auncient lawes and canones do approue to be holden by suche as whose manifest impietie is not to be reformed in the same most humbly requiring of your honours that as God hath appointed you princes in that people and by reason therof requireth of your handes the defence of innocētes troubled in your dominion in the meane tyme and till the controuersies that this day be in religion be laufully decided ye receaue me and suche others as most vniustlie by those cruell beastes are persecuted in your defence and protection Your honours are not ignorāt that it is not I alone who doth sustain this cause against the pestilēt generation of Papistes but that the most part of Germanie the countrie of Heluetia the kinge of Denmarke the nobilitie of Polonia togither with many other Cities and Churches refromed appeall from the tyrannie of that Antichrist and most earnestly do call for a laufull and general coūsil wherin may all cōtrouersies in religion be decided by the auctoritie of Goddes most sacred worde And vnto this same as said is do I appeal yet once againe requirīg of your honours to hold my simple and playn appellation of no lesse value nor effect then if it had bene made with greater circunstāce solemnitie and ceremonie and that ye receaue me calinge vnto you as to the powers of God ordained in your protection and defence against the rage of tyrantes not to mentaine me in any iniquitie errour or fals opinion but to let me haue such equitie as God by his worde auncient lawes and determinations of most Godlie counsils graunte to men accused or infamed The word of God will that no man shall die except he be found criminall and worthie of death for offence committed of the whiche he must be manifestly conuicted by two or three witnesses Ancient lawes do permitt iust defences to such as be accused be their crimes neuer so horrible and godlie counsilles will that nether Byshopp nor Person ecclesiasticall whatsoeuer accused of any crime shall sit in iudgement consultation or counsil where the cause of such men as do accuse them is to be tried These thinges require I of your honours to be graunted vnto me to wit That the doctrine which our aduersaries condemn for haeresie may be tried by the simple and playn word of God that iust defenses be admitted to vs that sustain the battaile against this pestilent generation of Antichrist and that they be remoued from iudgement in our cause seinge that our accusation is not intended against any one particular persō but against that hole kingdome whiche we doubt not to proue to be a power vsurped against God against his cōmaundement and against the ordenance of Christ Iesus established in his Church by his chefe Apostles Yea we doubt not to proue the kingdome of the Pope to be the king dome and