whether Paul and you agree and whether ye haue iugled with the texte or no. For I feare me we shall fynd that ye haue played another false cast euen with this same poore texte The wordes of the Apostle are these Yf we wolde iudge or reproue oure selues we shulde not be iudged But whyle we are iudged we are chastened of the lorde lest we shulde be damned with this worlde These are S. Pauls wordes Afore in another place of youre treatise ye bring in this texte for another purpose namely to proue that D. Barnes ought to haue accused and condemned himselfe And now forgetfull what ye sayd afore or els wilfull blind as it semeth ye alledge the same text to proue that euery man must satisfye for the punishment belonginge vnto sinne Thus make ye of gods holy scripture a shipmans hose wresting and wringing it to what purpose ye will Verely such peruerting of the scripture can ye not vse without your awne damnacion excepte ye amende yf S. Peter be true The Apostle shewing the Corinthians the true institucion of oure lordes holy supper and the right vse therof cōcludeth with these wordes sayenge Let a man examen himselfe and so let him eate of this bred and drinke of this cuppe For he that eateth and drinketh vnworthely eateth and drinketh his owne damnacion because he discerneth not the lordes body from other meates Therfore are many weake and sick amonge you and many slepe For yf we iudged oure selues we shulde not be iudged But whyle we be iudged we are chastened of the lord lest we shuld be damned with this worlde Wherfore my brethren whan ye come together to eate tary one for another et cet By the circumstaunce then of this chapter it is euident that these wordes of the Apostle extende to the right vse of the holy sacrament teachinge us that afore we come to the lordes boorde we ought first to iudge to trie to proue and to examen oure selues in what case we stonde towarde god and oure neghboure consideringe that it is no childish playe ner a thing lightly to be regarded but a most waightie and ernest matter concernynge oure saluacion the glory of god and edifienge of the worlde And whan we haue duely and vnfaynedly tryed oure selues by cōparinge oure whole conuersacion both inward and outward to the iust commaundementes of god and by occasion therof haue hartely knowleged and confessed oure synnes beynge sory and penitent for them beleuynge stedfastly in the promises of god receaued the absolucion of his worde entred in to true repentaunce and ernest amendment of oure liuinge beinge reconciled and at one with all men purposinge without fayle so to contynue till oure lyfes ende Then to come and suppe with the lorde This is now the thing that S. Paul teacheth in this chapter and proueth here no such article as ye go aboute Therfore do ye wrong to the texte in wrestinge it to this sense that euery man must satisfye for the punishment belonginge vnto synne By the which youre doctrine like as ye robbe Christ of his worshippe deface the merites and frute of his death and set euery man in Christes rowme Euen so doth your saide article cōdemne euery man For like as Christ onely satisfied his heauēly father for oure sinnes and for the punishmēt due to the same Euen so yf we shulde not auoide the eternall paine of hel which is the second death and rewarde of sin̄e till we made satisfactiō for it oure selues we shulde contynue still in the wrath of god and so be damned for euer Standishe And to proue this satisfaction the wordes of I baptist Matth. iij. be very stronge et cete Couerdale Be these wordes bringe forth the worthy frutes of pennaūce asmuch to say as Ye must satisfye for the punishment due vnto synne Prately well expounded of you O shamelesse controllers of the holy goost Will ye make Iohn the baptist contrary to himselfe Doth he not saie manifestly in another place Who so beleueth on the sonne of god hath euerlastinge life And what is it els to haue euerlasting life but to escape the eternall and seconde death euen euerlasting damnacion and punishment due vnto synne Which as ye confesse youre selfe we do auoyde thorow Christ Why do ye then wrest the scripture to your awne purpose But one question will I aske you who speaketh the wordes which are written in the Prophet Osee saienge From the hand of death will I deliuer them from death will I redeme them O death I will be thy death O hell I wilbe thy stinge Finde me now anie creature in heauen or in erth that maie of himselfe verefie and pronounce these wordes of Christes personne and I shall graunt that he maie make satisfaction for the punishment due vnto sinne which as this text declareth is eternall death and hell Els yf there be but one Iesus one sauyoure one destroyer of damnacion and hell then shall he verely haue my poore voyce to be called also as he is in dede the onely satisfier for the punishment due vnto synne aswell as he is the satisfier for sinne it selfe As for the wordes of Iohn the baptist they proue euydently that whan men conuerte vnto god as those Pharises pretended to do at the baptime of Iohn then shall do it vnfainedly and not to be ypocrites still ner to leane to their olde leuē but to bringe forth the worthy frutes of repentaunce wherof he nameth parte in the thirde of Luke to the people and speaketh of no such satisfactiō as you fayne But Remembre that ye haue named fasting prayer and allmes dedes to be the frutes of pennaunce for I feare me ye will denye it agayne anone whan we come to Cornelius the captaine Standishe Fructus .ii. dignus penitentia est opus restaurans ea et cet Couerdale There are some of you that call us English doctours for writinge so much in English as though in the vnderstondinge of other tonges we were inferiours to you but now ye make us youre English interpreters for putting us to the payne to English the wordes which ye wrappe vp in latyn from the vnderstondinge of the people For the worthy frute of pennaunce saie ye is a worke amendinge those thinges wherof the pennaunce is that is repayringe such thinges as it repenteth us to haue left vndone or to haue committed and this is it that we call satisfaction for sinnes That to bringe forth the worthy frutes of pennaunce is asmuch as to amende wherin so euer we haue thought or done amisse I graunt for the scripture aloweth the same But where as ye call that the satisfaction to god for sinnes ye speake it not out of the mouth of the lorde Againe Ye saide afore that no man can satisfie for the offence and now ye call the frute of pennaunce the satisfactiō for sinnes Is not euery offence sinne Lord god what hold is
And happie is the man whom thou lorde god instructest and teachest him out of thy lawe It is time lorde to laie to thine hand for they haue waisted awaie thy lawe This article that Christes death onely is the satisfaction to the father for all the sinnes of the worlde is plaine manifest and approued thorow out all the holy scripture the whole sentences wherof are here to longe to rehearce but the text is open and euident though somtime it vse one vocable and somtime another For to this article perteine all those scriptures that reporte him to be the pacifier and reconciler of his fathers wrath the clenser the pourger the maker of attonement or agremēt the opteiner of grace the sacrifice and oblacion for oure sinnes et cet The father of heauen himselfe doth testifie that it is his sonne Iesus Christ in whō or by whom he is pleased and content Who taketh awaie the sinne of the worlde but he In whom are we complete and haue all heauenly and necessary thinges pertaininge to saluacion but in him I passe ouer the rehearsall of the scriptures written Esa liij Ose xiij j. Pet. j.ij.j. Iohn j. ij.iij Apoc. j. Heb. j. v.vij.ix.x Tit. ij Col. j.ij.j. Timot. j.ij.j. Corinth j.ij. Cor. v. Rom. iij.v. Whatsoeuer D. Barnes reuoked as ye reporte of him I referre that to you which seme to knowe more therof then I. Yf ye were compelled by force to write reade or saie anie thinge agaynst right and conscience then like as they be to blame that wil feare man more then god in that behalfe so will god certainlie be the visitoure of such extreme handlinge I wolde wisshe with all my hert yf I might laufully so do that the kynges moost roiall persone might se as farre as his hie auctorite extendeth for I feare the comon prouerbe be to true that there runneth by the myll much water which the miller knoweth not of Nether be all then gentle and louing intreaters of the Kynges subiectes that speake to his maiestie faire wordes in his face yee the Kynges grace maie haue Iudas in his realme aswell as Christ had him in his small courte I am sory at my hart rote whan I remembre how oft the Kynges highnesse hath proued his cōclusion true in his time I can saie nomore but referre all secretes to god who I am sure will do as he was wont and bring all falshode to light at the last As for D. Barnes preachinge at the spittle so farre as I can lerne there is nothinge maketh more agaynst you then that same his daies worke For like as he there openly gaue a good ensample of charite and fraternall reconciliacion So is the same a confusion to you and all youre wanton secte which belyenge the trueth blasphemynge the holy gost and slaundrynge them that are the pryce of Christes bloude aswell as you which poyntes smell of grater heresye then ye can proue agaynst D. Barnes in this his protestacion will not repent ner aske open forgeuenesse Which of youre cancred sorte hath yet of his owne fre mynde vncompelled come in to an open audience and played such a parte or desyred reconciliaciō Not one of you all that I knowe of no though the Kyng hath commaunded you in his iniunctious and though some of you hath not bene ashamed to burne gods worde Standishe As it was declared at Pauls crosse et cet Couerdale D. Barnes last will and testament wher vpon he taketh his death is this that ther is no other satisfaction vnto the father but the deeth and passion of Christ onely Therfore though it had bene ten thousand tymes reuoked afore yee and declared neuer so oft at Pauls crosse either in the rehearsall sermon or other wyse Yet shall no mans reuokynge no ner your blastinge and blowing your stampinge and stayringe your stormy tempestes ner wyndes be able to ouerthrow this trueth and testimonye of the holy goost thorow out the scriptures that the death of Iesus Christ onely doth satisfye and content the father of heauen and maketh the attonoment for oure synnes Nether do ye ought but bark agaynst the Moone so longe as ye laboure to mynishe the glory of Christ as though he optayned not grace for all the synne of the worlde Youre opynion and doctryne will not suffre Christ to be a full satisfyer vnto his father for all synnes Ye saye he delyuered us from origenall synne and actuall and yet ye youre selues confesse that ther be also venyall synnes Which yf ye taught not to be washed awae with some other thinges of youre owne chosynge No doubte ye wold confesse that Christ delyuered us from them also aswell as from the other In this youre doctryne ye confesse that thorow Christ we maye auoyde and escape the eternall and seconde death and yet afterward saye ye that our satisfaction doth please and content allmightye god as satisfactory for oure trespace But how fayntly bring ye out these wordes We maye O howe loth are ye that Christ shulde haue his due honour Agayne How stand youre wordes now together Yf we escape the eternall and second death by Christ how can we ascribe the pacifieng and contenting of allmightie god to oure owne satisfaction Morouer how doth god accepte oure satisfaction as satisfactory for oure trespace whan no man by youre owne confession can satisfie for the offence Is not trespace and offence all one thinge Ye affirme in youre latyn wordes that a man suffreth not the eternall and second death thorow the sinne of Adam which saienge includeth a very heinous heresie and is openly confuted by the Apostle to the Romaines where like as he proueth that the saluaciō of all men came onely by Christ so affirmeth he also that condemnacion came on all men thorow Adam Standishe No man can I graunt satisfie pro culpa et cetera Couerdale Ye graunt now that no man can satisfie for the offence and yet ye saide afore that oure satisfaction is accepted of god as satisfactory for oure trespace Item ye saie here that euery man must satisfie for the punishment belōginge to sinne and ye graunted afore that thorow Christ we auoyde and escape the eternall and second death loke better on youre boke man for shame Is not the eternall and seconde death euerlasting damnaciō and punishment due for sinne How can we then satisfie for the punishment belonginge vnto sinne whan by youre owne confession we escape it by Christ Alas that ye are so blind or that ye shulde buylde vpon so weake a foundacion Standishe Acordinge to that of S. Paul j. Cor. xj Sinos ipsos iudicaremus et cet Couerdale Remembre youre selfe well and forget not that ye haue brought in this texte to proue that euery man must satisfie for the punishment belonging vnto sinne Neuertheles let us se wher vpō the Apostle speaketh and pondre the circumstaunce of his wordes so shall we trye
and acceptable sacrifice to god which is your reasonable seruinge of god And fashion not your selues like vnto this worlde but be chaunged thorow the renewinge of your minde These are S. Pauls wordes which as ye partly hide from the vnlerned so cut ye them very short lest I feare yf we heard out S. Pauls minde we shulde vnderstond him the better S. Pauls doctrine is that we must mortifie oure bodies but to what intent To make any such satisfaction as ye wolde proue Naie so saieth not the texte but to the intent that we maie serue god as we shuld serue him to forsake vanite and to be altred frō an euel minde to a good Euen so like wise saieth the other text which I must English for you in the sixte to the Romaines Like as ye haue in times past geuen ouer youre membres to serue sinne from one wickednesse to another so must ye now geue ouer youre membres to serue righteousnesse that ye maie be holy That ye maie be holy saieth he and speaketh of no such satisfaction as ye inuente Standish Yf I do not thus satisfie then I shall haue the rewarde and paine belonging to sinne et cet Couerdale To the intent that ye maye spie the better in what case ye stand by your awne wordes I praie god ye maie loke to your selfe by times as a Christen man shulde I will make you an argument or two out of the scripture To deliuer from eternall death is to satisfie for the paine due vnto sinne But Christ onely deliuereth frō eternall death Ergo Christ onely satisfieth for the payne due vnto sinne The maior is manifeste by S. Paul whom ye youre selfe alledge saienge The rewarde of sinne is death euen eternall death by youre owne confession The minor is proued by the Prophet and by the Apostle Of these two premisses gather you the conclusion Another argument By what one so euer we are deliuered from the wrath of god both past and for to come by the same is made sufficient satisfactiō for the paine due vnto oure synne But Christ onely deliuereth us from the wrath of god both past and for to come Ergo he onely satisfieth for the paine due vnto our sinne The Maior is manifest for the payne due vnto sinne is the wrath and indignacion of god The Minor is euident by the Apostle first that we are deliuered onely by Christ frō the wrath of god past for he hath made the peace betwene his heauenly father and us and by him is the father reconciled Secondly that we are deliuered by him from the wrath to come it is cleare Rom. v. and j. Tessa j. By these two premisses maie you gather the conclusion Now to youre wordes To satisfie for the payne due vnto sinne is the onely office of Christ But ye take vpon you to satisfie for the payne due vnto sinne Ergo ye take vpon you the office of Christ The Maior is proued by the scriptures alledged afore in the two first argumentes The minor is gathered of your owne playne wordes Of these two foloweth the conclusion Then thus Ye saie that yf ye do not thus satisfie ye shall haue eternall death But so ye can not do for it is the onely office of Christ Ergo ye shall haue eternall death Beholde now what a daungerous case ye be in by your awne wordes Alas man that euer ye shulde be so blind as to sit thus in iudgment and to geue sentence agaynst youre owne soule that Christ hath shed his bloude for yf ye cōforme your selfe to be partaker therof Who wolde not note me to be fiue mile fro my right witte yf I shulde make such an argument and saie thus Yf I be not Christ the sonne of god I shall haue eternall death and damnacion But so it is that I am not Christ Ergo et cete Yf I shulde thus beleue and affirme this Maior wolde not ye abhorre me Turne therfore turne for gods sake in to youre owne conscience and rebuke it ernestly betwene god and you for suffring either your hand to write or youre mouth to speake anie such inconuenience Standish And now of this satisfaction finally to conclude yf there were nede of no satisfaction after by repentaunce we be come in to the fauoure agayne with god why then did Christ saie Luke vij to them that loue much many sinnes are forgeuē and to them that loue litle fewer sinnes are forgeuen Couerdale Youre opinion vpon that place of the gospell doth utterly destroie the parable of the lender and two detters yee and Simōs answere which oure sauioure Christ aloweth For Simon saieth that to whom most is forgeuen the same loueth most And againe our sauioure sayeth Vnto whom lesse is forgeuen the same loueth lesse By the which two sentences euery man maie easely perceaue that the text speaketh of no such satisfactiō as ye ymagin But I haue spied you now at the last O very cruell enemies to gods holy worde how falsely haue ye peruerted and turned oure sauiours wordes to mainteine youre heresie withall Can not Christes wordes stand in the gospell for you as he spake them and as the Euangelist wrote thē but ye must teach him how he shulde saie Doth he saie in that place To them that loue much many sinnes are forgeuē and to them that loue litle fewer sinnes are forgeuen Naie verely these are his wordes Many synnes are forgeuen her for she hath loued much But vnto whom lesse is forgeuen the same loueth lesse Will ye still then take vpon you to controlle the holy goost Well beware that this your iugling come not to light Beware I saie that the breth of god blow not downe youre house for a rotten foundacion can not stand long Take hede by times and saie ye be warned Standish This sayenge can not be concernynge culpam et cet Couerdale Oure sauiour speaketh of sinnes and of forgeuing the sinnes And yet are ye not ashamed to affirme that his saieng can not be concerning the faulte but concerning the punishment Can not Christ speake a thinge and meane the same Can he not be true in his wordes O blaphemers of the sonne of god Yee and of that blessed woman Mary Magdalene which must nedes be yet in hir olde faultes and a sinner still yf he meant not as he saide yf his saienge were not concerning the fault whan he spake these wordes Many sinnes are forgeuen her et cet Standishe Wherby we se that post remissam culpam et cetera Couerdale Ye haue here to fore called this satisfactiō the workes of pennaunce and now saie ye but in latyn that there remaineth somtyme a dutye of punishment to be pourged or reconciled with a worthy satisfaction Which yf it be a worke of pennaunce what time can ye assigne me in the which I am not boūd to be exercised in some frute therof
And now come ye in with somtime Agayne Ye saide afore that the satisfaction must be acording to the qualite of the offence and now ye saie that the punishment due vnto sinne must be pourged with a worthy satisfactiō Now is it manifest that vnworthinesse is a qualite of euery offence for all faultes are vnworthy thinges wherfore by youre awne confession it foloweth that the paine due vnto the same must be satisfied with an vnworthy satisfaction And verely so I take it for vnworthy is it what so euer a man of his owne braine inuenteth without some sure ground of gods worde Standishe And this is signified by that of the Prophet Ioel et cet Couerdale The wordes of the Prophet though ye choppe them very short are these Now therfore saieth the lorde Be ye turned vnto me in your whole hert in fasting weping and mourning And rent your hertes and not your clothes and be ye turned to the lorde your god for he is gracious and pitefull long suffringe and of great mercy and will be intreated as touchinge sinne et cet Doth this text now signifie that after the fault is forgeuē there remaineth somtyme a duetie of punishment to be pourged with a worthy satisfaction Is this your iudgment in scripture O shameles beliers of the open and manifest text Standish Now yf you saie Esay Cap. liij saieth our sauyoure bare oure sinnes on him et cete Couerdale Of a trueth saieth the Prophet he hath taken awaie oure sorowes and he himselfe hath borne oure paines et cet The correction of oure attonement was laied vpon him et cet These are the wordes of Esaie which as they are manifest and plaine so do not you truly rehearce them as they stand and yet can ye not denie but that yf we conforme oure selues vnto Christ then hath he satisfied for us moost abundauntly To what poynt now haue ye brought your former doctryne of satisfaction Verely euen to this poynt that Christ hath taken awaye their sorowes and paynes yee and borne the correction of their attonement which conforme them selues vnto him For all this your confession yet denie ye the trueth agayne and saye that he deliuered us not from all payne satisfactory Now saieth the Prophet that he toke away our sorowes and paynes What payne satisfactory then is there that he hath not deliuered us from Yf it be oure payne then saieth Esay Christ hath borne it But peraduenture ye do meane some payne of your owne Ye seme to be yet dreaming of your painfull purgatory for yf ye conformed youre selfe to Christ and to his doctryne ye shulde be persuaded and certified in your conscience euen by the same chapter of Esay that Christ hath aswell satisfied his heauenly father for the paine due vnto your sinne as for your sinne itselfe Standishe For yf he had so done we shuld nether mourne et cete Couerdale Ye saie that yf Christ had deliuered us from all paine satisfactory we shulde nether mourne ner be penitent for oure offence committed against god ner we nede not to mortifie our fleshe O damnable heresie And are ye one of the authours therof Are ye one of the destroiers of pennaunce of conuerting to god and of mortifienge the flesh But as touchinge such another like vngodly consequent I haue talked somwhat with you afore All the worlde therfore shall knowe that ye are the teachers of such pestilēt doctrine and not we Behold now how vnsure ye are of your selfe Ye saie that yf Christ had deliuered us from all paine satisfactory we shulde nether mourne ner be penitent for our sinne ner mortifie oure flesh And yet ye confessed afore that thorow Christ we auoide and escape eternall death which likewise by your owne confession is the paine due vnto sinne How stond your wordes now tegether Where as ye condemne your owne peruerse doctrine by the sixte chapter to the Romaynes it were sufficient to deliuer you from suspicion yf ye did bide therby But that do ye recante and fall to youre vomite againe saienge Standishe But we shulde with their fleshly libertie haue a ioyfull pennaunce full of myrth Couerdale Your doctrine is that yf Christ had taken awaie the paine due vnto your sinne ye shuld not repent for your sinnes but folowe your owne fleshly libertie et ce Wher by ye declare your self to be still of that rotten opinion which ye defended afore Now where as ye reporte of us that oure pennaunce is with a fleshly libertie I answere Euē as by your former wordes ye proue your self to be one of their nombre which saie Let us do euell that good maie come therof Let us continue in sinne that there maie be abundaunce of grace Let us sinne because we are not vnder the lawe but vnder grace Euen so Isaie do ye declare your selfe to be one of them that speake euell of us and reporte us to be the affirmers of youre wicked wordes As though we were they that exhorted men to a fleshly libertye or not to lyue in vertue and good works Now god is the tru iudge who as he abhorreth all liers euen so referre I all vengeaunce to him for it is his office by right But in the meane season till all falshode be discloised oure ernest watching and labourynge for youre saluacion the poore life which we leade in this world and the frutes of oure good wil that grow in youre owne gardens for all youre wedes shall testifie somwhat with us also agaynst your euell tonges And god which is able to restore the blind to their sight shall lende men eyes to se and vnderstonding to discerne whether the doctryne and open worde of god which we teach wold haue men to liue after ther awne lustes Or whether your doctrine which is of mens inuenting be not rather cause of all wickednesse robbing men of their wittes and makynge them to renne at riote from gods word from his ordinaunce from his commaundementes from his promises and from the most vertuous ensamples of gods children Now as touchinge oure pennaunce Ye wold make the worlde beleue that whan we speake therof we meane some moris daunce some such delicate bancketting as is among the vngodly some vnlaufull chambringe some such excesse of eatinge and drynkynge as god amende it is comonly vsed in the world Againe your doctrine is that repentaunce shulde be without ioye And oure beleue is that yf the holy goost and the true faith of Christ go together then like as repentaunce proceadeth of faith so is the ioye of Christen men a frute of the holy goost as the Apostle saieth Thus also to be mery and ioyfull are we taught by the scripture Hiere ix.j. Cor. j.ij. Cor. xj Rom. v.viij. Math. v. Luce. x. Shall we thē be sory because god hath done so much for us For oure sinnes and trespaces we wilbe sory and mourne though whan we fast we rent not oure garmentes ner
haue reasoned with you allready Now because ye can not proue this last parte of youre conclusiō by scripture namely that your good dedes and actes are not vnpure ner vnperfecte in this life therfore the Prophet Esaie to recompence you the wrong that ye dyd him in minishing his wordes afore will yet take the paines for you to proue your purpose though it be litle to your minde Whan he saieth All we are become as an vncleane man and all oure righteousnesses are as a clothe stained with the floures of a woman And the wise man saieth also Who maie saie My hert is cleane I am pure from sinne Barnes ANd with this he cast abrode his handes and desyred god to forgeue him his trespas Standishe Extra ecclesiam nulla salus et cetera Couerdale Without the church ye saie is no saluacion Now is it manifest that beside the church made of lime and stone ther is also a congregacion church and multitude of frowarde and wicked doers which not onely gather them selues together like roaringe lyons fatt bulles wanton calues and curre dogges agaynst Christ as the xxj Psalme complaineth but also make lawes cōstitucions statutes ordinaunces and tradicions agaynst gods worde Wherby it commeth to pas that though they boast neuer so much of gods seruice yet all is to them in vaine as the Prophet and Christ himselfe doth testifie Another church is there which is the holy spouse congregacion and company of them that are of the felashippe and communion of Christ and walke not in darknes but in the trueth hauing al their sinnes clensed by his bloude This church continueth in the Apostles doctryne renneth not out from the heauenly felashippe of Christ and his membres distributeth the sacramentes duely and truly ceasseth not frō praieng and well doinge et ce are of one minde and soule are glad to helpe one another as it is manifest in the actes and Epistles of the Apostles The men of this church praie in all places liftinge vp pure handes et cet In this church whosoeuer asketh hath he that seketh findeth and to him that knocketh doth god open In this church is fre pardon and remission of sinnes for all true penitentes For god will not the death of sinners but yf they cōuerte vnto him they shall liue and who so is laden with sinne and commeth vnto Christ findeth rest and ease in his soule and shall not be cast out Forasmuch then as ye condemne D. Barnes thus doinge and iudge him to be none of the church that desireth god to forgeue him his trespace it is euident that in your church ther is no forgeuenes for poore sinners and so is it not the church of Christ Wherfore seinge ye discente frō Christes church where the dore is euer opened to them that knocke youre owne sentence condēneth you that ye can trust to haue no saluaciō by gods promes But alas what blindnesse is in you Though a sinner doth erre or hath erred from the right faith and from the true vse of the holy sacramentes that be in the church of Christ and now commeth to repentaunce desiringe god to forgeue him his trespace Is not this a damnable doctrine to teach that he can not trust to haue saluaciō by gods promes No hath god promised that sin̄ers which repēt shal not be saued The thefe that hanged on the right hand of Christ hath proued the cōtrary Agayne Yf a sin̄er maie not trust to haue saluacion by gods promes wherby thē maie he trust to haue it By himselfe by his owne workes Or by youre merites Euen by your merites as it apeareth wolde ye haue him trust to haue saluacion for ye must nedes be full of merites that in all your workyng committe no sinne as ye saye your selfe Morouer the tenoure of your wordes separateth the mercy of god from his promes as though they cōcurred not together But I pray you who can trust to haue saluacion by gods promes and trusteth not in his mercy Whan the Apostle saieth God gaue the enheritaunce vnto Abraham frely by promes was it not done by his mercy And whan he saieth in the same chapter Ye are the heires of Christ acording to the promes what meaneth he els but as he saieth to Titus that the kindnesse and loue of oure sauioure hath appeared not for the dedes of righteousnesse which we haue done but acordinge to his mercy hath he saued us et cet S. Iames wordes which ye bring in in latyn denieth no forgeuenesse to them that repent but like as he rebuketh them that are but Christen men in worde and not in good workes and dedes so yf parcialite be sinne then doth the circūstaunce of the same text cōdemne your former conclusion that saie ye sinne not in all your workes Standishe Loke the reward of finalis impenitētia et cet Couerdale D. Barnes words testifie what faith and repētaunce he had toward god and what hert he bare toward the comon welth of all Christendome and yet shame ye not to wryte that he dyed without repentaunce and in errours because he wold not denie Christ and reuoke his worde with you Standishe Which died by his wordes without signe or token of saluacion Couerdale Is it no token ner signe of saluacion to beleue in the holy and blessed trenite the incarnacion passion death and resurrectiō of our sauioure and to knowlege the same before men Is all this utterly no token of saluacion Christ and the Apostle Paul are of another iudgment Standishe And so his praier must nedes be voyde Couerdale D. Barnes cast abrode his handes and desired god forgeuenes and yet darre ye affirme that his praier must nedes be voide By the which wordes like as ye denie the article of forgeuenesse mencioned in our Crede and promised in the scripture to euery one that truly repenteth so declare ye euidently that ther is litle mercy in your mother the church of the wicked for in Christes church yf the sonne aske the father a pece of bred he will not geue him a stone but good thinges Standish Marke how he trusteth with in an houre et ce Couerdale Is it blinde arrogauncy whan a man refusing all confidence in his owne workes trusteth to haue eternall life thorow the mercy of god What blynd arrogauncy was in the Apostle whan he saide we knowe certainlie that yf oure earthy house of this dwelling were destroyed we haue a building ordeined of god an house not made with handes but euerlasting in heauen Oure sauioure also geueth this comforte to such as beleue in him that they shall not come to damnacion but passe from death vnto life Are ye not a comfortable Phisician then to mens consciences that shame not to teach other wise then Christ doth But surely these two places of scripture are not for the stablishinge of your soule masses and diriges and therfore
teach or warne me Seing that I was obedient vnto them whan they sayde beleue the gospel why may I not obeie them whan they saye vnto me beleue not Manicheus et cet By the circumstaunce now of S. Augustines wordes it is euident first that he wolde beleue no such doctrine as men brought vp of their owne heades Secondly that he wold beleue no vncertayne doctryne ner that he knewe not to be true Thirdly that the occasion which moued him to beleue the gospell was the whole consent and auctorite of the catholike or vniuersall church Now like as he reporteth not of them that they preached anie other doctryne vnto him saue the gospell so saieth he not that he beleued anye other lernyng saue onely it And in confutinge of Manicheus erroure he bringeth none other doctryne but the scripture as it is manifest in the same fifth chapter of his boke What helpe haue ye now in S. Augustines wordes either to proue praieng to saintes or that a particular church maye by her auctorite make anye article necessary to be beleued excepte it be grounded in scripture Ye meant somwhat whan ye chopped vp S. Augustines wordes of that fashion It is not for naught that ye so haue peruerted his sayeng and reade it otherwise then it standeth in his boke For these are his wordes I shulde not beleue the gospell vnlesse the auctorite of the catholike church dyd moue me Now is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as much to saye as vniuersalis Which worde like as ye leaue out in youre lectiō so folowe ye the mynde of Franciscus Maronis such another holy father as was your inquit quidam who commynge long after S. Augustine dyd gather of these his forsaid wordes that the auctorite of the church is greater then the auctorite of holy scripture where as S. Aug. meant nothinge lesse but teacheth us that who so euer bringeth vp anye opynion or setteth forth anye doctryne we shall receaue none but that which agreeth with the manifest doctryne of the vniuersall church of Christ That is we shall holde us to that doctryne which was taught by the Prophetes by the Apostles and by such other as were true folowers of them in Christes holy congregacion and church Standish Is it not still fundamentum et columna veritatis et cet Couerdale The vniuersall congregacion and multitude of thē that beleue in Christ is still the house of god the church of the liuinge god the piler and stablishment of the trueth For there dwelleth god with his mercy grace trueth forgyuenesse et cet Nether dyd the Apostles contrary to Christes former institucion whan they to set vp his name which then was so sore spurned at dyd baptise in the same yf ye remembre well the prerogatyue of holy baptyme and the presence of the blessed trenyte therin Standishe Paul the vessel of election m. v. hundert yeres and more past desired the Romaynes cap. xv the Collo cap. iiij the Tessa j. Tessa v. to praye for him et cet Couerdale I turned not ouer two leafes of your treatise sens I red these your wordes where ye saie thus How can it be in scripture thou impudent heretike the prayer vnto saintes Lorde Iesu what meane ye man Will ye by scripture proue that thing which as ye your self confesse can not be in scripture Do ye not graūt your selfe that the holy scripture is the very worde of god Wyll ye then by gods holy worde proue that thinge which can not be therin Wyll ye belye the worde of god Saye ye not your selfe in another place afore that it is an abhominable vice to slaundre it To what poynt no to haue ye brought that worshipfull doctrine of your vnholy mother the malignaunt church Which teacheth that we must now praie vnto S. Paul and other sayntes because that he beynge here in this body dyd requyre other men to praye for him and for all saintes Now is his request such that yf we shuld fulfill it yet for him aswell as whan he was lyuyng vpō erth thē shuld we desire god to be good to his holy sayntes that are out of this life And then god saue oure lady helpe S. Paul and conforte swete S. Anthony A mocker are ye with gods holy word and a shameful slaūdrer therof therfore as vnworthy to be answered vnto euery vayne sentence of your vnstable doctryne so leaue I your long disputacion therin Desiringe all Christen readers to note wel what scriptures ye bring forth and to cōpare the same vnto the open texte and then trie which of oure two doctrynes is moost agreable to gods holy worde The doctryne of the Prophetes of Christ oure Sauioure of his holy Apostles and of such as haue and do folowe them in the catholike or vniuersall church and congregacion of god Is his holy worde and scripture which as holy S. Paul darre aduowe is able to instructe us vnto saluacion which is thorow the faith in Christ Iesu et cet Yf youre article therfore of prayenge to sayntes that be out of this life were a thing belonging to saluacion no doubte the same holy scripture of god wold haue taught it The awncient firme stable and true doctryne of Christes catholike or vniuersall church is this that like as Christ Iesus toke vpon him oure flesh and bloude without sinne and deliuered us frō eternall death and hell so is he still oure mercifull and faithfull hie prest in thinges concerning god to make agrement for oure sinnes and able to socoure such as are tempted He is the seate of grace to whom yf we resorte we maie receaue mercy and fynde grace to helpe in tyme of nede he is able also euer to saue them that come vnto god by him and lyueth euer to make intercessiō for us yee and appeareth now for us before the face of god This doctryne is confirmed by those same textes of scripture that ye bring in j. Iohn secundo Iohn xiiij j Timoth. secundo and yet without open scriptures are ye not ashamed to resiste it We are cōmaunded thorow out all holy scripture both of the olde and new Testamēt to praie vnto Allmightie god to call vpon him to make oure peticions vnto him and to aske of him what soeuer we lacke We haue his true and faithfull promes that yf we so do we shall be hearde we shall haue oure request we shall finde that we seke we shall be delyuered et cet We haue ensamples innumerable that all those faithfull people whom the scripture maketh mencion of dyd make their peticions and praier to none other but vnto god whyle they were in this life Let Cornelius whom we spake of afore and the practise of the prymityue church beare recorde Shal we now refuse gods holy cōmaundemēt thinke scorne of his louing promes despise the ensamples of his catholike and vniuersall church and defye gods holy ordinaunce as ye
A confutacion of that treatise which one John Standish made agaynst the protestacion of D. Barnes in the yeare M. D. XL. Wherin the holy scriptures peruerted and wrested in his sayd treatise are restored to their owne true vnderstonding agayne by Myles Couerdale Iacobi iij. Nolite gloriari mendaces esse aduersus ueritatem To the Reader To all them that either reade or heare gods holy worde and geue ouer them selues to lyue vnfannedly acording to the same do I hartely wysshe the grace peace and mercy of god the father in and thorow oure lorde and onely Sauioure Iesus Christ THe seuenth daye of Decembre was delyuered vnto me a certayne treatyse composed by one Iohn Standish Felow of Whittington college in londoÌ„ so is the tytle of it and prynted by Robert Redeman Anno M. D. XL. iij. Nonas Octobris At the reading wherof I mourned sore within my selfe for certayne occasions offred vnto me in the sande treatyse First that vnder the Kynges priuilege any thing shuld be set forth which is either agaynst the worde and trueth of allmightye god or agaynst the Kynges honoure Secondlye that good wholsome and Christen wordes shulde be calumpniated and reuyled Thirdly that the sayde Iohn Standish pronouncyng Doctoure Barnes to haue taught heresye so longe is not ashamed all this whyle to haue hold his penne but now first to wryte agaynst him whan he is deed et ce As touching the first whether I haue cause to mourne or no I reporte me to all true Christen hertes for as I am credibly enfourmed and as I partly haue sene there is now a wonderful diuersite in writing bokes and balates in England one enueyenge agaynst another one reuylinge and reprouyng another one reioysinge at anothers fall and aduersite And not onely this but also at the ende of euery balate or boke in maner whether it be the better partye or worse is set the Kynges priuilege Which as it is agaynst the glorye of god that one shulde reuyle another Is it not euen so agaynst the Kynges honoure Yee the shame is it of all Englande that vnder his priuilege anye erroneous contentious or slaunderous boke or papyre shulde be prynted Men wonder in other contrees that ther is so greate negligence of this matter in a realme where so wyse and prudent a counsail is â–ª And they that are moued with godly compassioÌ„ do lament Englande sory that ther is so great discencion in it sory that blasphemous ieasting and raylinge balates or bokes agaynst the manifest worde of god shulde either be suffred or priuilegied sory that gods trueth shulde thus spitefully be intreated of so greate a nombre Now the reformacion of this and all other defaultes lyeth onely in the hande of god To whom I referre it and to the rightfull admynistracion of his holy ordinauÌ„ce and auctorite in the kynges hyghnesse who whan he knoweth of the saide inconuenience how tryflinge and raylinge bokes and rymes are prynted vnder his priuilege wyll no doubte set a redresse herein Concernyng the seconde occasion aboue rehearced Is it not cause ynough forme and all other Christen to be right sory to mourne and lamente that the wordes which are good wholsome and acordinge to the holy scripture and Chrisies faith shulde be either blasphemed or taken to the worst Yf the Kynges grace shulde put forthe an wholsome proclamacion iniunction or commaundement as he doth many what true subiecte louynge gods holy ordinaunce and auctorite in his prynce wold not be greue to se anye man either spytt at those his soueraignes wordes or to defye them Yf we now which are Christen haue so iust occsion and are bownde to be thus wise mynded in this outward regiment wherein god hath appoynted us to be obedient to the hyer powers how much more cause haue we to water our eyes with sory hertes whan the proclamacion iniunction coÌ„maundement and worde of him which is kyng of all Kynges and lord of all lordes is thus reuyled and euell spoken of That the wordes of D. Barnes spoken at tbe houre of his death and here vnder written are good wholsome acording to gods holy scripture and not worthy to be euell taken It shalbe euidently sene whan we haue layed theÌ„ to the twych stone and tryed them by gods worde To the open text wherof yf ye take good hede ye shal se the peruerse doctryne and wycked opynions of Standish clerely confuted And no doubte god wyll so haue it because that vnder the pretence of bearing a zeale toward gods worde he taketh apon him to be iudge and geuer of sentence agaynst gods worde and to condemne it that gods worde aloweth And this as I sayde is another cause of the sorynesse of my hert that he which darre auowe another man to be an opeÌ„ heretike is not ashamed thus longe nether to haue written ner openly preached agaynst him by name but now to starte vp whan he is deed Is it not a greate worshippe for him to wrestle with a shadow and to â—â—ll a deed man Is he not a worthy souldyer that all the battayll tyme thrusteth his hand in his bosome and whan meÌ„ are deed then draweth out his swerde and fighteth with them that are slayne allreadye Iudge ye gentle readers yf Standish playeth not such a parte with D. Barnes To whom also he imputeth treason and yet proueth neuer a poynte therof agaynst him Yet were it as charitable a dede to confute all treason and to geue us warnynge of it by name as either to establishe false doctryne or to enueye agaynst good sayenges Yee a Christen and charitable acte were it in reprouyng anye traytoure to tell the Kynges subiectes in what thing he committed the treason that they maye beware of the same But thus doth not Standishe here in this his treatise which because it is buylded on sande and on a false foundacioÌ„ I doubte not but with gods worde which is the swerde of the sprete and a weapen mighty to ouerthrow euery ymaginacion that exalteth it selfe agaynst the knowlege of god To geue it a fall and with holy scripture to shewe euydently that Standishe hath farre ouershott himselfe in condemnynge the sayenges which gods word doth not disalowe He that wolde wryte agaynst anye man shulde leuell his ordinaunce agaynst his euell wordes yf he had spoken or written anye and not agaynst his good wordes ffor god is the authoure of all good which as his holy scripture aloweth so will he himselfe defende the same He that is therfore an enemye to the thinge which is good or resisteth it is gods aduersary and withstondeth him Wherfore let Standish froÌ„ hensforth and all other beware that they take no parte agaynst gods worde ner defende any false matter lest god be the auenger ffor yf the lyon begynne to roare he will make all his enemies afrayed And yf D. Barnes dyed a true Christen man be ye sure his death shalbe a greater
stroke to ypocrisye then euer his life coulde haue bene Yf he was falsly accused to the Kynges highnesse and so put to death woo shall come to those accusers yf they repent not by tymes And yf D. Barnes in his hert mouth and dede committed no worse thinge towarde the Kynges highnesse then he committed agaynst god in these his wordes at his death he is like at the later daye to be a iudge ouer them that were cause of his death yf they do not amende Now indifferent reader to the intent that thou mayest the more clearly discerne light frō darknesse and knowe gods true worde from false docrine I shall whan I haue sayde somwhat to Standish preface rehearce vnto the. D. Barnes wordes Secondly though I rehearce not vnto the all Standish wordes lest I shuld make to greate a boke I shall poynte the to the begynning of his sentence requyring the yf thou wilt to reade out the rest thy selfe in his treatise Thirdly though he hath desserued to be roughly handled yet do I purpose by gods onely grace to deale more gently with him beynge alyue then he doth with the deed This interpryse now as I take in hand agaynst Standishe in this behalfe so am I ready to do the same agaynst the greate graundsire and captaine of false teachers I meane greate Goliath of Rome and his weapen-bearer That is agaynst all such as are enemies to Kynge Dauid oure lorde Iesus Christ for whose moost confortable sprete gentle reader I beseche the to praie with me vnto our moost deare father in heauen whose name be praysid whose kyngdome come whose onely wyll be fulfilled now and euer Amen Here Foloweth the Preface of Iohn Standish to the reader Standish TO se the most victoryous and noble Prynce oure soueraigne lorde the kyng labourynge and watchinge contynually wyth all diligent studye to expulse and dryue out I maye saye to pourge and clense this his catholike regyon etce Couerdale Though ye abuse youre termes in reporting that the Kyng goeth about to expell and dryue out his catholike region I will impute those youre wordes to the weaknesse of youre brayne and to the seacenesse of honest eloquence therin But yf the Kynges laboure watching and diligent studye in pourging and clensyng his realme from all heresies and scismes be occasion sufficient as it is in dede to compell euery true subiecte to helpe vnto the same why haue ye then bene so slack therin all this while Youre owne wordes bring yo in to a shrewd suspicion For ye knowe and haue sene with your eyes that the kyng hath these many yeares bene labouring and busie in abolishing out of his realme the vsurped power of the. B. of Rome his manifolde sectes of false religions his worshipping of ymages his disceatfull pardons his ydolatrye and pilgremages etc. Were not all these great heresies and scismes Or can ye excuse your selfe of ignoraunce that ye haue not sene how the Kyng hath laboured in putting downe the same Yf ye then be a writer against heresies and scismes why haue ye written agaynst none of these all this while Thus euery man which readeth your wordes maye se that ye haue bewraied your selfe to be a fauourer of such thinges Standish Wherfore maruayll not gentle reader etc. Couerdale Contrary now to your request wil euery man maruail at you not onely because ye declare your selfe to haue borne all this whyle no ryght loue toward gods word to the saluacion of mens soules ner to the dewtye that ye owe to your prynce but also because that now thorow the occasion of a poore mans deeth ye first starte vp to wryte as though the Kyng had put downe no heresies afore D. Barnes dyed Is this the zele that ye bear toward gods word and towarde his people Such a zele had they of whom the Apostle speaketh to the Galathians sayenge They haue no good zele vnto you but wolde thrust you out namely from the trueth that ye might be feruent to them ward Where as ye write the daye and yeare of D. Barnes death it increaseth your owne confusion and shall be a cleare testimonye agaynst youre selfe for resistinge those good wordes of his protestacion yf ye forsake not youre heresye in tyme. Yee euen by youre owne penne haue ye brought it to pas that it shall not be forgotten till the worldes ende what a Christen testament and last will D. Barnes made at his death and how paciently he forsoke this life Standish FOr in his protestacion is both conteyned heresye and treason Couerdale For saie ye in his protestaciō et cet Is that the cause why ye do enterpryse and take in hande to wryte agaynst it Then verely declare ye youre selfe not onely to be parcial but also a fauourer of heresye and treason knowinge so many to haue bene attaynted therof within these seuen yeares Standish ALlbeit do not thynke that I wryte this thorow anye malyce toward him that is burned etc. Couerdale He that compareth youre wordes to your dede shall soone perceaue that ye haue cast milk in youre owne face and that for all youre holy pretence some spice of Cainish stomake hath made you now do more then all the Kynges noble actes in abolishinge the saide abuses coulde make you do many yeares afore though the same yf ye were a true subiecte were by youre owne confession sufficient cause for you so to do Howbeit it is not I that go aboute to laye malice to youre charge youre awne acte is not your best frende I praye god your conscience accuse you not therof But why take ye god to recorde in a false matter Do ye not confesse yourselfe that the Kynges graces laboure watchinge and diligent studie is the thinge that causeth and compelleth you to write against D. Barnes protestacion and that thorow the loue and feruent zele ye beare towarde gods word and the saluacion of mens soules et cete And now take ye god to recorde that ye do it for feare lest the people schulde be infecte 〈◊〉 the multitude of copies of the saide protestacion Against the which feare I knowe none other comforte for you as longe as ye will not harken vnto gods worde but that wisdome it selfe geueth you in Salomons Prouerbes Namely that the thing which ye feare shal come vpon you and euen it that ye are afrayed of shall fall in sodenly amonge you This am I certified of not onely by the same place of scripture but euen by this youre present acte in putting forth youre treatise to be printed with and against the saide protestaciō For yf ye feare the great infection of the people thorow the multitude of copies therof why caused ye it to be printed or any man els for you Is the printing of the saide protestacion the nexte waie to kepe copies therof from the people Ye maie well haue witte but sure ye lacke policie Such a like wise waie was takē in England within these
few yeares by certaine abbottes which thinkyng therby to vpholde their false religions wrought moued or els consented to insurrection within diuerse parties of the realme And yet was the same their wisdome a cause that haisted their owne destructiō And euen so now by youre printinge of the saide protestaciō ye haue brought it so to pas that the thinge whiche ye feared is come to light Thus can god pull downe his enemies houses with their owne hondes Certainlie like as I neuer heard that ther was any copie therof till I sawe it in youre boke so am I credibly enfourmed that it was neuer in printe afore Where as ye saie that it is an erroneous and traiterous protestaciō it is sooner saide then proued nether maketh it greately for youre honestie to knowe many secrete embracers of heresie and treason and not to utter them But ye maie twise saie it afore ye be ones beleued onely they that are of god wil whan thei haue tried and examined al thinges kepe that which is good and eschuethe contrary Standish BVt I trust in allmightie god yf it please you to rede this litle treatise with a louyng zele toward oure mother the holy church et cetera Couerdale Here do ye manifestly declare what zele moued you to write against D. Barnes protestacion Namely not any iust zele or loue toward gods worde or his people but euen because ye feare lest your mother shulde come to shame yf the trueth were knowne therfore to shew youre mother a pleasure ye thoughte to do youre best in defending her Nether helpeth it your pretēce anie thinge at all though ye call hir holy for euery such secte as ye be of hath a sundrie holinesse which commeth not of the sprete that sanctifieth Now like as your owne acte came of that zele which ye beare toward the church of the wicked so wolde ye haue youre treatise red with the same zele to the intent that the readers might smell heresie and treason where none is and be poysoned with such a corrupte iudgment as ye be of youre selfe Agayne how are ye or all men lyuinge able to proue that this protestacion of D. Barnes doth smell and sauoure nothinge but heresie and treason Is it heresie and treason to teach no erroneous doctrine to teach onely those thinges that scripture leadeth vnto to manteyne no erroure to moue no insurrection to be falsly slaundred to confute the false opinion of the Anabaptistes to deteste and abhorre all such sectes to set forth the glory of god obedience to the hyer powers and the true religion of Christ Doth it smell and sauoure nothinge but heresie and treason to beleue in the holy and blessed trenite to beleue the incarnacion passiō death and resurrection of oure lorde and sauiour Iesus Christ Is it heresye and treason for a synner to desire god to forgeue him to trust onely in the death of Christ to set forth good workes to beleue that ther is a holy church to beleue a life after this to speake reuerently of saintes to call oure lady a virgin immaculate and vndefiled to knowlege a Christen beleue concerning the body and bloude of oure lorde to ascribe vnto saintes the honoure that scripture willeth them to haue to praie for the Kyng and his counsaill et cete Do such thinges smell and sauoure nothinge but heresie and treason Wo vnto thē that call good euell and euell good darknesse light and light darknesse swete sower and sower swete Though ye do also esteme them to be heretikes and traitours that take parte with D. Barnes protestacion yet doth not youre estimacion or iudgment discorage me in this behalfe Nether is it my minde or will to medle with his offence yf he cōmitted anie against the Kyng nether to defende this his protestaciō with anie hand or weapen of man but by the scriptures to beare recorde vnto the trueth and to reproue youre peruerse and straunge doctrine which ye do teach against the same Standish FOr surely such as do improue them et cete Couerdale This youre saienge proueth not the cōtrary but that seinge ye resist the trueth I maie tell you your faute and enfourme you better acording to the Apostles doctrine yf god at any tyme will graunt you repentaunce for to know the trueth and to turne from the snare of the deuell et cete If I can vnderstonde that thorow this enfourmacion ye will geue place to the open and manifest trueth godschall haue the praise and I shall thincke my laboure well bestowed Yf the trueth can haue no place in you by faire meanes but he wil stil resiste it obstinately and belye it as ye do here in this youre treatise then verely ye maie be sure to be afterward so handled as the lymites and boundes of gods holy scripture wil suffre I beseche god acordinge to his good pleasure that ye maie haue eies to se eares to heare and an hert to vnderstonde his holy worde to consente vnto the same and in all pointes to liue therafter Amen Here foloweth the protestacion of S. Robert Barnes Barnes I Am come hither to be burned as an heretike and you shall heare my belefe wherby ye shal perceaue what erroneous opynions I holde Standishe I am sory to se the obstinate blindnesse and finall induracion in this his protestacion which wolde clere iustifie and excuse himself by colour and disceate Couerdale Christ oure sauioure makyng mencion of his owne death afore he was hanged apon the crosse saide these wordes Beholde we go vp to Hierusalem and the sonne of man shalbe betraied condemned mocked scourged crucified et cetera Whan a true man commeth to be hanged on the galowes Is it obstinate blindnesse and finall induracion for him so to saie Peraduenture ye will saie vnto me Take ye D. Barnes then for a true man I answere Verely these his wordes proue him no false man for he saide that he came to be brent And sure I am that he came not to the fire to be made a bisshoppe Morouer D. Barnes tolde the people that they shulde heare his beleue et cet And ye laie to his charge for his so doinge that he wolde cleare iustifie and excuse himselfe with coloure and disceate As though he iustified himself with colour and disceate which acordinge to S. Peters doctrine is ready allwaie to geue answere vnto euery man that asketh him a reason of the hope which is in him Was not D. Barnes instantly required to shew his faith and to open his minde in sondrie thinges Againe though he or anie man els wolde clere himfelse from such thinges as are wrongfully laied to his charge did he euell therin Yf it be so then did holy S. Paul leaue us a shrewd ensample in the Actes Standishe Which ought to haue accused condemned and utterly forsaken all that he had offended in si nos ipsos iudicaremus non utique diiudicaremur a domino
Ye are afraied that the innocente lambes of Christe shulde harken to his voyce and not to yours but set your hart at rest for they will not harken to the voice of straungers Standish Who doth beleue by anye other meanes contrary to Christ et cet Couerdale Yes forsoyth euen you yf ye beleue as ye wryte For the same preemynence that is due to the death of Christ and his promes geue ye to your workyng in the viniarde Yee ye put confidence that your workyng shall deserue immortalite Remembre your awne wordes well Standish But What Christian doth cast of and forsake all duties to oure parte belonginge and so temerously et ce Couerdale One dutye that belongeth to your parte is the sincere and true teaching of gods holy worde which dutye though ye cast of and forsake I will not saie all that I might by your awne wordes but god amende it that is amisse Againe this protestacion of D. Barnes testifieth that he doth not cast of and forsake al duties to a Christen man belonginge for he beleueth in the holy trinite he extolleth the merites of Christ he praiseth our lady he abhorreth the Anabaptistes heresie he praieth for the kynges highnesse he exhorteth men to good workes he besecheth god to forgeue him his trespace Be these no duties of Christē mē What hath moued you then thus vntruly to reporte of him Where as ye laye presumpcion to his charge for trustinge to inheret the Kyngdome of heauen thorow Christ I haue answered you afore where ye imputed like arrogauncy vnto him for so doynge Standish Which go aboute being blind thē selues et cet Couerdale Those heretikes of whom Christ biddeth us beware are false prophetes which come in shepes clothinge but inward are rauenyng wolues Ye shall knowe them saieth he by their frutes Now in describing vnto us their frutes he sheweth us that they are such as boast of their workes and saie haue not we done this haue not we done that Other blindnesse speaketh he not of in that chapter In the fiftenth chapter calleth he those blind leaders of the blynd which thorow their owne tradicions make the commaundement of god to take none effecte Standish And Paul speaketh of them prima Timo. iiij et cetera Couerdale The heretikes whom S. Paul prophecieth of j. Timo. iiij are such as thorow their deuelish doctrines forbidde men to liue in holy wedloke and commaunde them to absteyne from the meates which god hath created to be receaued of Christen men with thankesgeuing The heretikes of whom he speaketh ij Tim. iij. are such as among all other vices are couetous boasters proude cursed speakers et cet false accusers ryotous fearce despisers of them that are good traytours et cet hauing a shine of godly lyuyng but denyeng the power therof resiste the trueth beyng men of corrupte myndes and lewde in thinges pertayninge to the faith et cet The heretikes that he speaketh of in the xx of the Actes are such greuous wolfes as spare not Christes flock and speake peruerse doctryne to drawe disciples after them The heretikes whom S. Peter speaketh of are such mockers as regarde not gods promes and are not onely vnlerned but also vnstable and peruerte Pauls Epistles as they do the other scriptures also to their awne damnacion The heretikes whom S. Iude speaketh of are such as among other errours are craftely crepte in to the church and turne the grace of oure god vnto wantonnesse and denie god the onely lorde and our lorde Iesus Christ Euen such dreamers as defile the flesh despise rulers et cet speake euell of the thinges that they knowe not and in such thinges as they knowe to be naturall do currupte thē selues as beastes folowing the waie of Cain the erroure of Balaam for lucres sake and the treason of Core feding them selues makyng feastes of other mens kyndnesse and hauing men in greate reuerence because of aduantage et cetera Haue ye not now well descrybed the papistrye and the vnholy pilers of your vnholy mother the church of the wicked Yf ye had ioyned the seconde chapter of S. Peters seconde epistle and the xxiij of Matthew to these places that ye haue here alledged ye had done us the more pleasure But we thanke you for pointing us to those scriptures we knowe you now better then we did afore Now to Hieremy the Prophet Like as in the xix chapter god treateneth destruction to Hierusalem and Tophet forshedding of innocent bloud and for their ydolatry So in the xxiij chapter threateneth he sore punishment to those Prophetes or preachers that speake of their owne heades and not out of gods worde And in the xxvij chapter he counceleth Kynge Sedechias and his people to geue no credence vnto those Prophetes that speake fayre wordes to them and wolde make them beleue that there shulde come no such plage as god hath threatened As for the thirtenth chapter of Ezechiel which ye alledge I will hartely desire all Christen readers not onely to compare it to the xxiij of Hieremy but also with due reuerence for so must gods worde be intreated to waye and pondre well euery sentence therof And so doing I doubte not but the holy goost shall mynistre such bright spectacles to their sight that they shall clerely discerne and se who be scismatikes who be false Prophetes and who be true For I can wish no man so good a glasse to loke in as the scripture Barnes TAke me not here that I speake agaynst good workes For they are to be done and surely they that do them not shall neuer come to the kyngdome of god We must do them because they are cōmaūded us of god to shew and set forth our professiō not to deserue or merite for that is onely the death of Christ Standishe It is comonly sayde No venim or poyson is worse et cet Couerdale Doth not he set forth good workes that prayseth them teacheth men to do thē and threateneth damnacion to them that do them not Here ye can not denie by your awne confession but that he praiseth good workes and yet ye haue reported of him that he cast of and forsoke all duties to oure parte belonginge Is it not our dutye to prayse good workes Standishe But marke it is nought that he speaketh afterward et cet Couerdale Is it naught and erroneous to saye that we must do good workes because god hath comaunded them The wise man saieth Take the poore vnto the for the commaundementes sake et cet Is it not gods commaundement to do good vnto the poore Morouer where find you in all holy scripture that god hath commaunded us to do good workes to the intent that we shulde merite or deserue and not to shew and set forth oure profession Must we not let our light so shyne before men that they maye se our good workes and
verely as ye saie your selfe the propertye of an heretike and this propertye lerne ye of the father of all heresye euen father Satan Who by angelis suis mandauit et cete wolde proue that a man maye tempte his lord god But like as Satan wrestyng that place of scripture which made moost against him was cōmaunded by oure Sauioure to auoyde so be ye sure that your false doctryne can not stand Dawlbe your wall and spare not for Ezechiel telleth you planely that god wyll sende such a shower of rayne among all lyeng prophetes as shall ouerthrowe it Your laboure is but lost so long as ye dawlbe your wall with vntempred morter Standish Also where he saieth that he hath euer spoken reuerently of sayntes et cet Couerdale Ye graūted afore his wordes to be true whan he sayde that all such as for confessyng Christes name and for his sake do suffre death are sayntes in heauen This reuerent talkynge and praysinge of sayntes dyd ye alowe afore And now contrary to your awne wordes ye saye that ye wote not whether he euer spake reuerently of them or no Yet confesse ye that ye haue heard him fortye tymes Who will now trust you that are so double in your wordes Barnes ANd that oure lady I saye she was a virgyn immaculate and vndefyled and that she is the moost purest virgyn that euer god created and a vessell electe of god of whom Iesus Christe shulde be borne Standish Here yet ignorauntly et cete he goeth forther then the scripture speaketh et cet Couerdale Be these his wordes out of the boundes of scripture or not acording to the scripture Reade them ouer agayne Standishe He wolde neuer willingly graunt anye thynge but that is in scripture Couerdale Then like as ye proue him to haue bene a true messaunger of god in grauntinge to the holy scripture which by your owne cōfession is gods very worde so declare ye that yf he reuoked anie thing that is in it or graunted ought cōtrary vnto it It was done agaynst his will Haue ye not now a great cause to make such tryumphinge of reuocacions in your sermons Standish Albeit here with the church he doth professe that oure lady did continue a virgin still et cete Couerdale Doth not the scripture affirme this doctryne that the mother of oure Sauyoure is the purest virgin that euer god created Will not the Prophecies of Christes birth the perfourmaūce of the same and the practises of the holy goost in Christes blessed mother alowe this doctrine Haue ye noted the worke of god in her no better Yf she had anye nede of you ye shew her but a faynte frendshippe in reportynge that her most pure virginite hath none other grounde but the auctorite of your church Verely such your doting doctrine wil make both you and your church be lesse set by Standish Deus n tantam eam fecit inquit quidam et ce Couerdale Is not your doctryne now well sealed with butter Whan ye haue presumed to cōtroll gods word and to call the blessed mother of Christ with other names then the holy goost geueth her Now to ratifye and cōfirme your false matter ye bring in an heretike to helpe you Can not Christes worthy mother kepe still the gracious names that the holy trenite hath geuen her but she must now haue a sorte of hereticall Ruffyans to become new godfathers vnto her Call her as gods worde teacheth you full of grace blessed immaculate virgin et cete Praye to god that ye maye folowe the fote steppes of her constant faith her feruent charite and godly loue her moost meke and humble behaueoure her vnfained trueth et ce And whan ye talke in matters of Christes religion bring forth playne and manifest wordes of his scripture and no Romysh heretike ner a text out of frame to proue youre purpose withall Barnes THen saide M. Sheriffe You haue sayd well of her before And he beynge afrayed that M. Sheriffe had bene or shulde be agreued with any thing that he shulde saye sayd M. Sheriffe Yf I speak any thing that you will me not do nomore but beckē me with your hand and I wil straight waie holde my peace For I will not be dishobedient in anie thing but will obeye Standishe Now as he faineth he wold gyue no slaunder or offence Sed sero sapiunt Phriges Couerdale At this poynt ye are with D. Barnes that though he be out of this life yet what so euer he sayd in this protestacion or dyd at the tyme therof ye iudge him to the worst and slaunder him But your owne prouerbe that ye bring in doth admonishe you that it is to laite for though ye belye him and slaunder him neuer so much it can not hurt him Standishe Now he saieth he is afraied to displease irep◠dauerunt timore vbi non erat timor et cete Couerdale Like as ye referre to him the wordes which are not his owne so reporte ye of him that he was afrayed where no feare was But was there no feare at the fyre syde The manhode of our sauioure Christ feared death and so dyd that holy Kynge Ezechias As for you ye must nedes be of some bolde and stowte kynde that can kyll a deed man But how serueth those wordes of the Psalme to this youre purpose The holy goost speaketh of such wicked workers as eat vp gods people like bred call not vpon god are afraied to se god stande on ryghteous mens syde and mocke poore mē for putting their trust in god How maketh this scripture now to proue that ther is no feare where a man seyth death present before his eyes O wicked mockers with gods holy worde Standish Now se I praye you how obedient he saieth he will be which before tyme was euer dishobedient et cete Couerdale Ye saye much and proue litle touching this man whose present protestacion and his boke written afore declareth planely his obedience toward his prynce whose wholsome commaundement yf he haue at anye tyme disobeyed contrary to this his doctryne and example I am the more sory But yet haue ye not proued it to be so Touchinge bishoppes which are to be estemed acordinge to their estate I wote not what dishobedience ye haue to proue against him Such bishoppes as laboure in the worde of god and in the doctryne therof are to be counted worthye of double honoure therfore in herkenyng vnto such he dyd well and yf he dispysed such he despysed Christ But yf he folowed S. Iohns bydding and dyd not receaue such false Apostles as bring not the doctryne of Christ then can ye not iustly blame him Barnes AFter this ther was one that asked him what he saide of the sacrament of the altare Then sayde he vnto M. Pope which was there present M. Pope ye know and. M. Ryche yf ye be alyue that ther was one accused before my lord
why bring ye in this or any other place of the olde Testament to proue that the merites of sayntes in heauen do profit us seyng ye saye your selfe that afore Christes ascension ther were none in heauen and seing also that those vertues of Abraham and Dauid were thinges practised here and not in heauen God is my recorde I wonder greatly what ye meane thus to daly with his worde Touchinge merites I haue answered you allreadie but. S. Paul answereth you better and saieth that god geuing us his deare sonne hath geuen us all thinges with him and that in him dwelleth al fulnesse so that we are cōplete in him Sure I am also that no true seruaunt of god wil be otherwise minded then was holy Iohn baptist which saide that out of Christes fulnesse all we receaue grace et cet and that grace and trueth cōmeth by Iesus Christ Yf the merites then that ye speake of be anye parte of grace and trueth then must ye nedes graunt that we receaue them onely of him But surely ye haue some vngracious and false matter in hand Standish He speaketh nothinge of oure workes after our iustificacion but onely of workes before faith which in dede are not meritorius et cetera Couerdale Afore to proue by Cornelius workes that our iustificacion deserued onely by the death of Christ is a false iustificacion Ye saye that his good workes before he was iustified somthing deserued that he shuld be called in to the congregacion of our sauioure and so through gods mercy his workes dyd deserue much of allmightie god These are your awne wordes And now cleane contrary to the same ye graunte that workes before faith are not meritorious Thus by youre awne wordes condemne ye youre awne doctryne But though euery good worke done in true faith after gods commaundement shalbe rewarded and hath his promes annexed vnto it as yf I be mercifull vnto my neghboure god hath promised to haue mercy on me agayne shall that rewarde be geuen for my workes sake and not rather because of his owne promes and blessing in Iesu Christ Is not all oure sufficiency of god Can we thinke a good thought of our selues Is it not god which worketh in us both the will and the dede Whan god rewardeth any good worke doth he not crowne his owne giftes in us Stoppe your mouth then and knowlege your selfe to be in gods daunger and in his dett Why boast ye of your merites agaynst the doctryne of gods worde Why graunt ye not with S. Luke whom ye alledge your selfe that whan ye haue done all such thinges as are commaunded you ye are an vnprofitable seruaunt And with S. Paul that the paynes taken in this life are not worthy of the glory for to come Do ye not saye your selfe also these wordes We must think and surely beleue that all cōmeth of Christes liberalite which frely did cal us and loue us before we loued him What practise then of anye wordly prynce can proue this trueth to be false Your owne wordes and sentences destroye your doctryne of merites Folowe S. Augustines counsaill thē and boast not of mens merites but let the grace of god which raigneth thorow Iesus Christ haue all the preemynence And yf ye haue any workes folowinge the fre and liberall vocation of god thē graunt with Chrisostome that they are his rewarde and youre dewtie and that the giftes of god are his owne benignite grace and greatnesse of his owne liberalite Barnes WEl haue ye yet any thing more to saye then called he M. Shyreffe and sayd haue you any articles against me for the which I am condemned And the sheriffe answered no. Then said he Is there here any man els that knoweth wherfore I die or that by my preaching hath taken any erroure let them now speake and I will make them answere And no man answered Then sayd he well I am condemned by the lawe to die and as I vnderstōd by an acte of perliamēt but wherfore I cā not tel but belike for heresy for we are like to be burnt Standish Articles agaynst the What articles dyddest thou reuoke at the spyttle et cet Couerdale A very spittle fashion is it no doubte to aske questions of the deed And I suppose verely that excepte it be a cōiurer a iugler or a worker with spretes there is none that vseth it Touchinge articles at the spittle I am certaine D. Barnes dyd not affirme there that faith doth not iustifie or that Christes death was not the sufficient satisfaction for our synnes Now where as he was enioyned to affirme that though Christ be oure onely mediatour sauyour iustifier and onely satisfaction vnto god for the sinnes of them that beleue in him Yet yf we loose this grace thorow sinne then must we rise agayne by true pennaunce et cet Yf for this article I saye ye will gather that he shulde reuoke then do ye interprete his wordes contrary to his owne declaracion that he made of them in the same sermon In so much that the sondaye after at Pauls crosse as I vnderstond D. Wilson could laye no greater thing to his charge then that he had expounded pennaunce after his wont maner by the office of the law and the gospell Now like as afore in your wordes ye compare this his confession to the cōfession of the deuel so by this and such other your tawntes ye wold make the world beleue that he reuoked al trueth at the spittle felde and that he had all his life tyme taught an vngodly and carnall libertye the contrary wherof is euident not onely by this present protestaciō but also by his wryting and preaching afore Namely that to the true beleue and consent of the hert are necessarilie required good Christen frutes in euery man and womans conuersacion acording to the same Wherfore this his confessiō so long as he mainteined no damnable errour contrary vnto it which in all your babling boke ye haue not proued nether shalbe able to do was a sufficient euidence at his latter ende that he dyed a true Christen man Nether can ye iustly condemne him that maketh no worse confession on his death bedde Agayne S. Iohn saieth Euery sprete which confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is of god Wherfore ye are to rashe in iudgment to affirme that he was iustly condemned for heresie seinge that he nether helde any doctryne ner manteined by euell conuersacion eny thing out of which ye can truly deduce that euer he denied the true faith of god or any one of the benefites or offices of Iesus Christ As for the articles that were laied against him in Cambrige aboue xij yeares agoo verely like as in repetinge of thē ye accuse your church to pretende an outward forgyuenesse and yet to kepe hatred stil many yeares So appeare ye to fauour them that accused him of the saide articles in som
wherof he mainteined the prerogatyue of prynces against the tiran̄ie and vsurped power ye wote of whom I saye nomore but yf ye be at that poynt and may so frely write what ye wil I cōmitte my part of the playe to god Who as I doubte not wil defend the king in his right so am I sure that though ye be now in your ruffe he is not yet hard aslepe Where as ye saie that at D. Barnes death there were thre sortes of men and that the first sorte which by your reporte wer moost contrary to him wolde geue him no answere at his honest request Ye declare planely that either they had nothing to saie agaynst him or els litle charite seing that acording to S. P. wordes which ye alledge they found not thē selues greued to se the weake offended yf it were as you saie Nether proueth it thē to leane stedfastly vnto the piler of trueth to loue gods lawe to haue true quyetnesse in their conscience or to be endewed with feruent charite that folow not the same law of loue in the tyme of nede How do those places of scripture then that ye bring in alowe their acte Let all indifferent readers iudge how the cxviij Psalme the third of the first to Timothe or the eight to the Romaynes agreeth with their purpose In describing the secōde sorte of people that were at D. Barnes death ye faile also First in reporting of thē that they euer be and shal be as apte to receaue the euel preaching as the good Secondly that they are cōtent in these matters to go whither they be led Thirdly that they are cōtent to beleue what they be taught Fourthly that they know not whan they be in the right waye ner whan they be forth of it Now saieth our sauyoure in the same text which ye your self do alledge that they beleue in him Then like as they harkē to his voice and not to the voice of straunges so folow they him and are led of his holy sprete And not onely proue all doctrines whether they be of god but also kepe that which is good for they knowe Christes voice and not the voice of straūgers Morouer yf that third sorte of people did fauour no worse opinions and were no fuller of fleshly and carnall sensualite then this present protestacion of D. Barnes teacheth them that text dilexerunt magis tenebras et cet maye rather be verified of you and your sorte then of thē Barnes BVt they that haue bene the occasion of it I praye god forgeue them as I wold be forgeuen my self And. D. Stephin Byschopp of wynchester that now is yf he haue sought or wrought this my death ether by word or dede I pray god forgyue him as hartely as frely as charitably and without fayning as euer Christ forgaue thē that put him to death Standishe Se now whether this be fayned charite or nor et cetera Couerdale It is no poynt of fained charite a man to forgeue them that offend against him and to praie for them that persecute him As it is manifest by our sauiours doctryne and example also at his death Ye take vpon you here the office of a iudge afore ye be called ther to yee euen gods onely office in iudging mens hertes take ye vpon you As who saie he goeth aboute to ouerthrow and cast downe a man that agreeth not with him in his doctryne As touching any contencious maner betwene my lord of winchester and. D. Barnes though you and I both as I suppose be ignoraunt what direction the Kynges highnesse dyd take therin Yet seyng the one was reconciled to the other openly at the Spittle ye shulde now not take the matter so whote But a pyke thanke will ye be still What mynde hath he to be reuenged that first asketh a man forgeuenesse and than praieth god to forgeue him as Christ forgaue his death yf he be giltie Agayne Will the. B. of winchestre iudge him selfe to be either sediciously or disdainfully named or without reuerence whan he is called a bisshoppe I darre saye he will not Why plaie ye Philippe flatrers part thē as though the name of a bisshoppe were not a reuerent name Barnes ANd yf any of the counsaill or any other haue sought or wrought it thorow malice or ignoraunce I praye god forgyue them their ignoraunce and illumynate their eyes that they maye se and aske mercy for it Standish O what ignoraunce et cetera Couerdale This praier is nether malicious against gods word ner preiudicial to any man and yf they that suffred D. Barnes to liue so long were to blame for their so doing then make ye your selfe giltye of the same fault that haue played the coward all that whyle and not helped him to his death Barnes I Besech you all to pray for the kynges grace as I haue done euer sens I was in preson and do now that god maie geue him prosperite and that he maie lōg raigne amōg you ād after him that goodly prynce Edward may so raigne that he maye fynishe those thinges that his father hath begon I haue bene reported a preacher of sedicion and disobediēce to the kynges maiestie but here I saye to you that you all are bound by the cōmaundement of god to obeye youre prince with all humilite and with all your hert yee not so much as in a looke to shew yourselues disobedient vnto him and that not onely for feare of the swerd but also for conscience sake before god Standish Thou hast bene truly reported a sedicious preacher et cetera Couerdale Will ye then winke at sediciō so long and not be an accuser therof where as by your awne confession ye haue heard him preach so oft Ye and knowing his boke to haue bene so long prynted But how vntruly ye belye him it shall be euydent to all the worlde that will reade his boke Ye reporte of him that he shuld saye in his boke prynted ten yeares agoo that yf the Kyng wold by tiranny take the new Testament from his subiectes they shuld not suffre him Now is it manifest that like as he saieth here in this parte of his protestacion so saieth he also in his boke and bringeth in the same xiij chapter to the Romaynes that ye alledge and addeth morouer these wordes In no wise be it right or wrong maiest thou make any resistaunce with swerde or with hand et cet Itē Yf the Kyng forbyd the new Testament et cete men shall first make faithfull praiers to god and humble supplicacion to the Kyng that his grace wold release that commaundement Yf he wil not do it they shall kepe their testament with all other ordinaunce of Christ and let the Kyng exercise his tiranny yf they can not flie and in no wise vnder paine of damnacion shall they resiste him by violence but suffre paciently et ce Nor they shal not go aboute to depose their
prince as my lordes the bisshoppes were wont et cet But yf the kyng will do it by violence they must suffre it but not obeie to it by agrement Item Now is it cleare that we maie not resist this temporall power in no wise by violence et cet but yf anye thing be commaunded us that is against the word of god wherby oure faith is hurt that shuld we not do in any wise but rather suffre persecucion and also death Be these wordes now as much to saye as yf the Kyng commaunde anie thing by tirannie mē shall not suffre him What meane ye so vntruly to reporte of the deed But no maruail whan ye shame not to belie so many textes of gods holy word Touching mens lawes it is manifest that such as are not grounded in gods word do not bind the conscience of man to deadly sinne For yf they be not grounded in gods worde and agreable to the faith therof then are they synfull and naught Who is bound now to obeie sinne But a man maie smel you a farre of whose successours ye be You will not sticke to call it a laufull acte for a prince to condemne gods word and to forbid that thinge which is institute and ordeyned of god Yee yf oure prince wold take such a thing in hand which god forbid he shuld lacke no instigacion of your malignaunt church Nether can I yet coniecture the contrary but that ye are aboute such a tragedy Now go to set your watch men to kepe the sepulchre suffre not Christ to ryse vp in any wyse let not the souldiers lack money the church is riche ynough cast your greate heades together and let Caiphas geue you his most so tel counsaill For whan ye haue done your best and lyed all that euer ye can yet shall god make your policye to serue for the glorye of his trueth Amen Barnes YEe and I saye further yf the kyng shuld commaunde you any thing agaynst gods law yf it be in your power to resist him yet maye you not do it Standish Se here the stedfastnesse et cetera Couerdale This man nether wrote ner sayd that we must obeye an erthly prynce more then allmightie god and yet are ye not ashamed so to reporte of him He saieth that though the Kyng commaunde us anye thing agaynst gods lawe yet maye we not resist him Which saieng ye call an abhominable heresie Thus declare ye your selfe manifestly to be of the nombre of them that teach how that it is lauful for a man to resist his prince Which thing whether it be not both heresie and treason let them iudge that haue auctorite Because Amos the Prophet preached agaynst ydolatry at Bethel that false prest Amasias whom ye speake of told that Kyng that he was a sedicious felow and so found the meanes to get him out of the court Yet played Amasias a more honest parte with Amos then you do for he laied rebellion to his charge that was alyue and your accusacion is agaynst the deed Agayne Amasias being yet a false prest saieth not that it is laufull for a man to resist his prynce and you call it abhominable heresie to teach the contrary Though Peter and Iohn do teach that we must obeye and harken vnto god more then vnto men do they therfore teach that we must resist our prynce Where fynd ye that example in them Peter smote of Malcus eare in dede but litle thanke had he for his laboure Doth he not teach us to endure grefe to suffre wrong and to take it paciently Saieth he not that we are called ther vnto Setteth he not Christ vnto us for an example of suffryng Because our Sauioure wylleth us not to feare them that kyll the body must we therfore resist them Whan a prynce doth persecute us for gods wordes sake in one citie must we resist him and not rather flye in to another Doth he call them blessed that resist and not them rather that suffre for persecucion sake Dyd Christ entre in to his Kyngdome by resisting or by suffryng As for that saieng qui timet hominem et cet I can not find it in the xix of the prouerbes but I fynd ther written that a false witnesse shall not remayne vnpunished and that he which speaketh lies shall not escape Ye call it an abhominable heresie to teach that we ought not to resist our prince though he commaunde us any vnlaufull thing And to proue your purpose ye poynt us to the fifth of Esaye where ther is no such words as ye speake of But these wordes fynd I there Wo vnto them that call good euell et cet As for the ensample of the seuen brethren and their mother it utterly condemneth you for they saie these wordes We are ready rather to suffre then to offende the lawes of god et cete And as they said so they dyd without makyng resistaunce though the Kynges commaundement was vnlaufull What other thing now dyd D. Barnes teach in his fore rehearced wordes but as he had said in his boke afore that yf the Kyng wolde cōmaunde us anie vnlaufull thing we must suffre him though we obeie not to it by agremēt What daunger you be in then for teaching the contrary I will not define I praie god acording to his good pleasure haue mercy vpon you Barnes THen spake he to the shereffe and sayde M. shereffe I requyre you of gods behalfe to haue me commended vnto the kynges grace and to shew him that I require of his grace these requestes first that wher his grace hath now receaued in to his handes all the goodes and substaunce of the abbayes Then the shereffe desyred him to stoppe there He answered M. shereffe I warraunt you that I wil speake no harme for I know it is well done that all such supersticion be taken cleane awaye and the kynges grace hath well done in takyng it awaye But seyng his grace is made a hole kyng and obeyed in his realme as a kyng which nether his father ner graundfather ner his ancestours that raigned before him euer had and that thorow the preaching of us and such other wretches as we are which allwayes haue applied our hole studies and gaue our selues for the setting forth of the same and this is now our reward Well it maketh no matter Now he raigneth I praye god long maye he raigne among you Wold god it might please his grace to bestow the sayd goodes or some of them to the comforte of his poore subiectes which surely haue great nede of them The second that I desire his grace is that he will se that matrymony be had in more reuerence then it is and that men for euery light cause inuented cast not of their wifes and lyue in aduoutry and fornicacion and that these that be not maried shuld not abhominably lyue in whordome folowing the filthy lustes of the flesh The third that the
abhominable swearers maye be punished and strately loked vpon For surely the vengeaūce of god will come on thē for their mischeuous oothes Thē desired he M. Pope which was present to haue him cōmended to M. Edgar ād to desire him for the deare bloud of Iesu Christ that he wold leaue that abhominable swearing that he vseth For surely excepte he forsake it he will come to some mischeuous ende The fourth that his grace wil set furth Christes true religiō And that seyng he hath begon̄e he go forward and make an end for many thinges haue bene done but yet much more is to do And that it wold please his grace to loke on gods word himselfe For it hath bene obscured with many tradicions inuented of our owne braynes Now sayd he how many peticions haue I spoken of And the people sayd foure Well sayd he euen these foure be sufficient which I desyre you that the kynges grace maye be certified of them And saye that I moost humbly desyre him to loke ernestly vpon them Standish It was high tyme to loke et cet Couerdale The prophet Daniel I trust was no arrogaunt wretche though he desyred his prince to make some prouision for the poore Nomore thē was holy S. Paul which taught Timothy to change the riche mē of this world with the same lesson All they also that were true messaungers of god laboured to haue aduoutry fornicacion whordome and abhominable swearinge expelled from among Christen men as all the whole scripture testifieth Nether dyd D. Barnes in these his wordes requyre anye other thing His wordes are playne ynough and yet as your maner is in your treatise ye ymagen an intent and mynde cleane contrary to the same Ye graunt that he spake ernestly for the poore and for the comons and yet call ye him an arrogaunt wretch and for his good will reporte of him that he desired to haue a great stroke in euery matter of waight et cetera D. Barnes sayd not that he and his felowes dyd refourme those thinges that were amysse for he knew that to be gods office and the Kynges and yet surmyse ye the same vntruly vpon him But he saieth that thorow the preaching of gods word in the mynistracion of him and such other the Kynges grace is now more obeyed then euer he was before And I praye you is it not so Or was it not gods holy word that gat the Kyng his owne agayne Maye he thank anye papisticall doctrine therfore No verely Concerning M. Edgar yf D. Barnes had not had a right good opynion in him no doubte he wold not haue sent him that commendacion with such an honest request But because he toke him as he might right well I trust for a gentle man that wolde suffre a Christen exhortacion as they will that perteyne vnto Christ therfore was he the bolder of him As for that swearing I thinke verely it cōmeth rather of a custome which yet might well be left then of anye set purpose Nether was D. Barnes acte here agaynst the processe requyred in the xviij of Matthew though he had not spoken with him afore seyng he might not now come at him Barnes ANd that his grace take good hede that he be not disceaued with false preachers and teachers and euell counsaill For Christ saieth that such false Prophetes shall come in lammes skynnes Standish O how great thanke be you worthy et cetera Couerdale Ye shuld haue proued these wordes to smell nothing but heresie and treason as ye saye in your preface because they haue the swete odoure of the gospell where our sauyour byddeth us beware of false Prophetes and of the leuen of pharises and telleth us that many such shall aryse and disceaue many yee euen thorow swete preachinges and flatring wordes saieth the Apostle and because the scripture byddeth us beware of such marchauntes as goyng in long garmentes et cete deuoure wedows houses vnder the pretence of long prayers This man called not the Kynges moost honoble councell euell and yet euen like a pyke thank still ye surmyse it vpon him Yf a frend of the Kynges shuld saye vnto him I besech your grace take good hede whom ye receaue in to your preuy chambre Doth he therfore call his chamberlaynes euell Or doth he therfore preferre his owne witte aboue the discrete wisdome of the Kynges noble counsaill Holy S. Peter as long as he was in this body thought it mete to put Christen men in remembraunce of their dewtie yee though they were of ripe knowlege them selues and stablished in the trueth And yet you call it obstinate pryde treason blyndnesse and rash foolishnesse so to do Such is your iudgment Yee euen whan the partye doth most humbly desyre his prynce to whō he speaketh Barnes THen desyred he all men to forgeue him and that yf he had sayd any euell at any tyme vnaduysed wherby he had offended any man or geuen any occasiō of euell that they wold forgeue it him and amend that euell they toke of him Standish Mark how he doth contynue one maner of man et cetera Couerdale Stedfastnesse in the waye of gods trueth is to be commended And an euident token is it that he is of the same doctryne which wittingly teacheth no euell reconcyleth himselfe vnto all men is sory yf he haue offended anye man or geuen any euell occasion and geueth other men at their death an ensample of true repentaunce Barnes ANd that they wold beare him witnesse that he detested and abhorred all euell opynions and doctrines against the word of god and that he dyed in the faith of Iesu Christ and the sacramentes of the church by whō he doubted not to saued Standishe I knowe that no good man et cetera Couerdale Then it appeareth that yf he had not detested and abhorred all euell and erroneous opynions but had loued your straunge doctrines which are agaynst gods word and so dyed out of Christes faith ye wold haue bene a recorde and witnesse to him rather then fayle Barnes ANd with this he desyred them all to praye for him and then he turned him aboute and put of his clothes makyng him ready to the fyre and most paciently toke his death yeldinge his soule into the handes of allmightie god Standish By this it doth appeare that the first wryter of these his wordes was very charitable et cete Couerdale What so euer he was that first wrote these his wordes verely I can not tell nether dyd I euer reade them or heare them till I sawe them in your treatise And though it may be suspected that this is not the trewest copie because it commeth out of your handes Yet truly a right charitable dede was it to wryte his wordes and to certifye us of them for els by your present practise we maye coniecture that ye wold haue discanted of his deeth as of one whom ye had ouercome with your doctryne Now also that ye
can stoppe the trueth no farther ye wold beare us in hand that it is the wryters iudgment onely which ascrybeth vnto him that he paciently toke his death as though there were none els that herd him and sawe him dye but the wryter alone Couerdale Allbe it I will iudge onely of the outwarde behaueour Couerdale Iudge not after the outward appearaūce saieth our sauyour but geue a righteous iudgment Yet do ye not as ye saye for in many places of your treatise ye iudge the mans mynde and intent yee contrary to his wordes Standishe Takyng occasion by his erroneous wordes to iudge he dyed an obstinate heretike Couerdale Ye can not denye but that after the open confession of his faith and his humble requestes vnto the Kynges grace he than reconcyled himselfe to all men and at the last whan he had desyred thē to praye for him toke his death paciently and yelded vp his soule in to the handes of allmightye god For all this ye do not onely call his wordes erroneous but also geue sentence that he dyed an obstinate heretike Standish And as for the inward secretes whether he be condēned or saued whether he yelded vp his soule in to the handes of allmightie god or no et cet I remitte that to the secrete counsaill of the blessed trenite Couerdale A wonderfull thing is it that ye are so vnstable in your wordes Do ye not take vpon you afore to iudge that he dyed an obstinate heretike And now ye can not tell whether he be saued or condemned whether he yelded vp his soule in to the handes of allmightie god or no. But can an obstinate heretike yelde vp his soule whan he is deed all ready Can an obstinate heretike be saued Beholde now to what worshippe ye bring your doctryne at the last Standish Vnto whom be laude honour and glory for euermore Amen Couerdale Amen Euen to that same blessed trenyte father sonne and holy goost be honour and glory now and euermore Amen The Apostle describing the office and dewtie of a ministre or preacher of gods word wylleth him among all other qualities to shew himself such a laudable workman as nede not be ashamed handling the word of trueth iustly Wherfore seyng ye haue so vnreuerently handled gods holy word peruerted it wrested it and belyed it so oft and many tymes in your treatise Maruaill not at this myne inuectyue agaynst your false doctryne As for symple ignoraunce and such frayll weaknesse as accompanyeth the nature of man whether he will or no it may be suffred and borne But wilful spurnyng at gods holy word froward and false belieng therof must nedes be rebuked and improued Your zele for all your holy pretēce is to suppresse gods trueth to mainteine that doctrine which the catholike or vniuersal church of christ neuer receaued and to defend the church malignaūt in hir wickednesse This is manifest by your present practise But god allmightie which soweth the sede of his holy word and dayly increaceth it in the hartes of his faithfull shall though no man els will maynteyne and defende it himselfe We also whom god will not to be ydle shall do our best and be carieng stones to the makyng vp of the wal which ye haue broken downe To the intent that Christ our sauyour maye haue his owne glorye which ye haue robbed him of our prince his honoure and oure neghboure his dewtie To all true Christen readers Faynt not thou in faith deare reader nether waxe colde in loue and charite though the enemies of gods worde be gathered together and growne in to such swarmes Be thou strong in the lorde and in the power of his might And let it not discorage the that the sayd worde is so litle in the estimacion of the world so greatly despised so sore persecuted so wickedly peruerted wrested and belyed so vnthankfully receaued so shamefully denied and so slouthfully folowed Arme thy selfe therfore with the confortable ensamples of the scripture And as touchinge those ioly Nimrottes that persecute gods worde hunting it out of euery corner whetting ther swerdes and bendyng their bowes agaynst it Be thou sure that the god of oure fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob shall do with thē as he euer was wont to do with tirauntes in times past Thou seist thorow out the stories of the holy byble how that like as he turneth some of their hartes from crueltie to mekenesse Euē so with death with fyre with water and with such other his plages destroyeth he them that will nedes despise his warninge Yee breaketh their bowes in peces and killeth thē with ther own swerdes As for Iamnes and Iambres those wicked sorcerers and couetous chaplens that teach cōtrary to gods worde and dissuade the greate mē of the world frō it Their owne wrestinge and belyeng of it must nedes cōfound thē For though ther be many that resist the truth yet whan it is uttered and commeth to light their madnesse as S. Paul saieth shall be manifest vnto all men And as Moses rodd deuoured their roddes in the Kynges presence So likewise the same places of scripture that they alledge for their wicked purpose shall destroye their false doctryne in the face of the world Yee euen as litle honestie as the papistry hath gotten by wresting of Tu es Petrus et cet so small profit are they like to haue for belyeng of other textes Nether is it to be feared but god will do for one parte of his worde asmuch as for another whan he seith his tyme. Concernyng those bely beastes that for no cōmaundement ner promes of god for no example warnyng ner exhortacion will be counsayled but still blaspheme his holy worde thorow their vngodly conuersacion let not that withdrawe the from the waye of righteousnesse Loue not thou Christ the worse though Iudas be a traytoure Sett not thou the lesse by his wholsome doctrine though dogges turne to their vomite and though swine walow in their stinking mire agayne I knowe gentle reader that to all true Christē hartes it is a great tentaciō to se gods holy worde either persecuted belyed or vnthankfully receaued But first remembre thy selfe well by the practyse of all stories whan was it without persecucion Whan was there not one tyraunt or other that exercised all his power strength witte and counsaill against it Whan were the childrē of Israel without some bloudy Edomites Egiptians Assirians Babilonians Philistines or other Secōdly Whan was not gods worde belied peruerted or euell spoken of by one false Prophet or other Were there not heretikes and flatringe chaplens in all ages that withdrue men from the trueth and misreported the straight waies of the lord Thirdly whan were there not some multitudes that pretēding a loue toward Christes word did but folow him for their own belies sake whan was the sede of Christes word sowē but some parte of it fell vpō the stony ground where it withred and among the thornes