now with that synnes and yet lik unto men of no senses we fyle nether perceaue how nether when we ar woundyd nether care to syke a remedye of thys yle thowgh ryght well we knowe that euery syne that man committyth of iustyce deseruythe eternall damnation but these thyngz mouyth nothyng at all the man that is ignorant what the deuyll the worold and synne is he felyth nether what his dyseace is nether knowith the craufft malyce and deceyte of his Ennymy and by those meanes departithe not only from god but also from all honesty and fallith he knowith not how into souche detestable crymes and ignorancye of god that booth god the worold and there awne consciens baryth testimonye of there iniquite agaynst them these oure infyrmytes and great offensis we must lern to know and ons knowen diligently study to amend them and to remoue the causes of these yles then the effect is sone destroyde the way to remedy all thys yle and to leade an upright and honest lyffe is to know god by hys trew an holy word who ledyth a man unto uertew only and so lye as dauyd teachyth Psal 119. quo pacto adolescens uitam inculpatam aget nempe si eam custodiat ut dictat uerbum tuum qum autem te queram in toto corde meo ne sinas me errare à mandatis tuis who so euer conform his lief unto the word of god shalbe out of the danger of his ennymye the deuyll thowghe he be subiect unto thinfirmytes of the fleshe and must suffre the temptacyons ther of yet shall he not be ouer com but in chryst able to resyst yea and to be delyueryd from death synne and the deuyll as all godly men before oure tyme hathe don and lykwyce lefft behynd them in wrytyng how we may do the samÄ™ Saynct Paul that kew boothe the thowghtz of the deuyl 2. Corint 2. and also his apert and open malyceagaynst those churches that he had prechid the gospel of Chryst unto among other he teachyth the Church of the galathyans that the principall remedy agaynst synne is to belyue stedfastly the gospell of Chryst that he preachyd unto them and not to admyt ony false doctryne or other learnyng thowgh an angell from heauen shuld preache the contrarye Gal. 1. not to admyt ony false addycyon or dreame of man but be coÌ„tentyd to use the same as he lefft it Rebukyd wonderfully souche audacious persones as toke upon them to set oni glose or interpretacion other then he had preachyd unto them Thus tawght Moses the Chyldren of Israel and bid them obserue the law as it was yeuyn from god and threatenyd the transtrangressours and those that addyd unto the law the dyspleasure of godes yre whyche shuld cause all men to tremble and quak for fere as many tymes as the thynkyth readyth or hearyth readen ony part of the holy strypture because the reseaue it nat with more reuerence and honor with harty prayer that god wyll preserue them from all false sinister and preuerse interpretations therof and with all study and dylygens to folow and practyse waht so euer be commandyd them to do by godes word in godly and uerteues lyuyng for the law was not yeuen to be wroten in perschement or paper but in the hart of man not to bable and prate of it but to lyue as it byddyth not to bare it in the bosom but to shew it unto the worold in godly conuersacyon and uertues lief To mark al thyngz therin conteynid and to thinke uerely that all togather is spoken to the and that god requyryth that honesty and godlynys of lief in the that there is expressyd and would the to be ware how thow transgres hys law and to auoyd hys importable dyspleasure by texample of other for as god lettyd not to puuyshe the transgression of oure fore fathers he is the same god stylle and wyll do the lyke unto the if thow commit like offense Remembre that thorygynall of mannes mysery condemnacyon and death was fyrst wrowght by the false interpretacion of the scripture as thow mayst se by te horible and moost feare full example of adames wyckyd and detestable transgression whych made all hys posterite and succession prisoners eternally unto death hell and synne and compellyd by the same meanes the sonne of the ethernall god to sustayne thyncarnacyon of mortall fleshe to apeace thyre of god for mannes transgressyon that by the meanes and death of his moost innocent body he myght dâ—ryue in to himselfe thole dyspleasure and ucngence of mannes transgression were there no more strypture but that that descrybyth the falle of man and the meanes how he was loost it were sufficient to teach all the worold to be warâ— how to tak the word of god in awrong sense yâ— adame had byn contentyd to haue usyd the word of god as it was yeuen unto hym those myse rys had neuer be knowen neâ—her by hym nether by his postâ—ryte buâ— he wreacchyd man forgote god and god lynis yea and yke his awne wealthe lefte the text and belyuid the glose as the deuyll had tawght eue whych wrowghâ— his woo and payne and where as he would not for the loue of god belyue the text of godes mouth the paynes that â—olowid his transgression tawght hym to know that the glose was diabolycall â—hus being instructyd let us beware of gloses and false interpretations and in all maters of contrauersie and causes of religyon belyue noman except he speak the word of god trewly and in the same sence that god ment it for as paule saith wear ffoundyd upon the fundacion of the prophetes and the Apostoles the cheiffe corner stone being Christ Eph. 2. and let us not dout but only the scrypture is sufficienâ— to theache us all uerite and treuth consernyng rellygyon and to gouern our lief in all godly and honest conuersacion and by the scripture we may cum alone unto all perfection Confute all herâ—sis and false doctrine thowgh there had neuer doctor wroten ne neuer decre made by ony generall councell as paule teachyth 2. Timo. 3. 2. Pet. 1. therefore Christiane reader as thow hopist tobe sauid harken diligently unto the wor des of oure heneuly father and here them not only but undrestond them belyue them and do them his wordes be these Matt. 17. Hiâ— est filius meus dilectus in quo mâ—hi complacitum est ipsum auditâ—â— a few wordes but a great mater conteynid in them thonly saluacion of all oure healthe sufficient autoryte to ouer strow all false doctrine and all Idololatrye of the worold He that teachyth ony thing that Christ tawght not is not tobe harde souche as only hath there redempcion in thonly death of Christâ— wilbe lyue nothing but that Christ commaundith nor do ony work that cannot be aprouyd by the scripture He holdyth alwayes thys texct before his yâ—ys That the father shewyd unto the worold sayng this is my sonne in
inferiour unto Moses The gospell unto the law And the churche of Christ unto the church of Moses And declarith them selfes to be more contumelious agaynst theÌ„ the lewys agaynst the law Euery lew knew right well that there sacramentes were sufficiently prescribid and tawght unto them by the expresse word of the scripture These massers say that they can amend the form that Christ gaue and celebrate the supper with more religion then the scripture teachith And of à communion they make à priuat masse And defend the same as athing of all thinges moost holye Doutles if there sayng be trew and there masse of souche holynis as the make it of we ar litle be holding unto Christ That he would not his churche shuld haue the use of the sacramentes playnly knowen by his testament as the use of the sacramentes unto oure fathers we re knowyn by the lawe ffortunat then were those that were of thold church before Christ was born for they were certayne of there ceremonies and sacramentes by the expresse word of god which cannotlye but we in the time of the gospell as they saye must belyue the doctrine and tradicion of man and obligat booth body and soule unto the same as unto à treuth infallible and prefer it before the word of god For wher the word saith one thing thei say an other The scripture that affirmith the supper to be à communion they say it must be apriuat Masse Christ said Bibite ex eo omnes And so sayd Paule 1. Cor. 11. they say thone kind is sufficient for the people Had ony doctor amuÌ„g the Iewis usid souch Ablasphemy agaynst the law of Moses the people would not haue browght the doctor unto the scoles to haue disputid the mater but before the iudge to haue had sentence of death agaynst him that they might haue slayne the blasphemoure with stones Vnto us that be Christians agaynst Christes law they may say what the list and haue good thank for there labour Better eare ys gyuen unto the word of man then unto the word of god Atale of an old tubbe better hard then à godly sermon of the new testament People could neuer haue binne browght unto this contempt of goddes truithe had not the deuill and the deuillishe lawes of bishopes takin the word of god from them wherin only is declarid the will of god unto us what-is godd and what is yle what to be chosen and what to be refusid A thowsand times more ignorauntar the Christianes of the gospell and of the hole scripture then the lewis Neuer met I with one lew but he could reason familierly in ony booke of the old testament as agreat lernid man among the Chtistianes in ony place of the new testament Yea and likwice some in the new testament also and by the New testament with many strong argumentes can proue the masse and other ceremonies to be agaynst the new testament To the great shame of Christiane men that thennymies of Christe know better what is contey nid in the new testament then those that hath professid Christ and no meruell for euery lew is able to instruct his awne familie in the bible and beginnith to teach his child the 20. chapiter of Exod. as sonne as he can speke Aleph God of his mercy turn them to his fayth and then I dout not they will more auayunce godes gospell then we and better kepe the word of god in honor with out false gloses then we I desire those that defend these Masses and other robbery of godes glory in the church To make some boke of euery thing that they defend Shew who was thauctor of there doctrine and first browght it into the churche in whois days and what yere it was don And proue there booke to be good by the worde of god only or else noman wilbe lyue it And that there use of the sacramentes is prescribid unto the church by the worde of god And tell us what difference is betwen à sacrament and the thing signified by the sacrameÌ„t Or whether the sacrameÌ„t and the thing ment by the sacrament be one thing and what I shuld iudgâ— of the signes and what of the thing signified by the signâ—s The scripture teachith other wyse then the popyshe church teachith of sacramentes god sayd unto Noe that the Rayne bowe was à signe of the conuâ—nant betwen god and him Gen. 9. sic Abrahamo de circumsicione Et erit leooth foederis inter me inter uos Gen. 17. de Pesah Exo. 12. erit hoedam uobis in signum Eterit uobis dies ille in memoriam celebrabitis eum pro festo domini in generaiiones uestras Now let the Christiane reader mark our sacrameÌ„tes and the wordes that Christ usid when he institutid them and se how that Christ alludid unto the sacramentes of thold churche he sayd that pesah shuld be celebratyd and the day of that solemnite kept holy as à memory of godes mercyedon in Aegypt when he killid by his Angell all the first be goten in Egypt and sauid the Israelites So sayth he in the Euangelistes by his holy supper Do it in the memory of me And paule saythe as many times as ye do it ye shall declare the death of the lord till he cum they of thold time kept in memori the fact of thangell in Egypt and caryd not with them allwayes the Angell in the sacrament of pesah but thangell when he had don his office apoyntid by god returnid agayne into heauens unto god Souch as be of Christes churche kepe in memorie the fact of Christ don upon the earth for the saluacion of the worold by the death of his innocent body and dooth not Carie à bout in the sacrament the body of Christ itselfe for that after xl dayes ascendid into heauens after that it had don the office that god apoyntid it unto to say to be slayne upon therthe and then to ryse agayne and be exaltyd into the unspeakableloys of heauen As Paule sayth ascendit ut adimpleret omnia Ephe 4. he ascendyd to fullfill all thinges not with his corpor all presence as some men say but to fullfill all thinges that was wroten of him in the law the prophetes and Psalmes and to leue us à sacrament of his blessid sacrifice in the church to be ameroy of that glorious deathe untill the woroldes end Whyche sacrament is not abare signe and token of his death only as many men imagine as the picture of hercles is hercles Or the imayge of Iubiter to be iubiter But I put asmouch difference betwene the sacramentes of Christ and all other signes and tokens not apoyntid for sacramentes As I do betwen the seale of Aprince that is annexid unto te wryting or charter that conteinith all the princes right and title that he hathe unto his Realme and the Kynges armis pentid in à glasse window souch seales annexid unto so waighty wrytinges be no lesse estemyd
Christ great darkenis and to mouch causid the signes of the sacramentes to be este mid They shall not be contemnit nothing the rather thowghe there right use and nature be knowen god for bide that ony Christiane man shuld speke against them But it is the office of eueri maÌ„ to know the maner of speche in the scripture and to iudge according uÌ„to the meaning of the wordes and not as thei sound only for then shuld we make diuerse godes where as it but one Dauid Psalm 24. Callith tharke the lord of glorie whiche was but à sacrament of godes presence Tollite o porte capita uestra Attollimini fores sempiterne ingredietur rex rex ille gloriosus Qui est ille Rex ille gloriosus Do minus fortis heros Dominus uirtute bellica insignis Likwice Psal 68. Iakum Elohim inquit Simul atque exurgitdeus inimici eius desperguntur fugiunt à conspectueius qui ipsum odio habent The scripture is full of souch maner of speche yeat was not tharke god nor turnid into god But the substance remaynid allwayes and not douttid there of Great meruell is that Christiane men knowith not the maner of speche conserning à sacrament as well as the lewes They had sacramentes as well as we and yet Neuer brawlid about them as we do and thowghe manye superstitions happenyd in those dayes and men put there hole confydence in te externall sacramentes yet made they not there sacramentes there God as the Christians do thay ffaylyd of the end how he it not in the mater and signes And to declare the mater openly what we be bownd to beliue of godes testameÌ„t what it is I would that the Christiane shuld undrestond that it was nether circumsicion ner pesa in the old law ner baptisme ner the sacrament of Christes body in the new law no nether the death ner blud sheding of our somour Iesus Christ it seife that is the Testament or legacy that god hath bequest unto the faythful les where of Hieremie spakyth capit 31. the legaci and testament is remission of sinne and lieffe eternall which is promisyd us for the merites of Christ and this legacye and bequest is made sure sealyd and confirmyd by the death of Christ whyche the father of heauen acceptyth as à sufficient pryce for the purchesse of eternall lieffe And all the sacrament that be or in tyme past hathe bynne ar none othere thyng then testimonyes of this good will and fauour pf god tawardes us apointid in the churche to lede oure fayth unto Christ thoÌ„ly sacrifice for sinne whoys Merites eytendith not only unto us after his passion from the tyme that he was promisid unto mann in the beginning of the worold Gen. 3. as many as belyued in hym were sauyd as well before as after his passioÌ„ for he was the Mediatour betwene god and man from the begynning Iesus Christus heri hodie in secula Ebre 13. Abraam uidit diem meum gauisus est Ioan. 8. Patres eundem cibum eadem escam comederunt biberunt 1. Cor. 10. Abraam Isaac Iacob were iustified by the fayth they had in Christes Merites to cuÌ„ and were signes of this only sacrifice to cum Ioan. Chrysost ho melia 55. in Ioan. Et Ireneus contra haereses lib. 4. cap. 13. dooth interpretat these wordes diem meum Ioan. 8. for the death of Christ Saynct Augustin Tracta in Ioan. 43. dooth understond by these wordes diem meum as well the day of Christes natiuite as the liefe eternall Ego inquit non dubito patrem Abrahamum totum uidisse and that is consonant with the wordes of the scripture Lu. 16. where as is declarid the condicion of souch as died in the fay the of Christ before he suffrid and that they were in Ioye and did not as the worold now for the moost part dooth bylyue that there sacramentes were of souche uertewe to saw them They kept them with reuereÌ„ce and lyuid in the hope of the pâ—omese that they confirmid to say the death of Christ to cum And we belyue in hope of godes promesse for the Merites of hym that hath died and is passid out of the worold as it is signified by oure sacramentes Lefte unto us by Christ in the scripture sufficieÌ„tly there tawght how they shuld be usid and to what end where with all people that haue à godd opinion of Christe shuld be coÌ„tendid and thynk uerely that all the wysdom of the worold cannot deuise a better waye how to use the sacramentes then he hathe there tawght us and that noman euer louid his churche as well as he that shed his bludd for the Redemption therof and to acertayne us of this loue he gaue the testament and his sacramentes wher with all we might kepe and preserue his loue were we so gracious to ffolow this bookâ— and testameÌ„t only and not the dreames of men ffor the law of god is without faut and all imperfection Mannes lawes hath ffaultes and is unperfeyt what shuld moue man to depart ffrom trewth un to lies ffrom perfection unto imperfection from the holy gost in the scripture unto the lyyng sprit of man Nothing haue they to ffere the simple man more with all then to say if this lerning be trew oure fathers be damnyd they belyuid not so and then reherse agreat manye of holy mennes names who is doctrine they repugne for they iudgid aright of sacramentes Graunt they dyd not There auctorite must gyue place tho the scripturs And let the Christiane reader rather condemne the fact of all men that abuse the sacramentes rather then to say thorder that Christ hath ordeinid is not sufficient Hold not with the moost part but with the better and acknolege them to be of te better part that use the sacramentes as the scripture teachite And wheÌ„ they preache so moâ—che of there doctors holynis demaund whether Christ was holy or not and wheÌ„ the say the holy churche thus tea chith Masse to be good Think whether Christ were of te churche or not and when the would excuse the re addicious unto the supper of the lord with there good and holy intencions that it hath byn so ordeynid by all lernid men that hathe wroten Demaund who is better lernid then Christ or who ment better to the churche theÌ„ he and if they haue more wit to use the ceremony of Christes supper then he Or better wrytith of it then the Euangelistes Who wrytith as clene agaynst there use as light is to darkenis râ—de the scripture well and se And rather condemne all men of the worold then to graunt that the scripture teachithe us not sufficiently the use of sacramentes and all other articles of oure ffayth Let the word of god be the Lantern unto all thy liefe and confirm thy knolege there by And then art thow sure Now I will answer unto souche argumentes as my lord would
they change there law now for Auarice now for fere and now for placebo so thy fayth chayngithe as inconstannt as the wind And yet baryth the in hand that the moder and nest of abhominacion there uniuersall church caÌ„not lye WheÌ„ all hystorijs declarithe that thone byshope neuer stablishyd the others decrese Rede platina and let those ffew byshopes that I repet yeue the occacioÌ„ to lern thy ffayth out the law of god and let there holy churche goo in the yer of our lord 900. Stephene the sixt was byshope of Rome and for à priuate hattred he had unto his predecessour and benefactor fformosus abrogatid all the lawes and statutes that he made in the time of his being byshope pluckyd the ded body out of his sepulchre cut of too fingers of his right hand and cast them into the â—flud Tyber After the death of Stephene succedid Romanus primus and after him too orher Theodorus secundus Ioannes decimus These thre disanullid all the decrees of Stephyne and restoryd the actes and statutes of fformosus Sthephanes Ennymie Alitle aâ—ter was leo the ffyghe made byshope and within xl dayes of his inauguracion is uery ffrend Christopher cast hym in to pryson And he occupied the see and chayre tn Rome for the space of 7. monethes and then glad to ffle unto Amonastery as abanyshid man as platina sayth Then came Sergius Tercius who so abrogatyd the lawes made by fformosus that souche as were made pristes in the time of fformosus were compellyd to receaue orders agayne And toke the ded body of fformosus out of his sepulchre and causid it to be cast into Tybre Ileaue Ioan the xi and Ioan xiij amore wyckid person neuer ocopyed that Rome It were à hole booke mater to Name theÌ„ all and there detestable actes By these men we may see how litle authorite there decrees shuld haue in conscience of à Christiane man And cause euery person to syke the truithe only in the scripture and not at the hand of ony byshope or byshopes lawes ffor doutles they haue deceauid them selfes and other this many yers god yeue theÌ„ grace to amend AccoÌ„pt it not apoynt of Sophistrie god Christiane reader to what à sacrameÌ„tis by the scripture know it is thy bound on dewty for if thow ar with thy preacher in the use of Sacramentes thow shalt be an Idolatre with thy preacher and Godes Ennymye Thy preacher was commaundyd to preache nothyng unto the but the word of god as Christ towghteâ— Docete â—os seruare quecuÌ„que prae cepiuobis Matth. 28. And whether thow be lernyd or uulneryd as thow louyst thy saluation see thow be able to satiffye thy selfe in a trew knolege of the sacramentes like wyse be able to declare the same openly apertly and trewly unto thy famyly and howshold Remembre the commaundement of God unto all and singuler of the Israelitis Erit quoque cum dixerint ad uos filij uestri quis est hic cultus uester Dicetis Est oblatio pesah Ddmini qui transendit domos filiorum Israel in Aegypto cuÌ„ per cuteret Aegyptios domos nostras liberauit The ffathers knew not only themselfes what the lambe ment but were bount to teache ther infantes the knolege therof as theydyd by the word of God would tho our lord Christiane men would study to do the same ffyrst to know them selfes and theÌ„ to teache there ffamilie by the Testament And not to say unto there Chyldren see thy God knele downe serea and hold upp thy handes the scriptures reprouith that idolatrye theach the lordes super by the scriptures and suffre not thy familie to blaspheme God before they know what god is And beliue not this persuacioÌ„ that it is not à Christiane manÌ„es of fice to know what à sacrament is as well as the pryst for if thow do thow makyst thy selfe gilty of godes yre and displeasure and declaryste thy selfe to be none of Christes rede the 10. chap. of IoaÌ„ and he that will minister the sacrament unto the let hym say as Paule sayd to the cor Ego accepâ— Ã domino quod tradidi uobis and know by the scripture that he sayth trewthe trust not his word if thow canst not rede desire some other to rede unto the institution of Christ and know whether he saythe truythe or not Euery man is bound to know the commaun dementes of god and the workes there of Now the sacramentes be all conteynid in this coÌ„maundement Memomento ut diem sabbati sanctifices How canst thow honor the lyuing god and if thow be ignorant of his law Was this precept yeuin unto the pristes alon that they shuld only kepe holy the sabbot no but as they by the word of god ar bound to preache the gospell and minister the sactamentes with knolege and reuerence so ys euery Christiane man bound to use them with knolege and incase he knowithe not what à sacrament is and why it is usid refrayne ffrom the use of them for godes promese and godes sacramentes must be receauid one way with knolege and faithe This reason ofmy lordes is not godly for doutles he that goithe to plowghe all the weke is bound to know trewly what à sccrament is and how and why and to what end it shuld be usid as well as my lord And my lord withe all the byshoppes and pristes in Inglond shall Lament ffull sore there ignorancye and there blud requirid at there handes and yet the poure ignorauÌ„t persones excusid ffrom thyre of god nothâ—g the rathere The secoÌ„d reson to stab lyshe thalteracion of bread he takyth of the Nature of ffayth Who beliuithe thinges coÌ„trary unto reason and the iudgment of carnall senses It is trew that faythe so doothe As it beliuithe the worold to be made of nothyng the sonne of God to be made man in the bely of the uirgine This we belyue because the scripture commaundith us to belyue it But my lord cannot infer there by that faythe belyuithe euery canterbury ta le ffaythe is not à light opinion groundid upon maâ— but afirme persuacion and constant assurance stablysâ— hid in the scripture Ebre 11. it signifiyth not only knolege But also firme confidence in the thing knowyn Aâ— the Ebrew frase usithe maÌ„ny times the word belyue for trust Asre col hose bo Psalm 2. blyssid ar all that trust in hym Paul citi h à place out of Esay 18. ca. hammaemin lo â—a hish qui credit noÌ„ festinet Likwice Dan. 6. Psal 78. duo synonima coniunguntur quia non crediderunt deo non confusi sunt in salutare suo the examples of the testament likwyce declarithe that fayth signifithe coÌ„fidence in the promesse of god O mulier magna est fi des tua Item fides tua te saluam fecit Thus doothe emeneh in the Ebrew and pistis in the greace signifie There for Laurentius Vall. and budeus in Pandct Iuris ciuilis callith pistis