deliuer vs from that dampnation which through our sinnes we doe deserue euē by that recompence which he hath already made for vs in his owne most bitter death and bloody passion It is the blood of Christ which through the eternall spirite offered him selfe without spotte to God which purgeth our conscience from dead workes to serue the liuinge god It is Iesus Christ who hath appeared once to take away sinne by the sacrifice of him selfe Heb. 9. Now as the same Apostle sayth Heb. 10. Where the remission of these thinges is there is no more offeringe for sinne and I say where the recompence for sinne is thus made by Iesus there is no more recompence to be made for sinne How dare Fowler then teache vs to require to haue a firme purpose in vs to make our selues a recompence for this which Iesus only both coulde doe and also did fully sufficiently for vs What is this else but to aske of Iesus a firme purpose to renounce and forsake him It is nothing else verely but to forsake the redemption which we haue in Christ Iesus to repose our selues vppon our owne making of recompēce to pray as Fowler teacheth But what Prophet what Apostle or Sainct did euer so pray or taught vs to pray That which none hath done euer Fowler now dare do Dauid prayeth humbly to the Lorde in his Psalter that he will forget and forgiue the faults of his youth Psal. 25. And he reioyceth that the Lord hath forgiuen him his sins that he hath forgotten thē that he hath remoued them from him as farre as is the East from the West that he hath throwne them into the bottome of the sea Psal. 103. Dauid prayeth not to haue a firme purpose to make recompence for his sins but resteth in the blessed remission of his sinnes giuen him by God of his free goodnes mercy through Christ Iesus And againe Dauid in the Psal. 31. confesseth of him selfe this I acknowledge my sinne vnto thee neither hide I mine iniquitie for I thought I will confesse against my selfe my wickednes vnto the Lorde and thou hast forgiuē the iniquity of my sinne Thus doth Dauid in his Psalter singe an other manner of Psalme then Fowler doth in this his Psalter For the true Prophet Dauid prayeth for forgiuenesse of his sinnes and reioyceth in this that God did forgiue him which is such a thinge to be desired that Dauid sayth immediatly in that Psalme Therefore shall euery one that is godly make his prayer vnto thee c. What accompt then shall we make of Fowler who prayeth not for this but cleane contrarie to this for he will haue a firme purpose to make him selfe a recompence for his owne sinnes Surely neither is this prayer of Fowlers like to that of the godly nor him self godly in this praying For if euery one that is godly prayeth for forgiuenes of sins Fowler is vngodly who prayeth not for forgiuenesse but for a firme purpose to make a recompense for his sinnes The holy children of God are all most holily taught by Iesus our very Iesus and Sauior to pray Forgiue vs our trespasses This is an other manner of thing then to pray for a firme purpose to make our selues recōpense for our sinnes Simple is he that will forsake that forme of prayer which Iesus Christe hath taught and holy Dauid vsed in his Psalter Dauid I say who was that sweete Psalme singer of Israell 2. Sam. 23. will follow this faithles fiddle of Fowler Simple is he that will forsake that recompense which Iesus Christ hath once made for him trust to a recompense of his own making This were fowly to fal from Christ to runne headlong into the dungeon of despaire Al the Angels heauenly spirites in heauen all the men in earth can not make such a recompense Onely Iesus Christ Iesus I say alone was able to make and did make the full recompense for sinne did it fully for the faithfull therfore he hath founde euerlasting saluation for them which shal be saued as the Apostle sayth Heb. 9. which truely he could not haue gayned vnles the recompense which he made for them had bene fully sufficient Now to take this work of making recompense into our owne handes is either to deny or to dout of the fulnes of that recompense which Iesus Christ hath made for vs and this to doe is to robbe Iesus of his glory and the robber doth robbe him selfe of comfort and saluation in Christ so doth but deceaue him self and double his owne sinne damnation Yet thus woulde M. Fowler haue his Reader to pray to Iesu to haue not onely his purpose but his firme purpose to make him self recompense for his sinnes which is to robbe Iesus of his glory to be him self a deceit to him self to make his way to most spedy certein damnation If M. Fowler mistrust the recompense which Iesus hath made and doth desire to make his owne recompense for his owne sinnes then doth he not beleue that Iesus hath made either any recompense at al or not a full recompēse for his sinnes which is a point of plaine infidelitie Such as floweth in the Romish Catholike Church This peece of poyson lyeth in this Psalter of M. Fowlers euen this robbing of Iesus in M. Fowler his Psalter of Iesus An other petition followteh containing these wordes Graunt me the seuen giftes of the holy Ghost the eyght beatitudes the foure Cardinall vertues and in receiuing of the Sacrament deuoutly to dispose me M. Fowler delighteth him selfe greately in sett numbers and yet he is no good Arithmetrician When he speaketh of the seuen gifts of the holy ghost he should haue tolde his Reader what they be and where he learned that there be but seuen Surely we knowe that there are many more giftes then seauen which the holy Ghost doth giue to the elect children of God I say many more Likewise I saye of the Beatitudes of which he speaketh as though there were no more but eight It may be that I am so ignorant that I doe not know to what places of the holy scriptures M. Fowler had his eye in these his set numbers Therefore let him name the places him selfe proue to vs if he can either that they do containe these precise numbers of seauen or eight and no more or that there be no more giftes of the holy Ghost but seauen nor more beatitudes but eight In the meane tyme the Christian Reader which loueth with godly reuerence to searche the Scriptures in searchinge shall finde that there be many more giftes of the holy Ghost then seauen many more beatitudes then eight Let not him therfore be thus abridged of his blessednes by Maister Fowler if he doe loue sanctification and blessednes M. Fowler seemeth also to haue some smattering of Philosophy in telling vs of foure cardinal vertues But some of his Maisters in teaching vertues haue spoken of the
the accompte of Psalters to matche it with theirs to make vp their packe of Psalters But what are these other two Psalters of which they tell vs Who hath blowen them foorth into the world Let them tell vs also why they do not adde to this nomber of Psalters those which their forefathers haue heretofore published as Psalters to the worlde in printe Be they now ashamed of them so may they be of this They printed at Parris a Primer anno 1554. in the 160. leafe of that booke they do giue vs an other Psalter which they do there call The Psalter of Sainct Hierome and they do in their Rubricke there tell vs for how many purposes good if we will beleeue them the same Psalter was printed In the same booke also Fol. 125 they tell vs howe S. Bernard was on a time in his prayers and the deuil sayd to him I know that there be certaine verses in the Psalter who that doth saye them dayly shall not pearishe for he shall haue knowledge of the daye that he shall dye but the feinde saye they woulde not shewe them to S. Bernard Then sayd S. Bernard I shall saye dayly the whole Psalter The feinde considering that S. Bernard should do so much profit to labour so he shewed him the verses there following This is their Rubricke in that place in which might be noted many thinges which now I passe ouer As first that the deuill is busie to dasill men in prayer Againe that this was a packe of verses bounde together by the deuill him selfe An handsome peice of worke be ye sure And thus he doth now busie him selfe by this newe founde Psalter to playe his olde pranckes But why be not these verses thus packed together called S. Bernard his Psalter as well as his verses and why be they not ioyned together as one Psalter with that other Psalter of S. Hierome to increase the number of Psalters For so mighte our Papists yeeld vnto vs more Psalters then three They maye know also if they will how that same their seraphicall doctor S. Bonauenture did most shamefully corrupte the most holy Psalter of Dauid chaunging through the whole Psalter the name of Lorde into Ladye to turne his reader from the Lord God whom the prophet Dauid praised and to whom he prayed vnto that Virgin Mary as his souerain The booke is in printe and therefore I leaue it to the veiw of them who lust to see such corrupte Popish blasphemies But how happeneth it now that our Papistes do make no accompt of that Psalter to be a Psalter Truely as full of filth and blasphemy as it is yet is it adorned by some of their forefathers in poperie with this glorious title The Psalter of the Virgin Mary compiled by the deuoute doctor Sainct Bonauenture Then the Virgin Mary with papists hath two Psalters or else some of them doe lye why doth not M. Fowler tel vs of them Surely I thinke he is as much bounde to tell vs of the one as of the other But it may be that by aduise he doth omitte these psalters because our papistes now be ashamed of the filth and corruption of their forefathers I would there were so much grace in them Truely if there were they would neuer haue sent foorth this new corruption of theirs They do therefore but deale doubly with the reader to tell him but of three psalters as if there were with them no more but three psalters wheras they haue so many But they woulde faine make a waye for this their new psalter therefore they suppresse the number and naminge of others They tell vs that this is the psalter of Iesu good wordes But why call they it a psalter There are some of their good maisters in popery which do tell vs that a psalter is an instrument of tenne stringes and these men do now tell vs that this their psalter hath 150. stringes I meane petitions therefore it is some new kinde of instrument deuised by their owne idle and corrupt braines Their saide maisters teach vs that the psalter that is the instrument which hath tenne stringes doth signifie the tenne commaundements And will M. Fowler tell vs on his credite that this his new psalter doth signifie the ten commaundements If he do so tell vs we shal be able I hope to proue that this his psalter is but a counterfaite and false signe More their maisters do teache vs that an hymne doth thus differ from a psalme For an hymne say they is that songe which is songe with the naturall voice but a Psalme is that which is played vpon an instrument Now sithence it is their pleasure to giue vs a psalter they will I thinke assigne some instrument wherevpon the psalmes of this psalter maye be played And so they do ful deuoutly forsooth For they do assigne to them which shall hādle this their psalter to playe the same vpon their Tenne fingers A proper instrument and soundeth as sweetly as when an Ape layeth his fore hands crosse one vpon an other and is taught to sweare by his owne tenne bones full sweetly kissing his proper pawes This verely is but apes playe But how aptly or vnaptly soeuer it is to be called a psalter all is made vp by adding vnto the psalter the name of Iesu for they call it the psalter of Iesu The name of Iesu hath in it an heauenly and glorious sweetnes when it is rightly looked into For he that doth know him selfe to be a sinner and that he is to receaue the rewarde of sinne that is death and damnation by the most iuste iustice of God When this man with a trembling and troubled spirite doth looke about quaking for feare and hungry of helpe and findeth that Iesus is the true and only Iesus that it is he that saueth his people from their sinnes and therefore is euen the same in deede which his name noteth that is a Sauiour This poore soule reioyseth with ioye vnspeakable because he hath founde a Iesus and fealeth in him selfe a taste of that kingdome of God which is righteousnes ioye and peace in the holy Ghost If M. Fowler did minde to teach his reader to vnderstand what the name of Iesus doth meane he would I thinke haue told him the same thing which the Angel did tell Ioseph Thou shalt cal his name Iesus for he shall saue his people frō their sinnes Where we learne that the name of Iesus doth signifie a Sauiour and Iesus is he called because it is he that doth saue his people from their sinnes And this sauinge health hath suche a sweete taste in it that it maketh the Virgin Marie Simeon and all other well taughte children of God which do rightely taste of this saluation to reioyce in God their sauiour M. Fowler mighte also haue tolde vs out of Bernard that Iesus is honey in the mouth and melodie in the eare and myrthe in the harte And also that the name of Iesus is
for our sinnes 1. Ioan. 4. Thus doth the spirite of God lay forth that loue before vs in which lyeth our life Of this loue S. Paule hauing a right good taste wryteth Gal. 2. I liue sayth he by the faith of the sonne of God who loued me and hath giuen him selfe for me In this loue which Christ Iesus beareth to vs is the very life of the faithfull and therfore to it they must they do looke As we reade Apoca. 1. vnto him that loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes in his blood made vs kinges priestes vnto God his father vnto him be glory dominion for euermore Thus are we taught to taste the loue wherewith Iesus Christ hath loued vs our selues howsoeuer either he loued his mother or she loued him In the thirteenth petition he hath put in this patche Make me patiently to suffer iniuries and rebukes in recompense of my disobedient hart to thee To suffer iniuries and rebukes for Christes sake patiently and for well doinge is a blessednes And can not this suffice Maister Fowler but he must also make his patience a recompense to God for the disobedience of his hart Of this his conceipte of recompencing God for sinne I haue spoken before and the lesse shall I neede to speake of it now because M. Fowler him selfe also euen in this same petition belike misdouting his owne recompencinge of God for his own sinnes doth flee to the recompence which the Lorde Iesus hath made for vs and sayeth Let thine obedience recompence for my obstinacy thine abstinence for my superfluity thy meekenes and thy patience for my pride irefull hart enmity thy charity for my malice thy deuotion for my dulnes thy louinge hart for my vnkindnes thy holy death for my wretched life for all my misery These are the words of M. Fowler in this same thirteenth petition in which he doth require the Lord Iesus to make the recompence for all his sinnes and misery And what is it then wherefore he woulde him selfe make recompence by his patience He sayeth for his disobedient hart But for this he prayeth the Lord Iesus to make recompence He seemeth in these wordes not to trust to the value of recompencing by his owne patience but prayeth that the pacience of the Lord Iesus may be a recompence for his owne pride irefull hart and enmity You see nowe once againe how contrary M. Fowler is to himselfe in this petition what a iarre this contrariety doth make in this his Psalter In deede the recompence which he woulde him selfe make by his patience for the disobedience of his own hart is farre out of tune and soundeth vnsauerily in the vnderstandinge of any true christian But this recompence which he findeth that Iesus hathe made for his elect is a sweete sauour of life to the soules of true christians agreeth with the saying of the Prophet Isai 53. He set or made his life for a sacrifice of sinne This recompence which Iesus Christ hathe made that which M. Fowler would himself make can not be coupled together For Iesus alone and only made the iust and full recompence for the sinnes of all them whiche are to be saued In the last that is in the fifteenth petition M. Fowler addeth This inuocation and Psalter of thee by the mediation of thy most entirely beloued mother purchase to me gratious life blessed ending free from debte and deadly sinne I beseech thee and after my bodily death euerlasting life with endlesse blisse and felicity M. Fowler must first proue that this is the Psalter of Iesus before he can thus call and commend it or attribute such force vnto it as he doth And lette the reader marke how M. Fowler him selfe as it were doubting of the value vertue or force of this his Psalter ioyneth to it as a poore help to helpe it forwarde the mediation of the blessed virgin Mary For he woulde haue his Psalter to be of valure to purchase for him by the mediation of the blessed virgin Mary Of her mediation we knowe nothinge as I haue said before we do trust only to the mediatiō of her most gracious sonne our good Lorde Iesus who is the one so the only Mediator betwene God and man For we are taught by S. Paul that there is one God and one Mediator betwene God man euen the man Christ Iesus But M Fowler like a slouēlike apoticary mingleth this his Psalter the mediation of the virgin Mary both together to the ende belike that if the one failed the other might serue the turne And he prayeth that this his medly may purchase first gracious life This tearme gracious which he vseth teacheth vs whatsoeuer he meaneth by gracious life that it is the worke of Gods free grace and therefore commeth not by purchase either of this Psalter or of the mediation of the virgin Mary He addeth that by this mingle he would purchase blessed endinge free from debte and deadely sinne Touchinge the payment of his debtes it may be that M. Fowler thinketh to prouide some poore helpe by printing of this Psalter and that the good vent thereof may be a great helpe to him if he be in debte But it is harde dealing to get the money of true men for false ware It is more hard to lay such snares of deceit to intrappe the simple soules of Christians as M. Fowler doth for getting of money to paye his debtes Whatsoeuer M. Fowler dreameth of payment of his debtes we knowe the payment and satisfaction for al our sinnes is the price which Iesus Christ payed in his most pretious bitter and bloody death suffred on the crosse for vs That onely maketh vs free other freedom purchased either by this Psalter or by the mediation of the Virgin Mary or any other way which M. Fowler and his fellowes can deuise we know none we wil none We doe by Gods grace knowe that freedome into which we are called by Iesus Christ who as he onely coulde so he hath most gratiously made vs free In that fredom by his grace we doe and shall stand By this mingle M. Fowler would purchase also life euerlasting He thinketh but simply and basely of life euerlasting which doth thinke that it may be purchased by such a filthy fiddle as is this Psalter or by such a mingle mangle as Fowler maketh But we haue learned and doe beleue that life euerlasting is as I sayd before the gifte of God thorough Iesus Christ our Lorde It is his gifte it is not by this Psalter nor by the mediation of the Virgin Mary to be purchased We doe giue vnto God the glorie and prayse due of and for the gifte of life euerlastinge by Iesus Christ We will not seeke it by any other meanes nor goe about to purchase that our selues which is thus gratiously and freely giuen vnto vs Thus endeth this Psalter sayth Maister Fowler and yet he addeth an admonition a poynt of